The rhythmic sound of keyboard strokes came from over the headphones, reminiscent of a piano recital and inexplicably pleasing to the ear.

Lu Yuan's mood also relaxed, and he boldly chose an aggressive, damage-dealing game character, hoping to salvage some of his "loser" image in front of Yu Wentong.

"You did a good job this time. Consider this a verbal commendation." Yu Wentong's voice came from the headphones.

Lu Yuan quickly responded, "Thank you for the compliment, Lord Tong."

He was bursting with questions for Yu Wentong, but now that he actually had the chance to speak with her, he found himself unsure where to begin.

Just as he was pondering, Yu Wentong spoke again, "You killed someone from Penglai this time?"

"Huh?!"

Lu Yuan was momentarily taken aback but quickly composed himself and nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Did I go too far, my Lord?"

The short-braided man Lu Yuan had killed was only average in strength; his main distinction was bearing the title of a Penglai Apostle. Lu Yuan had assumed such a minor character wouldn't even warrant a glance from Yu Wentong. To his surprise, she brought it up herself. It seemed Penglai had lodged a complaint.

"You didn't go too far." Tapping away at her keyboard, Yu Wentong casually replied, "It's just that Penglai felt they lost some face and had someone try to pressure me."

"Penglai... dares to pressure you, my Lord?" Lu Yuan blinked. Even Swimming Dragon and Liu dared to call Penglai a pile of shit, and by now, he too believed Penglai was utterly rotten.

Such an organization—on the verge of being discarded by the era, corrupt and feeble. Even Grandmasters could easily be ganged up on and killed there. Penglai likely had only a few Grandmasters. To Lu Yuan, describing them as "feeble" seemed perfectly reasonable.

How did they dare to challenge Yu Wentong, and what right did they possibly have to do so? Lu Yuan found it incredible.

A light chuckle came from Yu Wentong on the other end of the headphones.

"Don't underestimate Penglai."

Yu Wentong's simple, understated words made Lu Yuan feel as if he'd been gently prodded.

"Penglai represents the pinnacle of glory from the old era. They contributed a great deal to the Great Sum, endured much, and... gained much."

Lu Yuan, lost in thought, ventured a question, "Does Penglai have someone... influential backing them?"

"Mm," Yu Wentong responded softly.

That would explain it. Lu Yuan's eyes gleamed. As he rapidly maneuvered his game character forward, he speculated that Penglai might be backed by a significant figure, perhaps a Yellow Bear Lord on par with Yu Wentong.

"The people living in Penglai are all old-timers from the bygone era. And what old-timers value most, apart from their lives, is their reputation."

Lu Yuan frowned slightly. "So, what do they want me to do? Apologize?"

"No need," Yu Wentong casually dismissed. "However, your application for promotion to Flying Bear might be... held up."

"Oh." Lu Yuan felt a wave of relief. He didn't particularly covet the Flying Bear position; his Gold Bear Level status was currently sufficient, at least within the Old City Circle. Internally within Yellow Bear, Yu Wentong's influence was far more valuable than any Flying Bear Level.

"And then it's my turn to be displeased..." Yu Wentong suddenly remarked.

At that moment, Lu Yuan saw a game notification pop up on his screen: Yu Wentong had achieved a penta-kill. His eyelids twitched slightly, as if he could feel Lord Tong's somewhat irritable mood through the screen.

He immediately declared his loyalty, "My Lord, just give the order, and I'll charge into Penglai right now, raze Martial Saint Island, and plant Yu Wentong's banners all over the Penglai Pavilion..."

"Excellent!" Yu Wentong nodded crisply.

"Uh..." Lu Yuan opened his mouth, staring at his computer screen, lost for words.

Fortunately, Yu Wentong didn't leave him hanging for long. She chuckled a few times, her mood seemingly improved, and then continued, "However, this does present an opportunity for you. The Penglai issue has been discussed many times, but a good solution has never been found. If you can resolve it, most of the Yellow Bear higher-ups, including the one backing Penglai... would likely be very pleased."

Lu Yuan paused, surprised. But then, recalling the smug face of the Penglai Apostle at the Southern Hundred Cities Martial Arts Tournament, understanding dawned on him.

Penglai was thoroughly rotten by now. However, due to the lingering glory of the old era, the Great Sum couldn't easily dismantle them. They often turned a blind eye to Penglai's actions, yet they were unwilling to let them continue down this destructive path.

This situation required the right moment, a suitable reason, and the right person to step in and solve the problem.

Now, Lu Yuan seemed to qualify as this blade for scraping the bone. His status wasn't exceptionally high, but it wasn't low either. If he could seize this chance to remove Penglai, this "chronic affliction" on the Great Sum, it would indeed be a result everyone would be happy to see.

"Your killing of the Penglai Apostle has already lit the fuse. But if you truly intend to move against Penglai, you absolutely cannot do so in your capacity as a Gold Bear. The pretext of your Crane Sect teacher can be used, but it's not quite enough..."

As Lu Yuan listened to Yu Wentong slowly explain, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he blurted out, "The Evil Martial Association!"

"Clever!" On the computer screen, a "thumbs-up" game icon appeared above Lu Yuan's character—Yu Wentong's in-game "like."

"The identity of the Evil Emperor of the Evil Martial Association can bear the weight. As for the specifics of how to operate, you'll have to figure that out yourself."

Lu Yuan nodded. It seems I can't sever ties with the Evil Martial Association just yet, he thought. This Demon Emperor role is something I have to take on, whether I like it or not. But just thinking about the mountain of problems within the Evil Martial Association gives me a headache...

"Oh, right, there's something else I need to tell you. Regarding those three 'keys' you brought back, the Secret God Group has used them to locate the entrances to the corresponding Secret Realms. It won't be long before they can be officially opened. This particular Secret Realm is highly valuable; it might even reach Sub-Legendary level. As the discoverer of the 'keys', you have first-priority access for exploration. However, the more valuable a Secret Realm, the more dangerous it will be. Before you enter, I suggest you first get some practice in a less difficult Secret Realm..."

"Understood." Lu Yuan had been thinking the same thing.

Hearing Yu Wentong mention the Elephant God Religion, Lu Yuan suddenly remembered the Elephant God's curse he carried and hurriedly asked her about it.

But Yu Wentong only replied casually, "Oh, I saw it. Curses like that are quite common; it's a small matter. You likely won't die in the short term."

"That's good." Lu Yuan made a show of sighing in relief, only to react a second later.

"Huh?!"

'Likely won't die in the short term'? What does that even mean? What about the long term? Lord Tong, you can't be serious...

"My Lord, what exactly does 'likely won't die in the short term' mean?" Lu Yuan couldn't help but press.

Yu Wentong said leisurely, "It means that if you can continue to maintain your current rate of strength improvement, the probability of you dying from the curse will not exceed fifty percent. A fifty-percent survival rate is already quite high."

"Damn..." Lu Yuan almost couldn't stop himself from cursing aloud.

Doesn't that mean there's still a fifty-percent chance of dying? The pressure crashed down on him in an instant. The Sword of Damocles that had briefly vanished from over his head reappeared, even sharper and more menacing than before he'd encountered the Elephant God Walk.

"Relax, relax." Yu Wentong, likely sensing his current agitation, consoled him, "If it really comes to that, just come to Sum Nation. With me there, the curse wouldn't dare touch you."

"All... alright." Lu Yuan agreed verbally, but his heart remained heavy with helplessness.

Yu Wentong said that, but if I really couldn't handle it and fled to Sum Nation for refuge, her regard for me would likely diminish from what it is now. Besides, what if the Elephant God's curse couldn't find me and targeted the people around me instead? These were all pressing concerns.

Lu Yuan felt a surge of frustration and, in a moment of distraction, was killed in the game.

During the brief interval while his screen was gray, he thought for a moment and then asked Yu Wentong, "My Lord, could you tell me about the key to breaking through to Double S-Rank?"

He figured he could probably be considered Double S-Rank when he entered his Demon form, but that form had a time limit and wasn't suitable for prolonged combat. Who knew how long the Elephant God's curse would last when it activated?

"Double S-Rank, huh... That's a power level classification from a long time ago. Let me think..."

"..."

After a short while, Yu Wentong's voice came through again, "...Double S-Rank seems to be related to a breakthrough in terms of spirit and will. If you continue on the Pure Martial path and break through to the Grandmaster Realm, you can be considered to have officially entered the Double S-Rank... I don't remember the specifics very clearly. You could ask someone else."

Spirit and will... Grandmaster Realm... Lu Yuan's eyes flickered thoughtfully. He nodded and didn't press further.

The game with Yu Wentong lasted for a total of half an hour. It ended with Yu Wentong's side achieving a resounding victory, with Lu Yuan contributing 15 deaths to the enemy team. Lu Yuan was "honorably" kicked offline by Yu Wentong, his "glorious contribution" complete.

Stepping out of the "office," Lu Yuan was still mulling over the things Yu Wentong had mentioned during their conversation.

Penglai... the Evil Martial Association... the Elephant God's curse... Each issue seemed more troublesome than the last. But the solution to all these problems was actually quite simple... Strength.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath. As long as I become strong enough, no problem is truly a problem.

It had to be said, strength was like money; no matter how much you had, it never felt like enough when you actually needed to use it.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then pulled up Lan Chen, tagged as "Merit-seeking Boy" in the Gold Bear backend system, and asked him the same set of questions.

First was the matter of Penglai.

The information from Lan Chen, however, painted a much grimmer picture than what Yu Wentong had described.

Merit-seeking Boy: "...Penglai's situation is quite complex. Penglai and Martial Saint Island are located within the same Secret Realm. That was also the first ownerless, habitable Secret Realm discovered by the Great Sum. Although Penglai is a relic of the old era, its actual strength is by no means weak... What's up, bro? Are you thinking of making a move on Penglai? Be extremely careful. Penglai is considered a hidden challenge within Yellow Bear. It's not like no one has tried to take it down before, but several Flying Bears went in... and they all met their end there."

Even Double S-Rank Flying Bears have fallen in Penglai? And Penglai is inside a Secret Realm?

Seeing Lan Chen's reply, Lu Yuan's frown deepened. He then asked about Secret Realms—what an ownerless Secret Realm or a habitable Secret Realm meant, and how did they differ from the Evil God Secret Realms they usually talked about.

Lan Chen didn't waste words and directly sent him a link.

"This is information on Secret Realms accessible only with Flying Bear Level clearance. Take a look yourself, but don't spread it around, okay?"

Lu Yuan thanked him and, while he was at it, also asked Lan Chen about breaking through to Double S-Rank. He primarily wanted to understand how someone like Lan Chen, who didn't follow the Pure Martial path, managed to achieve Double S-Rank.

Lan Chen replied swiftly: "The key to Double S-Rank is this—to condense your own Light of Spirit."

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