Chapter 144: Speculations About the Spirit Realm
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Guan Ya paused her pen, looked at him with meaningful eyes, and said, "Why are you asking this? The Xiahou family won't trouble you anymore, so you don't need to worry. To be precise, other factions of the Xiahou family might even want to have a friendly chat with you over drinks."
Zhang Yuanqing looked at her with a meaningful gaze and said, "I just wanted to know."
Guan Ya pondered for a moment and then whispered, "Follow me."
She got up from her office chair, walked to the bathroom in high heels, and her footsteps echoed softly.
Huh? Talk in the bathroom? Wouldn't it be better to talk downstairs? Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Wang Tai, who was busy with something, and quickly followed Old Siji Guan.
The two of them arrived at the bathroom one after the other, and Zhang Yuanqing closed the door.
Guan Ya crossed her arms and said, "The current ancestors of the Spirit Realm families, including the five official alliance leaders, are all part of the first generation of Spirit Realm travelers, except for the Marshal of our White Tiger Corps, of course. The first generation of Spirit Realm travelers emerged in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China."
Zhang Yuanqing's expression changed.
He remained silent for a long time, pinching his brow and said, "I see."
Guan Ya's answer resolved the long-standing mystery that had been bothering him.
Spirit Realm wasn't a phenomenon that existed since ancient times; the concept of character cards appeared in modern times. This meant that if there were various professions in ancient times, their method of advancement indeed relied on cultivation through meditation and practice.
The notes from the Mountain God Temple and the Taoist records of the Hermit of Yin and Yang contained information that wasn't fictional but a genuine description of how people practiced in ancient times.
The possibility of Old Baozi and the Hermit of Yin and Yang being real individuals had greatly increased.
Moreover, this could explain the concept of character cards and the possibility of updates in the Spirit Realm.
The initial versions didn't have as many attributes.
Guan Ya examined him and smiled, saying, "This information is confidential. Officially, it is claimed that the Spirit Realm has always existed. I only know this because of my family connections. Normally, I shouldn't be telling you this. Remember to keep it a secret."
Zhang Yuanqing quickly replied, "Thank you, Guan Ya. From now on, I'll be your loyal follower."
She made her intentions clear: our relationship is good, so I'm telling you this.
Guan Ya chuckled and said, "How are you going to be a follower?"
Now, she could tease Zhang Yuanqing a bit.
Guan Ya suddenly slammed on the brakes, stopped smiling, and said seriously, "Have you noticed something? Don't you find the existence of moral values in this world unreasonable? The essence of this world is survival of the fittest. Throughout history, humans have formed tribes, dynasties, and governments, and these organizations have established order, essentially with the strong as the rulers."
"Because these organizations are strong enough, they create rules, and the existence of moral values is a part of these rules. Thus, there must be strong entities above them. So, the Spirit Realm is not a supernatural phenomenon at all; it's something created by humans."
Guan Ya furrowed her brow and asked, "What do you mean by 'the end of days'? The essence of this world is survival of the fittest, from ancient times to the present. Humans have formed tribes, dynasties, and governments, and these organizations have established order, essentially with the strong as the rulers."
"Because these organizations are strong enough, they create rules, and the existence of moral values is a part of these rules. Thus, there must be strong entities above them. So, the Spirit Realm is not a supernatural phenomenon at all; it's something created by humans."
Guan Ya examined him closely and said with admiration in her eyes, "Not bad, very perceptive. You've only become a Spirit Realm traveler for less than two months, and you've already realized this issue. Most people won't think about things that don't concern them, and even if they have doubts, they won't delve deep into it; they'll choose to go with the flow."
Zhang Yuanqing then proceeded to tell Guan Ya about the Three Mountains' notes and the Taoist records of the Hermit of Yin and Yang.
Guan Ya frowned and said, "I haven't heard of this, but it makes sense. Do you think you can decipher what 'changes in the heavens and earth' mean?"
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "Guan Ya, have you suddenly lost your mind? This question is on a much higher level. Even the hermits from that era didn't know. How could I know?"
Guan Ya asked angrily, "Losing your mind, what's the matter with that? Do you have a problem with it?"
Having a mind is a good thing, but with a chest as large as yours, you can do without it. Zhang Yuanqing said, "Being this pretty without a mind is even better."
Guan Ya rolled her eyes and said, "You're just complimenting me. What I meant is, since there have been changes in the heavens and earth and the upper limit for cultivation has decreased, why can people cultivate now?"
Zhang Yuanqing immediately answered, "Because the Spirit Realm appeared."
Guan Ya nodded and said, "So how did the Spirit Realm appear? Well, this is an even higher-level question, but we can still speculate some things from it. For example, who created the Spirit Realm? How was it created? What was the purpose of creating the Spirit Realm?"
These three questions from Old Siji Guan plunged Zhang Yuanqing into deep thought.
After about a dozen seconds, he slowly said, "First of all, the ones who created the Spirit Realm definitely weren't the people from the Ming Dynasty; if they had that ability, they wouldn't have been limited to the End of Days era."
The Hermit of Yin and Yang's cultivation level was already top-notch in that era, and even he sighed in despair.
And reclusive experts like Old Baozi, who remained hidden, were also included in the Spirit Realm, which was quite frightening.
"End of Days era?" Guan Ya was momentarily taken aback. "That's an interesting way to put it."
"Oh, I read it in online novels," Zhang Yuanqing continued his analysis. "I think rather than thinking about how the Spirit Realm was created, it's better to consider how that existence reversed the End of Days era. Maybe, Guan Ya, do you think the End of Days era is related to that existence?"
Guan Ya said, "Go on."
"As for the purpose of creating the Spirit Realm, I have two thoughts. One is to study it through Spirit Realm travelers. Two is to decrypt and study the Spirit Realm." Zhang Yuanqing continued to delve deeper into this line of thinking. "For example, there must be a purpose behind creating Spirit Realm travelers, something consistent or common among
them, such as missions. The creation of Spirit Realm travelers must have had a purpose, and my thought is... faction conflicts."
Guan Ya squinted her eyes and asked, "Why do you think that? Do you have any evidence?"
"Because it seems that in ancient times, the lawful and evil factions didn't have compulsory tasks to kill each other; it was mostly lawful professions disapproving of evil professions and taking action to punish them. However, among Spirit Realm travelers, there are reputation rewards and moral value rewards for faction conflicts, especially the latter, which is mandatory in dungeons. Of course, this is just my speculation without concrete evidence."
"You know quite a lot," Guan Ya said. "Is it from that 'Jiazi Cultivation Record'?"
"Guan Ya, you're so wise; I can't hide anything from you. Let me continue with the second point: decrypting the Spirit Realm. All the information I know comes from the Spirit Realm. In fact, Spirit Realm dungeons provide many subtle clues, and the item descriptions are the same. There's always mention of an 'indescribable existence,' a 'great and supreme existence,' and so on. How should I put it? It feels like the Spirit Realm doesn't mind us decrypting it."
Guan Ya nodded slightly and said, "Do you remember what Li Chunfeng said about transcendent stage dungeons having backgrounds from the modern era and the Ming Dynasty?"
This meant that Saint-level and Sovereign-level stages would have backgrounds from other eras, and what hidden information might be concealed in those more ancient Spirit Realms?
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't speculate about these things, but he suddenly understood what Guan Ya meant and was surprised, "Are you suggesting that the high-level members of the Five Elements Alliance have likely already deciphered the secrets of the Spirit Realm?"
Guan Ya smiled and said, "At the very least, they know more than we do."
Seeing that they had talked enough, she reminded him with a serious expression, "Don't spread these matters to others, and don't tell anyone, including the Elder."
When Zhang Yuanqing nodded, she smiled mischievously and said, "You're so obedient. By the way, I just had a chat with the Queen, and she told me something interesting."
"Something interesting?"
"A while ago, Yuan Ting was captured by Elder Sun. After that incident, very few people dared to say 'Elder Sun is muddled' in the Taiyi Sect's forums and chat groups. But starting yesterday, this meme seems to have made a comeback," Guan Ya said with a grin. "This time, Elder Sun probably won't be able to suppress it, especially after you killed Li Xianzong in the dungeon; that had a significant impact."
Zhang Yuanqing: "."
In the office area, Li Dongze came out from inside, glanced around, didn't see Guan Ya, and asked, "Why hasn't Yuanshi arrived yet, Wang Tai? Where did Guan Ya go?"
Wang Tai didn't even lift his head and said calmly, "The two of them sneaked into the bathroom."
"What?" Li Dongze suspected he had misheard.
Wang Tai repeated, "The two of them sneaked into the restroom, it's been over ten minutes."
"Oh my God, these two."
When did these two get together? Was it the shared hardships in Yin Yang Town that allowed them to break free from the constraints of traditional customs?
At this moment, the restroom door opened, and Guan Ya and Zhang Yuanqing walked out one after the other.
"Captain Zhang!" Zhang Yuanqing raised his hand in greeting.
Li Dongze leaned on his cane and said in a deep voice, "Captain Fu just informed me that if you came, remember to visit Fujiawan immediately."
"The captain wants to see me?" Zhang Yuanqing said, "Oh, should I go now?"
Li Dongze nodded slightly, looked at Guan Ya, who had returned to her seat, then turned his gaze to Zhang Yuanqing and said slowly, "Our work has always been relatively flexible, and when there are no emergencies, it's fine to be a bit lax. The police station is right outside the hotel, so there's no need for this next time."
After saying that, he picked up his cane and walked back to his office.
Huh? What was he talking about? Zhang Yuanqing looked puzzled.
Beijing.
Courtyard, under the locust tree.
Elder Sun lay on a rocking chair, enjoying the cool breeze with the rustling of the tree branches, while the children's clear voices rang out, "Grandpa, Grandpa~"
Footsteps approached from outside the courtyard, and the cheerful cries immediately stopped.
A middle-aged man in black stepped over the threshold, entered the yard, and stopped in front of the rocking chair. He respectfully said, "Elder Sun, Yuan Ting has completed his training in the camp for ten days, and he has realized his mistakes."
Elder Sun fanned himself with a palm leaf fan and nodded slightly. "How is Yuan Ting's progress?"
"He has made significant progress in all aspects, and there's a possibility he may participate in the June slaughter instance," the middle-aged man replied.
"Good!" Elder Sun squinted his eyes and said slowly, "I sent Yuan Ting to the camp to cultivate him."
The middle-aged man immediately said, "Elder Sun, you have used great care."
Elder Sun continued, "Ten days have passed, let Yuan Ting return. By the way, have there been any more attempts to mock me these days?"
This was a question that Elder Sun initially paid great attention to and followed closely. Later, after Yuan Ting's videos of rigorous training in the camp served as a warning, no one dared to joke about it again, and Elder Sun gradually stopped paying attention. However, out of habit, he asked every day.
"Well..." The black-clad middle-aged man hesitated.
Elder Sun instantly opened his eyes, abandoning his lazy posture, and his gaze turned sharp as he sneered, "Oh? Is there still some daring young brat trying to mock me?"
The middle-aged man said, "Everyone is mocking you again; the evil tendencies have revived."
Elder Sun cursed, "Damn it!" He angrily slapped the armrest of the rocking chair and shouted, "How is this happening?"
The middle-aged man explained, "You see, Lord Yuan Shi entered Yin Yang Town the other day and encountered Li Xianzong in the instance." He went on to detail the feud between the two.
In conclusion, he said, "Fellow colleagues believe that Lord Yuan Shi is a rare genius and might even become the second Fu Qingyang. So..."
So Elder Sun was confused!
As the master of Taiyi Sect, he wouldn't normally be concerned about conflicts between two younger individuals. At this moment, hearing this left him stunned, thinking that all his efforts over the past few days had been in vain.
"Rascals!" Elder Sun angrily pounded the armrest of his rocking chair and said, "Keep Yuan Ting for another ten days, double the training intensity, and send a video to the forum every day. If anyone dares to mock me after ten days, I'll settle scores with each of them!"
The middle-aged man respectfully withdrew.
Fujiawan, villa study.
Dressed in a white suit, Fu Qingyang, with chiseled features, sat behind his desk and looked at his trusted subordinate. He said, "You've reached Level 3 now and can be promoted to captain. Currently, there's no captain position available in the Kangyang District, so according to the rules, you'll have to wait. However, you're different from others. Elder Dog has agreed to establish an official team for you."
"You can choose one subordinate freely, and for the remaining members, you'll have to recruit them yourself."
Zhang Yuanqing immediately said, "I want Guan Ya."
Fu Qingyang raised an eyebrow, and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "Oh? Why Guan Ya?"
Of course, it's because Guan Ya is talented and efficient. Do you think I want her to be my sister-in-law? Zhang Yuanqing thought sarcastically and said, "Captain, do you think there's a possibility that after June, I'll become an acolyte, and then you can directly hand the Second Team over to me?"
Fu Qingyang smiled, which was rare for him, and said, "I was thinking the same. So, after you pass the slaughter instance and become a Saint, I, as the Elder by then, can appoint you as the acolyte of the Kangyang District, taking my current position."
Huh? Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily stunned, almost unable to react.
He thought, Did you get the script wrong? Shouldn't you remain silent and caution me not to aim too high?
Fu Qingyang looked at him and said mildly, "You're a talent I admire. I acknowledge that you can rival me in my prime. For talents like us, what can't we achieve?"
I was wrong. I was too modest compared to you! Zhang Yuanqing said loudly, "Captain is right, but I believe you're mistaken."
Fu Qingyang furrowed his brow. "Where am I mistaken?"
"I think I'm still far from comparing to Captain," Zhang Yuanqing said. "Perhaps, I'm a talent who comes close to rivaling Captain, but not quite there yet."
Fu Qingyang laughed. "That's beside the point. There's another matter. The Tiger Token was delivered to Songhai yesterday, and the overall inspection starts today, with each district taking turns. Kangyang District's turn is the day after tomorrow."
Finally, it's time for the overall inspection! Zhang Yuanqing's heart skipped a beat. "Understood!"
Fu Qingyang nodded. "You can go back for now and rest these two days."
After Zhang Yuanqing left, Ling Jun knocked on the study door. The heir to the Taiyi Sect entered wearing flip-flops, loose shorts, and messy hair, with a casual attitude.
"Elder Sun just contacted me," he said. "He asked me to relay a message to you: During the overall inspection, remember to ask Yuan Shi's disciple whether he is the successor to the Demon Lord."
Ling Jun selected a bottle of wine from the liquor cabinet as he continued, "For someone of his caliber, it's best to double-check. Under the Tiger Token, no one can lie. If he passes this inspection, it will clear up his connection
to the Demon Lord once and for all."
Fu Qingyang pondered for a moment and nodded slightly. "Understood."
Outside of Fujiawan, Zhang Yuanqing walked slowly along the street, his brows furrowed.
"The only secret I have now is the successor to the Demon Lord. I've already confessed to the Red Dancing Shoes, the Demon Slaying Staff, and so on. At most, there's my association with Aunt Xiao Yuan, which could be troublesome."
"Having contact with an evil profession is a serious issue within the Five Elements Alliance. Even if there's no deep involvement, no financial or romantic transactions, it's still a grave matter—a personal disciplinary issue."
"The most troublesome thing is the successor to the Demon Lord. So far, I don't know the official stance of Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance regarding the successor to the Demon Lord. But one thing is certain: the Demon Lord's status is extremely high. If the authorities have hostile intentions toward his successor, my merits probably won't be able to withstand it."
After all, the Demon Lord has touched upon the great secrets of the Spirit Realm.
"If the authorities hold a friendly attitude toward the successor of the Demon Lord, they wouldn't be so ambiguous. Sigh, it's complicated!"
"The overall inspection does have its benefits, though. It might help me discover the cause of the strange illness that's been plaguing me. Conventional medical methods have been ineffective, but perhaps the methods of a Spirit Realm practitioner can find the cause."
His peculiar illness was a family concern and a nightmare that had haunted him for years.
After contemplating for a while, Zhang Yuanqing took out his phone and dialed Aunt Xiao Yuan's number using the unregistered SIM card.
When in doubt, consult the experts.
And he could also ask Aunt Xiao whether she wanted to join his faction.
(End of this chapter)
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PS. BTOB wants to say 'Hi'
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