Chapter 19

"Damn, that scared the hell out of me......"

Zhang Yuanqing plopped down on the edge of the bed, his heart racing.

He suspected that if he had returned just a second later, he might have come back as a mangled corpse.

After a long while, when he finally calmed down, he glanced at the red dancing shoes on his feet and almost had a heart attack again.

"Remove, remove....."

The red dancing shoes dissipated into red light.

Phew, almost stomped my foot! Zhang Yuanqing completely relaxed, got up, and walked to the window, gazing at the high-rise buildings outside, the green leaves reflecting a rainbow of colors, listening to the chatter of the elderly in the neighborhood and the faint noise of vehicles in the distance.

It was mealtime, and delivery guys in blue uniforms were riding their scooters through the neighborhood.

From the windows of the neighboring buildings, the sound of vegetables sizzling in hot oil and the clanging of spatulas could be heard.

Life is good, and the big city is even better......

After standing there for a few minutes, he felt that he had completely shaken off the sense of horror.

Calmly, he walked to the mirror to test his skills.

He calmed his emotions, steadied his mind, and silently communicated with the Yin energy within his body.

Soon, Zhang Yuanqing saw his reflection in the mirror being erased inch by inch, disappearing into thin air.

It really works, hehehe......

Nine seconds later, his body reappeared in the mirror.

"Hmm, a bit tired, like running a few laps on the playground......"

Next, he tested the strength of his physical body, easily crushing a battery and cutting a small wound on his hand with a craft knife, which healed in less than five minutes.

Apart from his superpowers, the increase in muscle strength alone had already surpassed that of ordinary people.

As for the other active skill, "Spirit Devouring," he had no opportunity to use it yet because there were no spirits around.

"Now that my physical strength is so powerful, if my old illness flares up, can my body withstand a longer overload state? No, I should think about whether there are doctors in the Spirit Realm and find someone to check my strange illness."

Zhang Yuanqing then opened his inventory to admire his items but did not take them out.

The Demon Subduing Staff was fine, but if he took out the red dancing shoes, what if they demanded he dance with them?

Staring at the Demon Subduing Staff, Zhang Yuanqing fell into deep thought.

"If I remember correctly, the榕树精 (Rongshujing) said that the Demon Subduing Staff is sealed with the Yang soul of the Three Mountains Lady. Will she come looking for me......"

Just thinking about it made him feel scared.

"The NPCs in the Spirit Realm shouldn't be able to appear in the real world, right? The possibility of me entering the Mountain God Temple again is also low. The small Mountain God Temple has already been fully explored and can't support another mission."

Although he said this, he was unsure, and the image of the Three Mountains Lady's smile kept flashing in his mind.

"I'll go to the office later and confirm with Lao Siji and Fanyi Qiang."

At this moment, the doorknob was turned a few times, but since Zhang Yuanqing had locked the door beforehand, the person outside couldn't get in.

"Zhang Yuanqing, why did you lock the door? Are you secretly doing something bad?"

His aunt's sweet and clear voice came through, humming, "It's time to eat."

Zhang Yuanqing realized he was starving, responded quickly, and quickly put away the Demon Subduing Staff, changed out of his dirty and bloodstained clothes into a spring baseball jacket and black athletic pants, and hid the dirty clothes.

He then walked to the door and unlocked it.

His aunt stood outside the door, peering into the room with her round, pretty face, suspiciously asking, "Why did you lock the door?"

"Practicing a divine skill."

"What divine skill?"

"The skill to use the barbarians' strengths to subdue them."

"You little brat, asking for a beating?"

His aunt glared at him, her eyes full of charm, large and bright, without any redness or cloudiness.

The ancients described bright, clear eyes as "autumn water eyes," referring to such bright, large eyes.

At the dining table, Zhang Yuanqing's appetite increased, and his grandmother was both pleased with her improved cooking skills and troubled by the lack of dishes she had prepared.

"School starts tomorrow, so go to bed early. Don't be late when I call you," his grandmother warned.

"I can go to bed early if my aunt doesn't come to my room to play games," Zhang Yuanqing immediately shifted the blame.

His calf was kicked under the table.

"She has to work too," his grandmother turned to her daughter and said, "If you have to work overtime tomorrow, call me in advance."

His aunt was an intern doctor in the obstetrics and gynecology department of a public tertiary hospital. When she was free, she was very free, but when she was busy, she was more exhausted than a corporate slave.

"Try to interact more with male colleagues. There should be many male doctors pursuing you in the hospital," his grandmother probed.

"Mom, you're thinking too small. Men who bring their wives for check-ups often secretly ask for my contact information," his aunt said, pinching her waist proudly.

His grandmother raised her hand, and his aunt shrank her head, quietly eating.

While the mother and daughter were talking, Zhang Yuanqing's mind was on what he needed to do in the afternoon.

"After eating, I'll contact Guanya and tell the official that I successfully completed the mission. I also need to write a report on the dungeon. I wonder if the first kill report is worth anything and how much credit it can earn."

"I should also mention the awakening of the Mountain God Lady. I can't forget it; it feels like a hidden quest."

After eating and solving his hunger, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room and found his phone was dead.

He had been so preoccupied with the Spirit Realm that he forgot to charge his phone.

After charging it, he saw several missed calls.

Caller ID: Guanya

Two of them were an hour ago, when he was still in the Spirit Realm, and the other three were two minutes ago.

"Are you so eager to confirm if I'm dead?" Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, lightly tapping his finger and calling Guanya back.

......

A two-story building, the glass walls reflecting the sunlight.

In the spacious and luxurious office, Li Dongze finished his lunch, glanced at his wristwatch, and leaned on his cane to walk to the office area.

"Guanya, have you heard from Yuanshi?"

This was the third time he asked the same question.

Although he didn't have much hope, the matter was not settled, and it kept nagging at him.

Li Dongze had already written an apology letter, waiting for the result to admit his mistake to the Centurion. He had been careless and lacked the professional skills of a scout.

As for Yuanshi Tianzun, although he felt sorry, the trial mission initiated by the character card was beyond human control.

"His phone is off," Guanya shook her head. "I've already called him five or six times."

Unable to contact him...... Li Dongze seemed to have expected this, silently exhaling.

"Let's wait a bit longer, a bit longer....."

"Okay, Centurion," Guanya smoothed her hair, smiled, and comforted, "Before the result is out, anything is possible, like Schrödinger's cat. Until the box is opened, you never know if it's alive or dead."

Wang Tai, standing nearby, couldn't help but speak up:

"Schrödinger's cat isn't used that way...... From a probabilistic standpoint, without special means and help, his chances of completing the She Ling Tunnel are almost zero."

Guanya and Li Dongze's faces darkened: "Shut up!"

Did I say something wrong again...... Wang Tai silently lowered his head.

This social cripple! Li Dongze and Guanya criticized in their minds.

After working together for so long, they had long given up on cultivating Wang Tai's emotional intelligence.

Guanya felt that interesting and uninteresting souls were immediately contrasted. Look at Yuanshi, handsome and with a pleasant voice. If he could become a colleague, work wouldn't be so boring.

Unfortunately, his luck was bad.

If he can't be contacted by the end of the day, there's no hope...... Guanya sighed, lazily leaning back in her soft chair, her ample chest stretching her white blouse tight.

"Report to me immediately if you have any news."

Li Dongze was about to turn and leave when Guanya's phone on the desk suddenly rang.

Li Dongze stopped, his eyes fixed on Guanya's phone.

Caller ID: Yuanshi Tianzun.

Li Dongze's breathing quickened.

Guanya sprang up from her chair, causing the desk to clatter, and the items on it to fall over.

Her beautiful eyes wide open, her face filled with shock and joy.

She grabbed her phone and looked at Li Dongze.

Li Dongze's face was tense, and he said, "Speaker!"

His voice was low and serious.

The two of them looked grave, as if they were dealing with a ransom call.

Guanya answered the call, her voice filled with anticipation and suppressed joy:

"Yuanshi?"

"I completed the trial mission and came out of the Mountain God Temple," Zhang Yuanqing's voice came from the speaker.

Guanya and Li Dongze were both stunned.

Wang Tai, who had been engrossed in data, suddenly looked up, his face showing shock and surprise.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Li Dongze's mustache twitched visibly, and he exclaimed:

"Oh, God! Did you hear my prayer? This is unbelievable, oh, my God, I can't believe it's true."

He quickly realized his outburst and tried to compose himself, "Elegant, be elegant....."

Li Dongze knew what completing the She Ling Tunnel meant. A S-level Spirit Realm that Taiyi Sect deemed impossible to complete had been conquered, which would attract high-level attention. Although Yuanshi was a newcomer, it was foreseeable that he would become a well-known Spirit Realm Walker.

Moreover, the information and items contained in an S-level Spirit Realm were substantial and valuable.

Official organizations and civilian groups were keen on conquering high-difficulty Spirit Realms, especially the first kill, as it was the fastest and most effective way to strengthen their organizations.

The last and most important point was that in the Songhai region, there were only a few Night Roaming God trial Spirit Realms. The existence of the She Ling Tunnel bug had cost the official organization many potential Night Roaming Gods.

If they had a detailed strategy, the number of Night Roaming Gods born each year would increase.

Although the rewards after the Spirit Realm was conquered would not be as generous as the first kill, the official organization valued the increase in the number of Night Roaming Gods.

This was enough to attract the attention of the Five Elements Alliance's Elder Council.

"How did you do it......" Guanya murmured.

"It's not that hard. I passed it easily, heh, it's just a matter of having legs," Yuanshi Tianzun said, fitting his ID.

Guanya was speechless, unsure if he was joking or being a show-off. In her impression, Zhang Yuanqing was a smart college student, good at socializing, but not particularly extraordinary.

Her liking for this new colleague was limited to his pleasant voice and humor, not his abilities.

Now, she needed to reassess this new Night Roaming God.

"Very good, very well done." Li Dongze excitedly tapped his cane and said urgently, "Come to the office immediately, right now."

"Okay," Zhang Yuanqing said.

After ending the call, Wang Tai couldn't help but say:

"He has abilities beyond the ordinary, though we don't know what they are yet. Centurion, it seems you've picked up a freak."

Li Dongze's smile spread uncontrollably, and he coughed, displeased, "What freak? He's a genius!"

After saying this, he hurriedly walked to his office, as if he had something urgent to do.

Li Dongze felt that the title of the apology letter should be more elegant, like: "I'm sorry, Centurion, I accidentally picked up a freak."

He was already eager.