In a suite of a high-end apartment, Guan Ya sat on the bed hugging her knees, a tablet playing a city melodrama in front of her.
After that mind game from Yuan Shi, she couldn't sleep, nor could she focus on the show. She'd been sitting there for five or six hours straight—her butt even started to ache.
"Sigh…" Guan Ya pinched the bridge of her nose, her delicate face showing faint signs of fatigue.
With her constitution, two full days and nights without sleep wouldn't faze her. The problem was the anxiety. Previously, when she lurked in forums and saw people dying in dungeons, she just felt how unpredictable fate was.
But suddenly, her friends got caught up in the chaos, their life and death uncertain.
To be honest, Guan Ya quite liked that kid. He looked good, was young, had great potential, spoke humorously—she found herself liking him more and more.
The key was, he really knew how to step on the gas.
In Team Two, Wang Tai was a quiet type, Li Dongze prided himself on being refined and thought dirty jokes were unladylike; only Yuan Shi could tolerate her boundaries and turn a joke into something clever.
But this interesting little guy was probably going to crash and burn this time.
Guan Ya hadn't experienced an S-rank dungeon herself, but her clan had a senior cousin with exceptional talent. That cousin had faced several S-rank spirit realms during the transcendence and saint stages, each time narrowly escaping disaster, and had described the extreme difficulty of S-rank spirit realms in detail.
Different S-rank spirit realms tested different aspects. Clearing one didn't guarantee you'd clear the next—everyone had weaknesses; no one was a perfect master of all.
Yuan Shi's success against the Red Dancing Shoes relied on his strong memory (his own claim), but that ability might not work in Jinshui Amusement Park.
Guan Ya was already preparing for the worst.
Suddenly, a piercing ringtone echoed through the bedroom. Guan Ya jumped.
Huh? A call now? She blinked, glanced at the brightened phone screen—and saw it was Yuan Shi Tianzun!
At that moment, Guan Ya felt like she could hear her heart pounding wildly.
Flustered, she grabbed the phone, took a deep breath, and answered, "Yuan Shi?"
Just two words, and she held her breath.
"Sister Guan Ya, I cleared Jinshui Amusement Park," came the familiar voice through the speaker.
...Guan Ya sat dumbfounded, only one thought echoing in her mind: He cleared another S-rank spirit realm!
"Sister Guan Ya? Sister Guan Ya, are you listening?"
Zhang Yuanqing's voice pulled her back to reality. Guan Ya exclaimed:
"You cleared another S-rank spirit realm? You little rascal, you little rascal...
"Do you know what this means? If Chief knows, he'll be insanely happy."
"Yes, I've already predicted what he'll say," Zhang Yuanqing chuckled, "He'll say: 'Oh my God, dear heavens, did you hear my loyal prayers? Yes, you definitely heard them...'"
By the way, I'm not a little rascal, he mentally corrected.
Guan Ya laughed twice, kicked her long legs happily: "Just don't joke like that in front of Chief, or he'll smash your head."
Zhang Yuanqing laughed too. Unable to hold back curiosity, Guan Ya asked:
"You didn't check the forum, right? Last night another official entered Jinshui Amusement Park, someone called Hebo. Those colleagues about to enter the spirit realm are all nervous. Can you tell me what's going on in Jinshui Amusement Park?"
Spirit realm strategies and props had huge appeal to spirit walkers, like a stunning beauty to a pervert.
"No way, can't tell you," Zhang Yuanqing flatly refused.
Guan Ya was taken aback. She thought they were close enough.
"Only if you send me a picture of your black silk legs as a reward," Zhang Yuanqing teased.
The sly lady snorted and smiled again:
"Photos are boring. Better if you come over to my place now, I'll let you see plenty. I'll even give you a pair of stockings to take home for your milk tea."
Zhang Yuanqing replied seriously, "I think using stockings to make milk tea is a waste. Better to use them to clean guns."
Guan Ya lay on the bed, laughing so hard her chest shook, "How can you say that in front of a lady? Got more? More?"
...
At 7:30 a.m., the first thing Li Dongze did after waking was grab the phone on the bedside table, checking for missed calls and unread messages.
He couldn't hide his disappointment.
"What a troublesome kid…"
He sighed, stared at the ceiling for several seconds, then got up and dressed. His dressing was elegant, unhurried and composed, no matter how bad his mood or heavy his heart.
One must never give up elegance.
At the dining table, Li Dongze ate breakfast prepared by the housekeeper but wasn't focused on food.
The transcendence-level dungeon should be done by now; if there was no news before noon... his mood grew heavier, food tasteless. He put down his chopsticks:
"Clear the dishes."
The housekeeper in the kitchen responded, about to clear the table when the employer's phone rang from the bedroom.
"I'll get it…"
She turned toward the bedroom but saw the employer suddenly jump up, face excited.
"No, don't bother!"
Then, the usually elegant employer dashed ungracefully into the bedroom.
Li Dongze rushed to the bedside, saw the caller ID: "Yuan Shi Tianzun." His breath quickened, and he grabbed the phone to answer, taking a deep breath to keep his voice calm:
"Yuan Shi, you're out?"
His face tightened.
"Chief, I came out alive," Zhang Yuanqing said in a tired tone, "I called you as soon as I got out."
He and Guan Ya had been chatting so long they'd lost track of time.
Li Dongze's tense face relaxed immediately, and he asked:
"Any injuries? Any intense mental shocks or psychological scars?"
"Yeah, the ghost bride in the park was passionately devoted to me, insisting I'm the only one she'll marry. It was hard to reject such a beauty's affection. I feel deeply guilty and have lingering psychological trauma."
"Looks like you're fine, that's a relief," Li Dongze smiled a little.
"Rest at home for a few days first. You can come to the company later, but write the strategy guide soon and email it to me. I'll apply for your rewards and merits. By the way, do you need Coke? I'll have some sent over."
Strangely, Chief didn't say "Oh my God"…
Zhang Yuanqing muttered in his heart, "No thanks, Chief. I prefer your stubborn 'go buy it yourself' attitude."
Li Dongze: "..."
After hanging up, he took a deep breath, losing control of his emotions:
"Oh my God, dear heavens, did you hear my loyal prayers..."
He was wrong—this kid wasn't just talented, he was a genius.
Clearing one S-rank dungeon might involve luck, but clearing two? That's no accident. He could be trained as a future steward.
He even had hope to break into the elder level.
Among the young generation of spirit walkers in the Five Elements Alliance, Fu Qingyang was the most promising elder candidate, but even he had only cleared one S-rank spirit realm.
...
On the second floor of a villa, at the dining table, Fu Qingyang wore a white suit and a neat short ponytail, expressionless as he cut eggs and steak with a knife and fork.
Opposite him was Ling Jun, casually dressed in a loose T-shirt and shorts, eating ravenously.
Just then, a bunny girl holding a phone approached softly:
"Young master, Li Dongze is calling."
Fu Qingyang's gaze fell on the phone, he put down his knife and fork, glanced at his carefree friend who was oblivious to the outside world while devouring food.
"What is it?" He answered coldly.
"Centurion, Yuan Shi Tianzun is out. He cleared Jinshui Amusement Park." Li Dongze's voice was especially loud.
Ding dong… Fu Qingyang glanced at the knife and fork dropping onto the table, a smile tugged at his lips:
"I know."
He handed the phone back to the bunny girl with a smile:
"Miscalculated, I should have bet with you."
He spoke cheerfully, with no regret at all.
"I always thought those S-rank spirit realms would eventually be cleared by our Taiyi Sect…"
Ling Jun sighed with frustration:
"Elder Sun is clueless."
Fu Qingyang was surprised:
"You know about this too?"
"Oh, it's a new meme on our Taiyi forum. I visit the forum sometimes."
"You guys criticize the elder like that, aren't you afraid he'll punish you?"
"No worries, Elder Sun doesn't use the internet and barely knows how to use his phone." Ling Jun picked up his knife and fork again:
"But this time it's hard to hide. He was a potential candidate when he cleared She Spirit Tunnel, and now clearing another S-rank confirms he's smart and talented. His future achievements won't be low. I'm starting to regret Elder Sun myself.
"Anyway, after two S-rank completions, the third mission will at least be A-rank. If he makes it, the sky's the limit; if not, he'll die young… Hey, where are you going?"
Fu Qingyang kept walking out:
"Reporting to the Elders' Council, applying for merits and bonuses early. Before you Taiyi people poach him, I have to win him over with virtue. Oh, and if Taiyi wants the Jinshui Amusement Park strategy, they'll have to pay extra."
...
Scattered Province, lakeside villa.
Morning sunlight streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows. Xie Lingxi wrapped in a bath towel stepped out of the bathroom. Her youthful figure hadn't fully developed yet—not as voluptuous as a mature woman, but beautiful in her freshness, with tender knees.
The artificial lake shimmered in the light, golden water, willow trees by the shore budding tender branches—scenery delightful.
At this moment, luxury cars drove along the lakeside road toward the villa.
Knock knock~
The bedroom door was knocked softly. Xie Lingxi raised a teacup, took a sip, voice cool:
"Come in."
Her assistant in a small suit pushed the door open and stopped behind her respectfully:
"Miss, here is the information you requested."
Xie Lingxi didn't take it. Sitting on the sofa by the window, still wrapped in the towel, crossing her slender legs, she looked cold and regal like a CEO:
"Tell me."
The assistant flipped open the files:
"Wang Tai, Five Elements Alliance Songhai Branch, Health Care Zone Team Two member, under the 3rd-level scout Li Dongze, profession Scholar.
"These are the basic details; that's all we can find. Photos and real identity are not available.
"In the official organization, such basic info is public internally, part of personnel records.
"But real identities are only accessible to direct superiors and the Elders' Council."
Scholar... Xie Lingxi nodded with an air of dominance:
"Check the other members of Team Two, and Wang Tai's social circle. Keep an eye on the Taiyi Sect and Five Elements Alliance official forums. Notify me immediately if there's news about Jinshui Amusement Park being cleared."
The assistant nodded.
Xie Lingxi continued:
"Arrange a car. I'm going to Songhai. Also, on behalf of the Xie family, send a formal greeting to the Five Elements Alliance Songhai branch. I want Wang Tai from Health Care Zone Team Two to come receive me."
The assistant hesitated, looking out the window:
"The elders of your family are almost all here. Won't you meet them first? There's a banquet at noon. Everyone is waiting to celebrate your S-rank spirit realm clearance."
"Waiting for the strategy, more like," Xie Lingxi snorted and dropped the icy demeanor, putting on a playful fragile girl act:
"I'm only 17, it's normal to be a little playful. The ancestors love me, they won't blame me."
The assistant sighed helplessly.
...
After reporting to Chief, Zhang Yuanqing changed into pajamas, tousled his hair, yawned pretending to be sleepy, then turned the door handle and came into the living room.
Grandma was in the kitchen, Grandpa had gone out, cousin Chen Yuanjun had eaten breakfast. At the table, only Jiang Yuer was squatting on a chair, daintily pinching a fried dough stick.
She liked to eat with her lips pursed, her round face made her look like a little hamster nibbling.
Hearing the bedroom door open, Jiang Yuer looked up and coquettishly said:
"I'm going to eat all the fried dough sticks so you'll have to drink plain congee…"
She suddenly fell silent, staring blankly at Zhang Yuanqing.
"Daydreaming again?"
Zhang Yuanqing sat beside her.
"Auntie, why's your ear red?"
"Mind your own business."