In Douluo, All the Goddesses Fell Apart

Perhaps the Three Beauties of Shrek Academy were furious reading this, especially Xiao Wu, who had spent so long with Tang San, but I still had to say it: I wasn't slandering him.

In my original world, this guy had been a rat everyone wanted to beat. As a Child of Fortune, everything he did was utterly contemptible.

Before crossing over, he had been a thief who stole a sect's secret scrolls. After coming here, he preached lofty ideals while doing something entirely different behind the scenes, resorting to every kind of theft and trickery.

He was also vicious, vindictive, and an extreme hypocrite. Anything he liked was right no matter what, while anything he disliked was wrong, even if everyone else thought it perfectly reasonable.

Take killing spirit beasts for Spirit Rings. He claimed that every spirit beast he killed was evil, yet when restoring his Blue Silver Grass Spirit Rings, who knew how many he slaughtered? He even went on a killing spree for a few Spirit Bones, happily killing them right in front of Xiao Wu.

When he obtained Spirit Bones, it was righteous. When Spirit Hall did the same, it was unacceptable. Wasn't that blatant hypocrisy?

Besides, who was he to decide whether spirit beasts were good or evil? Spirit beasts lived by the law of the jungle; they were only trying to survive. If you wanted to call that vicious, then why did you eat meat? Those little herbivores never harmed you, yet you still treated them as food.

And that was only one example. Beyond that, it was fine if he hurt you, but if you hurt his people, that was unacceptable. What kind of logic was that?

There were simply too many examples. I didn't even want to list them all, lest someone accuse me of judging others by my own standards. It was purely his behavior that I couldn't stand. If he hadn't said anything, fine, everyone was the same. But he wanted to play both the whore and the saint. Disgusting.

Alright, enough about that disgusting guy. Let's get back on topic. If you want these Immortal Herbs, you can buy them from me when we meet later. I'll sell them to you.

Of course, one per person. No more than that. After all, we're all pen pals, so I can't play favorites.

I won't sell them too expensively either. Friendship price: one hundred thousand Gold Coin. Don't think that's expensive. In the anime, these Immortal Herbs could evolve Martial Souls. They could evolve the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Martial Soul into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Martial Soul. Ning Fengzhi was willing to pay a million for one, so I was already practically giving them away.

If you don't have money, that's fine too. You can offer yourself to me, and I'll give you one for free. Hehe.

Pah, what a lecherous scoundrel! What a filthy pervert!

Every woman reading this spat fiercely. This guy really was an animal who thought with his lower body. Every third sentence was about women.

Still, compared to Tang San's hypocrisy, the Diary Owner was much more open and frank. At least, in their eyes, he seemed rather gentlemanly. The worst kind were those who looked like gentlemen on the surface but harbored filthy thoughts inside.

At that moment, many women with Diary Instances remembered Tang San's name and began to feel a trace of disgust toward him.

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing all changed expressions upon reading this. Xiao Wu in particular felt a bitterness she could not let go of.

Could Third Brother really be that kind of person?

As Xiao Wu thought about Tang San's actions with a pale face, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing looked at her cautiously, unsure how to comfort her.

They both knew that Xiao Wu had the closest relationship with Tang San. Now that the Diary Owner had exposed something like this, she had to be feeling terrible.

To be honest, they had both held a favorable impression of Tang San. He usually carried himself appropriately. If the Diary Instance had not revealed his hypocrisy, perhaps they would have become the best of friends and teammates in the future.

But now, because of Wu Xing's descriptions in the Diary, both women could not help but grow suspicious. Had Tang San been hiding his true self all along?

A few lines in the Diary were not enough to sway their judgment entirely, but they had unknowingly planted a seed of caution. After all, the man had never even met Tang San. Why would he slander him in a Diary? What would he gain from it?

Tang San had no idea that his image in Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's hearts had begun to crumble. If he knew, he would surely say, "Wu Xing, you have already earned your death."

Xiao Wu had spent the longest time with Tang San, and scene after scene from their past rose in her mind. She had never thought much of them before. As the saying went, those involved were blind while onlookers saw clearly. Under Wu Xing's framing, she realized that some things really were as he had said.

She remembered their first two-person match at the Spirit Fighting Arena. Their opponents had been twins, and she seemed to have injured one of them. Third Brother had told her not to hit so hard. But when she was accidentally hurt by her opponent, he had flown into a rage and immediately used Hidden Weapons, nearly killing both of them outright. Once he learned that she was unharmed, his expression changed again, and he even praised the opponents like some gentleman.

The more she thought about it, the paler her face became, and her entire body began to tremble faintly.

"X-Xiao Wu, don't take it to heart. Who knows if that guy said it on purpose, trying to drive a wedge between you and Third... Third Brother?" Seeing Xiao Wu's trembling body, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged glances before hurriedly trying to comfort her.

Hearing Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing's consolation, Xiao Wu turned back and gave a bitter smile, shaking her head without saying anything.

She would judge for herself. But the more she judged, the more she felt that things really were as the Diary Owner had described, which was why she looked like this. If none of it matched at all, she would have angrily cursed Wu Xing long ago.

Aside from the Three Beauties of Shrek Academy, another woman with a Diary Instance found it even harder to remain calm. Her beautiful face had long since lost all color. She was Ah Yin, in the Pure Land World.

Third... he came from another world?

T-Then... he isn't my son?

My original son was possessed by him, and he inherited his body?

Or had another thief who violated the sect rules swapped him out?

At that moment, even Ah Yin, who had always been calm and detached, could not accept it...

Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Second Team

Through these Immortal Herbs, I already knew where I was. If nothing unexpected happened, I should be able to leave this place and find a human settlement soon.

I wonder which one of you I'll meet first when I find a human settlement. I'm really looking forward to it.

But for my own safety, I won't reveal myself for now, so you don't need to get too excited.

Pah, who was excited? Did he really think he was some irresistible prize?

Seeing Wu Xing's suddenly teasing tone, the women once again spat while saying one thing and thinking another.

Well, judging by the effects of those Immortal Herbs that he had described, he really was an irresistible prize. They desperately wanted them. They were treasures that could greatly raise one's Soul Power Level and even evolve Martial Souls. Who wouldn't be tempted?

Alright, I'll stop writing the Diary here for now. I wonder what good thing I'll get today.

Beautiful ladies, lend me some luck. If I can become a Lucky King again, we'll be able to meet sooner.

See you tomorrow. I love you all. Haha.

After writing the final sentence, Wu Xing happily withdrew the panel, feeling indescribably exhilarated. This kind of life was truly wonderful. He could receive rewards just by writing a Diary, and he could tease all those beautiful women too. Thinking of them staring wide-eyed at the Diary, Wu Xing found it extremely amusing.

Did the Diary System really think he didn't know its tricks? He had read at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, Diary novels. It still wanted to dig a pit for him? No chance.

Feeling smug, Wu Xing, wearing an expression that said he had seen through the system's true nature, communicated, "System, claim the reward."

Ding: Detected that the host has completed a Diary entry. Reward obtained: 20,000-Year Perfect Soul Ring x1.

That was it?

After hearing the system's reward, Wu Xing waited for quite a while. When no more notifications came, he was instantly dumbfounded.

Was a 20,000-Year Perfect Soul Ring good? Very good. But compared to yesterday's reward, it was worlds apart. Naturally, he was deeply disappointed.

Could it be that the system saw how many Immortal Herbs he had obtained and decided to half-ass the reward?

Wu Xing viciously cursed the system in his heart, but received no response. He could only let it go.

"Fine, a 20,000-Year Perfect Soul Ring it is. I can use it right now." Seeing that the system would not respond, Wu Xing helplessly began absorbing the Spirit Ring.

A Perfect Soul Ring truly deserved its name. The absorption speed was incredibly fast, and it was completed in the blink of an eye.

Looking at the second Spirit Ring beneath his feet, radiating black light, Wu Xing felt high-spirited. He was probably the only soul master to start with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, wasn't he?

Steadying himself, Wu Xing headed down the mountain. Passing through the dense poisonous mist, he picked a direction and dashed away.

With a second Spirit Ring, his strength had improved considerably. His safety increased once more, and his speed had also risen greatly. He had originally thought he could leave Sunset Forest quickly, but over the next two days, he found no way out, which drove him mad. Because of this, he poured out a great deal of complaint in the Diary Instances to the beautiful women.

Without any map, leaving such a vast forest was incredibly difficult, even if he fixed on a single direction.

"If I'd known, I would've stayed at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and waited for Dugu Bo to come in."

After traveling for most of another day, Wu Xing stopped to rest. Before he could even complain a little more, he found himself unwilling to turn back the way he had come.

Just as Wu Xing was considering whether to keep going no matter what or return the way he came, a series of faint sounds suddenly drifted over from afar, making him leap to his feet.

After listening carefully for a while, his face immediately lit up with wild joy. The sounds were faint and far away, but they were clearly sounds of combat, with shouts faintly mixed in.

People!

Wu Xing shouted joyfully, then rushed toward the source of the sounds without hesitation.

As the sounds grew louder, Wu Xing became even happier. He had not heard wrong. They really were sounds of battle. When he arrived nearby, tears nearly streamed down his face.

It hadn't been easy, not easy at all! A full three days—three whole days since arriving in this world before he saw another human being. His feelings at that moment were easy to imagine!

When Wu Xing reached the battle, he saw the scene before him and immediately stood quietly to one side. This was a squad. It seemed that teachers from some academy had brought their students to Sunset Forest to hunt spirit beasts for Spirit Rings.

As for why he thought so, it was because all of them wore matching uniforms. Even the older-looking man standing to the side, watching over the battle, wore similar clothing.

When Wu Xing arrived, the middle-aged man who had not joined the fight noticed him immediately. His brow furrowed slightly as his sharp eyes swept over Wu Xing. Perhaps because he sensed no threat from him, he said nothing and turned back to the students fighting.

In the field was an enormous plant-like wood-element spirit beast. Six students in matching uniforms were seriously battling it. All kinds of Soul Skills bombarded the spirit beast without pause, forcing it back step by step.

Clearly, the spirit beast's defeat was only a matter of time.

Among the six students were five men and one woman. Wu Xing did not interrupt them and merely watched quietly.

But as the battle continued, Wu Xing gradually fell into thought while looking at the female student. Don't misunderstand—he wasn't lusting after her. Though she was very beautiful, appearing to be in her early twenties with the air of a mature beauty, perfectly matching his tastes, that was not the reason.

He simply found this beautiful student somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her in the anime.

Second Soul Skill: Lingering Zither Notes.

The female student gave a soft cry. Her second yellow Spirit Ring flashed with light, and a glow enveloped her teammates. In an instant, faint radiance appeared around the other five members.

It was her!

Seeing the jade zither in the female student's hands and the way she used her Soul Skill, Wu Xing immediately realized something. No wonder she had seemed familiar. These people were from Heaven Dou Royal Academy!

That was right, they were students from Heaven Dou Royal Academy—the Second Team members who had been defeated by Shrek Academy in one minute in the anime.

"I didn't expect my luck to be this good. I actually ran into a minor character from the plot." Wu Xing thought to himself. His luck was indeed not bad. First, he had stumbled into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and now he had encountered students from Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

When he had watched the anime, he had especially felt sorry for the female support zither master of the Heaven Dou Second Team. He was a man who followed his heart. Though looks did not absolutely represent justice in his eyes, they came pretty close.

And this female zither master, whether in appearance or figure, was exactly his type. Though she had only appeared for one minute, she had stayed in his mind, which was why she had felt familiar.

(Just asking, is anyone reading this?)

Getting Acquainted

With the support soul master's zither music enhancing them, the students of the Heaven Dou Second Team received boosts in many attributes. The spirit beast, already unable to hold on, fell to the ground not long afterward.

After the spirit beast fell, the middle-aged teacher instructed one student to absorb the Spirit Ring on the spot. Only then did he slowly turn to Wu Xing and ask bluntly, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Encountering other soul masters in a Spirit Beast Forest was not unusual. But under normal circumstances, most soul masters would leave on their own after meeting someone, lest they be misunderstood. Someone like Wu Xing, who had remained here the entire time, was actually being quite rude.

If he had not sensed that the other man's Soul Power was only at the Soul Ancestor level, the middle-aged instructor would likely have driven him away long ago.

"My name is Ben Yuan. I accidentally got lost, and I hope you can point me toward the way out, Senior." Wu Xing cupped his hands and spoke sincerely.

Hearing Wu Xing's answer, the middle-aged instructor froze. He had never expected that the young man before him had gotten lost in Sunset Forest. For a moment, he opened his mouth, unsure what to say.

It was simply too bizarre. Someone could get lost after entering Sunset Forest?

The few students walking over looked at one another, strange expressions appearing on their faces. One male student even laughed aloud.

Facing their expressions, Wu Xing did not feel embarrassed. He stood quietly to the side. He was only telling the truth, so there was nothing to be ashamed of.

After pondering for a moment, the middle-aged instructor asked again, "Are you alone, or did you get separated from your teammates?"

"I'm alone," Wu Xing answered truthfully.

Alone? The middle-aged instructor's expression stiffened. He then carefully examined Wu Xing, seemingly trying to determine whether he was lying.

Though Sunset Forest did not have spirit beasts as powerful as those in Star Dou Great Forest, it was not somewhere a Soul Ancestor could handle alone. If he encountered a powerful spirit beast, a mere Soul Ancestor could only end up in its jaws.

Moreover, this was not the outskirts of Sunset Forest, which was why the middle-aged instructor grew suspicious.

"You made it here safely all by yourself?" Before the middle-aged man could speak, the student who had laughed earlier mocked him.

The other students also laughed, showing disdain on their faces. They clearly did not believe Wu Xing.

The guy before them was around their age, so his strength could not be much greater. Even their entire team might not have been able to get this deep without a teacher leading them, so how could they believe him?

Only the female student did not mean to mock him. It was not because she lacked arrogance. She was a student of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the most renowned academy in the Heaven Dou Empire. Though she was not among its very best, she was still outstanding and naturally felt superior to others.

The reason she did not mock him was entirely because of Wu Xing's appearance. It was the first time she had seen such a handsome man. She had never imagined a man could be this good-looking. It was not a soft, feminine beauty, but a handsome bearing full of elegance, grace, and noble spirit.

They said a man's handsomeness lay in his bones, not his skin. Wu Xing not only had a beautiful face, but also possessed an indescribable temperament deep within. Every gesture felt like a spring breeze. He was neither servile nor overbearing before the teacher's questions, remained calm in the face of the students' mockery, and even carried a hint of confidence. She could not help but stare at him in a daze.

Wu Xing was handsome, but not to the point where women could not walk after seeing him. The main reason was that after obtaining the Heart of Origin, his body had been tempered by Soul Power, making him extraordinarily remarkable.

As for his confidence, that went without saying. Aside from the Diary System, the confidence granted by his Martial Soul gave him more than enough assurance.

The middle-aged instructor naturally noticed this as well. The young man before him likely had an extraordinary background, perhaps from some great family or powerful sect. He coughed, interrupting the students' mockery, before saying, "Since you got lost in Sunset Forest, this works out well. We've completed the purpose of our trip. If you're not in a hurry, wait until my student finishes absorbing the Spirit Ring, then leave with us."

Normally, he would not have offered such an invitation. At most, he would have explained the route or tossed over a map and left it at that. But Wu Xing's bearing made him think he came from some great family or powerful sect, and he did not mind doing him a favor.

Even if he did not, there was no loss, was there? He did not consider the possibility of some scheme. A soul master capable of becoming an instructor at Heaven Dou Royal Academy was no ordinary person.

Besides, this was Heaven Dou Empire territory. Who would dare target their group without valuing their life?

"Then I thank you in advance, Senior." Wu Xing's face brightened with joy. He had worried that the man would only give directions or a map, and whether he could understand either was another matter. Now that someone was willing to lead him out, it could not be better.

"It's nothing." The middle-aged instructor waved his hand and said no more.

Even though he intended to do a favor, he still carried a certain pride. Among the students he taught, which one did not come from a great family or powerful sect? There was even a prince's grandson among them.