Fading into Obscurity

"Looks like I arrived too early."

After learning that Shrek Academy's official admissions had yet to begin, Ye Cheng realized he had come somewhat early. Ning Rongrong, who had run away from home, was probably still leisurely sightseeing somewhere along the way.

"I wonder where Tang San and the others are now."

Curious, Ye Cheng connected to the system he had not used in a long time. A light screen appeared before him, visible only to himself—

Acting System—Create a persona. The more people who believe in it and feel shock, admiration, fear... and other emotions toward this fictional persona, the more that persona will eventually become real!

Current Acting: Twin Martial Soul - Ye Cheng (100%)

Acted Persona: Twin Martial Soul - Ye Cheng.

External Plugin: Live Stream Spoiler System—50% (Current absorption progress is insufficient. Only Low-Level Authority is available, allowing questions to be asked freely, videos to be fabricated and altered, and Q&A Rewards and punishments to be set. However, Q&A Rewards cannot be obtained. Only by acquiring 100% final authority can everything within the system be controlled.)

Looking at the largely unchanged data on the light screen, Ye Cheng used his mind to open the "Live Stream Spoiler System" option. Several smaller options immediately appeared beneath it—Fabricate, View, Deduce...

These were among the many minor functions Ye Cheng could use after gaining 50% authority.

He directly opened the "View" function. A search bar appeared, and he entered the name "Ning Rongrong" with his mind. More than six hundred results immediately came back.

That meant there were over six hundred people in the world named Ning Rongrong.

Ye Cheng entered more information: "Ning Rongrong, eldest daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect." The six hundred-plus entries instantly vanished, leaving only one option.

He selected it.

A large screen immediately appeared before him, like a television player. The scene showed a bustling, prosperous street. A richly dressed young girl was strolling leisurely along, occasionally stopping to buy some interesting trinkets. At the edge of the screen, the name of the region was displayed in real time.

"She's actually still so far away." Ye Cheng frowned when he saw the region's name. He silently calculated it and discovered that at Ning Rongrong's current pace, she would probably need a month to get here.

It seemed Shrek Academy's admissions would begin in about a month.

"Right, while I'm at it, I might as well see where the other characters are now." After getting an accurate timeframe, Ye Cheng closed the video and entered another name into the search bar: Tang Sect Tang San.

This time, the information he entered was quite detailed, so the search bar displayed only one option.

Ye Cheng selected it. The video showed a blacksmith shop. An ordinary-looking black-haired youth was drenched in sweat as he hammered a piece of iron. Around him lay several semi-finished Hidden Weapons whose shapes had mostly been formed.

"So this is Tang San. He's still forging. Clearly, he hasn't officially set out yet, or perhaps he's preparing to leave and making some preparations." Ye Cheng inferred from the scene in the video.

He closed the video.

He entered again: Shrek Ma Hongjun.

The scene that appeared this time was somewhat unsuitable for children.

Watching the scene in the video that would have needed censoring, Ye Cheng's mouth twitched. There were two women and one man in the video. The man looked only around ten-something years old, fat and sleazy-looking. The women, meanwhile, were at least in their thirties—people would probably believe they were in their forties.

"What heavy tastes! Or should I say, he isn't picky when he's hungry?"

Shaking his head, Ye Cheng closed the video and entered another name: Zhu Zhuqing.

Then the search bar displayed over sixty options.

After thinking for a moment, Ye Cheng added Star Luo Zhu Family after the name.

Only one option remained.

He opened the video.

This time, however, the contents of the video made his pupils constrict!

A pond appeared on the screen.

Beside the pond stood a young girl, slowly loosening her clothes...

Of course, that was not the important part.

What Ye Cheng was truly focused on was the blood on the girl's body. Her clothes were torn in several places, and she looked extremely bedraggled. Blood was still seeping continuously from the tears. She had clearly gone through a battle earlier.

"Judging from the wounds, they were obviously inflicted by a soul master. Was she injured by assassins sent by her sister?" he guessed inwardly. Recalling the original story, it had never described in detail what dangers the girl encountered while traveling alone from the distant Star Luo Empire.

However, there had been brief mentions that she had been pursued several times by assassins sent by her sister. The fact that she had managed to travel alive from the Star Luo Empire to the Heaven Dou Empire was largely due to luck.

The girl, alone by the pond and cleaning her wounds, was like a little cat licking its wounds by itself after being injured. Both pitiable and adorable. Anyone who saw her would likely feel sympathy.

Ye Cheng was naturally no exception.

What was more, to him, these female characters from the original story were practically the paper wives of an otaku, enhanced by fantasy. Ordinary women could not compare to them.

After all, given his current status and position, if he truly wanted women, what kind of women could he not have?

As long as he spoke up, countless factions would be eager to send women to him.

But he disdained such things. Only these female characters from the original story were special to him, capable of stirring his interest. Ordinary women who had never appeared in the original story were merely vulgar beauties to him. He would not even spare them a glance.

"Zhu Zhuqing..."

Looking at the aloof young girl in the video, silently cleaning her wounds with her red lips clenched tight from the pain, Ye Cheng could not help muttering, "What a good girl. It's a pity that, in her original fate, she ended up benefiting Dai Mubai, losing her soul from then on and becoming nothing more than a supporting character..."

When he had first read "Douluo Continent," Zhu Zhuqing had left an extremely good impression on him. She was strong, independent, and refused to admit defeat. She had traveled all the way from the Star Luo Empire to the Heaven Dou Empire just to pull her runaway fiancé back up and resist fate together with him!

The light shining from the soul of such a girl was truly dazzling!

Unfortunately, in the developments that followed, limited by talent, opportunities, and various other factors, she could ultimately only compromise with reality, becoming a foil to the scumbag Dai Mubai and fading into obscurity.

From then on, Zhu Zhuqing's only purpose whenever she appeared was to cooperate with Dai Mubai in using their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. That was all.

Back then, when Ye Cheng saw this part, he felt that Zhu Zhuqing as a character was already "dead."

She could no longer stir even the slightest interest in him.

But now...

Watching the stubborn little kitten in the video silently lick her wounds alone, Ye Cheng quietly made a decision.

That was... Dai Mubai could get the hell out of here!

He wanted this little kitten!