Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest.
Hu Liena happened to be reading the diary, too.
The group had moved to a new campsite, and Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were scouting the area for a suitable Spirit Beast.
"Just as I thought. That was him back there." She was certain of it. "That cloak really is impressive. It even hid him from the senses of both Elders..."
After several days of observation and analysis, Hu Liena had mostly figured out how the diary's rewards worked: the person mentioned most often was the one who received a reward.
Her name had appeared several times in today's diary. It had even mentioned her breakthrough and intuition—undoubtedly, this was the day she had been mentioned the most.
"But what about tomorrow? And the day after?" Her long lashes lowered, concealing the calculations flickering in her eyes.
The rewards were undeniably tempting. Whether it was an increase in Soul Power or the "special rewards" hinted at in the diary, either would have an irresistible appeal to any Spirit Master.
She hadn't received a reward in days. To say she wasn't itching for one would be a lie.
She began calmly plotting how to "guide" the mysterious Yu Tiancheng into mentioning her more often in his diary.
"He's still looking for his Second Soul Ring, so he won't be leaving the Star Dou Great Forest anytime soon."
Hu Liena's thoughts raced like a precision instrument. "If we show up regularly in areas where he might be active, perhaps even arrange a few 'chance encounters'... would he write about us again? And if we interact a little, he might devote more space to us."
A bold yet cautious plan quietly took shape in her mind.
She put away the Diary Copy, composed herself, and walked over to the two Elders, Ju and Gui, who were scanning the surroundings with their Spiritual Power.
"Elder Ju, Elder Gui." Hu Liena bowed respectfully.
"What is it, Nana? Have you thought of something new about the Spirit Beast's attributes?" Yue Guan turned to look at her with his narrow eyes.
Hu Liena had already prepared what to say.
She furrowed her delicate brows slightly and looked toward the northwest, as if trying to remember and sense something.
"When we hunted the Black Armored Lion today, my Spiritual Power was unusually active as I broke through... In a daze, I seemed to sense an extremely faint aura farther northwest. It resonated with my Martial Soul. It felt like a Spirit Beast skilled in mental influence or possessing charm attributes, one that might be a good match for my Demon Fox Martial Soul."
She paused, letting just the right amount of uncertainty enter her voice. "But it was quite far away, and the sensation only lasted an instant. It was very vague. Perhaps... I was simply more sensitive right after breaking through and imagined it."
The direction she indicated was roughly where they had encountered Yu Tiancheng earlier, in the transitional area between the Mixed Zone and the Core Zone.
It was perfectly reasonable for a Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beast to be there. Her explanation would raise no suspicion, while still leading the group toward her target.
Gui Mei's hoarse voice rang out. "A Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beast with mental or charm attributes... If one really exists, it would indeed be an excellent choice for you. Since you sensed something, it's worth investigating. Yue Guan, what do you think?"
Yue Guan considered it briefly, rolling a Golden Chrysanthemum between his fingers. "Nana has just broken through. Sometimes, her instincts really are sharper than those of old hands like us. There's no harm in scouting northwest, but remember this."
He looked at Hu Liena, his tone serious. "The deeper parts are full of danger. Your safety comes first. Don't take unnecessary risks."
"Yes, Nana understands. Thank you, Elders."
Hu Liena replied respectfully. As she lowered her head, the corner of her lips lifted in an almost imperceptible smile.
She wasn't expecting to find a suitable Spirit Beast right away.
Her true goal was to keep the group active in the areas where Yu Tiancheng might appear, increasing the chances of being "observed" or "running into him."
As long as Yu Tiancheng noticed them again—especially her, Hu Liena, and what she was doing—then she'd have a much better chance of "appearing" in the next day's diary.
Whether she'd receive a reward still depended on luck, but at least she was creating an opportunity for herself.
"Yu Tiancheng..." She silently repeated his name. Her interest in the boy who wrote the diary, knew so many secrets, and could hide right under the noses of Titled Douluo was quietly growing, winding like a vine around her desire to find out more.
Almost at the same time, at the Shrek Academy campsite.
Oscar was at a critical stage in absorbing his Spirit Ring, while Zhao Wuji stood guard beside him.
Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing sat together a little farther away. They appeared to be resting, but there was a faint tension in the air.
The contents of the diary still echoed in their minds.
Yu Tiancheng had been there and had witnessed everything... The realization left each of them unsettled.
Ning Rongrong toyed with a blade of grass in her hand, then suddenly spoke in a quiet voice. "That Yu Tiancheng... He was watching us today, too, wasn't he?"
It wasn't a question, but a statement.
Xiao Wu stopped playing with the dirt. Zhu Zhuqing looked up.
Their gazes met in the dancing firelight.
"You saw him too?" Xiao Wu asked softly, seeking confirmation.
"The diary." Zhu Zhuqing said only two words.
That was enough.
All their probing and guesses vanished with those two words. It wasn't a trick of the eye or a coincidence. They all shared the same astonishing secret.
"Looks like we're not the only ones with a copy." Ning Rongrong's voice had regained its calm, along with the sharpness characteristic of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's little princess. "None of us got a reward for the last two days."
Xiao Wu pouted, looking a little disappointed. "Too bad we didn't spot him today. If we had... maybe we could've gotten him to write about us more."
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, only giving a slight nod. Sunlight cast shifting shadows across her cool profile.
There was no need to say anything more. One glance, one nod, and they had formed a silent pact: this secret would remain between the three of them.
Yu Tiancheng knew nothing about it. He was wholly focused on the prey before him.
He decided to head back and look for a suitable Spirit Beast in the outer area.
His encounter earlier had made him realize just how much more dangerous the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest were than he'd imagined.
But just as he turned to leave, a strange ripple suddenly came from ahead.
The ripple was faint, yet it stirred a powerful resonance in his Time Dragon Emperor Martial Soul. It was like rain after a long drought; every cell in his body seemed to leap with excitement.
"What is this..." His heart jolted. He immediately crept toward the source of the ripple.
In a slightly open clearing not far away, the air seemed to twist and fold unnaturally.
A vague figure, about the size of his palm and almost transparent, like something carved from crystal, flickered and bobbed in midair.
With each breathlike pulse, the space around it rippled faintly.
"A Spirit Beast with spatial attributes!" Yu Tiancheng's heart pounded, and delight flashed in his eyes.
This was exactly the kind of Spirit Ring he had been dreaming of!
Suppressing his excitement, he watched even more carefully.
The little creature seemed to be in poor condition. Its aura was weak and unsteady, and the spatial ripples around it waxed and waned, as if it could barely control them.
He quickly took a Spirit Beast guidebook from his Storage Soul Tool and flipped through it.
Soon, his finger stopped on a page:
[Void Mayfly]
A rare Spirit Beast with spatial attributes. Its juvenile stage begins at a thousand years old, and it can reach ten thousand years as an adult.
Naturally attuned to space, it excels at short-distance spatial travel and can create small, unstable spatial rifts.
It usually lives in places where space is weak or chaotic, making it extremely difficult to find or capture.
"A thousand-year Spirit Beast... still a juvenile, and badly wounded."
Yu Tiancheng quickly assessed the situation, weighing the risks and opportunities in his mind.
A healthy thousand-year Spirit Beast with spatial attributes would be far beyond what he could handle, but this Void Mayfly was clearly at the end of its strength. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
More importantly, its spatial attributes were a perfect match for his Time Dragon Emperor Martial Soul. If he could successfully obtain its Spirit Ring, his Second Soul Skill would very likely grant him a powerful spatial ability.
"Now's my chance!" His urge to take a risk instantly overcame his caution.
He took a deep breath and moved with the utmost care, using the terrain and bushes to quietly set up simple Soul Power traps and obstacles. His gaze never left the weakened Void Mayfly.
The little Spirit Beast seemed lost in its pain and exhaustion, completely unaware of the danger about to descend. It simply drifted on instinct, the spatial ripples around it growing more chaotic and faint.
Yu Tiancheng knew he had only one chance.
If his first strike missed, the startled Void Mayfly might tear through space and flee, even in its wounded state. Finding it again would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
He brought himself into peak condition, letting Soul Power flow slowly through his meridians.
His Time Dragon Emperor Martial Soul wasn't physically manifested, but the subtle pressure of a top-tier Dragon Martial Soul still began to seep out.
That faint pressure made the drowsy Void Mayfly shudder. Its transparent body suddenly glowed faintly as it warily "looked" toward Yu Tiancheng. Its body began to flicker rapidly, trying to open a spatial passage.
Now!
Like a leopard that had been coiled to spring, Yu Tiancheng burst from his hiding place.
Faint Dragon Scale patterns appeared beneath the sleeve on his right arm. His fingers curled into a claw, and with a shrill sound that tore through the air, he reached for the Void Mayfly.
At the same time, he slammed his left hand downward. The interwoven Soul Power threads he had already prepared sprang up from the ground and surrounding trees, weaving into a wide yet unbroken net that instantly sealed off every possible escape route for the Void Mayfly.
"Shriek—!"
The Void Mayfly let out a piercing, grating shriek that struck directly at the mind. Its body blazed with light as it desperately warped the surrounding space. A tiny black rift struggled to open beside it.
But its injuries were too severe. The rift widened only to the breadth of a finger before trembling violently, then collapsing and vanishing.
The shadow of a Dragon Claw had already reached it!
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