Spirit Tablet
【【Audience Expectation Value】 -1】
【【Audience Expectation Value】 +1】
【Current 【Expectation Value】: 69%】
As Chen Ling's apricot-colored eyes opened, a heavy "anchor" plummeted into his consciousness world. The 【Bewilderment】 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:
"'【Mockery】'——!"
"Since when... is it your turn to take the stage?!"
The instant this voice rang out, a 【The Theater】 rapidly took shape around Chen Ling. He seemed to have plunged back onto the 【The Theater】 【Stage】 that only existed in his dreams. Countless spotlights lit up overhead, like a brilliant blazing sun, surging forward and sweeping away the darkness!
Chen Ling violently awakened on the 【Stage】. It felt as if he had just had a dream, his back already soaked with sweat... He stood up and looked at the numerous "【The Audience】" 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 【The Theater】 from his dreams hadn't even appeared.
That chaotic state should be what Master called "formless and selfless", where even the 【The Theater】 and 【The Audience】 were temporarily shielded. However, when he was constantly digging into the memories deep within his heart, he accidentally dug open the deepest "【Bewilderment】". This allowed 【The Audience】 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 【The Theater】 anew, and used the 【The Theater】's power to force 【The Audience】 entirely back.
Only when the 【Expectation Value】 was lower than 20% would 【The Audience】 have the possibility of intervening in the 【Performance】. This was a rule of the 【The Theater】. Since 【The Audience】 had grasped a loophole and broken the rules this time, they were naturally suppressed forcefully by the 【The Theater】.
"After possessing the '【Vermilion Countenance】', 【The Audience】'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 【The Audience】 previously occupied his body, Chen Ling had absolutely no power to resist, then during the process of forcing 【The Audience】 back just now, Chen Ling distinctly felt that he seemed to have a bit of power to contend with 【The Audience】... Of course, it was only a bit.
Even so, this was still a qualitative leap for Chen Ling. If one day his "【Vermilion Countenance】" approached perfection, perhaps it would mean that he possessed the capital to confront 【The Audience】 head-on. Even if the 【Expectation Value】 dropped to 13% or even lower, and his body was completely occupied by 【The Audience】, he could snatch it back!
As order in the 【The Theater】 returned to normal, Chen Ling closed his eyes. His consciousness gradually detached from the 【The Theater】, exactly as if he were awakening from a dream...
...
The pitch-black 【Opera Masks】 gradually faded on Chen Ling's face, and two smears of apricot red surfaced at the corners of his eyes.
An uncompleted, plain 【Opera Masks】 replaced the face of 【The Audience】. 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 【Stage】 of the 【Performance Zone】 and arrived in a barren desert. In front of him was an ancient 【Ancestral Shrine】. Standing at the doorway and looking inside, he could barely make out four 【Spirit Tablet】s displayed within.
Originally, at this distance, it would have been fundamentally impossible for Chen Ling to clearly see the characters on the 【Spirit Tablet】s. But at this moment, he was in the "【Vermilion Countenance】" state. The eye makeup 【Chen Yan】 drew for him had undergone 【Fusion】 with his 【Secret Eye】, seemingly endowing him with stronger visual prowess...
In that instant, Chen Ling seemed to clearly see the names on the four 【Spirit Tablet】s.
——【Nameless Actor】.
Four 【Spirit Tablet】s of the 【Nameless Actor】 were displayed in the center of the 【Ancestral Shrine】. Even in such a barren desert, these 【Spirit Tablet】s and the interior of the 【Ancestral Shrine】 were completely free of dust. Candlelight flickered in the gloom, casting a mysterious veil over the four 【Spirit Tablet】s.
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 【Opera Masks】 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 【The Audience】 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 【Ancient Vault of the Drama Path】.
"...I didn't break anything this time, right?" Chen Ling asked cautiously.
He still remembered how last time, when he accidentally shattered the 【Mirror of True Self】, 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 【Senior Sister】 were all useless? You're a few years too early to turn the 【Ancient Vault of the Drama Path】 upside down."
Chen Ling finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Master, then this 【Ancestral Shrine】..."
"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 【Ancestral Shrine】, his 【Theatrical Robe】 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 【Ancestral Shrine】 coming to mind again. He could sense that this was the very core of the 【Ancient Vault of the Drama Path】, equivalent to the sword in the 【Ancient Vault of the Military Path】... But he never expected the core of the 【Ancient Vault of the Drama Path】 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 【Theatrical Robe】 in front of the 【Ancestral Shrine】 gently closed his eyes.
"Sigh..."
Master let out a long sigh and turned back into the 【Ancestral Shrine】. The wind and sand of the great desert danced outside the door, emitting a low whistling sound. That 【Theatrical Robe】 flickered in the dim light of the candles.
He looked at the four 【Spirit Tablet】s in the center of the 【Ancestral Shrine】, his gaze somewhat complex. As he opened a hidden compartment under the 【Spirit Tablet】 table, a 【USB Drive】 lay quietly within.
He murmured to himself:
"This time, we will definitely succeed... right?"