Spirit Realm Wanderer

Chapter 9: The Spiritual Realm

Li Dongze paused briefly to choose his words, then said “The Spirit Realm is a supernatural force that science cannot currently explain. Although we’ve been trying to analyze and understand it, we still don’t have a complete grasp of it. The Spirit Realm exists within reality yet is separate from it; only the chosen few can enter it.” “And as for how one is chosen...” He took a sip of wine and smiled wryly. “You’ve probably already experienced it.” “That card?” Zhang Yuanqing replied promptly. Li Dongze nodded slightly “It’s called a Character Card. Those who obtain one will be assigned a trial quest. By passing the trial, they’ll gain a corresponding class, along with its skills and traits. “The mechanism by which the Spirit Realm selects its travelers has not yet been fully understood, and the method of distributing Role Cards is not fixed. Sometimes it appears directly inside your body; sometimes you find it lying on the side of the road; sometimes you accidentally click on a link online... “Completing the trial quest is just the beginning. If a Spirit Realm Walker wants to level up and become stronger, they must continuously accept quests to enter the Spirit Realm. But don’t worry—quests don’t appear very often, and not every Spirit Realm scenario is life-threatening. On the contrary, some Spirit Realms can be quite fun... “Take me, for example—I’m a Level 3 Scout. Over the past two years, I’ve entered the Spirit Realm six times. Three of those were solo runs, and I nearly died in them. The other three were multiplayer combat or team-based Spirit Realm missions, which were relatively safer and more fun. Heh, if you want to gain superpowers, you’ve got to pay a price.” Li Dongze paused for a moment, giving Zhang Yuanqing time to ask questions. “Is it similar to a game dungeon?” Zhang Yuanqing offered his interpretation. Li Dongze smiled “I enjoy talking with you young people because you’re quick to grasp things and eager to explore new experiences.” After offering that word of praise, he nodded “That’s right. It’s just like playing a video game, and the Spirit Realm is the dungeon. Some dungeons are solo, while others involve teaming up with others or competing against them. The solo dungeons are the most dangerous, with the highest mortality rate. “Multiplayer dungeons are relatively safer; there are ‘death-type’ and ‘penalty-type’ ones—the latter only deducts a certain amount of experience points.” Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously, “Why do solo dungeons have the highest mortality rate?” Li Dongze paused thoughtfully. “In multiplayer Spirit Realms, you’ll encounter Spirit Realm travelers of other classes, but in solo instances, you’re in a Spirit Realm tailored to your own class. Take the Scout, for example. This class’s Transcendent Realm abilities are Insight, Tracking, and Analysis. “So the three solo Spirit Realms I’ve encountered involved playing the role of a detective solving a case; chasing and hunting down criminals in the jungle; and surviving in the wilderness. Also, the Spirit Realm dungeons for each class differ between the Transcendent and Saint stages.” “My class is the Night Wanderer, and I entered a supernatural dungeon. Phew, thank goodness there are multiplayer dungeons—otherwise, I’d have wet myself in the Spirit Realm sooner or later. Will the Spirit Realm dungeons change at the Saint stage?” Zhang Yuanqing nodded as he listened. “Could Lei Yibing’s disappearance be related to him entering the Spirit Realm?” Zhang Yuanqing asked in a deep voice. He desperately needed confirmation from an official source to validate his speculation. If Brother Bing had entered the Spirit Realm, then things weren’t as bad as they seemed. Li Dongze thought for a moment and said “After Lei Yibing’s mysterious disappearance, officials from the Hangzhou City Police Department took over the case. Their assessment is that Lei Yibing has already died inside the Spirit Realm.” Zhang Yuanqing felt his heart skip a beat as uncontrollable anxiety and panic welled up within him. “Why?” Li Dongze explained, “Because too much time has passed. A normal Spirit Realm dungeon—at least at the Transcendent Realm level—takes anywhere from a few hours to a day or two. But Lei Yibing has been missing for four days. The Transcendent Realm corresponds to Levels 1–3.” “What about levels above the Transcendent Realm?” “I’m not entirely sure, but there should be dungeons that last much longer.” Maybe Brother Bing is a powerful Spirit Realm traveler... Zhang Yuanqing could only comfort himself with that thought. As for Brother Bing’s disappearance, at this stage of his development—whether in terms of ability or experience—he was bound to be of little help. In comparison, joining an official organization and then saving himself was the most important thing right now. “... By the way, before I introduce you to the official organization, there’s one more very important thing.” Li Dongze took a sip of wine to clear his throat. “What’s your morality score?” “60 points—the starting value,” Zhang Yuanqing answered honestly. Li Dongze nodded: “For a newbie like you, the Morality Score is the biggest pitfall—you must keep that in mind.” “Why do you say that?” Zhang Yuanqing didn’t hide his confusion. “Do you remember the note below your Morality Score?” "Remember, it made me a good person..." Zhang Yuanqing almost pulled a "Jacky Cheung" face. Li Dongze said solemnly “The initial Morality Value is 60. If it falls below this threshold, the Spirit Realm’s punishment mechanism will be triggered. It will report your location to all Spirit Realm Walkers in the city and issue a mission to eliminate you.” ... Zhang Yuanqing was speechless and blurted out “Does that mean I can’t do anything bad for the rest of my life?” Well, I didn’t say I had to do bad things—but being a saint is just too exhausting. Besides, what are the criteria for measuring Morality Points? If doing crafts or sharing risqué images counts as moral decay, then his life is over. Li Dongze chuckled, seemingly delighted to see a newcomer wear such an expression, and said slowly “No need to be so nervous. Based on our observations, Spirit Realm Walkers who steal, rob, or injure others… will have 1–5 moral points deducted, depending on the severity of the offense. Murder results in a deduction of 10 moral points. If serious consequences ensue, such as multiple deaths or injuries, moral points will be deducted accordingly based on the severity of the situation. “As for lapses in personal conduct, they won’t affect your Morality Points. Also, while Morality Points can be deducted, they can certainly be accumulated as well. That’s why I’m telling you to be a good person.” This system sounds as if it were deliberately designed to restrain Spirit Realm Walkers, but why would the Spirit Realm want to restrain them? Whether it’s morality or law, these are things created by humans to maintain order; in the natural world, aside from humans, other living beings have no need for such things. In other words, unless the Spirit Realm takes the side of humanity, the existence of moral points seems somewhat unreasonable. But the Spirit Realm is a supernatural phenomenon. Zhang Yuanqing instinctively felt that this restriction was unreasonable, but since Li Dongze hadn’t explained it, it meant he wasn’t clear on the reason either. and it was clear from their earlier conversation that the authorities had only a limited understanding of the Spirit Realm. Zhang Yuanqing said with a sudden realization, “I see. No wonder it’s such a trap for newcomers. So how does one accumulate moral points?” After gaining superpowers, newcomers often use their abilities to do things they’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t before—like making money. And all the ways to make a quick buck are listed in the Criminal Code. Or eating for free... Hmm, I wonder if helping out a young woman in need would lower my Morality Points? Under the Spirit Realm’s definitions, would that be considered a breach of personal morality or a violation of the law? Zhang Yuanqing didn’t dare ask this question—after all, they weren’t close yet, and he didn’t want to make a bad impression on his future superior. “Accumulating moral points is just as simple as losing them—just do good deeds. In fact, many Spirit Realm practitioners from evil organizations are eager to do charity work and make donations, because that’s the fastest way to accumulate moral points. As long as they have enough money, they can kill with impunity.” Li Dongze snorted “It’s ironic, isn’t it? You never know what kind of face lies behind those who do charity work. And what’s even more ironic is that human life can be measured in money. That’s how it is in reality, and that’s how it is in the Spirit Realm, too. “Also, fighting among Spirit Realm Walkers doesn’t result in a deduction of moral points.” Only after Zhang Yuanqing had roughly processed this information did Li Dongze continue “Next, let’s talk about the official organizations. “The official organization we belong to is called the Five Elements Alliance, composed of five major factions: the Hundred Flowers Society, the White Tiger Army, the Red Fire Gang, the Water God Palace, and the Central Court. These five factions represent five professions: Wood Demons, Scouts, Fire Masters, Water Ghosts, and Earth Monsters.” Zhang Yuanqing couldn’t help but grumble to himself: Why are all these official organizations full of demons and monsters? “Besides the Five Elements Alliance, there are a few other organizations with official backing; I’ll send you the details later,” Li Dongze said, fingering his wine glass. “The five major organizations within the Five Elements Alliance formed their alliance within the last twenty years. Before that, they operated independently, and their relationships weren’t exactly harmonious. This involves the cycle of the Five Elements and the differences in behavior among the various classes.” Li Dongze took a sip of wine and shrugged. “Take those Wood Demons from the Hundred Flowers Society, for example. They’re a bunch of extreme environmentalists and animal rights activists. Good heavens, they actually tried to push the Five Elements Alliance headquarters to issue a regulation banning members from eating dog meat. Not even God is as outlandish as they are. Every time I see their sickening, animal-loving faces, I can’t help but want to kick their asses hard with my dress shoes.” Next, Li Dongze launched a scathing critique of the four major professions outside the White Tiger Soldiers. This gave Zhang Yuanqing a fairly clear picture of the other organizations within the Five Elements Alliance—such as the Red Fire Gang, who’d rather fight than talk; or the Water God Palace, with their brooding personalities and penchant for cultivating viruses and bacteria. Or the Earth Bosses of Zhongting, who were involved in real estate and mining development. “Only the scouts of our White Tiger Soldiers—wise, calm, and decisive—are the perfect profession,” Li Dongze concluded. Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, “Do the other four organizations agree with that assessment?” “Heh, the more I talk about it, the more it sounds like a game, doesn’t it? Even within the Five Elements Alliance, some people refer to the Spirit Realm as a ‘game server.’ Spirit Realm travelers have character stats, items, and quests to complete, while each distinct Spirit Realm is like a dungeon. Plus, there are different classes: the Red Fire Gang are reckless and impulsive, fond of promoting violence—just like berserkers. The Water God Palace possesses water-control abilities; they’re water mages. The Hundred Flowers Society can raise pets and heal the wounded; they’re like priests and summoners. The people of the Central Court are tough and resilient—typical tanks.” Zhang Yuanqing couldn’t resist teasing “So are your scouts the ‘Eyes’ that cost 75 gold each in the game?” Li Dongze froze for a moment, unconsciously gripping the handle of his staff tighter, and said expressionlessly “If I were a Fire Master from the Scarlet Flame Gang, I’d have smashed your dog’s head in with one swing of my staff by now.” “I’m sorry!” Zhang Yuanqing apologized immediately. After the joke, the atmosphere between them grew even more cordial, and Li Dongze chuckled “Once they pass the Transcendent stage, Scouts will possess extremely strong solo combat capabilities. When I say this is a nearly perfect class, I’m not just bragging. “Of course, among orthodox classes, the Night Wanderer is universally recognized as the strongest. Hmm, I’m talking about orthodox classes—that excludes evil ones. Even we Scouts have to admit that Night Wanderers are a bit more perfect than we are.” Huh? Are Night Wanderers that strong? Can they take on ten opponents at once...? Zhang Yuanqing’s heart leapt with excitement: “Could you tell me more about the Night Wanderer class?” Li Dongze chuckled wryly, but he understood the young man’s admiration for strength and said “Even in the early stages of the Transcendent Realm, Night Wanderers can unleash extremely powerful assassination abilities, and their burst damage is also quite impressive. Additionally, they possess the ability to communicate with souls, refine corpses, and control spirits—their skills are diverse and their combat prowess formidable. “However, Night Wanderers are extremely rare. Currently, the Songhai City branch doesn’t have any—this is because there are too few Spirit Realm trial grounds for Night Wanderers in Songhai, and also because the Taiyi Sect in the capital is constantly recruiting Night Wanderers from all over the country.” At this point, he naturally inquired about the new employee’s profession, asking “What’s your profession? I hope you’re not a Fire Master—I can’t stand rude, hot-headed young people.”