"Of course," Duan Chen said with a slight smile. He hadn't intended for them to choose only one; that statement was merely to foster a sense of competition between them.
"Fantastic!" the two exclaimed.
"However, true cultivation begins after your college entrance exams. For now, focus on preparing for your tests. We'll discuss everything after the exams are over."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Mi Xue'er and Qin Ze said in unison.
Duan Chen chuckled and walked towards the door, carrying his package.
"Brother Duan Chen, what are you carrying?"
"It's Lu Zhai's 'wives', of course," Duan Chen replied with a kind smile.
Inside the room, the display cabinet, once full, was now completely empty.
Little Jian Jian, perched on Duan Chen's head, let out a comfortable "meow," its bright pupils faintly gleaming.
At this moment—
Wu Suo Wei was comfortably seated in a booth, watching the live broadcast on the screen.
The video showed Duan Chen and the other two, from Little Jian Jian's perspective, a full 360-degree, unobstructed view.
In the footage, Duan Chen was carrying a sack full of beautiful girl figurines, looking very pleased.
Wu Suo Wei stroked the white chess piece with a crown in his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Not bad, Duan Chen, quite a haul."
...
Jing Cheng.
Gao Tian Kai, a blade of grass in his mouth, rested his chin on his hand, staring blankly at a statue of a saintess.
He looked at the saintess's expression with a strange mix of reverence and fervent passion. The way one looks at a loved one is hard to hide, and Gao Tian Kai seemed less like a devotee and more like a lover consumed by adoration.
"Xiao Xing'er, if you knew what I've done, would you forgive me?"
"After lying so much, you even start to believe yourself..."
The saintess statue gazed into the distance, its vacant eyes seemingly carrying tears.
Suddenly, a peculiar young man emerged from the shadow cast by the saintess statue.
He came from the shadows, silently.
Gao Tian Kai immediately spat out the grass and adopted a fawning demeanor, stepping forward to greet him.
"Welcome, Apostle 01!"
Apostle 01 tossed a black mask to Gao Tian Kai. The mask was emblazoned with three swirling black holes, identical to the mask worn by the deceased Ye Yan, which was designated as number 03.
"The position of number 3 is vacant. I have recommended you to the Evil God."
Gao Tian Kai, filled with trepidation, bent his body at a ninety-degree angle, lowering his head and cupping the mask with both hands.
Apostle 01, the closest to the Evil God, was revered by his followers as the 'Agent of the Evil God.' No one knew his identity, name, past, abilities... no one even dared to look him in the eye.
The mask covered the upper half of his face, yet even so, Gao Tian Kai felt a suffocating gaze, forcing him to lower his head even further.
"Do you know what it means to put on this mask?" the young man asked, a faint, condescending smile on his pale, almost sickly face.
"Life, faith, emotions, ethics, self... Abandon everything, offer your soul, and the Evil God will grant you a ticket to paradise." The young man's lips curled into a playful smile.
"Gao Tian Kai, this is your chance."
He waved his hand casually in the air, as if striking an invisible musical note. Gao Tian Kai's shadow beneath his feet began to writhe and twist in time with his rhythm—
It expanded a hundred meters in an instant, then contorted wildly, then spun rapidly like a tumble dryer, then sprang and stretched into bizarre shapes.
Yet Gao Tian Kai's body did not move an inch, and the light source remained unchanged.
This was merely the dance of Gao Tian Kai's shadow.
The carnival of shadows.
Gao Tian Kai was terrified, his body trembling. The immense pressure left him breathless.
Sweat dripped onto the ground as he widened his eyes...
Suddenly, he noticed that Apostle 01 had no shadow beneath him.
"Rest assured, I will not bewitch you into losing your mind like that fool Ye Yan. You are merely one of the candidates for the number 3 mask. Whether you wear it, or rather, whether you *can* wear it, is entirely up to you."
The young man lowered his hand, and Gao Tian Kai's shadow returned to normal. The terrifying scene seemed to have been an illusion?
"Thank you for your recognition, Apostle." Gao Tian Kai forced a fawning smile.
"You could actually try for it. In paradise, there is a Wishing Well where the Evil God will grant each apostle one wish. A true wish, that disregards any prior conditions... something even gods cannot do. It's quite tempting, isn't it?"
Apostle 01 smiled and turned to walk back into the shadows.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he whirled around. The young man appeared before Gao Tian Kai in an instant.
The large mask was thrust before Gao Tian Kai's face, his nose tip almost touching Gao Tian Kai's.
Gao Tian Kai was startled, but his body was frozen, his mind a blank slate, as if his heartbeat had stopped in that moment.
The young man's smile vanished, and an ice-cold malevolence washed over him like a tidal wave. He parted his pale lips—
"Oh, and by the way, don't mess with Duan Chen, or I'll kill you~"
*Shua*—!
The young man's figure sank downwards like black liquid, actually drilling into the shadow beneath Gao Tian Kai's feet and disappearing without a trace.
Gao Tian Kai remained frozen in place for a long while before his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground. He was now drenched, his black robe clinging uncomfortably to his skin.
In that brief moment, he felt as if he had died a thousand times.
Duan Chen, why Duan Chen of all people?!
Gao Tian Kai sprawled out on the ground, his hand feeling a cool sensation. He finally lifted the mask to his eyes.
"A wish that even gods cannot grant..."