Zhang Yuanqing was about to speak when the office door rang twice. The three of them turned toward the sound, and Wang Tai arrived at the doorway with his computer in hand, saying:
“Can I come in and listen?”
After saying that, he refused to open his mouth again, waiting for a response.
Li Dongze nodded thoughtfully and replied:
“Come in, and help Yuan Shi prepare the strategy report as well.”
Wang Tai sighed with relief—though not someone naturally drawn to social events, the S-tier She Ling Tunnel issue, which had become a bug in the Night Wandering Deity Trial Realm, was proving too compelling to resist.
After Wang Tai settled into his seat, Zhang Yuanqing began to recount his experiences at the Place of the Mountain God.
He omitted details about the Fu Mo Chu artifact, mentioning only that it was a tool capable of countering negative entities.
As for the Red Dance Shoes, he also softened his account—stating that since childhood he had been trained by his uncle in singing, dancing, and rap, with an exceptional memory, which allowed him to manage the rules of the shoes.
He deliberately concealed information about receiving exclusive rewards tied to character cards, as this would reveal that he had acquired the Red Dance Shoes.
This partial concealment was a hint received from Guan Ya.
Such category-specific artifacts are exceptionally rare—what might be considered ordinary in the Five Elements Alliance, such as exchanging five hundred yuan and a small flag for an artifact, is not something that happens regularly; thus, one must remain vigilant.
Regarding the revival of the San Dao Mountain Goddess, Zhang Yuanqing intended to present this separately later, to discuss it thoroughly.
Throughout the conversation, Wang Tai listened intently while typing rapidly to record his notes.
Li Dongze patiently finished listening and then ran his hand along the handle of his walking stick, saying:
“That artifact capable of countering negative entities must be a reward for completing the trial—and certainly one of considerable level.”
Guan Ya quickly smiled and remarked:
“Stubborn boy—what S-tier trial task only rewards mere experience points?”
She was teaching Zhang Yuanqing how to tell a story with nine truths and one lie, without overdoing it.
…Zhang Yuanqing maintained his composed expression: “Ah, I forgot to mention the artifact—that one is indeed a reward for completing the trial.”
He remained calm and steady in tone.
Li Dongze didn’t dwell on it and continued:
“So it appears the difficulty level of the She Ling Tunnel will be reduced.”
“Why do you say that?” Zhang Yuanqing asked, puzzled.
Li Dongze explained patiently:
“We often compare the Spirit Realms to games—yet such comparisons remain only metaphors. In the actual world of Spirit Realms, artifacts are scarce and each one is unique, impossible to duplicate.
Once you present an artifact from a trial, the specific challenge involving that item will likely disappear. Thus, the difficulty of the She Ling Tunnel will naturally decrease.”
While Li Dongze was sipping his drink, Guan Ya added:
“Here’s some knowledge about Spirit Realm instances—I’ll share it with you. Instances are continuously being adjusted. For instance, if you successfully complete a mission at the Mountain God Temple and take an artifact from within, its difficulty will inevitably decrease. Alternatively, should you die during your journey and have your artifact claimed by spirits in the realm, which then grows stronger, the difficulty of that instance increases—this is exactly what happens with the Red Dance Shoes.
Moreover, for a given instance, tasks differ depending on the player’s level. I once visited a wilderness survival-type instance where I had read through the guide beforehand. The elder there was a hunter, assigned to kill nine monsters in the forest. But when I entered the realm, I found myself one of those nine monsters, with the task now requiring me to survive for 36 hours—since my level was lower than that of the elder. Thus, while the strategy guide serves as reference material, it only offers foundational information and awareness of potential dangers.”
“Not at all,” Wang Tai said. “Because the Red Dance Shoes are still there.”
Guan Ya and Li Dongze exchanged glances with Zhang Yuanqing, who remained silent.
Wang Tai was unaware of how his words were landing—continuing:
“It’s strange—such data, such achievements, such insights, don’t align with the level expected for an S-tier trial. Are you concealing something?”
This was too direct—this would certainly make everyone feel awkward… Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat and said:
“No concealment at all—I was just about to mention that in the cave, besides the tree demon, there was also a stone sarcophagus.”
“What’s inside the sarcophagus?” Li Dongze leaned forward with urgent inquiry.
Wang Tai paused typing.
Guan Ya looked visibly curious.
In an S-tier Spirit Realm, such significant information is usually accompanied by important revelations—sometimes even a groundbreaking secret.
Official organizations, grassroots groups, and even antagonistic entities all rely partly on observations and pattern recognition, and partly on the information gathered within each realm to gradually unlock its mysteries.
No Spirit Realm wanderer can resist this allure.
“The sarcophagus contains the San Dao Mountain Goddess—after I opened it, she awakened,” Zhang Yuanqing recalled, still feeling shaken.
Li Dongze’s eyes narrowed, exclaiming:
“She awakened?”
He immediately stood up, as though unable to sit any longer, walking back and forth in the office with his walking stick while frowning.
After a moment, Li Dongze said seriously:
“Perhaps we have all been mistaken. Based on information about this goddess, she must be of high rank among Night Wandering Deities. Now that she has awakened, only two possibilities remain.
First, the Mountain God Temple will undergo profound transformation—no longer serving as a Trial Realm for Night Wandering Deities, but evolving into a high-level Spirit Realm instance.
Second, although the temple may downgrade in level, given her elevated rank, a new, higher-tier Spirit Realm instance will inevitably emerge.
For senior leadership at Taiyi Gate, this information about their own professional realm’s evolution is of crucial importance.”
Guan Ya expressed admiration:
“The more significant the information, the greater the reward from the organization.”
Did they mean to give him more money? Zhang Yuanqing was delighted yet immediately concerned:
“That old Lao Bang Zi who had been dormant for several centuries still smiled at me—now I keep feeling that she will come find me again. I can’t settle this sense of unease.”
The Feng Shu Jin never lied—the Fu Mo Chu artifact seals half of the goddess’s yang essence, so she must absolutely seek him out.
Yet Zhang Yuanqing had not shared this with his colleagues.
Wang Tai offered sincere reassurance:
“Don’t be so confident—given your current level, you may not encounter such a senior figure.”
“I’ll just keep silent,” Zhang Yuanqing nodded gratefully, clearly feeling comforted by the words.
Guan Ya smiled gently:
“How beautiful is the goddess?”
Zhang Yuanqing turned to her and replied:
“More beautiful than you.”
Wang Tai added earnestly from beside him:
“The research value is also higher than yours.”
Old Lao Si Ji was furious:
“Go away!”
…
In the capital, at the courtyard home of a Four-Heaven Compound.
The sunlight shone brightly; the Great Huai Tree stood bathed in golden light, its leaves shimmering with vibrant hues.
A gentle breeze rustled the branches and leaves, producing joyful children’s laughter.
At the base of the tree, Elder Li sat swaying gently with his fan in hand, a small table bearing teaware and an antique radio beside him.
A middle-aged man in black hurried through the doorway, entering the courtyard and reporting softly:
“Elder Li, we’ve received news from Songhai—someone has successfully completed the She Ling Tunnel Trial Realm.”
The fan stopped abruptly; the elderly man snapped his eyes open, two bright golden beams of light shining from them. The sounds of children within the tree seemed startled, momentarily rising in volume before calming down together.
Elder Li sat up straight, fixing his gaze on the young man:
“Is it the Night Wandering Deity that Mr. Fu recruited?”
The man nodded.
The elder was stunned—his fan struck his thigh and he cried out passionately:
“I didn’t see this coming—I didn’t see this at all…”
This was the first time in memory that Li had reacted with such dismay, recalling only when the young man had once been managing stocks with great intensity.
After a brief silence, Elder Li said:
“Remember—there’s someone named Yuan Ting in Songhai City. Please notify him and keep this matter confidential. Otherwise, I’ll have no face to show.”
“But…”
“What is it?”
The young man paused before answering—he pulled out his phone and looked at the screen.
“The call from Elder Hei Shan.”
“Accept it.”
Once the phone connection was established, the elder picked up the receiver only to hear a furious roar:
“Old Li—what are you doing? You’ve already shared the She Ling Tunnel instance with others, now you’re refusing to let go of that Night Wandering Deity candidate you promised to Mr. Fu? Do you know how serious this mistake is?”
The elder stood speechless for a moment: “Why do you know about it so well?”
“You don’t need to tell me how—you’ve already found out.”
“I haven’t even seen the report yet,” he said with a sense of disbelief, “and now you’re going to the Grand Master to complain!”
The phone line hung up.
Elder Li’s forehead was furrowed with tension.
Then, the phone rang again—on the young man’s screen it read: “Lady Hong Ying.”
“Accept that one,” he said.
“Master Li—have you heard? The She Ling Tunnel instance has been successfully completed—the Night Wandering Deity candidate you refused to bring in?”
“Well…?”
“You’re going to apologize, aren’t you?”
“Well…”
…
“Elder Li—we’ve heard that you’ve turned down a brilliant Night Wandering Deity talent,” the young man said.
“An underling like me—what have I done to deserve this?”
“Oh—I only wanted to understand better,” Elder Li replied with a light smile, trying to deflect the charge.
…
“Elder Li—we heard you…”
“Go away!”
Within just a few minutes, he had received five or six phone calls.
The young man quietly observed Elder Li’s reaction—this time, it was only after experiencing the stress of managing stock portfolios with leverage that Elder Li had shown such visible discomfort.
Taking a deep breath, Elder Li resumed his previous topic:
“What exactly did you just say?”
The young man hesitated: “Once Yuan Ting learns about it—he’ll know everyone has heard.”
Elder Li’s blood pressure surged immediately.
Then, the phone rang again.
As Elder Li reached to hang up, he recognized the caller—Fu Qingyang.
He exhaled slowly and calmly answered:
“You young man—you’re calling me out on this?”
“Calling you out,” the voice replied clearly and composed, “I wouldn’t do something so trivial. I’m here to repay a favor—I’ve already completed the strategy report for the Mountain God Temple, and I’ve sent it directly to your email.”
Fu Qingyang said calmly:
“I believe this information is of considerable importance to you all at Taiyi Gate.”
Elder Li immediately became interested—quickly hung up and turned toward the young man:
“How do I open my email?”
The young man quietly picked up his phone, logged in, opened the file, and handed it back.
Elder Li sat with a calm expression, reading through the content one sentence at a time.
His demeanor remained composed—his face showing little reaction—though for an Elder Rank Spirit Realm wanderer, completing a trial-level realm was merely a minor achievement.
But when he read about the revival of the San Dao Mountain Goddess, his face turned pale.
With a soft creak—the elder leapt to her feet from her chair, eyes now serious and focused.
“Elder?” the young man asked in surprise.
“The ancient Day-Wandering Deity has awakened…” Elder Li said with both gravity and concern, then dissolved into golden light, vanishing upward toward the sky—directly toward the residence of the Grand Master.
…
On the second floor of a modest building, Zhang Yuanqing sat at his own desk, skillfully opening his computer as guided by Guan Ya. He browsed through several top-posted entries on the official internal forum of the Five Elements Alliance.
They were foundational materials about the world of Spirit Realms.
He first examined “Spirit Realm Types,” which matched Li Dongze’s description—the realms were categorized into “Single-Participant” and “Group-Based” types. A single-participant type typically features unique trials tailored to a specific profession—such as the spiritual realm for Night Wandering Deities at the transcendent level being classified as an anomaly or supernatural instance.
The group-based types split into two sub-types: one involving team-based competition, and another involving teams confronting various dangers within the realm—some of which are fatal, others non-fatal.
For the latter, the consequence of failure is a deduction of experience points.
Additionally, the settings and gameplay mechanics vary widely across different group-based instances.
Next, he reviewed the post titled “Level Classification,” which was simple in content:
[Transcendent Phase: Levels 1–3]
[Ascendant Phase: Levels 4–6]
[Note: For stages beyond the Ascendant phase, please click on the link below.]
Zhang Yuanqing clicked on the link—only to receive a message indicating insufficient permissions.
I hate those permission drones… he muttered under his breath before moving on to browse other posts.
["Comprehensive List of Spirit Realm Wandering Professions"]
[Orderly Professions: Night Wandering Deity, Scout, Wood Demon, Water Ghost, Fire Master, Earth Monster, Musician, Scholar]
【Evil Organization: Enchantment Demon, Wu Gu Master, Illusionist.】
Without misremembering, Wang Tai was a Scholar—what about the Musician Skill? Only three Evil Organizations? That’s why Guan Ya said only the official organizations were hunters… Zhang Yuanqing glanced downward and found something astonishing.
【Note: For foreign careers, please click below link.]
Unsurprisingly, his permissions weren’t sufficient.
“Do other countries also have Realm Walkers? Are there career titles different from ours?” Zhang Yuanqing looked up, toward the back of Guan Ya’s head.
What on earth are they splitting into domestic and overseas servers now?
Lao Si Ji turned her head and smiled:
“You’d think we’re the only ones special here?”
This… Zhang Yuanqing found himself at a loss for words.
He would have to revise his understanding of the Spirit Realm once again.
If the Spirit Realm spans the entire globe, if other countries possess their own Realm Walkers and distinct career paths—then the structure of the Spirit Realm world, whether in instances or real life, is far more intricate than he had imagined.
“The Realm Walkers are deeply rooted in territorial identity; official organizations across nations rarely interact with one another, except when combating Evil Organizations. So you don’t need to concern yourself with foreign Realm Walkers at this stage—this isn't something a single Elevated Stage holder needs to worry about,” Guan Ya explained.
Zhang Yuanqing nodded and opened “Night Wandering Deity” to review his own career profile.
【“Night Wandering Deity, the devoted follower of Tai Yin, the spirit of night, skilled in assassination and mastery over shadowed beings. The career mark is a black crescent moon—the second most distinguished among ranked occupations, with exceptionally strong combat capabilities.”】
【“Each Night Wandering Deity is born an assassin; their ability to command shadowed entities makes them particularly formidable. Night Wandering Deity is the career title at the Elevated Stage level. After reaching Level Three, promotion to another career path is possible.”】
【Note: For details on Night Wandering Deity career progression, please click below link.]
Zhang Yuanqing clicked furiously for a while—only to be met again with the permission-insufficient dialog box.
Goodness! The permissions were clearly becoming the last obstacle before his wrath broke out.
Wait—he suddenly paused. Something felt off. He read through the description once more and realized where the issue lay.
The career mark is a black crescent moon? But that night, I clearly saw a black full moon mark on my forehead.
What’s going on—my Character Card differs from others’?
Zhang Yuanqing instinctively glanced toward Guan Ya’s back, preparing to ask her something.
…