Li Dongze chose his words carefully and said,
"'The Spirit Realm' is a supernatural force—something that current science cannot explain. Although we have been trying to dissect and understand it, we still don't fully comprehend its nature. The Spirit Realm exists within reality yet transcends it, and only those who are chosen can enter."
"And as for the method of being chosen…" He took a sip of his drink and smiled. "You should have experienced it for yourself."
"What about that card?" Zhang Yuanqing responded at the appropriate moment.
Li Dongze nodded slightly.
"It's called a 'Character Card.' When someone obtains a Character Card, it initiates a trial mission. By completing that trial, you gain a corresponding profession, along with the skills and traits of that profession.
"The mechanism by which the Spirit Realm selects its Walkers has not yet been fully deciphered, and the way Character Cards are distributed is not fixed. Sometimes, one appears embedded in your body; sometimes, you pick it up from the roadside; and sometimes, you inadvertently click on a link online…"
"Completing the trial mission is only the beginning. If a Spirit Realm Walker wishes to level up and grow more powerful, they must continuously accept tasks that take them into the Spirit Realm. But don't worry—the frequency of these tasks isn't very high, and not every Spirit Realm scenario poses a mortal danger. In fact, some are quite enjoyable."
He continued, "Take me, for example—I am a Level 3 Scout. In the past two years, I have entered the Spirit Realm about once a month, but I've only experienced a solo Spirit Realm once every three months, and I nearly died during that attempt. The rest of the time, I entered multiplayer Spirit Realms, which are relatively safer and more interesting. Heh, to obtain superpowers, you always have to pay a price."
Li Dongze paused to let Zhang Yuanqing process the information.
"Is it similar to a game instance?" Zhang Yuanqing ventured his understanding.
Li Dongze smiled, "I enjoy talking with you young people because you have strong comprehension and are eager to explore new things." After offering a word of praise, he nodded and continued, "That's right—it's just like playing a game. The Spirit Realm is like a dungeon. Some dungeons are single-player, while others are multiplayer team instances. And the single-player dungeons are the most dangerous, with the highest mortality rate.
"Multiplayer dungeons are relatively better—they come in two types: death-type and penalty-type. In the latter, you only lose a certain percentage of your experience points if you die."
Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously, "Why is the mortality rate highest in the single-player type?"
Li Dongze pondered for a moment and explained, "In multiplayer Spirit Realms, you encounter other Spirit Realm Walkers with various professions. But in single-player dungeons, you face a scenario tailored to your own profession. Take the Scout, for example—the advanced ability of our profession is to observe, track, and analyze.
"That's why the three single-player Spirit Realms I've encountered have been: solving detective-style cases; chasing down villains in a jungle environment; and surviving in the wilderness. Moreover, for each profession, the Spirit Realm instances in the 'Transcendent' stage differ from those in the 'Saint' stage."
I'm a Night Wanderer, and my instance is of a paranormal nature. Whew, thankfully there are multiplayer instances too; otherwise, I'd have wet myself in fear inside the Spirit Realm. I wonder if the Saint-stage instances will change? Zhang Yuanqing listened and nodded.
"Do you think Lei Yibing's disappearance might mean he entered the Spirit Realm?" Zhang Yuanqing asked in a low voice.
He desperately needed confirmation from an official to verify his suspicions. If Bing-ge had indeed entered the Spirit Realm, then things wouldn't be as dire as they could be.
Li Dongze thought for a moment and said, "After Lei Yibing's bizarre disappearance, the officials at the Hangzhou Police Department took over the case. Their judgment is that Lei Yibing died in the Spirit Realm."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing felt his heart skip a beat. Anxiety and panic surged uncontrollably. "Why?" he managed to ask.
Li Dongze explained, "Because too much time had passed. In a normal Spirit Realm instance—at least in the Transcendent stage—the duration is measured in a few hours at best or a day or two at most. But Lei Yibing has been missing for four days. The Transcendent stage corresponds to levels 1 to 3."
"And what about above the Transcendent stage?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but those instances probably last much longer."
Maybe Bing-ge is a powerful Spirit Realm Walker... Zhang Yuanqing could only console himself with that thought.
At this point, regarding Bing-ge's disappearance, his current abilities and knowledge meant he couldn't help much. In contrast, joining the official organization and saving himself was the most crucial step.
"...By the way, before I introduce you to our official organization, there's one very important matter," Li Dongze said, taking another sip to clear his throat. "What is your Morality Score?"
"Sixty points—the initial value," Zhang Yuanqing replied honestly.
Li Dongze nodded, "For a newbie like you, the Morality Score is your biggest pitfall. You must remember this."
"Why is that?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, unable to hide his confusion.
"Do you remember the note under the Morality Score?"
He recalled it: 'Be a good person.' Zhang Yuanqing almost made a face of disbelief.
Li Dongze said in a serious tone, "The initial Morality Score is 60. If you drop below that, the Spirit Realm's punishment mechanism will trigger. It will broadcast your location to all Spirit Realm Walkers in the same city and issue an order to eliminate you."
Zhang Yuanqing stared in shock and blurted out, "So I can never do anything bad for the rest of my life?"
"Well, I'm not saying you must commit crimes—being a saint all the time would be exhausting."
"And what exactly are the criteria for measuring Morality? If doing handicrafts or sending risqué images counts as moral decay, then I'm doomed."
Li Dongze laughed, clearly enjoying seeing a newbie's reaction, and said slowly, "There's no need to be so nervous. Based on our observations, if a Spirit Realm Walker commits theft, robbery, or causes harm, you lose between 1 to 5 points depending on the severity. Killing someone deducts 10 points. If you cause severe consequences with multiple casualties, you lose a corresponding amount.
"As for personal morality issues, they do not affect your score. Also, while your score can be deducted, you can also accumulate points. That's why I told you to be a good person."
This mechanism sounded like it was deliberately designed to restrain Spirit Realm Walkers. But why would the Spirit Realm impose such restrictions?
Morality and law are constructs created by humans to maintain order. In nature, aside from humans, other creatures don't need these things. In other words, unless the Spirit Realm's stance is aligned with humanity, the existence of a Morality Score seems somewhat illogical.
Yet, the Spirit Realm is a supernatural phenomenon.
Zhang Yuanqing instinctively felt that this limitation was unreasonable, but since Li Dongze didn't explain further, it seemed he himself wasn't clear on the reasons either.
From their conversation, it was evident that the officials had only a limited understanding of the Spirit Realm.
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly said, "I see. No wonder it's such a big pitfall for newcomers. So how do you accumulate Morality Points?"
After gaining superpowers, newbies often use their abilities to do things they couldn't before—like making money quickly. And the methods for making quick cash are often written in the criminal code.
Also, what about eating 'Boss Abalone'… Hmm, I wonder if helping out impoverished ladies would lower one's Morality Score? Under the Spirit Realm's rules, does that count as a moral failing or a crime?
Zhang Yuanqing didn't dare ask that question; after all, they were not yet well acquainted, and he didn't want to leave a bad impression on future leaders.
"Accumulating Morality Points is just as simple as losing them—you just need to do good deeds. In fact, many Spirit Realm Walkers in evil organizations are eager to do charity work and donate money, because that's the fastest way to accumulate Morality Points. As long as you have enough money, you can kill without restraint," Li Dongze snorted. "It's very ironic, isn't it? You never know what kind of hypocritical faces hide behind those who do charity. Even more ironic, human lives can be measured in money. That's the reality, both in the real world and in the Spirit Realm.
"Also, when Spirit Realm Walkers fight each other, no Morality Points are deducted."
After Zhang Yuanqing had absorbed this information, Li Dongze continued, "Now, let's talk about the official organization.
"Our official organization is called the Five Elements Alliance, which is composed of five major factions: the Hundred Flowers Society, the White Tiger Brigade, the Red Fire Gang, the Water God Palace, and the Central Court. These five factions represent five professions: Wood Demons, Scouts, Fire Masters, Water Spirits, and Earth Monsters."
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but internally remark: How come the official organization is full of monsters and demons?
"Besides the Five Elements Alliance, there are a few other organizations with official backgrounds. I'll send you the details later." Li Dongze fiddled with his glass and said, "Within the Five Elements Alliance, the five major groups formed an alliance only in the past twenty years. Before that, they operated independently and didn't get along well. This involves the generative and restraining cycles of the five elements, as well as the differing characteristics of each profession."
Taking another sip of his drink, Li Dongze shrugged, "Take the Hundred Flowers Society, for example. They are extreme environmentalists and members of animal protection groups. My goodness, they even tried to push for a ban on eating dog meat in the headquarters of the Five Elements Alliance. It's outrageous—every time I see their sickly, hypocritical faces professing their love for animals, I just want to kick them in the butt with my shoe."
He then went on to harshly criticize the other four professions besides the White Tiger Brigade's Scouts.
This gave Zhang Yuanqing a fairly direct picture of the other factions in the Five Elements Alliance—for example, the Red Fire Gang, who prefer action over talk; the Water God Palace, whose members are gloomy and obsessed with cultivating viruses and bacteria; and the Central Court, comprised of hard-bitten "landlords" engaged in real estate and mining.
"Only our White Tiger Brigade's Scouts—wise, calm, and decisive—are the perfect profession," Li Dongze concluded.
Inwardly, Zhang Yuanqing thought, Do the other four factions even agree with that?
"Heh, the more you talk, it sounds just like a game, doesn't it? Some within the Five Elements Alliance even refer to the Spirit Realm as a 'game server.' Spirit Realm Walkers have character panels, items, and tasks to complete, and each different Spirit Realm is like its own instance. In addition, there are different professions—for example, the members of the Red Fire Gang are reckless and violent, much like berserkers. The members of the Water God Palace possess water-control abilities, akin to water mages. The Hundred Flowers Society can raise pets and heal injuries—they are like priests and summoners. And the Central Court? They're thick-skinned, typical tanks."
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't resist teasing, "So are you saying that your Scouts are like 75-coin eyes in the game?"
Li Dongze paused for a moment, gripping the handle of his cane tighter, and replied flatly, "If I were a Fire Master in the Red Fire Gang right now, I'd smash your stupid head with my stick."
"Sorry!" Zhang Yuanqing quickly apologized.
After the joke, the atmosphere between them lightened further, and Li Dongze smiled, "Once you pass the Transcendent stage, Scouts will have extremely strong solo combat abilities. I'm not exaggerating when I say that our profession is nearly perfect.
"Of course, among the orthodox professions, the Night Wanderer is recognized as the strongest. I'm talking about the orthodox professions, not including the evil ones. Even we Scouts must admit that the Night Wanderer is a bit more perfect than we are."
Ah? So Night Wanderers are really strong—can they take on ten opponents at once? Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of joy in his heart and asked, "Could you tell me more about the Night Wanderer profession?"
Li Dongze chuckled softly, understanding the young man's admiration for power, and said, "At the early Transcendent stage, Night Wanderers can already unleash extremely potent assassination abilities, with impressive burst damage. Moreover, they possess the ability to communicate with souls and even manipulate corpses and spirits—they have a diverse set of skills and formidable combat prowess.
"However, Night Wanderers are extremely rare. Currently, the Songhai branch doesn't have any Night Wanderers. This is partly because there are too few trial Spirit Realm instances for Night Wanderers in Songhai, and partly because the Taiyi Sect in the capital continuously recruits Night Wanderers from across the country."
At that point, Li Dongze naturally inquired about the new recruit's profession, "So, what is your profession? I hope you're not a Fire Master—I really can't stand brash, violent young people."