Tianmeng: Life Is a Play, and It All Depends on Acting

Lin Wan'er, who had originally had no intention of letting the Outer Courtyard teacher off, pondered for a moment before crooking her finger and guiding the green mist swirling around her toward Tang Ya and Bei Bei.

As a gentle glow flickered, Nian Xunsi's Soul King-level Soul Power and life force entered their bodies, successfully easing Tang Ya's injuries from the earlier battle and replenishing much of her depleted Soul Power.

Bei Bei, who had not taken part in any battle and was still in peak physical condition, was surprised to find that the power Lin Wan'er had seized with her soul skill was repairing the minor damage accumulated in his meridians through daily training—injuries that normally only required a period of proper rest.

The pleasant sensation was no less refreshing than soaking in an outrageously expensive medicinal bath. Even his Soul Power had risen considerably, nearly reaching an entirely new level.

Such gentle power was definitely not something an Evil Soul Master could conceal with Soul Power.

The two exchanged a glance and prepared to drag the furious Nian Xunsi away.

However, Nian Xunsi, who simply could not accept defeat, shoved away the hands Tang Ya and Bei Bei had extended toward him and roared irritably, "Who gave you permission to make decisions for this old man? Has Shrek taught you nothing about respecting your teachers all these years?"

Looking at the utterly unreasonable Nian Xunsi, Bei Bei had no choice but to hold himself back despite his itching fists. What a joke—he still had to help Tang Ya find a suitable soul beast in the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain her third soul ring.

If he knocked the endlessly chattering Nian Xunsi unconscious now, would he not have to carry around another burden?

Seeing this, Lin Wan'er's expression did not change in the slightest. She swung the Scepter in her hand and called out at the ground, "Star Body Barrier!"

The next second, a pattern of stars enveloped Nian Xunsi's feet, trapping him in what felt like a swamp and leaving him unable to break free.

The second after that, his face flushed an unnatural red. Blood spilled directly from the corner of his mouth as his body flew backward beneath Bei Bei and Tang Ya's widened eyes.

With a thunderous crash, Nian Xunsi smashed straight into the trunk of a large tree. His mouth fell open, and several teeth mixed with blood sprayed out, drawing a beautiful crimson arc through the air.

After his blood and qi churned violently, Nian Xunsi's eyes widened. Trembling, he stretched out a hand, just about to say, "Lin Wan'er, you have no martial honor! You ambushed this old man!"

The Soul Power within his body was instantly sealed, and he fell into an unconsciousness from which he could not awaken.

"Gulp."

Huo Yuhao swallowed as he looked at the Holy Maiden in the sky, unable to stop a sense of admiration from rising within him. He had never seen such a cool and dashing girl before. For a moment, his blue eyes were filled with the image of Lin Wan'er after her Martial Soul Possession.

If he possessed such strength too, a Martial Soul beyond the reach of ordinary soul masters, would his mother not have suffered all those cold stares in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion before finally leaving him without a sound...

Noticing Huo Gua's mood inexplicably sink again, Lin Wan'er furrowed her lovely brows and instructed the frightened Tang Ya and Bei Bei, "Take your teacher and leave. I believe it will not be long before people from the Heaven Soul Sect pay Shrek a visit and properly ask why the academy's teachers are of such poor quality!"

Nian Xunsi had simply refused kindness when it was offered, but fortunately, Lin Wan'er had never intended to let him leave the Star Dou Great Forest alive.

Since she could not act in front of everyone, she could simply leave it to the soul beast citizens. The bounty could temporarily be set at a dozen or so special Soul Coins.

After all, Tang Ya still needed to obtain her third soul ring in the Star Dou Great Forest before returning to Shrek to report in.

Trading a soul beast without intelligence for the body of an Outer Courtyard Soul King teacher as nourishment for the plant soul beasts was naturally not a losing deal.

Besides, when she had the time later, she would have that idle Titled Douluo go have a proper talk with Mu En, who was playing dead, about how to manage Shrek Academy—especially about a plan to thoroughly improve the overall teaching standards of its staff.

After descending from the sky, Lin Wan'er put away her Scepter and stared at Huo Yuhao, who had lowered his head as he recalled the painful memories of the past. For once, her eyes held a trace of helpless uncertainty.

Although she rather liked Huo Gua's character, his way of handling matters, and his determination in the early days, she truly did not know how to comfort a little boy hundreds, perhaps even tens of thousands, of years younger than herself, despite being the Holy Maiden of the Star Dou Great Forest.

It seemed the task of improving his mental health would have to be handed to Tianmeng. Who told that fellow to have such thick skin?

Still deep in thought, Lin Wan'er brushed past Tang Ya and the others as they were leaving. The Tang Sect Leader, who appeared hot-tempered and reckless, bit her lower lip and quickly said, "Thank you for everything you told me just now. It has allowed me to temporarily put aside my thoughts of revenge. After I return, I will seriously consider the Tang Sect's future and stop targeting your Heaven Soul Sect."

"Whatever. As long as you do not go around shouting that we are stealing people." Lin Wan'er waved a hand before adding, "The Tang Sect Leader back then was overly obsessed with fame and profit. He made the people of the Four Sects abandon recovery and rest to hunt down Evil Soul Masters across the continent for large-scale extermination campaigns, but he refused to cover any of the casualties and expenses afterward. All he did was soothe the Four Sects with empty words. Naturally, such a person was not worth following."

"Everything is about profit. Shrek recruits geniuses and nourishes itself in return, gaining an irreplaceable position. The Tang Sect previously placed hidden weapons above all else and once again brought the four single-attribute sects that had refused to join the Clear Sky Sect under its banner."

"And our Heaven Soul Sect was established long before the Sun Moon Empire invaded Douluo Continent. We are willing to accept the people of the Four Sects and persuade them to return to the right embrace. That does not make us despicable villains."

Hearing this, Tang Ya paused. Rarely, she asked a question, "But they were members of the Tang Sect, after all. Would all of them leaving the Tang Sect at once not be a betrayal?"

"That is why I said you cannot look at this matter so shortsightedly. Let me ask you instead: after the Tang Sect lost the Four Sects, were the various sects it took in afterward truly inferior to them? Did their legacies survive to this day? Did they not likewise vanish into the river of time?"

Lin Wan'er smiled and presented Tang Ya with facts she could not refute. "Now look at our Heaven Soul Sect. Not only have we followed the tides of the era by accepting Soul Tools and developing external tools such as Soul Tools and pills, we are even willing to share talents and lifespans with soul beasts. Even the Four Sects, whose origins can be traced back to the era of the first Shrek Academy, remain active across the continent to this day. Is that not so?"

The Four Sects had not disappeared with the Tang Sect. On the contrary, they had only grown stronger. That was an undeniable fact!

The Heaven Soul Sect had become the foremost sect of the Heaven Dou Empire, guided and accelerated the development of Soul Tools, and defeated those so-called hidden weapons! That was an irrefutable truth!

Scenes of soul beasts and soul masters sharing talents and living together as warmly as family could be seen everywhere throughout the Heaven Dou Empire. This was a future that even those in the God Realm who detested soul beasts could not erase! Tang Ya's conviction shattered by Lin Wan'er's barrage, she hurriedly grabbed Bei Bei's hand and dragged the unconscious Nian Xunsi away.

She feared that if she kept listening to Lin Wan'er, she would begin to waver herself, betray the Tang Sect, and throw herself into the embrace of the Heaven Soul Sect.

This Holy Maiden was terrifying indeed! Quickly, summon the Holy Spirit Cult's Supreme Elder, Chicken Leg Douluo Xuan Zi, to take her on a mission!!

After personally watching Bei Bei and the others leave their position, Lin Wan'er sighed and turned to ask Huo Yuhao, "Did you come to the Star Dou Great Forest alone to find a soul beast for your first soul ring?"

"Mm-hm!"

Huo Yuhao hurriedly put away his thoughts and nodded somewhat awkwardly at the green-haired girl standing against the light. "I wanted to try my luck around the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest and see whether I could find a soul beast for my first soul ring."

Then your luck really is incredible. You casually ran into the million-year Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, along with the standard old man from ancient novels.

Just as Lin Wan'er finished mocking Tianmeng internally, she received a message from him the next second. "I've been buried in this soil for half the day already! Where exactly is my chosen one? Lin Wan'er, I'll tear you apart!"

Looking slightly unnatural, Lin Wan'er rubbed her nose and instinctively sent Tianmeng an entirely new script. Then she explained to Huo Gua, "A soul ring is a lifelong matter for a soul master. If you casually choose any soul beast as your soul ring, it can easily affect your future development."

"Is that how it is?"

Huo Yuhao was still young. No one had previously taught him about how soul masters obtained soul rings. After a brief moment of confusion, his emotions shifted into those of a student eager to learn. From Lin Wan'er's words, he learned that his Spirit Eye Martial Soul was actually very powerful and belonged to the Body Martial Soul category. It was simply that those people lacked the discernment to recognize it.

Encouraged by Lin Wan'er's praise, Huo Yuhao unconsciously quickened his pace deeper into the forest. He could not wait to learn what kinds of soul beasts suited his Martial Soul.

After learning that he needed to seek soul beasts with spiritual power, Huo Yuhao walked along the path and seemed to catch sight of a black shadow flashing across the road ahead.

As the possessor of the exceptionally rare spiritual-type Spirit Eye martial soul, Huo Yuhao sensed the danger directed at him, and his reactions instantly sharpened. He blurted out instinctively, "Sister Wan'er, watch out!"

As he spoke, he swiftly dove to the left, pulling the White Tiger Knife from behind his waist with his right hand.

A black figure flashed past where he had been standing and landed on the ground nearby. At such close range, Huo Yuhao immediately saw what it looked like.

It was a baboon about a meter tall, covered in brownish-yellow fur. Its eyes were brown, its arms extraordinarily long, and its claws bore sharp nails. Its canine teeth protruded from its lips, while a vicious gleam shone from its eyes.

Having missed with its first strike, it let out a low roar at Huo Yuhao. Its powerful hind legs pushed off the ground as it pounced at him again.

Knowing this was a trial Huo Yuhao had to undergo, Lin Wan'er quietly concealed herself and transmitted her voice to the boy's ear. "Kill it. It's only a ten-year soul beast."

Knowing that Lin Wan'er was watching him, Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth and held on. In the end, he slit the Wind Baboon's throat with his dagger.

A faint white glow appeared on the baboon's body. Gradually, the white light condensed above it into a white ring of light. This meant that he had successfully killed a ten-year soul beast and could obtain a soul ring.

Huo Yuhao wiped the dust from his face and turned around, intending to share the good news with Lin Wan'er. But the colors in his vision suddenly vanished, turning the world into a grayish-white, motionless scene.

"Finally, I've waited for you! What a pity I can't cry, or I'd surely be weeping my eyes out!"

Huo Yuhao was startled. He had no idea why a voice had suddenly appeared in his mind.

At that moment, the ground beneath him suddenly began to tremble without warning. Cracks started appearing in the ground two meters ahead of him, gradually widening into fissures. Faint golden-white light could be seen shining from within them.

With a thunderous boom from the sky, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm made a dazzling entrance!