As he heard the Spirit Realm notification chime ringing in his ears, Zhang Yuanqing felt a swell of anticipation as he looked forward to the S-rank dungeon's experience rewards.

He had consulted Guan Ya and Li Dongze about this before. For a Spirit Realm Walker who had just received their Character Card, clearing the trial mission typically yielded 0 to 5% experience. After that, completing a multiplayer Spirit Realm run would grant roughly 5 to 10%, while a solo run offered 10 to 15%.

In other words, even with a perfect 100% clear rate, a Walker would need over ten multiplayer runs, or close to ten solo runs, just to gain a single level. The difficulty of leveling up was staggering.

However, Zhang Yuanqing's trial dungeon had been an S-rank one. Clearing it had earned him 20% experience, the hidden mission he'd triggered afterward, which involved prying a Spirit Crystal from the Three Paths Mountain Goddess's dainty lips, had added another 22%. That single mountain goddess temple had been worth four or five regular multiplayer dungeons.

Under normal circumstances, reaching Level 2 would take at least five multiplayer runs or three solo runs. I wonder if this Jinshui Amusement Park can push me all the way to Level 2 in one go, he mused, brimming with expectation.

Within the official organizations, Level 1 Walkers were considered the rank and file. Level 2 was where one managed to squeeze into the elite tier, with salary and benefits rising dramatically and all manner of perks opening up.

【Calculating rewards... Items obtained: Cat King Speaker, Red Veil】

【Experience reward: 40%】

【Main quest settlement complete. Ding! Congratulations on completing the hidden mission. Calculating your rewards...】

【Items obtained: Orb of the Steadfast】

【Experience reward: 25%】

【Hidden mission settlement complete. Ding! Congratulations on advancing to Level 2 Nocturnal Specter.】

【Ding! Character Card reward activated. Reward item: Disguise Ring.】

【Settlement complete! Exiting the Spirit Realm in five minutes.】

Zhang Yuanqing stood slack-jawed, his own thundering heartbeat roaring in his ears. This is even more generous than Sheling Tunnel. That's a Transcendent tier S-rank dungeon for you. 65% experience and four items. I've struck it rich!

A moment later, he felt a scorching heat bloom between his brows. The Black moon mark was surfacing.

His heart clenched and he instinctively glanced toward Xie Lingxi. This is bad. The black crescent can't be seen by others!

The girl's pupils were unfocused, staring at some point in the void. She was probably reviewing her character panel and mission rewards, paying no attention to her surroundings whatsoever.

Zhang Yuanqing let out a breath of relief and turned his back to her.

The next instant, the searing Black Moon mark unleashed a torrent of the Power of the Dark Moon. It flooded through his body with near-brutal force, merging into every cell, seeping into every bone. He convulsed involuntarily, feeling the very fabric of his being shifting as his genetic sequence rewrote itself.

Three entirely new innate skills wove themselves into his instincts as naturally as breathing.

【Name: Yuanshi Tianzun】

【Race: Human】

【Class: Nocturnal Specter】

【Level: 2】

【Skills: Night Wandering, Soul Devouring, Spirit of the Dark Moon, Moon Howl, Charm, Spirit Talisman】

【Experience: 23%】

【Morality: 90】

【Reputation: 15】

【Moon Howl (Active): Borrow power from the Dark Moon, drastically enhancing all attributes for a quarter hour. After the skill ends, enter a weakened state lasting three hours. Note: This skill can only be used at night. Prerequisite action: raise head and howl at the moon.】

【Charm (Active): Causes the target to hallucinate and lose their sense of direction. Note: Ghosts and specters favor this technique above all others when beguiling mortals.】

【Spirit Talisman (Active): Spirit script unique to the Nocturnal Specter class. Can inscribe Talisman Arts and formations. Note: Currently limited to spirit scripts targeting spiritual entities.】

Zhang Yuanqing focused his awareness and probed the skills. He could understand their nature without actually activating them.

Moon Howl and Night Wandering were two mutually exclusive active skills. While Moon Howl was active, Night Wandering could not be used, and vice versa. If Night Wandering was the ultimate assassination skill, then Moon Howl compensated for any of the Nocturnal Specter's weaknesses in close combat.

Charm leaned toward crowd control and support. It lacked direct killing power, but it broadened the Nocturnal Specter's toolkit and opened up new tactical options.

As for Spirit Talisman, it could be used to craft talismans and inscribe formations. These were not limited to countering vengeful spirits. They could also be used to nurture and refine spirits.

I can finally develop Little Goofball further, Zhang Yuanqing thought happily as he opened his Inventory to inspect the items.

Besides the Cat King Speaker, he had been rewarded with two items and one consumable for clearing the dungeon.

【Name: Red Veil】

【Type: Accessory (Consumable)】

【Function: Summoning】

【Description: The bridal veil of the Ghost Bride from the ghost marriage scene in Jinshui Amusement Park. An object blessed by a certain unknowable existence, it was originally an inseparable part of the Ghost Bride. Only a special individual who successfully deceived the Ghost bride may obtain it.】

【Note 1: Donning the red veil summons the Ghost Bride. This item has three uses.】

【Note 2: Hahaha, I laugh at that Goddess and her lack of cunning. I laugh at her for trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice.】

【Note 3: Using the red veil inside the Spirit Realm carries a chance of attracting the gaze of that existence. After reading Note 2, I trust you will use it wisely.】

Zhang Yuanqing sucked in a breath of cold air, caught between delight and dread. This thing comes with mockery built in? If the Three Paths Mountain Goddess senses it, she'll be absolutely livid.

He suspected the Ghost Bride was either at the peak of the Transcendent tier or had touched the Saint stage. A summon of that caliber was an absolute lifeline in a crisis.

The painful part was that this item posed little actual threat to the Three Paths Mountain Goddess, but was devastatingly insulting. That peerless beauty would probably hunt him across every corner of the Spirit Realm if she sensed it.

He made up his mind in silence. I absolutely cannot use this inside the Spirit Realm.

【Name: Orb of the Steadfast】

【Type: Orb】

【Function: Buff, Defense】

【Description: An Earth Wraith-class item. Condenses the power of the earth, enhancing strength and defensive capabilities.】

【Note: Heaviness comes at a price.】

He also gained an additional item thanks to his Demon King character card.

【Name: Disguise Ring】

【Type: Accessory】

【Function: Disguise】

【Description: A wondrous ring capable of altering one's appearance. Facial features can be adjusted at will.】

【Note: Don't you have any idea what you actually look like?】

So the Demon Lord's Character Card reward gives an item for every dungeon cleared? That's absurdly overpowered, he thought to himself.

The Disguise Ring's function seemed straightforward enough, but the 'price' exacted by the Orb of the Steadfast did not sound dependable.

Eager to try it out, Zhang Yuanqing pulled the orb from his Inventory. It was an earthy yellow-colored orb the size of an egg, and as he held it, he felt an indescribable sense of weight against his fingers.

The moment he gripped the Orb of the Steadfast, he felt himself grow heavier and more powerful. A strong, inexplicable sense of security welled up inside him. However, he had also become slower. Every movement felt like he was carrying an entire mountain on his back, rendering him almost impossibly sluggish.

How am I supposed to fight while holding this thing? The pros and cons are both obvious. So this is what a normal item looks like. The Demon-subduing Awl and the Red Dancing Shoes are the abnormal ones.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a gleeful cheer rang out.

Xie Lingxi had finished tallying her rewards and was bouncing in place like a little girl who had just received a lollipop.

"Bro Tai, can you even imagine? I got 35% experience, one item, and one consumable! This dungeon is perfect! The rewards are so generous! S-rank Spirit Realm dungeons really are something else.

"Bro Tai, what rewards did you get? How much experience? Any items?"

The girl blinked her bright, lively eyes and peered over at him with an expectant gaze.

She already owned two items, one bestowed to her by an elder and one earned in a solo dungeon. Now, she had gained a third. Her expression was easy enough to read. I'm so young and I already have three items. Can you even imagine?

Zhang Yuanqing gave her a small nod, slightly amused at the excitement that was written all over her face.

"Not bad! My rewards were alright. 65% experience, three items, one consumable."

Xie Lingxi froze. Her small face went rigid, and her mouth fell open bit by bit as she stared at him with a vacant gaze.

Zhang Yuanqing was thoroughly pleased with himself. I can clearly feel the envy radiating off you!

"How is that possible...?" she murmured. "Why are your rewards so much higher than mine? The Spirit Realm isn't fair!!"

"Perhaps," Zhang Yuanqing offered in consolation, "the Spirit Realm just wanted you to witness the inequality of the world."

Xie Lingxi looked like she was about to cry.

If you knew that this was only my second time entering the Spirit Realm, that inequality would hit even harder!

Despite that thought, he decided not to torment her any further and waited patiently to return to the real world.

At the same time, he mulled over the long term benefits of clearing this dungeon. He had secured the first clear of an S-rank dungeon. Walkers who cleared it afterward would certainly receive reduced experience, and the item rewards would never be as generous as the first clear bonus. Even so, the rewards would still exceed those of lower-difficulty dungeons, making strategy guides extremely valuable.

The Cat King Speaker had been left in this dungeon by Bro Bing, and seemed to contain some kind of information. Once he returned to the real world, he would study the item carefully. It might yield something useful.

Oh, right. He still had to carry out Ashamed Father's dying request.

"Bro Tai, how come we haven't seen River Lord? And can we exchange phone numbers?" Xie Lingxi suddenly asked as she watched the countdown timer approach zero.

"River Lord is probably still over by the roller coaster. And didn't we already exchange numbers?"

"The number I gave you was fake."

"Oh? The one I gave you was real."

Xie Lingxi wrinkled her nose. "No, yours was definitely fake too."

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her. They were just Spirit Realm acquaintances. Once the dungeon ended, everyone would go their separate ways. Why stay in touch? She was still young. When she turned eighteen, they could have a more... in-depth exchange.

"Spirit Realm Walkers are better off not having too many connections in the real world, even with those on the same side," he said evenly.

"I'll find you!" Xie Lingxi said in a huff.

The words had barely left her mouth when the Detective Mystery Hall in front of his eyes rippled and grew blurry in an instant.

***

The image shifted from a dark haze to clarity, and Zhang Yuanqing found himself looking at a familiar sight—a familiar desk, a double bed, a desk lamp, a television. He was back in reality.

The room was pitch dark and perfectly silent. The curtains were drawn tight, and the soundproof glass sealed out every whisper of the outside world. The digital alarm clock on the nightstand read 5:00 AM.

He had spent five hours inside the Spirit Realm, yet it felt as though entire ages had passed.

Pulling back the curtains, he looked out at the sky, which was a dim, dusky blue. Few cars moved along the streets below. A sanitation worker drove a garbage truck past at an unhurried pace. The breakfast chain shop on the corner had already opened for business, thick clouds of steam billowing steadily from its entrance.

Zhang Yuanqing switched on the light and stood before the full length mirror by the window, studying his reflection. His skin had grown paler. His features were unchanged, yet somehow they seemed far more refined. A strange, unfamiliar aura lingerie between his brows.

He racked his brain for a moment before two words flashed through his mind: sinister and noble. Clearly, this was a change brought on by the concentrated Power of the Dark Moon after leveling up.

I remember Yuan Ting had this same aura about him. The higher a Nocturnal Specter's level, the more pronounced it becomes, he thought to himself.

Someday I'll be able to flash a wickedly charming smile. No, I can't do that. What if young women start clinging to me? What a headache that would be.

He let out a small chuckle, walked over to the bed, and fished out his phone from the cold sheets. He tapped the screen to wake it. There was one unread text message.

Guan Ya: When you're out, call me immediately. Everyone is waiting for you.

And what if I hadn't made it out? He wondered.

Well, by dawn, she would probably reach out on her own to confirm whether he had died in the Spirit Realm. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Zhang Yuanqing closed the message and dialed Guan Ya's number.