Zhang Yuanqing had good reasons to make such bold claims—not merely an overconfident boast. First, he is protected by the fundamental essence of the Taiyin, which means that his intentions and plans cannot be predicted or deduced by the Dayou Shen (the celestial spirit of daily movement). In other words, whatever he intends to do, no one can be alerted in advance through their skills or spells. Second, he possesses a card of experience in the Five Elements, the "Form and Spirit-Annihilating Blade," and the Hufu (a seal) lent to him by his aunt. Zhang Yuanqing, seeing her reply, seized the opportunity and climbed higher, saying, "Uncle, I don't need you to intervene—I can handle this myself. But you'll have to lend me a prop." The Marshal asked what he needed. Zhang Yuanqing made a grand request: "The Tiger's Seal!" The Marshal remained silent, but fifteen minutes later, the Yellow Sand Veteran Commander of the White Tiger Army arrived with a look of sheer disbelief, holding the Tiger's Seal in his hands. Zhang Yuanqing, too, stared in astonishment, as if she had truly handed it over. In truth, the Marshal didn't particularly care about the Tiger's Seal—this was the very first thought that came to Zhang Yuanqing after acquiring a semi-divine-level rule-based item. He had simply made a grand request. If the Marshal had refused, he would have found it much easier to pursue a master-level prop. Instead, the Tiger's Seal had actually been delivered—what a surprise! What a surprise! Zhang Yuanqing repeated it mentally once more. Later, Zhang Yuanqing reflected and recalled that when Fu Qingyang had been sorting through the categories of waste, she had found it particularly difficult to classify the Marshal—eventually placing her in the "hard-working, but not consistently so" category. Fu Qingyang was indeed diligent in her sword techniques, but once she reached a plateau, she began to slack off. It was precisely because she remained single-mindedly devoted to sword mastery, dedicating all her energy and time to the art of swordsmanship and forsaking the use of magic, skills, and tools that she was promoted to half-divine status at thirty. Otherwise, even if she had been engaged in quests from birth, she would not have achieved the rank of a new White Tiger Marshal by her thirties. For Fu Qingyang, who was deeply passionate about the sword, the Tiger's Seal was merely a symbol of her status—it held no deeper significance. The Marshal herself did not care much about the Seal or any of the tools. To return to the point, beyond the above-mentioned assets, Zhang Yuanqing also held the Old Stick's Fengmo Staff, which possessed a purifying function—making it particularly effective against illusions and emotional manipulation. Holding so many divine artifacts, if he still can't eliminate the Sixth Elder, Zhang Yuanqing feels he can return to the Spiritual Realm ahead of schedule. "You don't rush, please!" Xiao Yuan's face grew urgent, instinctively grasping the Elder's arm, her voice firm and urgent. "To hunt down a Sovereign is no trivial matter. You've only just escaped a near-fatal ordeal—how can you do something so... so..." Such unwise action? It doesn't at all match the usual demeanor of the Prime Elder. "Are you out of your mind? With your slender arms and legs, do you really think you can face off against a Sovereign alone?" Kou Beiyue said bluntly. Has the Prime Elder been unwell...? Zhao Xintong watched the young prodigy of the Wu-Xing Alliance with growing suspicion, unsure whether the Prime Elder was always this way or if this was a sporadic episode. After all, such an energetic and passionate person would occasionally lapse into illness. "I won't take initiative on matters lacking in coordination. I've made it clear this isn't an official campaign, but I haven't said there's no Sovereign-level ally involved," Zhang Yuan With a relaxed expression, Xiao Yuan turned his gaze toward the plump young man and said, "But how can you trust him? Just because he hasn't betrayed us doesn't mean he's willing to betray the Southern School." The plump young man shook his head vigorously. "I won't betray the Southern School. I—I don't want to get involved in any of this." Zhang Yuanqing smiled with a strange air. "I never intended to ask for your permission." Under the collective bewilderment of the others, he reached into his inventory, pulled out a pocket watch, opened its lid with a soft 'click,' and held the golden chain so that the watch hung before the plump young man's eyes. Before the young man could react, his eyes instantly grew vacant, losing all their luster. This was a device borrowed from the Master of the Halt-Death Palace, known as the 'hypnotic pocket watch.' It could induce hypnosis upon the spiritual travelers under its command. The hanging pocket watch gently swayed, and Zhang Yuanqing's voice seemed to possess a spell that enchanted the listener: "The Southern School used you to extract members of Master Wuhen's team, placing you in a position of betrayal and dishonor. Ku Bei Yue harbors ill will toward you, and you resent the Southern School, as well as the Grand Elder. Thus, you have decided to assist Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun in hunting down the Sixth Elder." After repeating this exchange several times, the plump young man began murmuring it over, as if reinforcing the impression and solidifying his thoughts. When the watch's hands completed a full circle, Zhang Yuanqing snapped the lid shut with a soft 'click,' and said, "Awake!" The young man stirred as though emerging from a dream, still before he could react, Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun spoke: "Loyal minister, our plan is that you were suspected by staff at Wuhen Hotel due to the leak of Zhao Xinpeng's information. You keenly sensed Ku Bei Yue's hostility, and in order to protect yourself, you quietly returned to the Southern School, where you expressed your resentment to the Grand Elder, questioning whether he had secretly extracted information from you." "You're a saint. Once you return, the Southern Sect will surely welcome you. All you need to do is settle in quietly there, quickly ascertain the position of the Sixth Elder, and report it to me. The rest can be handled later." The plump young man quickly immersed himself in the situation, pondering: "With Zhao Xintong's identity now exposed, Huo Hen Hotel will certainly conduct an internal review. The only person who might leak information is me. As long as I'm not foolish, I'll surely retreat and seek confirmation from the Grand Elder." "Although the Elder is a trickster spirit, his core nature is that of a Fire Master. It's entirely reasonable that he should express hostility." Kou Beiyue was unconvinced. "If I were a Fire Master, you'd have been stabbed to death by now." "Silence, Fire Master!" Zhang Yuanqing pushed Kou Beiyue aside and said, "Have you developed any hostility toward the Southern Sect? Might that not create emotional vulnerabilities?" "Emotions are the most unreliable thing in a magician's nature. I can control them at will. The elders may try to manipulate or control me easily, but they'll never see the true emotional foundation beneath my surface." The plump young man spoke with confidence. "Excellent!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "Don't bring anything—just go." He then cut the hemp ropes binding the young man, retrieved the mountain deity's staff, and cleared the toxins from his body. After standing up and moving his limbs, the young man turned to Kou Beiyue, feeling guilty. "Don't worry, leader. I'll make the southern school pay for what I've done, and make up for my mistakes. Wait—why do I sense such compassion in your emotions?" "Then, hurry up and get out!" Zhang Yuanqing kicked the young man, sending him out of the Wuhen Hotel. As the 180-kilogram figure rode off on his electric scooter, Kou Beiyue stared at Zhang Yuanqing with a puzzled expression. "Tell you what—don't use this kind of thing against me again. Otherwise, I'll fight you to the death." "You're not worthy!" Zhang Yuanqing shot him a glance. Then he turned to Zhao Xinpeng and said, "You'd better not go back to see your grandfather for now. Not only are the evil-affiliated characters keeping a close eye on him, but official personnel might also start watching him closely. If you don't listen, the next time something like this happens, I won't save you. "I have a low tolerance for fools. You're not worthy of me repeatedly putting myself in danger for you." Zhang Yuanqing said calmly, "Back in the Eight Noble Provinces, when I met the 'Wanderer of the World,' he immediately agreed to help me without any conditions." Though he hadn't actually done much... Zhang Yuanqing murmured to himself. A quiet smile appeared on the young girl's otherwise expressionless face. "If you don't mind, I'll be off now—I still have a barbecue scheduled for the evening." Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Xiao Yuan, who remained silent, then gave a sharp nod and vanished into the stars. Xiao Yuan's expression darkened slightly, and she sighed softly. The Mage-Eye King said, "I'm also looking for him. If this man dares to kill you, then I'll have to kill him myself." Yet the senior leadership of the Night Rose remains elusive, protected by hidden forces—even deities struggle to locate them. "You're one of the Five Elements Alliance's key talents, the future Sixth Master—I naturally pay close attention." Zhang Yuanqing almost wanted to say, "Stop acting—my relationship with your father is well known to me," but he held back. At that moment, he saw Kou Beiyue don a safety helmet and ride his electric scooter out to deliver meals, and immediately said, "Old Master, shall we have a barbecue at the villa tonight?" "You年轻人 go ahead," Old Master shook his head, declining. Zhang Yuanqing nodded and added, "Then you go first—I still have a few things to attend to at the hotel." "The area is safe—I've checked it thoroughly, though I'd prefer you not stay out too long," Old Master said, fading into a shimmer of blue light. Zhang Yuanqing watched him vanish, thinking that if everything went smoothly, he wouldn't be back for several hours. His mentor had always said that the strategy of 'deliberately letting go' was a surefire way to captivate women. You can't simply go along with their wishes all the time. Things that are too easy to obtain aren't cherished, and a devoted follower won't be truly valued. Xiao Yuan now feels both guilty and grateful toward you, yet she's still foolishly eager to reassure you, saying, "It's all on my own volition!" That's just too naive. You should deliberately adopt a distant attitude—make no promises, show no clear intentions, neither forgive nor blame—let her suffer mental exhaustion on her own. When she's worn down, suddenly re-engage with her, and she'll feel exceptionally surprised. At that moment, when you make her some demanding requests, they'll often succeed. Thus, Zhang Yuanqing plans to make a surprise return, and propose some rather demanding requests to Xiao Yuan—such as becoming her devoted follower. "Ah, my mentor has spoiled me," he sighs. With a decisive tap of his fingers, Zhang Yuanqing transforms into a streak of starlight, vanishing.