Chapter 747: Rose, Salute, and Grand Debut

To the sound of stirring background music, a table materialized in the center of the stage.

"As expected... the performance is complete."

Seeing this, Chen Ling walked directly toward the table bathed in spotlight.

The final performance condition for advancing to Tier 4 was to "complete a thrilling interactive performance with the participation of the 'audience'." Initially, Chen Ling hadn't quite figured out how to involve the audience or what constituted interaction. But the moment the revolver was pressed against his temple, he knew exactly how to fulfill it.

What performance could be more interactive than allowing the "audience" to take over his body? And wasn't slaying his way through the Realm War as Chao exhilarating enough?

However, the aftermath of releasing Chao's calamity was too severe. Without his master, without Chen Ling from Sector 3, he would have been irrevocably lost. This situation was almost impossible to replicate.

Chen Ling approached the desk, where a blank sheet of paper already lay.

"Congratulations on completing the play: *Roses, Salutes, and a Grand Entrance*."

"Highest audience expectation for this play: 87."

As these lines appeared, pages materialized from thin air, coalescing before Chen Ling into a thick script.

"*Roses, Salutes, and a Grand Entrance*... the name isn't bad at all."

Chen Ling opened the script in his hands. Like the previous ones, it meticulously documented his experiences during this period from a third-person perspective. Sections unrelated to him were obscured by black lines, making them unreadable.

After flipping to the last page, Chen Ling closed the script and walked over to a nearby bookshelf, slowly placing it in the newest position.

*Soulless*, *And Then There Were None*, *When the Embers Fade*, *Aurora, Never Fading*, *Hunter of the Mortal Coil*, *Roses, Salutes, and a Grand Entrance*...

Unwittingly, he had already experienced six plays, and judging by the remaining space on the bookshelf, there were still many more to come.

"When will this ever end...?"

Chen Ling sighed, his gaze sweeping over the dense array of scarlet eyes below the stage. A mix of emotions churned within him. While Jian Changsheng might see his life as incredibly smooth and enviable, like he was cheating, who could truly know the torment and sacrifices behind it all?

Constantly monitored, constantly performing, his life had to be perpetually spectacular. Ultimately, he was just a puppet on a stage, meant for amusement. If his performance failed to satisfy the audience, everything would be irrevocably lost. Others' advancements required only talent and spiritual power, but his, in addition to those, demanded one dangerous and absurd performance after another.

Failure to complete a performance meant no advancement. Only Chen Ling himself knew what he had sacrificed to reach this point.

But dwelling on pain was pointless; a performer on stage must always move forward.

Chen Ling returned to the center of the stage.

It was time to claim the rewards for his performance.

"You have received one targeted drawing right."

"Upon use, you may select any character who appeared in this play and randomly draw one of their abilities. The probability of drawing a rare skill is related to the play's overall audience expectation."

Chen Ling picked up a pen and fell into contemplation.

His contemplation wasn't due to a lack of options, but rather an overwhelming abundance. Several demigod-level characters had appeared this time:

Yao Qing, leader of the Azure Divine Path; Su Zhiwei, the Mortal Sovereign; Lou Yu, the Limitless Sovereign; the Red King of the Twilight Society; and Xizai, the Calamity of Annihilation.

Of course, there were many worthwhile characters below demigod level, such as those from the Second and Third Halls of the Floating Life Scroll. However, drawing from them would yield at most Tier 8 abilities, whereas drawing from demigods presented the possibility, albeit extremely low, of obtaining Tier 9 abilities!

After a brief deliberation, Chen Ling narrowed his options to three: Yao Qing, Su Zhiwei, and Lou Yu.

Xizai was a calamity, and Chen Ling wasn't particularly interested in its skills. Moreover, Xizai held a personal grudge against Chao, and drawing any of its abilities might displease the "audience," creating trouble.

He couldn't draw from his master because Chen Ling didn't know his name; "The Nameless Performer" was merely a codename.

Chen Ling pondered at the desk for a full five minutes before picking up the pen and writing a name on the paper:

—Lou Yu.

Among the three, both Yao Qing and Su Zhiwei were allies. Su Zhiwei, in particular, had survived the River of Time, so drawing her abilities would only result in redundant skills for his side, rendering it meaningless for now. As for Yao Qing, Chen Ling had no real need to replicate his Suzhou embroidery ability.

Lou Yu, the Limitless Sovereign, on the other hand, was and would remain an adversary. If Chen Ling could acquire his abilities, it might provide a means to counterbalance him.

The next moment, the blank paper bearing Lou Yu's name vanished.

Eleven cards materialized from thin air, silently hovering.

"Two lifestyle skills, nine unique Sovereign-level skills... Time to see what fate has in store."

Chen Ling murmured to himself. Once the eleven cards were shuffled and faced down, he closed his eyes and randomly touched one.

As the other cards vanished, the single remaining card emanated a faint silver glow!

Perhaps due to the high audience expectation this time, Chen Ling didn't unluckily draw a lifestyle skill but successfully acquired one of the Nine Sovereigns' skills. Seeing this, Chen Ling let out a complete sigh of relief.

Every skill of the Nine Sovereigns was a treasure; this draw was definitely a net gain.

As the card flipped, several lines of information appeared before Chen Ling:

"Skill: Material Reshaping and Material Ultimate Strength"

"Category: 'Material Science,' Chapter Five."

"Character: Lou Yu."

Chen Ling: ...

Sure enough, those focused on scientific research always had skills of a similar nature.

As the card transformed into a stream of light and entered his body, Chen Ling felt as though knowledge was being forcibly crammed into his mind. It took him a long while to recover.

"This skill is quite interesting," Chen Ling remarked, his eyebrow slightly raised.

Last time, the skill he drew from the Aurora Sovereign was a non-combat support ability, but this time, the ability was a highly practical combat skill for him.

Thanks to the Limitless Sovereign for this gift.

Just as Chen Ling was about to ponder the practical applications of this new skill, a strange sensation washed over him. His brow furrowed, and he immediately withdrew his consciousness from the theater, returning to reality.

The Grey Realm.

Chen Ling, who had been dozing, abruptly opened his eyes.

A dense, almost palpable killing intent swirled like mist in the air. Even Chen Ling felt his hairs stand on end and his muscles tense, as if facing a formidable enemy, the moment he perceived this chilling malevolence.

Without hesitation, he pushed off the rocks, retreating rapidly amidst a burst of shattering sounds. He only stopped after putting dozens of meters between himself and the source.

His gaze locked onto the figure slowly rising within the dense mist of killing intent.

"Is this... a domain?"