"Captain, why are you still in bed? The match is about to start!"
Dugu Yan looked at Qin Feng, who was curled up in bed like a silkworm in its cocoon, and called out helplessly.
Ye Lingling stood quietly to one side, her gaze resting on the half of Qin Feng's arm exposed outside the covers. Her expression was complicated.
Just as the two were about to step forward and drag Qin Feng out of bed, an unexpected change occurred.
Bzz—
The Diary Copies hidden close to their bodies suddenly vibrated at the same time.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling froze. They exchanged a glance, then quickly pulled out their Diary Copies.
The diaries were incredibly mysterious. Only they could see them; to anyone else, they were as invisible as air.
At that moment, the diaries hadn't updated with any new main text.
But at the bottom of the page, a new section appeared—[Message Board].
And on the Message Board, a golden message had appeared.
[I Have No Mother: I discovered a feature. This Diary Copy can grant us rewards. As long as we interact with Qin Feng, we can also receive rewards determined by the system based on the degree of interaction and how often the diary mentions us.]
When they saw the message, Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's pupils contracted sharply.
Rewards?
Neither of them was stupid. They instantly thought of the things mentioned in Qin Feng's diary yesterday.
A forty-thousand-year Soul Ring, a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, increased Soul Power, god-level cultivation techniques...
Any one of those things would be enough to drive a Titled Douluo mad.
So they had a chance to obtain them too?
"Interact... get mentioned..."
Dugu Yan stared at the words. Her breathing quickened, her chest heaving so violently that her dark green outfit looked ready to burst.
If she could receive a reward that increased her Soul Power like Qin Feng's, could she solve the poison afflicting her grandfather sooner?
And maybe... surpass that Yu Tianheng?
A flame had kindled in Ye Lingling's usually cool eyes, too.
The Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul was powerful, but it could only be passed down through a single lineage, and its wielder could possess only one Soul Skill for her entire life. It was both a curse and a shackle.
If this diary could bring her a reward that changed her fate...
Almost simultaneously, the two women looked away from their diaries and fixed their eyes on Qin Feng in bed.
In that moment, the way they looked at him changed.
They no longer saw their captain, or the scoundrel who was always shooting his mouth off.
They saw an enormous, glittering mountain of gold!
Their gazes brimmed with undisguised longing and burning desire, as if they meant to swallow Qin Feng whole.
"Mm..."
Just then, Qin Feng rolled over and blearily opened his eyes.
He yawned, pushed half the covers aside, and sprawled across the bed like a starfish.
He was in the habit of sleeping naked, so at that moment he wore only a pair of loose boxers. His toned upper body was completely exposed, his well-defined abs rising and falling slightly with each breath.
Qin Feng rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked up—only to be startled by two scorching gazes that seemed almost tangible.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling stood beside the bed, both staring fixedly at his body, their eyes alight with an excitement that sent a chill down his spine.
Dugu Yan was one thing; she had always been fiery and uninhibited. But Ye Lingling was usually as cold as a block of ice. Why did she look like she wanted to eat him alive, too?
Qin Feng instinctively yanked the covers up over his chest and regarded the two women warily.
"You two..."
"What are you planning to do?"
"I'm warning you, I'm a respectable man. I sell my art, not my body!"
Second-Floor VIP Box, Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.
The box offered a sweeping view of the entire Central Main Soul Fighting Arena below.
Xue Qinghe sat on a spacious leather sofa, seemingly toying with a teacup in his hand. But his gaze wasn't focused on the arena below; it rested instead on the Diary Copy in his arms, visible only to him.
[Congratulations. You are the person mentioned most often among all Diary Copy holders.]
[Exclusive rewards: Soul Power Level increased by 4 (current level: 68 → 72), one God-Given Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, several special daily necessities—"Balenciaga Premium Black Stockings"—and increased proficiency in "Top-Tier Disguise Technique."]
As he read the string of messages, Xue Qinghe's hand tightened abruptly around the teacup.
A warm current rose within him out of nowhere, flowing through all his limbs.
His Soul Power had been stuck at the peak of level 68. The bottleneck was like a sheet of paper, and this overbearing force tore right through it.
Level 69, level 70, level 71... all the way to level 72!
Even the Seventh Soul Ring, which he would normally have had to hunt a Soul Beast to obtain, now rested quietly in his Storage Soul Tool.
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, forcibly tamping down the storm raging in his heart.
It was real.
He hadn't needed to cultivate or undergo any trials. Just because that fellow named Qin Feng had written his name in a diary a few extra times, he'd received such a terrifying boost?
It completely overturned everything he'd believed for more than twenty years.
The Angel God Trial had nothing on this!
Xue Qinghe set down his teacup, his gaze turning contemplative.
As for those "Black Silk Stockings" daily necessities, he'd chosen to ignore them for the time being. He didn't know what they were for, but since they came from the system, they surely had some deeper purpose.
"Looks like I've been too cautious all along."
Xue Qinghe tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
If interacting with Qin Feng and being mentioned by him could make him stronger, then Qin Feng was the greatest opportunity he had right now.
He had to find a way to spend more time with him—or even get Qin Feng to seek him out.
Even if Qin Feng insulted him in his diary, it might still be worth putting up with if it made him stronger.
At that thought, Xue Qinghe frowned slightly and looked toward one side of the empty arena below.
"But the match is about to start. Why hasn't Qin Feng arrived?"
"Could he have gotten lost?"
Central Main Soul Fighting Arena.
The stands were already roaring with noise. The shouts of tens of thousands of spectators threatened to lift the roof off.
The host, Doudou, flapped her white dove wings as she hovered in midair. She glanced at the timer in her hand, her brows knitted together.
"May I have everyone's attention!"
Her clear voice rang throughout the arena through an Amplifying Soul Tool.
"There are only three minutes left before the match officially begins."
"If every member of the Heaven Dou Royal Team hasn't arrived within three minutes, then according to the Great Soul Arena's rules, we will declare the Shrek Team the winner by default!"
The announcement sent the arena into an uproar.
The gamblers who had already placed their bets waved their tickets wildly, spittle flying as they shouted.
"What's going on? Is the Imperial Fighting Team scared?"
"I bet on Shrek to win! If they don't show up, all the better—just declare us the winners and save me the trouble!"
"Cowards! The Shrek Team beat the Mad Fighting Team and Imperial Fighting Team One, so they're too scared to come!"