In the Spirit Realm Walker's ranking system, Levels 1-3 represent the Transcendent Phase, Levels 4-6 the Saint Stage, and Levels 7-9 the Sovereign Realm.
Deacons rank within the Saint Stage, while Elders belong to the Sovereign Realm. Zhang Yuanqing wasn't sure what lay beyond the Sovereign Realm, lacking the authority to access such information, but he speculated it was the level occupied by the five Alliance Leaders.
Furthermore, based on the number of Deacons, he inferred that the Demon Lord and Eerie Eye Judge must also be in the Sovereign Realm. If they were merely at the Saint Stage, the Five Elements Alliance wouldn't hold them in such high regard.
It's worth noting that the power gap between different levels within the same phase is substantial. For example, in the Transcendent Phase, a Level 2 Walker could easily crush a Level 1, and a Level 3 could utterly dominate a Level 2, excluding the effects of items and class counters.
Illusion Masters are among the pinnacle classes, surpassing even Fire Masters in strength. Master Wuhen, despite being in the Sovereign Realm, was no weakling. Zhang Yuanqing had suspected this Illusion Master was extraordinary, but he hadn't anticipated such a high rank.
Viewed from another angle, securing this Sovereign Realm figure's assistance once was akin to obtaining a death-defying talisman.
Unfortunately, it couldn't be used within the Spirit Realm.
"That makes sense. The Spirit Realm is essentially a solo instance. Even high-level Spirit Realm Walkers can't simply barge in mid-mission. The only exceptions are native bosses like the Goddess of Sandaoshan."
Zhang Yuanqing sighed in relief as he closed the page and continued searching for information about the Spirit Realm Mission mechanics.
[ After completing a Trial Mission, Multiplayer Spirit Realms open once a month, while Solo Spirit Realms open once every three months. During months when a Solo Spirit Realm is active, no Multiplayer Spirit Realms will open. The minimum interval between missions is half a month. The pattern for Spirit Realm Walker Instance entry is: Multiplayer—Multiplayer—Solo, repeating in this cycle. ]
"So, Spirit Realm Walkers face a life-or-death crisis every three months. If they're lucky enough to be matched with a low-difficulty Solo Spirit Realm, the mortality rate isn't too high—at worst, their leveling progress might be slower. Hmm, that's manageable."
"Since the minimum interval between missions is half a month, and I just cleared Jinshui Amusement Park, I don't need to worry about another mission for at least two weeks."
He continued reading:
[ Upon reaching the peak level of each stage, to advance to the next stage, you must participate in a Grand Slaughter Instance. Participation is optional. Grand Slaughter Instances open twice a year. ]
[ Note: The core of these Instances involves the Orderly Faction and the Evil Faction hunting each other, but the Instances themselves pose extreme dangers and offer substantial rewards. ]
"Grand Slaughter Instance... Bing Ge left me a message saying I should clear at least one Slaughter Instance before contacting him," Zhang Yuanqing realized. He had previously assumed "Grand Slaughter Instance" referred to a high-risk, high-reward Solo Spirit Realm.
He lingered in the office until two in the afternoon, then took a taxi to the hospital to attempt to guide wandering spirits to the afterlife and gain experience points. To his surprise, the Spectral Entities of ordinary people yielded negligible experience.
Zhang Yuanqing guided ten spirits to the afterlife in one go, yet his experience bar barely budged, increasing by less than one percent.
The small fry in the Novice Village are no longer enough for me. It seems I'll have to start devouring Spirit Realm Walkers. He slipped into the restroom and used the Demon Subduing Pestle to purify the spiritual pollution from the Spectral Entities.
At seven that evening, the family gathered around the dining table.
Zhang Yuanqing summoned Little Goofball and let him wander around the living room.
"Ahem!" Grandmother cleared her throat, announcing, "I have an old friend whose granddaughter is about Yuanzi's age. She's a sophomore in college, and I plan to introduce them."
Aunt's jaw dropped as she stared at her mother in astonishment.
Grandfather and Cousin both picked at their ears.
Is this really happening? Zhang Yuanqing thought, his heart leaping with joy.
Grandfather frowned. "He needs to focus on his studies right now. You can't try to compensate for Yu'er and Yuanjun's failures by pushing Yuanzi into this."
Failures? Chen Yuanjun glanced at his grandfather. He had always seemed indifferent to his and Aunt's matchmaking efforts, but now it was clear he had been secretly concerned all along.
Grandmother waved her hand dismissively, overriding all objections. "I've already made up my mind. This is for Yuanzi's own good."
Grandfather's expression remained unchanged as he looked at Grandmother. "I'm doing this for your own good. Yuanzi is too restless to focus on a serious relationship. After all these years of friendship with your sisters, don't let this ruin it."
Grandfather, are you calling me fickle? You're definitely calling me fickle! Zhang Yuanqing thought indignantly. He had never even had a girlfriend, and boys as virtuous as him were becoming rare these days.
But he dared not argue. Grandmother had a fiery temper but rarely resorted to violence, while Grandfather never cursed but was known to deliver a sudden, stinging slap.
"I object!" Aunt joined Grandfather's side. "Mom, why are you meddling? If Eldest Sister finds out you're arranging a girlfriend for Yuanzi, she'll call and yell at you. She said she's taking him abroad to study next year."
Zhang Yuanqing's face darkened at the mention of his mother.
Grandmother considered her husband and daughter's points and reluctantly relented. She glared at Zhang Yuanqing and snapped, "Useless boy! All that handsome looks wasted on you."
Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head guiltily to finish his meal, while Aunt and Cousin exchanged suspicious glances.
After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing's gaze swept the room until he spotted the koala-like Infant Spirit clinging to Aunt's calf.
For some reason, the little guy was particularly clingy to Aunt, perhaps because she resembled his mother the most in this family.
Now that he had been nourished with sufficient Lunar Power, the little guy could control his ability and no longer "Exchange" aimlessly.
At midnight, Zhang Yuanqing finished a game, turned off his console with satisfaction, and crawled into bed, forcing himself to sleep by counting sheep.
After a long while, drowsiness finally crept in. Just as he was drifting off, he suddenly jolted awake, a primal terror surging through him.
This terror was similar to what he had felt earlier that morning at the Wuhen Hotel when he saw the female receptionist, but far more immense and distant.
What's happening? He threw back the covers, his mind racing with confusion and dread. He stumbled to the window, pulled back the curtains, and gazed out at the dazzling cityscape.
About five minutes later, the overwhelming wave of energy vanished, and everything returned to calm.
Lacking experience, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't determine what had just occurred. He muttered to himself, climbed back into bed, and resumed trying to fall asleep.
Great, now I have to start counting sheep all over again.
The next morning at 7:30 AM, he woke up on time and found Jiang Yu'er sitting listlessly at the table, her complexion pale and sickly.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
"Aunt Flo's visiting," Aunt Yu'er said, sounding aggrieved.
Zhang Yuanqing glanced around. Grandfather wasn't around, and Grandmother was in the kitchen. He leaned in and whispered, "Come here, Auntie. Let your nephew rub your tummy."
"Get lost!" Jiang Yu'er snapped, angrily swatting him on the head.
Just then, Grandmother emerged from the kitchen, and the two immediately fell silent.
After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing pretended to head upstairs but instead hailed a taxi to work.
Only Wang Tai was in the office area.
"Brother Wang Tai, where's Veteran Driver?"
"In the Chief's office."
"Ah!" Zhang Yuanqing settled into his seat. About ten minutes later, Guan Ya emerged, her expression grave, her brow furrowed slightly.
"Primordial, I was just about to call you."
Guan Ya took a sip of tea, leaned her rounded hips against Zhang Yuanqing's desk, and said, "Did you notice anything strange last night?"
You mean the kind that almost made me pee my pants? Zhang Yuanqing replied, "Yes, I was startled awake, but I'm not sure if that's what you mean."
Veteran Driver nodded gently.
"Last night, the Xiahou Family's experts clashed with the Palace Master of Ceasing Slaughter in the Kangyang District Industrial Park. Their battle caused an office building to collapse. Fortunately, it was late, and few people were still there."
"But the security guards inside, along with some employees working overtime, perished. Ah, it's truly tragic. These high-level Spirit Realm Walkers, blinded by bloodlust, completely disregard the lives of ordinary people."
But I didn't receive any wanted notices from the Spirit Realm, Zhang Yuanqing thought, his expression darkening. Hmm, no notices... perhaps because neither side's Morality Value fell below 60.
Morality Value had no upper or lower limits; the wicked had no bottom line, and the virtuous had no ceiling.
High-level Spirit Realm Walkers from the Orderly Faction, having accumulated Merit over years, undoubtedly possessed considerable reserves. But such a catastrophic incident couldn't be resolved with mere deductions of Morality Value; The Officials wouldn't let it rest.
"What's the organization's plan?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. The Kangyang District Industrial Park wasn't far from his home; no wonder he'd sensed terrifying fluctuations last night.
Guan Ya swirled her tea, saying, "The Xiahou Family's representative has been temporarily detained, but the punishment won't be severe—likely a fine and a warning. After all, the Xiahou Family is a colossal force within the Orderly Faction, practically an arm of The Officials, with close ties to the Five Elements Alliance's Taiyi Sect.
"As for the Palace Master of Ceasing Slaughter, the Elders' Council has issued an arrest warrant. We haven't yet identified her real-world identity and are currently coordinating with the Xie Family."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded, his gaze fixed on her delicate, melon-seed-shaped face. "But what does this have to do with me?"
The Veteran Driver sighed. "The Xiahou Family borrowed our branch's records of Wild Spirit Realm Walkers and identified several members of the Palace of Ceasing Slaughter, including Wang Qian. They might come looking for you later. I was just discussing this with the Chief."
Seeing Primordial's furrowed brow, she explained further:
"The Xiahou Family wants to capture Palace members to force out the Palace Master. It's an extreme approach, and the Songhai Branch's leadership hasn't explicitly approved it, but they've tacitly allowed it. After all, if the Xiahou Family succeeds, great. If not, they'll bear the responsibility."
"But they already have Wang Qian's identity information. Why would they need me?" Zhang Yuanqing's mind raced as he realized the truth. "Oh, they want me to help lure Wang Qian out?"
Guan Ya nodded.
Wang Qian isn't an idiot. He'd never fall for such a clumsy trap. Zhang Yuanqing flatly refused. "Absolutely not. I won't betray my informants."
Guan Ya paused, then warned, "The Xiahou Family can be quite domineering. Just keep quiet later. The Chief and I will handle the pressure for you."