“Last night…”, Sheng Lingxi sat down on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window, took over the smartphone, and asked: “Is it related to the Xiaohou family?” The female assistant shook her head: “It’s connected to Yuan Shi Tian Zun.” Sheng Lingxi’s interest surged even more. She pressed: “What exactly happened?” “I heard from an official Pilgrim that when a local official team in Kangyang District was searching for a fugitive under arrest by the organization, they were ambushed—supposedly by four level-3 Evil Organization members. This placed the search team in serious danger. Ultimately, your friend Yuan Shi Tian Zun single-handedly defeated all of the Wu Gu Masters from the organization.” “Actually eliminating four level-3 Wu Gu Masters? Really?” Sheng Lingxi’s mouth opened wide, her face momentarily stunned. Is Yuan Shi so powerful? “The authenticity remains uncertain,” the assistant shook her head. “I was told by a hundred-man commander in Kangyang District that details of last night must remain confidential.” She learned this from one of her close female Pilgrims—the information is no longer secret and has circulated among several small groups of women Pilgrims. As for whether there are elements of exaggeration, however, the assistant cannot verify it—after all, not even every grassroots official Pilgrim is fully aware of these details. Furthermore, since it’s not strictly classified, no deep investigation was conducted. It was only shared to ensure that Miss Lingxi was informed about the current status of the Five Elements Alliance and her friend Yuan Shi Tian Zun. His strength can’t possibly be this strong—no, he has cleared the S-level Spirit Realm, scoring highest among all. It’s entirely plausible that he possesses a powerful consumable or prop—the very nature of such items is part of one’s strength. Yuan Shi holds immense potential; I must absolutely introduce him to my father! Sheng Lingxi thought through these points, her face lighting up with a sweet smile: “Hmph—compared to him, Xiaohou Tianyuan seems like an underhanded mouse character. You go ahead and leave—I’ll call Yuan Shi to comfort him, especially since he’s been bullied by Xiaohou Tianyun.” The assistant was startled: “I thought Xiaohou Tianyuan wouldn’t be able to overpower him at all.” “What do you know!” Sheng Lingxi rolled her eyes. …… At 8:30 a.m., Zhang Yuanqing arrived at the office with his backpack on. Li Dongze, one arm wrapped in thick bandages and using a walking cane, watched as Zhang climbed the stairs, asking: “Do you come to work every day? Don’t you have school?” Zhang Yuanqing replied firmly: “How could I delay my contribution to the organization for academic pursuits? But since you’ve mentioned it, I’d like to explore whether there’s a way for me to achieve both—without attending classes. Does the Five Elements Alliance offer such an arrangement?” Guanya, seated at her desk enjoying a simple breakfast, said: “Of course! Everyone will know that Yuan Shi Tian Zun is a student of Songhai University.” Li Dongze patted Zhang’s shoulder warmly and commended him: “You’re doing an excellent job serving the organization—yet don’t neglect your studies. After all, you’re not a Fire Master, huh? Even if you give up on intellectual work, you can still succeed in any instance.” You’ve been shaming the Fire Masters again, Zhang Yuanqing! He added with a smile: “Alright, Mr. Chief—that makes sense. Pilgrims truly are the most outstanding!” Li Dongze was delighted, patting his trusted subordinate on the shoulder and saying: “I’ll prepare a box of Cola for you—feel free to grab one whenever you’d like. That’s settled now—I’d like to discuss the matter.” He glanced at Guanya and Wang Tai before announcing: “I’ll be out of action for some time. During my absence, someone will step in to take over. Guanya, Yuan Shi—you both assist the acting Chief in tracking down Black Unusuality. They’ll report on the second day.” Ah? The Chief is leaving? Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily surprised. Then it struck him—Li Dongze’s shoulder had been pierced by a spider female, and despite not receiving treatment with Life Original Liquid, the scout has no healing skill, unlike Night Wandering Deity who possesses self-healing capabilities. Such an injury clearly requires recovery time. “Chief, who is the new Chief?” Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously. “Acting—acting!” Li Dongze emphasized. He didn’t elaborate further: “You’ll see when you meet them—I’m sure you’ll find it pleasant.” Then he single-handedly carried his walking cane and departed from the second floor. Once Li Dongze was gone, Zhang Yuanqing immediately pulled out a chair and sat beside Guanya, watching her refined, three-dimensional profile with quiet curiosity: “Is the new Chief one of those team members who haven’t appeared yet?” She wore an expensive fragrance—delicate and rich without being overpowering. Guanya nodded gently and smiled: “Due to widespread injuries from last night’s battle, several members have needed bed rest, creating staffing shortages. Fu Qingyang has therefore decided to bring back two of the inactive staff from Team Two.” “So the Chief doesn’t particularly like them?” Zhang Yuanqing finally asked a question he’d been curious about for some time. “If you lead a group that constantly resists your directives—yet can neither defeat nor reprimand them—you wouldn’t like them, would you?” “How weak is the Chief then?” Guanya glanced at him, her lips freshly painted, corners of her mouth lifted: “What makes you think the Chief is particularly strong? In combat performance, the Chief has consistently ranked second from last—last place belongs to Wang Tai. When it comes to physical skills, I can easily surpass the Chief, let alone those two members. Even after your arrival, he still remains in that second-to-last position.” …Zhang Yuanqing was speechless, moved deeply by the moment. After lightly teasing Li Dongze, Guanya then said seriously: “I must tell you about these two—first is a Fire Master who is passionate about justice, impulsive and temperamental, unwilling to tolerate even minor grievances. You mustn’t keep staring at my back with that smitten expression or else you’ll be knocked down.” “Don’t blame me!” Sheng Lingxi protested. “Where did I have the opportunity to stare at your back?” “Didn’t you?” “I was actually gazing at your chest.” Guanya gave him a look, then continued: “The other is a Water Spirit—unusually temperamental and difficult to work with. The Chief has been so annoyed by him on several occasions that he’s even coughed up blood—just a poetic way of saying it. However, the character is deeply principled and especially appreciates those who embody integrity.” “Most importantly, both hold positions of significance—notably—and building good relationships with them will benefit you greatly.” Zhang Yuanqing nodded attentively. “One is a junior from the Chì Huǒ Clan—level-3 Fire Master. The other has less background but holds the rank of level-4 Sage Realm,” Guanya said proudly, opening her desk drawer and retrieving a notepad. She turned around to confirm the notes before saying: “I believe I’ve recorded this accurately.” Zhang Yuanqing quickly glanced through it—some details began to emerge: Yuan Shi Tian Zun, Scorpio Man, zodiac sign: strategic, holds grudges, strong-willed… note: highly likely to be pursued by women from other organizations. This woman—I groaned internally. At that moment, a notification buzzed in his pocket. Zhang Yuanqing pulled out the smartphone— Sheng Lingxi? Zhang Yuanqing quietly headed for the restroom. …… In the outskirts of Songhai City. Wang Qian wore a baseball cap and mask, hands deep in his pockets, walking briskly along a winding pedestrian path. Compared to the city center, infrastructure here is more deteriorated—the lanes have subsided unevenly, tilting slightly left or right; footpaths are uneven, littered with cracked tiles. Additionally, due to the city’s limited space for expansion and ongoing construction projects—real estate developers constantly build new developments, creating a chaotic urban landscape. Yet, for Wang Qian, the more disordered the area, the better it is for concealment. He walked through a long stretch of footpath and passed through one construction site, arriving at the entrance of a modest, aged house. “Knock-knock-knock…” He tapped on the door with a distinct rhythm, speaking softly: “I’m Wang Qian.” The door opened to reveal an older man wearing a worn coat, his beer belly prominent, with a vibrant explosion of hair and a round, well-fed build, who stepped out and glanced around before ushering him inside. The room was cluttered—beer cans, stained clothes, takeaway boxes scattered across the floor. Besides the well-fed man, there were two others: A lively young woman in jeans and black sports bra, holding a cigarette between her teeth, sitting by the television playing a game. And a young man wearing head-mounted headphones, pale-faced, lying on the sofa listening to music. “How did you come?” the well-fed man asked, rubbing his hair that hadn’t been washed for some time, voice solemn: “During such turbulent times—we’re advised not to wander too much… what’s going on?” He suddenly noticed something was off—Wang Qian’s eyes were bloodshot, his face pale and stern, with a clear sense of agitation. “Headman,” Wang Qian said between clenched teeth: “My sister has been kidnapped.” The young woman set down her game controller; the man on the sofa opened his eyes. “The Headman—how did you know?” the well-fed man asked, frowning. Wang Qian took a deep breath to calm himself: “Today I wanted to reach out to my family—I deliberately called from the neighboring district. My mother told me that my sister had been taken. It must have been the Xiaohou family—otherwise, who would take such a good person like my sister?” “You’ll be tracked down right away!” the well-fed man exclaimed in frustration. “But if I don’t make contact with my family, how could I know about this incident until now?” Wang Qian said with bright eyes. The young woman slammed her controller, exclaiming: “Eh! The Xiaohou family doesn’t follow any rules—my patience is worn thin—I’m going to gather all the brothers and sisters under the Palace’s leadership; if necessary, we’ll go all-in—let them lose everything.” The man with headphones laughed coldly: “Stupid. Why should we sacrifice ourselves just for them? If they’re willing to attack our family members now, then our own families are in danger too. Then why not simply eliminate the entire Xiaohou lineage and watch them vanish? Who’s afraid of whom?” The well-fed man stared at him: “The world doesn’t care—your strategy of ‘destroying through destruction’ seems overly radical to me.” “Exactly,” the young man countered, “the very essence of Zhishake Palace is to achieve peace through conflict and maintain stability through war.” The well-fed man fell silent, then sighed: “The Palace has her own vision—she’s instructed us to remain hidden and not disrupt her plans. The situation hasn’t yet reached that point—we’ll have to think of a way forward…” Silence settled in the room for several seconds before the well-fed man suddenly brightened: “This matter shouldn’t be handled by our team—the fact that the Xiaohou family has taken a regular citizen hostage is a breach of protocol. So we should reach out to official organizational members.” The young woman shook her head, exclaiming: “Who? Who can help Wang Qian? Clearly, the Five Elements Alliance shows favoritism toward the Xiaohou family—no, many of them are actually from the Xiaohou faction! Seeking support within the official organization is like looking for a dog.” The well-fed man looked at Wang Qian: “You know Yuan Shi Tian Zun from Team Two in Kangyang District, don’t you? Try reaching out to him.”