Fujiawan Villa. The luxurious and spacious dining room. Zhang Yuanqing sat at a circular table intricately carved from purple sandalwood, with a high-back chair made entirely by hand, featuring a hollowed dragon-and-phoenix motif beneath his seat. "The furniture is quite beautiful—where did you get it, elder?" "It came from Lingjing. Ancient Chinese pieces from the Song Dynasty. I've been working back home for several years now, and I plan to gradually replace our household furnishings with traditional Chinese styles." "That's a great idea. But sitting at a Chinese-style dining table and enjoying caviar seared cod, using a fork and knife, still feels a bit odd. By the way, how about a tuna belly? Can you give me one?" "It'll take some time to adjust our tastes. We'll gradually make the transition. I remember there's one bluefin tuna still unfrozen in the cold storage—let me have the rabbit maidens prepare it for you." "Thank you, elder. I recall Lingjun mentioned you didn't particularly like local cuisine, because when you were in high school, he convinced you to try Sichuan food, and you ended up becoming a 'jet warrior' for a day "Too much, Ling Jun is simply too much. I'll definitely fly to Beijing one day to settle the score with him. Speaking of Ling Tu—his matter has now come to an end—why hasn't he returned to Songhai yet?" "It seems Victoria isn't allowing him to come back." "I heard Ling Jun mention this—wasn't she a senior from the Taiyuan Sect?" "Back when Ling Jun was a child, she took good care of him." "And then Ling Jun ended up making her his bed companion?" As Zhang Yuanqing finished speaking, Guan Ya kicked him gently in the leg. "Oh, right—Xiahou Aotian obtained a secret treatise on mechanical engineering. You can use the Armored White Guard troops, but you'll need to supply the materials yourself; that young man is quite poor." Zhang Yuanqing recalled this. Fu Qingyang glanced at him. "Do you know why the spiritual realm families have been able to grow and thrive? Besides the fact that the founding ancestors of these families were among the first spiritual realm travelers, on par with the Grand Marshal, the most crucial factor is that the Scholar Houses serve as the official suppliers of equipment, and the Music Houses provide the life essence fluid." "Your meaning is—" "We can position ourselves as the providers of mechanical weapons. These weapons are cost-effective and scalable, enabling widespread deployment to enhance the combat capabilities of frontline officials." Fu Qingyang said. "This will be a significant achievement in our political standing—and a powerful political leverage." After speaking, he unusually took the initiative to raise his glass. Zhang Yuanqing quickly raised his ice-tempered flute and toasted with the elder, thinking how truly capable he was—how my own political acumen must be lacking. "One more thing, Elder—could you please give me Huang Taidi's "Zhang Yuanqing said, 'His Xirang is still with me.' Fu Qingyang didn't hesitate, merely nodded. After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya bid their farewell and left, returning to the adjacent room to extinguish the light and create a new being. ... The next day, 9:30 a.m. In the Sovereign Faction group chat. [Hayashi Reo: A level-one executive officer from the Heavenly Punishment faction will be coming to Japan soon. I won't be able to enter the realm anymore—sorry to all of you.] Yet no one seemed to mind the absence of this relatively minor member, instead showing keen interest in Heavenly Punishment's visit to Japan. [Sun Miaomiao: Is Heavenly Punishment sending another delegation to Japan? What do they intend to achieve? Haven't there been any conflicts between our official body and the Heavenly Punishment organization recently?] Although, on a broader scale, the orderly organizations across countries are allied, disputes still arise—primarily from two fronts: first, the competition for talent. The Heavenly Punishment organization not only has absorbed the leading orderly professions from the first region, but over the course of a century has continuously drawn talent from the second region as well The Fu family, as a renowned scouting lineage, has maintained a close alliance with Tianfa for decades, and similar organizations and families abound. Second: the competition for influence and voice within the spiritual realm. Most well-established, orderly organizations surrounding Huaguo are essentially under Tianfa's umbrella. A prime example is the Chianhe Group. Whenever tensions arise between Tianfa and the Wuxing Alliance, Tianfa's senior leadership visits the Chianhe Group to extend goodwill, discuss peace initiatives in the sub-regions, explore the Chianhe Group's development, and examine cooperation between the first and second major regions. In short, the Chianhe Group serves as Tianfa's instrument to counterbalance the Wuxing Alliance and the Taidamen, and as a benchmark for the global spiritual realm community—demonstrating clearly who holds the leadership position. Of course, when a major disruptive force emerges, the two largest official organizations unite and collaborate. [Asoya Ryouta: It seems something is brewing, but my supervisor hasn't informed me.] [Tianxia Guihuo: Who is leading the effort? What color of Executive is in charge?] 】 【Ryō Asano: Who doesn't know that bronze is the color?】 【Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun: What does "bronze" mean? What level is a Level-1 Executive Officer?】 【Red Rooster: Same question!】 【Zhao Chenghuang: A Level-1 Executive Officer is equivalent to a Senior Official, divided into three stages—bronze, silver, and gold—corresponding to levels 7, 8, and 9, respectively. The primary role among Executives is the Wind Mage, while the primary role among Prosecutors is the Thunder Mage. Of course, there are also other professions, as the Heaven's Judgment Organization has absorbed a large number of lawful and orderly specialists.】 Ah, now it makes sense. Zhang Yuancheng has only a limited understanding of the First Region, as he was recently promoted to Sage status and then demoted due to the matter involving Wei Yuanzhou, which prevented him from accessing information about overseas powers. Although he could use the credentials of Guan Ya and Fu Qingyang, he has primarily operated within the domestic sphere and has had limited interaction with overseas forces, so he hasn't been motivated to explore the distant, less-connected The only entity with a particularly deep connection is the Goddess Association, which shows strong interest, yet cannot use Guan Ya's account—since it would leave a record of being a wanderer—and neither can use Fu Qingyang's. Using Qian Gongzi's account to access information about the Goddess Association is akin to stealing his social media profile, posting on WeChat Moments: "Lonely at night, seeking a date!" Qian Gongzi will have a move that's nearly philosophical to offer. At this moment, Zhao Chenghuang sends him a private message: 【I went to see my grandfather yesterday, and he hinted at some rather strange things.】 【Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun: Elaborate.】 【Zhao Chenghuang: He didn't state it directly. Based on my own interpretation, he wants to convey to you through me: When you're in the game, seek your own fortune.】 Zhang Yuancheng's heart pounds wildly, a natural sense of panic rising—doubting that his secrets are fully visible to the senior figures. Yet soon, his emotions settle, and he calms down, beginning to think clearly. Zhao Chenghuang is often teased within the official circles as the "Prince of Taiyuan Gate," holding a status equal to Ling Jun, primarily because he is the sole direct descendant of Zhao Elder. Ling Jun, on the other hand, has numerous siblings. Zhao Elder is relatively reserved within Taiyuan Gate, yet he is one of the earliest cultivators to reach the Spiritual Realm, achieving the peak of the Ninth Rank, and his standing is not far behind that of the Grand Elder, Ci Ri Xing Guan. Such a figure would surely have a clear understanding of the decline of Ling Tu and the fall of the XIAO YAO organization. Therefore, the fact that Ling Tu and the Master are particularly interested in the "talented wild night-wanderer" is likely well-known to Zhao Elder. Is he concerned that I will follow in the footsteps of the Magistrate of the Demon? [Original Heavenly Sovereign: Thank you for the update. I will remain vigilant.] After sending the message, he glanced at the time—it was already ten o'clock. He immediately switched to the clan chat group: [Original Heavenly Sovereign: I'll head into the Spiritual Realm right away. If everyone is ready, please report your numbers @Xiahou Aotian] [Yuanshish Tianzun: Where is Xiahou Aotian?] Xiahou Aotian has vanished. [Hongji Brother: Oh no—didn't he go back to his family to boast, only to be cut down there? @Yuanshish Tianzun, I've uploaded my Life Source Liquid to the clan warehouse. Please collect it.] [Sun Miaomiao: This truly fits Xiahou Aotian's style.] [Guan Ya: No, it's not about the secret manual. Though I haven't known him deeply, I sense he's outwardly flamboyant but actually quite strategic—perhaps something else has come up preventing him from making it.] [Yuanshish Tianzun: I'll reach out to Xiahou's family shortly. You all proceed into the instance—don't worry about him.] Every member has a chance at the clan quest. After speaking, he selected the participant IDs in the clan interface and activated the instance. A few seconds later, Guan Ya, fully equipped, gradually faded and disappeared. Zhang Yuanqing first checked Xiahou Aotian's phone—find it off. Then he called Fu Qingyang to get the Summerhou family's customer service number. "Beep…beep…" The phone connected, and a sweet female voice came through the speaker: "Hello, this is the Summerhou Family Customer Service Line. May I ask if you're interested in business cooperation or…" Zhang Yuanqing interrupted: "I am Yuan Shi Tian Zun!" Suddenly, a sound of a chair being knocked over came from the other end, followed by the sensation that the handset had been covered. After several minutes, a nervous young voice spoke up: "Are you still there with us?" Did I sound that dramatic?... Zhang Yuanqing nodded and said: "I'm looking for Xue Hou Ao Tian. His phone is off." "Oh? That's…that's unexpected," the young woman stammered, surprised by the situation. "Xue Hou Ao Tian is a top-line family member. I'm not quite sure about his current status. Please hold on a moment—I'll have the manager call you back." Then, a steady male voice came through: "Good day. This is Xue Hou Pei. Would you like to know about Xue Hou Ao Tian's recent situation?" "Zhang Yuanqing said. Summer Hou Pei's voice had grown strange, "He's been hung up in the sky by our ancestor." "What?" Zhang Yuanqing was startled, "What does 'hung up in the sky' mean?" "Figuratively. According to internal family rumors, Summer Hou Ao Tian somehow offended our ancestor, who then, in a fit of anger, personally designed and built a drone to hang him up in the sky, where he floated above the Summer Hou family for one full day and night." "...” Zhang Yuanqing hesitated, "I assume your ancestor won't kill him, then?" "Our ancestor's intentions are hard to fathom, but it's likely he won't. It's said that Summer Hou Ao Tian has now reached the sixth rank." "Got it." "Please don't hesitate to let us know if there's anything else we can assist you with." Summer Hou Pei spoke with polite formality. "Nothing further, thank you." Zhang Yuanqing hung up the phone, pondering thoughtfully, and decided to simply disregard Summer Hou Ao Tian. Nothing could possibly anger the patriarch more than a scroll on mechanisms—half-gods wouldn't care about such minor trinkets. Summer Hou Ao Tian must have done something rather foolish again. The spiritual realm families place great emphasis on lineage and talent. Summer Hou Ao Tian is currently a sixth-rank sage. As long as he doesn't make a move that says, "I've become a terrestrial immortal—now I demand the patriarch's death," he should be safe from any immediate threat to his life. Zhang Yuanqing then dialed Huang Taiqi's phone. "Who is this?" A calm, experienced voice came through the line. "It's me!" Zhang Yuanqing said warmly. "…Just speak properly," Huang Taiqi sighed. "Huang brother, your Xirang is still with me. Give me an address, and I'll personally deliver it to you." Zhang Yuanqing said. Huang Taiqi remained silent for a few seconds. "Is there something you need from me?" "Huang brother truly has a keen eye," Zhang Yuanqing remarked. "Yes, I'd like to purchase two items from you—items with a dual-rejuvenation function, preferably ones that have only this one feature." Zhang Yuanqing explained. Items with "Dual specialization is the innate talent of the Earth Monster profession; for other professions, the effect is somewhat diminished, and there are only a few items with dual specialization functionality..." Huang Taiqi hadn't finished speaking when he heard the high-pitched exclamation from the speaker: "Father-in-law!!" ...Huang Taiqi sighed, "I do have a few items in stock; I'll send you a detailed list shortly—just pick what you'd like." "Thank you, Father-in-law!" Huang Taiqi quietly hung up the phone. Zhang Yuanqing rolled excitedly on the bed, and then his phone rang. The caller appeared—Anne!