Chapter 366: 描魂

Chapter 367: Soul Portrayal

When Chen Ling learned that Willow Town was a one-way street—easy to enter but impossible to leave—he immediately suspected that the inn would be their first point of investigation. After all, the town was small, with few places to hide.

So, he directly purchased a large quantity of flour from some merchants heading to Pear Town. He still had plenty of money left over from what he had acquired—or rather, earned—in the Aurora Domain. After buying the flour, he boldly returned to the inn.

It was late at night, and all the inn's guests were asleep. He directly knocked out and kidnapped the innkeeper, taking over the establishment in his place, and began setting up traps in Room 309, where he had originally stayed.

What he didn't expect, however, was a group of people arriving late at night to check in. Chen Ling, who had just finished setting up the room's mechanisms, hurriedly helped them with their registration before settling in to wait for the Floating Life Scroll members.

Chen Ling naturally didn't expect a simple dust explosion to eliminate them. He did this primarily to probe his pursuers: to find out how many there were, what their cultivation levels were, and what strange skills or methods they possessed.

The divine path skills of these people from the Mortal Realm were simply too bizarre. He had learned his lesson with the Umbrella Painter and didn't want to make the same mistake twice. It was always better to be cautious.

Fortunately, Chen Ling had undoubtedly gained the upper hand in the first round of their confrontation.

Just then, Chen Ling seemed to sense something. A deep blue light flashed in his eyes as he looked towards the gap at the bottom of the room door...

A tiny, inconspicuous black ant was attempting to crawl into the room from outside. It would have been impossible to notice without careful observation, but under Chen Ling's mystic vision, every stroke on its body was clearly visible.

Drawn?

Chen Ling's brows immediately furrowed.

Could they have discovered his disguise? No... if that were the case, they would have surrounded him immediately, not sent ants to tip him off.

Chen Ling's mind raced. With a slight shift, he transformed back into the innkeeper's appearance, casually rubbed his eyes, and pushed open the door.

As soon as he stepped out of the lounge, he saw at least a dozen such ants crawling into the inn through various crevices. Their small size made them very difficult to spot with the naked eye.

"Am I being watched...?" Chen Ling thought to himself.

It seemed these ants were likely a skill belonging to one of the three. They had feigned departure to make him drop his guard, but were actually secretly monitoring the entire inn. If he hadn't possessed mystic vision and noticed these tiny creatures, he might indeed have been exposed.

Several ants hid in the corners near the inn's entrance, observing everything there, while the other ants swarmed into the rooms, seemingly to monitor other guests.

Under their watchful eyes, Chen Ling walked directly to the counter and began calculating accounts with paper and pen, continuing to play the role of the innkeeper.

Meanwhile,

In guest room 301, by the window.

"Master, is this the good show you mentioned?" The Eldest Disciple retracted his gaze, looking quizzically at his Master, who was lying on the bed yawning.

"What's the rush? The real show hasn't even begun yet... This is just an appetizer," the beautiful youth said, idly playing with his hair. "And, have you not realized it yet, even at this point?"

"Realized what?" the Eldest Disciple and Third Disciple asked simultaneously.

Only Mojiao remained by the window, thoughtfully gazing in the direction where the innkeeper had departed.

"That innkeeper just now... seemed to be Junior Disciple disguised as him."

"What?!"

The Eldest Disciple's eyes lit up. "So that's why Master suddenly wanted to enter Willow Town... He brought us here to find Junior Disciple?"

"Fourth Brother, how could you recognize Junior Disciple at a glance?" the Third Disciple asked.

"Because I've seen him," Mojiao replied. "While Junior Disciple's disguise ability is extremely strong, he hasn't yet mastered Soul Portrayal. From his unintentional movements and expressions, one can still discern his original habits. Eldest Disciple and Third Disciple, since you haven't seen Junior Disciple, nor that innkeeper, you naturally wouldn't notice anything amiss."

Only then did the two elder disciples realize the truth.

"Still, Junior Disciple acted really well just now. To be able to perform to this extent without mastering Soul Portrayal, no wonder Master said he has extraordinary talent," the Eldest Disciple couldn't help but exclaim.

"So, the fact that Willow Town is confined by a circle is also related to Junior Disciple?" Mojiao asked.

The Eldest Disciple was about to say something when his eyes suddenly narrowed.

Aside from the beautiful youth sleeping leisurely on the bed, the gaze of the other three simultaneously fell upon the tiny, inconspicuous ant slowly crawling out of a crack in the wall.

Seeing this, Mojiao expressionlessly raised his hand and lightly flicked the ant. It immediately tumbled to the ground, its very existence seemingly erased.

"It seems so," Mojiao said. "They must have also guessed that Junior Disciple is likely hiding in the inn, which is why they are probing."

"In that case, let us simply act and eliminate those three, then bring Junior Disciple back," the Third Disciple said in a deep voice.

The beautiful youth on the bed suddenly snorted coldly.

"What? You're feeling capable facing three juniors of the third realm?"

"Master is right," the Eldest Disciple nodded. "If they were higher-ranked enemies, it would be different. But these three are of the same realm as Junior Disciple; it would be excessive for us to intervene. I think Master intends for Junior Disciple to handle this himself, so we shouldn't interfere."

"Speaking of which, Junior Disciple is also of the third realm now, isn't he? Why hasn't he mastered Soul Portrayal yet?" Mojiao asked, puzzled.

"Soul Portrayal?"

The beautiful youth chuckled softly. "Your Junior Disciple, he's completely clueless about the fundamentals of performance—singing, reciting, acting, and martial arts—and excels at none of the various theatrical roles. He doesn't even know who he truly is. How then could he portray the souls of others?"

"This..." The Eldest Disciple's brows furrowed. "True, we all started learning performance arts from a young age, and our foundations are quite solid. After advancing to the third realm, we naturally mastered Soul Portrayal. But Junior Disciple hasn't learned any of these things. For him to master Soul Portrayal, it's as difficult as ascending to heaven..."

"Master, what should be done about this?" Mojiao couldn't help but ask.

The three simultaneously looked at the beautiful youth on the bed. This was a puzzle they couldn't solve, but their Master was, after all, their Master; he surely had a solution.

The beautiful youth glanced at them, then spoke unhurriedly:

"Why are you all so anxious when Sixth Brother himself isn't?"

"Master, the three skills from the first to third realms are the foundation for merging with the fourth realm. If Junior Disciple lacks one skill compared to others, his future realm will be full of flaws... This is a serious matter," the Eldest Disciple said with utmost seriousness.

"Don't worry..."

The beautiful youth's gaze seemed to pierce through the void, settling upon the figure currently playing the role of the innkeeper.

"His divine path is different from all of yours... this third-realm Soul Portrayal will naturally also be different for him."

"Whether he can comprehend its mysteries, leveraging his strengths and mitigating his weaknesses, will depend on his own enlightenment..."