Realm Walker

In the suite of a high-end apartment, Guan Ya sat on the bed, hugging her knees. A tablet was propped up in front of her, playing some urban melodrama about tortured love.

After that little punk Yuanshi had messed with her head, she hadn’t been able to sleep, nor focus on the show. She’d been sitting there for five or six hours straight until even her butt ached.

With a sigh, Guan Ya pinched the bridge of her nose, her alluring face showing traces of exhaustion.

Given her constitution, going two days and two nights without sleep wouldn’t be a problem. The real issue was the gnawing anxiety.

Before this incident, when she scrolled through forum posts and saw news of so-and-so dying in a dungeon, she would at most lament how fickle fate could be. Then out of nowhere, a friend right beside her had gotten swept up in the storm, his fate still unknown.

Honestly, she quite liked the kid. Good looking, young, full of potential, with a witty sense of humor that grew on you the more you talked to him.

Most importantly, he knew how to step on the gas.

In Squad Two, Wang Tai was a brick wall of silence, while Li Dongze fancied himself elegant and considered dirty jokes beneath a gentleman. Only Yuanshi could match her pace and even raise the stakes.

But that fun little guy is probably done for this time.

Guan Ya had never experienced an S-rank dungeon herself, but a cousin in her clan, a woman of extraordinary talent, had been matched into S-rank dungeons multiple times during her Transcendent and Saint stages. Every single run had been a brush with death, and she had once described the difficulty of S-rank Spirit Realms in vivid detail.

Different S-rank Spirit Realms tested different domains. Clearing one S-rank realm didn’t mean you could clear a second, because everyone had weaknesses. No one in this world was a jack of all trades.

Yuanshi had handled the Red Dancing Shoes by relying on his powerful memory, or so he claimed, but that ability wouldn’t necessarily help in Jinshui Amusement Park.

Guan Ya had already braced herself for the worst.

Suddenly, a shrill ringtone blasted out, echoing through the bedroom and making her jump.

Hm? Who’s calling me at this hour?

She whipped her head over to the glowing phone screen, and her beautiful eyes widened. Yuanshi Tianzun!

In that moment, Guan Ya could practically hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.

She fumbled for the phone, took a deep breath, and answered. ”Yuanshi?”

Two syllables in, and she was already holding her breath.

A familiar voice came through the speaker.

—Sis Ya, I cleared Jinshui Amusement Park.

Guan Ya sat there in a daze, a single thought echoing through her mind. He’d cleared another S-rank Spirit Realm!

—Sis Ya? Sis Ya, are you listening?

Zhang Yuanqing’s voice pulled her back to reality.

She burst out, ”You cleared another S-rank Spirit Realm! You little, you little... Do you know what this means? When Squad Leader finds out, he’s going to lose his mind with joy.”

There was a burst of laughter on the other side of the line.

—Yes, I can already foresee what he’ll say. He’ll say, ’Oh my God, Lord above, did you hear my faithful prayers? Yes, you must have heard them...

Also, I’m not little, Zhang Yuanqing corrected silently in his mind.

Guan Ya let out a bright laugh, happily kicking her long legs as she lay on the bed. ”Whatever you do, don’t tease him like that to his face, or he’ll smash your head in.”

Zhang Yuanqing laughed too.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Guan Ya said, ”You haven’t checked the forums, have you? Last night, another official member entered Jinshui Amusement Park. I think his name was River Lord. Everyone who’s due for a Spirit Realm run soon is panicking. Can you tell me about the situation inside Jinshui Amusement Park?”

Dungeon guides and items held an irresistible allure for Walkers, like how a stunning beauty drew a hopeless romantic.

Zhang Yuanqing flatly refused her.

—Nope, can’t tell you.

Guan Ya blinked. She hadn’t expected Yuanshi to refuse. She thought their relationship was solid enough for that.

He snickered.

—Unless you send me a photo of those gorgeous legs in black stockings as a reward.

The open-minded lady clicked her tongue, a smile blooming across her face once more. ”Photos are boring. Why don’t you take a cab to my place right now and I’ll let you look all you want. I’ll even give you a pair of stockings to take home and make silk stocking milk tea.”

Zhang Yuanqing replied with perfect seriousness.

—I think using them for milk tea would be a waste. They’d be much better for polishing a gun.

Guan Ya collapsed onto the bed, her chest trembling with laughter. ”How can you say such things to a lady? Got any more? Give me more...”

***

At seven thirty in the morning, the first thing Li Dongze did upon waking was grab the phone from his nightstand and check for missed calls or unread messages.

His heart sank with disappointment.

”What a troublesome kid,” he sighed, staring at the ceiling for a good ten seconds before finally getting up to dress. His movements were elegant, unhurried, and measured. No matter how foul his mood or how heavy his heart, one must never abandon elegance.

At the dining table, Li Dongze picked at the breakfast his housekeeper had prepared, his mind elsewhere entirely.

It had already been a full night. A Transcendent tier dungeon should have been finished. If there was still no word before noon... His mood grew heavier, and the food lost all flavor.

He set down his chopsticks. ”Clear the table, please.”

The housekeeper acknowledged him from the kitchen and was just about to collect the dishes when the sound of her employer’s phone ringing drifted from the bedroom.

”I’ll go get it—”

She turned toward the bedroom, only to see her employer spring from his chair, his face lit with urgency. ”No, don’t bother!”

The man who prided himself on elegance charged into the bedroom with zero elegance whatsoever.

Li Dongze rushed to his bedside. The caller was listed as ”Yuanshi Tianzun.” His breathing quickened instantly. He snatched up the phone, took a deep breath to keep his voice level, and spoke.

”Yuanshi, are you out?”

His expression was taut.

—Squad Leader, I made it out alive. The moment I got out, I called you right away.

Zhang Yuanqing sounded mentally exhausted. He had been chatting with Guan Ya this entire time and had completely lost track of the hour.

The tension drained from Li Dongze’s face, and he immediately asked, ”Are you hurt? Did you suffer any severe mental shock? Any psychological trauma?”

”Oh, absolutely. In the amusement park, the Ghost Bride was deeply devoted to me, and refused to marry anyone else. I simply couldn’t repay such a beauty’s affection. I feel terribly guilty. I’m deeply psychologically scarred.”

A faint smile crossed Li Dongze’s face. ”Sounds like you’re perfectly fine. That puts my mind at ease. You just got out, so rest at home for now. You can come into the office in a few days, but get the dungeon guide written up as soon as possible and send it to my email. I’ll handle the applications for your rewards and citations for merit. Oh, and do you need any cola? I can have someone deliver a few cases.”

That’s strange, the Squad Leader didn’t say ”oh my God,” Zhang Yuanqing couldn’t help but mutter internally.

—No thanks, Squad Leader. I still prefer the stubborn version of you that says ’go buy it yourself.

Li Dongze resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

After hanging up, Li Dongze took a deep breath, finally unable to contain his emotions any longer.

”Oh, my God,” he muttered, ”Lord above, did you hear my faithful prayers...?”

He had been wrong. This kid wasn’t just talented. He was a prodigy.

Clearing one S-rank dungeon could be chalked up to luck, but clearing two could not be explained so simply. He could absolutely be groomed as a candidate for Steward.

He might even have a shot at reaching the Elder tier.

Among the younger generation of Spirit Realm Walkers in the Five Elements Alliance, Fu Qingyang was the most likely to become an Elder, but even he had only cleared one S-rank Spirit Realm.

***

Fu Qingyang sat at the dining table on the second floor of his villa, wearing a crisp white suit and sporting a short, sharp ponytail, fiddling expressionlessly with his steak and eggs with his knife and fork.

Across from him, Ling Jun was casually dressed in a loose T-shirt and baggy shorts, wolfing down his food with carefree abandon.

Just then, one of the Bunny girls approached with a phone cradled in both hands.

”Young Master, a call from Li Dongze,” she said softly.

Fu Qingyang’s gaze fell on the phone. He set down his cutlery and glanced at his friend, who continued to chew away with gusto, blissfully oblivious to the outside world.

He answered the call, his voice cool and detached. ”What is it?”

—Centurion, Yuanshi Tianzun is out. He cleared Jinshui Amusement Park.

Li Dongze’s voice was particularly loud as he delivered the news.

Clink!

Fu Qingyang glanced at the Flowery Young Master, whose knife and fork had clattered onto the table, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. ”Understood.”

He handed the phone back to the Bunny girl and said with an amused grin, ”That was a bad move on my part. I should have made a bet with you.”

His words said one thing, but his tone was pure delight, without a shred of regret.

”I always thought our Taiyi Sect would be the one to clear those S-rank Spirit Realms eventually,” said Ling Jun, sounding utterly vexed.

He shook his head in anguish. ”Elder Sun, that fool.”

Fu Qingyang looked at him in surprise. ”You knew about this too?”

”Oh, it’s a new meme on our Taiyi Sect forum. I browse the forums from time to time, you know.”

”You people, badmouthing an Elder like that. Aren’t you afraid he’ll punish you?”

”It’s fine, it’s fine. Elder Sun doesn’t know how to use the internet. He can barely operate a phone.”

Ling Jun picked up his cutlery again. ”This time, though, there’ll be no hiding it. When he cleared Sheling Tunnel, he was just a potential prospect worth watching. Now that he’s cleared another S-rank realm, it proves the kid has both brains and potential. He would surely achieve greater things in the future.

He sighed.”Even I’m starting to resent Elder Sun a little now. That being said, after clearing two S-rank realms, his third dungeon is going to be A-rank at a minimum. If he survives, the sky’s the limit. If he doesn’t, well, dying young—

”Hey, where are you going?”

Fu Qingyang was already striding toward the door.

”Reporting to the Council of Elders,” he replied without pausing. ”I’m requesting that his citations for merit and bonus be approved as soon as possible. I need to win him over with generosity first, before your Taiyi Sect tries to poach him. Oh, and if the Taiyi Sect wants the Jinshui Amusement Park guide, it’ll cost extra.”

***

A lakeside villa.

Morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Xie Lingxi stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, her girlish figure not yet fully developed. She lacked the voluptuous curves of a mature woman, but made up for it with the glow of youth, right down to her delicate pink knees.

The man-made lake glittered with light, its surface a shimmering gold. Weeping willows lined the shore, their branches fresh and tender with new growth. The scenery was lovely.

At that moment, a procession of luxury cars wound along the lakeside road toward the villa.

Knock, knock.

A few raps sounded at the bedroom door. Xie Lingxi picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said in a cool, detached voice, ”Come in.”

A female assistant in a fitted blazer pushed the door open and stopped behind her,

”Miss, here is the information you requested,” she said in a respectful manner.

Xie Lingxi didn’t take it. She sat down on the sofa by the floor to ceiling window, still wrapped in her towel, and crossed one slender leg over the other.

”Read it to me,” she said, cold, glamorous, and imperious as a young CEO.

The assistant opened the file. ”Wang Tai. Five Elements Alliance, Songhai Branch. Member of Squad Two in the Kangyang District. His superior is Li Dongze, a Level 3 Scout in the White Tiger Legion. His class is Scholar.

”This is all just basic information. We can only access basic information. Photos, real world identity, and other such things are not available.”

Within official organizations, only this sort of basic personnel data was internally accessible and permissible to be read by all. However, real world identities could only be viewed by a Walker’s direct superior or the Council of Elders. This was standard HR practice.

Scholar? Hmm...

Xie Lingxi grunted in acknowledgment, then spoke again, her tone carrying the commanding air of a mature woman well beyond her years. ”Look into the other members of Squad Two as well. Dig into Wang Tai’s social circle. Also, monitor the official forums of both the Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance for me. The moment there’s any news about Jinshui Amusement Park being cleared, notify me immediately.”

The assistant nodded.

Xie Lingxi continued, ”Arrange a car. I’m going to Songhai. Also, send a formal notice to the Five Elements Alliance Songhai Branch on behalf of the Xie family. This young lady has business in Songhai and would like Wang Tai from the Kangyang District’s Squad Two to receive me.”

The assistant glanced out the window and hesitated. ”The family elders are almost all here. Won’t you see them first? There’s a luncheon as well. After all, you cleared an S-rank Spirit Realm. Everyone is waiting to celebrate.”

Xie Lingxi snorted, dropping her ice queen facade and slipping into the demeanor of a spoiled little girl. ”Waiting for the dungeon guide, more like. I’m only seventeen. What’s wrong with wanting to have a little fun? Great Grandmother dotes on me. She won’t mind.”

The assistant let out a helpless sigh.

***

After reporting to the Squad Leader, Zhang Yuanqing changed into his pajamas, mussed up his hair, and faked a drowsy yawn as he turned the door handle and stepped into the living room.

Grandma was in the kitchen. Grandpa had gone out, and his cousin Chen Yuanjun had already finished breakfast. The only one left at the dining table was Jiang Yu’er, perched on her chair with her legs tucked under her, a fried dough stick pinched between dainty fingers.

She liked to chew with her lips pressed together, and her naturally round face made her look exactly like a little hamster nibbling away.

Hearing the bedroom door open, she looked up and called out in her sweet voice, ”I’m going to eat all the fried dough sticks and leave you with nothing but plain congee—”

She trailed off mid sentence, staring blankly at Zhang Yuanqing.

”What are you spacing out for?” he asked as he sat down beside her.

Jiang Yu’er turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

”Auntie, why are the tips of your ears red?”

”Mind your own business!”