Zhang Yuan was about to speak when the office door rang twice. The three turned to see Wang Tai carrying a laptop, standing at the entrance, saying, "Can I come in and listen?" After saying this, he remained silent, waiting for a response. Li Dongze paused and nodded, "Please come in, and also help Yuan Shi prepare the strategy report." Wang Tai exhaled in relief. He wasn't one to seek the spotlight, but the S-tier issue of the Shu Lin Tunnel—acting as a bug within the Night-Wanderer Spirit Trial realm—was a compelling topic that drew him in. Zhang Yuan thought carefully, and after Wang Tai had taken his seat, he began to recount his experiences at the Mountain God Temple. He omitted the specific functions of the Vengeance Staff, mentioning only that it was a tool effective against阴 (yin) entities. As for the Red Dance Shoes, he softened the details, explaining that since childhood, he had been trained by his uncle in singing, dancing, and rapping, and possessed an exceptional memory, which enabled him to finally overcome the rules of the Red Dance Shoes. He also omitted the details about the character-specific rewards, as that would reveal he had obtained the red slippers. The decision to withhold certain key information was a hint he received from Guan Ya. Rule-related items were exceptionally valuable—such a transaction where the Five-Element Alliance exchanged five hundred yuan and a small flag for an item might not even happen, so one had to remain vigilant. As for the revival of the Lady of San Dao Mountain, he intended to address it separately later, to discuss it in greater depth. Throughout this, Wang Tai listened attentively, typing rapidly to take notes. Li Dongze listened patiently, then stroked the handle of his cane, saying, "That item that counters阴objects should be a reward from completing the quest, and certainly one of a high tier." Guan Ya immediately smiled and said, "You're such a clumsy one! For an S-tier trial mission, how could it only offer experience points?" She was instructing Zhang Yuanqing—emphasizing that when lying, one should have nine truths and just one falsehood, not overdo it. …Zhang Yuanqing smiled calmly, “Oh, I forgot to mention the item—yes, that item is indeed a reward for completing the quest.” He remained composed. Li Dongze didn’t pay much attention and continued, “So it seems the difficulty level of Shela’s Tunnel has been reduced.” “Why do you say that?” Zhang Yuanqing was puzzled. Li Dongze patiently explained, “We often joke that the spiritual realm is like a game, but jokes are just jokes. In the spiritual realm, items are rare—each one is unique and cannot be duplicated. Since you’ve brought out that specific item, the section where players defeat the tree spirit might no longer exist. Therefore, the overall difficulty of Shela’s Tunnel will naturally decrease.” While Li Dongze was drinking, Guan Ya added, “Let me share some knowledge about the spiritual realm’s quest instances. These instances are continuously being adjusted. For instance, once you complete a quest—say, you retrieve an item from the Temple of the Mountain God—the difficulty of that instance will inevitably decrease.” Or perhaps you die within the spiritual realm, and your items are claimed by the strange entities there, growing stronger as a result—thus raising the difficulty of the realm. The Red Dance Shoes are the perfect example. "One more point: within the same spiritual realm, tasks vary depending on your level. I once visited a wilderness survival-themed realm, having read the guidebook beforehand. In the quest, the elder character was a hunter, tasked with eliminating nine fierce foes in the jungle. Yet when I entered the realm, I found myself one of those nine foes, with the objective simply to survive for 36 hours—because my level was lower than the elder's. Therefore, the guidebook serves only as a reference, offering us an understanding of the realm and some foundational information and risks." "It won't decrease," Wang Tai said. "Because the Red Dance Shoes remain." Guan Ya and Li Dongze glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and remained silent. Wang Tai was completely unaware, continuing, "It's a bit strange. Given the data, the results, and the information gathered, this doesn't quite match the expected difficulty for a Class S realm. Are you perhaps withholding something?" That's rather direct—this would definitely make everyone feel awkward... Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat. "Not hiding anything. In fact, I was just about to mention that tree spirits were encountered inside the cave, and there was also a stone sarcophagus." "What's inside the stone sarcophagus?" Li Dongze leaned forward, asking with urgency. Wang Tai paused mid-keyboard input. Guan Ya looked full of curiosity. In a Class S spiritual realm, significant information is typically revealed—sometimes even a groundbreaking secret. Official organizations, civilian groups, and even adversarial factions rely partly on observation and pattern recognition, and partly on the information gathered within the realm itself to gradually uncover its deeper mysteries. No spiritual traveler could resist such an appeal. "Three mountain goddesses lie within the stone sarcophagus. After I opened the coffin, they—ah, they awakened..." Zhang Yuanqing still felt shaken when recalling it now. Li Dongze's eyes narrowed, gasping, "They awakened?" He suddenly stood up, as though he could no longer sit still, pacing back and forth in his office while holding his cane, frowning. After a while, Li Dongze said seriously, "Perhaps we've been mistaken all along. Based on the information about the goddess, she must be a high-level night-wandering deity. Now that she has awakened, only two possibilities remain. First, the mountain temple will undergo a complete transformation—no longer serving as a trial realm for night-wandering deities, but instead becoming a high-level spiritual realm instance. Second, the mountain temple may downgrade, yet given her rank, a new, higher-level spiritual realm instance will surely emerge. For the senior leadership of Taiyuan Gate, this information concerning the evolution of their own spiritual realm is of exceptional significance." "Guan Ya felt a deep sense of admiration and said, 'The more valuable the information, the greater the rewards the organization offers.' How much money are they giving? Zhang Yuanqing was genuinely surprised, yet soon grew worried, saying, 'Even the ancient clog dancer who has been dead for several hundred years smiled at me. I keep feeling she'll come find me, and I can't settle down.' The mulberry tree spirit hasn't lied—her half of the yang essence is sealed within the Vengeful Demon Staff, so she will definitely and absolutely come to me. Yet Zhang Yuanqing never mentioned this to his colleagues. Wang Tai sincerely comforted him, saying, 'Don't be so confident—given your level, you won't encounter such senior figures.' How could he just stay silent when he has nothing to say... Zhang Yuanqing nodded gratefully, clearly touched by these words. Guan Ya smiled gently and asked, 'Is the Lady beautiful?' Zhang Yuanqing turned to look at her and replied, 'More beautiful than you.' Wang Tai added earnestly, 'And her research value is also higher than yours.' The old official lady was furious, shouting, 'Get out!' ... The Imperial Capital, a quadrangle courtyard. The sunlight is brilliant, and the big locust tree is bathed in golden rays, its leaves shimmering with a spectrum of vibrant hues. A gentle breeze stirs the branches, causing them to sway and emit the cheerful, bubbling laughter of children. Sitting beneath the tree, Master Sun is gently swaying in his rocking chair, with tea sets and an old radio placed neatly on the side table. A middle-aged man in black rushes across the threshold, entering the courtyard, and whispers, "Master Sun, news has come from Songhai—someone has successfully passed through the Shela Ling realm tunnel." The swaying fan halts abruptly, and the silver-haired elder snaps to attention, his eyes flashing two bright golden beams. The children within the tree seem startled, emitting gasps before settling into quiet concentration. The elder rises from his chair, fixing his gaze on the man, "The Night-Wanderer Spirit that Fu Family's young recruit brought in?" The middle-aged man nods. The elder stood motionless, vigorously patting his thigh with the fan, lamenting in deep distress: "Oh, I see! I see! I see!" The middle-aged man hadn't seen the Senior Sun this distressed since he was actively investing in stocks. After a brief pause, the elder said: "I remember—the manager of Kangyang District in Songhai City is Yuan Ting. Inform him and make sure this matter isn't made public. Otherwise, where will I put my face?" "But..." "But what?" The middle-aged man was about to respond when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and said, "It's Master Heishan's call." "I'll take it." As soon as the elder picked up the phone, the other end erupted into a roar: "Old Sun, what are you doing? It's one thing to secretly send out a copy of the Shela Ling Tunnel, but you've also agreed to let Fu Qingyang keep the Night-Wanderer Spirit—do you know how serious this is?" The Senior Sun remained stunned for a moment: "How do you know all this?" "You don't know how I know that? Do you know how long it's been since the Taiguan Sect has recruited a night-wanderer with exceptional talent? I'm going straight to the Master to file a formal complaint." The phone goes dead. Sun Elder's temples pulse with visible veins of anger. Then the phone rings again. The middle-aged man looks at it: "Senior Hongying." "Answer it..." "Sun uncle, I heard the Shela Ling tunnel has been captured—didn't you specifically mention that night-wanderer you refused?" "...?" "Sun uncle, aren't you now going to apologize?" "...?" ... "Sun Elder, I heard you turned down a night-wanderer prodigy?" "Stubborn fool! When did it become your turn as a mere attendant to raise formal objections?" "Oh, don't misunderstand me, Sun Elder—I was merely curious." ... "Sun Elder, I heard you..." "Get out!" Within a few minutes, five or six calls come in. The dark-robed man watches Sun Elder silently. The last time he'd seen him this flustered was during his stock trading venture with leverage. Master Sun took a deep breath and continued with the previous topic, asking, "What did you just say?" The middle-aged man hesitated. "Once Yuan Ting knows, it means everyone will know." Master Sun's blood pressure immediately shot up. The phone rang again. As he was about to hang up, he noticed the caller was Fu Qingyang. He exhaled slowly, calmed himself, and answered the call. "You little brat, you're making me laugh again?" "Laugh at me?" A clear, composed voice came through the phone, each word crisp and precise. "I wouldn't do something so dull. I'm here to repay a favor. The mountain deity temple's operational report is ready—I've sent it to your email." Fu Qingyang said calmly, "I believe this intelligence is of great importance to your family, the Tai Men." Master Sun was instantly intrigued. He hung up quickly and turned to the middle-aged man, "How do I access my email?" The man silently took the phone, logged into the email, opened the file, and then quietly handed it back. Master Sun squinted, reading the text word by word and sentence by sentence. He did so with calm composure, his expression unchanged—after all, for a senior cultivator of the spiritual realm, trials of the spiritual realm were merely minor matters. But when he saw the news of the three mountain goddesses coming back to life, his face suddenly paled. Creak! Master Sun leapt up from his armchair, his expression now serious. "Master?" the middle-aged man looked utterly astonished. "The ancient Sun God of the Day has awakened..." Master Sun's tone carried both determination and concern. He transformed into a golden beam of light and soared into the sky, vanishing toward the direction of the Grand Master's residence. ... On the second floor. Zhang Yuanqing sat at his own desk, smoothly opening his computer and following Guan Ya's instructions to access the internal forum of the Five Elements Alliance. He browsed through the several posts highlighted at the top—basic information about the spiritual realm world. He first reviewed the "Spirit Realm Types," matching Li Dongze's description. Spirit Realms were categorized into "Single-Player" and "Multi-Player" types. Single-Player types typically feature spirit realms unique to a specific profession—for instance, the spiritual realm of Ye You Shen at the Transcendent level is of the supernatural kind. Multi-Player types were divided into two categories: one involving team-based combat, and the other involving team-based exploration. In the former, Spirit Realm travelers engage in combat within special spirit realms; in the latter, they face various dangers within the realm—some resulting in death, others not. For non-lethal types, the penalty mechanism involves experience point deductions. Additionally, the scenarios for Multi-Player spirit realms are diverse, each offering distinct gameplay experiences. Next, he read the post on "Level Classification," which was quite concise: [Transcendent Stage: Levels 1–3.] [Saint Stage: Levels 4–6.] [Note: For stages following the Saint level, please click the link below.] Zhang Yuanqing clicked the link, but received a permission insufficient message. I really hate the permission people... He muttered a resentful complaint, then reluctantly browsed through the other posts. ["Comprehensive Guide to Professions in the Spirit Realm"] [Lawful Professions: Night Wanderer, Scout, Wood Spirit, Water Ghost, Fire Mage, Earth Monster, Musician, Scholar.] [Chaotic Professions: Spirit of Enchantment, Witch-Doctor, Illusionist.] If I'm not mistaken, Wang Tai is a Scholar. What about the Musician—what profession is that? Only three Chaotic professions? That's why Guan Ya said the official organization is the real hunters. Zhang Yuanqing glanced downward and found something astonishing. [Note: To inquire about overseas professions, please click the link below.] It's no surprise his permissions are insufficient. "Are there Spirit Realm travelers abroad, with professions different from ours?" Zhang Yuanqing looked up, toward the back of Guan Ya. Seriously? They even have separate domestic and overseas servers? Old Si Ji turned to him and smiled, "Why do you think only our country is special?" Well... Zhang Yuanqing found himself at a loss for words. He would have to revise his understanding of the Spiritual Realm once again. If the Spiritual Realm spans the entire globe, and if there are other Spiritual Realm practitioners and other professions abroad, then the structure of the Spiritual Realm—whether it is a quest instance or the real world—is far more complex than he had imagined. "Spiritual Realm practitioners have a strong sense of territorial identity. Official organizations across countries rarely interact with one another, except when combating evil organizations. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about the foreign practitioners of the Spiritual Realm at this stage—this is not something a Transcendent Realm practitioner needs to consider." Guan Ya said. Zhang Yuanqing nodded, and opened the profile for "Night Wanderer" to review his own profession. ["Night Wanderer, a favored of the Moon, a spirit of the night, skilled in assassination and in commanding shadowy entities. The profession's emblem is a black crescent moon, ranking among the top in the category of disciplined professions, with exceptional combat strength."] ["Each Night Wanderer is born with the innate ability to be a master assassin. Their proficiency in commanding shadowy entities makes them particularly difficult to handle. The Night Wanderer is the professional title for the Transcendent Realm stage. After reaching level 】 【Note: To view the name of the Night-Wanderer's job title, please click the link below.】 Zhang Yuanqing tapped furiously for half an hour, only to be met with a dialog box stating insufficient permissions. Good heavens, that persistent permission dog! He was on the verge of shouting a tirade. Wait—something feels off. Zhang Yuanqing suddenly paused, re-read the description, and realized what was amiss. The job emblem is a black crescent? But that night, I clearly saw a black full moon on my forehead. What's going on? Why is my character card different from others'? Zhang Yuanqing instinctively looked up at Guan Ya's back, ready to ask a question.