So It Really Was Because I Was Too Self-Absorbed

"Are we going to Shrek Academy today? You're in such a hurry?"

"Um... it doesn't seem that urgent. Thinking about it, Mo Yu's going to the Star Dou Great Forest with the other members of the Spirit Academy soon to hunt for spirit rings. It won't be long before he gets his third spirit ring."

"Then I can tell Xiao Bai and Xiao Zi about this today."

"Once we're there, we'll have to decide whether to smash Yilakus's divine essence fragment after all. In theory, I don't need Yilakus's help at all, since I have the diary. But Duoduo's advice makes sense too."

"That half-dead Ghost King is completely unreliable. If Yilakus can use one hand to crush a Soul Sage... If I could get his help, maybe I'd be able to get the Soul King's assistance?"

"Even if I got his help, it probably wouldn't be of much use. Still, Di Tian is pretty reliable. If I could get Di Tian's protection, I could just lie back and let him carry me to godhood."

"Of course, I can also look forward to the diary's protagonist going completely berserk and becoming a god, then ascending straight to the divine realm."

I tapped the diary, and a sly smile crept across my face. "The diary's so easy to deal with. I'll just go straight there."

My smile grew brighter.

Once again, Duoduo inwardly rolled her eyes. Her face remained calm, though she wore a smile as lovely as a flower. In her heart, however, she recorded the content that had appeared in the diary.

Star Dou Great Forest...

That was a familiar route.

Duoduo smiled sweetly. "Since I've just broken through to level thirty and need a spirit ring, we should make a trip to the Star Dou Great Forest before heading to the Ouyang Family's Spirit Academy."

As she spoke, a strange look crossed my face.

Originally, I'd been thinking of finding an excuse to visit the Star Dou Great Forest, or perhaps go to the Ouyang Family's Spirit Academy first and then double back. Either way would've been fine.

"Since Duoduo needs to go to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for a spirit ring, that saves me a lot of trouble. But the people with me are all food-type Spirit Masters. If we encounter danger in the Star Dou Great Forest, should I step in or not?"

"If I don't step in, that doesn't seem right. Besides, Duoduo's taken care of me for so many years. But if I do step in, won't I have to reveal my true strength?"

"Four years have passed. Welcome, Ghost King!"

Huh? Four years?

What does that have to do with anything?

Could there really be something about the Ghost King in the diary?

Guang gave Xiao Ge a perplexed look. The boy's young face looked so serious that it seemed almost unnaturally mature.

What did he mean... something white?

Star Dou Great Forest.

The Three-Eyed Golden Monkey cautiously glanced at the Ghost King beside her. The look on her master's face didn't seem very good.

He'd been so calm just a moment ago. Then, as soon as he updated the diary, his mood seemed to plummet.

I can't figure out why... Is it just a woman's intuition?

No one was playing with her, and no one was feeding her those delicious treats. What was the point of her days?

The Three-Eyed Golden Monkey's body trembled, and she immediately began to doubt her life.

The Ghost King glanced at the Three-Eyed Golden Monkey beside him. He was equally confused. Her attention was completely fixed on the "Soul Spirit Method" mentioned in the diary. Her innate ability gave her an advantage when it came to what the diary called the Soul Spirit Method.

But what puzzled her was that the diary only mentioned the method in passing. It didn't explain it in any detail.

Especially when it came to the protagonist, who was supposedly going to receive the Soul King's help...

Seriously... What a load of nonsense...

Guo Nian wanted to complain inwardly, but facing this miraculous diary, she didn't seem to have any reason to argue.

With the diary, the Soul King probably wouldn't amount to much in front of the Ghost King.

After thinking it over, Guo Nian drew a deep breath. A trace of frustration crossed her delicate face.

Xiao Ge would arrive at the Star Dou Great Forest soon. Could she find an opportunity to talk with him? Even if she couldn't get that divine essence, she still needed to find out what exactly this divine essence fragment and Soul Spirit Method belonging to Yilakus were.

She'd never heard of this Yilakus.

In other words, Yilakus wasn't a god of the divine realm...

Could there be gods outside the divine realm, too?

After a moment of thought, Guo Nian raised her large, dark eyes and looked at the Three-Eyed Golden Monkey beside her.

"Ruixiang, go invite Di Tian over. There's something I need to discuss with him."

Guo Nian's voice was as gentle as ever. The Three-Eyed Golden Monkey, who hadn't expected any sudden orders, jumped in fright and promptly fell flat on her bottom.

But when she saw the look on her master's face, a hint of joy appeared in her eyes.

She'd finally been given a chance to sneak out and play!

Unfortunately, before her joy could spread, Guo Nian's next words instantly crushed her hopes.

"Come back within an hour with Di Tian. And until we've resolved the threat Tang San poses to the sea gods, don't even think about sneaking out to play."

On the carriage.

Xiao Ge looked at Guang, who kept watching him with an unfriendly expression, then glanced at Duoduo, who sat beside him with a smile. He felt that the atmosphere in the carriage was a little strange.

Ever since they got on the carriage, Duoduo had kept finding opportunities to talk to him, while Guang's expression was at least calm. But now, as the journey went on, Guang's expression had grown steadily worse. He was practically glaring at Xiao Ge with wide eyes.

At first, Duoduo's enthusiasm had been a little restrained.

It almost seemed like a hint of... jealousy?

Thinking it over, Xiao Ge decided that he really was too self-absorbed.

Guang turned back toward the carriage. Seeing Duoduo's enthusiasm for him and her unusual warmth, it was understandable that he might have gotten the wrong idea.

"Hey, am I really too self-absorbed?"

"It's no wonder Duoduo flipped the carriage and hit me with a pillow... Still, Guang actually has a bit of a crush on me? That's unexpected."

"Given Guang's personality, shouldn't she have just told me she liked me outright?"

"Um, having someone like me seems like a good thing. It's not as if I'm unhappy. Maybe I should look forward to what happens next..."

You're just going to say you like me outright?

You sound like you understand me pretty well.

Guang couldn't stop herself from muttering inwardly. Then she shot Xiao Ge an irritated glance. Unable to keep her expression from turning sullen, she could only reluctantly turn away, her eyes no longer fixed on Xiao Ge's face, which seemed to grow more and more annoying by the moment.