At the grandmother's house, in the bedroom. Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yueri sit side by side in front of the television, each holding a controller, swiftly manipulating their characters as they move and strategize within the game. The little enthusiast lies sprawled atop Jiang Yueri's head, his plump legs dangling, his dark, clear eyes fixed intently on the screen, both small hands gripping Jiang Yueri's hair, his body taut with full immersion. Today is a weekend, and Jiang Yueri doesn't have to go to work, so she's brought him here to play games. Currently, they're in a "safe phase," not wanting to draw attention outside—home is secure, thanks to the family's disgraced member, no, the great half-god who watches over them. Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing sets down her controller, removes her companion spirit, Lu Yue, and places it on her forehead, immediately entering her nocturnal (secret) state. Seeing this, the little enthusiast leaps off Jiang Yueri's head, clutches her controller tightly in her arms, and gazes at Jiang Yueri with a watery, earnest plea. Jiang Yu-ye gently ran his fingers over the sparse tuft of hair on the infant's head, offering a motherly smile. "If you fail the trial, then I'll send you to the afterlife." The young, earnest face of the small, clumsy boy, unexpectedly serious for his age, raised his brows slightly and nodded firmly. His spiritual awareness now allowed him to communicate effectively, understand human speech, interpret body language, and perceive subtle cues—his intelligence was roughly equivalent to that of a six- or seven-year-old child. Yet his physical appearance remained that of a newborn—plump, white, with sparse downy hair. As a spirit servant, his form was fixed; once he passed away, he would remain unchanged, never growing or evolving with the development of his spiritual essence. The sharp sounds of combat resumed, and the two characters continued to fight valiantly. Zhang Yuan-qing, in his night-wandering state, sat cross-legged, receiving shared information from his duplicates, and now learned of the spiritual mother's heirlooms. He would need to decide—should he inform his uncle? Or should he tell Fu Qingyang? If they knew, they could later become involved, and once involved, without the hidden protection of their uncles and Fu Qingyang, they would be observed by Ling Tu from the river of fate. Then Ling Tu would become aware of the existence of the seeds, putting Zhao Elder at risk. Of course, given Zhao Elder's current attitude—“a seasoned master who keeps his cooking pan non-stick, preserving the seeds is a promise to his students”—he is likely to willingly yield the seeds. In that case, he would be unable to unravel the secret of the seeds. "Ah! Isn't Ling Tu simply trying to push me to investigate this matter? He may have observed something in the river of fate, but the details remain hazy. Taking advantage of my cautious, highly vigilant mindset, he has brought Pure Yang Master to the fore to intimidate me. With my and my elder's intelligence, we would surely recognize that Pure Yang Master is merely playing a show of intimidation. Thus, I would have even stronger grounds to meet with Zhao Elder. "Given my naturally sociable and enthusiastic nature, I'm certain I'll tell my uncle or Fu Qingyang about this. That way, Ling Tu will be able to clearly observe specific details of certain future events unfolding within the river of destiny, allowing him to make proactive plans and shape the future according to his own intentions." "Phew—competing with Ling Tu feels like fighting against thin air. Even minor matters require me to think several steps ahead, weigh pros and cons, and consider multiple perspectives. Still, Fu Qingyang is far more at ease. Fu Qingyang has no such worries." By now, he had made up his mind. He would temporarily keep the matter of the seeds confidential from his uncle and Fu Qingyang, first focusing on finding a method to cultivate them before addressing other matters. As for how to find that method, Zhang Yuanqing already had a clear direction: he would consult Ling Jun. Since Ling Jun's mother left the seed behind, it clearly indicates her hope that it will prove useful in the future and that one day she will reveal her discovery. Then there must be some cultivation method that has been passed down—by all means, Ling Jun, as the son, would surely be the first person entrusted with this responsibility. Yet Feng Ling might not be fully transparent about the implications. Arrange a time to have a conversation with Ling Jun! Zhang Yuanqing steps out of the night outing, pushes the seed matter out of his mind, glances at the little enthusiast deeply immersed in his handheld game, and gives him a pointed push. The enthusiast spins in mid-air several times before flying out of the bedroom. The very next second, he rushes back, crying loudly, rolling around between Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yuyi. Zhang Yuanqing simply strokes the child's head and gently instructs, "You're still young now, so you can't play games yet. When you grow up and grow tall like your father, then I'll give you games to play." Upon hearing this, the child cries even louder. Zhang Yuanqing sighs, "Once children grow up, they're no longer easy to persuade." "We should play with him, play with him," Jiang Yuyi frowns, "but he's so noisy." As a "mother" figure, she could sense her children's intense emotional fluctuations. Zhang Yuanqing chose to compromise, pushed the handle into the arms of the little quirky one, and went to the desk, opened her phone, logged into the chat app, and tagged Xiao Yuan, Xiaohou Aotian, and Móyǎn in the "The Departed Return" group chat. [Yuan Shishen: Everyone, if you're all ready, we'll enter the quest realm in three days. The earliest start will be tomorrow, and the latest by the day after—by then, I'll send you the unexplored, A-level or higher quest materials for the White Tiger's troops.] The quest materials referred to were not detailed guides, but rather overviews of the quests. After successfully eliminating a Southern Sect elder, Móyǎn, the Heavenly King, first proposed entering the guild's quest realm. He had been thoroughly defeated by Yunmeng Shenjing and felt deeply dissatisfied, eager to rapidly elevate himself. Xiao Yuan, her aunt, and Fu Qingyang all expressed strong desires to grow and improve. Only Xue Hou Ao Tian doesn't want to go back. He's been visiting the Xue Hou family recently, and yesterday he even mentioned in the group chat that he sat in front of his ancestors' ancestral hall, holding a loudspeaker, for an entire day—his ancestors simply couldn't manage him. Soon, he also plans to emulate Yuan Shi Tian Zun, hosting a banquet at the Xue Hou family, inviting friends from the spiritual realm to dine together, so as to make the elders jealous and the younger ones feel inferior. But Zhang Yuanqing told him: "Every time we enter the realm and emerge one level higher, if you don't go, you'll be Zhong Yong. Xue Hou Ao Tian didn't think that merely entering the realm could elevate him—no matter how strong the realm, S-tier or otherwise—it simply wasn't possible. Yet upon reflection, Yuan Shi Tian Zun's pace of advancement is astonishing; if he slackens now, the gap will only grow wider over time. As the protagonist, when is the time not to make a name for himself and achieve great fame? Moreover, when Yuan Shi and the others go into the realm together, without him—the master craftsman—the team will be like a tiger losing Xia Hou Ao Tian: Wait a moment, I still haven't gathered all my materials. The company's running short on funds lately—I need to borrow from the family. Hearing this, everyone mentally conjured up the image of Xia Hou Ao Tian, weeping while operating a sewing machine. Sun Miao Miao: I really want to go on dungeons with you all, but the Saint cannot enter the Sovereign-tier dungeons. Tian Xia Gui Huo, Hong Ji Ge, and others expressed their regret. Though the journey to the Primordial Sovereign is risky, the returns are well worth it. They receive more high-level intelligence than ordinary Saints, knowing that the conflict between the Chaotic and the Lawful factions has intensified. Though morale has recovered and the two sides seem to have returned to a calm, peaceful state, after being double-played twice, will the Lawful faction truly believe the matter is settled? The mid- and lower-tier spiritual travelers might think so, but the semi-gods certainly won't. Quite the opposite—having twice narrowly avoided crises through sheer luck, twice almost collapsing under pressure, the vigilant half-divine has already felt a sharp, resonant alarm within his mind. Likewise, the chaotic faction, having patiently concealed its many strategies for a century, has seen two of its most decisive moves neutralized by the lawful forces. How could they now simply lay down and rest, allowing a century of quiet perseverance to vanish in vain? They will surely press on with renewed vigor, refusing to grant the lawful forces any breathing room. The current calm is merely the quiet before the storm. The members of the Heavenly Fire and others only hope that, before the global storm fully erupts, they will be able to secure their own safety—and if possible, protect the innocent around them. Now, watching the Primordial Celestial Sovereign form a team to enter the dungeon, they feel especially uneasy. [Zhao City God: All the faction dungeons focused on the return of the deceased have been cleared. In the near term, it's nearly impossible to upgrade the faction. You might consider joining one of the five major organizations and entering their faction dungeons. 】 【The World Unites Under Fire: First, having too many sects isn't beneficial—the more sects, the higher the chance of counteraction. Second, the five major organizations aren't free to join or leave at will; I don't want to be overly constrained.】 【Yuanshi Tianzun: Then, let's join the White Tiger Army. My aunt is the commander, so we can join or leave as we please.】 【Guan Ya: In fact, we might not necessarily need to enter the dungeon separately.】 【Sun Miao Miao: ???】 【Hong Ji Brother: ???】 【The World Unites Under Fire: How so?】 【Guan Ya: In spiritual realm dungeons, saints can never enter the dominants' dungeons. But in sect-based dungeons—specifically, in the White Tiger Army's sect-based dungeons—it's different.】 【Guan Ya: Everyone knows that scouts are military ranks. The White Tiger Army corresponds to a military system, so the leader is called the Commander, and the Dominant can be positioned as a general. With both Commanders and Generals, there must also be soldiers.】 In the affiliated quest instances of the White Tiger's army, the generals and officers can bring their troops into the instance. Everyone suddenly understood. [Guan Ya: However, not all quest instances allow troops to be brought in—only certain special ones. I'm not entirely sure which ones, so I'll ask Fu Qingyang later.] [Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun: Is the risk significant?] [Guan Ya: It's hard to say. In theory, troops have their own tasks and officers have theirs, but it depends on the specific situation. For instance, if the quest requires defeating the enemy, then both troops and officers share the same objective. If the officer fails, the troops will inevitably perish. So it really depends on the nature of the quest.] Zhang Yuanqing thought it over and decided to let Fu Qingyang choose the instance or have Guan Ya consult him—himself, he had another important matter to attend to. He exited the chat group and clicked on Ling Jun's profile: [Master, are you free tomorrow?] 】 【Lingjun: Oh, Master Yuanshi, you're the crown jewel of the second district—this title from the teacher, I truly can't accept it!】 【Yuan Shi Tianzun: Didn't I just overshadow you at the banquet? You're still a bit shy and nervous.】 【Lingjun: Do you know how difficult it is for me to step out just once? Victoria only allows me to gather with friends once a month.】 【Yuan Shi Tianzun: Enough! Stop talking. If you have something to do, just give me an address. I'll come by at this time tomorrow.】 A duplicate body can only coalesce once per day. After receiving Lingjun's address, Zhang Yuanqing left his desk, picked up the little chatterbox, and placed it gently on his aunt's head, then picked up the controller to continue playing games. … The following day. At the entrance of a villa on the fourth ring road of Beijing, Zhang Yuanqing’s duplicate, having randomly changed his appearance to that of a passerby, rang the doorbell. As the sharp chime echoed, Lingjun, dressed in loose pants and a large T-shirt, Zhang Yuanqing remained unmoved, continuing to ring the bell. Ling Jun rushed over, opened the wrought-iron door, and sighed, "You could have just materialized inside, couldn't you?" Zhang Yuanqing returned the same tone, "Didn't you notice? I'm pretending to be a regular visitor." "Hmm, quite cautious... Pfft. You're so careful to come all this way—when you're here for drinks, entertainment, or gambling, you go to Fu Qingyang. I'm just a humble Saint." Ling Jun spoke with growing suspicion. "What business do you have with me?" "Your mother's matter." "How can you be so blunt?" Zhang Yuanqing glanced at him. "It's truly your mother's matter." Ling Jun paused, finally catching on, and in an instant, he transformed from a languid stallion into a fierce lion.