At 9:45 p.m., 69 Hamburg Street, Queens. The wellness spa. Zhang Yuanqing, wearing a baseball cap, mask, and sunglasses, once again arrives at the spa, known for its soft, intimate ambiance and adorned with a pink sign. This Japanese-style spa features sliding wooden doors, tatami mats, and white lanterns inscribed in Japanese, offering a genuine Japanese aesthetic. Yet, the staff members standing prominently within the space are all blonde, blue-eyed foreign women. As he enters the main door, he takes in the surroundings and walks directly toward a young woman dressed in a pink uniform, with neatly applied makeup and well-groomed features, and says, "I'm looking for Catherine. I've been here before." While speaking, he removes his mask. Upon seeing him, the young woman immediately offers a warm, respectful smile: "I'll show you the way." This gentleman—someone who regularly accesses the private executive lounge—is likely Catherine, the manager's favorite. Following the young woman deeper into the building, through a corridor with dim lighting and portraits of nude women hung along the walls, Zhang Yuanqing arrived once again at the door of the private room. "Knock, knock!" The young woman gently tapped the door with a light rhythm, said nothing, and then quietly stepped back. Zhang Yuanqing turned the handle and pushed open the door, which was adorned with bronze floral carvings. A sweet, rich fragrance floated in the air. As he glanced around the room, the 15-square-meter spa bath gently floated with rose petals, and the red lights of the surveillance cameras were off. On the single sofa in the lounge area, Katherine, with short silver hair, wore a black silk dress and had a fresh, rosy complexion. "Let's talk about the gathering," Zhang Yuanqing said, sitting beside her and casually picking up a teapot on the glass round table to pour himself a cup. Katherine raised her eyes, glanced at the clock on the wall—there were still ten minutes until the gathering began—and smiled. "You're attending the internal gathering of the Hunters' Guild tonight—the highest-level gathering at the Saint stage. All attendees are at the peak of "This is your first time attending an event like this. Just remember to stay composed tonight—don’t be provoked, don’t get angry, don’t clash with anyone…" Zhang Yuanqing smiled gently. "I’ve already been provoked!" He meant that, as a peak-level Saint and a master of emotional control through illusion magic, he was being told to refrain from anger or provocation. That, in itself, was a direct challenge—to a professional of his caliber. Katherine shrugged, offering no explanation. A typical illusionist wouldn’t issue such advice, but the Heavenly Master is different—he is wildly eccentric, intensely rigid, and his evil nature has seeped into his very bones. After the assessment, the Hunter’s Guild’s chairman had once remarked on him: "There are two types of evil practitioners. One is a pure evil person. The other is a fundamentally kind-hearted individual driven mad by injustices in the world." The Tian-tian Master belongs to the second type—more rigid, losing faith in humanity and society, fixated on either destroying or radically transforming the world. A prime example is the Mage-Eyed King of the Second District! These individuals typically do not commit malevolent acts; in fact, they often possess a stronger sense of justice than even the lawful-minded professions. Yet their sense of justice is warped, pathological—fully mad. "Time's up!" Katharine glanced at the clock on the wall. The very next moment, Zhang Yuanqing heard a spiritual realm notification: 【Ping! The Hunter's Guild invites you to enter the spiritual realm—"Whispers Beneath the Wind and Thunder," ID #667. Accept?】 The gathering location is within the spiritual realm? "Whispers Beneath the Wind and Thunder"—what a witty, mocking name. Perhaps one day I'll name my own guild's spiritual realm something equally sarcastic... Zhang Yuanqing didn't hesitate—he accepted. 【Ping! The Spirit Realm map is loading. In 10 seconds, you will enter the Spirit Realm. This is your current Spirit Realm: "Whispers Beneath Wind and Thunder," ID: 667】 Ten seconds later, the scene before him ripples, and the world blurs. Then, Zhang Yuanqing sees a classical-style conference room, a solid wooden table intricately carved with strange and elegant patterns, and twelve retro-style high-back chairs. At the head of the table sits Vice President Katharine, with silvery hair and a graceful demeanor. On her left and right, four people are seated. Two wear cloaks, hooded and masked. The other two are a young man who appears drowsy and listless—his chestnut curls, high nose, refined features, fair skin, and dotted with freckles—and a middle-aged man with a broad, wine-stained nose, his brown-yellow hair tousled, a prominent belly, and a full beard, embodying the image of a seasoned wine enthusiast. Seeing these two, Zhang Yuanqing is momentarily startled. Drowsy and half-asleep is Hekate, the goddess of night, currently ranked fourth on the A-list of the New Covenant County's wanted list. The middle-aged, slightly tipsy man with a prominent nose and a rounded belly—Bacchus, the renowned figure, ranked second on the A-list—is widely regarded as a peak sage even stronger than Osmun or Hoover. Both of them are members of the Hunter's Guild? Unlikely to encounter Bacchus here—especially since the very head of the guild has personally tasked me to eliminate him. While Zhang Yuanqing was observing them, the four others were equally assessing the new recruit. "Hmph. He's the second newcomer from the second district—the one who killed Julian Mede, the Dream-Weaver?" the man on the left, wearing a hood and mask, scoffed. "I've heard that your Dream-Weavers excel at stealth attacks and ambushes, treating even small opponents like women." From his tone, Zhang Yuanqing sensed a clear sense of condescension—something like, "What kind of team is this, to be seated at my table?" Moreover, his demeanor radiated arrogance and self-importance. He has the temperament and emotional sensitivity of a sea naiad, wearing a hood and mask, unwilling to reveal his true self—was he part of the Sea God's Church? Zhang Yuanqing said coldly, "One who can defeat the Wind Mage can surely defeat a sea naiad." At these words, the man on the left, wearing the hood, experienced a sharp emotional fluctuation. The gaze beneath the mask grew sharp and resolute, as if he would immediately move to strike and defeat any fragile illusionist at the slightest provocation. Bacchus, drowsy and slightly tipsy, and Hecate, half-asleep, blinked and reevaluated Zhang Yuanqing with renewed attention. "Master of the Celestial Teachings, please take a seat!" Katherine indicated the third position on the right. Zhang Yuanqing sat down without a word. Katherine glanced around, then asked, "Where is the cocktail?" "Who knows?" the man on the right, wearing the hood and mask, shrugged. Katherine paused for several seconds, her gaze now distant—likely opening up her character or guild panel. Then, she listened intently for a moment, and said, "The The meeting room fell silent, no one speaking. About fifteen minutes later, a figure appeared in the room, accompanied by a strong scent of blood. A tall, slender young man, bald, with a head that gleamed under the lights, adorned with black tribal tattoos. At first glance, his features seemed normal, but upon closer inspection, one noticed that his eyes were of unequal size and height, his upper and lower lips were asymmetrical, his left nostril larger than the right. The eyebrows on either side also varied in height and thickness. Overall, his facial features conveyed an extreme asymmetry and disorder. One would think a person with obsessive-compulsive tendencies would have leapt from the building—had this level of chaos been perfected right on the face? Zhang Yuanqing strained his face, drawing his gaze away. Zhang Yuanqing immediately redirected his gaze back. He remembered that the Department of Divine Judgment had recently been deploying operations to besiege the "Cocktail." "So, who did you kill?" asked the one on his left, wearing a hood—likely a member of the Sea God Church—his voice steady. "Two entire task forces, eighteen people, seven Saints, including two six-level wind mages; I've forgotten their names, but they weren't among the key Saint seeds of Divine Judgment. I also lost three of my five-level subordinates..." The Cocktail unconsciously reached for his waist, only to find no wine flask, and grew impatient. "Let's get together—my wine craving is about to take over!" Both task forces were completely wiped out? That shouldn't have happened given the strength of Divine Judgment's forces—something must have gone wrong. Zhang Yuanqing felt a weight settle in his mind, suspecting internal spies had leaked the operational plans. The task forces had been ambushed by the Cocktail's forces. Katharine smiled slightly. "Well, that's a fitting response to Divine Judgment!" She immediately straightened her posture and said, "The great beast Hase has perished. Ladies and gentlemen, the conflict between the two major factions has escalated, and the war that follows will involve all of you peak seers—each of you faces a real risk of death. According to our post-analysis, Hase was precisely located by the aid team from the Five Elements Alliance using special techniques. This means each of you could potentially face the same fate as Hase. The team from the Five Elements Alliance includes one peak seer and five five-tier seers—an arrangement strong enough to defeat any one of you." The masked figure, seemingly a member of the Sea God Church, scoffed, "Don't compare that one whose mind is controlled by his lower body to us—five-tier seers in our eyes are merely children wielding knives, posing no real threat. Katherine, all you need to remind your recruits about are the Dream-Weavers—this profession, lacking direct combat prowess. Once they're surrounded and attacked, they have no chance of survival." Zhang Yuanqing originally didn't intend to pay attention, considering his established image, and responded coldly: "Do you wish to return to the Spiritual Realm?" Implied meaning: Are you trying to die? The member resembling a sea spirit spoke with arrogance: "You can apply to Catharine for a match! I'll kill you tonight!" The others watched with an air of spectators. Zhang Yuanqing remained silent, quietly manipulating the emotions of Catharine and the other members outside the sea spirit. When the chief dream-bearer from the second major region yielded, the sea spirit sneered disdainfully. Catharine cast a approving glance toward the Supreme Teacher, appreciating his composure and his refusal to challenge the "strong opponent." She said: "Don't underestimate the support team from the Five Elements Alliance. Among them are the Night Traveler, the Fire Master, the Scout, the Water Spirit, and the Wood Spirit—each with distinct strengths. When working in harmony, they are capable of defeating anyone below the Dominant Stage. Of course, if you have the caliber of Fu Qingyang or the Primordial Supreme Sovereign, then I never said a word." Everyone fell silent immediately. Katherine continued: "After our team analysis, the Five-Element Alliance's positioning and tracking capabilities directly threaten your forces, our own Saint-level champions, and even the Masters. The Chairman has personally assigned the task of hunting down the leader of the Five-Element Alliance's support team, Geng Mang! The reward is a top-tier artifact at the Saint level. If we can eliminate the entire Five-Element Alliance team, we'll receive two such artifacts. This task must be accepted by at least three people." She glanced around at the peak Saint-level leaders at the conference table. "Who's interested?" I've been targeted by the Hunter's Guild? Hmph, with so many elite members, why focus on me? I'm just a hired soldier... Zhang Yuanqing was left stunned. Baxus raised his hand first, saying, "I've been idle lately." Others soon followed, raising their hands to accept the assignment. Two first-rate items from the Sage stage were enough to excite them, and in the eyes of these peak Sages, a team featuring only one Sage of sixth rank posed only a moderate risk. Katharina turned to the only one who hadn't raised his hand—the Master of Heaven's Path—and furrowed her brows, "Are you not willing to accept?" Zhang Yuanqing spoke calmly, "It is rather foolish to pursue the Star Officials. A fifth-rank Star Official can detect our movements during stargazing. My suggestion is simply to target Gu Mang alone." He didn't want to involve his team members. Hera, of the Night God Church, lounged comfortably, "Rest assured—our entire strategy will be carried out under the protection of night, so the Star Officials will not sense it." That was troublesome indeed, Zhang Yuanqing thought internally, yet he remained expressionless and said, "Then I shall formally accept the mission." He had no further reason to refuse.