Yuan Shi Tian Zun… This sentence seemed to cut off the thread of “Please call me Queen,” leaving her face bright with surprise and disbelief, her eyes scanning Zhang Yuanqing from head to toe. As a long-time participant in the Forum, she had heard countless tales about this talent from the San Dao Mountain Branch—and actively contributed to discussions on him. Though only at Level 2 as a Night Wandering Deity, he was already a star figure. Yet, she never imagined that she would match with such a standout within the Spirit Realm. “Yuan Shi Tian Zun—really you? Really you?” Queen’s eyes sparkled, moving between Zhang Yuanqing and Guan Ya. Guan Ya nodded gently: “It is he.” “I’ve finally matched with you!” With confirmation from her colleague at the San Dao Mountain Branch, the Queen grew even more enthusiastic. “Once I return to reality, I’m going to boast about this on the Forum—tell everyone that I’ve matched with Yuan Shi Tian Zun!” “Yuan Shi Tian Zun…” Fire Deity’s eyes lit up; his tone became noticeably excited as he asked: “Is it the one from the San Dao Mountain Branch?” Unconsciously, I have become a rising star in the Elevated Realm—perhaps even a celebrity… Zhang Yuanqing smiled slightly: “I think there's probably no second Yuan Shi Tian Zun throughout the entire Spirit Realm.” The plump young man with a round face, puzzled, asked: “Yuan Shi Tian Zun? Are you well-known?” He was a wild Pilgrim who hadn’t attended the Five Elements Alliance’s official Forum—his information network was underdeveloped due to his lower tier—and had never heard of Yuan Shi Tian Zun's reputation. The Queen immediately replied: “He is our official prodigy—he cleared two S-level Instances consecutively. At Level 1, he single-handedly defeated three Level 3 Enchantment Demons. At Level 2, he fought off a Level 6 Wu Gu Master alone—and recently, he faced Li Xianzong personally, nearly being knocked out, yet managed to survive…” Actually, the last part didn’t need to be mentioned—Satisfied with her own narrative, Zhang Yuanqing’s expression briefly stiffened. To the Earth Oddity, the details felt entirely different; his mouth grew wider and his expressions became more exaggerated, as if gazing at an unattainably noble figure. Is this the kind of person I could match with? Even the composed “Lotus by the Original Grass,” who had previously seemed indifferent to unfamiliar elements, found himself repeatedly glancing at Zhang Yuanqing, unable to ignore such a formidable record in a peer of similar age and stature. Clearing two S-level Instances—leveling up as a Night Wandering Deity—and defeating an Evil Organization… Li Chunfeng immediately shed his initial apathy and optimism, expressing astonishment: “Now I see that there’s a true master hidden within our team—this greatly improves our chances of success. We can proceed with this trial!” In fact, another major figure existed in the group—Guan Ya had been consistently passive, choosing to lose when facing Non-Death Organizations, thus her hidden score remained modest despite her excellent physical abilities. Zhang Yuanqing smoothly suggested: “I’d like to take on the role of Captain. Please trust me—I’ll lead all of you through the Yin-Yang Town.” “Agreed!” No objections came from anyone—except for Fire Deity and the Queen. In the eyes of others, a Captain’s primary function was to enhance efficiency and minimize disputes; while it didn’t matter much who held that title, having such a prominent figure in the team made all the difference. With a respected “master” already present, it only made sense for him to lead. “Please call me Queen,” she said, smoothing her lips with a slight sneer: “Then see how you perform—should you make any missteps, I’ll take over.” She didn’t press further. I’m not sure what level of command will be required to earn the Guild Reward… Zhang Yuanqing glanced back toward the town: “Time is short—we should go in now.” The group passed through the archway and entered the ancient town. At another entrance, Li Xianzong looked down at two companions lying on the ground, then at four others who remained silent, before smiling: “I’d like to take charge—I’m not asking for anything!” A bearded man chuckled: “You’ve been saying you’re Li Xianzong—how could anyone object?” Meanwhile, an elderly man with a thin frame said with a chuckle: “But speaking of that—the two of us are at Level 3, one of whom is Li Xianzong. Under the matching system, the Order-aligned team may have strong contenders.” Li Xianzong replied confidently: “That’s exactly what makes it interesting—ideally, I’d like to match with someone ranked among the top ten in the Elevated Realm. If I can defeat one character within this trial and then go on to eliminate Yuan Shi Tian Zun upon return, I’ll conclude this trial early and prepare for the mid-year Instance.” If all goes smoothly, he will accumulate substantial rewards. The elderly man gave a slightly awkward smile: “All I hope is that there’s someone particularly graceful in the Order-aligned team—nothing compares to humiliating them.” He had done quite a few such things during previous multi-member Spirit Realm missions. “Enough talking—let's go!” Li Xianzong led his team through the archway and into the town. The seven of them walked steadily along the wide stone road, soon receiving an audio prompt: [Please locate Wang Ironmonger’s shop within ten minutes.] “Wang Po?” Fire Deity asked, puzzled: “How do we find Wang Po? We saw a herdsboy tending to cattle outside—now, once inside town, she seems completely gone. Is this perhaps an empty town?” The prompt they received was to locate Wang Po’s home within ten minutes. Now, as they walked along the quiet streets of the ancient town, there were no birdsong or dog barks—the houses on both sides stood closed and silent—making it seem as if the entire town had been designed just for them. Li Chunfeng pointed out a flaw in the Fire Deity’s actions with seriousness: “If this were indeed an empty town, why would we be instructed to find Wang Po?” Fire Deity, unmoved by thought, simply asked: “So where is Wang Po? The town is so vast—how could anyone know where she hides? We only have ten minutes. By the way, Queen, haven’t you read the guides?” “Please call me Queen,” she said as she scanned her surroundings: “Oh—I forgot to mention it! Yin-Yang Town is a dynamic Instance—the core theme of maintaining conflict between Order and Evil Organizations remains unchanged, but the process varies. In several guides I’ve reviewed, some ask for finding Wang Ironmonger’s shop; others require solving a town case; still others involve navigating through a maze—some even describe the ‘Nighttime Instance’ as particularly intense.” “Nighttime Instance?” The round-faced young man, Lao Bang Zi, asked curiously. “Why is it the most terrifying?” “If we arrive during nighttime hours, the Instance will require us to stay at an inn for each night—with one person dying every evening—we must identify the murderer and leave before doing so—and crucially, no skills may be used.” Queen explained confidently. “How long would that take? Isn’t it already exhausting?” Li Chunfeng analyzed, clearly surprised. “The Evil Organization team might have encountered even more pressing challenges,” she added: “But the core remains unchanged—the key is to resolve the incident and obtain the required items in order to leave this area. Otherwise, we’ll remain trapped here indefinitely.” “Not yet clear what incident we must solve—probably only upon meeting Wang Po will it become evident.” She turned her gaze to Zhang Yuanqing with a graceful smile: “Master, what do you think? We’ve already used four minutes—and we have ten minutes remaining.” Seeing all the teammates now looking at him, Zhang Yuanqing appeared prepared: “This won’t be difficult—I already have a plan—just waiting for everyone to keep talking.” He took a deep breath and shouted: “Wang Po! Where are you?” He repeated this several times, his voice growing steadily louder. His companions stared in astonishment at one another, thinking him completely insane—was finding someone really that simple? Then, from the small alley to the left, an elderly woman emerged—her silver hair flowing, dressed in a plain robe, holding a walking stick and slowly moving forward. Her face was deeply creased, her back slightly bent, her voice aged: “Who are you people? What is it you wish?” Is this really possible?! The team members were stunned. Fire Deity asked: “How did you know that calling out would make her appear?” Zhang Yuanqing smiled lightly: “I didn’t know—it was just a trial run. In such a large town, randomly searching for an elderly woman within ten minutes is nearly impossible—this isn’t the kind of immediately fatal challenge introduced at the outset.” Fire Deity nodded in realization: “Indeed—no wonder he’s one of those who has cleared two S-level Instances!” Zhang Yuanqing led the group forward—he waited a few seconds, then observed that no prompt came from the Spirit Realm, so he said: “Madam, we are strangers here—we’ve just arrived. Would you mind if we ask for a drink? We’re also hungry—we’ll pay.” In such situations without prompts, players typically need to initiate their own storylines. “Strangers,” Wang Po’s slightly blurred gaze scanned them before she slowly said: “Guests who come far are always welcome—come in, and no payment is necessary.” She then turned, slowly walked with her stick into the room on the right side of the courtyard. The group immediately followed—the ground was paved with smooth river stones, just wide enough for two people to walk side by side; damp from lack of sunlight, the walls were covered in lush moss. Such alleys are numerous throughout the town—dense as a spider’s web. Guan Ya hurried a few steps and whispered softly into Zhang Yuanqing’s ear: “Have you noticed anything unusual? She isn’t wearing modern attire—I’m not very familiar with ancient history—so I can’t tell which dynasty she belongs to.” Guan Ya grew up abroad. “It resembles both the Song and Tang dynasties,” Zhang Yuanqing said, uncertainly. Behind them, Li Chunfeng added: “The style is from early Ming Dynasty—the clothing of common citizens in that period imitated Tang styles but with subtle differences—easy to distinguish. Moreover, the architectural style of this ancient town also reflects a classic Ming-style design—this doesn’t resemble either the Song or Tang.” Indeed, a Scholar—how well-versed in knowledge! Zhang Yuanqing quickly glanced at Guan Ya: “I was just about to say early Ming!” Guan Ya gave him a withering look and murmured softly: “Is it true that the Yin-Yang Wanderers are active during the early Ming era? That aligns perfectly with the background of the San Dao Mountain Queen.” Before Zhang Yuanqing could respond, Li Chunfeng added: “During the Elevated Stage, the Spirit Realm backgrounds are either modern or Ming-era—only these two. But according to what I know, the Sage Stage instances feature Song-dynasty settings. As for the reason, I’m not quite clear.” The background of Spirit Realms during the Elevated Stage is limited to modern and Ming eras—while the Sage Stage features Song Dynasty settings… Ah! And earlier, in the San Dao Mountain Queen’s Temple, the temple attendant once mentioned that she would reveal a secret concerning the rise and fall of a thousand years. Is it just a pleasant fiction for her disciples—or does this actually happen? The Yin-Yang Wanderers and Lao Bang Zi are contemporaries—perhaps there is information here to be discovered… I must also pay attention to the hidden tasks mentioned by the Demon King—yet no clear traces have been identified so far. As they walked, Wang Po guided them to an old courtyard house. The gate was rotten, its hinges rusted, a bronze lock hanging from the handle. After searching for several minutes, she produced the key and opened the door. This style of residence is a classic “courtyard house”—with buildings on three sides and a central open space—the eaves of these side structures form a square courtyard at their intersection. The overall impression is dim, somber—especially with its age-old wooden structure, which showed signs of decay throughout, making the atmosphere even more eerie. Wang Po held her walking stick, stepped over the threshold, and looked back into the shadows: “Come in…” Zhang Yuanqing hesitated slightly; Fire Deity stepped forward confidently and crossed the threshold first. As they entered the house, they arrived beneath the courtyard—on the left side lay a spacious living room—a circular table and several circular chairs stood there, dusted with age—it seemed to have been abandoned for years. “The family hasn’t had many guests in years,” Wang Po said, wiping the dust with her sleeve. “Please just settle in—I’ll serve you tea.” With that, she turned her walking stick and walked into the room on the right side of the courtyard. Then, Guan Ya lowered her voice: “Look up—above your heads…” “What?” Fire Deity instinctively lifted his gaze—and gasped at once. On the beams above their heads hung numerous cats—peeled of skin—they hung like a forest of meat, their eyes wide and staring, strange and eerie. Why does Wang Po hang so many cats here? Is this for curing them into dried meats? Zhang Yuanqing felt alert. Guan Ya continued: “Did you notice—the door to the room was locked when you arrived.” “What’s the issue?” the young man with a round face asked, speaking as he bit into a lotus root. Guan Ya shook her head. “The door is securely locked, but when I arrived earlier, I estimated the distance from the main street to here—only fifty to sixty meters. Wouldn’t it be worth locking the door for such a short stretch?” In this kind of neighborhood, one would expect no sense of security at all. With Wang Po’s mobility limited, wouldn’t someone have simply walked in and out without needing to lock the door? “Ah,” said Queen Listening, having finally grasped the point, “she must be worried that someone might sneak in while she’s away—or perhaps that something inside might quietly slip out unnoticed?”