Zhang Yuanqing immediately sat down beside him, not directly opposite the young attendant, but at his side, taking on a supporting posture as he lifted the wine pitcher to pour a drink for him. Though the elder seemed youthful, in truth he was over a hundred years old. "Long have I heard of your renown," said Zhang Yuanqing. "I've met many half-gods, but you are truly unique—you've returned to your original simplicity, rejuvenated and restored to youth." "This is simply the nature of the Earth Mother," replied the Shé family elder, lifting her wine cup and taking a smooth sip. Is the Earth Mother the professional title of a musician at the half-god stage? Zhang Yuanqing followed up, "Then, could you explain that?" With a small silver spoon, the elder scooped a piece of crab roe and placed it in her mouth, chewing contentedly while smiling. "Only mothers and children can fully harness the power of a musician. Especially at the half-god level, if one maintains the appearance of an adult man, the strength of their skills is significantly diminished. Women who have never given birth likewise cannot fully realize the true potential of a musician." "Is that really the case? Hmm, the essence of a musician's skill lies in nurturing—this does sound plausible... Zhang Yuanqing found himself thinking of the Nüwa Scroll. With Nüwa cradling the sacred infant, it mirrors the relationship between mother and child. "Listening to the elder's words is worth more than ten years of study," Zhang Yuanqing said, pouring wine with great attentiveness. "The elder, please, have a drink." Thus, you marry into the Xie family, and we shall become one family. When the year ends and you are promoted to the rank of Sovereign, I will personally instruct you in all the secrets of the Spiritual Realm—everything I know, I will share with you. I may not guarantee that you will become a half-divine being, but your chances will certainly be much greater. "Your ancestor is a straightforward person," Zhang Yuanqing said, "but I already have a girlfriend." The elder of the Xie family regarded him with a look of "how strange you are." "Then marry her in addition—what man would not have three or four wives? It's entirely natural." He had almost forgotten that this person was a figure from over a hundred years ago, a remnant of the feudal dynasty... Zhang Yuanqing silently muttered a comment in his mind, hesitating before committing to the proposal. "Are you not willing?" the elder raised her brows slightly. "If you don't like Xie Su's daughter, you may choose any of the unmarried young ladies from the Xie family—any number you'd like." Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback. In his mind, he thought, "Wait a minute Zhang Yuanqing immediately rose, stepped back several paces, and bowed deeply, exclaiming, "With great gratitude to the venerable ancestor, I am truly honored to marry into the Xie family and to be connected to the ancestral bloodline—this is a fortune I have earned across eight lifetimes!" The young face of the ancestral elder instantly brightened with a smile. Zhang Yuanqing's mind flashed a series of questions, and he stood motionless for several seconds before clearing his throat several times. "I believe I might still have a chance of survival—perhaps, for instance, the next month serving by the side of the elder ancestor." The Shé family elder, with his black, translucent eyes like polished jade, gazed steadily at him. "You've come to me as a duplicate, which indicates you already have a plan. What then, do I need to do?" He noticed I was a duplicate? Zhang Yuanqing was startled, yet soon found it logical. Though the Yatsumi mirror could perfectly replicate the original body, the current child before him—a half-god—was quite distinct. The elder glanced at the remaining crabs and then turned to Yuan Shi Tian Zun. Zhang Yuanqing quickly understood and settled into his place, beginning to prepare the crabs for the elder. The child sipped his tea calmly, observing the young attendant carefully dismantling the crabs, and said with serene ease, "Tell me—what are your thoughts on your own death fate?" Zhang Yuanqing dared not mention Lingtuo, as it involved the lineage of Zhang Tian Shi and the heir of the Magician King. He shook his head and said, "The Star Observer has given me no revelations." The elder of the Xie family immediately understood, and remarked, "It seems that when high-ranking beings are involved, you should even less seek my protection. You only know the outcome of fate, not the process—this is fatal. I can certainly protect you for a month, but have you ever considered that perhaps by hiding within the Xie family to escape danger, you've actually invited your own demise? For instance, one of your long-time adversaries from the evil faction might suddenly come to me seeking vengeance, clash with me fiercely, and upon seeing you just happen to be at the Xie family, simply dispatch you on the spot. Once you meet a half-god, you'll find yourself unable to escape." Zhang Yuanqing was left speechless, unable to refute. Sometimes we tirelessly strive to alter the outcome, only to realize that all our efforts are actually guiding fate toward that very outcome. In short, world line convergence. "Where is your true form?" the elder of the Xie family asked once "In the clan's quest instance," Zhang Yuanqing replied honestly. The elder of the Xie family pondered, then commented: "Good reasoning. Though the semi-gods from outside can roam freely within the spiritual realm, they cannot enter the quest instances unless recognized by the spiritual realm—such as the Lady from San Dao Mountain. Therefore, staying within an already-conquered clan instance is safer than remaining here, though nothing is absolute. Should you offend the semi-gods or peak sovereigns of the Void-based professions, then you would be in danger." "How so?" Zhang Yuanqing adopted an attentive posture. "The semi-gods and peak sovereigns of the Void-based professions can bypass the spiritual realm's restrictions and freely enter and exit the quest instances," the elder explained. The semi-gods of the Void profession greatly admire me, even invited me to meet their young models; the peak sovereign of that profession has never had any interaction with me... Zhang Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Then, Elder, what are my chances of surviving the calamity?" "The elder ancestor leisurely enjoyed the crab and wine," said, "As a star official, you should know that the future is uncertain—before time arrives, it holds countless possibilities." Zhang Yuanqing felt reassured internally and replied, "Understood, Elder Ancestor. Let me have a drink." After the elder ancestor finished one crab, Zhang Yuanqing asked again, "I would also like to inquire about the Chu family. I've heard that when the Chu family was wiped out twenty years ago, the Vajra Lord did not intervene—where did the Chu family's half-divine figure go?" "The Chu family's half-divine figure has returned to the Spiritual Realm nearly half a century ago," the elder ancestor replied with a touch of sentiment, "In fact, the half-divine once had a close connection with me—he gave me three children, and the lineage of the Palace Master is directly descended from my bloodline." Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback by this revelation, thinking to himself: "Now I understand why the Chu and Shé families have such a strong relationship—the Palace Master and Xie Lingxi are so close, they must share the same ancestral roots." "After the Chu family was wiped out, didn't you ever consider taking in the Palace Master? After all, she's also part of your bloodline," Zhang Yuanqing said. "I know she was taken by Zhang Tianshi," the elder of the Xie family explained. "Zhang Tianshi is the brother-in-arms of Chu Shang, and Chu Shang is the father of the current Palace Master of Zhishi." His ancestors were well served by him, and remarked, "When you first joined the Five Elements Alliance, were there ever any people who told you that the Spiritual Realm is like a game?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "If it's a game, then there must be administrators, right? Yet have you ever seen an administrator of the Spiritual Realm?" "No." The elder of the Xie family sipped a cup of yellow wine, his youthful face now weathered, his voice deep and solemn, speaking slowly: "Half-gods hold partial administrative authority over the Spiritual Realm. Each half-god possesses certain privileges. These privileges are the greatest secret of the half-god stage—those who acquire more privileges grow stronger. When a half-god fully masters the privileges of a specific profession, they become an administrator of the Spiritual Realm—indeed, one of the administrators. The musician controls the privilege of nurturing life. The scholar controls the privilege of creation." The words of the elder of the Xie family stirred profound waves within Zhang Yuanqing's heart. Was it the mastery of certain privileges that made the half-gods so powerful? And were these privileges incomplete—each half-god only possessing a portion of them? So, the ultimate goal of a Lingjing Traveler's level-up is to become an administrator of the Lingjing game? Zhang Yuanqing's mind buzzed with activity, suddenly recalling an observation he had made a long time ago: the Lingjing itself was catalyzing the growth of the Travelers. Ancient cultivators lacked Lingjing, growing slowly but with low mortality rates, whereas Lingjing Travelers entered solo dungeons every three months, experiencing high mortality rates but progressing rapidly. At the time, Zhang Yuanqing had speculated that the Lingjing was consciously catalyzing their development. The Lingjing's purpose... was to select administrators?! That truly made the Nü Huang's achievements astonishing—she likely served as administrators for both the Musician and Scholar professions, holding dual administrative roles. "Senior, is the Nü Huang an administrator?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. The elder responded calmly: "She was the first-generation administrator, endowed with the highest authority." Zhang Yuanqing nodded and continued pondering. The "Sun, Moon, and Stars" three fundamental powers of the Night-Wanderer occupation symbolize certain privileges within the Spiritual Realm. Is the Night-Wanderer occupation unique precisely because its administrator status holds the most weight among all administrators, and the specific privileges it controls hold exceptional value? "Senior, I've heard that the Evil occupation lacks a Half-Deity stage—does that mean the Evil occupation is not eligible to become an administrator of the Spiritual Realm? Why is that? Didn't the Evil occupation also originate within the Spiritual Realm?" Zhang Yuanqing suppressed the surge of emotions in his heart and asked softly, also expressing his speculation about the Night-Wanderer occupation's uniqueness. Master Xie bit into his crab leg and replied calmly, "That will depend on when you marry into the Xie family. I've already laid the foundation—what else do you expect me to say?" You old stick-in-the-mud... Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth quietly, then rose and bowed deeply to the elder Half-Deity. This time, it was genuine. The elder ancestor always answers promptly and thoroughly, often sharing part of the ultimate secret of the spiritual realm free of charge—this is a great gesture. He stood up and returned to the stone table, asking, "So, the Palace Master holds administrative privileges, and Master Zhang is concerned that you might appropriate Chu family heirlooms?" The elder of the Xie family nodded slightly. "That young lady, once she reaches the peak of the Sovereign rank, can aspire to become a half-divine. Unfortunately, when I last saw her, I found her soul fragmented, with her essence damaged. Without restoring her essence, she will remain in a state of deficiency for life and will never reach the half-divine level." You can rest assured—she's no longer crazy! By the way, the Palace Master mentioned that the Pot of Spirit Cultivation is the highest authority within the Musician profession, and it's essentially one of the privileges. This means she holds quite a few privileges now. Currently, there are two half-divine beings among the Musician profession, representing two additional privileges, plus the two privileges held by the Palace Master—making a total of four. It's unclear whether there are any more beyond that. Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment and gently hinted at the potential conflict over administrative privileges between the two half-gods. "There will certainly be disputes, but the privileges need not be centralized in a single person—just gather them together, and the number doesn't matter, so the two won't necessarily end up facing each other in battle," said the elder of the Xie family calmly. "However, there is one specific profession's privileges that must be held by a single individual." The Master of No Trace unfastened the collar of his robe, traced a path across his chest with his fingertips, and plucked out the heart still pulsing with a steady thump through its blood vessels. He brought the dark sphere close to the vibrant red heart. The sphere swiftly melted into a thick paste and flowed into the heart's interior, while the red heart instantly darkened, emitting laughter, shouts of anger, wails of pain, and lamentations. At that very moment, the entire temple shook violently, the illusion began to warp and distort, showing signs of imminent collapse. This was not the Master losing control or failing to sustain the environment—it was someone attempting to breach this realm of illusion!