As Zhang Yuanqing stepped through the gate of the Golden Apex Hall, he raised his palm, igniting a golden flame that barely pushed back the shroud of black smoke, revealing the objects within the hall. The layout of this hall was no different from that of the Yao Guang Hall or the Zheng Qi Hall—simple and unadorned, yet carrying a certain solemn dignity. A statue of an elderly man holding a sword stood on the base, his sleeves flowing gracefully, with a serene, celestial bearing, much like the legendary sword immortal from legend—though he lacked a crown. Zhang Yuanqing touched the statue, but received no item information. Even under the illumination of the Sun God's power, no information appeared, confirming that it was indeed a mundane object. He then circled the hall, but found nothing. Immediately, he departed and proceeded to the living quarters. With the assistance of Fu Qingyang and the others, they quickly searched the entire area, yet found the White Emperor's Crown absent. Fu Qingyang reviewed the entire narrative of the southern garden and said: "There are no hidden plot elements." Some items are hidden within the "hidden storylines" and can only be obtained by completing specific hidden quests. For instance, Zhang Yuanqing acquired the "Yin-Yang Robe" in Yin-Yang Town after successfully completing a hidden storyline. Xiahou Aotian analyzed: "There are two possibilities. First, the White Emperor's Crown is not located at Shu Mountain. After all, the Commander-in-Chief of the Bad Period was a Tang Dynasty figure; after a millennium, the crown must have changed hands many times. Second, the White Emperor's Crown is located at the main peak, not in the Southern Garden. As the Commander-in-Chief once mentioned, the White Emperor's Crown is Shu Mountain's most treasured artifact. If it's a treasured artifact, it must be preserved at the main peak." Upon hearing this, the Mage-Eyed King remarked, "The difficulty level of the main hall should be S-tier. Yuan-Shi, a simple hat, doesn't warrant such a risk. "I've entered an S-tier master-level quest once before, and upon exiting, I've often said that experiencing one S-tier encounter in a lifetime is enough. No matter how much experience I have or how many treasures Even Xiahou Aotian, who considered himself the protagonist, couldn't now lift his head and declare: "Isn't it just S-rank?" S-rank dungeons for Transcendent Saints are nightmares for ordinary cultivators in the Spiritual Realm, while S-rank dungeons at the Sovereign stage are the nightmares of prodigies. Since the establishment of the Spiritual Realm, across two major regions with a century-long history and countless prodigies, fewer than ten Sovereign-stage S-rank dungeons have been conquered. Zhang Yuanqing found himself recalling Fu Qingyang's list of unexplored White Tiger military units' dungeons. Among them, one dungeon is titled "Fighting Alone," with its main quest: "One person defeats an entire nation." That is the true strength of an S-rank dungeon. In comparison, all previous dungeons now feel like mere escape-room challenges. Zhang Yuanqing gathered his thoughts and sighed, "Well, it's pointless to push for now. We'll discuss it later." If the White Emperor's Crown truly resides at the main peak of Shu Mountain, then the quality of the item should be nine-tier. The power of the Sacrificial Heaven Set is truly unrivaled among half-gods, and even capable of holding its own against a half-god. At this moment, a spiritual realm notification reaches Zhang Yuanqing: 【Ping! Congratulations on completing the multi-player spiritual realm mission—Shu Mountain Nan Yuan, ID 45, difficulty level A. Rewards are now being settled...】 【Rewards being processed... Items/Equipment obtained: Yin Jade Crystallization, Three Divine-Slaying Blades (consumables), Seven-Star Lamp Array (consumables).】 【Experience points awarded: 20%.】 【Main storyline mission completed!】 【Settlement complete. Exiting the spiritual realm in ten minutes...】 Hmm, the magic king's character card rewards seem to have been skipped again. Is it because our resources are completely depleted, or because the remaining items are of level eight and nine, and my current level isn't high enough to unlock them? Zhang Yuanqing isn't particularly disappointed. With rewards from these two high-difficulty instances and accumulated gains before, his stock of master-level items is truly substantial. 20% experience points—more generous than the reward for a fallen emperor—was due entirely to my defeating the副本 boss, wasn't it? Zhang Yuanqing checked his character stats, and his experience points now reached 50%. Perhaps his outstanding performance in the Yau Guang Hall stages, combined with his personal victory over the副本 boss, explains the higher experience reward compared to the fallen emperor. After all, during the fallen emperor's battle, he had been playing a supporting role, not the main focus. He glanced at his teammates, each of whom now glowed with their respective profession emblems, feeling the infusion of spiritual energy. "Excellent! Outstanding!" Xiahou Aotian beamed, "I've gained 11% experience points, bringing my total to 20% now." This rate of progression ranks among the top tier in the second-largest region. He could now boast this achievement within his family. Once he reaches the ninth-level Master rank, he would step down as family head and ascend to the Half-Deity rank, at which point his ancestors would have to bow before him. Fu Qingyang glanced at Xiahou Aotian's face, then quietly turned away. "Yuanshǐ, how much experience have you accumulated?" Zhang Yuancheng sighed. "50%! To reach level eight, I still need at least two A-level dungeon experiences. What about you, leader?" At the Master level, the pace of advancement has noticeably slowed—truly difficult. That's why Fu Qingyang, after emulating the Marshal once, has never mentioned it again. That's also why no one has broken the Marshal's record over the years—continuous high-intensity dungeon runs truly are overwhelming. Moreover, Marshals rarely face consecutive high-difficulty dungeons; they usually mix in lower-level ones. Otherwise, they'd reach half-divine status in just three months, or even within a year. Fu Qingyang replied, "Level eight—18%." After becoming a Master, he emulated the Marshal and successfully reached level eight. Then, in his two subsequent A-level dungeon runs, the reward from the Fallen Sovereign granted 11% experience, and the reward from the Shu Mountain Nan Yuan added another 6%. Yuan Shǐ was able to rise so quickly because his very presence raised the difficulty of the quest to the level of eighth-tier. If it had been a seventh-tier A-tier quest, Yuan Shǐ might not have received such rich rewards. Zhi Sha Palace Master held a yellow-hued gourd in her palms and said, "I obtained the consumables for the Divine Blade of Cutting Immortals. Who among you has the genuine version?" Everyone else shook their heads. Turning to her nephew, she murmured, "I thought you'd be the destined heir of fortune, but it seems the quest itself offers no genuine rewards." "Perhaps we'll receive it after passing through the main peak," Fu Qingyang offered his judgment, "provided that those who pass the main peak also succeed in the southern garden of Shu Mountain." If that were the case, then the returns from this Shu Mountain quest would be nothing short of extraordinary—enough to secure the White Emperor's Crown, meet the Heavenly Emperor, and obtain the Divine Blade of Cutting Immortals! Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up as he reached for a piece of Yin Crystal. It was a large crystal, about the size of a clenched fist, radiating a strong aura of Yin 【Name: Yin Jade Crystal】 【Type: Stone】 【Function: Enhancement】 【Description: A rare crystal grown in regions where Yin energy is abundant and takes a millennium to fully form. It can be used to craft artifacts and elevate the quality level of Yin-based items.】 【Note: This material is treated as a consumable—no cost is incurred!】 The Yin energy here is truly strong—it's an advanced material that determines the quality of the final product. When used to craft items, it can produce a mid-to-high-tier artifact of master quality. However, mid-tier items often fail, let alone high-quality ones. With only one Yin Jade Crystal available, it's better to use it to enhance the quality of my junior sister-in-training. Zhang Yuan carefully sets the material aside and checks the countdown—there are still over thirty seconds until he returns to reality. At that moment, he hears Xia Hou Ao Tian suddenly excited, shouting, “I’ve got it! I’ve got it!” Everyone turns to look at him. The Mage-Eye Emperor asks, “What have you come up with?” Xia Hou Ao Tian ignored him and looked at Zhang Yuanqing, his eyes shining with excitement: "I've just thought of a way to bypass the character card to gain experience points!" As soon as he finished speaking, the scenery before everyone began to ripple... "Once the server had brought the coffee and placed it down, Chen Yuanjun spoke first: 'Li, do you remember the missing case you took over in April last year?' 'Missing case...' Li Dongze thought for a moment, then said, 'The one involving Lei Yibing—wasn't that the case involving your cousin?' Under the influence of the Gong Master's hypnosis, Li Dongze had forgotten the true name of Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun and the appearance of Zhang Yuanqing—the two identities had been completely severed in his mind. Chen Yuanjun nodded slightly, his brow furrowed: 'Recently, the police archives were set on fire, and the electronic database was severely damaged. While recovering the data, I came across a missing persons record. The individuals listed in that record were exactly Lei Yibing.' Li Dongze, sipping his cappuccino, quietly set down his cup, his expression stunned. 'Lei Yibing's missing persons file? He went missing in Hangzhou, Jiangnan Province, didn't he? Why does our police department have a record of his case?' Chen Yuanjun replied: 'That detail isn't crucial—at least not for now.' "What truly matters is that this file was deleted from the database. Had it not been for this technical recovery, I would have completely forgotten about it. Unfortunately, the electronic version is incomplete—only part of the content is visible." Li Dongze, an experienced traveler of the spiritual realm and someone who had personally gone through the official investigation into the Night Rose espionage case, immediately grasped Chen Yuanjun's meaning. After a moment's pause, he asked directly: "Come straight to the point today. What brings you here to meet me at the café?" Chen Yuanjun replied: "I suspect there are officials within the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau who are acting unethically or corruptly. I hope you can help identify them." Li Dongze smiled: "Why not handle it yourself? As the Deputy Director of Public Security, you hold considerable power—only second to the Bureau Director." "Li Director, you haven't quite understood my point." "Chen Yuanjun said in a steady tone, "I'd like you to use your special abilities to help me find out. Regular investigative methods would be too cumbersome, and since my abilities have become unstable, I've been extremely busy—so busy that I no longer have the time to devote to this matter." Since becoming head of the Public Security Division, Chen Yuanjun has been clearly informed of the existence of special-ability individuals. Subsequent events such as the disappearance of the Merit Scroll and his work in combating a cult in Songhai have made his interactions and collaborations with official practitioners even more frequent. Now, he has a solid initial understanding of this world. Li Dongze didn't hesitate: "Agreed. I'll have you results within three days." ... Kangyang District Middle School. The Pure Yang Master, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, entered the school openly in front of the security guard. It was mid-afternoon, and the playground and hallways of the teaching buildings were filled with students playing, laughing, and chatting. During his investigation into the identity of Yuan Shi Tian Zun, the Master of Pure Yang had already visited Kangyang District Middle School once, moving smoothly into the administrative building and pushing open the door to the principal's office. The principal, round-shouldered and with a high hairline nearly reaching the top of his head, was guiding a newly hired English teacher through her duties. The principal had identified two key strengths in the teacher, commending them warmly and using his own years of teaching experience to compensate for her weaknesses—so much so that the teacher felt both her career and her very soul elevated, completely immersed in the principal's guidance. Suddenly, the door to the office, which had been closed, was pushed open, and both of them were startled. The principal, momentarily forgetting his praise for the teacher's strengths, and the teacher, quickly concealing her shortcomings, exchanged startled glances. The principal spoke with sharp intensity: "Who are you? Who authorized you to come in?" The Master of Pure Yang smiled gently: "Are you not the kind of person who attracts others with charm and indulges in daily pleasures? Yet you are expected to educate young students? It's no wonder the character of the younger The principal was about to scold when his expression suddenly froze, his eyes growing vacant and lifeless. The female teacher beside him showed the same reaction. Pure Yang Master pulled out a chair, sat down, and rested his legs on the desk, speaking calmly: "I need the household registration records for all male students from Songhai who graduated in 2017." Based on the experience of retired teacher Yao Yilin from Kangyang District, Pure Yang Master concluded that Yuan Shi Tian Zun once attended the middle school there. Directly photographing and asking Yuan Shi Tian Zun's name and address often leads to recurring events, so he devised a compromise—collecting household addresses of all possible students of Yuan Shi Tian Zun. Then, he would systematically verify each one. Within one month, he is certain to pinpoint Yuan Shi Tian Zun's household address. ... Fu Family Village. Zhang Yuanqing snapped his fingers, and the starlight vanished into the bedroom. Immediately, starlight rose from Xiahou Aotian's executive office. He looked at Xiahou Aotian, who had just stepped out of the instance as well, and eagerly asked, "You just mentioned a method to bypass the character card to gain experience, correct?"