【Ping! The Spirit Realm map is loading. You will enter the Spirit Realm in 30 seconds. This is your current Spirit Realm: "The Haunting Cruise Ship," ID: 015】 【Difficulty Level: S】 【Type: Solo (Death-based)] 【Main Objective: Survive for five days】 【Note: Non-Spirit Realm items cannot be brought in.】 【Introduction to Spirit Realm 015: In 1900, a cruise ship operated by the United Nations of Ireland set out on a secret mission. On its return journey, the ship mysteriously vanished, becoming a lasting enigma for the United Nations of Ireland.】 “Whoa, an S-tier quest...” Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth, thinking perhaps he had forgotten to pay the luck goddess last night! The "cosmetic character card" feature of the black heart system would surely pass undetected by the Spirit Realm. Therefore, the match to an S-tier realm wasn't due to his own performance, but rather because the monster, Hase, was inherently destined for an S-tier Spirit Realm. Although Haas was a peak Saint, his chance of matching an S-tier was quite low. He remembered that during Fu Qingyang's Saint phase, A-tier was the norm—only after successfully completing A-tier dungeons for six consecutive months would an S-tier typically be triggered. Haas fell short of Fu Qingyang's standard; a six-month occurrence was rare, perhaps once a year—his luck simply wasn't good enough to make it happen. "An S-tier realm at the sixth level? Even for me, that might prove life-threatening. But why specifically the 1900-era dungeon?" After tapping twice, Zhang Yuanqing pushed open the heavy door, encased in yellow copper. Upon entering the lounge, he took in the opulent decor and spotted Katharine seated silently on the sofa in a black gown, her exquisite features seemingly veiled in a layer of frost. "You've failed!" Katharine declared firmly. No longer displaying her previous charm or flattery, she now radiated the commanding presence and authority of a true leader—something Zhang Yuanqing had never expected from her, having assumed she was merely a seductive, coquettish woman who danced to men's whims. Zhang Yuanqing responded with a calm, detached "hm." "Bacchus has returned to the spiritual realm, and Hecate should still be alive, though under the hands of the Divine Judgment, she may as well be dead," Katharine said, a dangerous smile playing at her lips. "All of them are gone—how come you're still here?" Is this even making sense? If I were the魔 king, I'd fill your mouth with words! Zhang Yuanqing maintained his composed, reserved demeanor. "If your purpose is to hold me accountable, then I believe I can now leave." Katherine narrowed her eyes, gazing deeply at him: "Our investigation revealed that after Quemang left the Tianfa Building last night, he did not head directly to the rescue site. Instead, he drove to Desen River, traveling along the riverbank road for fifteen minutes. When he arrived at Desen River Park, all the nearby surveillance cameras had failed—no footage was recorded. At the scene of the battle, there were two business vehicles, each containing only Quemang and one shadow corpse. No members of the Wuxing Alliance rescue team were present. This was a well-planned ambush—Quemang had known all along that an attack would occur last night. 'Master of the Celestial Path,' explain to us why Quemang was aware of the details in advance—whose information was leaked? And why did both Baxus and Hecate fall, while you returned unscathed?" Indeed, he had asked this. Zhang Yuan thought to himself. The Hunter's Guild could uncover things that the Divine Judgment could as well—but the Executive Department has made no further inquiries, showing remarkable tolerance. To the Divine Judgment, regardless of the methods or tactics Quemang employed, as beneficiaries themselves, they could accept whatever changes occurred, and there was no need to fuss over minor details. Yet, in the eyes of the Hunter's Guild, this is a betrayal—our own among us. Who is the traitor? With only a few people aware of the operation, if a traitor must be identified, it has to be the foreigner, the Master of the Celestial Teachings. Zhang Yuanqing had already prepared a response. He glanced at the wide spa and gave a quiet, cold smile: "Shall I jump in and explain?" Without giving Catherine a chance to respond, he quickly added: "What do you need me to explain? The incompetence of Hekate and Baxes, or the poor quality of your Hunter's Guild's intelligence work?" You think I've been the one to leak the information, huh? Then why am I still here? Do you really think I'm just going to die of old age? Or are you simply too fond of this little flirtation of yours to let go? His tone was sharp and cutting, matched by a cold smirk—most ungracious, a technique he'd picked up from the single-charge knight Zhai Cai. This was a preemptive strike! Katharina's expression darkened. Zhang Yuanqing's face was even more somber. He walked over to the sofa, leaned on the armrest, and lowered himself until his face was almost touching hers, speaking coldly: "Do you believe I've betrayed Baxes and Hekate, thus causing the mission's failure? Baxes possesses a master-tier item, yet his entire movement—from start to finish—lasted less than ten minutes. Katharina, stop always playing with your legs and flitting between men. Use your mind. Why? Because he has a master-tier item—and not just one! Your hunters' guild's intelligence-gathering capabilities are truly nothing short of garbage. Now you want to go all formal and complain? You almost killed me! If my rank weren't lower than yours, I'd have sent you back to the Spiritual Realm already! The veins on my forehead are bulging, and my expression is both cold and furious—so intense that it doesn't feel like acting at all. This is just basic stagecraft for a spirit-mage. Tian-tian the Supreme Master grew angry, but Catherine remained calm. After a moment's pause, she asked, "What kind of artifact does Jume have with the quality of dominion?" Zhang Yuanqing scoffed, "Six black scrolls capable of forming a spell array and manifesting chains; and a short blade with black and white sides." The blade with black and white sides... Catherine found this familiar. Then it struck her—something came back to her. Her expression grew strange. Without speaking, she picked up her phone, tapped and swiped the screen for a while. "Is it this blade!" she said, turning the phone screen toward Tian-tian the Supreme Master. On the screen was a photograph—originally, it should have shown someone holding a knife, but the person holding the knife was cut off, leaving only one arm and a short knife with black and white sides. It was precisely the Knife of Form and Spirit Annihilation! "Yes, that's it!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded, then a look of curiosity appeared on his face. "How did you end up with this photograph?" Katharine blinked, as if suddenly understanding. At that moment, her phone chimed softly, signaling an incoming message. After reading it, Katharine turned her phone toward the Master of the Celestial Path. "A black paper scroll?" "Yes, this one," Zhang Yuanqing replied, glancing briefly at the ceiling-mounted camera. It was obvious that the President of the Hunter's Guild and two of her Vice-Presidents were currently watching this conversation from behind the camera. Katharine now had her answer. The short knife with black and white sides—she had seen the King of Magic use it, known as the Knife of Form and Spirit Annihilation. As for the black paper scroll, its name was unknown, but its previous owner was the Primordial Sovereign, and the one before that was Yes, Catherine has confirmed that the two master artifacts used by Jumang are inheritances from Yuan Shi Tian Zun. Among the assistance team of the Five Elements Alliance, there is a swordsman named Guan Ya, according to the intelligence, she is Yuan Shi Tian Zun's girlfriend. The direct superior of this team is Fu Qingyang, widely known for his close relationship with Yuan Shi Tian Zun; within the Five Elements Alliance, their fortunes are intertwined—when one thrives, so does the other, and when one suffers, the other does too. Recently, the Hunter's Guild has also gathered rumors about a romantic relationship between Fu Qingyang and Yuan Shi Tian Zun, reportedly revealed by a Night-Wanderer deity to the members of Tian Fa. Given these two layers of connections, it is no surprise that Jumang has access to Yuan Shi Tian Zun's artifacts. "These artifacts are all inheritances from Yuan Shi Tian Zun," Catherine added simply, then asked, "How did you manage to escape?" "I hid within Hekate's dream," Qing Zhang replied with flawless logic. "Hiding within a dream—excellent!" Katherine nodded slightly, hesitating, "Do you think Quemang knew he was going to be ambushed?" Zhang Yuanqing offered a guess befitting his status as a second-tier official. Katherine nodded, didn't press further, took up the handbag at her side, pulled out a bank card, and said, "Though the mission failed, the Hunter's Guild never underestimates its members. There's 500,000 federal credits in the card—compensation from the organization." Watching the Celestial Master carry the card away, the bronze door closing with excellent sound insulation, Katherine looked up at the surveillance camera and said, "President, Vice Presidents, do you think the Celestial Master leaked any information? I still can't understand how Quemang knew we were going to ambush him." No one answered immediately, but a few minutes later, a soft chime sounded on Katherine's phone—new messages had arrived. Fingerprint authentication, view information—this is a video that recently generated tremendous buzz on the Tianfa Forum: a video of Yuan Shishen single-handedly facing off against three peak Saint-level figures. Katherine didn’t need to open the video—she already understood. No one had leaked their plans. Quemang was able to anticipate the ambush thanks to the Night-Wanderer God’s celestial observation capabilities within the team. Yuan Shishen possesses a celestial orrery that enhances his celestial observation skills! This orrery, which enables him—a relatively new star official who has only been in the position for three months—to match the observational prowess of seasoned star officials, is now under the control of the Wuxing Alliance’s support team. … The image gradually came into sharp focus. Zhang Yuanqing saw the seamless blend of sea and sky, the blue sea reflecting the blue sky. He stood on the cruise ship’s deck, feeling the sea breeze and soaking in the sunlight. His clothing remained unchanged, and when he touched his face, it was still unchanged. It wasn’t a role-playing quest. The cruise ship was large—so large that Zhang Yuanqing couldn't see its full outline. Naval officers in uniform, carrying rifles, patrolled the deck, while seamen carried hoses, buckets, and brushes, busy cleaning the surface. Zhang Yuanqing practiced spiritual transcendence, his spirit leaving his body and floating upward, viewing the ship from above. Only then did he fully grasp its scale: it was a medium-sized cruise ship, about fifty meters long, with a white-painted hull and two stories. Two sturdy smokestacks stood at the ship's stern, belching thick black smoke. Gentle sea breezes blew, and the steam-powered ship glided smoothly across the water, leaving a deep blue waterway about ten meters wide. At the ship's bow, seamen used brushes and hoses to clean the deck. On the tall observation tower, naval officers in uniform, carrying rifles and smoking lazily, stood on guard. "A cruise ship from over a century ago—1900, just five years after the Sino-Japanese War, fourteen years before World War I, and already 16 years since the first region launched. This marks the beginning of Ireland's decline within the United Nations." Zhang Yuanqing recalled the knowledge he had learned from his textbooks in his mind. "Everything on the ship seems normal…" he turned his gaze toward the horizon. The sea surface showed no anomalies either. "According to the realm introduction, this cruise ship will mysteriously vanish during its return journey, becoming a case of enigma, and my main objective is to survive for five days—meaning, the ship will disappear within five days." "This is a copy of the Distortion Realm. The Distortion Realm is known for its bizarre monsters—well, will there be deep-sea creatures on the return journey? I have a deep-sea phobia!" Zhang Yuanqing muttered to himself while sinking his spirit back into his physical body. He intended to first gather intelligence. The disappearance of the cruise ship must have a reason—something more than a simple maritime disaster or encounter with monsters. Otherwise, it wouldn't match the S-tier difficulty. "Hey, brave soldier!" Zhang Yuanqing stopped two naval patrol officers, smiled, and asked, "Do you know me?" The two officers straightened up, bowed, and replied loudly, "Yes, Lieutenant Haas!" Lieutenant? What rank is that? Doesn't matter—as long as it's not a junior recruit! This touched Zhang Yuanqing's blind spot. As a military novice with no experience in military drills, he could only distinguish the order between general, division commander, and chief of staff. "Who holds the highest rank on the cruise ship? And where is that person located?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.