In his spacious and luxurious office, Li Dongze reclined lazily on the sofa, legs crossed, a wine glass in his left hand and a cigar in his right, radiating an air of leisurely contentment.
Just moments ago, he had reported the recruitment of the Nightwalker to his direct superior.
Li Dongze knew the young Centurion, newly appointed and eager to prove himself, was keen on cultivating his own faction. A Nightwalker with a clean background was like manna from heaven for the Centurion, whose family boasted immense prestige—a timely blessing indeed.
As expected, his young superior expressed high praise and promised to record a major merit in his name.
Within the White Tiger Corps' hierarchy, military merit outweighed all else.
Bang!
The office's glass door was violently thrown open as Guan Ya stormed in, her high heels clacking against the floor.
Li Dongze frowned, took a slow sip of his wine, and chided her:
"Guan Ya, such behavior lacks elegance."
"Chief, the Trial Spirit Realm that kid entered is the She Ling Tunnel!" Guan Ya cut straight to the chase.
Pfft! Li Dongze suddenly transformed into a projectile warrior, spitting out his wine. Ignoring the mess, he slammed his hands on the table and shot to his feet, his voice rising to a shrill shout:
"The She Ling Tunnel?! Oh, God! You damned fool, you're going straight to hell! Look at the mess you've made!"
He grabbed his cane and charged out of the office, rushing to the work area where he found the newly recruited Nightwalker staring blankly at a computer screen.
Noticing Li Dongze's arrival, Zhang Yuanqing wore a bitter expression and asked, "Chief, do you think there's any hope for me?"
He desperately hoped Li Dongze wouldn't blurt out, "You're doomed. Just wait to die and consider your contract terminated!"
Li Dongze stared at him in silence, his expression akin to someone who had finally won the heart of their beloved only to discover she was their long-lost sister.
Faced with the new employee's earnest, hopeful gaze, Li Dongze took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "The Trial Spirit Realm is every Spirit Realm Walker's first Solo Instance. That's precisely what makes it so daunting. In a Solo Instance, no one can help you. It's the Spirit Realm's test for you—the inevitable price you must pay to acquire supernatural power."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded heavily, his spirits sinking.
Li Dongze continued, "I'll report this matter. Hopefully, the higher-level databases contain information or strategies for the She Ling Tunnel. Otherwise, no one can save you. Go back and wait for news. I'll notify you immediately if I find anything."
Though not a Nightwalker himself, Li Dongze, as a seasoned Spirit Realm Walker, had heard of the She Ling Tunnel's notorious reputation.
To date, according to the Official Organization's records, no one had ever cleared the She Ling Tunnel. The "First Kill" for this instance remained unclaimed.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Chief," Zhang Yuanqing said with a stiff nod.
Li Dongze added, "Make sure to write down every detail of your experience in the She Ling Tunnel."
After arranging a special car to take Zhang Yuanqing away, Guan Ya returned to her desk, pulled out a notepad bearing the Aquarius watermark from her drawer, and uncapped a pen adorned with the Virgo symbol.
Everything on her desk—the computer, notebooks, desktop, water glass—was either printed with or adorned with various zodiac signs, clearly indicating her deep fascination with astrology.
Guan Ya wrote on the notepad:
[ Primordial Heavenly Venerable, Scorpio male. Zodiac traits: manipulative, vengeful, high libido. ]
[ Note: Extremely high probability of being seduced by women from other organizations. ]
After finishing, the Mixed-Blood Beauty sighed softly, tore off the note, and pasted it into the Second Team's personnel file.
She kept detailed notes on each Captain's traits and evaluations, including those who had resigned or died in the Spirit Realm.
"Hey, Wang Tai, does that kid have any chance of clearing it?" Guan Ya called out to the adjacent office, craning her neck.
Wang Tai, his hair disheveled, looked up and replied, "The Taiyi Sect might have detailed information about the She Ling Tunnel, but it's probably useless. Otherwise, they would have already sent a Nightwalker to clear it. An S-rank Trial Mission should come with a decent reward."
Guan Ya frowned.
Wang Tai continued, "If we could find him a few items, he might have a chance of clearing it. But you know how diverse item functions are, and our understanding of the She Ling Tunnel is limited. We can't provide targeted solutions, so the most likely outcome is losing both the person and the resources."
"No duh!" Guan Ya rolled her eyes.
Items were incredibly rare and valuable. A Spirit Realm Walker in the Transcendent Phase would be lucky to possess even a single one.
Unclaimed items could only be obtained through two methods: entering the Spirit Realm to search for them, or killing Spirit Realm Walkers in the real world and seizing their treasures. Even then, only items not stored in their Inventory could be taken.
Neither option was realistic.
More importantly, without knowing the specific conditions of the She Ling Tunnel, how could anyone determine which type of item would help him clear it?
If he died in the Spirit Realm, the item would be automatically reclaimed by the realm, resulting in a catastrophic loss.
Wang Tai furiously typed on his keyboard, pulling up a series of data streams. After staring at them for a long time, he muttered to himself, "Qingming Festival just passed, which is exactly when the She Ling Tunnel opens each year. Is this guy just incredibly unlucky?"
In his office, Li Dongze opened his messaging app and typed:
"Centurion Fu, I must report an urgent matter concerning the newly recruited Nightwalker we discussed earlier. His Trial Spirit Realm is the She Ling Tunnel, notorious as the 'Nightwalker beginner's bug' Spirit Realm.
"The She Ling Tunnel first appeared during tunnel construction in the last century. A construction team mistakenly entered it and perished within the Spirit Realm. Afterward, the Official Organization found a survivor. Thirty-six hours later, that survivor was once again transported into the Spirit Realm.
"Yes, the She Ling Tunnel's Trial Mission is divided into two phases, unlike the single-stage Trials of other professions and Spirit Realms.
"I apologize. I was blinded by excitement and misled by habitual thinking. Seeing him return from the Trial Spirit Realm, I subconsciously assumed he had passed the Trial.
"I know the Taiyi Sect's archives contain the most comprehensive and detailed information on Nightwalker Spirit Realms, and their Sect Lord is the strongest Nightwalker in the world. Perhaps the Taiyi Sect possesses data related to the She Ling Tunnel.
"If Centurion Fu were to intervene, I believe the Taiyi Sect would grant us some consideration.
"The White Tiger Corps' principle is to never abandon a comrade. Since he has already joined our ranks, I cannot simply abandon him. I implore Centurion Fu for your assistance."
After carefully editing the message, Li Dongze reviewed it several times to ensure accuracy before clicking send.
He gripped his wine glass, stared at the screen, and sighed.
Zhang Yuanqing returned home, his mind heavy with worries. He entered the passcode and opened the security door.
In the living room, his grandmother was mopping the gleaming floor. At the dining table sat a middle-aged man in a black jacket, his features handsome and his hair jet-black. Deep frown lines between his brows and fine crow's feet at the corners of his eyes spoke of the weathered wisdom of age.
By all appearances, he was a strikingly handsome older man, undoubtedly popular with mature women and the object of obsession for some younger girls with a "daddy" complex.
But this middle-aged man wasn't Zhang Yuanqing's uncle; he was his cousin.
Cousin swallowed a mouthful of freshly warmed porridge and looked at Zhang Yuanqing. "Grandmother said you were looking for me last night?"
His expression was stern and humorless, like a younger version of their grandfather.
Zhang Yuanqing opened his mouth to speak, then shook his head. "It's nothing now."
The problem from yesterday had been resolved, and his cousin couldn't help with the new challenge. Better to keep it to himself. Besides, he had signed a confidentiality agreement.
Cousin glanced at him, continuing to eat his porridge at a leisurely pace. "It's about Lei Yibing, isn't it? I heard Li Dongze personally visited him yesterday. That means his case is far from ordinary. Even I can't help you with this."
"So Cousin had already investigated beforehand!" Zhang Yuanqing murmured, nodding.
Noticing his cousin's subdued mood, Chen Yuanjun refrained from pressing further, assuming Zhang Yuanqing was worried about Lei Yibing.
Just then, Jiang Yu'er emerged from her room wearing adorable bear-patterned pajamas, carrying a stack of face masks. "Here," she said, handing them over. "Anti-wrinkle and anti-aging. Use one morning and night—they should work well. Grandma insisted I buy them for you."
Cousin's face darkened, his brow furrowing into a deep frown. "Aunt, I don't need these."
Aunt shrugged nonchalantly. "Suit yourself."
Grandmother, who was mopping the floor nearby, leaned on her mop and glared at her grandson. "If you don't need face masks, then I suppose you'd prefer I iron out those wrinkles on your face with a hot iron?"
Having long given up on her unreliable son, Grandmother had shifted her focus to nurturing the next generation: her two grandchildren.
So far, her efforts had paid off. Her grandson had been admitted to Songhai University, while her grandson worked at the Public Security Bureau, both with bright futures ahead.
Yet Grandmother harbored a persistent worry: her grandson's excessive maturity. At thirty years old, he looked forty.
Two years prior, an old friend of Grandfather's, whom he hadn't seen in decades, visited Songhai. Upon meeting Chen Yuanjun, the friend exclaimed in surprise, "I never knew you had another son!"
Grandfather sputtered for a moment before finally managing to say, "This is my grandson."
The old friend, a straightforward man, blurted out in surprise, "Your grandson is quite the wild one."
Decades of friendship nearly crumbled in an instant.
Chen Yuanjun reluctantly took the face mask, stuffed it into his pocket, and said, "Alright, Grandmother, stop nagging. I need to get to work. I'm swamped with a missing persons case lately."
A missing persons case? Zhang Yuanqing's ears perked up. "What's the situation?"
Chen Yuanjun picked up a piece of pickled vegetable. "Two people disappeared in the She Ling Tunnel. We haven't found them yet. The surveillance footage outside the tunnel shows them entering, but the cameras inside show no sign of them ever going in."
His cousin suddenly stopped, warning, "Don't spread this around." He had signed a confidentiality agreement.
Hearing this, Grandmother's gossipy instincts flared. She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Is it ghosts again? Heh, why haven't they blocked off that place yet? Every year, people vanish in that tunnel."
Aunt perked up her ears, wearing the same gossipy expression as her mother.
"Grandmother, stop asking," Chen Yuanjun said.
Could they have stumbled into the Mountain God Temple like I did? Zhang Yuanqing thought. Damn, those poor bastards. I wonder if they'll survive the three hours. He felt both sympathy and a strange sense of relief that he wasn't the only one who had suffered such misfortune.
He had gained a deeper understanding of the Spirit Realm. Li Dongze had mentioned that the Spirit Realm had always existed, and perhaps some of the missing persons reported each year had vanished into it.
Capital City, courtyard residence.
The ancient locust tree in the courtyard spread its lush canopy like a vast emerald umbrella.
Beneath its shade, an elderly man with silvering hair lay on a rocking chair, clad in a white undershirt and loose shorts, a palm-leaf fan in his hand as he enjoyed a leisurely nap.
The man's face was lean and refined, a small mole between his brows adding to his indescribable air of nobility.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, scattering dappled sunlight across the ground.
Faint, childlike laughter drifted down from the locust tree.
"Elder Sun, Young Fu from the Fu family has sent you an email," a middle-aged man in black announced as he stepped over the threshold into the courtyard.
Whether from the Five Elements Alliance or the Taiyi Sect, those who attained the rank of Elder were renowned Spirit Realm Walkers.
"Fu Qingyang?" The old man chuckled without opening his eyes, waving his fan a few times. "What does he want?"
"His subordinate in Songhai City has recruited a Nightwalker. The Trial Spirit Realm is the She Ling Tunnel. He's requesting information about the tunnel and seeking your advice," the middle-aged man relayed the email's contents.
The old man's hand, which had been fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, paused mid-motion. After a few seconds, he suddenly realized:
"Qingming Festival just passed. Calculating the time, it's precisely when the She Ling Tunnel opens. Many people will be fortunate enough to obtain Nightwalker Character Cards recently. Unfortunately, no one will ever clear the She Ling Tunnel."
"You can give him the data. The sect has already abandoned trying to conquer the She Ling Tunnel, so the confidentiality level of the related information has been lowered. By the way, tell Young Fu that the place is inherently an S-rank Trial Spirit Realm, and some unforeseen complications have made it even more difficult, far exceeding the scope of a Trial Spirit Realm."
"My advice is to abandon that Nightwalker. There's no point in investing in someone who's destined to die."
The middle-aged man nodded slightly. As a Deacon of the Taiyi Sect, he was well aware of the She Ling Tunnel's eerie and ominous nature in Songhai.
An S-rank Trial Spirit Realm was already the most challenging type of Spirit Realm for newcomers. The She Ling Tunnel, however, was even more bizarre than typical S-rank realms.
Every S-rank Trial Spirit Realm invariably contained something extraordinary—whether it was rare artifacts or crucial information—making them immensely valuable.
To decipher the She Ling Tunnel Spirit Realm, the Taiyi Sect had stationed two Level 1 Nightwalkers in Songhai for an extended period. This was because the S-rank Trial Spirit Realm occasionally opened to Level 1 Spirit Realm Walkers of that profession.
After months of waiting, the two Level 1 Nightwalkers finally received a Trial Mission for the She Ling Tunnel.
The outcome was disastrous. One Nightwalker entered the Spirit Realm and vanished without a trace. The other successfully completed the first task but perished during the second.
Both Nightwalkers had been equipped with powerful artifacts.
Following this failure, the Taiyi Sect's Elders' Council reassessed the She Ling Tunnel and abandoned all further attempts to conquer the Spirit Realm.
"If someone truly manages to clear the She Ling Tunnel and retrieve the information within, it would finally resolve a lingering regret for our Taiyi Sect," the middle-aged man said with a wry smile.
The elder offered no comment, replying slowly, "In a few days, the Sect Lord will summon all Nightwalkers to the capital for a conference. A major announcement is imminent. Prepare yourself and recall all your subordinates."
With that, he waved his palm-leaf fan dismissively.
The middle-aged man bowed deeply and withdrew.