To prevent potential ambushes by other skilled opponents, Zhang Yuanqing dispatched Yi Chuan Mei to scout the surroundings before stepping into the fray, and indeed, he discovered the hidden opponent lurking in the shadows. He hadn't expected it to be someone he knew after all. Zhang Yuanqing subtly scanned the darkness around him, maintaining a calm, unobtrusive mental exchange. "Is he a friend or an enemy?" There are many acquaintances—friends and enemies alike. "He's a friend, actually. You met him at the Wuhen Hotel, a middle-aged man wearing glasses." Yi Chuan Mei, though capable of mental communication, deliberately adopted an intimate, leaning-in gesture. Wuhen Hotel, a middle-aged man wearing glasses? Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily taken aback, a clear image forming in his mind—a man in plain shirt, glasses, earnest and unassuming. A member of the Wuhen Master Team, a Level Six Spirit-Channeler, ID: "The Human Wanderer." How had he ended up here? Was he originally from Nancheng City, or had he come for business? Zhang Yuanqing mentally responded, "Where is he now? Have you spotted him?" "He's gone. We're at the same level, and I'm in the same spiritual servant state—he wouldn't have missed me." Yuchuan Mei whispered, "But my experience is much richer than his. He hasn't seen through my disguise and hasn't realized your true identity yet." Yuchuan Mei had appeared at the Wuhen Hotel before, and if she hadn't disguised herself, she would have been recognized as one of the "traveling guests." As long as he doesn't recognize you, how could he have ended up here? He'll surely go back and ask Xiao Yuan to find out. Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brows quietly. It was inherently unreasonable that a wandering master—someone not affiliated with the official establishment—should appear on the battlefield where the spiritual energy guild had laid an ambush. The drug trafficking group's transaction location and timing were strictly confidential, as were the official agents' arrest operations. A wandering master should not have appeared in such a setting unless he was directly involved in the incident. The pursuer picked up his phone and said, "The operation is complete. We've successfully eliminated two spirit-masters and several key factions. Notify the nearby police stations to secure the scene." "On the other end of the line, Xue Hai Wu Ya exhaled a long breath, puzzled, 'This isn't a setup, is it?' 'It is a setup,' the Pursuer replied. 'What's going on this time?' 'Two peers at the same level of spirit-sensing practitioners—both haven't yet been officially confirmed at the extraordinary stage,' the Pursuer said calmly, with little expression on his face. Most scouts are like this—serious, like soldiers. The line remained silent for a moment, as though digesting the astonishing news. After a while, Xue Hai Wu Ya's voice brightened with excitement and relief: 'I understand now. You've created another miracle, Administrator.' 'No,' the Pursuer said, his tone steady. 'This time, I almost died. Thanks to a colleague from the Song Hai Branch—he saved me.' '?' The line went quiet. It took a while before Xue Hai Wu Ya hesitantly asked, 'Saved you? The colleague from Song Hai Branch?' The Pursuer nodded briefly. Xue Hai Wu Ya murmured, 'He—he what level is he? Isn't he a captain at the extraordinary stage?' "The Pursuer said calmly, 'A sixth-level Fire Master, with a Spiritual Realm ID of the Three Pure Dao Masters. In Songhai, there are only two such Fire Masters—one is the one who has unified the world under the Fire element, and the other is him. You don't even know that?' Xuehai Wuyi was completely stunned. The person he had always considered an extraordinary team leader was, in fact, merely a senior steward? A sixth-level master—was this someone he could comfortably chat with over a casual conversation? Someone he had to bow down to and welcome with reverence. Though deeply shaken, Xuehai Wuyi immediately grasped the steward's intent. On the phone, there came a series of sharp tapping sounds. After a moment, Xuehai Wuyi chuckled wryly, 'I must admit I've been rather ignorant. I never knew Songhai had a steward of such stature.' Upon hearing this, the Pursuer narrowed his eyes. The implication in his earlier words had been clear—he urged Xuehai Wuyi to investigate this 'Three Pure Dao Masters.' The reason was straightforward: while the Five Elements Alliance had several sixth-level saints, few were so young, and among the official ranks, He had never heard of this ID. The response from Xue Hai Wu Ya was not very satisfactory—no record found. Although Xue Hai Wu Ya was a captain-level officer, he managed the system of the Nan Ming branch. With the branch's authority, he could certainly verify personal IDs, even for figures below the level of senior monks. "The pursuers didn't want to hear any more of his nonsense—they quietly ended the call. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing pretended to gather spoils and examine the bodies, using the Star Illusion Technique to divert everyone's attention, and seamlessly absorbed the spiritual essences of two spirit-masters without anyone noticing. It's really such a distinguished figure! "Has the headquarters sent him to inspect our operations? Are we actually hosting a Sixth-Class Saint here?" Someone became excited. The others' expressions of astonishment turned into anticipation and delight. Xue Hai, slightly embarrassed, managed a smile without breaking their expectations: "The leadership's work is confidential—I'm not sure about the details." The headquarters occasionally sends senior stewards to conduct inspections, to clean up criminal syndicates along the borders and maintain stability. Each major initiative relies on these visits. However, most senior stewards merely make a courtesy visit, dealing with a few minor groups without significant impact, then stay for a while, and the spiritual energy council quietly adjusts its tone to remain unobtrusive. The inspection concludes once the overall situation stabilizes. After all, stability is the primary goal, and the spiritual energy council already has numerous masters to support it. Unless a major crisis arises or there's a strong point of conflict, senior stewards generally don't want to risk their lives. ... By late night, the bodies of the security officers and official pedestrians were transported back to the Security Office, where, under the leadership of the Pursuit of the Drug Officers, all members of the Nanming Branch gathered in the morgue for a brief memorial service. The formal memorial would be held later, after completing all official procedures. As the Liangshan Water Sect would self-deprecatingly put it: we are the enforcers in the shadows—our most celebrated day is the very day we die. Zhang Yuanqing also attended the memorial, silently observing these heroes in the darkness. Compared to the constant power struggles within the corridors of authority, he admired them more. Simple, sincere, and full of passion, they steadfastly defended what they believed in—whether it was their home or their faith. During the memorial, he suddenly wondered: why hasn't the Mage's Eye come to the border? It's truly his paradise—filled with criminals everywhere. Then it struck him: if the Mage's Eye had come, his determination would flare up, leading him to indiscriminately kill off everyone, eventually depleting his moral standing until he became globally wanted. Now it makes sense why he hasn't come to the border. Revitalizing the world is no small task. After the mourning ceremony, Wang Xiao'er warmly escorted Zhang Yuanqing to the employee dormitory. "This is your room," Wang Xiao'er pushed open a door to a dormitory, which was quite modest—simple upper and lower beds, with a total of four bunks. "It's decent!" Zhang Yuanqing took a quick glance; seeing the bedding clean and neat, he nodded. In the past, he wouldn't have chosen such a place. Since becoming a spiritual realm traveler, he'd lived in all sorts of environments—sleeping among corpses was no problem at all, even feeling like he'd returned to his dog house. "Captain Wuyi mentioned you have three female teammates," Wang Xiao'er said. "I've already arranged rooms for you in the women's dormitory," he added, his demeanor remarkably respectful. Originally, the department had planned to assign this senior figure a five-star hotel. But Dao Zǔ, the steward, declined, saying that he himself rose from the grassroots, having endured hardships over ten years—more than the sweetness he's tasted in his journey—so he's not particularly delicate. Everyone was surprised. Though Dao Zǔ looked young, he had already become a Lingjing Xingzhe for ten years—indeed, a deeply seasoned figure. "Let me take them," Zhang Yuanqing pointed to the empty beds, "exactly four beds." "Good, good..." Wang Xiao'er glanced at him. Hey, what's with that look of yours—'you're going to open a silver-level banquet'? I've noticed it clearly... Zhang Yuanqing pretended not to understand. Wang Xiao'er added, "The steward mentioned that a private room will be arranged at the hotel for a welcome reception tomorrow." Zhang Yuanqing nodded, then asked, "Is it common for situations like tonight to occur?" "It's not frequent, but there are several such incidents each year. The people from the Spiritual Energy Council really enjoy fabricating false information to lure us out, then setting up ambushes. Of course, we have countermeasures too—this one was particularly thrilling, but what can we do? Sometimes, even knowing it's a trap, we still have to jump in." Wang Xiao'er sighed first, then added, "Good thing our Tracker Executive is exceptionally strong—very strong, in fact. He's truly the miracle-maker of our branch." So strong? I didn't notice that... Zhang Yuanqing mused, "I'm curious—could you tell me more?" Upon hearing this, Wang Xiao'er became enthusiastic and began recounting the Tracker's past: "Back in the past, he'd been besieged by Saint-level members of the Spiritual Energy Council four times. Once, three years ago, when he had just been promoted to Saint status, during an operation to capture trafficked laborers, he was surrounded by a five-level Wugushi master. Everyone thought he was finished, but surprisingly, he managed to defeat the attacker. When they found him, no one could believe it." "The most recent incident was last year, when he was promoted five levels and surrounded by three Sovereigns. Though he didn't manage to defeat them, he successfully escaped, reportedly inflicting serious injuries on a fellow Sovereign-level spirit-medium." "At the beginning of this year, he single-handedly stormed into a drug trafficking syndicate's stronghold, eliminating one Sovereign from abroad and seven extraordinary individuals." Zhang Yuan thought to himself, "This is straight out of a protagonist's template! Someone with such accomplishments should be assigned to major urban centers like Songhai, Hangcheng, or the Capital—so why is he still stationed at the border outpost?" Yet gradually, as he listened, he began to feel something was off. Based on what he observed tonight—the prolonged struggle—he concluded the pursuers' strength wasn't particularly impressive. Equipped with only two items of Sovereign-level quality, he managed to hold his ground against two spirit-mediums of the same rank, demonstrating mid-to-upper-tier combat performance, which didn't quite match the achievements described by Wang Xiao'er. "Ah, I see," Zhang Yuan remarked, "I didn't realize the Pursuer's Executive had such a distinguished record. Why hasn't he been transferred to a more developed region?" "Wang Xia'er immediately looked on the alert: "You don't intend to recruit people, do you? The Pursuer of Toxins steward won't be leaving." Saying this, he whispered, "The steward's father used to be a narcotics officer, who later sacrificed his life. His mother was also killed by drug traffickers when he was still in school—thankfully, he survived that ordeal. The Qinghe branch originally wanted to transfer him away from the border region, but he refused. He said he would never leave here, and he would fight those traffickers to the very end. So, Grand Master Steward, I'd kindly ask you to reconsider this idea. Those who stay at the border are all driven by their own convictions—otherwise, they'd have given up long ago." If I become a half-god, I'll bring the Ten Elders over to take up posts... Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath. After sending Wang Xia'er away, he went into the restroom, removed the disposable toothbrush and toothpaste to freshen up, and at the same time sent a message to the Queen: "Security Office, Room 404, Male Dormitory Building." After finishing his routine, Zhang Yuan "Yi Chuan tilted her head slightly," "What's wrong with him?" "Major issues!" Zhang Yuanqing exhaled sharply, "His strength is average—far below what's been reported. There must be a reason. Keep an eye on him." The Nanming branch had no outstanding Saint-level talents, so the extraordinary ones couldn't see it. But to Zhang, a sixth-tier powerhouse, it was immediately obvious. It was unlikely that he was concealing his true strength—there was no need to, and concealing it would only result in more of his comrades dying. Therefore, there must be a problem. Yi Chuan mused a moment, then试探ly asked, "If I complete the mission, may I have a few lashes from the master?" Zhang Yuanqing kicked her hard, "You useless woman! Go do your job!" Yi Chuan was sent flying by the kick, then drifted gracefully away, satisfied. Zhang Yuanqing returned to the bed, settled into a meditative posture, and began to absorb the spiritual bodies of the two spiritualists from the Spirit Energy Society. One of his goals is to absorb spiritual essences and strengthen the Yin energy. Two spiritual practitioners hold high status within the Spiritual Energy Association. If he can identify more such outposts, he can dismantle them from the roots. The Nanzheng branch lacks the Night-Wandering Deities, so the Association may not anticipate this. Moreover, the Underking has fled to Nanzheng City and will inevitably visit the local power brokers. According to Anne’s information, the Night-Keepers have a significant flaw: they must sleep once every ten days, for three days each time. During each such sleep, nearby living beings also enter a state of dormancy, with the range depending on their rank. As a Sixth-Rank Saint, the Underking’s influence spans a broad area. He cannot simply choose a remote mountain wilderness to sleep; in this territory, there are no places untouched by humans. While occasional sleep cycles may go unnoticed, repeated occurrences will inevitably draw attention. There may already be local legends and folk tales emerging. Given that the Spiritual Energy Association is the local power broker and well-informed, such stories may have already reached them.