“Yin-Yang Town…”
Zhang Yuanqing paused, his mind filled with disbelief.
How could this be so coincidental? He had just heard an audio segment from the Demon King about Yin-Yang Town and was immediately drawn into this instance.
It felt like a coincidence—just as he had recently found clues about Bing Brother, he promptly entered Jin-Shui Amusement Park.
But perhaps it wasn’t mere chance at all. Bing Brother’s foresight told me that my entry into each instance isn’t random—it’s predictable. And the Cat King Speaker, though not a living being, clearly possesses awareness and thought—not merely an inert object.
Could it be that this self-aware Cat King Speaker, like Bing Brother, had already anticipated that one day I would enter Yin-Yang Town, and thus pre-recorded this audio for me?
But what was the basis of that prediction—was it the Demon King’s Character Card?
Zhang Yuanqing went through various possibilities in his mind. Without hesitation, he quickly slipped on his shoes, fastened his satchel, and secured the Cat King Speaker. Then he darted to the other side of the bed, opened a drawer, and swallowed five or six blue pills.
After completing these tasks, he picked up his smartphone and dialed Guan Ya’s number—only to find that she was already in a call. He then called Li Dongze, who also happened to be on another call.
What were these two doing? The time was limited—he couldn’t afford further contemplation. Zhang Yuanqing opened the chat app and sent a voice message:
“Chief, I’ve arrived at the instance—Yin-Yang Town!”
He spoke quickly, then clicked send.
At that moment, the scenes in the room began to ripple like waves, as if flowing through time—exactly sixty seconds passed.
…
“Yin-Yang Town… Guan Ya, be careful—you must survive.” Li Dongze’s voice was serious.
Yin-Yang Town is an A-level instance with a death-type outcome. Although Zhang Yuanqing had raised the threshold for True-Eye Chief significantly, he couldn’t forget the terror associated with A-level instances.
S-level instances are the nightmares of all Realm Walkers—rarely encountered, like the blade hanging over everyone’s heads.
A-level instances, however, represent a real challenge for talented players in both Order and Evil organizations. Among those widely recognized as top-tier prospects, many have fallen victim to A-level instances.
That is precisely why Yuan Shi has successfully passed two S-level instances—why official authorities and the Evil Organization are paying close attention.
Otherwise, with Dog Elder’s rank and a high-level Elevated Stage, even such exceptional talent would only receive a passing comment—not be personally summoned from the Capital City merely to attend to a minor player's prop. And certainly not be embarrassed into smiling after being gently prodded.
“Understood, Chief. Should I fail to survive, please convey my apologies to Fu Qingyang and to everyone else. Tell Yuan Shi not to grieve so much.”
Guan Ya smiled warmly.
As Li Dongze was about to reply, he heard a deep “thud” sound from the speaker—like his phone had fallen to the ground.
He instantly realized that Guan Ya had entered the instance.
Ah… now, with a growing sense of anxiety, Li Dongze hung up the call. At this point, he noticed one unconnected call—coming from Yuan Shi Tian Zun.
Li Dongze raised an eyebrow and tried to reconnect. The call failed to go through. He checked the chat app and saw Yuan Shi’s voice message:
“Chief, I’ve arrived at the instance—Yin-Yang Town!”
Li Dongze forgot his composure and uttered, “Oh my God—you’re playing me?”
Both Guan Ya and Yuan Shi have entered Yin-Yang Town? If this mission fails, the second team will lose two key members.
After being startled and amazed, Li Dongze unexpectedly felt a deep sense of reassurance. On one hand, Yuan Shi—the unfortunate youngster—finally no longer enters S-level instances. On the other, with Yuan Shi now at Guan Ya’s side, the team’s chances of success have greatly improved.
Li Dongze paused thoughtfully and then dialed Fu Qingyang’s number.
“Ding-ding…”
The phone rang for a while before Fu Qingyang’s calm, composed voice came through:
“So late? Is there something important?”
His tone was slightly displeased—perhaps he felt disturbed from being interrupted during his rest. As a scout, Li Dongze picked up on the subtle disapproval and responded with seriousness:
“Chief, Guan Ya just entered the instance—an A-level, death-type one.”
An A-level death-type is considerably more difficult than non-death-type instances.
For a moment, Fu Qingyang remained silent—Li Dongze could sense his concern, yet Fu Qingyang’s demeanor remained stoic and unyielding. His pride was simply too strong to let it show.
“Understood…” Fu Qingyang’s voice carried a quiet depth of tone.
Li Dongze added: “Yuan Shi has also entered Yin-Yang Town—she should be with Guan Ya.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Qingyang paused noticeably: “Yuan Shi has also entered Yin-Yang Town?”
“Yes,” Li Dongze confirmed.
“Understood—I’ll wait for their updates tomorrow.”
Fu Qingyang’s voice remained composed and calm—but it now carried a lighter, more relaxed tone.
…
The scene gradually cleared from blurry to sharp. First visible was an ancient town, styled after the Jiangnan water villages—white walls, black tiled roofs, stone pathways stretching into the depths of the town.
Lush greenery lined streets and corners.
The sky was a brilliant blue—the time in the Spirit Realm is daytime—and outside the town, several black water buffaloes were grazing quietly while a shepherd leaned against a tree, nodding off to sleep.
Zhang Yuanqing looked upward, standing beneath the archway of the town. The archway bore three flowing characters:
“Yin-Yang Town”
This was an instance that continuously evolved—each team encountered different challenges depending on the route assigned by the Spirit Realm leading them toward the central plaza.
Though not S-level this time, it still carried a death-type element—his fortune in this matter was truly unpredictable.
What exactly is the hidden task from the Demon King? What prop does Yin-Yang Town’s Hidden Master conceal here?
While recalling the information on Yin-Yang Town, Zhang Yuanqing subtly summoned his black-frame glasses and adjusted them, examining his fellow team members around him.
Ah! Among the crowd, he spotted a familiar face—tall figure, refined mixed-race features, strikingly vivid like fireflies.
Guan Ya?
At that very moment, Guan Ya’s gaze met his—and her eyes sparkled with emotion she couldn’t quite name.
Yuan Shi has matched with me—truly matched! Zhang Yuanqing quickly concealed the joy and shifted her glance to assess other team members. She seemed pleased to see him—of course, who wouldn’t be? After all, encountering a high-level player like himself would naturally bring happiness. But she hadn’t approached to introduce herself yet—perhaps she was still evaluating the team’s composition before making any connection.
Zhang Yuanqing analyzed Guan Ya’s mindset and turned his attention toward the other members.
There were six companions in total—besides Guan Ya, there were one female and four males—all young adults.
“Clap-clap!”
The female member then tapped her hands to gain everyone’s attention and said:
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m a member of the Five Elements Alliance. My ID is ‘Queen,’ level 3 Water Spirit.”
Queen? That name sounds familiar—oh yes! Isn’t that just the same colleague who frequently posts on the Water Forum? Zhang Yuanqing observed her closely.
A woman in her mid-20s, wearing black seven-piece pants and a black T-shirt with white running shoes, elegant and radiant, her face adorned with smoky makeup and two large silver rings gracefully hanging from her earlobes.
Queen—what kind of queen? A night club queen perhaps? Zhang Yuanqing mused inwardly.
The Queen’s gaze swept across the group, continuing:
“I’ve read the Spirit Realm Guide for Yin-Yang Town—it's a team-versus-team instance. Our opponents are the Evil Organization stationed at the other end of town. Two teams enter from different entrances and the first to reach the central plaza receives a reward—some form of power or object. Whoever reaches it first gains an advantage. This is a cooperative challenge where any conflict, hesitation, or dissent can lead to team failure.
Therefore, I propose we elect a team leader.”
At this point, Zhang Yuanqing immediately understood her purpose—the only instance that awards a faction command is the team-versus-team type.
By publicly declaring her official status and level, she was clearly aiming to become the team’s leader.
If she successfully leads them through the instance, the probability of receiving a Faction Command is very high.
As if confirming “Queen,” the group received a prompt from the Spirit Realm:
【Please arrive at Yin-Yang Town within Three Minutes—teams that reach the plaza earlier will receive a reward.】
Everyone’s expressions shifted slightly.
The man wearing a shirt glanced at her and asked, “Would you like to be team leader?”
She didn’t deny it—she simply nodded confidently.
The man then paused for several seconds before saying: “I’m level 3 Fire Master, ID is ‘Fire Deity Army.’ The official Fire Deity Prince has already been registered by someone else. If you truly know the Spirit Realm Guide, I agree to support your leadership.”
At that moment, another slightly plump young man with a round face added his voice: “I’m level 2 Earth Oddity, ID is ‘Eat Lotus.’ Please give us all the care and attention from now on.”
Then came two others—first, a young man wearing glasses, soft-spoken and scholarly—level 3 Scholar, ID Li Chunfeng. This profession, at the Elevated Stage, isn’t particularly skilled in combat.
He willingly stepped aside and withdrew his candidacy for team leader.
The second was a quiet, reserved youth, self-identifying as level 2 Wood Demon, ID ‘Lilí Yuán Shàng Cǎo.’ He appeared reserved and didn’t speak much—despite the presence of Guan Ya and the Queen, he only glanced at them briefly before turning his attention elsewhere.
Zhang Yuanqing wearing his black-frame glasses carefully observed everyone’s subtle expressions, analyzing their true intentions beneath the surface.
Fire Deity Army clearly wanted to be leader—but upon learning that the Queen was an official Realm Walker with in-depth knowledge of the guide, he immediately accepted gracefully. In truth, however, the guide content only served as reference—most of its valuable information had already been shared by the Queen. From his expression and tone, it was clear that he didn’t even seriously consider competing for leadership.
Li Chunfeng kept frowning—the whole team seemed to be feeling pessimistic about this instance. Though young, the youth named Lilí Yuán Shàng Cǎo possessed a quiet, reclusive demeanor, lacking the boldness of a warrior.
Regardless—everyone still maintained composure and cooperation. No one acted stubbornly. That was the very distinction between team-versus-team instances and group formation formats.
In such a setting, even strong personalities had to adapt and endure for the sake of unity.
At this moment, Li Chunfeng sighed and said:
“There are now three level-3 Realm Walkers—the Evil Organization is guaranteed to have at least two level-3s. I’m merely filling out the numbers here—my combat abilities aren’t strong enough. After observing you all, I only see that Fire Deity Army and Queen stand out—everyone else seems underwhelming.”
Ah—that explains your pessimism, Zhang Yuanqing thought inwardly.
Fire Deity Army frowned: “Don’t dampen our morale!”
Then he looked at Guan Ya and Zhang Yuanqing: “What are your roles and levels?”
The Queen glanced briefly at Guan Ya.
Guan Ya smiled gently: “Level 2 Scout, ID Guan Ya.”
Level 2 Scout—everyone seemed to feel a little disappointed. While the Scout’s combat strength was respectable, it wasn’t quite as strong as that of Fire Master or Wood Demon—but still stronger than Scholar.
“And I’m also an official member,” Guan Ya added.
“Oh—that explains it!” The Queen beamed with a warm smile. “You’re from the Place Branch—I’ve seen you on the Forum. Once we arrive in Yin-Yang Town, don’t get too far from me.”
Among official Realm Walkers, proximity and mutual recognition naturally tend to grow stronger.
The Queen’s implication was clear—by choosing her as leader, she would protect Guan Ya.
Even though Guan Ya was also an official member and undoubtedly familiar with the Yin-Yang Town guide, there remained a significant gap between a level-2 Scout and a level-3 Water Spirit. The Queen didn’t worry about competition between them.
Besides—should Guan Ya have wanted to, others would likely not have chosen her.
Guan Ya nodded in agreement.
The Queen then turned her attention toward Zhang Yuanqing: “Young man, what about you?”
Zhang Yuanqing surveyed the group and said:
“I’m a level-2 Night Wanderer, ID Yuan Shi Tian Zun. I believe I am more suitable to be team leader than you.”
…