Chapter 72: Retreating Into Seclusion at the Drop of a Hat

[Ding! Goddess Life Simulator has been activated for the fourth time. Host, please enter the simulation!]

[Would you like to proceed with the simulation? (In this simulation, all character personalities and actions will be deduced by the system based on the laws of the world, and will completely reflect reality. It can be used as a reference for your future life!)]

[Yes／No?]

All across the continent, goddesses were suddenly presented with these three lines.

And almost instantly, the message updated again.

Someone had entered the simulation first—becoming the player who initiated it—and successfully bonded with Zhou Sheng'an.

...

Pope's Palace, Pope's bedchambers.

Bibi Dong had just finished instructing Spirit Kite Douluo that she would be entering seclusion for a while and would not attend to worldly matters.

In the face of reaching godhood at level one hundred, wealth and power were nothing but fleeting clouds.

She glanced at the updated message, scoffed coldly, and said, "A bunch of fools who haven't even found their direction yet. This time, I won't be competing with you. You can… tear each other apart like dogs."

Bibi Dong chose to go on auto-mode and set a character motive:

Anyone who tries to win over Zhou Sheng'an—she'll sabotage them.

Now that she had results in hand, and Qian Renxue had stopped her from killing Zhou Sheng'an, then no one should get to have him!

...

Heaven Dou Empire's Imperial Palace.

Qian Renxue had rushed back the evening before. She casually brushed off Emperor Xue Ye and then began to act in secret, connecting with the Spirit Hall forces within Heaven Dou City. There were only four key figures worth recruiting.

With her prior experience from the simulation, Qian Renxue quickly succeeded.

All four high-ranking platinum bishops secretly pledged allegiance to her. She also dispatched trusted agents to covertly pull strings elsewhere.

Before long, the Spirit Hall would be completely under her control.

Just as she was getting excited, the simulation message updated again.

Someone had already entered the simulation first!

"Damn it! Who is it this time? Don't tell me it's Bibi Dong again?" Qian Renxue frowned in frustration.

She had deliberately waited for this simulation—she had practically kept her eyes open around the clock!

Yet someone still beat her to it.

"I'd like to see who dares to fight me over Sheng'an!" Qian Renxue snorted coldly and began examining the message.

[On September 22nd, 2023 of the Douluo Calendar, you wandered around Heaven Dou City searching for Zhou Sheng'an, but to no avail.]

"???" Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes.

Faced with this development, she instantly deduced two things:

First, there was another player—not Bibi Dong, nor the suspected Zhu Empress of Star Luo—but a fourth player entirely!

Second, that player was definitely in Heaven Dou City; otherwise, they couldn't have influenced Zhou Sheng'an's path so quickly.

"In that case, I have to see who dares to challenge me!" Qian Renxue snorted again and resumed tracking in the simulation.

In the last simulation, she had already identified most of the high-level soul masters who could be recruited.

This time, she had even more time and planned to soar into the skies hand-in-hand with Zhou Sheng'an!

But then—an unexpected rival appeared halfway!

[On September 23rd, 2023, you secretly sent people to search for Zhou Sheng'an and went to Spirit Hall to question Salas, but still found nothing. Meanwhile, Spirit Hall once again blocked the publication of Zhou Sheng'an's soul theory supplement.]

[There is no trace of Zhou Sheng'an in Heaven Dou City.]

[...]

...

"It seems the simulator has some kind of mechanism that favors players who haven't used it before. Otherwise, how could I have beaten those two?"

Inside Moon Pavilion, Tang Yuehua smiled gently, making a deduction.

After getting nothing from Blue Tyrant Academy, she hadn't given up—instead, she directly summoned her elder brother Tang Xiao!

Though the Clear Sky School had gone into seclusion, the influence of the world's number-one sect still lingered.

If Zhou Sheng'an was willing, they would directly bring him into the Clear Sky School.

As long as Spirit Hall didn't launch an attack, no one could take Zhou Sheng'an away.

With that, the Clear Sky School would surely board the great ship that was Zhou Sheng'an—and sail toward a boundless and glorious future.

"Still, I must remain cautious in the simulation. If Spirit Hall finds out that I've entered and realizes Zhou Sheng'an's importance, they won't sit idly by."

Tang Yuehua narrowed her eyes and looked at the notebook on the table.

She had written over thirty thousand characters of her own deductions—just to find a way to build a connection with Zhou Sheng'an without exposing her involvement.

"Or perhaps, given Zhou Sheng'an's moral values, he might be willing to keep our secret."

'A gentleman can be fooled by righteousness. With someone like Zhou Sheng'an, whose ethics are so high, maybe a few sincere traps could guide him into joining the Clear Sky School… But the man is very intelligent. If he sees through it, it'll backfire.'

Tang Yuehua sighed. She had asked Tang Xiao to go intercept Zhou Sheng'an.

She told him to treat the man with absolute sincerity—no strong-arm tactics. The last thing they needed was to turn a potential friend into an enemy.

[On September 22nd, 2023 of the Douluo Calendar, you sent a hidden Soul Sage from the Clear Sky School within the Moon Pavilion to knock out and kidnap Zhou Sheng'an, bringing him into the Clear Sky School.]

[Tang Xiao personally invited Zhou Sheng'an, but acted with a dismissive attitude. Zhou Sheng'an refused and tensions rose.]

[You immediately rushed to the Clear Sky School, explained everything to Tang Xiao, and personally apologized to Zhou Sheng'an. Zhou Sheng'an only wanted to leave. You agreed and let him go.]

"!!!"

Tang Yuehua's eyes widened.

She had specifically told the Soul Sage to pass a message to her brother—make sure he was polite.

And yet Tang Xiao still showed contempt, almost turning a good thing into a disaster!

The last person who forcibly detained Zhou Sheng'an had dragged the entire Spirit Hall into the mess.

The Clear Sky School couldn't handle that kind of turmoil.

'Maybe there was something wrong with the letter… But I gave my brother strict instructions today. He should've reined in his temper.' Tang Yuehua tried to reassure herself as she looked at the updated messages.

That path had failed, but she had already outlined eight different possible routes from that plotline alone!

A minor setback was nothing.

...

Zhou Sheng'an saw that he had been kidnapped by the Clear Sky School, things ended poorly, and he couldn't help but grin.

It was like someone had handed him a pillow just as he was falling asleep.

He had just been worrying about how to run off into the mountains and live in seclusion—and now he was handed the perfect excuse!

"There's another goddess player this time, probably related to the Clear Sky School… Tang Yuehua? That must be it. Too bad the Clear Sky School isn't a place I can stay long. And I'm not quite ready to retreat into seclusion just yet."

As Zhou Sheng'an pondered, the simulation message continued to update.

[You submitted your soul theory supplement to various newspapers, but were rejected by all. In anger, you left Heaven Dou City. On your way, you were summoned by Xue Beng.]

[Xue Beng didn't value your scholarship—he admired your looks and planned to offer you to the empire's wealthiest noble widow.]

[You stormed out in anger and were subsequently targeted by the Heaven Dou royal family and nobility.]

[On November 12th, 2023 of the Douluo Calendar, you returned to Nuoding City, only to be told your property had been confiscated. You attempted to return to Nuoding Academy as a teacher, but were rejected.]

[Realizing that the royal family was out to get you, you decided to leave the bustling cities, find a deep mountain forest, and build a secluded home to live in peace.]

"Perfect!" Zhou Sheng'an exclaimed in excitement.

Now all that was left was to wait for his disciples to take the bait!