"Damn it, you scared the hell out of me..."
Zhang Yuanqing plopped down hard on the edge of the bed, his heart pounding like crazy.
He suspected that if he had returned even a second later, he might've come back as nothing but a broken corpse.
After finally calming down, his eyes caught the red dancing shoes on his feet, nearly sending him into another panic attack.
"Deactivate, deactivate..."
The red shoes dissolved into a flash of red light.
Whew, almost stomped my foot off! Zhang Yuanqing finally relaxed completely, stood up, and walked to the window. He gazed out at the towering skyscrapers, the green leaves reflecting a dazzling spectrum of colors, listening to the chatter of old neighbors in the courtyard and the distant hum of passing cars.
It's still the human world, still the big city… so good.
He stood like that for a few minutes before finally shaking off the lingering horror.
Once calm, he eagerly went to the mirror to test his powers.
He settled his emotions, calmed his mind, silently communicating with the Taiyin energy within.
Soon, he saw his reflection start to be erased inch by inch, disappearing into thin air.
He really could turn invisible. Hehe…
Nine seconds later, his body was redrawn in the mirror, fully visible again.
"Hm, a little tired... feels like I ran a few laps around the track."
Next, he tested his physical strength, easily denting a battery with his fingers, then cutting a small wound on the back of his hand with a utility knife — which healed completely in under five minutes.
Putting aside the supernatural, just his increased muscle strength alone had already surpassed ordinary humans.
As for his other active skill, "Soul Devour," he hadn't had a chance to use it yet since there were no spirits nearby.
"Now that my body's so strong, if I trigger an old injury, can it handle longer overloads? No, what I really need to think about is whether there's a doctor class in the Spirit Realm Walkers. I have to find someone to check my weird sickness."
He then opened his inventory to admire his items, but didn't take any out.
The Demon Subduing Pestle was fine, but if he pulled out the red dancing shoes, what if they demanded he dance with them?
Staring at the pestle, Zhang Yuanqing fell into thought.
"If I remember right, the Banyan Tree Spirit said the pestle sealed the Yang soul of the Three Mountain Goddesses. Will one of them come looking for me...?"
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
"NPCs in the Spirit Realm probably can't appear in the real world, right? And I doubt I'll be going back to the Mountain Shrine anytime soon — the little shrine's already fully explored, it can't support another quest."
Though he said that, his mind was unsettled, constantly flashing images of the Three Mountain Goddesses' smiles.
"I'll head to the office later to confirm with Lao Siji and the translation freak."
Just then, the doorknob rattled several times. But because Zhang Yuanqing had locked the door from the inside, the person outside couldn't get in.
"Zhang Yuanqing, why'd you lock the door? Are you secretly up to no good?"
His aunt's sweet, clear voice teased, "Dinner's ready."
Only then did Zhang Yuanqing realize he was starving. He quickly replied multiple times, stowed away the Demon Subduing Pestle, took off his dust- and blood-stained clothes, changed into a spring baseball jacket and black sports pants, and hid the dirty clothes.
Then he went to the door and unlocked it.
His aunt stood outside, peeking into the room with her round, pretty egg-shaped face, suspiciously asking, "Why'd you lock the door?"
"Practicing divine arts."
"What divine arts?"
"Using the enemy's skill against the enemy."
"You brat, asking for a beating?"
His aunt glared fiercely, her eyes bright and charming — big, round, and clear, without a single bloodshot or haze. The ancient saying "autumn water bright eyes" described exactly these sparkling eyes.
At the dining table, Zhang Yuanqing devoured the leftover food, his appetite increased sharply. Grandma was pleased that her cooking skills were improving but worried she didn't cook enough.
"You start school tomorrow, go to bed early tonight. Don't make me wake you up," Grandma warned.
"If my aunt doesn't come into my room to play games, I can sleep early," Zhang Yuanqing quickly shifted the blame.
He got a kick under the table.
"She has to work, too," Grandma said, turning to her daughter. "If you have to work overtime tomorrow, call me ahead of time."
His aunt was an intern obstetrician at a public top-tier hospital. When not busy, she was very free, but when busy, she worked harder than a corporate slave.
"Try to get along more with the male colleagues. There must be many male doctors chasing after you," Grandma probed.
"Mom, your mind is too small. Even men who come with their wives for checkups ask me for my contact info secretly," his aunt said proudly, hands on hips.
Grandma raised her palm; his aunt ducked her head silently, resuming eating.
As the women chatted, Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts drifted to what he had to do this afternoon.
"After dinner, I'll contact Guan Ya to tell the official I cleared the dungeon, and write a report. Wonder if the first-clear report is valuable and how many merit points it can get."
"I also have to mention the Mountain Goddess waking up — can't forget. I feel like it's a hidden quest."
After finishing his meal and settling his hunger, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room and found his phone was dead.
He had been too busy with Spirit Realm matters to charge it.
After plugging it in, he saw four or five missed calls.
Caller ID: Guan Ya
Two were from an hour ago — when he was still inside the Spirit Realm — and the other three from two minutes ago.
"Were they so anxious to check if I'm dead?" Zhang Yuanqing thought, rolling his eyes. He tapped the screen and called Guan Ya back.
...
A two-story building with glass walls reflected the sunlight.
Inside a spacious, luxurious office, Li Dongze had just finished lunch, glanced at his watch, and walked with his cane toward the workspace.
"Guan Ya, any news from Yuanshi?"
This was his third time asking the same question.
Though he wasn't hopeful, he couldn't stop worrying until things were settled.
Li Dongze had already prepared an apology letter, ready to admit his mistake to the Centurion — that this time he was careless and lacked the scout's professionalism.
As for Yuanshi Tianzun — while he felt pity for the kid, the trial quest triggered by the character card was beyond normal human ability.
"His phone's off," Guan Ya shook her head. "I've called him five or six times."
No contact... Li Dongze seemed to have expected this, silently sighing:
"Wait a bit longer, wait a bit longer..."
"All right, Chief," Guan Ya flicked her hair, smiled reassuringly, "Until the results come out, anything is possible. Like Schrödinger's cat — until the box is opened, you never know if it's alive or dead."
Wang Tai nearby couldn't help but speak up:
"That's not how Schrödinger's cat works... statistically speaking, without special measures, the chance he cleared Sheling Tunnel is almost zero."
Guan Ya and Li Dongze shot him a dark look.
"Shut up!"
Did I say something wrong again... Wang Tai silently lowered his head.
This social idiot! Li Dongze and Guan Ya cursed silently. Having worked together for so long, they had given up on raising Wang Tai's emotional intelligence.
Guan Ya thought it was easy to tell interesting souls from boring ones. Look at Yuanshi — handsome, smooth talker — if only he could be a colleague, work wouldn't be so dull.
Too bad, luck wasn't on his side.
If he still couldn't be reached by the end of the day, then there was no hope at all...
Guan Ya sighed, lazily reclining in the soft chair, her ample chest straining her white blouse.
"Report immediately if there's news," Li Dongze said.
He turned to leave, but then the phone on the desk suddenly rang.
Li Dongze stopped in his tracks, eyes fixed on Guan Ya's phone.
Incoming call: Yuanshi Tianzun.
Li Dongze's breathing quickened.
Guan Ya shot up from her chair so fast it slammed against the desk, causing everything on it to topple.
Her wide eyes filled with shock and joy.
She grabbed the phone, glancing at Li Dongze.
Li Dongze's face tightened.
"Put it on speaker."
His voice was low and serious.
Both wore grave expressions as if they were taking a kidnapper's call.
Guan Ya answered, holding back her excitement:
"Yuanshi?"
"I cleared the trial quest and came out of the Mountain Shrine," Zhang Yuanqing's voice came from the speaker.
Guan Ya and Li Dongze froze.
Wang Tai, oblivious to the outside world, suddenly looked up, shock and disbelief written all over his face.
After a stunned pause, Li Dongze's mustache twitched visibly as he exclaimed:
"Oh God! Did you hear my prayers? This is unbelievable! Oh, man, I can't believe it's real."
Then catching himself, he quickly regained composure.
"Keep it elegant, keep it elegant..."
Li Dongze knew what clearing Sheling Tunnel meant — an S-rank Spirit Realm considered impossible by the Taiyi Sect had been conquered, which would surely draw intense attention. Although Yuanshi was a rookie, he was destined to become a well-known Spirit Realm Walker overnight.
Besides, the information and loot inside an S-rank Spirit Realm were solid gains, and certainly generous.
Official groups or private factions alike eagerly pursued difficult Spirit Realms, especially for first clears, as it was the fastest way to strengthen their organizations.
Most importantly, in Songhai region, there were only a few trial Spirit Realms for Night Tour Gods, and the Sheling Tunnel bug had caused the official group to lose many potential Night Tour Gods.
Having a detailed strategy would increase the number of Night Tour Gods born each year.
Though rewards would be less after being cleared, the officials valued the increase in Night Tour Gods above all.
This would surely catch the attention of the Five Elements Alliance elders.
"How\... how did you do it?" Guan Ya murmured.
"No big deal, I breezed through it. Heh, as long as you've got legs, you can pass," Yuanshi Tianzun said, matching his username perfectly.
Guan Ya was speechless, unsure if he was joking or subtly bragging. Her impression of Zhang Yuanqing was that of a smart college student, good at socializing, but nothing extraordinary.
Her fondness for the new colleague was mostly for his charming way of speaking and humor, not his abilities.
Now, she had to reevaluate this new Night Tour God.
"Good, very good," Li Dongze nodded excitedly, tapping his cane. "Come to the office immediately, right away."
"Got it," Zhang Yuanqing replied.
After ending the call, Wang Tai couldn't help but say:
"He has abilities beyond normal people, though we don't know in which aspect yet. Chief, looks like you found yourself a freak."
Hearing this, Li Dongze's grin spread uncontrollably.
Clearing his throat, he scowled:
"Freak? He's a genius!"
Then, as if having urgent business, he hurried toward his office.
Li Dongze thought the apology letter title should be more elegant, something like: "Sorry, Centurion, I Accidentally Found a Freak."
He couldn't wait.