A technologically sophisticated meeting room, with a soft pink wooden long table reflecting the ambient light, clean and bright. "Drip~" The ceiling lights up as black projectors sequentially activate, their yellow startup indicators glowing. The soundproofing system automatically engages, and the high-tech floor-to-ceiling windows transition into a frosted glass mode. Life detectors capture any flying insects or animals entering the room, while the hanging Bagua mirror reveals lingering spirits and subtle essences. After flashing yellow for three seconds, the lights shift to green, and slender probes extend from the equipment, casting a series of delicate blue beams across the conference table. The projections from the headquarters' Nine Elders appear simultaneously, all instinctively turning their gaze toward the seat designated for Fu Qingyang. Fu Qingyang is the one who convened this meeting. When he received the invitation from the young gentleman, the Nine Elders each responded with a mix of apprehension, admiration, astonishment, and resignation. They knew Fu Qingyang had entered the realm a month ago, and even more specifically, that he was currently fighting alone within the S-tier realm—S-tier. Once he cleared the realm and built upon his accumulated strength, he would surely ascend to the rank of Ninth-Level Sovereign. Yet they hadn't expected him to achieve this so swiftly, nor had they imagined he would actually succeed. Ninth-Level Sovereigns can grasp and command the rules of existence; Fu Qingyang's mastery approaches the very essence of Dao. With that, he would surely transcend into a new level, and with the cloak—long coveted even by Marshals—now enhancing his abilities... The money-lord who had just reached the Ninth Level would only need one more rule-based artifact befitting his rank to stand on equal footing with these elders who had lived for a century. Compared to the Primordial Sovereign, a Fu Qingyang whose momentum is now firmly established is far more formidable—both intimidating and promising. The addition of one more Ninth-Level Sovereign to the Order of Preservation is undoubtedly advantageous from a strategic standpoint. At Fu Qingyang's seat, a luminous blue beam coalesced into a figure—not the snow-white-clad money-lord, but the resolute and The nine elders were taken aback. "The Prime Heavenly Sovereign?" The Master Miao, half-human, half-tree, with hair strands like serpents, stared at the young man in surprise. "Fuyu Qingyang now even has to appoint agents just to attend meetings?" "Grandmaster is still in the realm. It was I who called this meeting," Zhang Yuanqing lounged lazily against the back of his chair. The nine elders exchanged glances, their expressions clearly displeased. Could it be that Fu Qingyang had granted his account, password, and full permissions—symbolizing the pinnacle of power in the second-largest region—to the Prime Heavenly Sovereign? After all, a single command from Fu Qingyang could shift the very course of events. To share such supreme authority with someone—something as unprecedented as sharing one's wife—was utterly absurd. Zhang Yuanqing absorbed the elders' expressions but maintained his relaxed, unruly posture, and announced, "First, I'd like to inform you of one matter—I've now reached level eight." The nine elders were not surprised at all; they looked calm and composed. This was entirely within the expectations of the headquarters. "Then, let's “Zhang Yuanqing said, ‘I’d like to know how to enter the Sun’s realm!’ Upon hearing this, the Nine Elders stared at him silently, their eyes filled with mockery, pity, and sympathy—much like they were watching a child with wildly imaginative dreams. Miao Elder shook her head and smiled gently: ‘Master Yuan Shi, the Sun’s sovereign is so distant to you that it’s simply beyond reach; abandon your unrealistic aspirations.’ The senior elder of the Chihuo Sect, with his fiery red hair, spoke directly: ‘Your status is too low to even enter a half-divine realm’s domain—let alone us. Even if you do enter, what could you possibly achieve beyond dying? Do you really think, with your rank of eighth level, you can compete with the Sovereign of the Moon or the Sovereign of the Stars for the Sun? Your level, strength, equipment, and experience are utterly insignificant in the eyes of the half-divine beings. The celestial half-divines choose compromise precisely because they see no hope in you. Rest assured—when the Sovereign of the Sun is born, it will mark the very moment when the evil faction is completely extinguished.’ Throughout his words, Master Di Hong spoke with the gentlest tone: "In fact, the Sun's realm only allows the two half-deities, Taiyin and Xingchen, to enter. While the peak-level Day Sojourners, in theory, possess the potential to become masters of the Sun, the Spiritual Realm has not granted them official eligibility. 'Master Yuanshen, your achievement of becoming an Eighth-Rank Sovereign within a year is truly exceptional. However, your goal should be the peak Sovereign rank—there's no need to set your sights too high.' Zhang Yuanqing glanced around at the nine elders, then turned to the senior elder of the Sword Pavilion, a man with white hair and a white brow, who bore the demeanor of a seasoned general. This elder slightly shook his head. Zhang Yuanqing remained silent for a few seconds, not particularly disappointed, merely confirming what he had already suspected. He said, 'I understand. Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to meet with me.' The projection hovering above his head dimmed and then withdrew, leaving behind an empty, elegant back chair. ... At the Xiaohou family residence. Zhang Yuanqing descended from his five-clawed golden dragon, landing in the grand A villa does not quite capture the essence of Xiahou's ancestral home—it should be described as a manor. The property boasts three distinct gardens, a spacious parking area, an exceptionally large swimming pool, over six elegant buildings, and its main pavilion is so opulent it resembles a castle. Guided by security personnel, he ascended to the four-story main building and entered the underground forges, where he encountered an elderly man with silver hair and a scholarly demeanor. Xiahou's head of the household stood before a forging anvil, skillfully striking a small black hammer against a fragment of props, while a furnace beside him heated several crystalline stones of varying hues. A black jade píxiu rested atop his head, occasionally turning its head to draw in the intense samadhi flame from the furnace, and at other times swallowing pieces of scrap metal from the cluttered surroundings, only to expel them transformed into pure crystals or refined iron, free of any impurities. Zhang Yuanqing stared at the lively píxiu in awe, impressed by its vitality—it appeared not merely as a magical object with some spirit, but as a truly living being, a noble pet of high breeding. At the sight of Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun entering, the head of the Xiahou family continued hammering while smiling warmly. "The Heaven-Eating Beast is purely wasting its potential in battle. I've endowed it with life—now it possesses the intelligence of a ten-year-old child. It can assist me in analyzing material composition, refining quality, and even eliminate the need to reforge materials from scratch. It can even monitor the fire temperature for me. 'Master Yuan Shǐ Tian Zun,' I propose, 'why don't you sell it to me?' Zhang Yuanqing quickly produced the Jade Pure Bottle and placed it on the table. "Don't act all noble! I never asked you to grant it intelligence—your own initiative!" He paused, then added, "If you insist on purchasing it, then you must pay according to its current quality." After a moment's thought, the head of the Xiahou family nodded. "Agreed. What kind of item would you like?" As a technical specialist, he firmly believed that a reliable, useful assistant tool was worth more than any other item. Zhang Yuanqing thought carefully and said, "We must have both offense and defense, with auxiliary functions such as penetration, bleeding, poisoning, and paralysis. Ideally, we should also include sealing, teleportation, illusion, and manipulation—more functions are better." Xiahou, the head of the Xiahou family, looked at him expressionlessly: "That's not something even the rebellious heir of that family would dare to ask for. With your current rank and inventory, even an eighth-level peak Dominator wouldn't be a match for you. The only threat you face comes from ninth-level high-ranking Dominators. You need either a piece of equipment capable of withstanding a ninth-level attack, or one that can inflict damage on a ninth-level Dominator?" Zhang Yuanqing asked cautiously, "Can we have both?" Xiahou, the head of the Xiahou family, looked at him expressionlessly: "What do you think?" Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment and said, "I'll go with equipment that can deal damage to a ninth-level Dominator." The head of the Xiaohou family immediately opened his inventory, retrieved a dual-barreled hunting rifle, and handed it over, saying: "This is a tool I crafted in my youth. It fires two bullets at once, each bullet possessing both explosive and incinerating properties. Once the target is struck six times consecutively, the seventh shot will trigger an explosion of the accumulated fire spiritual energy from the previous six, resulting in a powerful blast capable of inflicting serious injuries on a Level Nine Initial High Sovereign, mild injuries on a Level Nine Mid-tier Sovereign, though the burns are sustained over time—so long as you keep firing, you can gradually convert mild injuries into serious ones." As for Level Nine Late-tier Sovereigns, there will be no injury at all. "The cost of using it is recoil force. If you activate the Liyang War God state, you can fire three shots. After that, your arm bones will shatter completely." After briefly explaining the capabilities and trade-offs of the item, the head of the Xiaohou family added: "Each bullet must be purchased from me—at one million, or one extraordinary item." Zhang Yuanqing drew a breath, shaking his head: "I've already taken your Tian-T "Master Xiaohou said calmly, 'I'll give you twenty rounds of ammunition free of charge!' Zhang Yuanqing replied, 'Uncle, you truly exemplify noble conduct! Should that unruly family member dare to offend you again, I'll take care of him personally.' After receiving a two-meter-long double-barreled hunting rifle and reviewing the item details, Zhang Yuanqing also obtained twenty large-caliber rounds from Master Xiaohou. These rounds were made of red metal, with an internal filling of powdered master-grade material rather than gunpowder. The bullet heads were engraved with intricate symbols, densely arranged—when viewed under a magnifying glass, the details became even clearer, as if carved dragon boats on a walnut. Zhang Yuanqing's choice of offensive equipment was deliberate. In terms of defense, he already possessed electromagnetic shielding, the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Shield, and the Purple-Jade Shield—the latter capable of activating rule-based defenses, thus withstanding even attacks from a Ninth-Rank Master." On the offensive side, currently, aside from "Blessing of the Light God" and the "Thunder God Set," he has no additional means to defeat a Nine-Rank Sovereign. The Blessing of the Light God is a consumable, and the Thunder God Set has a time limit. "I still need twenty more bullets, paid in cash," Zhang Yuanqing said. The Xiahou family head then produced two more boxes of bullets, "After you leave, settle the bill with my eldest son." After securing the two boxes of bullets, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Uncle, how can you enter the Sun's instance? As a scholar of such broad learning, you're surely more capable than the less intellectually gifted Spirit Realm travelers. "He glanced at Zhang Yuanqing. "Xiahou Aotian speaks at half your level, and wouldn't be so disliked by people and dogs. But entering the Sun's instance has nothing to do with intelligence—it's about strength. Your chances of entering the Sun's instance are essentially zero, but you can wait—until the competition for the title of Sun Sovereign concludes. If both Taiyin and Xingchen are defeated and perish within the instance, you'll then have a chance. "Or perhaps, if one of the Yin or the Stars perishes, the half-gods will inevitably vie for power. At that point, you can approach them and claim your chance to become a half-god." Zhang Yuanqing's mind clicked into place—so this was why his uncle had instructed him to follow the plan and advance to the ninth rank? This was also the reason his uncle had chosen to enter the Solar Realm and participate in the battle among the half-gods! Just as he had once invested everything to defeat three opponents and secure a fragment of the Light Compass. Should either the Yin or the Stars truly suffer a mortal collapse, he could secure a half-god status for himself as the successor, thus revitalizing the stalemate. With this realization, Zhang Yuanqing felt a sudden clarity. After settling the final two-billion-yuan payment, he left the Xiaohou household, shattered the transmission jade token, and arrived once more in Feng City of the Free Federation. He went to Daiana's office. His aunt-in-law was convening the officers of the Beauty Goddess Association. Upon seeing him appear suddenly, she remained calm and smiled, saying, "You all go ahead." The beautifully charming Bai Niu girls纷纷 picked up their folders and headed out, frequently casting subtle glances at Yuan Shi Tian Zun along the way. Once they had departed, Zhang Yuanqing said, "I'd like to enter the faction instance one more time—this time, an S-tier one." Diana's exquisite beauty bloomed into a warm smile. "Your San-Cai Pill is ready, isn't it?" How could Uncle know all this? He himself had said he wasn't even on speaking terms with Diana. Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "I've assessed it, and the San-Cai Pill still isn't sufficient to help me break through the ninth level. I'll need a high-difficulty instance to accompany it." Diana paused for a few seconds before suggesting, "My recommendation is to enter an A-tier instance—more secure. If you insist on going for an S-tier instance, then choose 'The Emergence of the Smolderer.'" "Exactly that!" Zhang Yuanqing exclaimed. Diana stood up and walked toward the desk, sitting down at the computer. "Just a moment—I'll go inform the elders." A few seconds later, Zhang Yuanqing heard a spiritual realm notification in his ear: 【Ping! The spiritual realm map is loading. In 30 seconds, you will enter the realm. This is your current realm, "Shu Mountain," ID: 21.】 【Difficulty Level: S】 【Type: Solo (Death-based)】 【Main Objective: Eliminate the negative qi enveloping the main peak of Shu Mountain.】 【Note: Non-realm items cannot be brought in.】 【Introduction to Realm 21: Since the Shu Mountain Master Teacher returned with a coffin, the mountain has been shrouded in eerie phenomena. Seven days later, the mountain is completely deserted—only ghost wails remain.】 Hmm? Zhang Yuanqing looked utterly puzzled. Could it be that the faction quest of the Goddess of Beauty Association be Shu Mountain? The next moment, he suddenly realized—he hadn't entered the Goddess of Beauty Association's quest at all. It was the very first solo quest of the Day God he had become the Master of!