The sound of knocking echoed in the quiet office, and a black Unusual One with fine eyes and a broad face glanced at his subordinate. A middle-aged woman, careful and composed, approached the door edge, her voice low: "Who is it?" A deep, familiar voice resonated from outside: "It's me!" The woman’s face lit up with joy and hurried to open the door. He had a good relationship with the person known as *person*, and within his small group, the preferences of the people like *Unimpeded* were gradually being assimilated by the leader, Black Unusual One—so much so that normal women now held little appeal. Only *person* and the woman remained deeply interested in human partners, while showing hesitation toward female animals. In the dark outside, *person* stood silently, his gaze coldly scanning both Black Unusual One and the woman, as if confirming something. Seeing her colleague's expression of detachment and unfamiliarity, the woman felt a sudden surge of unease—then she saw *person* pull out a clay statue from his pocket. It was a giant with only his upper body exposed, carrying a mountain and moving forward with difficulty. To both Black Unusual One and the woman, this scene was astonishing. Then *person* tossed the statue into the office. Thud! The statue landed heavily, making a dull sound. Immediately afterward, both Black Unusual One and the woman were "frozen" in place—shaking violently, their shoulders bearing the weight of the mountain, unable to move. Standing outside, *person* drew his hand gun from his waist, aimed it at the woman's head, and calmly fired. "Click... click..." The bullets pierced into her skull, splintering the cranial bone and showering blood and brain tissue. At that moment, only about half of the woman’s body had transformed into rigid keratin—the rest remained soft—and she was instantly taken from life. *Person* then turned his gun toward the innermost Black Unusual One, firing all remaining rounds. Yet these bullets did not harm the Saint in any way—no matter how strong he was, even without transformation, a Wu Gu Master could easily withstand such impacts with sheer physical strength. Seeing no effect from the gunfire, *person* collapsed straight to the floor. In the dark outside, a white-robed figure stepped slowly forward. Black Unusual One looked at this approaching form and said: "The *skill* is in my inventory. If I die, it will be reclaimed by the Spirit Realm." Fu Qingyang extended his hand, catching a bronze eight-sided sword, then calmly added: "It makes no difference." Returning to the Spirit Realm means that for an extended period, no Wu Gu Master will acquire this *prop_type*. Black Unusual One sneered and declared loudly: "Did you hear that? The Five Elements Alliance wishes to return the *skill* to the Spirit Realm." ... At the convenience store, Zhang Yuanqing finished his noodle soup and ordered another hot pot. Leaning against the counter, he chatted warmly with the staff lady. "Oh," she said, "your son is in the Business School, isn't it? The Business School is excellent—there are so many beautiful girls there. I'm sure your son's girlfriend must be very lovely." Zhang Yuanqing said, expressing admiration. "Ah," sighed the woman, appreciating how well the young man spoke. "So, what university do you attend?" Zhang Yuanqing said with a touch of wistfulness: "I never attended university—I graduated from high school and began working right away. So I always thought college graduates were elites. My dream used to be to enter Songhai University." "Songhai University," she responded, adding with reassurance, "that's no ordinary institution now. In today’s world, even degrees aren’t as valuable anymore—once you enter society, you have to rely on yourself." She had grown proud of her son, who was only a typical university graduate—her mood lifted significantly. "Yes, yes," Zhang Yuanqing nodded eagerly, "you're absolutely right—the one with experience. May I have an extra spoonful of soup?" The woman served him the request. "Thank you. Your food is delicious—I’d like to take a string of kelp as well." She hesitated slightly before handing over a string. Zhang Yuanqing sipped his hot, spicy soup and continued chatting with the lady when suddenly, an intense wave of dizziness hit him. Battle has begun! Indeed, Black Unusual One was hidden at Songhai Third Primary School—Zhang Yuanqing remained calm on the surface, quietly summoning Xiao Douchibi to observe. He intended to watch from the perspective of a *Spirit Servant*, as the sense of being detached from real-time observation was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Should anything go wrong, timely awareness would allow him to respond more effectively. Also, he hoped to witness combat by high-level *Realm Walkers*. Xiao Douchibi lay on the ground, his head lifted with great interest—his bright eyes filled with hunger for the snacks and beverages displayed on either side of the shelves. You can’t eat anything—you must go about your duties! Zhang Yuanqing instructed. Well, I’ll just buy some snacks later, eat them right before you, and give you a good taste experience... he thought to himself. With reluctance, Xiao Douchibi climbed out of the store and disappeared into the night. ... As Black Unusual One shouted, a stream of crimson flame surged from afar and exploded beside Fu Qingyang—like a burst of fireworks, illuminating the quiet campus instantly. Among the flaring flames, a tall, broad-shouldered figure emerged. He did not advance to engage the famed master of the *Master of the Realm*, known for his dominance below the *Dominant Level*—instead, he reached out and firmly grasped. From the scattered flames, one by one, flame arrows formed, pointed downward, aimed directly at Fu Qingyang. Facing this elite scout from the peak of the *Sage*, a close-range assault was not wise—even if he were a Fire Master. "Are you a steward from which branch of the Five Elements Alliance? Or a Fire Master personally trained by the Dark Night Rose?" Fu Qingyang stood with his sword in hand, deeply under pressure but unflinching in expression. The masked man’s voice was rough and hard to distinguish: "You don’t need to know." With a firm press of his clenched fist, he unleashed a cascade of flame arrows. Fu Qingyang walked through the “arrow shower,” shifting side-to-side or stepping back, his bronze eight-sided sword creating shimmering trails as each arrow struck the blade and burst into bright sparks. He operated like an exceptionally powerful computer—calculating precisely every falling trajectory of each arrow. At this moment, Black Unusual One seized the opportunity and began to step steadily out of the office—one step at a time, trembling slightly. The Fire Master from Dark Night Rose had provided him with crucial time. "I underestimated you," he murmured, his abdomen swelling into a spherical form before rising up and settling in his throat. "Ah—!" He coughed violently, expelling a frog the size of a football. "Giggle... giggle..." The frog shook its belly, producing loud sounds, then opened its wide mouth to emit dense purple mist. This mist spread like smoke throughout the campus, gathering into layers and forming a low-hanging "cloud layer," quickly causing vegetation to wither and lose vitality. Fu Qingyang frowned—this was not just a defense against poison; it required active response beyond mere evasion. Suddenly, the purple mist began flowing toward one corner of the campus—as if through an outlet—it poured rapidly outward. Black Unusual One’s face changed slightly—he turned to look at this "outlet," where a three-meter-tall human-shaped flesh figure stood, opening its mouth and greedily consuming the mist. This potent poison that even the *Sage* would hesitate to confront had no effect on this figure whatsoever. "Is it the *Gust Master*?" Black Unusual One’s voice became sharp: "How could you be here? Fu Qingyang—you’ve secretly allied with the Gust Master! Excellent indeed—what a young man from the Fu family, what a steward of the Five Elements Alliance!" The Fire Master scoffed: "As for me, the Fu family—isn’t it fair we’re equal? Who’s more noble than whom? At least the Dark Night Rose remains part of the *organization*, and your lowest-level subordinate is beneath even mine." ...Fu Qingyang remained silent—choosing not to explain. The Gust Master laughed heartily: "You're absolutely right, Fu Qingyang. Thank you for providing me with this intelligence—I will surely repay you well." With each laugh, the Gust Master absorbed the mist, his body swelling and rising as if preparing for a powerful attack. Then, fine streams of blood-mist began to spray from his pores—forming a five-meter-tall, faceless giant. As a *Master of the Dominant Level* in Wu Gu, the Gust Master could theoretically eliminate an entire district of Songhai—but such operations were often coarse. For a truly skilled master, precise control over mist and subtle techniques were far more impressive. In comparison, Black Unusual One—still at the *Sage* level—was clearly less capable. The blood-mist giant moved with light grace, approaching Black Unusual One step by step. At that very moment, a bright, clear column of sunlight descended from the deep night sky, striking directly at the Gust Master. "Shhh... shhh..." The mist melted in the golden light—the Gust Master roared with pain. *The Power of the Sun!* At the instant this beam appeared, the *Guardian Deputy* revealed his position—he stood atop the teaching building, dressed in a black cloak and wearing a black mask, overseeing all below. A delicate thread of red light extended from the wind—like a gentle touch—and then exploded into thousands of such threads, radiating outward like intense beams of radiation, clustering and spreading toward the Guardian Deputy. The origin point of these threads was a woman dressed in a long gown styled after the Song Dynasty, wearing a silver mask. She stood poised above the ground, her sleeves fluttering with grace. The Guardian Deputy vanished from sight—then reappeared half-way through the air, his ankle now bound by one fine thread as thin as a hair—that very thread had pulled him out of *Night Wanderer* state. "Hmph!" A sound escaped from the back of his nose. Suddenly, that single red thread surged with bright, glowing flame and melted effortlessly. At this moment, a sigh echoed through the night sky: "Today—what a collection of divine beings and strange figures!" As she spoke, the vegetation throughout campus revived—new sprigs of green appeared; tree seedlings pushed through concrete, growing into towering trees within seconds. The entire primary school was now enveloped in dense forest life, vibrant and full of energy. Moreover, animal silhouettes descended from above—one group of monkeys gathered in clusters, others standing upright at two meters tall—brown bears, majestic white elephants, and solitary spotted tigers—all with blank, distant eyes, solemnly observing the living beings on the ground. At the outer iron fence, infant spirits rounded and cute, nestled within the gaps, trembling slightly as they gazed inward. The body of *Spirit Servant* was Zhang Yuanqing’s consciousness. Right now, his mind held only one thought: I don’t understand—but I am deeply moved. It wasn't necessary to display overwhelming power to be considered a true strong presence—just the aura and skills exhibited by these high-level *Realm Walkers* deeply stirred Zhang Yuanqing. Especially when the forest emerged and animals appeared, Zhang Yuanqing realized that the school had been sealed off. A pale, translucent veil now encircled it. "The elders of the Bǎi Huā Association are higher in rank than I expected—this is both good and bad." Good: it meant Black Unusual One and members of Dark Night Rose would have difficulty escaping soon. Bad: if official forces gained control, even if Master of Zhishake Palace obtained the *skill*, she’d still have to make concessions. Only hope she'd be wise enough to destroy the *skill*. Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing noticed Xiao Douchibi had moved away from the fence and was crawling toward the crossroads outside the school. This wasn’t something Zhang Yuanqing was controlling—it wasn’t even a personal decision of Xiao Douchibi’s—it felt more like an instinct... After a brief moment of surprise, Zhang Yuanqing instantly understood what was happening—on this critical moment, Xiao Douchibi's *Treasure Seeking* instinct had been triggered. The infant spirit was still young—only just mastering the ability to *Exchange*, and could not yet control higher-level *Treasure Seeking*. Something nearby seemed to have drawn his attention—activating that innate sense of discovery.