Chapter 21: Different

Chapter 21: Differences

Zhang Yuanqing was about to speak when the office door went “knock knock” twice. The three looked toward the sound to see Wang Tai standing in the doorway, holding a computer, and saying:

“Can I come in and listen?”

After saying this, he fell silent, waiting for a reply.

Li Dongze pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:

“Come in, and help Yuanshi prepare the strategy report while you're at it.”

Wang Tai breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't one for joining in the fun, but the S-level Sheling Tunnel, as a bug in the Night Wanderer trial domain, was an excellent research topic, and he couldn't resist the temptation to listen in.

Zhang Yuanqing weighed his words, and after Wang Tai took his seat, he began to recount his experience in the mountain temple in a measured tone.

He omitted the function of the Demon-Subduing Pestle, only saying it was a prop that could restrain dark entities.

As for the Red Dancing Shoes, he handled it vaguely as well, saying that he had been trained by his uncle since childhood, was proficient in singing, dancing, and rap, and had an amazing memory, so he barely managed to crack the rules of the Red Dancing Shoes.

He also naturally hid the matter of the exclusive reward from the role card, because that would reveal that he had obtained the Red Dancing Shoes.

He had learned from Guan Ya to conceal some key information.

Rule-based props are exceptionally precious. While the Five Elements Alliance might not necessarily trade props for five hundred yuan and a small banner, you still had to be cautious.

As for the resurrection of the Three Paths Mountain Goddess, he planned to bring it up separately later for a thorough discussion.

During this process, Wang Tai listened while frantically typing away to record everything.

Li Dongze listened patiently, and then, fingering the handle of his walking stick, said:

“That prop that restrains dark entities should be a reward for clearing the instance, and it must be a prop of no low rank.”

Guan Ya quickly chuckled and said:

“You little rascal, it's an S-level trial mission. How could it only give you a little experience?”

She was teaching Zhang Yuanqing that when lying, one should tell nine truths and one falsehood, and not overdo it.

...Zhang Yuanqing's smile didn't change: “Oh, I forgot to mention the prop. That prop is indeed a reward for clearing the instance.”

He didn't even flush or his heart skip a beat.

Li Dongze didn't bother about it and continued:

“Looking at it this way, the difficulty level of the Sheling Tunnel should be reduced.”

“Why do you say that?” Zhang Yuanqing asked, puzzled.

Li Dongze explained patiently:

“We joke that the spirit realm is a game, but after all, it's just a joke. In the spirit realm world, props are very rare, each one is unique and cannot be replicated.

“Since you have brought out that prop, then in the future, the part about killing the tree demon might disappear, and the difficulty of the Sheling Tunnel will naturally decrease.”

Taking advantage of Li Dongze's drinking, Guan Ya added:

“Let me tell you about the knowledge of spirit realm instances. The instances of the spirit realm are constantly adjusted. For example, if you conquer a mountain temple and take away a prop from it, then its difficulty will surely decrease. Or if you die in the spirit realm and your prop is obtained by some eerie being inside, it becomes more powerful, and then the difficulty of the instance will increase. The Red Dancing Shoes are the best example.

“Also, in the same instance, different levels receive different missions. I once went to a wilderness survival instance. I had read the strategy guide in advance. In that instance, the senior was a hunter, tasked with killing nine murderers in the jungle. But when I entered the instance, I found that I was just one of the nine murderers, and my mission was to survive for thirty-six hours. This was because my level was lower than that senior's. So, strategy guides can only serve as references, to help us understand the instance and know some basic information and dangers.”

“It won't decrease,” Wang Tai said. “Because the Red Dancing Shoes are still there.”

Guan Ya and Li Dongze glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and remained silent.

Wang Tai, completely oblivious, continued:

“It's a bit strange. Such data, such gains, such information don't match the S-level difficulty. Are you hiding something?”

This is too blunt. You're making everyone uncomfortable... Zhang Yuanqing coughed:

“It's not hiding. I was just about to say that in the cave, besides the tree demon, there was a stone coffin.”

“A stone coffin? What was in the stone coffin?” Li Dongze leaned forward and asked urgently.

Wang Tai also stopped typing.

Guan Ya looked very curious.

S-level spirit realms usually come with some important information, and it might very well be an earth-shattering secret.

Official organizations, civilian organizations, and even evil organizations—their understanding of the spirit realm comes half from observation and summarizing patterns, and the other half from information obtained within the spirit realms.

Thus, step by step, they unlock the secrets of the spirit realm.

No spirit realm walker can resist such temptation.

“In the stone coffin lay the Three Paths Mountain Goddess. After I opened the coffin, she, she awakened...” Zhang Yuanqing still felt a lingering fear when recalling it now.

Li Dongze's pupils contracted slightly, and he exclaimed involuntarily:

“She awakened?”

He abruptly stood up, as if he could no longer sit still, and paced back and forth in the office, leaning on his walking stick, frowning.

After a while, Li Dongze said solemnly:

“Perhaps we were all wrong. According to the information about that goddess, she must be a high-level Night Wanderer. Now that she has awakened, there are only two possibilities.

“One, the mountain temple will undergo earth-shaking changes, no longer a Night Wanderer trial domain, but a high-level spirit realm instance.

“Two, the mountain temple will still be downgraded, but given that goddess's rank, a new, high-level spirit realm instance will inevitably appear.

“For the upper echelons of the Taiyi Sect, this information about the change of an instance related to their own occupation is extremely important.”

Guan Ya was envious and said:

“The more important the information, the more rewards the organization will give you.”

Money? More money? Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of delight, but then he said worriedly:

“That old crone dead for centuries even smiled at me. I always feel that she will come for me. I'm uneasy.”

If the banyan tree spirit hadn't lied, the Demon-Subduing Pestle contained half of the goddess's yang soul. Then she would definitely, certainly, and absolutely come for him.

But Zhang Yuanqing did not mention this to his colleagues.

Wang Tai comforted him with genuine sincerity:

“Don't be so confident. At your level, you won't encounter such a big shot.”

If you can't talk, then shut up... But Zhang Yuanqing nodded with grateful expression, indicating that the words comforted him.

Guan Ya asked with a smile:

“Is that goddess pretty?”

Zhang Yuanqing turned his head to look at her: “Prettier than you.”

Wang Tai added sincerely from the side:

“Her research value is also higher than yours.”

The old driver exploded in rage:

“Get lost!”

...

Capital city, a courtyard house.

The sun was brilliant, a large locust tree bathed in sunlight, its leaves shimmering with colorful rays.

A breeze blew, shaking the branches and leaves, producing the giggling laughter of children.

Elder Sun under the locust tree fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, gently rocking in his chair. On the side table next to him were a tea set and an old-fashioned radio.

A middle-aged man in black hurriedly stepped over the threshold, entered the yard, and reported in a low voice:

"Elder Sun, news came from Songhai that someone has passed the Shelin Tunnel Spirit Realm."

The waving fan stopped abruptly. The white-haired old man suddenly opened his eyes, emitting two dazzling golden rays. The children's voices in the locust tree seemed startled, exclaiming in surprise, then fell silent together.

The old man sat up from the rocking chair, staring at the middle-aged man. "That Night Wanderer recruited by the Fu kid?"

The middle-aged man nodded.

The old man was stunned for a moment, then slapped his thigh with the fan and cried out in anguish:

"I missed it, I missed it..."

The last time the middle-aged man saw Elder Sun so regretful was when he played the stock market.

The old man was silent for a moment, then said:

"I recall that the steward of Kangyang District in Songhai City is Yuan Ting. Notify everyone not to spread this matter. Otherwise, where would I put my old face."

"But..."

"But what?"

The middle-aged man was about to answer when the phone in his pocket rang. He took it out, glanced at it, and said:

"It's Elder Heishan."

"Answer it."

The call connected. As soon as the old man took the phone, a roar came from the other end:

"Old Sun, what have you done? Lending out the Shelin Tunnel instance privately is one thing, but you actually agreed to Fu Qingyang's request not to take that Night Wanderer. Do you know how big a mistake you made?"

Elder Sun was stunned for a second. "How come you old fellow already know about it?"

"Don't you mind how I know. Do you know how long it's been since the Taiyi Sect recruited a talented Night Wanderer? I'm going to report you to the Sect Leader right now."

The call ended.

Veins bulged on Elder Sun's forehead.

At that moment, the phone rang again. The middle-aged man looked at it:

"Elder Hongying."

"Answer it..."

"Uncle Sun, I heard that the Shelin Tunnel was conquered? That Night Wanderer, you specifically refused?"

"......"

"Uncle Sun, you need to atone for this."

"......"

...

"Elder Sun, I heard you turned away a genius Night Wanderer?"

"Bastard, when did it become your place as a steward to interrogate me?"

"Ah, Elder Sun, don't misunderstand. I'm just curious."

...

"Elder Sun, I heard you..."

"Get lost!"

In a few minutes, he had received five or six calls.

The middle-aged man in black silently watched Elder Sun. The last time he was this upset was when he used leverage to trade stocks.

Elder Sun took a deep breath, returning to their previous topic, and asked:

"You were going to say 'but'?"

The middle-aged man hesitated. "If Yuan Ting knows, that means everyone knows."

Elder Sun's blood pressure instantly skyrocketed.

The phone rang again.

Elder Sun was about to hang up, but saw the caller was Fu Qingyang. He slowly exhaled, calmed his emotions, and answered the call:

"Kid, are you calling to laugh at an old man too?"

"Laugh at you..." A clear, cool voice came through the phone, articulating each word. "I wouldn't do something so boring. I'm here to return a favor. The guide report for the Mountain God Temple is written. I've sent it to your email."

Fu Qingyang said calmly, "I think this information should be very important to your Taiyi Sect."

Elder Sun immediately became interested. He quickly hung up and looked at the middle-aged man. "How do I open the email?"

The middle-aged man silently took the phone, logged into the email, opened the file, and silently handed it back.

Elder Sun squinted, reading the content word by word.

He read calmly, his expression unchanged. For a Spirit Realm Walker of elder level, a trial-level spirit realm was mere child's play.

But when he saw the information about the resurrection of the Goddess of Three Mountains, his face drastically changed.

Creak—Elder Sun jumped up from the rocking chair, his expression grave.

"Elder?" the middle-aged man asked in astonishment.

"The ancient Sun Walker has awakened..." Elder Sun's gravity was mixed with worry. He transformed into a beam of golden light, shot into the sky, and disappeared.

That was the direction of the Sect Leader's residence.

...

A two-story building.

Zhang Yuanqing sat at his own desk, skillfully turned on the computer, and following Guan Ya's guidance, opened the internal forum of the official Five Elements Alliance organization, browsing through the pinned posts one by one.

They were all basic information about the Spirit Realm world.

He first looked up 'Spirit Realm Types'. As Li Dongze had said, spirit realms are divided into 'Single-Player Type' and 'Multi-Player Type'. Single-player types usually only feature spirit realms unique to that profession, for example, the Single-Player Spirit Realm for a Night Wanderer at the transcendent level is psychic/horror type.

Multi-player types are divided into two: team combat and team adventure.

The former is a confrontation between Spirit Realm Walkers within a special spirit realm, while the latter faces the dangers within the spirit realm. Some are death-type, some are non-death-type.

The punishment mechanism for non-death types is deduction of experience points.

Additionally, the scenes in multi-player spirit realms are diverse, and the 'gameplay' varies.

Next, he read the post on 'Level Classification'. This post was very simple, with the following content:

[Transcendent Stage: Levels 1-3.]

[Saint Stage: Levels 4—6.]

[Note: For stages after Saint, please click the link below.]

Zhang Yuanqing clicked the link, only to be prompted that his permissions were insufficient.

Hate permission trolls… he grumbled inwardly with discontent, and helplessly browsed other posts.

["Complete Guide to Spirit Realm Walker Classes"]

[Orderly Classes: Nightwalker, Scout, Wood Goblin, Water Ghost, Fire Master, Earth Goblin, Musician, Scholar.]

[Evil Classes: Seductive Demon, Witch Doctor, Illusionist.]

If he remembered correctly, Wang Tai was a Scholar, and what class was Musician… Only three evil classes? No wonder Guan Ya said the official organizations were the hunters… Zhang Yuanqing's gaze moved down, and he saw something astonishing.

[Note: To inquire about foreign classes, please click the link below.]

Unsurprisingly, his permissions were insufficient.

"There are Spirit Realm Walkers abroad too, with classes different from ours?" Zhang Yuanqing raised his head, looking at the back of Guan Ya's head in front of him.

What the hell, they even have a domestic server and foreign servers?

The seasoned driver turned her head and laughed:

"Why would you think only our country is special?"

This… Zhang Yuanqing was speechless.

He had to revise his understanding of the Spirit Realm again.

If the Spirit Realm covered the entire globe, if there were other Spirit Realm Walkers and other classes abroad, then the structure of the Spirit Realm world, whether instances or reality, was more complex than he had imagined.

"Spirit Realm Walkers have a strong sense of territory. Official organizations from different countries almost never interact, except to combat evil organizations. So for now, you don't need to worry about foreign Spirit Realm Walkers. This is not something a Transcendent like you needs to consider." Guan Ya said.

Zhang Yuanqing hummed in acknowledgment, and clicked on "Nightwalker" to view the description of his own class.

["Nightwalker, the favored of Lunar Yin, the elf of the night, skilled in assassination and controlling dark spirits. The class mark is a black crescent. It is one of the top classes among the Orderly classes, with extremely formidable combat power."]

["Every Nightwalker is a born assassin, and their ability to control dark spirits makes them even more troublesome. Nightwalker is the class name for the Transcendent stage. After Level 3, you can change class."]

[Note: To view the name of the Nightwalker class change, please click the link below.]

Zhang Yuanqing tapped away for a long time, only for a dialog box to pop up saying permissions were insufficient.

Damn permission troll! He barely stopped himself from cursing.

Wait, why did it feel like something was off? Zhang Yuanqing suddenly started, and reread the description, realizing where the problem was.

The class mark is a black crescent? But that night I clearly saw that the mark on my forehead was a black full moon.

What's going on, is my character card different from others?

Zhang Yuanqing instinctively looked up at the back of Guan Ya's head, wanting to ask.

……