Spirit Realm Wanderer

Chapter 37: The Demon Lord’s Heir

Stepping through the door, Zhang Yuanqing saw Yuan Ting sitting at the conference table, a cigarette clamped between his fingers. He was leaning back in his chair in a slightly languid posture, looking over at him with a smile. Beside this “Night Wanderer” stood a penholder with a command banner inserted into it—made of silk with an iron tip, its surface a pure black background embroidered with cloud patterns in silver thread, and the character meaning “command” stitched in the center. Judging by its appearance alone, it was indistinguishable from the command banners used in ancient armies. Zhang Yuanqing took his seat, sat up straight, and asked, “Captain Yuan, what brings you here? Let me make one thing clear: I’m very happy in the Second Squad and have no intention of switching teams.” He used a teasing tone to test the other man’s intentions. “You cleared the Sheling Tunnel. Centurion Fu holds you in high regard—I can’t pry you away. Sigh, you probably don’t know this, but back when Centurion Fu requested that strategy guide on your behalf, Elder Sun of our Taiyi Sect thought you’d never make it through the tunnel, so he turned you down. Now it’s too late for regrets—quite a few in the sect have voiced their displeasure. They believe you have great potential and might one day be promoted to the rank of Saint... Oh, I’ve said too much, I’ve said too much.” Yuan Ting explained “I’m a bit of a chatterbox—I hope you don’t mind.” Oh, so that’s what Elder Sun meant by “confused”? Zhang Yuanqing nodded. “Want a cigarette?” “I’m not really a smoker...” “When I was your age, I didn’t smoke either. It wasn’t until I became a Night Wanderer that I developed a psychological trauma from a trial mission, which led to a smoking habit. Although it’s not a good thing, it does help relieve stress. Every Night Wanderer has their quirks, to one degree or another. “I have a friend named Jian Ji. When he first became a Night Wanderer, he developed a psychological trauma from being scared, so he needed to watch *Teletubbies* for an hour every day to process his emotions and ease his fear. He still hasn’t been able to break that habit to this day, hahaha...” “Captain Yuan, you really are quite the chatterbox, but how can you go around spreading your friend’s embarrassing stories like that...” Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, while maintaining a serious, attentive expression on the surface. After rambling for a moment, Yuan Ting finally remembered the matter at hand. He cleared his throat and said solemnly “We’re looking for a lucky individual—the one who received the ‘Demon Lord’s Legacy.’ Every newly promoted Night Wanderer this year is under our investigation, including you. ‘Demon Lord’ is the ID of a high-level Spirit Realm Walker.” The Demon Lord’s Legacy? Zhang Yuanqing asked, bewildered, “I don’t understand what you mean...” “Let me make this clearer. According to our official theory, the Spirit Realm does not issue character cards without limit; there is a certain cap. Therefore, when a Spirit Realm traveler dies, everything they own is reclaimed by the Spirit Realm—including their character card.” Yuan Ting lit another cigarette. “Specifically, when a high-level Spirit Realm Walker dies, the Spirit Realm doesn’t completely wipe their data. The character card retains certain special elements, which are then issued to a new player. We refer to this phenomenon as ‘inheritance.’ ” Is that so? Zhang Yuanqing understood and mused “May I ask who the Demon Lord is, and what your purpose is in searching for his successor? This concerns me personally, so I hope you’ll understand.” Yuan Ting was surprisingly candid and spoke bluntly “I don’t know the higher-ups’ purpose in searching for the Demon Lord’s successor. For mid-level officials like us, we just follow orders. As for the Demon Lord...” A look of hatred and fear flashed across Yuan Ting’s face as he said in a deep voice “He is a fallen Night Wanderer, the sworn enemy of our Taiyi Sect. Many official Spirit Realm practitioners have fallen at his hands—some from the Five Elements Alliance, some from the Taiyi Sect. Even the elders of our sect fear him greatly; at one point, he had the entire official community living in terror. “The Sect Master once remarked that this man is the most promising—and the most terrifying—Night Wanderer of the past thirty years.” I don’t know if he’s terrifying, but he’s definitely got a serious case of teenage delusions. Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly asked “Then how do we identify the Demon Lord’s successor? Or rather, how should I cooperate with you?” It sounds like the Demon Lord’s successor has little to do with the Demon Lord himself. As an organization of the righteous path, the Taiyi Sect surely wouldn’t take out its anger on the innocent, would it? Yuan Ting replied calmly once more “There are two distinctive features of the Demon Lord’s successor: First, the character card bears a full moon instead of a crescent. Second, when clearing dungeons, they receive an additional character-card-exclusive reward compared to ordinary Night Wanderers.” !!! Zhang Yuanqing remained outwardly composed, but inside, a storm raged—his mind was filled with nothing but “Holy shit.” Isn’t that exactly his character card? The character card Bing Ge mailed me... is it the Demon Lord’s? Why would Bing Ge have the Demon Lord’s character card? What’s his connection to the Demon Lord? I’d always thought the exclusive reward for the Red Dance Shoes character card was standard. It seems the Demon Lord’s legacy is what grants me this special privilege. Thankfully, the scarcity of rule-based items allowed me to keep the existence of this exclusive reward a secret. Squad Leader and Old Si Ji only know I have a rule-based item; they have no idea about the character card’s exclusive reward. All sorts of thoughts flashed through Zhang Yuanqing’s mind. He didn’t let his thoughts run wild; instead, he quickly steadied his mind and laughed wistfully “It seems I’m not the Demon Lord’s successor after all. I’d always thought I was special—after all, I even managed to clear the Sheling Tunnel. “Captain Yuan, how am I supposed to reveal my mark? It’s not under my control.” The mark represents the Spirit Realm. Aside from the night the character card was reset and when the Black Moon mark appeared on his brow while leveling up in the Spirit Realm, it was as if it didn’t exist at other times. Yuan Ting glanced at the command banner stuck in the pen holder and said “Low-level Spirit Realm travelers can’t influence the mark. This kind of stylish ‘outfit’ is a privilege reserved for high-level travelers. I don’t need to see your mark—I just need to spot a lie.” As he spoke, he looked at the pen holder beside him and explained “This command banner is a prop I borrowed from Captain Fu. Its ability is to compel obedience and prevent people from lying. The trade-off is that I, too, cannot lie.” ... Zhang Yuanqing did his best to keep a smile on his face. At this very moment, no words could describe his current state of mind. Yuan Ting cut to the chase, drew the command banner, pointed it at Zhang Yuanqing from a distance, and said in a deep voice “Now, I ask you: is your Night Wanderer’s Mark a crescent moon or a full moon?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhang Yuanqing felt an immense, awe-inspiring power envelop him from the depths of the void, filling him with a deep, instinctive reverence. He found himself obeying involuntarily, unable to conceal anything—he longed to pour out every secret he held. His mind tensed uncontrollably, and his scalp tingled in waves. What was the Taiyi Sect’s purpose in searching for the Demon Lord’s successor? If it were simply to recruit talent, they shouldn’t be so vague and ambiguous—after all, that would be perfectly normal. There must be a deeper reason behind it. The character card was given to me by Bing Ge—perhaps this even involves him. His already taut nerves slowly began to fray with anxiety... Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing thought of the infant spirit he harbored within his body. A master can transfer the damage and negative effects they sustain to their spirit servant, allowing it to share the burden. Although the power of the command banner is vast and awe-inspiring, it doesn’t inflict actual physical harm, so the little rascal should be fine—it’s worth a try...... He immediately calmed his emotions and communicated with the infant spirit inside him, briefly connecting their souls. Suddenly, the vast and majestic power surged through his spiritual form and into the infant spirit’s body. The slumbering infant spirit kicked out with both legs, as if having a nightmare. His mind instantly relaxed, and that sense of awe and fear vanished. “Yueya!” Zhang Yuanqing replied in a low voice. Yuan Ting remained silent for a few seconds, still holding the banner and spear in a pointing gesture, and asked “Do you have any character card-exclusive rewards?” “No....” Yuan Ting fell silent once more. After a dozen or so seconds, he sighed and put away his command banner. “You’ve passed the screening. I’ll report the results to the organization. The Taiyi Sect places great importance on the Demon Lord’s successor, so there may be similar inspections in the future. Also, if you come across any Night Wanderers with these two characteristics, be sure to let me know—the Taiyi Sect will offer a generous reward.” “No amount of money would make me turn in my own kind...” Zhang Yuanqing silently let out a sigh of relief and patted his chest, saying “As soon as I spot one, I’ll notify you immediately.” Yuan Ting nodded with satisfaction “Actually, becoming the Demon Lord’s successor isn’t necessarily a good thing. The Spirit Realm has a balancing mechanism; practitioners with special abilities like this are often assigned high-difficulty missions. Remember this: rewards and risks are always directly proportional.” ... Zhang Yuanqing chuckled, “The Demon Lord’s successor really is pitiful.” He meant it. Yuan Ting put the pen holder and command flag back into his briefcase and handed him his cell phone “If you don’t mind, let’s be friends. There are too few Night Wanderers in the Five Elements Alliance, and no one can teach you the ins and outs of your own profession. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.” “You’re such a kind person...” Zhang Yuanqing happily scanned the QR code and added him as a friend. Yuan Ting put his phone away and added with a smile, “There’s a consultation fee, though.” Pay? Zhang Yuanqing’s expression froze instantly. “By the way, it’s been almost a week since you were promoted to Night Wanderer,” Yuan Ting said. “Based on our experience, newly promoted Night Wanderers will enter the Spirit Realm again within the next one to two weeks—most likely a multiplayer Spirit Realm.” So that means I’ll receive a mission in a week at the latest? I think I remember who this guy is—he made 200 yuan off me last night! Zhang Yuanqing’s mood was both somber and full of anticipation as he asked, “How much is this tip?” Yuan Ting smiled. “This one’s free.” Free? Oh, you’re such a kind person... Zhang Yuanqing immediately replied, “Then I have another question I’d like to ask Captain Yuan. Is that free, too?” “It depends on whether your question is worth anything,” Yuan Ting said. “Among the follow-up skills for the Night Wanderer, is there one called ‘Power of the Sun’?” “Yes, but I’m not exactly sure what level it is.” That’s enough—I now have a pretty clear idea of where this class is headed. Combining the power of the sun, moon, and yin and yang all in one—that’s pretty cool! Zhang Yuanqing said “I don’t have any more questions.” Watching the Night Wanderer from the Taiyi Sect leave the conference room and head down the steel staircase, Zhang Yuanqing made his way toward the squad leader’s office. I still need to report on my aunt’s condition at the hospital, but I’ll have to tweak my story—I can’t reveal anything related to that little rascal. No one can know I have a spirit servant; not at this stage. Inside the office, Li Dongze heard a howl coming from the doorway “Standing at the eye of the storm, I hold fast to the spinning sun and moon; may both heaven and earth remain in perfect order...” As soon as the singing stopped, there was a knock on the door. Li Dongze replied, “Come in.”