Spirit Tablet
ććAudience Expectation Valueć -1ć
ććAudience Expectation Valueć +1ć
ćCurrent ćExpectation Valueć: 69%ć
As Chen Ling's apricot-colored eyes opened, a heavy "anchor" plummeted into his consciousness world. The ćBewildermentć retreated from his side, and the tearing sensation in his mind vanished without a trace...
He took a deep breath, an icy and majestic aura climbing into his apricot-colored pupils. His thunderous voice roared with fury:
"'ćMockeryć'āā!"
"Since when... is it your turn to take the stage?!"
The instant this voice rang out, a ćThe Theaterć rapidly took shape around Chen Ling. He seemed to have plunged back onto the ćThe Theaterć ćStageć that only existed in his dreams. Countless spotlights lit up overhead, like a brilliant blazing sun, surging forward and sweeping away the darkness!
Under this light, they flowed over the edge of the ćStageć like water, returning to the audience seats. They morphed back into scarlet, sinisterly grinning faces, staring fixedly at Chen Ling on the ćStageć.
Chen Ling violently awakened on the ćStageć. It felt as if he had just had a dream, his back already soaked with sweat... He stood up and looked at the numerous "ćThe Audienceć" in the seats, his expression constantly shifting.
To tell the truth, Chen Ling himself didn't know what had just happened. It seemed that after Master's brush touched his brow, his consciousness had sunk into some kind of chaotic state... It was even deeper than a dream, to the point that this ćThe Theaterć from his dreams hadn't even appeared.
That chaotic state should be what Master called "formless and selfless", where even the ćThe Theaterć and ćThe Audienceć were temporarily shielded. However, when he was constantly digging into the memories deep within his heart, he accidentally dug open the deepest "ćBewildermentć". This allowed ćThe Audienceć to climb out through the gap, temporarily occupying his consciousness and body... Fortunately, after he found an "anchor", he snatched back a small portion of his consciousness, summoned this ćThe Theaterć anew, and used the ćThe Theaterć's power to force ćThe Audienceć entirely back.
Only when the ćExpectation Valueć was lower than 20% would ćThe Audienceć have the possibility of intervening in the ćPerformanceć. This was a rule of the ćThe Theaterć. Since ćThe Audienceć had grasped a loophole and broken the rules this time, they were naturally suppressed forcefully by the ćThe Theaterć.
"After possessing the 'ćVermilion Countenanceć', ćThe Audienceć's suppressive force on me seems to have lightened a bit..." Chen Ling looked at his hands and spoke, somewhat uncertainly.
If one were to say that when ćThe Audienceć previously occupied his body, Chen Ling had absolutely no power to resist, then during the process of forcing ćThe Audienceć back just now, Chen Ling distinctly felt that he seemed to have a bit of power to contend with ćThe Audienceć... Of course, it was only a bit.
Even so, this was still a qualitative leap for Chen Ling. If one day his "ćVermilion Countenanceć" approached perfection, perhaps it would mean that he possessed the capital to confront ćThe Audienceć head-on. Even if the ćExpectation Valueć dropped to 13% or even lower, and his body was completely occupied by ćThe Audienceć, he could snatch it back!
As order in the ćThe Theaterć returned to normal, Chen Ling closed his eyes. His consciousness gradually detached from the ćThe Theaterć, exactly as if he were awakening from a dream...
...
The pitch-black ćOpera Masksć gradually faded on Chen Ling's face, and two smears of apricot red surfaced at the corners of his eyes.
An uncompleted, plain ćOpera Masksć replaced the face of ćThe Audienceć. This face meshed perfectly with Chen Ling's own face. It was even exactly as if a vibrant eye makeup had been outlined on his original face, completely natural.
Chen Ling slowly opened his eyes. Seeing his surroundings, he unconsciously froze.
"This is..."
Only then did Chen Ling discover that he had at some point left the ćStageć of the ćPerformance Zoneć and arrived in a barren desert. In front of him was an ancient ćAncestral Shrineć. Standing at the doorway and looking inside, he could barely make out four ćSpirit Tabletćs displayed within.
Originally, at this distance, it would have been fundamentally impossible for Chen Ling to clearly see the characters on the ćSpirit Tabletćs. But at this moment, he was in the "ćVermilion Countenanceć" state. The eye makeup ćChen Yanć drew for him had undergone ćFusionć with his ćSecret Eyeć, seemingly endowing him with stronger visual prowess...
In that instant, Chen Ling seemed to clearly see the names on the four ćSpirit Tabletćs.
āāćNameless Actorć.
Four ćSpirit Tabletćs of the ćNameless Actorć were displayed in the center of the ćAncestral Shrineć. Even in such a barren desert, these ćSpirit Tabletćs and the interior of the ćAncestral Shrineć were completely free of dust. Candlelight flickered in the gloom, casting a mysterious veil over the four ćSpirit Tabletćs.
Chen Ling was stunned. Before he could focus his gaze and look closely, a figure blocked his path, completely obstructing his vision.
"Master?"
Seeing that person, Chen Ling spoke subconsciously.
"You succeeded." Master looked at him calmly. "Although it's only a prototype, you indeed have your own ćOpera Masksć now. To what extent you can complete it in the future, and what kind of power you imbue it with, will depend entirely on yourself..."
Chen Ling raised his hand and touched the corner of his eye, then seemed to remember something:
"Master, what place is this? How did I end up here?"
"You've forgotten how you got here yourself?"
"..."
Seeing Master's expression, Chen Ling suddenly had a bad premonition... He actually had some guesses just now. After all, every time ćThe Audienceć occupied his body, they would never do anything good. It seemed highly likely that they had utilized his body this time to raise a ruckus within the ćAncient Vault of the Drama Pathć.
"...I didn't break anything this time, right?" Chen Ling asked cautiously.
He still remembered how last time, when he accidentally shattered the ćMirror of True Selfć, it caused Master incomparable heartache. For several days straight, the gaze Master used to look at him was filled with resentment.
Master gave a cold snort and spoke unhurriedly, "Did you think your Master, your senior brothers, and your ćSenior Sisterć were all useless? You're a few years too early to turn the ćAncient Vault of the Drama Pathć upside down."
Chen Ling finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Master, then this ćAncestral Shrineć..."
"This is not a place you should come to." Master interrupted Chen Ling's words. "Go back, they are still worrying about you."
Seeing that Master was unwilling to mention it, Chen Ling sensibly didn't ask further. After thanking Master, he walked straight back the way he came... Master also didn't leave. He simply stood at the doorway of the ćAncestral Shrineć, his ćTheatrical Robeć fluttering in the wind and sand, quietly watching Chen Ling leave.
Master actually lives in this kind of place?
Chen Ling walked through the barren desert, the small, strange ćAncestral Shrineć coming to mind again. He could sense that this was the very core of the ćAncient Vault of the Drama Pathć, equivalent to the sword in the ćAncient Vault of the Military Pathć... But he never expected the core of the ćAncient Vault of the Drama Pathć to look like this.
After walking in the barren desert for a long time, Chen Ling knew he couldn't walk out relying solely on his legs. He simply raised his hand, pulled aside the curtain of empty space, and his figure disappeared into the barren desert.
It wasn't until Chen Ling had completely left that the figure draped in the ćTheatrical Robeć in front of the ćAncestral Shrineć gently closed his eyes.
"Sigh..."
Master let out a long sigh and turned back into the ćAncestral Shrineć. The wind and sand of the great desert danced outside the door, emitting a low whistling sound. That ćTheatrical Robeć flickered in the dim light of the candles.
He looked at the four ćSpirit Tabletćs in the center of the ćAncestral Shrineć, his gaze somewhat complex. As he opened a hidden compartment under the ćSpirit Tabletć table, a ćUSB Driveć lay quietly within.
He murmured to himself:
"This time, we will definitely succeed... right?"