Realm Walker

Tone Deaf backed up his compatriot. "Right, every point we shave off is still a point. Yuanshi Tianzun's sitting on too many, and his margin for error's huge. Let him keep running wild and it's bad news for all of us."

World Ablaze saw it the same way. He threw his head to the sky and called out loud, "I, World Ablaze, formally report Yuanshi Tianzun for swearing on the grounds of having no class."

Green Pine and Tone Deaf leaned out the window, cocky, and looked up at the sullen sky. There, under the vault of clouds, the hundred-zhang-tall spirit drew its bow and loosed an arrow, straight at their little building.

【Ding! The report failed. Your reporting function is sealed for half an hour. One point deducted.】

All three of their expressions froze.

World Ablaze's expression curdled. "Failed...?"

He was down to three points.

Tone Deaf was floored. "The report failed? Swearing doesn't count as a violation?"

World Ablaze pulled in a long breath and choked down the urge to curse. "Could it be that Yuanshi Tianzun already reported himself for it? He pulled that same move the second he entered the instance. If so, then at least we've figured out a rule. A single violation can only be reported once."

Green Pine and Tone Deaf traded a glance and went quiet. Yuanshi Tianzun's combat power wasn't that high. But inside this dungeon, his prowess was miles ahead of Zhao Chenghuang's.

World Ablaze said, "No need to panic. We've still got our shot at flipping this, and it's the armor pieces. Don't forget that this round has rules. Each person can only equip one piece of armor. With the three of us, that's three pieces. When it comes to it, two of us can throw the match for the third, and hand him both our points and the gear. We'll be splitting the rewards evenly at the end anyway, so who takes the glory doesn't matter."

Even in this situation, their minds were clear.

Green Pine and Tone Deaf gave small nods. The way things stood, this was the only path that let them stand against Yuanshi Tianzun and the Taiyi Sect. Pull Earth God in on top of it all, and they'd be good.

World Ablaze looked over at Tone Deaf. "Try that breastplate on and see what it does."

Tone Deaf drew the breastplate out of his item slots and, with the Music Slave's help, got it strapped on.

【Ding! Cold Iron Breastplate equipped by Tone Deaf.】

Both World Ablaze and Green Pine heard the notification as well.

Tone Deaf read through the stats and then tested out a few movements.

He looked over at his two companions, his expression torn between pleased and worried. "It's a big boost to my defenses, but it's also a brick. It'll drag my speed down."

He snatched a short sword out of thin air and drove it hard into his own chest. The blade was keen enough to cut gold and split jade, yet it left nothing but a faint white scratch on the plate.

"The defense it provides is monstrous, nearing Earth Wraith territory. Compared against Earth God though, and it's not close," Tone Deaf summed up.

***

【Ding! Cold Iron Breastplate equipped by Tone Deaf.】

【Ding! You have been reported by World Ablaze on the grounds of having no class. Report failed. One point deducted from the reporter.】

Zhang Yuanqing listened to the notifications as they played out in his ear and nearly laughed out loud. He knew it. He had gotten reported.

While scrapping over the breastplate earlier, he'd let a curse slip from his mouth, and he'd known right after that it was a liability. Out of respect for his enemies' brains, he'd reported himself for it. And sure enough, he'd received a notification of World Ablaze's report, right on schedule.

If his report failed, my guess about this particular rule still holds. One violation can only be reported once. However, the act itself should still remain reportable. Kill a man once, and you can only get reported for it once. But killing a second time would count as a fresh charge.

World Ablaze does have a decent head on him, but I came out on top this time. He has three points left. One more report and he's out. Also, Tone Deaf is in possession of the breastplate. I need to fight for whatever I can when it comes to the rest of the gar.

Zhang Yuanqing stood up, still in his pajamas, and slapped the dust off his backside.

Time to go recruit Yuan Ting... and grab some armor.

***

Zhao Chenghuang walked along the river, cold-faced and even colder in the eyes. Yuan Ting trailed behind him, his gaze skating over and over to his yin corpse's lower half. The yin corpse's bottom half was wrapped up in a coat that had been knotted into a rough skirt.

His mind was heavy, partly from the psychological scar from getting reported for "peeping at private parts," partly from the thought that he had exposed his yin corpse's bits to countless viewers live.

Yuan Ting stopped short, his expression twitching. "World Ablaze reported me."

Zhao Chenghuang glanced back and lifted a brow.

"It's for that move earlier on, where you flung the yin corpse into the open," Yuan Ting said in a low voice. "You didn't report me, but he did."

Zhao Chenghuang gave a slight nod. "So it seems any violation you've committed can be reported at any time. There’s no time limit."

Yuan Ting let out a breath, seemingly deflated. "I'm starting to get why those freelance Walkers hate the reporting system so much. This kind of high-pressure snitching situation leaves you without any space to breathe. Push the reporting mechanic to its limit and that means everyone has to be a perfect saint, because only a saint never gets reported."

He corrected himself. "No, that's wrong. The real limit of reporting is a literal inquisition, in which even the saint gets reported. From the rules we've mapped out so far, it hasn't gotten there yet, which is a blessing."

"All this talk of reporting reminds me of another secret," Yuan Ting prattled on. "I'll tell you, but you can't breathe a word of it to anyone."

Zhao Chenghuang's mouth twitched, and he cut his companion off. "Not interested. Besides, this place is packed with viewers. Telling me would be the same as telling the whole world."

Yuan Ting deflated. "Fine."

They walked on a few steps before Zhao Chenghuang said, "We've got to find Sun Miaomiao quickly and link up. Yuan Ting, I'll need you to make a sacrifice and help me take the crown. When it comes to it, I'll knock you out and take your points and your gear. I'll make it up to you after the match."

He said it matter-of-factly, as if it had never crossed his mind that Yuan Ting might refuse.

In the Taiyi Sect, the young lord and young lady of the Transcendent tier were Zhao Chenghuang and Sun Miaomiao, while at the Saint tier, Fengdu Ghost King and Yin Ji sat at the top. When the young lord made a request, how could a rank-and-file disciple like Yuan Ting turn it down? How could he dare?

Besides, Zhao Chenghuang came from nobility and threw money away freely. If he said there would be compensation, then there would be compensation.

Yuan Ting was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

They pressed on for about twenty minutes before a burst of radiance shot up into the sky a distance away. Immediately, they broke into a run toward it.

As they neared the source of the pillar of light, Zhao Chenghuang said, "Watch the perimeter for me. Guard against an ambush."

Yuan Ting could only stop, set his yin corpse on alert, and scan the area.

That was when he spotted it. Over by a half-collapsed stub of wall not far off, a little head was poking out from behind it, with a thin wisp of baby fuzz on its head, staring at him with big, shining black eyes.

It's Yuanshi Tianzun's spirit servant. He's close by. Yuan Ting was about to shout a warning when the cute little thing lifted a stubby, chubby hand and gave a beckoning gesture.

It wants me to go over there?

Yuan Ting hesitated a second, then grabbed his yin corpse and hustled toward the broken wall. He'd grant that the baby's clueless, guileless look made fine bait, but he could also tell Yuanshi Tianzun wanted something from him.

Aware that Yuanshi Tianzun might pull some dishonorable ambush, Yuan Ting stopped a few meters from the wall instead of closing in blind.

Yuanshi Tianzun's soft laugh drifted out from behind the wall. "Tsk tsk. Captain Yuan, you look every inch like a spineless lackey right now."

"When'd you get here?" Yuan Ting asked.

"Only just, and the first thing I see is you two," Zhang Yuanqing replied, his voice dripping with regret.

Of course, there was still that piece of armor.

Yuan Ting smiled. "You don't look set to ambush us either. What is it?"

"I want to make an alliance with you," Yuanshi Tianzun said.

"With me?" Yuan Ting shook his head. "Not a chance. I stand for myself and for the Taiyi Sect both. The three of us look out for each other and we will go for the crown. How could I ally with you?"

Even if we're old acquaintances of a sort, He thought to himself.

"Don't be so quick to shut it down," Yuanshi Tianzun replied. "Hear me out first. I can trade you intel instead."

In finer terms, gossip.

Yuan Ting eyed the wall and refused without a hitch. "Yuanshi, you've read me wrong. Let me spell it out plainly, then. I won't betray a fellow disciple, and I sure won't trample on the Taiyi Sect's honor for my own gain. Off you go. Wait till Zhao Chenghuang's back, and you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

With that he turned about and started walking.

Yuanshi Tianzun's ghostly voice floated out from behind the wall. "You know why Elder Teddy loves to possess dogs? Nobody knows the reason. But I happened, by pure chance, to learn the truth."

Yuan Ting's feet stopped dead. He looked down at them, baffled. He hadn't meant to stop. His bodily instinct had just overruled the thought.

"Ally with me and I'll tell you."

"... No!"

"What about this? You know Chi Yue'an's ex-wife was Zhu Rong, right? Before he died, he told us plenty. Like her needs, in a single day..." Zhang Yuanqing cut himself off.

Yuan Ting's voice shot up. "What needs?!"

"Ally with me and I'll tell you."

Yuan Ting went silent. He was a man with lines he didn't cross.

"I know a Love and Desire class Walker named Annie," Yuanshi Tianzun continued. "One of Demon Lord's old lovers is in the society she's in, and Annie knows a whole list of women who slept with Demon Lord. Most of them sit high up these days. You would never guess which ones had a thing going with him back then."

Yuan Ting's eyes lit, raw curiosity all over his face.

Still, Yuanshi Tianzun wasn't finished. "The Demon Eye Heavenly King hunted me once, and I managed to pry a load of gossip about the Bing Zhu Sect Heavenly Kings out of him. Sovereign-tier gossip. Can you even picture that?"

Yuan Ting's face twitched.

"Do you want to know how to land a Love and Desire class for free? Moreover, the Flowery Young Master, when he was a boy, was once beaten by the women of the Fu house, all because he did something that had heaven and man alike raging at him."

Yuan Ting's breathing sped up.

"Fu Qingyang once stood right in front of me and said things that could ruin him, get him spat on, and get him thrown clean out of the White Tiger Legion. I could tell you all of it."

"Stop!" Yuan Ting barked, and lunged toward the wall, right up in front of Yuanshi Tianzun, chest heaving. "I'm in, I'm in on all of it!!"

Yuanshi Tianzun blinked. "What happened to your moral standards?"

"When it counts, a man's lines ought to flex a little." Yuan Ting gripped Yuanshi Tianzun's hand tightly, full of sincerity. "Good brother, I'll take out that dog Zhao Chenghuang for you if it's the last thing I do!"

"Good. Once the match ends I'll tell you everything I know. Now come here, this is the plan..."

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

***

The stands around the arena were full of racing minds.

Elder Teddy's secret about posessing dogs? Is that something we're allowed to hear?!

A way to land a Love and Desire class for free? Name a price. Whatever it costs, I'm buying!

Demon Lord's old lovers, and most of them sitting high up now? Who else is there besides Yin Ji, who's out in the open?!

Chi Yue'an's ex-wife? That loose, highborn woman who kept a stable of men? What does she need in a day? Ten of them?

What in the world did Fu Qingyang say to Yuanshi Tianzun, that could ruin him and get him booted from the White Tiger Legion if it got out? This is the Rich Young Master, the eldest son of the Fu house!

Nobody in the stands trusted their own mouths to speak. Instead, the whole place was full of the sound of breathing, heavy and ragged, rows of it, the sound of a few thousand people all leaning in at once to hear a secret they had no business knowing.

In the elders' row, Elder Sun leaned toward Elder Teddy in the next seat and murmured, "Old dog, is there some private grief behind you possessing that poodle that you can't say out loud?"

Elder Teddy bared his teeth, a rare sight. "I just like dogs. It's purely that. Quit spinning stories. I told you this before, didn't I?"

The other elders turned and gave him long, loaded looks. Oh. He likes dogs.

"You've told me before?" Elder Sun replied. "This is news to me."

Something stirred in Elder Sun, and a superb little idea struck him. Maybe, quite possibly, he could work this angle, cook up some story off it, and swap it out for his own reputation as a laughingstock.

Elder Teddy, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to dive into the dungeon and pop Yuanshi Tianzun's skull open.

"What did you say to Yuanshi?" Guan Ya quietly asked the man beside her.

The eyes of a whole crowd swung as one onto the handsome young master in the white suit.

Fu Qingyang sat stone-faced. The Rich Young Master, who could hold his expression steady while a mountain crumbled in front of him, was squirming in his seat, needles running up and down his spine. He worked hard to manage his expression, to keep it from cracking too visibly.

Booted from the White Tiger Guard, huh? The Rich Young Master drew a deep breath and rubbed at his twitching eye.

"I never once brought up Demon Lord with Yuanshi Tianzun," Annie said with a touch of wariness. "A way to freely land a Love and Desire class? If I understood the Mandarin right, the idea of landing one freely means having relations with a woman without paying for them. Mr. Bill, no one can sleep with me for nothing."

Bill Tarantino sighed. You haven't even slept with him yet.

"The things he's saying aren't necessarily true," he said instead. "It's a mind game, that's all."

As for Demon Lord's ties to the Aphrodite Society, that was no secret. With Yuanshi Tianzun's clearance, working out the gist of it through the Five Elements Alliance's intelligence was entirely doable, and not hard at all.

Next to Zhu Rong, a young man kept flicking furtive glances at her, scared stiff. The woman herself was wearing a smile that was both dangerous and gorgeous, a rose in full, lush bloom.

"However far he goes slandering me now, that's exactly how good I'll make it for him soon enough," the woman murmured. "I'll wring every last drop of energy out of him, and keep him in heat the whole time, pining for it, unable to stop even when he's begging to."

***

Yuan Ting watched Yuanshi Tianzun slip away into Night Wandering, waited out a few seconds, then stepped away from the low wall and went back to his post.

After another minute or so, he saw Zhao Chenghuang walking toward him with his own yin corpse.

Yuan Ting's eyes dropped to the man's arms. Black bracers sheathed both his arms, covering them all the way up to the upper arm.

"Bracers? What do they do?"

"Defense," Zhao Chenghuang replied, his voice still cold. "And strength."

He closed a fist and threw a punch at the air. There was a soft pop, and a shockwave shot straight out, slamming into a half-collapsed wreck of a building in the distance and leveling it.

"Nice," Yuan Ting said.

Zhao Chenghuang nodded. "There was nothing amiss around here?"

"Yuanshi Tianzun's spirit servant showed up a while ago, scouting from way out. By the time I got over there, it had already slipped off."

Zhao Chenghuang grunted. "So he's still on his own, then. Nobody's allied with him."

Yuan Ting's face didn't twitch. "With that many points, everyone wants him gone. Nobody would ally with him. Not unless he paid through the nose for it."

***

Zhang Yuanqing crouched in a stretch of ruins with his yin corpse, broken roof tiles and thick weeds underfoot, thinking.

Yuan Ting, Zhao Chenghuang, Green Pine, and Tone Deaf are down to four points each. Earth God's got seven, World Ablaze has three, and Sun Miaomiao, ten. If another teamfight breaks out, the first thing is to figure out how to knock World Ablaze out.

Earth God's still got one report pending. He's half-friendly, so I'll leave him be for now. We have to find a way to grind Sun Miaomiao's points down.

Three pieces of armor are out so far and I haven't landed a single one. I don't think the dungeon gave any information as to how many pieces there were in total...

After the breastplate and the bracers, another piece had dropped: the Cold Iron War Blade. World Ablaze retrieved it. When the War Blade surfaced in the north of the city, Zhang Yuanqing had been exploring the south end of the city. It had been too far away for him to bother.

It's been almost half an hour, and nothing's turned up in the south yet. Going by the pattern, it's about time one did.

He waited it out patiently, and a long while later a burst of radiance tore into the sky, less than a hundred meters south of him.