Spirit Realm Wanderer

Chapter 11: Bug-Level Spirit Realm

In a spacious, luxurious office, Li Dongze leaned back lazily on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other. With a glass of wine in his left hand and a cigar clamped between his right fingers, he looked utterly at ease. Just moments ago, he had reported the news of recruiting the Night Wanderer to his direct superior. Li Dongze knew that the young centurion, newly appointed to his post, was eager to prove himself and cultivate his own inner circle. A Night Wanderer with a clean background was nothing short of a godsend for that centurion from a distinguished family—it couldn’t have come at a better time. Sure enough, his young superior expressed high praise for him and promised to credit him with a major merit. In the White Tiger Army’s system, military merit takes precedence over everything else. “Clang—” The glass door to the office was violently kicked open, and Guan Ya stormed in, her high heels clacking on the floor. Li Dongze frowned. He took a leisurely sip of his drink and chided her “Guan Ya, that’s not very elegant of you…” “Squad Leader, that kid entered the Sheling Tunnel as his Trial Spirit Realm!” Guan Ya cut straight to the chase. “Pfft!” Li Dongze suddenly turned into a “spitting soldier.” Without bothering to wipe the spilled liquor, he leaped to his feet, leaning on the desk, and shouted in a shrill voice “The Sheling Tunnel?! Oh, my God, you hellbound idiot—look at the mess you’ve made.” He grabbed his cane and stormed out, rushing to the office area, where he saw the newly arrived Night Wanderer staring blankly at the computer. Noticing Li Dongze’s arrival, Zhang Yuanqing grimaced and said “Team Leader, do you think there’s still any chance of saving me?” He was terrified the other man would blurt out: “It’s hopeless. Just wait to die. Your contract is terminated!” Li Dongze stared at him in silence, his expression resembling that of a man who had finally won over the girl of his dreams, only to discover she was his long-lost sister. Facing the new employee’s pleading gaze, Li Dongze took a deep breath and said in a low voice “The Trial of the Spirit Realm is the first solo dungeon for every Spirit Realm traveler, and that’s precisely what makes it so daunting. In a solo dungeon, no one can help you. This is the Spirit Realm’s test for you—it’s the inevitable price you must pay to obtain supernatural powers.” Zhang Yuanqing nodded solemnly. Li Dongze continued “I’ll report this matter on your behalf. Hopefully, the higher-level database contains information and strategy guides regarding the Sheling Tunnel—otherwise, no one will be able to save you. Go back and wait for news; I’ll notify you immediately once I have a result.” Although he wasn’t a Night Wanderer, as a seasoned Spirit Realm traveler, he had heard of the Sheling Tunnel’s fearsome reputation. To date, according to records compiled by official organizations, no one has ever successfully cleared the Sheling Tunnel; the “first clear” of this dungeon remains unachieved. “All right, thanks for your help, Squad Leader Shi,” Zhang Yuanqing nodded stiffly. Li Dongze added “Write down a detailed account of your experiences in the Sheling Tunnel.” After arranging for a special car to take Zhang Yuanqing away, Guan Ya returned to her desk, took out a notepad with an Aquarius watermark from her drawer, and unscrewed the cap of a pen adorned with a Virgo symbol. Everything on her desk—including her computer, notebook, desk surface, and water cup—was stamped or adorned with various zodiac symbols. It was clear she was a die-hard zodiac enthusiast. Guan Ya wrote on the sticky note “Yuanshi Tianzun, Scorpio man, zodiac traits: scheming, vindictive, sexually aggressive.” “Note: Extremely high probability of being seduced by women from other organizations.” After finishing, the mixed-race beauty let out a soft sigh, tore off the sticky note, and stuck it into the personnel file for Team Two. She had noted the traits and assessed every team captain, including those who had resigned or died in the Spirit Realm. “Hey, Wang Tai, does that kid stand a chance of clearing the level?” Guan Ya tilted her head and called out to the person in the next cubicle. Wang Tai, his hair disheveled, looked up and said “The Taiyi Sect might have detailed information on the Sheling Tunnel, but it probably won’t be of much use. Otherwise, the Taiyi Sect would’ve sent the Night Wanderer to clear that Spirit Realm long ago. An S-class trial mission should come with some decent rewards.” Guan Ya furrowed her brow. Wang Tai continued “If we could find him a few items, he might have a chance of clearing it. But you know, items have all sorts of functions, and our understanding of the Sheling Tunnel is limited. We can’t provide items specifically tailored to solve the problem, so the end result will most likely be a waste of both time and resources.” “What a load of nonsense!” Guan Ya rolled her eyes. Items themselves are incredibly precious and rare; for a Spirit Realm traveler at the Transcendent stage, having even a single item by their side is already quite good. As for unclaimed items, there are only two ways to obtain them: either by entering the Spirit Realm to search for them, or by killing Spirit Realm Walkers in the real world to seize their loot. Moreover, only items that have been removed from an item slot can be taken. Neither of these options was realistic. Most importantly, without knowing the specifics of the Sheling Tunnel, who could say what kind of item would actually help him make it through? If he were to die in the Spirit Realm, the item would be automatically reclaimed by the realm—a massive loss. Wang Tai tapped away at his keyboard, pulling up a string of data. He stared at it for a long time, then muttered to himself “Qingming Festival just passed—it’s exactly the time of year when the Sheling Tunnel opens. Isn’t this guy just a little too unlucky?” In his office, Li Dongze opened his messaging app and typed “Captain Fu, I have something to report regarding the newly recruited Night Wanderer mentioned earlier. His trial Spirit Realm is the Sheling Tunnel—the one famously known as the ‘newbie glitch’ Spirit Realm for Night Wanderers. “The Sheling Tunnel first appeared during tunnel construction in the last century, when a construction crew accidentally wandered into it and perished within the spiritual realm. Afterward, officials found one survivor. Thirty-six hours later, that survivor was teleported back into the spiritual realm. “Yes, the trial quest for the Sheling Tunnel is divided into two stages, which differs from the one-time trial quests of other classes and other spirit realms.” “I’m sorry, sir. I was carried away by the surprise and misled by my own assumptions. When I saw him return to reality from the trial Spirit Realm, I instinctively assumed he had already passed the trial. “I know that the Taiyi Sect’s database contains the richest and most comprehensive information on the Night Wanderer Spirit Realm. Their Sect Master is the strongest Night Wanderer of our time. Perhaps the Taiyi Sect has information related to the Sheling Tunnel. “If Centurion Fu were to intervene personally, I imagine the Taiyi Sect would offer some modest assistance. “Never abandon or give up on comrades—that is the principle of the White Tiger Soldiers. Since he has already joined our ranks, I cannot simply give up on him. I hope Captain Fu will lend his support.” After composing the message, Li Dongze read it over several times. Once he was certain it was correct, he clicked “Send.” Holding his wine glass, he stared at the screen and let out a sigh. Zhang Yuanqing returned home deep in thought, entered his passcode, and unlocked the security door. In the living room, his grandmother was mopping the clean, shiny floor. Seated at the dining table was a middle-aged man in a black jacket—handsome features and jet-black hair. The deep three deep vertical furrows between his brows and the fine crow’s-feet at the corners of his eyes together revealed the wear and tear of the years. Judging by his appearance, he was undoubtedly a dashing older man with a certain charm—likely very popular with mature women, as well as the adoring attention of teenage girls with a thing for older men. But this middle-aged man wasn’t Zhang Yuanqing’s uncle—he was his cousin. The cousin swallowed a mouthful of the freshly heated congee and looked at Zhang Yuanqing. “Grandma told me you were looking for me last night?” His expression was serious and unsmiling, much like a younger version of his grandfather. ..... Zhang Yuanqing opened his mouth, then shook his head and said “It’s nothing.” The problem from yesterday had already been resolved, and since his cousin couldn’t help with this new predicament, it was better not to bring it up. Besides, he had signed a confidentiality agreement. His cousin glanced at him, sipping his porridge leisurely as he said “It’s about Lei Yibing, isn’t it? I heard Li Dongze paid him a personal visit yesterday. That means his case is rather unusual—not just you, but even I can’t help with this.” So my cousin had already made inquiries in advance! Zhang Yuanqing gave a soft “Mm-hmm.” Seeing that he was in a low mood, Chen Yuanjun didn’t say anything more, assuming his cousin was simply worried about Lei Yibing. Just then, Jiang Yu’er emerged from her bedroom wearing cute teddy bear pajamas, holding a stack of face masks. “Here you go—these are for wrinkle reduction and anti-aging. Use one in the morning and one at night; they should work pretty well. Grandma really wanted me to help buy them for her.” His cousin’s face darkened, and his brow furrowed into three deep vertical lines “Auntie, I don’t need any of this.” His aunt shrugged indifferently, “Whatever you say.” Grandma, who was mopping the floor nearby, leaned on her mop and glared at her grandson exasperatedly, saying “If you don’t need face masks, does that mean you want Grandma to iron out all the wrinkles on your face with an iron?” Because her son was so unreliable, Grandma had long since given up on him and shifted her focus to nurturing the next generation—her two younger grandchildren. For now, her granddaughter had been accepted into Songhai University, and her grandson was working at the Public Security Bureau—both had bright futures ahead of them. But Grandma has always had a lingering concern: her grandson is too serious and mature—he’s 30 years old but looks 40. The year before last, an old friend of Grandpa’s—whom he hadn’t seen in many years—came to visit in Songhai. Upon meeting Chen Yuanjun, he said to Grandpa in surprise “I didn’t know you had another son.” Grandpa hesitated for a long time before finally managing to say, “This is my grandson.” The old friend was a straightforward man, and in his surprise, he blurted out, “Your grandson sure looks like a wild child...” A friendship spanning decades nearly came to an end right then and there. Chen Yuanjun took the face mask with a sigh, shoved it into his pocket, and said “All right, Grandma, stop nagging. I have to get to work. I’m on a missing persons case right now, and I’m swamped.” A missing person case? Zhang Yuanqing’s hackles immediately rose, and he asked “What’s the situation?” Chen Yuanjun took a bite of pickled vegetables. “Two people went missing in the Sheling Tunnel, and they still haven’t been found. We checked the surveillance footage, but there’s no sign of them ever entering the tunnel...” His cousin suddenly cut himself off and warned, “Don’t tell anyone.” He’d signed a confidentiality agreement. As soon as Grandma heard this, her curiosity was piqued, and she asked mysteriously “Is it haunted again? Hey, why isn’t this place closed off yet? Every year, the same few people go missing in that tunnel.” His aunt also pricked up her ears, wearing that same gossipy expression as her mother. “Grandma, don’t ask.” “They didn’t accidentally wander into the Mountain God’s Temple like I did, did they? Damn, those two unlucky souls—I wonder if he’ll even make it three hours…” Zhang Yuanqing felt both sympathy and pity, yet also a sense of comfort in knowing, “At least I’m not the only one with bad luck.” He gained a deeper understanding of the Spirit Realm. As Li Dongze had said, the Spirit Realm had always existed; perhaps some of the people who went missing each year had simply vanished into it. Beijing, a siheyuan courtyard. The large locust tree in the courtyard was lush with leaves, resembling a vast, emerald-green umbrella spread wide. Under the canopy, an elderly man with graying hair lay in a rocking chair, wearing a white undershirt and loose-fitting shorts, holding a rush fan as he took a leisurely nap. The old man had a gaunt, dignified face, a flesh-colored mole between his eyebrows, and an indescribable air of nobility. A gentle breeze blew, causing the leaves to tremble and scatter patches of light across the ground. The faint, childlike laughter of a child could be heard from up in the locust tree. “Elder Sun, the young man from the Fu family sent you an email.” A middle-aged man dressed in black stepped over the threshold and entered the courtyard. Whether in the Five Elements Alliance or the Taiyi Sect, those who attain the rank of Elder are all renowned Spirit Realm practitioners. “Fu Qingyang?” The old man chuckled softly, keeping his eyes closed as he tapped his palm fan a few times. “What’s the matter?” “One of his subordinates in Songhai City has recruited a Night Wanderer. The trial for the Spirit Realm is the Sheling Tunnel, and he’d like to request some information about the tunnel from you. Additionally, he hopes you can offer some advice,” the middle-aged man relayed the contents of the email. The old man paused in his fanning, then after a few seconds, said with a look of realization “Qingming Festival has just passed. If I do the math, it’s right around the time the Sheling Tunnel opens. Recently, quite a few people have been lucky enough to obtain ‘Night Wanderer’ character cards, but unfortunately, it’s impossible for anyone to clear the Sheling Tunnel.” “You can give him the materials. Since the Sect has already given up on clearing the Sheling Tunnel, the confidentiality level of the related information has been lowered. By the way, tell that young man Fu that the place itself is an S-class Trial Spirit Realm, and with the complications that arose along the way, it’s become even more difficult—it’s long since gone beyond the scope of a Trial Spirit Realm. “My advice is to abandon that Night Wanderer—there’s no point in investing in someone who’s bound to die.” The middle-aged man nodded slightly. As a steward of the Taiyi Sect, he was well aware of the eerie and ominous nature of the Songhai Sheling Tunnel. An S-class Trial Spirit Realm is, by its very nature, the most difficult realm for beginners, and the Sheling Tunnel is even more eerie than an ordinary S-class realm. Every S-class Trial Spirit Realm inevitably contains something extraordinary—whether rare items or crucial information—of immense value. In order to crack the Sheling Tunnel spiritual realm, the Taiyi Sect specifically dispatched two Level 1 Night Wanderers to be stationed long-term in Songhai, as S-class beginner trial spiritual realms are occasionally opened to Level 1 practitioners of that profession. After waiting patiently for several months, the two Level 1 Night Wanderers successfully received the quest for the Sheling Tunnel. However, one of the Night Wanderers never sent a signal after entering the spiritual realm, while the other successfully completed the first quest only to die immediately during the second. Both of these Night Wanderers were equipped with items. Since then, the Taiyi Sect’s Council of Elders has reassessed the Sheling Tunnel and completely abandoned plans to conquer that spiritual realm. “If someone could actually clear the Sheling Tunnel and retrieve the information inside, it would finally put our minds at ease here at the Taiyi Sect.” the middle-aged man remarked with a smile. The old man offered no comment, but said slowly “In a few days, the Sect Leader will summon all the Night Wanderers to the capital for a meeting; there is a major announcement to be made. Make preparations and recall all the young disciples under your command.” With that, he waved his palm fan to dismiss the visitor. The middle-aged man bowed and withdrew.