The Scope Expands

The post stated that recently, the Spirit Realm Walker spirit realms have undergone large-scale changes. Many spirit realm dungeons previously recorded have shifted, with their difficulty levels rising to become brand-new, unconquered dungeons.

Their difficulty has reached A-rank or even S-rank.

Many Night Wanderer who were scheduled to enter the spirit realm recently were unfortunately assigned to these dungeons and, as a result, sacrificed.

The poster is one of the forum administrators; to a certain extent, this counts as an official announcement.

So many S-rank and A-rank exclusive spirit realms for Night Wanderer have appeared? Zhang Yuanqing was stunned.

The spirit realm has a balancing and matching mechanism; level 1 has level 1 dungeons, level 2 has level 2 dungeons, and so on. Sometimes, a level 1 walker might enter a level 2 dungeon, but the tasks received would be relatively simple.

In short, the tasks given by the spirit realm might be difficult and the mortality rate high, but a level 1 walker would never receive a task meant for a level 3 walker.

Furthermore, within the dungeons corresponding to one's own level, there are five difficulty ratings, from S to D. S-rank is currently the ceiling of difficulty; the mortality rate is terrifyingly high, but the rewards are the most generous.

Zhang Yuanqing later recalled that for the Sheling Tunnel trial task, even without the Red Dancing Shoes, the probability of a newcomer clearing it was less than ten percent.

With so many un-cleared A-rank and S-rank dungeons appearing all at once, how many people must be dying?

Zhang Yuanqing's first thought was: Holy crap, I'm about to enter the spirit realm too. Is it too late for me to change my profession?!

His second thought was: Oh, the next one I enter will likely be a multiplayer spirit realm, so that's fine.

He felt a slight sense of relief, then scrolled down the post to read the opinions of the official Spirit Realm Walker on the matter.

Once the post was published, it caused an uproar within the official organization. Official walkers from branches across the country were paying close attention, and the topic was trending, with thousands of comments below.

[Long Time No See: "No wonder, no wonder my Night Wanderer informant suddenly couldn't be reached today."]

[Bitter Days: "What? You have a Night Wanderer informant? You dog, you've hidden that well."]

[Lawless: "Something's not right. Although spirit realm dungeons aren't fixed and are always changing, such changes are usually foreseeable and acceptable. This time, the changes to the Night Wanderer exclusive spirit realms are too abrupt and unreasonable."]

[This Lonely One Has Ailments: "Could it be caused by the death of the Devil Lord? I heard from people in the Taiyi Sect that the Devil Lord died not long ago."]

[Green Vine: "Who did you hear that from? Was it Yuan Ting?"]

The Five Elements Alliance's attitude toward this was mainly one of spectators and gossip; after all, this was a problem with the Night Wanderer exclusive spirit realms, and it had little to do with them.

But some were anxious about it.

[Please Call Me Queen: "Our case-solving relies on the Night Wanderer, and with the Judge of Ghostly Eyes having just died, every region is on guard against Fallen ones going berserk. Songhai, in particular, bears the heavy responsibility of hunting down Black Impermanence. At a critical juncture like this, if the Night Wanderer dungeons have problems, will it lead to a shortage of manpower?"]

[Green Vine: "Such a situation will indeed occur, but not every Night Wanderer will be entering a dungeon in the near future."]

The frequency of spirit realm tasks is not particularly high, so there is no need to worry about a mass death of Night Wanderer.

[Please Call Me Queen: "But they will eventually enter the spirit realm. With so many un-cleared dungeons appearing at once, the number of Night Wanderer will likely plummet in the coming period."]

In the process of conquering spirit realms, sacrifice is always unavoidable.

This Queen's words make a lot of sense. I will eventually have to enter a single-player dungeon. S-rank and A-rank dungeons are daunting, and I have the Devil Lord Role Card. Thinking of this, Zhang Yuanqing's mood grew heavier.

Exiting the forum and opening his chat app, he sent a message to Yuan Ting:

"Captain Yuan, I saw the pinned post on the forum. What's going on with the difficulty changes in the Night Wanderer spirit realm dungeons? I can pay a consultation fee."

For professional questions, one must ask a professional.

Yuan Ting replied quickly:

"I don't know. The official Night Wanderer group is already in a frenzy. Colleagues who are about to enter the spirit realm soon, or who will enter in the near future, are panicking. After all, not everyone can clear an S-rank dungeon, and even A-ranks require luck.

"I don't know exactly what happened either. The Council of Elders is collecting data, and they should release an announcement by tonight at the latest."

Yuan Ting was not in a good mood because a colleague he was close to had entered the spirit realm this morning and had not yet come out; their life or death was unknown.

And he himself would face a single-player dungeon in half a month; the deviation wouldn't be more than a week anyway.

"Got it."

Zhang Yuanqing did not continue to ask.

For the next half day, Zhang Yuanqing checked the official forum from time to time, keeping an eye on the latest news, completely losing the mood to go shopping.

At sunset, his aunt took his arm to head home, Zhang Yuanqing carrying bags of shopping in his hands.

"Hey, did your strength get bigger?" Jiang Yu'er pinched her nephew's bicep and said, "It's rock hard."

If you were Guan Ya, I would say 'My hardness is beyond your imagination' or 'I have even harder parts,' Zhang Yuanqing said perfunctorily:

"The body is the capital of revolution; I've been working out lately."

After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his bedroom, locked the door, and waited for the Taiyi Sect's announcement.

One could imagine that at this very moment, official Night Wanderer all over the country were holding their phones or computers just like him, waiting for the organization's announcement.

Finally, at 9:30, as he kept refreshing the forum, he pulled up a red-pinned post:

#Statement on Recent Spirit Realm Mutations and Bounty Announcement#

"Recently, a sudden change occurred in the Night Wanderer spirit realms. Following an investigation by the Council of Elders, it has been confirmed that this was an anomaly triggered by the awakening of a high-level BOSS within the spirit realm. As of now, according to the intelligence collected, a total of eight spirit realm dungeons have had their levels changed, namely:

Minghu Town, ID 0128, Difficulty Level S (Night Wanderer exclusive spirit realm)

Ming Dynasty Mass Grave, ID 1180, Difficulty Level S (Night Wanderer exclusive spirit realm)

Xinfeng Reservoir, ID 1910, Difficulty Level A (Night Wanderer exclusive spirit realm)

Yinshan Ghost School, ID 0046, Difficulty Level A (Spirit Realm Walker exclusive Spirit Realm)

King-Sealing Tomb, ID 0277, Difficulty Level A (Spirit Realm Walker exclusive Spirit Realm)

Jinshui Amusement Park, ID 6203, Difficulty Level S (Multiplayer Spirit Realm, Death-type)

Screaming Chamber, ID 2097, Difficulty Level A (Multiplayer Spirit Realm, Non-death-type)

Apartment 13, ID 1404, Difficulty Level B (Multiplayer Spirit Realm, Non-death-type)

"As of today, Yinshan Ghost School and Xinfeng Reservoir have been cleared. The remaining six major Spirit Realm dungeons have yet to be conquered. The Council of Elders has issued a bounty: clearing an S-level Spirit Realm earns a B-level merit. Clearing an A-level Spirit Realm earns a C-level merit. Clearing a B-level Spirit Realm rewards 500,000."

The post was reposted from the official Taiyi Sect forum.

It is worth noting that in the official merit classification, A-level merits are generally only awarded to the deceased, benefiting their families. Recipients of B-level merits are mostly those who have suffered irreparable injuries. C-level merits are the limit of what a normal Spirit Realm Walker can achieve, yet they remain extremely difficult, usually requiring the cooperation of an entire squad.

The highest level, S-level, has only been achieved by five Alliance Leaders to date, and even the most elite elders have at most received A-level merits.

Therefore, the value of a B-level merit goes without saying.

By the time Zhang Yuanqing finished reading the post, there were already thousands of comments below it, causing an impact even more exaggerated than the post from noon.

This was because the official walkers of the Five Elements Alliance realized that this matter was no longer as simple as just watching the drama, as two of the dungeons listed by the Taiyi Sect as having changed were of the multiplayer type.

Multiplayer type meant that Spirit Realm Walkers of other professions also had a chance of entering them.

[Long Time No See: Those two 'multiplayer Spirit Realms' contain supernatural elements, right? My god, even multiplayer Spirit Realms have been affected?! It's a good thing only "Jinshui Amusement Park" is S-level.]

[Call Me Queen: First of all, no one knows how long this chaotic mutation will last; what we see is only the current change. If more multiplayer dungeons containing supernatural elements are affected, then we are in danger. Secondly, even if it's a non-death-type, the experience points deducted for a single failure will directly set our strength back, which is a huge price to pay.]

[Bitter Days: Sigh, I was just watching the drama at noon, and suddenly it's like this. What should I do? I'm scheduled to enter a multiplayer Spirit Realm soon; I shouldn't be that unlucky, right?]

[Piggy George: If these Spirit Realms aren't cleared as soon as possible, the number of official Night Wanderer will plummet within half a year, and other professions might be affected too. What kind of boss is so fierce? It forced the Taiyi Sect to issue a bounty.]

[Green Vine: Everyone, please take note. This bounty is announced to all Night Wanderer in the country. If you have any Night Wanderer informants or know any wild Night Wanderer, remember to pass the word along.]

[White Dragon: Is the person above an idiot? Clearing Night Wanderer dungeons is the business of the Night Wanderer themselves. What we should really be concerned about is the clearing of multiplayer Spirit Realms; that is what concerns our lives.]

[Bitter Days: Exactly, exactly. Offering a high reward for dungeon guides for "Jinshui Amusement Park", "Screaming Chamber", and "Apartment 13".]

M-multiplayer Spirit Realms have also been affected?! Zhang Yuanqing's gaze was somewhat dazed.

At this moment, a shrill phone ringtone sounded.

It was Li Dongze calling.

Zhang Yuanqing answered the phone and called out, "Squad Leader."

Li Dongze's tone was grave: "Have you been on the forum today?"

"If you're talking about the mutation of the Night Wanderer Spirit Realms, then I already know." Zhang Yuanqing sighed.

"Don't worry too much. If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. Perhaps by the time your single-player Spirit Realm arrives, the Taiyi Sect will have already cleared these high-difficulty dungeons. You must trust the official organization." Li Dongze comforted him.

He joked as if to liven up the atmosphere: "Of course, if you have confidence in yourself, you could also be the one to clear the dungeon."

It was just that this was too difficult.

"Did the Squad Leader call to comfort me?" Zhang Yuanqing probed.

"Two things. You are entering a dungeon soon, aren't you? Based on past experience, it should be a multiplayer dungeon. You know the level matching mechanism. Centurion Fu discovered that 'Jinshui Amusement Park' is a Transcendence-level Spirit Realm dungeon. Just in case, he used his own authority to pull out the old version of the guide for you. You can use it as a reference." Li Dongze added in a low voice:

"Remember, it is only a reference, because the Spirit Realm has changed. Trusting the old guide too much will get you killed."

Centurion Fu spends his days dealing with ten thousand bunny girls, yet he still thinks about a small fry like me? Zhang Yuanqing felt a wave of emotion.

Li Dongze comforted him again:

"We are just being cautious. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The number of Transcendence-level multiplayer Spirit Realms is vast and varied; the probability of being matched exactly to 'Jinshui Amusement Park' is very, very low."

I hope so. Squad Leader, you don't know, but my Role Card is actually that of the Devil Lord. Zhang Yuanqing asked: "What is the second thing?"

"The second thing is about Lei Yibing."