Café, under the awning. Zhang Yuanqing holds a steaming cup of coffee, staring blankly at the street. The streetlights, car lights, and store lights blend together to form a vibrant, bustling night scene. After a long while, he takes a large gulp and exhales a slow, heavy breath, as if expelling all the mental pollution. "Absorbing spiritual essence to enhance one's strength seems like a rather unconventional path," he finally realizes why the Night-Wanderer Deity of Taiyuan is reluctant to absorb such essence. If the world is compared to a sea of suffering, then ordinary people are like boats drifting through it, burdened by their own sorrows and misfortunes. These sufferings are passed on to the Night-Wanderers, even if only in part—accumulated over time, the mental strain becomes profoundly overwhelming. Over time, even mild cases of mental breakdown are considered light. Yet the benefits were truly immediate. His current experience level now stands at 46%. The duration of his "Night Stroll" skill remains unchanged—at nine seconds—yet his physical conditioning has noticeably improved, with both vitality and healing capacity having increased. This is solid, tangible progress. "Oh, by the way, I still don't know what happened to that guy... No, I actually don't care at all." He took a cautious sip of coffee, visibly shaken. ... Early morning, the villa. In the large conference room, capable of seating thirty people, Fu Qingyang scanned the length of the long table, his gaze calm and deep, like a sky holding back a storm. He was handsome, exuding the refined grace and noble bearing of a member of a distinguished family. When he remained expressionless, his presence was commanding, exerting strong psychological pressure. "Five team leaders, over a dozen team members, and dozens of security officers were dispatched—but the deceptive spirit still managed to escape." Fu Qingyang spoke with a cold demeanor. "I am deeply disappointed with all of you." Along both sides of the long conference table sat the participants of this operation—five captains and twelve team members, including Li Dongze and Guan Ya. Facing criticism from their senior officers, the captains kept their heads down, silent. Da Jibu hesitated, then finally murmured, "Captain Fu, it seems that Ou Xiangrong has been contaminated by some evil force, growing both exceptionally powerful and particularly frenzied—this is precisely why we failed. Moreover, the spirit-influencing demon itself is a top-tier professional..." Fu Qingyang replied calmly, "Failure is failure. Any reason offered is merely an excuse for the cowardly to refuse to acknowledge their own failure." His gaze was sharp, sweeping over the group. The spirit travelers at the table dared not meet his eyes—except Guan Ya. Guan Ya was idly playing with her fingernails, her mind elsewhere. Fu Qingyang continued, "Because of your failure, the situation has escalated. A severely wounded, evil-energized spirit-influencing demon is prone to complete loss of control—given its cruelty, it will inevitably cause significant casualties. Now, every spiritual journey team in Songhai City is involved in the search. Within three days, if we haven't eliminated Ou Xiangrong, you all will be ordered back to the training camp." Li Dongze, Qingteng, Tang Guoqiang, and the other team leaders exchanged glances, their expressions grave. Fu Qingyang chuckled, "Of course, I too have failed in this matter—my expectations of you were misguided, and I overestimated your capabilities. Therefore, over the next three days, I will personally oversee the pursuit. Since Ou Xiangrong seeks the roster and the Holy Cup, his focus will inevitably shift to Zhao Yingjun's family members or women close to him. We will follow that line of inquiry." "Once the subordinates nodded in agreement, he glanced at his expensive watch and said, 'You don't have much time left. Let's adjourn. Keep Ya in.' The long meeting finally came to an end, now past dinner time. The spiritual travelers rose with a sense of disappointment, bowed respectfully at the end of the long table, and exited the conference room in a well-ordered procession. The five team leaders walked ahead. The tall, muscular leader—standing at 1.9 meters—lowered his voice, angrily remarking, 'I won't deny my own shortcomings, but Captain Fu has been overly arrogant. He wasn't even present—he didn't know how strong Ou Xiangrong truly is.' In his tight-fitting attire, he rubbed his chest where the blood from the knife wound seeped through, and scoffed, 'While we were fighting outside, he sat comfortably on his villa's handcrafted sofa, sipping fine wine, smoking cigars, and enjoying the service of the young rabbit waitresses.' As he spoke, three of the rabbit waitresses carried pastries up the stairs and entered the conference room. All the waitresses serving at the villa were young, tall, and beautifully proportioned. The White Dragon gently tapped the curve of the rabbit maid's buttocks and lowered his voice: "I've heard that Fu Bai, the Commander of the White Tiger troops, enjoys tremendous popularity among the White Tiger soldiers. He is the only one among the Four Princes capable of holding his own against the young lord of the Red Fire Clan." Fu Qingyang had been transferred from the capital to Songhai last year, reportedly to gain experience and build his credentials over several years before returning to the capital to become a candidate for the Elder Council. Upon hearing this, the strong-shouldered commander gave a light scoff. "Just a rumor—our young master is undoubtedly the most outstanding among the young leaders of the Five Elements Alliance." Qingteng turned to Li Dongze. "What do you think, Li?" Li Dongze took a smoke from his cigarette and exhaled. "Of course, it's all because of his wealth—aren't you thinking the same?" Didn't they? The other captains glanced at him. "Stupid!" Li Dongze pointed to his head: "Take your not-so-smart brains and think carefully. When things really come to what Fu Baizhong has described—such a serious incident—doesn't someone have to take the blame? Can you just go back to the training camp for such a major matter?" He explained that Fu Baizhong's instruction for us to 'go back to the training camp' also means that, in the event of the worst possible outcome, he will shoulder all responsibility. We won't be dismissed or held accountable. As long as we stay at the training camp for three months, even if we completely botch up this serious matter, we're safe." He pulled out a lighter, lit his cigarette, and shrugged. "Alright, let's get down to business—let's get that messy guy Ou Xiangrong out of the way." Fu Qingyang's stern face softened with a touch of resignation. "My aunt called me and asked you to return to China next month to meet the fiancé she's arranged for you." "I explained to her clearly when I came back—I won't settle for a family alliance just because she's willing to make sacrifices for the family. That doesn't mean I will, either." Guan Ya snapped the makeup mirror shut, saying, "You Fu family members are truly uninteresting, Qingyang. Take charge sooner and let the old folks retire." Fu Qingyang spoke firmly, "If you don't wish to enter into a marriage alliance, then show some results. Don't just idle around, wasting your talents. The elders only respect the strong—like me, like her. Here's what I'll do: I'll transfer you to another team. Team Three in Changtai District is excellent—regularly earning several collective second-class merits each year. You'll gain some experience there, and that will give me a solid reason to refuse my aunt's request. Li Dongze's Team Two simply lacks talent and struggles to achieve recognition. "Guan Ya furrowed her brow, sighed, 'Team Two truly isn't up to par—I find it hard to say no. For now, let's see how things unfold. We've recently joined a young member here who's quite interesting; I'd like to keep observing him.' She tucked away her makeup mirror, took her handbag, and headed toward the door, smiling, 'You'd better worry about yourself first. If Ou Xiangrong launches a full-scale attack on Songhai, that will be an indelible blemish on your record. They'll do everything possible to block your path to the Council.' 'Goodbye,姐!' ... In the morning, Zhang Yuanqing carried his backpack toward the administration building. His schedule for the day was: morning lectures, followed by lunch and afternoon chats with the older colleagues—no, with his peers, to build rapport, strengthen friendships, and expand his social circle. A steady flow of people moved toward the building. As he approached the lobby, he heard someone calling his name. Turning around, he saw Li Le Sheng and several classmates. Li Le-sheng approached with a group of male students, expressing enthusiasm and extending an invitation: "We're planning a social event with a few girls—this weekend. Would you like to join us? I heard you're from Longhai." A social event? This weekend means just two days from now... After a brief pause, Zhang Yuan-qing replied, "Sure." Li Le-sheng and the other men breathed a sigh of relief, smiling warmly, "Great! We'll add you as a friend. With you joining, I'm sure the girls will be eager to come out and have fun." "We'll do the same," Zhang Yuan-qing said. "We'll do the same too," said the other male students, all pulling out their phones. After exchanging friend requests with the classmates, the group walked together toward the administration building. Li Le-sheng chuckled, "I heard from a female classmate from the same hometown that yesterday a security officer visited Xu Ying-ying, after which Xu cried for a long time in her dorm room." "A security officer? What happened?" The male students were surprised—indeed, for university students, security officers were an entirely distant group. Li Le-sheng said, "I heard it was the wealthy man who was supporting Xu Yingying who had encountered difficulties, but I'm not clear on the specifics. The security officer came to her to inquire about that man." "It's probably a case of embezzlement and flight," someone speculated. "With the current economic downturn, it's not common for affluent individuals to face financial collapse." Xu Yingying's expression was stiff, as if leaning against Ouyang Xiangrong's arms, yet more like being pressed and constrained by him holding her shoulders.