Spirit Realm Walker

The next day, Zhang Yuanqing received a text from Guan Ya.

Guan Ya: Wang Qian’s identity checks out. No issues. Since it was an accident, it doesn’t count as illegal Spirit servant refinement.

Zhang Yuanqing: Got it. 

Guan Ya: Head over to the hospital and have him fill out a Spirit Realm Walker registration form and a guarantee letter, then bring them back for filing. It’s your case, after all.

Zhang Yuanqing: Got it.

Guan Ya: Let Sis give you another piece of advice. You’ve been with the official organization for a while now, so it’s time to start building your own network and connections. Slaughter Cessation Palace is one of Songhai’s more influential civilian organizations. You could try recruiting Wang Qian as an informant. Down the road, it might open a channel to the Palace itself.

Zhang Yuanqing: Great idea. That way, my future wives won’t suffer difficult births. 

Guan Ya: Haha, you’re hilarious… Anyway, now that I think about it, isn’t your second entry into the Spirit Realm coming up soon?

Zhang Yuanqing: I’m hoping it won’t be S-rank again.

Guan Ya: It shouldn’t be, but statistically speaking, it’s not impossible. The Squad Leader and I are both looking forward to seeing how you perform in your second dungeon.

Zhang Yuanqing: Why’s that?

Guan Ya: Solo dungeons test raw talent, but group dungeons are where you sharpen your real abilities. It might not be as dangerous as a solo instance, but you’ll be encountering other Spirit Realm Walkers, which adds a whole layer of unpredictability. That’s when a person’s overall quality shows itself in an instant.

During this lazy, meandering exchange of messages, Zhang Yuanqing finished washing up and sat down at the dining table.

”Which little vixen are you texting?” his little aunt asked in a huff, shuffling over with a pout.

He planted a hand on her forehead and shoved her away. ”It’s none of your business.” 

Jiang Yu’er flew into a rage and launched a counterattack. Zhang Yuanqing met her head on without flinching, and the two of them were promptly crushed into submission by their hot-tempered grandmother.

After breakfast, he threw on a baseball cap and face mask, headed out, and caught a cab to Pingtai Hospital.

Inside the outpatient office, Zhang Yuanqing studied the young doctor’s dejected expression and smiled. 

”You don’t look like you’re in a great mood,” he commented.

A moment of silence passed before Wang Qian spoke, his eyes dim with grief. ”He’s gone. I can’t sense him anymore.”

Poor guy. Zhang Yuanqing thought, and offered what comfort he could. ”He had already passed before any of this. It was only a matter of time before you had to say goodbye.”

The young doctor’s voice was low and heavy with sorrow. ”He was my sister’s first child. My first nephew. To take better care of her, my mother quit her job. She’d bought the stroller, the pacifiers, the little outfits ages ago. Our whole family was waiting for him to be born. Everyone was preparing to welcome the next generation.

”After the accidental premature birth, my sister was devastated. She cried all day, every day. My mom would sneak off to cry in private too, blaming herself, convinced she hadn’t taken good enough care of her daughter.

”These past two weeks, I’ve dreaded sensing him at the hospital. It reminded me of my own powerlessness, of my family’s pain. But I couldn’t help wanting to be near him, to keep him company. He was so small. He must have been so lonely.”

Zhang Yuanqing said nothing. He simply listened in silence as the other man poured out his heart. 

If you prove yourself in the future, I’ll let you see him again, he thought to himself. On the condition that you agree to be my informant.

Once Wang Qian had composed himself, Zhang Yuanqing spoke. ”I’m here for two things today. First, I need you to fill out a form and a guarantee letter. After that, you’ll be a registered Spirit Realm Walker. The official organization won’t interfere with you too much, as long as you don’t break any rules or use your abilities to cause harm.”

He paused, then said, ”As for the second, do you have any interest in being my informant?”

Wang Qian studied him carefully, then replied, ”The first thing is no problem whatsoever. As for the second… I don’t just become anyone’s informant. And I’d need to report it to my superiors and get approval.”

The relationship between Slaughter Cessation Palace and the official organization was decent enough, and he wasn’t opposed to the idea of working with them in principle. If the offer had been made by that fierce, ruthless woman from the day before, he would have accepted without hesitation.

But the person sitting across from him looked even younger than he was, leaving Wang Qian unconvinced.

Zhang Yuanqing nodded and replied, ”That’s fine.”

”What’s your Spirit Realm ID?” the young doctor asked. ”I need to know who you are.”

Every time I have to announce my ID, I’m afraid of getting punched. Zhang Yuanqing’s expression turned solemn and grave as he enunciated each word. 

”Yuanshi Tianzun.”

Silence.

Wang Qian shook his head and said, ”Yuanshi Tianzun? It’s an impressive sounding name, but I’ve never heard of it.”

He casually typed up a text message, to report the matter to his superior. The Palace and the official organization kept to their own lanes. Relations were cordial enough, but there was still a clear line between government organization and civilian one, and the latter had no interest in seeing its members get too cozy with officials. He was sure his superior would never approve.

Besides, even if they were going to establish contact with someone on the official side, it should be a captain- or steward-level figure, not some rank-and-file kid. If this were a Spirit Realm Walker of any renown, Wang Qian would have heard the ID before.

But ”Yuanshi Tianzun” meant absolutely nothing to him. Liaising with a Walker like that seemed pointless.

He turned his attention back to work. After seeing several patients, his phone rang. The caller ID read: A Chinese Odyssey.

Wang Qian picked up, and a deep male voice came through the speaker. 

—Divine Healer, did you say the person assigned to liaise with you is called Yuanshi Tianzun?

”Yes, Team Leader,” Wang Qian replied. ”I didn’t agree. I turned him down, tactfully.”

As he spoke, he found the situation rather strange. This sort of thing could have been handled with a text. Why had his team leader bothered to call?

Eventually, his team leader, A Chinese Odyssey, replied.

—There won’t be peace in Songhai in the near future. We need to keep a closer eye on what the official organization is doing. Accept his offer.

”Alright… I’ll get back to him,” Wang Qian agreed, his voice low.

—While you’re at it, keep an eye on him too. Yuanshi Tianzun, I mean.

Wang Qian was taken aback. ”Huh? Why?” 

The man was just an ordinary low level official Walker.

—I learned through a confidential channel that a rookie recently cleared Sheling Tunnel, breaking the record. Then, just a few days ago, that same rookie killed a Level 3 Enchanting Demon.

”You don’t mean—”

—His ID is Yuanshi Tianzun.

Yuanshi Tianzun. The image of that young man’s expression as he had announced his ID flashed through Wang Qian’s mind.

Profound respect appeared in his eyes.

***

A full moon hung high overhead. An ancient temple stood silent and abandoned beneath its pale light.

A beautiful woman in flowing ancient robes stood proudly atop the roof of the main hall, her gaze fixed on the luminous circle in the sky. She possessed a refined, oval face, eyes like the surface of an autumn lake, brows as ethereal as distant mountain mist, and lips that were full and sensuous. She was surrounded by an air of cold detachment, and there was an indescribable, radiant beauty about her.

Her delicate brows came together in a frown and she murmured to herself, ”This is not the Ming Dynasty. Who dragged me into this miniature realm[1] while I slept?”After a moment of contemplation, her gaze sharpened and locked onto the full moon above.

Two blazing pillars of golden light erupted from her eyes, slamming into the pale orb hanging in the sky.

The entire space shuddered violently. The golden beams struck an invisible barrier and burst into blinding sprays of radiance, painting the heavens and earth in resplendent, gilded light.

The twin beams held for a full quarter of an hour before slowly fading.

Crimson blood seeped from the eyes of the Three Paths Mountain Goddess, trailing down her porcelain white cheeks.

”Without recovering the other half of my yang soul, I cannot break through this place.”

She raised a pale hand and gently wiped the blood from her face, then let out a cold snort. 

”If I cannot return, then I’ll simply tear this little world apart.”

Her hands flew through a series of seals at blinding speed, fingers finally forming a sword mudra. She thrust one hand skyward.

With a hiss of cutting air, a terrible wave of sword energy erupted from her fingertip and shot into the heavens, melting a hole in the sky that collapsed inward on itself.

The Goddess transformed into a streak of golden light and vanished into the rift.

***

Within a traditional courtyard in the capital.

Beneath a scholar tree, Elder Sun reclined contentedly in a rocking chair while the music of Beijing opera drifted from the radio on his tea table.

Without warning, a golden sun mark blazed to life between his brows. It trembled violently, radiating a scalding heat, and an overwhelming pressure poured forth from the burning sigil.

Elder Sun shot to his feet, his expression grave.

A distant, majestic voice echoed in the depths of his mind. 

—There has been a disturbance in the Nocturnal Specter Spirit Realm. Notify all disciples. Missions in the near future may exhibit anomalies. The moment anything unusual is discovered, report it immediately.

”Yes, Sect Master.”

***

Mu Qiu was a Level 2 Nocturnal Specter of the Taiyi Sect. As someone from one of the most combat-oriented classes, his raw fighting power, even without factoring in equipment, was fully comparable to a Level 3 of any other class. This made him a captain level figure in the Liusha district of Hangcheng.

His assistant brought over a laptop and said, ”Captain, the Five Elements Alliance Hangcheng branch sent an email. Please take a look.” 

Mu Qiu glanced at the screen and replied flatly, ”Tell them to find a Nocturnal Specter from another district.”

The email was a request for him to conduct a Soul Devouring interrogation. Lately, Five Elements Alliance branches across the country had been frantically arresting and interviewing unregistered Spirit Realm Walkers, screening for potential Fallen Ones.

For those who stubbornly resisted, the policy was to eliminate them on the spot.

Nine out of ten of the unregistered Walkers who ended up getting killed deserved what they got. Law-abiding Walkers with clear consciences would never resist contact with the official organization. They stayed unregistered simply because they didn’t want to be constrained.

Only those with skeletons in their closets were afraid of being invited in for a chat.

Mu Qiu’s wasn’t refusing out of fear of the potential side effects brought on by Soul Devouring. He was a man of principle who believed in fulfilling the duties of his position. If one ate from this bowl, one had to shoulder the responsibilities that came with it.

However, the timing of this request was wrong. His solo Spirit Realm dungeon was about to open any day now. Once he cleared it, he would advance to Level 3 and enter the ranks of the Transcendent tier elite.

Over the past few days, he had requested a mountain of strategy guides for Level 2 to 3 solo dungeons. Although the Spirit Realm shifted in real time, its changes followed certain cycles, and the Taiyi Sect compiled their strategies faster than the dungeons could evolve.

The guides were invaluable. They could drastically improve one’s chances of clearing a dungeon.

At that moment, Mu Qiu heard the familiar Spirit Realm notification chime.

【Ding. Spirit Realm map loading. You will enter the Spirit Realm in three minutes. Your designated dungeon is ”Nocturnal Specter, Bright Lake Town.” Number: 0128.】

【Difficulty Rating: S】

【Type: Solo (Death-type)】

【Main Quest: Investigate the cause of the townspeople’s mysterious deaths.】

【Note: Non Spirit Realm items cannot be brought inside.】

【Dungeon 0128 Description: No one knows when it started, but the residents of the town have been dying one after another, and no one can explain why. Some say it began when a fisherman pulled a coffin from the lake. Others say it was when the cat’s head was hung from the scholar tree at the entrance to the village, or when a strange snake with a woman’s face appeared on the mountain behind the town. And still others whisper that it all began when the widow at the edge of the village had become inexplicably pregnant.】

【Shh. Don’t speak. Don’t speak. They’re here.】

The color drained from Mu Qiu’s face until it was white as paper. Despair and bewilderment filled his eyes.

Bright Lake Town… Since when had it become an S-rank dungeon?

1. The original text uses the phrase 芥子纳须弥, a profound metaphor in Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain cosmology that translates to ”a mustard seed contains Mount Sumeru.” Mount Sumeru is a giant mountain about 1 million km in height that stands at the center of the universe. Meanwhile, a mustard seed is considered the smallest of seeds (interestingly, the mustard seed is mentioned in the Bible as well). The analogy refers to the idea that time and space are purely a mind construct and something of utterly titanic size can just as well be microscopic.