Fu Qingyang's efficiency is simply outstanding... Zhang Yuanqing happily set down his phone and opened Bai Huiwei's warehouse. Half of the props had been cleared out, replaced entirely with materials—so many were needed to craft three Yin Sheng and one spiritual servant. With the money prince so affluent, the props had overflowed. Zhang Yuanqing went through each item one by one, retrieving forty-plus herbs at once. First, he moved Guan Ya's large bed to by the window, clearing out a spacious area, then swept the dust beneath the bed. Finally, he brought in the bodies of the greedy general and the hundred-sword general, as well as the straight-backed, lifeless body of Lady Yin Yao. The princess hadn't slept, merely meditating with her eyes closed. Upon hearing that the preparation had started earlier than expected, she instantly opened her eyes, her unusual crimson gaze shining brightly. Following Zhang Yuanqing to Guan Ya's room, she went straight to the corner where the materials were stacked, knelt down, and carefully inspected them for a long time before giving a satisfied nod. "All present. Nothing missed." Then she began to remove her T-shirt and long dress, more decisively than ever before. Zhang Yuanqing watched as she unbuttoned the yellow long-sleeved blouse and loosened the dress straps, allowing the sheer dress to slide down her slender legs. Under the light, the porcelain-like texture of her fair skin shimmered, contrasting beautifully with the black lace, creating a striking visual effect. "You go first?" Zhang Yuanqing hesitated, "I still wanted you to be there to oversee me, especially since this is my first time refining a Level Six Yin Shi." Lady Yin Yao lowered her gaze, glanced at the materials, "The materials aren't abundant—should you make three mistakes, I'll be left empty-handed. I'll go first." Without further hesitation, she bent, arched her back, grasped the lace trim, and pulled the dress off her waist. Now, she could remove her garments with increasing ease and openness, though a touch of modesty and discomfort still lingered—yet with each repetition, her movements grew more fluid. "...Just don't rush," Zhang Yuanqing sighed, "Help me with the materials first." "No." Lady Yin Yao is lying there. Wait, she's actually being fussy—she clearly longs to upgrade. After all, she's been alone in the ancient tomb for several centuries, struggling to stay alive. Zhang Yuanqing bends down, picks up her skirt, and places it at the base of the lady's waist. Though she's a top-tier statue, after seeing her for a while, he can't help but feel a bit restless. Zhang Yuanqing arranges the materials one by one. The primary materials for Lady Yao's Level 5 to Level 6 upgrade are the Yin Po Stone and the Starheart. The former is a crystallized essence formed by the aggregation of countless souls. The latter is a pure, star-powered heart—yes, the heart of a celestial official. The auxiliary materials are quite few, totaling six. Zhang Yuanqing skillfully grinds these auxiliary materials into a fine ink for inscribing the spiritual scrolls, while simultaneously carving the spiritual scrolls onto both primary materials—this is part of the array's design, enabling the Yin corpse to better contain the main components. After the early preparations were complete, he swiftly lifted the silk skirt draped around the princess’s waist, drawing fluid, elegant spiritual incantations as the skirt gently drifted down. Thanks to the night atmosphere, Zhang Yuanqing performed exceptionally well—without a single mistake in the half-hour span, successfully completing the second phase of the grand project. "Ah…" he exhaled softly, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Your talent for calligraphy is truly remarkable," said Princess Yin Yao, visibly astonished. "With a foundation as modest as that of a spiritual realm practitioner, a six-level large array should rarely succeed on the first attempt. Only through the consistent, diligent practice of ancient cultivators can such success be guaranteed." "I've ingested the spiritual essence of the Master of Pure Yang," Zhang Yuanqing replied calmly. "To me, it's as simple as solving a high school math problem." Lady Yin Yao was struck by his aura. "Truly impressive. That's why Master so highly values you. If it were back then, she would have taken you as her direct disciple, making us fellow disciples—sister and brother." "And then together, sneak into her coffin?" "...Ah." After a few more casual exchanges, Zhang Yuanqing had rested sufficiently and proceeded with the final step—drawing the array. One hour later, a circular array appeared on the spacious floor. At its center stood a cultivation seal, which served as the core. Twisting yet full of Dao resonance, the spirit scrolls linked and interlocked with one another, forming a circle with a diameter of five meters. Zhang Yuanqing placed the Yin Po Stone and the Star Heart at the edges of the array, then lifted Lady Yin Yao and carried her to the center of the array. He gently laid the beautiful spirit corpse down, stepped back outside the array, knelt down, and pressed his palm against the spirit scroll, channeling the power of the Taiyin. The circular array, the spiritual scroll on Yin Yao Princess’s person, and the spiritual scrolls of the two primary materials all glowed brightly, emitting a strong black light. Vast streams of yin qi surged upward to the ceiling, then gradually settled, spreading throughout the room. Zhang Yuanqing steadily infused the power of the Taiyin, and soon the two primary materials "melted," transforming into brilliant stellar energy and pure soul energy, which flowed into the Princess’s heart and between her brows. The Princess shivered, then gently floated, rising half a meter off the ground, her long flowing hair hanging down to the floor. The Taiyin energy generated by the array supported and purified her body and soul, gradually integrating the powers of the two primary materials, accelerating their fusion. This process lasted exactly twenty minutes. Zhang Yuanqing continuously infused Taiyin energy, nearly drawing himself dry. For someone primarily trained in Taiyin energy, this level of consumption was nothing short of negligible. As he watched the Princess’s graceful form slowly descend, he thought of the two additional yin corpses and one spiritual servant, and involuntarily gritted his teeth. Lady Yin Yao returned to the circular array, and the residual spiritual energy within it surged into her body, absorbed completely without any trace. She straightened up with a sudden spring, her eyes blazing with brilliant red light, and a powerful aura radiating outwards, sweeping across the spacious bedroom with a strong gust of cool wind. "I've broken through..." Lady Yin Yao joyfully sensed the changes within her, repeating the words: "I've broken through!" Though her perfectly beautiful face remained expressionless, her spirit surged with intense activity, and her heart filled with exuberant joy. Zhang Yuanqing had rarely seen such vivid emotional fluctuations in her before. This lady, who had journeyed across the land, with her thoughts always clear and distant, had usually observed the queen and others from a lofty, detached perspective—encouraging, teasing, remaining aloof and watching the world unfold. Now, she truly felt like a young girl. "Adapt well," Zhang Yuanqing said, "and I'll rest for half an hour." He walked to the window, removed his shoes, and promptly fell asleep. ...Until 4:30 a.m., Zhang Yuanqing finally transformed the Greedy Divine General and the Hundred-Enemy-Slaying Blade into Yin Sheng, and Irui Mizu into a Spirit Servant. The primary materials for the Hundred-Enemy-Slaying Blade were the venom glands and venom teeth of the Serpent Maiden. This esteemed Blade Champion, originally at the peak of Level 5, was elevated to Level 6 Initial by Zhang Yuanqing, with the later-stage Serpent Maiden's venom glands and teeth incorporated to enhance its quality. Now, the Hundred-Enemy-Slaying Blade is a close-combat Yin Sheng that inflicts toxin-based attacks. The Greedy Divine General, however, has no attribute bonuses, a decision Zhang Yuanqing carefully considered and ultimately deemed unnecessary. On one hand, the General is already a close-combat specialist at the peak of Level 6, outperforming his master in strength, speed, and agility—thus, additional embellishments are redundant. On the other hand, crafting a Yin Sheng at the peak of Level 6 is inherently challenging, and adding materials from other professions significantly increases the difficulty, dramatically raising the risk of failure. Yui-chan's cultivation is much simpler—no primary materials need to be added. All that's required is to transform her into a spirit servant, imprint upon her, and then purify her soul using her own Yin energy, shaping her into the form of the master. As for the Blood Rose, Zhang Yuanqing has no intention of upgrading her. This阴尸 is already beginning to transform into a beast; after a few to four such cycles, she will fully become a wolf-like creature devoid of rational thought. At that point, manual clearing will be necessary. She can be treated simply as a consumable. With four such corpses and three spirit servants, I’ve already begun to resemble a night-wanderer. I’ll assign them tools and adjust combat strategies and combinations as needed… Zhang Yuanqing suddenly feels a strong urge to practice. Yet, in the short term, he hasn’t been able to find any fellow evil-class professionals at the same level to serve as practice partners. As he’s pondering this, he notices Yui-chan kneeling on the ground, and feels a surge of spiritual energy: "Master, I have a request, though it may not be one you'd find pleasant." "Speak," Zhang Yuanqing says, treating his spirit Ichiyama raised her lovely face, saying, "I beg the master to whip me and humiliate me every day..." Seemingly afraid that Zhang Yuancheng might refuse, she added, "My mental needs must be met; if they aren't, my mindset will gradually deteriorate until I lose my mental composure. This is a common ailment among evil-class professions—higher the rank, the more severe the symptoms." As for this matter... Zhang Yuancheng chuckled, recalling the evil-class professions he had encountered—indeed, it seemed to be true. Whether it was magical sight, fear, or lust, the higher the rank, the more twisted the mindset, and the harder it was to control. He thought for a moment, then summoned the ethereal whip formed from his Yin energy and struck it forcefully against Ichiyama: "Is it like this?" Ichiyama screamed, collapsing softly yet mentally energized, saying, "Thank you, master! Thank you, master! If the power of the Sun God could be used to strike me, that would be even better..." Truly, a freak. Zhang Yuancheng immediately granted her wish. Hearing Yuchuan Mei's painful, sharp cries, he said firmly, "I'll accept beatings, but not humiliation—after all, you don't even measure up to the Princess." "I—I can also take on the form of a host," Yuchuan Mei protested, unwilling to have her entertainment experience cut short, yet after being stared at by Zhang Yuanqing, she reluctantly yielded, "You're the host, you decide." Zhang Yuanqing had originally intended to gather intelligence about the Void Sect (the Southern School), but after a busy night, he was utterly exhausted and thus dismissed his spiritual servant, sending Yin Yao with the two shadow corpses to depart, then retired to bed. "Ding-ding-ding..." A series of urgent chimes rang out. So many phone calls tonight? With some irritation, Zhang Yuanqing picked up his phone and saw it was Ling Jun calling. He perked up, his drowsiness lifting considerably, and answered. "Is Guan Ya with you?" Ling Jun's voice was serious and low. "She couldn't endure the beatings. She cried out, pleading for her brother, and now she's asleep." Zhang Yuanqing made a light joke, then spoke seriously: "She's been on a mission—what's going on?" Ling Jun exhaled a sigh, "I've uncovered some leads..." He then quietly relayed the information about 'Shanhe Yongsheng' and the cause of Ling Tuo's and Shanhe Yongsheng's deaths, as he had learned from Master Sun. "It really is him," Zhang Yuanqing breathed, drawing a deep breath. "Did Master Sun explain the reasons?" "A confused old Sun told me not to make things worse," Ling Jun said firmly. "Stop investigating," Zhang Yuanqing said, his tone serious. "I don't want you to get hurt." It was he who had drawn Ling Jun into this predicament—seeking to understand the past, to uncover the truth behind the dissolution of Xiaoyao and his father's passing. But if uncovering the truth meant sacrificing Ling Jun's life, Zhang Yuanqing would rather delay for another stretch of time, taking it upon himself to investigate later. He simply didn't know whether the hidden vulnerabilities planted by his father's generation would surface prematurely, striking him unexpectedly, without any warning. "I don't want to give up just yet, but please rest assured—I'll be careful, probing only at the edges, never touching the core. As long as I don't touch the core, I won't be silenced." Ling Jun reassured her. "Victoria is protecting me." "Victoria?" "Oh, uh... someone I can trust—a reliable elder." Ling Jun said. As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhang Yuanqing heard a woman's languid, charming laugh coming through the speaker: "Just a moment ago, I was being called 'my dear' on the bed. Now I'm just a reliable elder?" "I've got something else to attend to—goodbye..." Ling Jun seemed a bit awkward, quickly adding. I'm wrong. This guy isn't any better than the魔king—he's just as unprincipled, a complete cad. Zhang Yuanqing listened to the busy tone on the phone and found herself at a loss, unable to articulate all the complaints swirling inside her. A reliable elder? A lover? Was Ling Jun's sense of filial piety as stale as cheese that had fermented for over a decade—now completely spoiled, beyond redemption? Zhang Yuanqing tucked his phone under the pillow, reflecting on the deaths of Lingtuo and Shanhe Yongcun, and on the role played by the Sun Elder. It was clearly evident that the Sun Elder had been implicated by the events of that time, though not deeply involved—thus, he had been quietly sidelined rather than eliminated. "The connection with Taimei cannot be forced. We must let go when necessary. If we risk killing Lingjun or drawing the attention of the head of Taimei, I myself will be in danger—even Fu Qingyang won't be able to save me. I can still investigate through other channels. There's no need to stubbornly fight my way through the thick of it. Let me just sleep, get some rest, and then we'll see." He pulled the blanket over himself and drifted off into a deep sleep.