In the hierarchy of the Spirit Realm practitioners, levels 1–3 represent the Transcendent stage, levels 4–6 the Sage stage, and levels 7–9 the Sovereign stage. The Assistant's rank falls within the Sage stage, while the Elders are Sovereigns. Beyond Sovereign, Zhang Yuanqing is not entirely clear—without access to official records, he only speculates that it likely corresponds to the level of the Five Grand Masters. Furthermore, based on the number of Assistants, both the Demon King and the Judge of Illusions should be at the Sovereign level. If they were merely at the Sage level, the Five Alliances would not place such emphasis on them. Notably, even within the same stage, there can be significant differences in strength based on rank—for instance, in the Transcendent stage, a Level 2 practitioner can easily overpower a Level 1, and a Level 3 can decisively outperform a Level 2—excluding factors such as equipment or professional advantages. The Illusionist is one of the peak professions, stronger than the Fire Specialist. Even the Master of Unbroken Trails, though at the Sovereign level, is not considered a weak performer. Zhang Yuanqing had long sensed that From another perspective, securing a single appearance from this top-tier figure is equivalent to gaining an extra life-saving pass. Unfortunately, it can only be used within the realm, not in the spiritual realm. "I can see that. The spiritual realm operates as a standalone, single-player campaign. Even high-level spiritual realm travelers wouldn't be able to enter mid-way—except for the native bosses like the Three-Mountain Lady." Zhang Yuanqing expressed this thought while clicking away from the page and searching further into the mechanics of spiritual realm missions. [After completing a trial quest, the multi-player spiritual realms open once a month, while single-player realms open every three months. When a single-player realm launches, the multi-player realms remain inactive during that same month. The intervals between quests are at least two weeks apart. The entry pattern for spiritual realm travelers follows this sequence: multi-player—multi-player—single-player—repeating in a cycle.] That is to say, a spiritual realm traveler faces a life-or-death crisis every three months. With good luck, they match a moderately challenging solo spiritual realm, resulting in a relatively low mortality rate—just a bit slower progression, which is actually quite manageable. Each task interval is at least fifteen days long; I just cleared the Golden Water Amusement Park, so I won’t have to worry about tasks for the next fifteen days. He stayed at the office until two in the afternoon, took a cab to the hospital, tried to guide the spirits of the deceased to gain experience points, only to be stunned by how negligible the experience gains were from ordinary people's spiritual essences. Zhang Yuanqing guided ten spirits in a row, yet the total experience gain was less than 1%. The new-comer monsters in the village no longer satisfied him—clearly, he would need to consume the spiritual travelers themselves. He slipped into the restroom and used the Vambrace once, purging the mental pollution left by the spirits. ... At seven in the evening, at the dining table. Zhang Yuanqing summoned his lively little companion to stroll around the living room. "Cough, cough!" His grandmother cleared her throat and announced, "I have an older sister whose granddaughter is about the same age as Yuanzi and is currently in her second year of university. I'd like to introduce her to Yuanzi." Zhang's aunt opened her mouth wide, looking at her mother in astonishment. Grandfather and the cousin rubbed their ears. What a wonderful opportunity! Zhang Yuanqing was thrilled inside. Uncle frowned, "He's currently focused on his studies. You can't expect to find balance with Yuanzi simply because Yu'er and Yuanjun haven't lived up to expectations." Unimpressed? Chen Yuanjun glanced at his grandfather. Grandfather had always been indifferent to their marriage proposals, yet clearly watched and worried quietly all along. "Uncle also joined Grandpa's side: 'Mom, what do you need me to do? As soon as Auntie finds out you've arranged a girlfriend for her, she'll definitely call and scold you—she says she'll take Yuanzi abroad for studies next year.'" Hearing her aunt mention Mom, Zhang Yuanqing's face darkened. After thinking it over, Grandma agreed with both her husband and daughter, and thus dropped her insistence, giving Zhang Yuanqing a sharp look and scolding: "Useless! You've been born with such a handsome appearance, yet you're of no use at all." Zhang Yuanqing lowered her head, feeling embarrassed, and quietly ate her meal, while Aunt and cousin exchanged puzzled glances. After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing glanced around the room and finally spotted the baby spirit resembling a tree-kangaroo on her aunt's leg. For some reason, this little one particularly attached herself to her aunt—perhaps because she most resembled Mom in this household? Now well-nourished with sufficient Yin energy, the little spirit could now control its abilities and no longer exchanged them aimlessly. … At midnight, Zhang Yuanqing played a game, turned off the console contentedly, crawled into bed, and forced himself to fall asleep by counting sheep. After a long while, he finally grew drowsy, only to suddenly wake up with a profound, overwhelming fear—fear that was similar to the one he had felt earlier that morning when he saw the female front desk attendant at Wuhen Hotel, but even more powerful and distant. What was happening? He pulled the blanket aside, feeling both bewildered and apprehensive, and walked to the window, opening the curtains to gaze at the bright city night. About five minutes later, the powerful surge subsided, and everything returned to calm. As an inexperienced observer, Zhang Yuanqing couldn’t quite determine what had just occurred, so he murmured quietly to himself and climbed back onto the bed, trying once again to drift off to sleep. Indeed, he would have to count sheep once more. At 7:30 a.m. the next day, he woke up on time to find Jiang Yupei sitting listlessly at the table, looking pale and unwell. "What's wrong?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. "The period has arrived..." Auntie said, sounding rather crestfallen. Zhang Yuanqing glanced around—Grandfather was absent, Grandmother was in the kitchen—so he approached and whispered, "Come, nephew, let me gently massage your abdomen." "Get out of the way!" Jiang Yu'ei angrily smacked him on the head. At that moment, Grandmother stepped out, and both of them immediately fell silent. After breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing pretended to go up and took a taxi to the office. The office was occupied only by Wang Tai. "Wang Tai, where is Old Sister Si?" "Working in the Shizhang office." "Oh!" Zhang Yuanqing took his seat at his desk. Fifteen minutes later, Guan Ya emerged, her expression serious and her brow slightly furrowed. "Yuanshi, I was just about to call you." Guan Ya lifted her teacup and took a sip, her rounded hips resting gently against Zhang Yuanqing's desk, and said, "Did you notice anything unusual last night?" You mean the kind that nearly made me pee my pants, right? Zhang Yuanqing replied, "Yes, I was awakened—though I'm not "Old Lady Si gently nodded: 'Last night, the top-tier practitioners from Xiahou's family clashed with the Master of Zhishi Palace. The conflict took place right at the Kangyang District Industrial Park. Their fighting caused one office building to collapse—luckily, it was evening, so most people had already left. 'However, several security staff and employees who were on duty or working overtime were killed. What a pity—these high-level spiritual travelers, once they're truly enraged, simply don't care about ordinary lives.' Yet, I haven't received any official notice from the Spiritual Realm regarding an arrest or pursuit. Hmm, no notice at all—perhaps because neither party's moral score has dropped below 60. Zhang Yuanqing's expression grew serious. Moral scores have no upper or lower limits: villains have no bottom line, and even saints have no ceiling. The high-level spiritual travelers from the Law-and-Order faction have accumulated merit over the years, undoubtedly possessing a solid foundation. But given the severity of this situation, it's not merely a matter of deducting points. The official side won't let it rest. 'What decision has the organization made?' " Zhang Yuanqing asked, "That industrial park is not far from my home—so it makes sense that I felt such a terrifying disturbance last night." Guan lightly stroked her teacup and replied, "The representative from the Xiaohou family has been temporarily taken into custody, though the penalties won't be severe—just compensation and a warning. After all, the Xiaohou family is a major force within the Order of the Established, almost official in stature, and has close cooperation with the Wuxing Alliance's Taigong Sect." "As for the Master of Zhishā, the Council has ordered her arrest. We haven't yet identified her real identity, and are currently in communication with the Xie family." Zhang Yuanqing nodded, "Ah," and gazed at the graceful, oval face, asking, "But how does this relate to me?" The elder Sijī sighed, "The Xiaohou family has borrowed our archived records on wild realm travelers, and has identified several Zhishā realm travelers—Wang Qian is among them. They're likely to come to see you shortly. I was just discussing this matter with the deputy chief." "Looking at Yuan Shi's furrowed brows and puzzled expression, she explained: 'The Xiahou family wants to pressure the Palace Master out by capturing members of the Zhishik Palace, a rather aggressive approach. The senior leadership at the Songhai branch hasn't explicitly agreed, but has tacitly approved—after all, finding the Palace Master is ideal, and if they fail, the Xiahou family will bear the responsibility.' 'But haven't they already obtained Wang Qian's identity information? Then why are they seeking me out...' Zhang Yuanqing's mind clicked into place, understanding: 'Ah, so the Xiahou family wants me to act as a lure to bring out Wang Qian?' Guan Ya nodded. Wang Qian isn't a fool—he certainly won't easily fall for it... Zhang Yuanqing firmly declined: 'Impossible. I won't betray my sources.' Guan Ya paused and added: 'The Xiahou family is a bit demanding. Just keep quiet during the meeting, and I'll handle the pressure with the head of the branch.'