"Eliminated? Eliminated!" Red Chicken, standing on the back of the robotic dog, yanked off the honeycomb-shaped quiver and lifted his head, his spirits high, gazing resolutely toward the Bagua Square. The next instant, he was launched into the air by a puppet man attacking from the side. Tianxia Guihuo, summoning the Fire Element, rushed to his aid, her flaming sword spewing out a burst of fire. With a sharp "pop," the puppet man, like a cannonball, flew backward and crashed into the distant ruins. "Don't lose focus when you're fighting," Tianxia Guihuo barked, then turned her gaze toward the Bagua Square. Xiao Yuan, Guan Ya, Zhao Chenghuang, Sun Miaomiao, and the others, once they confirmed their own safety, turned their attention to the central Bagua Square. They had heard the massive crash of the mecha falling. From afar, they saw only Zhang Yuanqing and two shadow corpses standing tall on the Bagua Square. The mecha personnel lay motionless at the feet of the three, no longer rising. The situation was secured! Master Yuan Shi is truly strong... Sun Miao Miao's round face lit up with genuine admiration. He had indeed defeated the mecha warrior, though she had been too busy engaged in combat to fully observe the process. As the team's primary controller, Shinoya Ryō found the experience more relaxed and thus witnessed the entire sequence of Master Yuan Shi's triumph. What left the deepest impression on her wasn't the formidable strength of the undead, nor the devastating power of the purple-gold hammer, but rather the Sacred Heaven Set. Beyond its dramatic effects and targeted pressure, the sheer combat prowess displayed by the integration of four core job abilities was nothing short of astonishing. For a water spirit, Shinoya Ryō was deeply moved. Similarly, Zhao Chenghuang and Xiahou Aotian were profoundly impacted—Zhao's sense of anxiety surged to the point where he felt he no longer stood on equal footing with Master Yuan Shi. He now perceived himself as a mere rookie being carried along by a true god. The latter felt that Yuan Shi Tian Zun seemed more like the protagonist than himself, though this protagonist lacked the Ring Elder, which left him with a slight sense of disappointment. Guan Ya was the most composed; upon seeing her boyfriend unharmed, she immediately called out, "Yuan Shi, come and help!" "Good!" Zhang Yuanqing responded, at the same time scanning the surroundings—over thirty drones were circling in the sky, and there were about ten mechanical beasts and puppet figures on the ground. The situation wasn't bad at all. He handed the Wind-Bringer gloves to the Greedy Divine General and sent half of his spiritual body to control the阴尸. A strong gust of wind surged, propelling the man and the corpse in opposite directions. The Greedy Divine General rose into the air, riding the airflow, his long sword and wind-blades cutting down one drone after another. Zhang Yuanqing raised his purple-gold hammer, striking one creature after another—under the resonant force of the hammer, the sturdy bodies of the mechanical beasts and puppet figures shattered into fragments. Within less than ten minutes, with the team working in unison, they cleared all the mechanical creations. As the last mechanical dog fell, a voice from the spiritual realm echoed in everyone's ears: 【Ping! You have defeated the boss. Rewards will be settled in fifteen minutes.】 "Master Yuan Shi, lend me your little red hat for a moment!" Xiahou Aotian urged enthusiastically. "Hurry, hurry—only fifteen minutes! These are all premium materials." Though the mechanical creatures had been destroyed, their bodies and components were rare and valuable. Xiahou could easily use them to rebuild new mechanical beasts, or at the very least, sell them for a substantial sum. Zhang Yuanqing casually handed the little red hat to Xiahou, then paused, feeling something was off. "Hmm," she said, "after completing a quest, shouldn't the rewards be settled immediately? Why is it fifteen minutes later?" Xiahou, who had been eagerly gathering debris, stopped mid-action, surprised. So did Guan Ya and the others. All of them were seasoned spiritual realm explorers, having completed countless quests—yet never encountered this situation before. The seasoned elder, known for her meticulous thinking and clear logic, was the first to react, "This means... we haven't completed our mission." "What?" Red Chicken Brother's face changed instantly. "Does that mean the mecha people aren't the final boss?" "The mecha people are certainly the boss," said Tian Xia Gui, surveying the group, "but our primary objective has been to uncover the cause of the Mu Sect's downfall. Clearly, we haven't yet fulfilled that core mission." He then turned to Red Chicken Brother, "My earlier assumption was correct—the fall of the Mechanized City had other underlying causes." Earlier, in the valley, two fire masters had debated this point. Red Chicken Brother believed the mission was complete only after defeating the final boss. Tian Xia Gui, however, thought the destruction of the Mu Sect's city had a different root cause. Now it appears that Tian Xia Gui was right. No wonder he's known as the disgrace of the fire masters! Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the countdown displayed on the副本 interface, sighed, and said: "I knew the main quest wouldn't be that simple—it's definitely a challenge. It seems we'll need to solve this puzzle; otherwise, the S-tier副本 rewards will be significantly reduced." If the rewards are cut, then half of the journey and efforts made so far will have been for nothing. The team members' spirits tightened once again, and they began actively brainstorming. After a few seconds, Guan Ya suddenly said, "Yuanshǐ, let's search for the treasures mentioned in the副本 description." "Exactly," agreed Red Chicken Brother. "We haven't found the treasures yet. If we can locate an ancient heirloom, even if the main quest isn't fully completed, we won't be at a loss." Zhang Yuanqing exhaled a stream of Taiyin energy, landing as a round, endearing, and slightly sparsely-haired infant. "Let's find the treasures!" he said, patting the little enthusiast on the head. "The scattered junk on the ground doesn't count." "Xiao Dou has grown much wiser now and can control his treasure-hunting instincts, probing specifically for valuable items. Upon receiving the master's command, the infant spirit, "Ah Ba Ah Ba," crawled off quite a distance. Sun Miao Miao, eyes sparkling with excitement, hurried after him, looking like a devoted young lady, only to be pulled back by Zhang Yuanqing, who held her by the collar. "Don't interrupt him working—we're running out of time." "I'll stay with him and help find treasures; let go of me, oh Yuan-Shi Tian-Zun, let go of me!" Sun Miao Miao puffed out her cheeks, spitting a stream of salt water at him. Xia Hou Ao Tian continued gathering materials, while the others thought intently, waiting for the results of the treasure-hunting efforts. Ten minutes later, Sun Miao Miao returned with Xiao Dou. The infant spirit reached the master, his two chubby hands propping up the ground, his head tilted upward, his brows slightly furrowed, and he gave a series of "Ah Ba Ah Ba" sounds. Zhang Yuanqing didn't understand the babble, but as the master, he instantly sensed Xiao Dou's emotional under Sun Miaomiao shook her head solemnly to the group. "Master Yuanshishen's spiritual attendant has the ability to locate treasures, yet he found nothing—no ancient heirlooms passed down through the ages, and it's possible they're not even here..." She glanced at the countdown. "Only five minutes left before we exit the mission. Should we send him to look elsewhere?" "No time," Zhang Yuanqing replied. Guan Ya paused thoughtfully. "I think I know what's going on." Everyone turned to face her. "Don't you find it odd," she said, "that since the second gate, we've seen three stone inscriptions—'Loyal to the State, Devoted to the Nation,' 'Reclaim the Old Territory,' and 'Drive Out the Golden Invaders'? These aren't the ideas of the Mo School, yet they're presented alongside them." Without waiting for her teammates to respond, she shared her insight. "These are actually the ideas of the Mo Sect's Machine City." "What does that mean?" Red Chicken asked, while the others nodded in contemplation. "It shows the motivation!" "Guan Ya said: 'From the memory of that resentful spirit, Yuan Shi learned that Jin Ting faced obstruction on its southern journey, falling into a difficult situation. Just at that time, it was widely rumored among the Jianghu that the Mo Sect had obtained an ancient heirloom treasure. Thus, Jin Ting summoned its capable talents and extraordinary figures to the Mo Sect to reclaim the treasure. Isn't this too coincidental?' Zhang Yuanqing brightened: 'So you're suggesting...' Guan Ya nodded: 'The news is false—there was no such treasure at all. The Mo Sect deliberately released this information with the intention of drawing Jin Ting's elite forces to the perilous City of Mechanisms, where they would be lured into a web of complex defenses and traps, ultimately eliminated, thereby relieving pressure on the Southern Song Dynasty and reducing the threat posed by ancient cultivators. This is the true reason behind the fall of the City of Mechanisms.' 'The Mo Sect has succeeded. Therefore, the bosses we've encountered are mech-persons, not ancient war gods from Jin Ting. If my guess is correct, the senior figure among the mech-persons is likely the abbot of the Mo Sect. His condition is certainly not at his peak— "As soon as the words fell, a spiritual realm notification echoed in everyone's ears: 【Ping! You have successfully completed the sect's spiritual realm—Mo Sect's Mechanized City, ID: 039, difficulty level S. Rewards are now being processed...】 Correct! Everyone was thrilled—this was exactly what had been happening. It had all been a plot, a carefully orchestrated scheme designed to protect the nation. Zhang Yuanqing seemed to recall something, gradually dissolving into starlight and reappearing beside the mechanized figure. The team members turned toward the Bagua Square, following his retreating figure, wondering what he had suddenly come to do. Zhang Yuanqing stared at the elder inside the mechanized figure for several seconds, and black, viscous energy began to surge in his eyes. At that moment, the residual spiritual essence within the elder's body emerged. He remained closed-eyed, serene, free of anger or resentment. "I always thought he was already dead," Zhang Yuanqing murmured softly." When they first clashed, he had already sensed something was off about the elder. Though he was piloting a mecha and possessed strong will, he didn’t seem like a living person at all. Now, observing the elder’s residual spirit directly, Zhang Yuanqing realized the man had been dead for some time—his physical body had been sustained by the mecha through some means, but his soul had long since passed. What remained within this frame was merely a single resolve. A resolve of master-class spiritual caliber. Probably driven by deep attachments to his homeland and the people, it had stubbornly lingered in the mortal world. [Rewards being settled... Items/Equipment obtained: Artisan's Ring, Frugal Ordinance (consumable), Ming Gui Ordinance (consumable), Frugal Burial Ordinance (consumable), Esteem the Virtuous Ordinance (consumable), Unity Ordinance (consumable), Six Livestock Rite (simulated), Mutual Love Ordinance (consumable), Non-Attack Ordinance (consumable)] [Experience points awarded: 39%] [Main storyline mission completed!] [Settlement complete! Will exit the Spiritual Realm ten minutes later...] No character card-exclusive rewards? Zhang Yuanqing paused momentarily. Subconsciously, he thought the mage king's inventory of items might have been depleted, but quickly ruled this out—given the mage king's status, he would not lack master-level items. Could character card-exclusive rewards only be activated through regular Spiritual Realm dungeons, not faction dungeons? Zhang Yuanqing found this possibility more plausible. No mage king's relics then—first the long-lasting spray, then the Succubus Ring (Charisma Ring). He was genuinely afraid that the next time, he'd receive a dual-path cultivation item... Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath. To be honest, the resilient protective mirror had been damaged before he reached his breaking point, so he never got the chance to experience the dual cultivation technique with Guan Ya—quite a regret. By the way, Huang Taiji must have the necessary equipment for this—better find him and purchase it! At this moment, a constellation emblem appears on his forehead, and a powerful surge of stellar energy flows out from the mark, gently washing over his body, seeping into each cell and each bone. In this instant, he feels his skills in stargazing, stellar divination, stellar elusion, and stellar illusion have advanced to a new level. The most immediate sensation is that both the strength and proficiency of his abilities have improved, with the stellar energy becoming richer and more abundant—now he no longer worries about depleting his spiritual energy when using stellar elusion repeatedly. The refinement of his stargazing skill suggests he will be able to make more precise and comprehensive predictions, seeing a broader range of future scenarios. As a result, the newly promoted Level 5 star officials will find themselves easily manipulated by him. Moreover, the spiritual essences have grown more resilient and powerful, expanding the upper limit of the Yin energy and enabling the absorption of even more spiritual beings to strengthen the Yin energy. The depth and richness of the Yin energy determine the number and rank of the Yin corpses he can command. The control of Yin corpses relies entirely on Yin energy, not on Stellar energy. Without actively accumulating Yin energy, even if he reaches level six, the number of spiritual attendants and Yin corpses he can manage will remain limited—only marginally better than that of a level-four Stellar Official. This is precisely why the term "primary focus" exists. "Wow, so many tokens!" Red Chicken Brother exclaimed, clapping his thighs excitedly. "I feel like I could challenge a level-six Saint." It appears the tokens are guaranteed rewards—each team member receives one as long as they survive the stages. Zhang Yuan scanned his teammates' faces, and even without the Insight Technique, he could clearly see their lively and joyful expressions. "I've returned to level five, with 22% experience points," said Xiao Yuan, her poised, elegant demeanor now brightening into a radiant smile. Thus, within three months, she could return to her peak at Level Five, and by the end of the year, she could aim for Level Six—possibly even making it into the Killing Instance. With the three premium Saint-level items compensated by the Primordial Immortal Sovereign, plus the consumables and tools awarded this time, if used wisely, she had a solid chance of reaching the Sovereign Realm in the Killing Instance. Tianxu Guihuo and Zhao Chenguang—once reserved and composed—now found themselves utterly unable to suppress their smiles. Since the Qin Feng Academy, they had steadily received Sovereign-level items and materials, and now with this exceptional Saint-level item and the truly game-changing tokens, they were visibly wealthier. Both of their experience levels had surpassed the 50% mark, reaching the late stages of Level Four. Shinoyo Reo and Sun Miao-miao also received substantial experience boosts—Reo gained 15%, while Sun Miao-miao earned 26%. Yet compared to the gain in experience points, what makes Aso Ryō most joyful is acquiring a top-tier item: the Thousand-Function Cylinder. The Cylinder can transform into three forms—bow, shield, and puppet. The island nation is particularly short on item resources, and to compensate for this scarcity, ancient practitioners developed the technique of summoning spirit servants. However, spirit servants still fall short in power when compared to genuine, tangible items. The teacher is right—only by following the Yuanshizhun can one secure a broad and promising future, a unique opportunity that the other members of the Senkō Group simply cannot match. Kan Yae beams at her boyfriend: "My experience points have reached 73%; I'll reach level five by the end of the year." Zhang Yuanqing praises Kan Yae warmly—“Kan Yae is truly outstanding; she truly lives up to her reputation as the third outstanding young practitioner of the Fu family.” In his heart, however, he thinks: “It’s so slow—these people, who were promoted alongside me as saints, have only reached mid-level four, while I’ve already reached mid-level six. They are truly elite among elites, and their progression rate is not only excellent but even impressive Compared to him, they were still too slow. "Ha ha ha! I'm going to be unbeatable!" Xiahou Aotian's booming laughter interrupted the joy of the crowd. Everyone turned to this rather impulsive fellow. "I've reached level six! I've reached level six!" Xiahou Aotian lifted his chin proudly. "Of course, that's not the main point—reaching level six is something I've always expected. The real point is that the raid rewarded me with a rare treatise on mechanical engineering." "Ah, congratulations!" the others responded with genuine, heartfelt smiles. They'd now have access to affordable mechanical devices. A single S-tier raid had elevated the entire guild's strength significantly—quite a solid return. But lately, they didn't feel like going back into raids anymore; instead, they wanted to return home and just lounge around like lazy fish. Zhang Yuanqing shifted his focus, opened his inventory, and retrieved the token. The token's power mirrored the rules of the challenge they'd faced, though slightly weaker than the original version—it remained a reliable, decisive consumable. Next, he removed the "Master Craftsman's Ring," a simple black iron finger ring that felt warm to the touch, lacking the coldness typically associated with iron. [Name: Master Craftsman's Ring] [Type: Accessory] [Function: Increases familiarity with items] [Description: The ring favored by the Master of the Ink Sect enhances the wearer's bond with items, fostering goodwill toward the item's spirit. It reduces the cost incurred when using items by 30%. The wearer may actively waive one item cost once.] [Note 1: The active waiver applies only to items that impose costs.] [Note 2: Be mindful of the item spirit competing for your attention.] Wow, a true masterpiece! Zhang Yuanqing's eyes widened instantly, his heart racing. Among auxiliary premium items, the ability to reduce usage costs is quite rare. Though Zhang Yuanqing has encountered countless items over the years, he had never seen one with this specific function before. Take the sliding cleats, for instance—waiving 30% of the cost allows him to slide an additional 1.5 cleats. A true blessing for spend-thrifty players. "Master Yuanshen, let me have a look at your item," Xiahou Aotian hurried over to compare. Zhang Yuanqing then passed the Artisan's Ring over. Xiahou Aotian took the ring, focused on reading its details, and after a few seconds, tossed it back with enthusiasm, exclaiming, "Well, that's just plain trash! Of course, my reward is the most generous." Everyone stared at Zhang Yuanqing's ring, puzzled—Master Yuanshen had made outstanding contributions in completing the dungeon, so how could he have been rewarded with such a mediocre item? "What attributes does your item have, Master Yuanshen?" Sun Miao Miao asked softly. "A cost of 30% reduction, with the option to voluntarily waive one cost," Zhang Yuanqing shrugged. "Trash, plain and simple!" The breaths of Tianxu Guihuo and others suddenly quickened, their eyes blazing with eager anticipation as they fixed on the Artisan's Ring. Hongji Brother cleared his throat, hesitating, "Are you selling it? Selling it?" "Get out of the way!" "…." For bachelor-level characters, the Artisan's Ring is indeed a mediocre item, but for others, it's a top-tier masterpiece capable of making one wealthy—or even wealthy at the expense of one's life. "We still have some time—let's clear the battlefield." Zhang Yuanqing retrieved the Little Red Cap, collected the undead and the equipment. Everyone began gathering the broken mechanical devices. "Ah, one more thing," Xiahou Aotian recalled, "Have you thought of the answer to that rogue's issue this time? Last time, you just happened to guess it, right?" "Did you see the question he posed?" Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the young man, only to notice that others were now quietly watching him. "Well, you all seem to have taken an interest." Xiangshang Gui said, "I'm also curious about the answer. The style of the Yin-Yang Wheel is consistent. If one can grasp the underlying logic behind the questions, one can apply it broadly and truly master this item." "Having said that, he shared his analysis to set the stage: "Given that eunuchs and Taoist priests are constrained by their professions and cannot easily engage in romantic relationships, it's entirely logical that merchants should be exempt from this requirement. But the reason behind the merchants' success—certainly isn't just about money, is it?" If it were about money, the Yin-Yang wheel would have been called the 'rough-and-tumble disk.' Once this insight is truly understood, the people from the Jianghuai region wouldn't find it so troublesome anymore... Seeing everyone eagerly awaiting his input, Zhang Yuanqing paused and said: "I've indeed deduced the answer, though I'm not entirely certain whether it's correct." After a brief pause, he revealed his conclusion: "It's definitely the merchants—because businesspeople always say: 'I'll take the initiative first!' Therefore, the correct answer should be: 'Missed the opportunity, remained humble and open-minded, and took the initiative first.' It's precisely those who took the initiative first who have come out on top. As for whether this is accurate—I'm not sure, since the wheel itself hasn't been validated yet." Everyone: "???" "Zhang Yuanqing doesn't hold back when sharing his insights," he said, "The logic behind the 'rough-and-tumble' style is actually quite simple—it doesn't always have a fixed answer, but what matters is making it satisfied. The more rough-and-tumble it is, the more satisfied it becomes." Tian Guanxi's mouth twitched. "Indeed, the true embodiment of the 'Rough-and-Tumble Sovereign!' Zhao Chenguang nodded silently. "No title is ever misplaced." At that moment, the five-minute countdown came to an end, and the scenery before everyone's eyes rippled, blurring their vision.