Ning Rongrong's Stubborn Head

Just as Chen An finished dealing with the matter regarding Little Stone, he ran into two young girls waiting for him.

"Master..."

After listening to Zhu Zhuqing's report and confirming the situation with Ning Rongrong, he immediately felt suspicious. He looked at Ning Rongrong first, then at Zhu Zhuqing. How much time had passed? Why had the world become so unrecognizable to him?

For Ning Rongrong to proactively ask to enter the Dream Realm—wasn't that the equivalent of a student running up to a teacher who hadn't assigned any homework and asking, "Teacher, is there any homework?"

What on earth was this?

I didn't think Zhuqing would try to pull a fast one on me, so why is she acting like she's gaslighting me now?

Chen An pondered to himself. Why were the children these days looking for trouble when they didn't have any?

He did indeed possess some illusion techniques, ones on the level of Izanami, which were skills he kept hidden as a trump card.

"Rongrong, are you sure you want to try this?"

Chen An asked again; he really didn't want to use it.

In his plan, he intended to start with conventional teaching; this technique was only to be used as a last resort.

"I am sure."

The more Chen An tried to dissuade her, the more rebellious and curious Ning Rongrong felt.

Though she had been slightly skeptical before, she now wanted to see exactly what this illusion technique was capable of.

"Fine then, let's head to the cultivation room."

Seeing Ning Rongrong so insistent, he stopped trying to persuade her. Let the child suffer a little; she wouldn't be so stubborn afterward.

He brought the two girls to the cultivation room. Since Chen An hadn't gotten around to labeling them yet, all the rooms were the same, so he just picked one at random from the very end of the hall.

"Sit inside. Just use your usual cultivation posture."

Chen An set up the protective formation and explained its purpose.

Ning Rongrong nodded and sat down, her heart beginning to thump wildly.

With such a serious setup, she, who hadn't been nervous before, began to feel anxious, even regretting her decision.

But as a young lady from a prominent family, her word was like spilled water; she calmed herself down and remained silent.

Yo, not bad.

Chen An muttered to himself.

He had expected Ning Rongrong to back out; in his impression, the Ning Rongrong of this period should still be a pampered vase.

He was a bit surprised, but not overly so.

Chen An reminded her, "Calm your heart, guard your spirit. We are beginning."

This technique had no incantations, nor did he need to shout out its name; it was simply a matter of channeling his power and driving the origin.

The formation began to shimmer with color before lighting up, and the Dream Realm was fully activated.

"Master, is it done?"

Zhu Zhuqing leaned in close to Chen An, whispering so as not to disturb Ning Rongrong.

"It's fine, you can speak normally. The formation has a soundproofing effect."

Chen An confirmed there were no issues and spoke only after stepping back.

Once he finished, Zhu Zhuqing began to look around, her expression full of curiosity as she peered here and there, nearly reaching out to touch things.

"Don't go wandering in, or you risk being dragged into the Dream Realm yourself."

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing leaning further forward, Chen An quickly pulled her back.

Because this technique was generated by calling upon the origin, it would not repeat within the Dream Realm, but one would experience a true cycle of reincarnation.

"Oh, oh, okay, okay."

Zhu Zhuqing was always one to listen to advice, and she quickly took a few steps back.

Only after returning to her original spot did she ask, "Master, so what is Junior Sister experiencing?"

She was genuinely concerned. Chen An looked at her, a sudden urge to tease the cat rising within him.

"How about it? Do you want to try? You can go to the room next door and try it right now."

Chen An looked at Zhu Zhuqing with a mischievous grin, but unfortunately, she didn't fall for the trap, shaking her head vigorously.

"No, don't want to, don't want to, not trying."

Uh, with so many rejections, he was left speechless, and his desire to tease the little cat vanished instantly.

"Actually, if you want to know, it's not impossible."

Chen An raised his hand and waved it. His management of the Library's origin had improved, and he could now bring others into the cycle.

"Eh? Master, where is this?"

In a momentary daze, she realized she was in a theater, yet the curtain and the images projected upon it were utterly foreign to Zhu Zhuqing.

She was instantly startled by this novel contraption and the pitch-black, bottomless void surrounding them.

Fortunately, seeing her master by her side kept her from truly losing her composure.

"Do not panic. We cannot enter, so we can only watch from here. Rest assured, I have left a sliver of my consciousness outside; I shall handle any matters that arise."

Chen An spoke with calm gentleness.

However, seeing Zhu Zhuqing so startled was quite amusing to him.

"Oh, oh."

Hearing Chen An say this, Zhu Zhuqing calmed down significantly, the panic on her face receding like a tide.

Adapting to this environment was actually quite interesting, as this place was something Chen An had cobbled together, modeled after the cinemas and theaters of his memories.

Naturally, he had ensured the immersion was of the highest quality.

On the screen, Ning Rongrong was currently lost in confusion.

"Why is everyone ignoring me? Why are they all afraid of me?"

Time within the Dream Realm did not correspond to the outside; one could say that ten thousand breaths passed in a mere instant.

At the beginning, Ning Rongrong had been quite cautious, acting in accordance with the sect rules, but later, she became increasingly uninhibited.

She began to order the students below her around, and as she grew more arrogant, she looked down on this place, showing little respect even to her senior fellow disciples or Chen An.

The result was that those below avoided her from afar, and those above were unwilling to deepen their acquaintance with her.

"Master, would this be too harsh on Junior Sister?"

Zhu Zhuqing could hardly bear to watch any longer; she feared that if this torment continued, Ning Rongrong might be left with psychological trauma.

It also reminded her of some unpleasant affairs back in the Star Luo Empire, yet Chen An remained as steady as a fisherman sitting on a rock.

"Keep watching. Do not be impatient."

To use a metaphor, Zhu Zhuqing was a spectator, Chen An was a spectator who could forcibly terminate the session at any time, and Ning Rongrong was the variable within this Dream Realm.

Several more years passed within the canvas, and a slightly changed Ning Rongrong had begun to mend some of the wounds she had previously inflicted upon her peers.

But accidents always permeate life; Martial Soul Hall led troops to attack the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Upon receiving the news, Ning Rongrong rushed back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in a panic, not even reporting it to Chen An.

In the dream Ning Rongrong was experiencing, there was no rise of Tang San, nor was there the proliferation of hidden weapons.

Thus, Martial Soul Hall annihilated the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the Heaven Dou Empire swallowed up the remaining assets of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile.

"Do I still have the face to see Master? Do I still have the face to see Senior Sister?"

At this moment, she was destitute; she truly had no face to return to Phantom Star, for she had buried the students she had brought out within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

She was afraid to go back, so she wandered, hiding here and there, in a state of utter wretchedness.

In the theater, Zhu Zhuqing, feeling heartache for Ning Rongrong's experiences, asked Chen An.

"Master, is it really necessary to do this?"

Chen An smiled and comforted her.

"This cycle is simply how it is; otherwise, why would I have confirmed it time and time again?"

Zhu Zhuqing felt a moment of helplessness mixed with self-reproach, feeling that it was her fault that her junior sister had to suffer this ordeal.

"Very well, stop blaming yourself for now. It is time for you to perform."

Zhu Zhuqing's expression instantly shifted from self-reproach to bewilderment.

Because she felt as though she had been given a shove, and then she entered the scene to take her own place within it.

Under Chen An's guidance, she quickly found the destitute Ning Rongrong.

"Senior Sister?!"

She instinctively tried to dodge, her heart still filled with shame and self-reproach.

"Do not be afraid. We are going home; Master is waiting for us."

Zhu Zhuqing reached out and pulled Ning Rongrong.

To Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing was like someone walking against the light in the darkness, the person who had reached out to pull her up.