In the tier classification of Realm Walkers, levels 1–3 represent the Elevated Stage, levels 4–6 mark the Sage Stage, and levels 7–9 denote the Sovereign Stage. The rank of an Official is at the Sage Stage, while Elders reach the Sovereign level—what comes beyond that remains unclear to Zhang Yuanqing, as he lacks access privileges; however, he speculates it must be equivalent to the level of the five Alliance Masters. Moreover, based on the number of Officials, the Demon King and the Illusionist Judge are likely at the Sovereign level—if they were only at the Sage level, the Five Elements Alliance would not treat them with such prominence. Notably, there is a significant difference in strength between individuals within the same tier—such as during the Elevated Stage, where Level 2 can decisively overpower Level 1, and Level 3 can dominate Level 2, even though props and profession-based advantages are excluded. The Illusionist stands among the peak professions, surpassing even the Fire Master; even the Master of Unseen Trails, despite being at the Sovereign level, is no mere average—Zhang Yuanqing had sensed this individual’s exceptional nature, but didn’t expect such a high rank. From another perspective, securing a single appearance from this Sovereign-level figure effectively grants one an extra life-saving card. Yet, this advantage cannot be utilized within the Spirit Realms. “This makes sense—the Spirit Realms function as standalone instances. Even high-tier Realm Walkers are unlikely to enter mid-way. Exceptions include native bosses like San Dao Mountain’s representative.” Zhang Yuanqing expressed his sentiments while scrolling away from the page and began researching the mechanics of Spirit Realm missions. Upon completing a trial task, multi-player Spirit Realms open once monthly, single-player ones every three months; when a single-player realm launches, no multi-player realms operate during that month. Each mission interval spans at least fifteen days, with the pattern for Realm Walkers entering realms following: multi-player—multi-player—single-player—and repeating in sequence. “That means a Realm Walker faces a life-or-death crisis every three months. On favorable occasions, they are assigned a less challenging single-player realm, resulting in manageable mortality rates—only slightly slower progression of levels; fortunately, that’s acceptable.” “Each interval lasts at least fifteen days. I just completed the Jinshui Water Park skill task, so there should be no mission calls within the next half-month.” He continued reading: “To advance to a higher stage after reaching peak proficiency in each tier, one must participate in a large-scale combat instance. This instance may be chosen or skipped, and it is launched twice annually.” “Note: The core of this instance involves mutual hunting between the Orderly and Chaotic factions, though the instance itself carries substantial risks and rewards.” The Large-Scale Combat Instance was previously mentioned by Bing Brother—prompting Zhang Yuanqing to realize that he had initially assumed it referred to a high-risk, high-reward single-player Spirit Realm. By mid-afternoon, Zhang Yuanqing stayed at his office, then took a taxi to the hospital where he attempted to purify spirits through rituals to gain experience points—only to find that ordinary human souls contributed only negligible amounts of experience. Zhang Yuanqing consecutively purified ten spirits, yet earned less than 1% of experience points. The monsters from the beginning village no longer suffice—I must now consume Realm Walkers themselves… He then moved to the restroom and used the Artifact of the Pacifying Demon to cleanse the spiritual pollution caused by human beings. …… At seven PM, at the dining table. Zhang Yuanqing summoned his person_name, assigning him to stroll in the living room. “Ahem!” Grandmother cleared her throat and announced: “I have an older sister who has a granddaughter of similar age to Yuanzi, currently attending university—my intention is to introduce her to Yuanzi.” Jiang Yubi gaped, astonished at her mother’s announcement. Grandfather and Uncle both adjusted their ears slightly. Is this really something that can happen? Zhang Yuanqing felt genuinely delighted. Grandfather frowned: “He is currently prioritizing his studies—do not expect him to balance things out simply because Yu Er and Chen Yuanjun have fallen short.” Shortcomings? Chen Yuanjun glanced at Grandfather, who had previously shown little interest in their matchmaking efforts—now it seemed he observed closely but felt concerned. Grandmother waved her hand, firmly asserting: “I’ve already made my decision—I am acting specifically for Yuanzi’s benefit.” Grandfather remained composed, turning to his wife: “I’m thinking of you—Yuanzi is uncertain about love and thus struggles to fully commit to a relationship. You’ve shared such deep bonds with your sister for years; do not overlook that.” Are you implying I am unfocused? You must be implying I am unfocused! Zhang Yuanqing was unyielding—he had never taken on a romantic partner since childhood, and there are few young men like him who maintain such personal integrity. Yet he dared not challenge Grandfather—though Grandmother is often impatient and rarely physically confronts, Grandfather frequently delivers an unexpected firm push without saying a word. “I oppose!” Jiang Yubi joined Grandfather’s side: “Mother, you’ll have to do more than just introducing people—I’m certain your sister would call you out when she finds that someone has been assigned to Yuanzi—she plans to send Yuanzi abroad next year.” Upon hearing her mother mentioned, Zhang Yuanqing’s face darkened. After reflecting, Grandmother found both husband and daughter persuasive, so she withdrew from the conversation, glanced at Zhang Yuanqing with disapproval, and remarked: “Such a useless person—born with such an elegant appearance!” Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head, embarrassed, while Jiang Yubi and Uncle remained puzzled. After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing surveyed the room and finally spotted the infant spirit resembling a tree-kangaroo on Jiang Yubi’s leg. Why is this little one so attached to Jiang Yubi? Perhaps because she most resembles their mother within the household? Now that it has received sufficient nourishment from the Power of the Moon, the spirit can now exercise self-control and no longer engages in unstructured ‘exchanges’ without purpose. …… At midnight 12 o’clock, Zhang Yuanqing played a game, satisfiedly turned off the console, and settled into bed, using the method of counting sheep to induce sleep. After some time, finally growing drowsy, he suddenly woke up with an intense wave of fear—stronger than before, more profound, more distant. What was this? He opened his blanket, walked slowly to the window, pulled aside the curtain and gazed upon the vibrant city night landscape. Approximately five minutes later, the powerful wave subsided, everything returned to calmness. Lacking experience, Zhang Yuanqing could not determine exactly what had occurred—only murmuring silently, he crawled back into bed, hoping to reestablish sleepiness. Well then—he would have to count sheep again. At 7:30 AM the next morning, he woke up promptly and noticed Jiang Yubi sitting at the table with a lackluster expression, appearing visibly unwell and pale. “What’s wrong?” Zhang Yuanqing asked. “My period has started…” Jiang Yubi sighed, expressing her disappointment. Zhang Yuanqing looked around—Grandfather was absent, Grandmother in the kitchen—so he approached quietly, saying: “Come, cousin, let me gently massage your abdomen.” “Get out!” Jiang Yubi angrily bumped him with her hand. At that moment, Grandmother stepped out and both immediately fell silent. After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing pretended to go upstairs, then took a taxi to the workplace. Only Wang Tai was present in the office area. “Wang Tai brother, where is the Old Official?” “She’s in the Chief’s office.” “Oh!” Zhang Yuanqing seated himself at his desk—after about fifteen minutes, Guan Ya appeared, her expression serious and her brows slightly furrowed. “I was just going to call you.” Guan Ya lifted her teacup, took a sip, then leaned against Zhang Yuanqing’s desk, saying: “Did you notice anything unusual last night?” You mean that kind of sudden startle where one nearly had to pee?… Zhang Yuanqing replied: “Yes—I woke up startled, though I’m not certain if this is what you’re referring to.” The Old Official nodded gently: “The high-ranking members of the Xiaohou Family clashed with the Master of Zhishake Palace last night—specifically at the Kangyang District Industrial Park. Their conflict resulted in a collapse of one office building, fortunately it was nighttime and few people were inside. However, several security staff and some on-duty employees were injured or killed—what a pity! These high-tier Realm Walkers have become so emotionally driven that they no longer care about ordinary lives.” Yet I did not receive any dispatch alerts from the Spirit Realms—the absence of such notifications might be due to neither party’s moral score dropping below 60… Zhang Yuanqing’s expression grew increasingly serious. Moral scores have neither an upper nor lower limit—evil people know no boundaries, and even benevolent individuals display none. High-ranking Realm Walkers from the Orderly Faction accumulate merit over years; they undoubtedly possess a strong foundation—but such a disruption clearly goes beyond simple moral deductions—the official authority will not simply settle for that. “How does the organization intend to handle this?” Zhang Yuanqing asked—since the industrial park is near his home, it explains why he had sensed such a powerful disturbance last night. Guan Ya gently stroked her teacup: “The representative from Xiaohou Family has been temporarily detained, though the penalties will not be severe—only compensation and a formal warning. After all, Xiaohou Family is a major entity within the Orderly Faction, essentially part of the official structure, with close coordination with the Five Elements Alliance’s Taiyi Gate. As for the Master of Zhishake Palace, the Council has ordered her arrest. Currently, they have not yet identified her real-world identity and are actively communicating with the Xie Family.” Zhang Yuanqing murmured an “Ah,” then looked at Guan Ya's graceful oval face and asked: “But how does this relate to me?” The Old Official replied patiently: “Xiaohou Family requested access to our department’s archived records of wild Realm Walkers, identifying several members from Zhishake Palace—Wang Qian is among them. Xiaohou Family will likely seek you out shortly—I was just discussing this with the Chief.” Seeing Zhang Yuanqing frown in confusion, she explained: “Xiaohou Family intends to compel the Master of Zhishake Palace by arresting its members—the method seems rather aggressive; although the senior leadership at our branch has not formally approved it, they have quietly permitted it—either way, if we succeed, excellent; if not, the responsibility falls on Xiaohou Family.” “Didn’t they already obtain Wang Qian’s identity information? Then why are they seeking me?” Zhang Yuanqing thought through this and realized: “Ah—they wish for me to act as a mediator to extract Wang Qian from within.” Guan Ya nodded. Wang Qian is no fool—how could he easily be drawn into such a situation? Zhang Yuanqing firmly rejected: “It’s impossible—I will not compromise my sources.” Guan Ya paused and offered advice: “Xiaohou Family has been rather assertive—during the meeting, you simply don’t speak. I and the Chief will assist in shielding your pressure.” ……