In Douluo Continent, I am the mastermind behind the scenes.

Ningyun Sect is not an officially recognized force; it is more like a hidden grassroots organization deep within major cities. The identity of its leader or founder is unknown. The sect's main activity is to formulate development paths for its members as Soul Masters.

Chen Cheng's Thunderous Soul Skill was cultivated under the guidance of an unknown big shot. The prestige of the Ningyun Sect is beyond question. If one had to worship a deity, people would rather worship Zhu Ningyun, who saves people from suffering, than Tang San, the Sea God, who only knows how to take and never gives back.

After some deliberation, Zhao Qingqing pursed her lips, then quickly stepped forward, looking in the direction of the woman on the boulder, and bowed slightly, saying, "Junior Zhao Qingqing greets... Senior. Senior, are you also a member of the Ningyun Sect?"

Zhao Qingqing came from a humble background. Even though she had studied aristocratic etiquette for a period of time, it was all just theoretical knowledge. She had never been to a large-scale event before. Without the accompaniment of her elders, she was inevitably a little nervous when meeting a powerful stranger. Without any preparation, she blurted out her thoughts.

"My name is Zhu Ningyu, the founder of Ningyun Sect. The Ningyun you speak of is my older sister."

As she spoke, Zhu Ningyu didn't forget to hold her sect leader's token in her hand and wave it in front of Zhao Qingqing several times.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingqing seemed to have developed Parkinson's disease, her body trembling uncontrollably. She even forgot the most basic manners of greeting, displaying a rather hypocritical attitude.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Qingqing finally came to her senses and immediately knelt down on the outside, performing the most solemn ceremony.

"Your subordinate, Zhao Qingqing, greets Your Excellency, and is willing to serve you to the death, and to serve the Ningyun Sect to the death!"

Zhao Qingqing wasn't stupid. If even the legendary cult leader had made a public appearance, there must be a task for her.

She... had no right to refuse!

Zhu Ningyu wasn't surprised. Zhao Qingqing had received favors from Ningyun Sect and should carry out the tasks assigned by Ningyun Sect. After all... ungrateful people like Bibi Dong were always a minority.

"From today onwards, you, Zhao Qingqing, will be one of the Holy Maidens of my Ningyun Sect... and will follow me to handle some miscellaneous matters."

Looking at the terrified girl in front of her, Zhu Ningyu said gently, "Miss, don't be shy. Our Ningyun Sect doesn't have so many rules. Feel free to ask any questions. As long as they don't involve secrets, I will answer them one by one."

Those in positions of power may befriend their subordinates and address them as brothers, but... which subordinate would take it seriously, or dare to take it seriously?

Moreover, this is the Douluo Continent where strength reigns supreme. There are far too many examples of fathers and sons turning against each other and brothers becoming enemies. Even many partners with Martial Soul Fusion Techniques have broken up. Zhao Qingqing just thought that Zhu Ningyu was saying some polite words to ensure her loyalty.

"Master...My lord, may I ask, did the Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan really intentionally refuse to rescue Brother Cheng?"

Zhao Qingqing clenched her fists, looking at Zhu Ningyu in front of her with a nervous expression.

"Yes and no," Zhu Ningyu said quietly.

"Yes and no?" Zhao Qingqing's eyes widened, her gaze filled with doubt.

Zhu Ningyu said expressionlessly, "You've read the storybook, right? You can understand that Huo Yuhao is the protagonist in the storybook. We live in a storybook world where everyone revolves around Huo Yuhao. It's not that Zheng Zhan, the Unbreakable Douluo, failed to fulfill his duty as a referee, but rather that he ignored this issue under the influence of the plot."

Zhao Qingqing: ? ? ? ? ?

A world of storybooks...?

Seeing that Zhao Qingqing seemed somewhat skeptical, Zhu Ningyu pursed her lips, then gently raised her hand and placed it on Zhao Qingqing's shoulder.

Zhao Qingqing felt a wave of dizziness and lightheadedness, and the next moment, the surrounding scenery changed.

"Is this... the moment Huo Yuhao unleashed his soul skill?"

Seeing this, Zhao Qingqing was not surprised at all. In the three years since she joined Ningyun Sect, she had seen many things she had never heard of before. What is this called? This is called memory materialization, which is a kind of spiritual soul skill. A senior of Ningyun Sect once showed it to her.

With this in mind, Zhao Qingqing felt relieved and began to inspect the Soul Battle Arena, leaving no corner unchecked.

Suddenly, Zhao Qingqing's expression turned ugly as she stared intently at the azure energy in Huo Yuhao's palm, as if trying to see through it.

"Master, that energy... it shouldn't belong to Huo Yuhao himself, right?"

Zhao Qingqing pointed to the palm of Huo Yuhao's right hand and asked thoughtfully.

Zhu Ningyu said calmly, "That is the original power of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, my... Your Highness, do you understand what I just said?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingqing frowned. It was true that she came from a humble background, but that didn't mean she was stupid. If Huo Yuhao really displayed an attack method that didn't belong to his own power, then there would be a big problem.

Huo Yuhao only has the cultivation of a Soul King, and his every move cannot be hidden from the Title Douluo in the Soul Arena. Why didn't anyone use this as a pretext to attack Huo Yuhao?

Wait a minute, she sensed something was wrong back then too. Why didn't she reveal this to the thousands of viewers when facing Huo Yuhao? It was as if she selectively forgot about it.

This is terrible.

"Perhaps... Zheng Zhan, the Unbreakable Douluo, was simply bought off by the Tang Sect."

Feeling guilty, Zhao Qingqing's words were full of guilt, and this explanation... probably couldn't even convince herself.

This series of events is extremely bizarre. If Xu Tianran is not a hidden believer of the Sea God, then... they might really be living in a fictional world, and the protagonist of this fictional world is... Huo Yuhao!

"Master, if we really live in a fictional world, then... will Lord Ningyun still appear? Is it really possible for us to defeat Huo Yuhao and change the original plot of this world?"

Zhao Qingqing rubbed her hands together, her eyes filled with anticipation and... fervor as she looked at Zhu Ningyu.

Zhu Ningyu said coldly, "Zhu Ningyun herself may not be able to come back, but as long as the number of followers of the Ningyun Sect reaches a certain level, then... I can be the next Zhu Ningyun, fighting to liberate the fate of countless Soul Masters!"

"You, Zhao Qingqing, did nothing wrong. Chen Cheng just wanted to prove himself, and he did nothing wrong either. As for the Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan, he was just affected by the world's consciousness. You don't need to vent your anger on him."

"The world is at fault, and so is its darling... Huo Yuhao!"

After saying that, Zhu Ningyu stopped explaining and instead took out disguise tools to give Zhao Qingqing a makeover. (End of Chapter)