"What's so special about the Yin-Yang Town Instance that she can't just submit the data to the database?" Ling Jun asked, his voice tinged with suspicion. "Is she planning to secretly withhold it for the Fu family?"
Fu Qingyang picked up his knife and fork, resuming his breakfast. "Even if that were the case, it would be understandable."
Guan Ya was not only a member of the Five Elements Alliance but also a direct descendant of the Fu family. Prioritizing her family with valuable discoveries was both logical and reasonable.
Fu Qingyang also suspected that his cousin had uncovered something extraordinary within the Yin-Yang Town Instance.
As they continued eating, they casually chatted.
"When are you going to crawl back to Capital City?"
"I'll stay here for another year or so. Dealing with my girlfriends back there is too much of a hassle."
"By then, you'll probably have just as many girlfriends in Songhai to annoy you."
"They're not all girlfriends, you know. I enjoy spending time with women, discussing romance and life, and giving them small gifts. It's more of a platonic connection, but they always assume they're my girlfriend. Sigh."
"Like father, like son!" Fu Qingyang sneered.
"You can insult my father, but you can't insult me," Ling Jun said angrily. "He only had children to train Spirit Realm Walkers. I'm different. I pursue romantic relationships, a fusion of souls, and occasionally, when passion overwhelms me, I crave physical union as well."
At that moment, the bunny girl returned with the laptop and carefully placed it beside Fu Qingyang.
He unlocked the screen, opened his email, and downloaded the message Guan Ya had sent.
A few minutes later, Ling Jun watched as Fu Qingyang, who had been sitting casually, suddenly straightened his posture. His usually impassive face grew grave, and his calm gaze sharpened into a piercing glare.
This was a rare sight for Fu Qingyang. Knowing him well, Ling Jun understood that either something major had occurred or he had been deeply shaken. Otherwise, the stoic man wouldn't have reacted this way.
"What does the report say?" Ling Jun asked.
"Guan Ya says Yin-Yang Town has hidden storylines. Teams with different strengths experience different narratives. Last night, they tackled the most challenging storyline—one that has never been completed before."
"Just that?"
"The difficulty of that storyline might be close to an S-rank instance."
"I never imagined Yin-Yang Town had such a deep hidden plot. But there are countless Spirit Realm instances, and so many remain unexplored. It's not like this needs to be kept secret, right?"
Fu Qingyang glanced at him and said calmly, "The enemy they faced was Li Xianzong."
Ling Jun, who was drinking milk, spat it out in a sudden burst.
Fu Qingyang, who had a phobia of germs, frowned.
Ling Jun casually wiped his mouth and pressed, "Are there any strong fighters in the Orderly Faction?"
Fu Qingyang shook his head. "Primordial killed Li Xianzong."
Ling Jun stared blankly for a moment, then sighed, "This kid's growth rate is giving me goosebumps. When we were young, we were about at this level, right? Give him another year or two, and he'll be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us. The Official Four Young Masters will become the Five Young Masters."
He immediately brightened up. "Since the Evil Faction's Trial began, those Transcendent Phase brats have been getting their asses kicked. This time, they finally got to vent their anger! Haha, I can just imagine the spectacular expressions on the Evil Faction Walkers' faces when they hear this news."
"Still, Elder Sun is bound to be displeased again. Ahem, let's retire that joke for now."
Fu Qingyang cast a questioning glance. "Hmm?"
Ling Jun sighed. "Remember when Elder Sun emerged from the Spirit Realm recently? He browsed the Official Forum and was suddenly struck by how lax the Taiyi Sect's younger generation had become in their cultivation. He immediately summoned Yuan Ting to the capital for personal training. A few days ago, he even posted a video of their special training on the Taiyi Sect's official website. Now, no one dares to use that joke anymore."
Fu Qingyang said flatly, "Let's hope so."
Clutching his laptop, he left the dining hall.
Guan Ya's report detailed Primordial Heavenly Venerable's performance in the instance, including every nuance and mentioning the existence of a hidden item.
While she didn't specify the item's details, she clearly stated that Primordial Heavenly Venerable had relied on it to turn the tide and secure victory.
His current task was to "polish" the report—to make certain deletions and revisions. While preserving the fact that Primordial Heavenly Venerable had led the team to clear the instance and eliminate Li Xianzong, he needed to conceal the existence of the hidden item.
A Spirit Realm clearance report was essentially a walkthrough. Once uploaded to the database, Official Walkers with sufficient clearance could access it, revealing potential Night Rose members and corrupt individuals collaborating with Evil Class practitioners.
Guan Ya had bypassed Li Dongze to give him this report, entrusting him with the decision-making power.
The Scattered Province, Crab City.
In the city center's upscale residential district, on the 16th floor, a spacious balcony framed a queen with striking features and silver hoop earrings. She sat on a plush armchair, a small glass table before her holding a compact laptop.
Dark sunglasses shielded her eyes, the stark contrast between her pale complexion, the black lenses, and her lipstick-red lips creating an irresistible air of mature sophistication.
She glanced down at her phone, replying to Guan Ya's message:
"Understood. I won't mention the robe in my report."
Queen set down her phone and resumed typing furiously on the keyboard.
Mission reports can wait. Surfing the web is far more important.
"After entering Yin-Yang Town, I discovered that two of my official colleagues were in the team. You'll never guess who they were—it was none other than the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and Guan Ya from the Songhai Branch! The Primordial Heavenly Venerable! A major celebrity! I finally got to meet him in person. Let me tell you my first impression: hmm, he's a very handsome Little Milk Dog."
Queen deleted "Little Milk Dog" and retyped:
"A very handsome young man, probably in his early twenties, clean-cut, and even more handsome than I imagined. Our first challenge was the 'Curse Cat.' I won't go into the details here—they'll be in the full report—but I can tell you it was incredibly dangerous. We only survived thanks to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable.
"The second challenge involved a widow, rumored to be quite promiscuous. One of our teammates was nearly seduced by her, almost getting... you know... intimate. Again, it was the Primordial Heavenly Venerable who saved the entire team without a single casualty.
"Now for the bombshell. Brace yourselves, everyone—this is the big one. The third challenge was a joint boss battle between the two factions. You'll never guess who the captain of the Evil Faction was—Li Xianzong!"
"What a coincidence! I never expected these two to clash in the instance. If Li Xianzong were a woman, I'd suspect they were destined for a tragic romance.
"This battle was brutal. Li Xianzong truly lived up to his reputation as a top-ranked Transcendent Stage powerhouse on the wanted list. I've never encountered such a ferocious Evil Class before. Near the end, for reasons I can't disclose, the enemy became invincible while our forces suffered heavy losses, leaving us no choice but to retreat.
"I was desperate, fully prepared to die in the instance. But—and I must emphasize this—the Primordial Heavenly Venerable truly deserves his reputation as a genius who cleared two S-Rank instances. His abilities, his wisdom, his tactics—they far exceeded anything we could have imagined.
"He led us to turn the tide, securing victory in the faction conflict mission and personally slaying Li Xianzong. Aaaah, the OP is absolutely head over heels for him!!"
After editing the post and correcting a few typos, Queen clicked "Submit."
For the next hour, she lounged on the sofa, sipping her coffee.
Meanwhile, her computer buzzed incessantly with replies, reaching a frenzy of multiple messages per second at its peak.
Haha, just as I predicted! The post is blowing up! It's definitely going to be pinned to the top. In another half-month, I'll have enough forum points to apply to become a forum administrator, Queen thought gleefully.
By the time she leisurely finished her coffee, half an hour had passed.
Queen finally set down her cup, refreshed the post, and checked the replies. The forum had exploded.
The post had been marked red and pinned by the forum administrator.
[ Ample Time Ahead: Seriously? OP, you're just trying to ride the hype for replies. At least make up something believable, like Li Xianzong ambushing the Primordial Heavenly Venerable again, but the Venerable cleverly escaped his doom once more. ]
[ Jiang Yang: OP's probably a fan of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable. Writing fanfiction to salvage their idol's image while boosting morale for our colleagues at The Officials? ]
[ Betel Nut and Cigarette: Boundless Power: True, this is way too exaggerated. The Primordial Heavenly Venerable single-handedly cleared all three levels? So the rest of you teammates were just dead weight? How come I never get such a badass captain? Well, I guess someone who can clear two S-rank instances in a row is rarer than a national treasure. No wonder I've never met one. Just raising legitimate concerns. Don't flame me if you disagree. ]
The subsequent dozen or so replies all questioned the post's authenticity.
It wasn't until more people discovered the thread and joined the discussion that some "netizens" who were more familiar with the Queen began to respond:
[ Little Pig George: First off, the Queen isn't a fan of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable. She doesn't even stan the Four Young Masters, let alone the Primordial Heavenly Venerable. Also, based on my understanding of her, she wouldn't write such a sensationalized post just for clout. But on the other hand, if the post is true, I'm dropping everything today and settling in for some online drama. ]
[ Passionate Jenny: I remember the Queen posting last week that the time for her next instance was approaching. I have a feeling she was telling the truth. Holy shit, if this blows up, we're in for some serious entertainment. Primordial Heavenly Venerable is a legend! ]
[ The Sick Emperor: Perhaps this isn't the right time to ask, but I still want to know: when you say "seduced by a widow," are you referring to the golden needle piercing the peach blossom pistil? Was the widow beautiful? Radiant? Don't get me wrong, I'm about to enter the Spirit Realm myself and just want to conduct some academic research. ]
The two factions continued their heated debate, driving the thread's popularity to its peak. Soon, Spirit Realm Walkers from the Songhai Branch began to weigh in.
[ Li Dongze: My god, are there no other strong players on your team? Did Primordial really take down Li Xianzong? Oh my god, oh my god, I'm so hyped I want to smash your dog head with a stick! ]
[ Queen: I thought this guy was Primordial Heavenly Venerable's superior? What's he implying? Doesn't he know? The post's credibility is getting more suspicious by the minute. ]
[ White Dragon: I can't vouch for the post's accuracy, but I do know Primordial is entering the Spirit Realm soon, and it's a Multiplayer Spirit Realm. We were discussing it just yesterday. ]
[ Green Vine: The Queen isn't from Songhai. There's no way she'd know Primordial is entering the Spirit Realm soon. The post is likely genuine. How else would such a coincidence occur? This is astonishing, utterly unbelievable! ]
[ Boxing King: Damn it! I bet five million on a 50/50 split between Primordial and Li Xianzong. Now I've lost everything! ]
With the Songhai Branch colleagues joining the discussion, the dissenting voices quickly subsided. As they debated, everyone sat at their computers, refreshing the strategy guides in the database.
Yin-Yang Town was a Transcendent Phase Instance, searchable by all Official Walkers at the Transcendent Stage. Even if their permissions were insufficient to view the details, searching for it was no problem.
At noon, the forum administrator personally posted a bombshell:
Primordial Heavenly Venerable and Li Xianzong Clash in Yin-Yang Town; Li Xianzong Defeated and Killed
The news sent shockwaves through the Official Forum.
Huayu Hotel.
Xie Lingxi excitedly refreshed the Official Forum, having been glued to her computer all morning.
Though she couldn't register an account as an unofficial member—preventing her from commenting or posting—simply browsing the threads and comments discussing her "Brother Primordial" filled her with excitement and satisfaction.
As expected of the man I admire! He avenged himself so quickly! I knew it—with Brother Primordial's potential, there's no way he'd be defeated by Li Xianzong. Xie Lingxi scrolled contentedly, immersing herself in the torrential downpour of discussions.
Before today, the Official Spirit Realm Walkers had been pontificating about the gap between Brother Primordial and Li Xianzong, their tone dripping with disappointment.
Hmph, now they're all "His Venerable Self, the Heavenly Venerable" this and that, shameless hypocrites.
Brother Primordial's popularity is soaring. The Evil Organization will definitely raise the bounty on him. That "Call Me Queen" girl seems to be from our Scattered Province, constantly gushing about how she "loves Primordial Heavenly Venerable to death." It's so annoying!
Just then, her assistant approached, holding out a phone. "Miss, the Patriarch wants to speak with you."
Xie Lingxi's gaze remained fixed on her computer screen. "Tell him that because of his teachings, I've severed all ties with Primordial Heavenly Venerable."
"What?!" A middle-aged man's furious voice boomed from the speakerphone. "Lingxi, how could you be so foolish?"
"Dad, isn't this what you wanted?"
"I—" The man choked on his words, his tone softening. "Can you fix this?"
"I can try, but..." Xie Lingxi sighed. "Dad, you'll have to bleed for this. Prepare two Items and ten million in cash."
"..."
Shijing Farm Stay.
Bright headlights sliced through the darkness as a white sedan pulled up outside the Shijing Farm Stay.
Auntie Xiao Yuan, with her striking features, parked the car, switched off the engine, opened the door, and stood beside the vehicle, glancing at the brightly lit farm stay hotel against the night sky.
She was dressed in light-wash jeans, a black tank top, and a women's windbreaker, her long legs, rounded hips, slender waist, and ample bust accentuating her mature, alluring figure.
Shijing Farm Stay was familiar to her—another black market hub for the Evil Class.
Recently, she had learned that the Tian Lingling black market had been raided, leaving corpses scattered across the floor, rotting unattended.
It was only when Evil Class members who frequented the underground bar discovered the scene and alerted the Public Security Bureau that The Officials finally arrived to clean up the mess.
After undergoing a thorough security check, Auntie Xiao Yuan entered the farm stay, walked through the bustling lobby filled with patrons, and, under the admiring gazes of onlookers, made her way to the rear courtyard to meet the Master of the establishment.
The Master of Shijing Farm Stay was a plain-looking village woman in her forties, her dark hair streaked with silver. She sat by the well in the courtyard, making tofu skin.
"Xiao Yuan," she greeted.
The middle-aged woman looked up briefly before returning to her work. "You rarely visit. What have you been up to these past few years?"
A member of the Spiritual Energy Association, she had once been Xiao Yuan's mentor and treated her well. However, due to conflicting ideals, Xiao Yuan never joined the association.
Haunted by guilt toward her mentor, Xiao Yuan rarely sought her out.
"Working at a hotel," Xiao Yuan replied flatly. "Sister Yan, I'm here to buy some information."
The woman didn't respond, continuing to make bean curd sheets.
Xiao Yuan pressed on, "I need information on Li Xianzong—his recent activities, hidden locations, everything you can find. The more detailed, the better."
She was gathering this intel to sell to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, who still owed her money.
If he hasn't paid up yet, I can't let Li Xianzong harvest him.
"It's unnecessary now," the woman said, her head still bent over her work.
"What do you mean?" Xiao Yuan frowned.
"Li Xianzong was killed in an Instance," the woman stated.
What?! The news caught Xiao Yuan completely off guard. While it was natural for Spirit Realm Walkers to die in the Spirit Realm, like generals falling on the battlefield, hearing it now felt absurd and comical.
Such a powerful genius, dead just like that? The Primordial Heavenly Venerable's luck is too good.
Xiao Yuan pondered, "Did this news come from the Military Doctrine Sect?"
"No, it's from the Five Elements Alliance."
"Hmm?"
The middle-aged woman finally looked up, wiped her hands clean, and said seriously, "The Five Elements Alliance forum reported that Primordial Heavenly Venerable and Li Xianzong entered the same instance. The Military Doctrine Sect's genius was killed."
Xiao Yuan froze in shock.
The woman continued calmly, "Primordial Heavenly Venerable's bounty has risen again, now ranking fourth. The reward is extremely generous. If you need money, you could try hunting him down. Songhai and Jinshan City aren't far apart."
"Sigh, the Officials have produced such a prodigy. Many people can't sleep at night, fearing another Fu Qingyang will emerge."
She finished speaking, scrutinizing the stunned Xiao Yuan, and her brow furrowed slightly. "What's wrong?"
This guy... Xiao Yuan snapped out of her daze, took a deep breath, and casually replied, "I understand. If I get the chance, I'll hunt down Primordial."
In the bedroom, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes. The setting sun cast a blood-red glow across the sky.
It was 6:30 PM.
He opened his eyes, his spirit brimming with energy. He felt an overwhelming surge of power, as if he could punch Asura into submission, trample Marshal underfoot, and roar the Taiyi Sect Lord into retreat. He had never felt so invigorated.
Slipping into his slippers, Zhang Yuanqing padded into the living room. The clatter of Grandmother's cooking filled the air from the kitchen.
"Grandmother, I'm starving! Hurry up!" Zhang Yuanqing howled.
Grandmother completely ignored him.
After greeting Grandfather, Zhang Yuanqing retreated to his bedroom.
He grabbed his phone, disabled Flight Mode, and checked his unread messages.
Guan Ya had sent him a message at noon, saying she'd finished writing the strategy guide and urging him to rest well.
Zhang Yuanqing exited the messaging app and eagerly opened the Official Forum. His mood instantly brightened as he scrolled through threads praising him. A smug grin stretched across his face as he immersed himself in the adulation, losing track of time for half an hour.
The Queen is so perceptive, actively helping me achieve public glory. Humans truly need such displays of power; public acclaim is the perfect antidote to life's frustrations.
After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his bedroom, sat at his desk, and retrieved the Yin-Yang Wanderer's Cultivation Notes from his Inventory.
A "notebook" left by someone who lived in the same era as the Goddess of Sandaoshan... What secrets might it contain?
Perhaps it could unlock some of the mysteries of the Spirit Realm, even if just a fragment.
Zhang Yuanqing carefully opened the brittle, yellowed cover.