Meng Yiran: The Feeling of a Stirred Heart [Seeking Follow-up Reads]

Martial Soul City, Pope's Palace.

Bibi Dong sat upright upon her throne, her majestic papal robes cascading down, lending her features an even more imposing and peerless dignity.

The soft, steady light of the long-burning Soul Tools within the hall could not penetrate the deep pools hidden in the depths of her eyes.

Yu Tiancheng's latest diary entry unfolded within her consciousness.

When she saw the location "Star Dou Great Forest," the fingertips stroking her scepter paused almost imperceptibly.

"The Star Dou Great Forest..." Her crimson lips parted slightly, her voice calm and unruffled, yet it caused the Temple Guard Knights standing at attention in the hall to instinctively lower their heads further.

She had not previously grasped Yu Tiancheng's specific whereabouts, only inferring from scattered diary information that he was training abroad.

Now, this brat from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, who possessed a strange diary and seemed to have some special hidden Soul Tool, had appeared in the Star Dou Great Forest on his own.

It was the very place where Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Ghostly were leading the Golden Generation—Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan—deep in the forest to hunt for Xie Yue's fifth Spirit Ring, which he had just broken through to the fiftieth rank.

A trace of a smile, so faint it was nearly nothing, flickered at the corner of Bibi Dong's lips, then vanished beneath her eternal majesty.

Coincidence? Or the pull of fate?

She raised her fair, slender hand, and a deep, purple-black light gathered at her fingertip, tracing lines in the air.

The light swirled, forming a complex and mysterious rune that shimmered briefly before dissolving into a streak of light that vanished into the void.

This was the unique Long-Distance Communication Method between her and her two trusted Titled Douluo, Chrysanthemum and Ghost.

The instruction was clear and concise: "Note a youth named Yu Tiancheng, of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family. He may possess a special hidden Soul Tool. He should currently be located on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. If encountered, do not alert him. Observe and assess covertly. Prioritize ensuring Nana and the others complete their mission."

After sending the command, Bibi Dong slowly leaned back into her chair, her fingertips gently rubbing against the cold gemstone of her scepter.

The "concealment" and "sound mimicry" abilities Yu Tiancheng had displayed in his diary, though seemingly limited in effect and range based on the descriptions, had unknown principles and potential worth exploring.

More importantly, there was the diary itself—its ability to transmit information across space and its characteristic of subtly influencing its holder was what truly interested her.

The level of power potentially involved behind this might far exceed the understanding of an ordinary Spirit Master.

"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon... Yu Yuanzhen." A dim, unreadable light flickered in her eyes.

The Upper Three Sects were obstacles on the Martial Soul Hall's path forward. This suddenly appearing Yu Tiancheng, with his strange diary, was an interesting variable.

Perhaps he could become a chess piece for observing the movements of the Upper Three Sects, or even one to be exploited in the future.

She was in no hurry to take control immediately.

Having Yue Guan and Ghostly observe covertly first, gathering more information, was the prudent course of action.

"The Star Dou Great Forest..."

Bibi Dong's gaze seemed to pierce through the thick walls of the Pope's Palace, landing on the distant horizon. "This is getting more and more interesting."

Somewhere on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Meng Yiran followed behind her grandfather, Dragon Duke Meng Shu, and her grandmother, Snake Dowager Chao Tianxiang. The three of them carefully made their way along a beast trail, searching for a suitable place to spend the night.

The forest was not safe at night, and they needed to find a suitable spot quickly to set up a temporary camp.

Suddenly, the Diary Copy in her bosom emitted a familiar warmth.

Meng Yiran's steps faltered slightly, and her heartbeat inexplicably quickened by a beat.

She quickly glanced at her grandparents, who were a few steps ahead, quietly discussing something. Seeing that their attention was focused on scouting the environment, she relaxed a little and sent a sliver of her consciousness into the diary.

When she saw that Yu Tiancheng's diary entry actually mentioned her, a flicker of surprise passed through Meng Yiran's violet eyes.

But what shocked her even more was another piece of information revealed in the diary—

"They definitely can't guess that the one causing trouble was nearby, and a Spirit Master about their age, right?"

This sentence echoed repeatedly in Meng Yiran's mind.

The same age?

She didn't know who this Tang San or Zhao Wuji mentioned were, but a teacher who could lead an academy out for activities had to be at least a Spirit King level, right?

To make Shrek Academy suffer under the nose of a Spirit King, without anyone noticing?

And such a person was actually a youth about her age?

She quickly recalled the scene in the small town inn's lobby the previous night.

When she and her grandparents had checked in, she had indeed seen a few Spirit Masters of the same age in the lobby.

But at the time, she had been in a bad mood, worried about her third Spirit Ring, and hadn't paid particular attention to the people around her.

Thinking back now... that Yu Tiancheng had probably been in the inn at that very moment.

Meng Yiran's mind rapidly flashed through possible figures from the previous night—the youth sitting alone in a corner drinking tea? The blue-clad youth at the counter checking in? Or the figure she had brushed past on the stairs? She tried to recall, but found she hadn't paid attention to any of these details at the time.

Wait... she suddenly remembered catching a glimpse of a figure in a dark cloak hurrying down the hallway the night before.

She hadn't thought much of it then, but now she realized the style of that cloak seemed a bit unusual.

"A cloak..." She recalled Yu Tiancheng mentioning in his diary a "newly acquired little toy" and the "cloak's concealment and interference abilities."

Could that cloaked figure from last night have been him?

This realization stirred a complex feeling in Meng Yiran's heart.

On one hand, she felt a trace of regret that she might have brushed past him last night without recognizing him;

on the other hand, the way Yu Tiancheng had lurked in the shadows, silently taught those arrogant Shrek students a lesson, and then slipped away cleanly... made her think, that was kind of impressive.

No, not kind of—it was very impressive.

Thinking of how Yu Tiancheng described in his diary making Dai Mubai "almost eat dirt," making Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fireline "pfft, go out," and even mimicking a voice to warn them...

Meng Yiran's lips unconsciously curled up slightly. Though his methods were a bit... well, mischievous, dealing with arrogant types like Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun was quite satisfying.

And besides, he had mentioned her in his diary, saying he "hoped she would find a suitable spirit beast this time, and not get cut off by the 'Protagonist Group' again."

That tone of concern for her, wishing her success, warmed Meng Yiran's heart.

Then she recalled how Yu Tiancheng had described her in an earlier diary entry—"purple hair, purple eyes, tall figure, unique temperament, with a wild yet tsundere beauty."

Though the wording was a bit frivolous... it didn't seem unpleasant, did it?

Meng Yiran shook her head, casting the thought aside.

Now was not the time for this.

What mattered was that Yu Tiancheng was also near the Star Dou Great Forest, and would enter the forest tomorrow to obtain his Second Soul Ring.

In the vast sea of trees, would they meet?

Once this thought took root, it quietly settled in Meng Yiran's heart.

She tightened her grip on the Serpent Cane, a glimmer of anticipation flickering in her purple eyes—one she herself hadn't noticed.

"Yiran, what are you spacing out for?" Snake Dowager Chao Tianxiang's voice pulled her back to reality. "Hurry up, there's a clearing ahead. We'll camp there tonight."

"Coming, Grandma." Meng Yiran responded, quickening her pace to follow her grandparents.

As night deepened, a campfire blazed in the clearing.

Meng Yiran sat by the fire, watching the dancing flames, but her mind involuntarily conjured a vague figure of a youth—mysterious, interesting, bold yet cautious, and... somewhere in this very forest.

Deep within the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan moved in a triangular formation, cautiously advancing through the night under the invisible protection of the two Titled Douluo, Yue Guan and Ghostly.

Their goal was to find a suitable fifth soul ring for Xie Yue, requiring them to venture deep into the Mixed Zone, possibly even near the edge of the Core Zone—a highly dangerous endeavor.

Hu Liena suddenly felt a faint yet familiar warmth in her bosom.

A flicker of understanding and contemplation flashed through her seductive fox eyes, but her expression remained unchanged, her pace steady.

It was that mysterious Diary Copy. She remembered this feeling.

But now was absolutely not the time to check it.

Her brother Xie Yue's fifth soul ring was critical, and with two elders present, any distraction could bring unnecessary risk.

She suppressed her curiosity about the diary's new content, focusing entirely on sensing the spirit beast auras and potential dangers in the surrounding environment.

Not far away, hidden among the tree shadows, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan seemed to sense something. A finger moved slightly within his sleeve, receiving a Message Rune from the Pope.

A gleam of light flickered in his eerie eyes as he quickly understood the instructions.

"Yu Tiancheng... that kid from the Blue Electric Tyrant Dragon clan, in this forest?"

Yue Guan mused inwardly, exchanging a glance with Ghostly, who was nearly merged with the darkness on the other side.

Ghostly gave a slight nod, indicating he had received the same order.

The two silently noted this additional, somewhat unexpected task, but took no immediate action nor informed the three youths ahead.

Hunting a suitable spirit beast for Xie Yue remained the top priority.

As for that Yu Tiancheng... if fate truly brought them together in this vast, perilous Star Dou Great Forest, observing him from the shadows and assessing his worth would be a convenient side task.

Since the Pope had explicitly ordered "do not disturb," they naturally knew their limits.

As night deepened, Yu Tiancheng wrote his last line in the hotel room, closed his diary, and felt both anxious and excited about the upcoming forest journey.

Little did he know that a record he had written last night had already cast stones into the hearts of many, the ripples quietly spreading, soon to merge with the waves within the forest.