The small villa, Guan Ya's bedroom—magnificent stars rise like dreams. Zhang Yuanqing turns her head, her gaze sweeping over the room filled with a feminine atmosphere and adorned with constellations figurines. "Hm, where's Guan Ya?" Shouldn't she be huddled on the bed, knees drawn up, weeping softly? Zhang Yuanqing pulls open the door, descends, and sees the Queen and the Princess seated at the dining table, each focused on their laptops, online gaming. —The Princess's laptop was bought by Zhang Yuanqing. "Where is Guan Ya?" Zhang Yuanqing stands at the staircase entrance, not stepping down. The Queen, with her mature, smoky eye makeup, turns her head, giving her a withering look. "You've just arrived. Didn't Guan Ya reach you this morning? By noon, she'd gone straight to your place without eating a single bite—I've never seen her so upset. What's going on between you two?" In the Queen's and Xie Lingxi's perception, Guan Ya's initial dislike for Yuan Shi Tian Zun had quietly transformed within her heart. Just like you didn't want to eat yellow chicken stew yesterday, but suddenly wanted it today—this is a normal emotional shift for humans, and one wouldn't feel any issue about it. But Guan Ya is different; she truly lost a boyfriend, so her reaction is the most intense. Visiting my house? Well, that fits Guan Ya's personality perfectly... Zhang Yuanqing nodded, "Got it." At that moment, he noticed Lady Yin Yao turning her head, glancing at him, then looking away again. "What would you like to say?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. Lady Yin Yao ignored him, focusing instead on the game—she wasn't particularly passionate about games, but rather eager to experience modern, fresh things one by one. Zhang Yuanqing returned to the bedroom and sent a text message to Guan Ya: "I'm at Fu Family Bay." Then he sat at his desk, thinking through what he should do next. The exploration of Gao Tianyuan has come to a temporary conclusion, and the identity of the Waha Emperor, as well as the secrets of the Spiritual Realm, are not things that can be achieved within a short time—they belong to long-term goals. The immediate tasks ahead are the approaching second Spiritual Realm; arranging for Yin Ji to secure capable ministers to depose the Pure Yang Master; investigating the Night Rose's leader and the Night Wandering God among the Shadow Twins; and either saving or leaving unattended the Mage's Eye. Later, there will be the Master Wuhu's lecture in late August, an opportunity to meet Xiao Yuan's maternal family. "That's all the events in August—thanksgiving banquet at the Xie family is in September," Zhang Yuanqing pinched his brow, quietly muttering: things truly pile up. Beyond the monthly Spiritual Realm visits, there's always an endless stream of real-world affairs. Now, thanks to the moral credit system, the evil organizations don't manage to keep things busy every day—otherwise, they'd be causing chaos constantly. Of course, right now, the top priority is resolving the matter with Guan Ya and stabilizing the relationship between the two. At that moment, a notification from the Spiritual Realm reached his ears: 【Ping! Xiu Hou Ao Tian has requested to draw upon...】 Hmm? Xiu Hou Ao Tian wants to withdraw materials at the Master level? Really? Has this guy truly gotten himself stuck? Zhang Yuanqing nearly burst out This truly was something Xiaohou Aotian would do. "Refused!" Of course, he wouldn't agree to Xiaohou Aotian's request. There were still three master-tier materials belonging to Xiaohou Aotian currently stored in the warehouse. The materials swallowed by the Hundred-Refining Furnace would simply count as expenses for lessons learned. Even with significant losses, it was better than going bankrupt. If the Hundred-Refining Furnace's energy had accumulated to a high level, Xiaohou Aotian would definitely call him to request it—then, he would naturally support the request. But based on his understanding of the Furnace and his assessment of Xiaohou Aotian's financial strength, the energy accumulation was likely just beginning. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing felt his earlobe twitch, and heard a hurried footstep approaching. Guanyu has returned... He quickly drew out the Ghost Mirror and tucked it into his waist. ... At the entrance of the Wanshao Store, a solitary figure stood. The face that once had charmed countless young men now bore the stiffness of someone nearing the end of life. The hollow eyes, filled with a sorrow that seemed to Stirring and touching, evoking deep compassion. For three months, Lian San Yue would lift her gaze toward the shop's exterior, then return it to her plate, continuing to savor the premium cigars presented by Yuan Shi Tian Zun. After a while, she would lift her gaze again, then resume her enjoyment of the cigars. Repeating this cycle several times, the neutral dominator furrowed her brow, rose to her feet, walked to the shop entrance, crossed her arms, held the cigar firmly in her hand, and sighed, "Here's what I'll do—refund you the costs for the fire stones and your hand cards. For the auction fees on the antiques, I'll keep only 5%, and refund the remaining 5%. That's as far as I can go. Your materials were consumed by the furnace—they didn't end up in my hands. Humanitarian efforts are as far as they can go." Lian San Yue looked at him with a compassionate gaze: "I've never seen someone so unlucky. I simply couldn't help but feel sympathy." "????" ... Ling Jun shook his wine glass gently, smoothed down his tousled, carefree short hair, and smiled, "After today, Yuan Shi will officially become your brother-in-law." Fu Qingyang held his cigar firmly, speaking calmly, "Guan Ya will eventually marry someone. Rather than joining the Millet family, she should choose Yuan Shi—Yuan Shi is excellent, not a waste." Ling Jun hesitated, "I think Yuan Shi is quite a romantic soul. He might end up having affairs with other women. What if he disappoints Guan Ya in the future?" Fu Qingyang said nothing. He picked up his cigar cutter and gave it a crisp snap, cutting open the end of the cigar. Ling Jun instinctively straightened up, then remembered—he should be worried about Yuan Shi, not himself. So he relaxed again. To have made the right decision back in his youth, choosing not to pursue Guan Ya at the last moment—what a wise move. That woman wasn't only a scout herself—her family's entrenched power and brutality were equally formidable, making her truly unsuitable as a match for the young man. Fu Qingyang set down his scissors, gracefully picked up the spray gun to light his cigar, and gazed at the blue flame. "Guan Ya's parents were linked by mutual interest—after she was born, her aunt and her mother-in-law drifted apart, each pursuing their own paths, with no interference. By the time Guan Ya entered middle school, they had completely fallen out and divorced. Under the influence of her upbringing, Guan Ya was naturally timid—timid in facing life's challenges, and timid in matters of love and relationships. She didn't want to follow in her parents' footsteps, yet she lacked the courage to resist her family's expectations. She longed for freedom in love, yet remained uncertain about marriage and emotional commitment." Qian Gong held his cigar tightly, took a deep breath, and exhaled a steady stream of white smoke, speaking slowly. "I don't particularly care whether she and Yuan Shi can make it to the end. What matters most is that she breaks through her psychological barriers, overcomes her timidity, pursues what "How could Yuan Shi's subtle intentions escape the notice of the esteemed Qian公子?" Ling Jun sighed with appreciation, then suddenly remembered something and added, "I heard a matter—my father, who's always been stationed in the Spiritual Realm lately, has observed that the Spiritual Realm may soon undergo changes." Fu Qingyang's gaze sharpened. "What kind of changes?" Ling Jun replied, "According to the senior monks, the performance evaluations in the Spiritual Realm might now extend from the Sovereigns to the Saints." By "performance evaluations," they meant the organization's requirement that Sovereigns must eliminate a certain number of opponents from rival factions within the final three months of each year. Isn't that precisely the performance evaluation system now being applied to the Sovereigns of the Spiritual Realm? Failure to meet the assessment criteria may not result in a return to the Spiritual Realm, but will entail severe penalties—currently, there is no standardized system. Some penalties involve loss of experience points; others require the next dungeon to become significantly more challenging; some affect the individual directly, such as the spiritual senses of the spiritual cultivators becoming clouded, impairing their ability to communicate with the supreme beings beyond the veil. Various other consequences exist. Originally, these assessments were designed solely for the Sovereigns, while the Saints and the Extraordinary had to undertake dungeon missions monthly, facing substantial survival pressure, without additional performance expectations. Zhang Yuancheng stood up, looking at her and speaking calmly and deliberately, "I'll pack up and go. I won't be staying here any longer." The tone and gaze in which he said this were exceptionally gentle and composed—so serene, in fact, as though this relationship had already been a cherished memory from half a lifetime past, free of regret or resentment, completely at peace. This gentleness was something he had deliberately cultivated through the spirit mirror, a way of expressing his inner sentiment: "The greatest sorrow is when the heart is dead." Whenever I appear like this, Guan Ya becomes deeply distressed, throwing herself into my arms, weeping bitterly, pleading for my forgiveness, and then I can have everything I want—right from the start. Zhang Yuancheng smiled to himself with quiet satisfaction. Guan Ya gazed deeply into his eyes, took a deep breath, and walked toward him, speaking softly, "Yuanshi..." "Say no more, don't try to restore it," Zhang Yuancheng raised his hand in a clear gesture of refusal. "I've been thinking about this all day yesterday. Perhaps you're right. I'm just a commoner, and you're a daughter of a "As he finished speaking, a familiar melody from the cat king speaker, long absent, began to play: 'Back then, you said we should part—part we did. Now you want to use true love to win me back. Love isn't something you can sell or buy just because you decide to.' You really know how to add drama, don't you? Well, the music is quite fitting... Zhang Yuanqing mentally chided himself, maintaining the calm composure of someone whose heart had been broken beyond repair. 'Yuan Shi, what I really want to say is...' Guan Ya stepped forward, meeting his gaze with the steady, wise eyes of a beloved mentor. Suddenly, she grabbed his arm, twisted, turned, and delivered a fierce overhead throw, sending her former boyfriend flying, shouting, 'You're going to play some new game with me again, aren't you?' Zhang Yuanqing soared through the air, a series of questions flashing through his mind. This wasn't what he'd expected. Guan Ya's reaction had surpassed his expectations. She shouldn't have been rushing toward him, tears streaming, embracing him tightly, sobbing, 'Are you electricity? Are you light? Are you the only myth?' His mental confusion did not slow his combat response. Zhang Yuanqing immediately activated Star-Dashing, transforming into streaks of light and vanishing before his body smudged on the ground. He materialized at the doorway, shouting, "You—what—" The word "what" had barely formed when Guan Ya's lightning-fast whip leg already struck his head. Zhang Yuanqing instinctively raised his arm to block. His arm bone cracked instantly. Before he could deploy Star-Dashing to escape, Guan Ya's follow-up attacks poured in, leaving him no room to catch his breath. A series of crisp cracks echoed as Zhang Yuanqing was effectively pinned to the ground. In close combat, a Star Official could hardly stand a chance against a swordmaster—nor could he truly summon his tools to command spectral servants to fight his girlfriend. He would have to endure defeat with resentment. "Pain! Pain! My arm's broken! My arm's broken!" Guan Ya's long legs clamped firmly around Zhang Yuanqing's neck, cradling one of his arms, while her waist powerfully pulled, exerting relentless pressure. Zhang Yuanqing felt as though his arm was being pulled right out of his body. "You don't even remember what I've said, do you?" Guan Ya snapped. "What trick did you play yesterday? Tell me everything in detail—so I can decide whether to dislocate your arm or your leg." "I didn't play any tricks. What could I possibly do? Haven't you already proposed to break up?" "Hmph. I'm a scout, and if I haven't reacted by now, I might as well return to the Spiritual Realm." Guan Ya barked, "Now speak!" "This whole thing is all Fu Qingyang's fault—he cut my red thread..." Guan Ya suddenly exerted all her strength, and with a crisp pop, Zhang Yuanqing's right arm dislocated. Releasing her grip and drawing back her long legs, she coldly added, "So you deliberately kept hovering before me yesterday, pretending to be in love, to make me feel guilty, hoping I'd cry and regret, so I'd agree to everything you wanted? You think I haven't seen men before? Do you think I can't live without you?" She gave another sharp laugh, stood up, smoothed her hips, and turned to walk away. “…” Zhang Yuanqing felt that he was still too young, having completely miscalculated the sharpness of a scout. Well, he’d ended up with a loss—Zhuan Ya had apparently been upset. Zhang Yuanqing sat on the ground, supporting himself with his palms, then pressed down. His dislocated arm instantly realigned itself. “I just wanted to do something simple—something I’d do with my girlfriend. Is that really so difficult?” Zhang Yuanqing didn’t rush to follow up. He sighed and sat back down at his desk, picking up his phone. He sent a message to Ling Jun: 【Master Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn: Teacher, the plan has failed. The enemy is too strong; I am now utterly helpless.】 【Ling Jun: Did Guan Ya see through your clumsy act and get scolded?】 【Master Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn: How do you know? C’mon, you knew I’d fail, yet you didn’t even remind me—instead, you subtly suggested that I could succeed.】 【Ling Jun: Don’t worry. When you get to Guan Ya’s room in the evening, everything will unfold exactly as you wish. You better not pull any punches with me—I don't want to take any more hits. Ling Jun: The essence of this matter is actually helping Guan Ya realize your importance. Without experiencing setbacks and storms, a relationship remains fragile. Only through experiencing loss can one truly appreciate what they have. Ling Jun: Guan Ya is a scout—she can see right through your little games and tricks. But having tasted loss herself, her mindset will subtly shift. She’ll reflect on whether, as a girlfriend, she’s been doing enough, or perhaps falling short. Ling Jun: By pushing your boyfriend to resort to such unconventional tactics, you’re asking: is this really your issue, or hers? As long as Guan Ya genuinely likes you, she’ll recognize her own shortcomings and make the necessary compromises. Zhang Yuanqing read the message over and over, convinced by its logic: Prime Immortal: Truly, you're no ordinary mentor—your understanding of women's psychology is nothing short of masterful. Truly impressive. 】 【Lingjun: Hmph. Don't think that mastering a few techniques makes you look down on your teacher—your teacher's experience and skills are something you'll always need to look up to.】 【Yuanshǐ Tianzun: Student, I apologize.】 【Lingjun: Go now. I hope to see a man when you return tomorrow morning.】 【Yuanshǐ Tianzun: Teacher, could I borrow your sound-dampening device for a while?】 Lingjun truly enjoyed this experience of sharing love-related insights, and this sense of pleasure and fulfillment was something only Yuanshǐ Tianzun could provide. Subsequently, Zhang Yuanqing followed Lingjun's guidance, staying locked in his room all afternoon until nightfall, only emerging when the Queen came to call for dinner and found him unresponsive—thus expressing his inner frustration. He chose not to appear in person primarily because the emotional façade he was maintaining was easily detectable by the scouts, so he simply decided to stay out of sight. When the Queen called for him without success, she promptly descended to the dining area and returned to the table, saying: “Has another argument broken out between you two? I noticed the队长’s mood isn’t "Guan Ya said nothing, eating in a gloomy mood, occasionally staring off into space, and after only a few bites, she set down her chopsticks and went upstairs. Lady Yin Yao, sitting by the table reading the news, quietly raised her small microphone: "There's something unusual at the Palace of Yuan—major troubles have arisen. Shall I secretly eliminate your rival?" "Oh?" The Queen didn't understand the star official's technical terms, looking utterly puzzled. Lady Yin Yao then quietly lowered the microphone: "Such sluggishness— you are not fit to lead the harem." ... Eleven p.m. The air conditioner hummed steadily, delivering cool breezes; the curtains were drawn shut, and the bedroom was completely dark. Guan Ya lay in bed, tossing and turning, flipping over every few minutes, until well into the early hours, her growing restlessness mounting. At that moment, she heard a faint "click" sound at the bedroom door. Guan Ya was startled, then heard a soft, hesitant voice: "Guan Ya, have you slept?"