Hearing Master Cai's words, Zhou Secretary's expression twisted slightly, growing increasingly annoyed. Yes, he was afraid. He had been intimidated by a young upstart who had only become a Spiritual Realm Traveler for barely six months. In the past, no matter how much the Primordial Sovereign stirred, he was at most the first among equals—still, the true sovereign could always look down on him, crush him easily, like a stubborn insect under his hand. But now, that very insect had slain a seasoned senior elder of the seventh rank. As the secretary of the Ten Elders, Zhou himself was a seventh-rank sovereign. Though his roots were undoubtedly deeper than those of the southern Six Elders, he could no longer deny that Master Yuan had now become a genuine threat to him. And the rebellious one—currently only a Saint—was now standing in his way. Should he rise to sovereign rank, he might even surpass Fu Qingyang in his ability to overwhelm peers. "Master Cai, are we really going to just watch him grow?" Zhou's voice dropped even lower, as if speaking of something that would die the moment it saw the light. The dispute between the Nine Elders and the Prime Primordial Sovereign is merely a minor issue. If the rebellious one ascends to the rank of half-divine, the Nine Elders will at most bow and offer compensation—then the matter will be settled. They haven’t harbored deep enmity. "Yuanshish Tianzun is a key talent cultivated by the official faction—the greater his achievements, the greater the benefit to the official side," said Cai Elder calmly. "Don't worry; it's just a minor disagreement between you two." Zhou Secretary was taken aback, then chuckled wryly. "You're right, the leadership has been patient with me—I've been overthinking it. Though we do have some disagreements, we're both members of the Wu Xing Alliance, so it's just a small matter. Once we talk it over, everything will be fine." He felt a bit anxious—how could Cai Elder possibly make a statement over the phone? Before hanging up, Cai Elder added with deep significance, "Everything is part of the plan." Everything is part of the plan… Zhou Secretary furrowed his brows, savoring the words. … Fujiawan, the terrace. Zhang Yuanqing arranged the materials to summon the Three Mountain Goddess and the scroll of silk on the table, then picked up his phone and dialed Li Chunfeng's number. "Chunfeng, please turn off the surveillance cameras in the residential complex," he instructed. After As if the flame had ignited the paper, the spiritual scroll's incantation patterns began to activate, wildly drawing upon the materials' spiritual energy. Zhang Yuanqing immediately pressed his palm against the scroll, silently calling out, "Youqing, Youqing, come out!" He believed that addressing her as "Mistress" might not immediately draw the old woman's attention, but calling her by her given name would naturally prompt anyone to look in that direction. Indeed, just twice, the Mistress had already sent her gaze through the spiritual realm. Golden light spread across the sky of Fu Family Village, radiating in concentric waves, as though waves of luminous projectiles were striking an invisible barrier. The Fumagou staff at Zhang Yuanqing's feet vibrated intensely, sensing his call, yet the power of the Mistress from the Three Mountain Temple could not penetrate the spiritual realm to reach the physical world, thus unable to truly summon it. Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing grasped the staff and channeled the power of the Sun God. Without the Fumagou staff, the Mistress found it difficult to breach the spiritual realm's barrier, so he would have to act as a liaison, supporting the old woman—supporting Youqing. The divine magic staff of the deity who crossed over to Japan instantly revived, transforming into a beam of golden light ascending against the sky. "Boom!" As if a wave of energy had burst forth, the sky, bluish with a hint of gold, suddenly split open, forming a circular passage. The passage was deep and black, linking to the spiritual realm, and the staff vanished within it. "Young fool!" came the cold exclamation from behind the passage—sound that only the Night-Wanderer deity and spirits of resentment could hear. "Wait, please," Zhang Yuanqing, accustomed to repeatedly jumping in front of senior figures while feigning unawareness of the elder's displeasure, vibrated his spiritual energy and said, "I suspect the Master of Pure Yang hasn't died yet." He then loudly expressed his hypothesis in the Night-Wanderer's manner of communication. After listening to his account, the other side remained silent for several seconds before three voices of the Lady of the Mountain emerged: "His mind is highly unstable, and each time he relies on his physical body to revive, it further damages his spiritual essence, deepening his madness. Combined with my sharp criticisms and his two humiliating defeats at the hands of my disciples, he will grow increasingly frantic and unstable. In that case, there will be only two possible outcomes: either he ventures into risky hunts against exceptionally powerful officials or dream-masters, ultimately dying from the backlash of such endeavors, or his spirit completely collapses, and you, the Five Elements Alliance, will take him into custody." So, the Master of Pure Yang is effectively rendered powerless? Indeed, he will have to start over—something that won't pose a serious threat in the near term... Zhang Yuanqing spoke loudly, "The young disciple understands. I respectfully send you off, Lady of the Young." "YOU BRAT!!" The elder's tone was sharp and resolute, yet she could do little more—she couldn't very well leave the Spiritual Realm to confront him in the mortal world. The channel in the sky gradually contracted and eventually vanished. The ancients were just overly dramatic—just a simple call of their name, really... Zhang Yuanqing mumbled to himself. As the corridor faded, he felt a sense of reluctance—not for the Lady, but for his humble, worn-out staff, the Fumagong杵. This staff had accompanied him from the beginning, rising from obscurity, and now it had been reclaimed by the Lady. Zhang Yuanqing activated the Star-Flight Technique and returned to the main hall of the villa. Xie Lingxi was seated on the sofa in the living room, holding her laptop and reading through the copy of the musician’s guide, preparing for her upcoming journey into the Spiritual Realm. "Brother Yuanshǐ, don’t forget the crab feast at the end of the month," Xie Lingxi said, picking up a piece of apple to feed Zhang Yuanqing. The crab feast falls in the ninth lunar month, which corresponds to October in the solar calendar. Zhang Yuanqing bit into the apple, chewing as he replied, "Got it!" The Xie family had a semi-divine elder ancestor residing there, along with a host of Sovereigns and Saints. Unless a Warlord personally arrived, the evil forces wouldn’t risk storming the Her father had told her that once the Yuanshishen went to the crab banquet, the elder ancestor would arrange her marriage to Yuanshishen. Though the elder ancestor is often domineering and illogical, upholding the traditional feudal customs of parental arrangements and matchmakers, Shé Lingxi would be quite willing to become a young, modest wife if the match were with Yuanshishen. "By the way, did your father enter the realm already?" Zhang Yuqing suddenly asked. "Wait—how does Brother know?" Because your father didn't congratulate me this morning... Zhang Yuqing was about to speak when her phone in her pocket suddenly chimed. She checked—it was a message from the Chief of Zhishigong: [Mad Chief: Could you check with the official side if they're interested in acquiring the Earth Spirit Robe? I need a master-level item, preferably one that offers both defense and close-range combat capabilities.] After a few seconds, she added another complaint: [Mad Chief: This robe is too heavy—it's practically impossible to fight with. One can only retreat like a turtle.] Zhang Yuqing typed out a reply: "So, you'd like to switch from heavy armor to ["The Mad Palace Mistress: Intelligent." ] The cost of the Earth Spirit Robe is indeed high—though its defense is strong, wearing it means self-restriction, leaving the wearer largely passive in battle and vulnerable to attacks. Zhang Yuanqing thought with a spark of insight: Huang Taiji would surely appreciate it. For earth monsters, heaviness is not a drawback; their own tools are used by them, yielding greater bonuses than other professions. Moreover, Zhang Yuanqing noticed that Huang Taiji, grandson of the Grand Elder, didn't possess a single master-tier item. A sixth-tier peak sage, after all, would naturally be eager for such master-tier gear. Selling the Earth Spirit Robe to Huang Taiji serves both as a gesture of goodwill and a practical move, given that Huang has ample financial resources. "Ah, a seasoned master with only two master-tier items—both of lower quality—on his person. It seems that once I reach the Master Realm, my title of 'Master of Items' will no longer stand." Zhang Yuanqing, reflecting on his thoughts, sent a message to his adoptive father—no, to Xiao Huang: "I have a terrestrial master-tier item called the Earth Spirit Robe. Are you interested?" He then sent over the item's detailed properties. "My request is a mid-tier master-level item with the functions I just mentioned." In reality, even a mid-tier item often falls short of two lower-tier ones, since while the gap between mid and low tiers is significant, it doesn't reach a decisive advantage—two items represent two full professions, each adding an extra skill and a better chance of victory in actual combat. This difference is essentially the personal goodwill that Zhang Yuanqing has extended to Huang Taidi. Huang Taidi could easily purchase a mid-tier item from headquarters by combining a single lower-tier item with substantial materials and cash; as the grandson of the Imperial Hong lineage, headquarters would certainly not refuse. After a brief pause, Huang Taidi spoke calmly, "Thank you. I'll count this as a personal favor. I'll find an item for you and get back to you within three days." After hanging up, Zhang Yuanqing sent a text message to Guan Ya: "I'll be staying at home for a few days." From now on, he would simply endure in Songhai, weathering the death crisis, waiting until the end of the year, and eventually reaching the rank of Master. He declined the Magi's invitation because Lingtuo, as a half-divine Night-Wanderer deity, possesses the ability to see the river of fate. The consequence of hunting down the three protectors would be nothing short of a suicide attempt—like a moth flying into a flame. The Magi is merely a crude war god, fundamentally outmatched by the Night-Wanderer in terms of political savvy and experience. Thus, Zhang Yuanqing believes, mere survival is sufficient. "The man in the cap"hmmed," pulled out his phone, opened the photo, and showed it to the teachers, asking, "Do any of you recognize the person in the photo?" The photo featured a young, handsome male student. The teachers studied the image carefully before shaking their heads in unison. The man in the cap quietly left, asking every teacher across all three grades—yet finding no answers. "Not just at Songhai University—even the middle school teachers have been hypnotized?" Standing on the corridor, hands resting on the handrail, he murmured to himself. In the past few days, he had visited every middle school in Songhai, but not a single teacher recognized Yuan Shishen. Clearly, the Five Elements Alliance had "erased" Yuan Shishen's existence, making him a nameless figure in the real world. Yet the Master of Pure Yang remained undaunted. As a native of Songhai, Yuan Shi Tian Zun's influence must still be evident in the city—officials could not entirely erase it, no matter how hard they tried, for it was beyond human capability. As long as the thread could be found, the Master could trace Yuan Shi Tian Zun's real identity step by step. "If all current faculty have been hypnotized, what about the retired teachers? Among those who retired in recent years in Songhai, perhaps someone still remembers Yuan Shi Tian Zun." "Yuan Shi Tian Zun—you must die. You must die." Beneath the seemingly calm gaze of the Master of Pure Yang, a frenzy on the brink of eruption stirred.