Realm Walker

Guan Ya's spinning pen froze mid-twirl, and she fixed him with a meaningful look. "Why do you ask? The Xiahou family won't come after you again, so don't worry. In fact, the other factions within the Xiahou family would probably love to sit down and share a drink with you."

Zhang Yuanqing returned her meaningful gaze. "I just want to know."

She considered this for a moment, then lowered her voice. "Come with me."

She rose from her office chair, heels clicking sharply against the floor as she walked toward the restroom.

Wait, were they going to do this in the restroom? Wouldn't it make more sense to go downstairs? Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Wang Tai, who sat hunched over his work, then hurried after the open-minded lady.

The two slipped inside one after the other, and Zhang Yuanqing shut the door behind them.

Guan Ya folded her arms across her chest. "The founding ancestors of every existing Spirit Realm noble family, including the five official Alliance Chiefs, were all part of the first generation of Spirit Realm Walkers. Well, the White Tiger Legion Marshal wasn't among them. That first generation appeared during the final years of the Qing Dynasty and the early Republic."

Zhang Yuanqing's expression grew pensive. He fell silent for a long time, massaging the bridge.

"So that's how it is," he finally murmured.

Her answer untangled a knot that had plagued him for weeks. Spirit Realm Walkers hadn't existed since time immemorial. Character Cards were a modern phenomenon, which meant that in ancient times, those who acquired these different class powers must have advanced through breathing exercises and traditional cultivation.

What he'd read in the journal from the Temple of the Three Paths Mountain Goddess and the Yin Yang Hermit's Chronicle of Sixty Years of Cultivation were not some fabricated backstory invented by the Spirit Realm. Ancient people really had cultivated that way. The likelihood that the old monk and the Yin Yang Hermit were real historical figures had just skyrocketed.

More importantly, this explained the suspiciously advanced concept behind Character Cards. It was even possible that the Spirit Realm had undergone updates over the years. The earliest version probably hadn't included so many attributes.

Guan Ya studied him, then smiled. "This is classified information. The official line is that the Spirit Realm has existed since antiquity. I only know the truth because of my family connections. Technically, I'm not supposed to tell you any of this, so keep it to yourself."

Zhang Yuanqing bowed his head eagerly. "Thank you for the honor, Sis Guan Ya. From now on, I'm your loyal lapdog."

Her meaning was crystal clear. We're close, so I'm telling you about this. Simple as that.

Guan Ya giggled. "Oh? And how exactly do you plan to be loyal?"

I could show you right now, Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

Then she hit the brakes, the mirth vanishing from her face, replaced by a sharp, serious expression. "You've noticed something, haven't you?"

Zhang Yuanqing kept his voice low. "Don't you think the existence of Morality points within the system is illogical? The fundamental nature of this world is survival of the fittest. Since the dawn of time, humans have built tribes, dynasties, and governments. These organizations established order, but at its core, the strong still rule. These organizations are powerful enough to set the rules, and the concept of morality makes up part of those rules. Someone powerful still has to be sitting above it all."

His eyes narrowed. "The Spirit Realm isn't some supernatural phenomenon. It was created by someone."

Guan Ya studied him carefully, a glimmer of genuine admiration in her eyes. "Impressive. Very sharp. You've been a Spirit Realm Walker for less than two months, and you've already grasped this. Most people never bother thinking about things that don't directly affect them. Even the ones who wonder about it don't dig any deeper. They just go with the flow."

Zhang Yuanqing went on to tell her about the journal from the temple on Three Paths Mountain and the Yin Yang Hermit's Chronicle.

Guan Ya's brow furrowed deeply. "I hadn't heard about any of that, but it tracks. Hmm, what do you think 'a great change has swept through heaven and earth' means?"

Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "Sis Guan Ya, when did you lose your brain? That question's way above our pay grade. The Yin Yang Hermit lived through that era, and even he didn't understand it. How would I know?"

"So what if I don't have a brain?" Guan Ya snapped back. "You got a problem with that?"

A brain's a nice thing to have, sure, but with a chest like that, you can probably get by without one, he thought to himself.

"Someone so beautiful doesn't need a brain. It's actually better that way," he said aloud instead.

Guan Ya rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated huff. "I'll take that as a compliment. What I mean is, if heaven and earth changed and the ceiling for cultivation dropped, then why can people suddenly cultivate again now?"

"Because the Spirit Realm appeared," Zhang Yuanqing answered instantly.

Guan Ya nodded. "Then how did the Spirit Realm appear?"

She paused for a moment to let things sink in. "That's an even broader question, but we can still tease out a few things. For example: Who created the Spirit Realm? How did they create it? And what was the purpose?"

The open-minded lady's three questions sent Zhang Yuanqing into deep thought.

After a brief pause, he said slowly, "First, the people of the Ming Dynasty definitely weren't the creators. If they'd had that kind of power, they wouldn't have been limited by the Age of Dharma Decline."

The Yin Yang Hermit's cultivation had been first rate for his time, yet even he could only lament his fate with a mournful sigh. And someone like the old monk, a reclusive master who had been hiding his true depth, had still been absorbed into the Spirit Realm. The more Zhang Yuanqing thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

Guan Ya blinked. "Age of Dharma Decline? I like that term."

"Oh, I picked it up from the web novels I read. But rather than asking how the Spirit Realm was created, I think the better question is how that being who created it reversed the Age of Dharma Decline. And actually, Sis Guan Ya, do you think the Age of Dharma Decline itself might have been caused by that same being?"

"Go on," Guan Ya said.

"As for why the Spirit Realm was created, I have two lines of thinking. One, we can study Spirit Realm Walkers themselves. Two, we can try to decrypt and research the Spirit Realm directly." Zhang Yuanqing chose to expand on the second thread. "For instance, is there some universal trajectory or mission that all Spirit Realm Walkers share? There has to be a reason behind creating them. My hunch is... to perpetuate the conflict between the different alignments."

Guan Ya narrowed her eyes. "Why do you think that?"

"Because in ancient times, cultivators of both Lawful and Evil factions didn't seem to be given missions in which they had to kill those of the opposite alignment. Whenever killing occurred, it was the Lawful cultivator choosing to punish an Evil counterpart because of some moral conviction. Between Spirit Realm Walkers, though, the conflict between the two sides is much more structured. There are Reputation point rewards, Morality point rewards, and even forced PvP battles within dungeons. That last point is even compulsory. Of course, this is all just speculation. I don't have hard evidence."

"You know quite a lot, kid," Guan Ya remarked. "Is all this from that Chronicle of Sixty Years of Cultivation?"

"Sis Guan Ya sees right through me," Zhang Yuanqing acknowledged, then continued, "When it comes to the second angle, decrypting the Spirit Realm, all the information I have comes from within the Spirit Realm itself. The dungeons actually provide a lot of subtle clues, and item descriptions do the same. There are constant references to 'an unfathomable existence' or 'a great and supreme being.' How do I put this? It feels like the Spirit Realm doesn't mind us trying to figure it out."

Guan Ya gave a slight nod. "Remember what Li Chunfeng said? Dungeons at the Transcendent tier are set in either modern or Ming Dynasty backdrops."

Which meant that at the Saint and Sovereign tiers, dungeons would feature other historical periods. And what kind of information might lie hidden within those far more ancient settings? Zhang Yuanqing couldn't begin to guess, but a sudden realization struck him, and a jolt ran through his heart.

"You're saying the upper echelons of the Five Elements Alliance may have already unraveled the Spirit Realm's secrets."

Guan Ya smiled. "At the very least, they know more than we do."

Concluding that they'd covered enough ground, she schooled her expression and warned him sternly, "Don't breathe a word of this to anyone. Not a single person. That includes the squad leader."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded, and her stern look melted back into a beaming smile. "Good boy. Oh, by the way, I was chatting with Queen earlier, and she told me something interesting."

"Something interesting?"

"A while back, Yuan Ting got hauled off by Elder Sun. After that, hardly anyone in the Taiyi Sect's forums and group chats dared to say 'Elder Sun, you fool!' anymore. But starting yesterday, the meme came roaring back to life." Guan Ya laughed as she walked toward the door. "This time, I doubt even Elder Sun can stamp it out. You killing Li Xianzong in that dungeon made too big of a splash."

Zhang Yuanqing was speechless.

***

Out in the office area, Li Dongze emerged from his inner office and poked his head around the corner.

When he didn't see Guan Ya, he turned to Wang Tai and asked, "Yuanshi still hasn't shown up? Wang Tai, where did Guan Ya go?"

"The two of them snuck off to the restroom together," Wang Tai replied matter-of-factly without looking up.

"What?" Li Dongze thought his ears were playing tricks.

"The two of them snuck off to the restroom together. It's been over ten minutes," Wang Tai repeated himself.

"Oh, dear God. Those two..."

When had they gotten together? Was it the shared ordeal in Yin Yang Town that helped them cast off the shackles of propriety?

Just then the restroom door swung open, and Guan Ya walked out with Zhang Yuanqing trailing behind her.

Zhang Yuanqing raised a hand in greeting. "Squad Leader!"

Li Dongze leaned on his cane and said in a serious tone, "I just got word from Centurion Fu. You're to head to Fu Family Bay immediately once you show up."

So, the centurion wanted to see him?

Zhang Yuanqing grunted in acknowledgment. "Should I head over now?"

Li Dongze gave a small nod, glanced at Guan Ya settling back into her seat, then turned his gaze to Zhang Yuanqing. "Our work has always been fairly flexible. When there's no urgent business, it's okay to take things easy. It's not as though you're short on time. There's a hotel right outside the Bureau. Next time, please use it."

With that, he picked up his cane and strode back to his office.

Zhang Yuanqing stood there, utterly bewildered. Huh? What was that all about?

***

In his courtyard in the capital, beneath a scholar tree, Elder Sun lay in a rocking chair, enjoying the cool breeze. A gentle wind stirred the branches, dappling the ground with shifting shadows. Leaves rustled softly overhead, mingling with the bright voices of children calling, "Grandpa! Grandpa!"

Footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard gate, and the cheerful clamor died at once. A black-clad middle-aged man stepped over the threshold, crossed the yard, and stopped before the rocking chair, bowing respectfully.

"Elder Sun, Yuan Ting has completed his ten days in the training camp. He understands his mistake."

Elder Sun waved his palm leaf fan, nodding slightly. "And how is Yuan Ting's cultivation progressing?"

The man straightened. "He's made tremendous gains across the board. He may be ready to participate in the June slaughter dungeon."

"Excellent!" Elder Sun's eyes were half-closed, his words measured. "I sent him to the training camp to temper him. It was for his own good."

"Elder Sun's intentions are most benevolent," the man said immediately.

"The ten days are up. Let him go home."

Elder Sun paused, as though something had just occurred to him. "By the way, has anyone been talking behind my back lately?"

This particular question had weighed heavily on Elder Sun at first. But after the video of Yuan Ting suffering through grueling drills had been circulated as a cautionary tale, not a soul in the Taiyi Sect dared crack jokes about him anymore. He'd gradually stopped paying attention, though out of habit he still asked each day.

The black clad man hesitated. "Well..."

Elder Sun's eyes snapped open. Gone was the lazy retiree. His gaze cut like a blade, and a cold smirk twisted his lips.

"Oh? Which bold little brat has been running his mouth about me?"

The man swallowed. "Everyone has been running their mouths about you. The mockery has come roaring back."

Elder Sun shot to his feet, the rocking chair groaning beneath him, shock and fury warring across his face. "What happened?"

"It's like this. The day before yesterday, Yuanshi Tianzun entered Yin Yang Town and encountered Li Xianzong inside the dungeon..."

The man recounted the full history of the feud between them, sparing no detail.

"Our colleagues all believe Yuanshi Tianzun is a once in a generation genius," he concluded. "Some even say he could become the next Fu Qingyang. So..."

So Elder Sun, you are a fool!

As a Sovereign, Elder Sun naturally didn't concern himself with petty squabbles between juniors. Now that he'd heard the full story for the first time, he stood slack-jawed, realizing that all his efforts over the past days had been for nothing.

He slammed the armrest of his rocking chair. "Outrageous! Keep Yuan Ting there another ten days! Double the training intensity! And post a video to the forum daily! If anyone is still mocking me after that, I will settle accounts with them one by one!"

The man bowed and withdrew.

***

Fu Qingyang sat behind the desk in the study of his private Fu Family Bay villa, dressed in a crisp white suit, his chiseled features as sharp as a marble sculpture. He regarded his trusted subordinate in front of him.

"You're Level 3 now, which qualifies you for a direct promotion to captain," he said. "Unfortunately, there are no captain vacancies in Kangyang District at the moment, so by the rules, you'd have to wait. But you're not like the others. Elder Sun has agreed to stand up an entirely new official squad for you.

"You may select one subordinate freely. As for the rest of the roster, you'll have to recruit yourself."

"I want Guan Ya," Zhang Yuanqing said without hesitation.

Fu Qingyang arched an eyebrow, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes. "Oh? Why Guan Ya?"

Because she's capable and efficient, obviously. It's not like I'm trying to become your brother-in-law, Zhang Yuanqing grumbled internally, then said aloud, "Centurion, has it occurred to you that after June, I might already be a steward? At that point, you could just hand Squad Two over to me."

Fu Qingyang broke into a rare smile. "I was thinking the same thing. So let's wait until you clear the slaughter dungeon and advance to the Saint tier. By then, I'll already be an elder, and I can appoint you to take over my seat as Kangyang District Steward."

Zhang Yuanqing blinked, caught completely off guard. Hold on, weren't you supposed to give me that dismissive look and lecture me about not getting ahead of myself?

Fu Qingyang regarded him with calm indifference. "I recognize your talent, and I can admit you can stand shoulder to shoulder with the person I once was. And for geniuses like us, what is there that we can't accomplish?"

I was wrong! Compared to you, I'm practically a paragon of humility!

"Centurion Fu, you are absolutely right, but I believe you're actually mistaken about one thing," Zhang Yuanqing declared loudly.

Fu Qingyang frowned. "Where am I wrong?"

"I still fall well short of you. It would be more accurate to say that I am someone who almost measures up to Centurion Fu."

Fu Qingyang laughed. "We'll set that aside for now. There's another matter. The Tiger Seal arrived in Songhai yesterday. The full inspection begins today, with each district taking its turn. Kangyang District's slot is the day after tomorrow."

Zhang Yuanqing felt an instinctive chill prickle down his spine. The full inspection was finally underway.

"Understood!"

Fu Qingyang nodded. "Go home and get some rest over the next two days."

After Zhang Yuanqing left, someone else knocked at the study door. Ling Jun, scion of the Taiyi Sect Master, shuffled in wearing flip-flops, loose cropped pants, and a mess of unkempt hair, radiating an air of total indifference.

"Elder Sun just contacted me. He wants me to pass along a message. During the full inspection, make sure you ask Yuanshi whether he's truly Demon Lord's successor," Ling Jun said as he plucked a bottle from the liquor cabinet. "A genius like that warrants a few extra rounds of vetting. Under the influence of the Tiger Seal, no one can lie. If he passes this check, he can finally sever any connection to Demon Lord for good."

Fu Qingyang considered this briefly, then gave a slight nod. "Very well."

***

Zhang Yuanqing walked slowly along the street outside Fu Family Bay, his brow furrowed in thought.

The only real secret I have left is that I'm the Demon Lord's successor. The Red Dancing Shoes, the Demon-subduing Awl, all of that's already been disclosed. At most, there's my contact with Aunt Xiao Yuan. That's the tricky part. Any contact with Evil-class Walkers is considered a serious issue within the Five Elements Alliance. It would be a major disciplinary problem even without deep ties or the exchange of money or favors.

The biggest headache is the issue around Demon Lord's successor. I still don't know where the Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance stand on it. One thing's for certain, though. Demon Lord operated on too high a level. If the authorities are hostile toward his successor, the Merit I've accumulated probably won't be enough to save me.

After all, this Demon Lord issue touched upon the Spirit Realm's deepest secrets.

If they had a favorable view toward Demon Lord's successor, they wouldn't be so cagey about it. Ugh, this is a mess. On the bright side, this inspection could finally reveal what's behind my recurring headaches. Ordinary medicine hasn't been able to find the cause. Surely Spirit Realm Walker methods can turn something up.

His mysterious condition was a burden on his entire family, a nightmare that had haunted him for years.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his phone and dialed Aunt Xiao Yuan's number on his unregistered SIM card.

When in doubt, consult the expert. And while he was at it, he could ask Xiao Yuan if she wanted to join his guild.

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