Dachang City, Paranormal Forum headquarters, first-floor restroom.
Ning Rongrong stared fixedly at the yellowed Sheepskin Paper in her hands, her breathing growing heavy.
The bloody words "Why aren't you Yang Jian?" had vanished, replaced by new writing that twisted like tiny snakes.
[I am Ning Rongrong. By the time you read this letter, I will already be dead.]
[Do not doubt this. I am you ten years from now. Today, I suddenly arrived in this world teeming with supernatural horrors. There is no soul power here, only rules with no solution.]
[I nearly died at the hands of that old man who knocked on doors, but I witnessed Yang Jian's strength. Remember, in this world, if I want to survive and grow stronger, I must stick close to Yang Jian!]
[Only he can lead you out of despair.]
[But three days from now, I will face an unprecedented life-or-death crisis. When that happens, I will discover that I must give this Sheepskin Paper to Yang Jian. That is the only way to survive...]
The writing stopped abruptly there, then slowly seeped into the depths of the paper.
Ning Rongrong trembled slightly, but her eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance.
"Me, ten years from now?"
She clutched the Sheepskin Paper tightly, her knuckles whitening from the force.
Back on the Douluo Continent, if someone had told her a piece of paper could predict the future, she would have thought they were insane.
But after seeing Mad Rhino eaten alive and Meng Shenji dissolve into corpse fluid, her understanding of the world had already collapsed.
This paper that could point her toward survival was her only lifeline!
"If I stay with Yang Jian, as long as I stay with him, I can survive. I might even bring back power that will keep the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect standing forever!"
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath and returned the Sheepskin Paper to the Storage Soul Tool at her waist, treating it like a priceless treasure.
On the Douluo Continent, before the Sky Screen.
"Predicting the future! That paper really can predict the future!"
Ning Fengzhi slammed his hand on the table and sprang to his feet, his eyes filled with wild joy and lingering fear.
"Well done, Rongrong! Remember what that paper said. Stick close to Yang Jian!"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin also breathed a small sigh of relief, though his brow remained furrowed.
"Fengzhi, that paper said she'll face a life-or-death crisis in three days, and she'll have to give the paper to Yang Jian to survive. Isn't that too steep a price?"
"No price is too steep if it keeps her alive!" Ning Fengzhi declared firmly.
At Shrek Academy.
Yu Xiaogang watched the Sky Screen, his eyes gleaming with the knowing wisdom of someone whose prediction had been confirmed.
"Did you all see that? These are the rules I spoke of earlier!"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Yu Xiaogang lectured Tang San and the others at length.
"The Sheepskin Paper Ning Rongrong obtained is actually the only divine artifact in that world!"
"As long as she stays with Yang Jian, she can avoid every rule that guarantees death."
Tang San remained silent, staring intently in the direction where Ning Rongrong had disappeared on the Sky Screen as he considered it. Yang Jian, huh?
On the screen.
Ning Rongrong had just put away the Sheepskin Paper and was about to push the door open when she suddenly heard faint footsteps behind her.
She whipped around and froze.
At some point, a woman had appeared beside the sink.
The woman wore a black, form-fitting business dress. Thin black stockings covered her long legs, towering heels adorned her feet, and her long hair was pinned neatly behind her head.
To Ning Rongrong, the outfit looked extremely strange, even somewhat indecent, yet the woman carried an unmistakable air of competence.
"Hello. My name is Jiang Yan. I'm the general manager of the Paranormal Forum."
The woman spoke without turning around as she touched up her makeup in the mirror, her voice utterly flat.
"Are you new here? You look pale. Have you run into some trouble?"
Ning Rongrong's heart pounded. Her hand instinctively pressed against her storage pouch as she awkwardly waved her other hand.
"N-no. I'm just feeling a little unwell."
Jiang Yan turned around. Her eyes, framed by carefully applied eyeshadow, swept over Ning Rongrong before settling on her lavish princess dress.
"Here, curiosity and greed get you killed faster than anything else."
"Since Boss Lin let you stay, behave yourselves."
With that, Jiang Yan walked straight out of the restroom, her heels clicking sharply.
Ning Rongrong let out a long breath, a sheen of sweat forming on her forehead.
Although this woman named Jiang Yan lacked that terrifying supernatural aura, the pressure of someone accustomed to holding authority reminded her of how she felt when facing Bibi Dong.
Not daring to linger, she hurried past Jiang Yan and returned to the lobby.
Just then, the elevator doors opened.
Ye Zhen swaggered out, holding a half-finished bottle of Wangzai Milk.
With the Sheepskin Paper's guidance filling her thoughts with Yang Jian, Ning Rongrong hurried forward and asked, "Where's Yang Jian? Where did he go?"
Ye Zhen curled his lip and took a disgruntled sip of milk.
"Little Yang? He went to gain control of a new piece of the supernatural puzzle."
Ye Zhen muttered, "Who knows when Boss Lin will get my pure gold ghost domain sorted out? Its current color still isn't imposing enough!"
Then Ye Zhen looked at Ning Rongrong and Zhang Wei, who was crouching nearby, studying the patterns in the marble floor.
"All right, stop standing around. Since you've joined the Paranormal Forum, I shall take you to collect your company benefits."
The moment Zhang Wei heard "benefits," he eagerly scampered over to Ye Zhen.
"Benefits? Big bro! Is it some miracle drug that lets you fly through the sky, burrow underground, and blow up the Earth with one punch?"
"You'll find out in a moment," Ye Zhen said.
He then led the two of them down a long corridor to the deepest part of the building.
The walls here were no longer ordinary concrete or marble, but a stifling shade of dark gold.
At the end of the corridor stood two enormous metal doors.
The doors were incredibly thick and heavy, their surfaces gleaming with a distinctive luster beneath the lights.
The door on the left read: [Paranormal Forum Newcomer Benefits Area].
The door on the right read: [Advanced Welfare Zone].
"Holy shit!"
Zhang Wei's eyes widened. Unable to resist, he reached out and touched the doorframe, then stood there dumbstruck.
"Big bro! These two doors-and the walls-are all made of gold?!"
Zhang Wei came from a wealthy family and was rich himself, but even he had never seen gold used as a building material.
How much must this have cost? This was downright insane!
Ye Zhen saw the look on Zhang Wei's face, as though he had never seen anything of the world.
Planting one hand on his hip, he smiled proudly. "Gold? It's merely the most basic consumable. In this world, only gold can block supernatural forces. Boss Lin said any problem money can solve isn't a problem, and any ghost gold can imprison isn't a good ghost."
Zhang Wei nodded repeatedly, his face filled with admiration. "Big bro, you're badass!"
On the Douluo Continent, before the Sky Screen.
"Gold can block that supernatural power?"
Ning Fengzhi keenly caught the crucial piece of information and immediately turned to the sect elders behind him.
"Quick! Pass down my orders. Gather all the sect's gold reserves at once! Try forging armor and weapons from gold!"
Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes as well and issued a cold command.
"All members of Spirit Hall, from this day forward, every soul master dispatched on a mission must carry gold vessels."
"If that world says gold works, then it must work!"
Yu Xiaogang, however, frowned and snorted disdainfully.
"Gold? How could such a vulgar substance counteract rules? It must be some special ore from that world that merely resembles gold. Don't be deceived by appearances!"
Yet few people paid any attention to his supposedly enlightened opinion. The major factions had already begun frantically stockpiling gold.
On the screen.
Ye Zhen pushed open the heavy golden door on the left.
A bone-chilling cold instantly spilled through the gap. Ning Rongrong shuddered involuntarily, and the black Soul Ring at her feet pulsed faintly, seemingly resisting the chill.
The room was dimly lit, and gold leaf covered the surrounding walls.
At the very center of the room stood an enormous mirror.
Its frame had been carved from dark red antique wood and was covered in twisted human faces, giving it an intensely sinister appearance.
The mirror's surface was smooth as water, but the images reflected in it had an eerie bluish-gray tint.
"These are the newcomer benefits?" Zhang Wei shrank back.
"Big bro, this mirror looks pretty creepy. Looking into it won't shave years off my life, will it?"
Before you continue