Cheng Shi's eyes snapped open, sharp light flickering within them. He had an even bolder idea—the so-called turning point probably wasn't the trial itself. Could it be the one who sat on high? Him?
Or rather, could it be [Prosperity] Himself?
Since the Gods had brought down the Faith Ga, and the ga's conclusion was a tragedy, did breaking out of it require starting with the ga itself?
More bluntly—did it require starting with the ga's creators, the Gods?
So... Cheng Dashi had set his sights on [Prosperity]?!
Did he believe [Prosperity] was the breakthrough?!
Cheng Shi was thunderstruck. This "future self" of his was actually plotting against a God who stood above all!
It was insane. It was dangerous. It was terrifying!
But it was also incredibly fascinating!
Cheng Shi suddenly smiled. Throughout his speculation, he'd been debating whether to involve himself. The indecision gnawed at him—until he recalled Old Jia standing beside the barbecue stand, gazing at that top scholar's father.
The undisguised envy in the old man's eyes had been unmistakable.
'A top scholar...'
'The old man wanted to be a top scholar's father too.'
Seeing Cheng Shi open his eyes, Hong Lin frowned and sat down across from him.
"Figured it out?"
Cheng Shi looked at the [Prosperity] Chosen One before him and suddenly asked:
"Baldy, what's it like being a Chosen One?"
Hong Lin blinked, then sothing odd flickered in her gaze.
"Boring. Dull. Nerve-wracking. Everyone's got their eye on you.
But...
There are perks. It saves you a lot of unnecessary trouble, thanks to the Chosen One's reputation."
Hearing this, Cheng Shi was taken aback. He asked:
"You're actually afraid of people targeting you?"
"Mm." Hong Lin nodded, expression deadly serious. "What I fear are Those who aren't 'people'—Them—paying attention to ."
"You seem to... not like [Prosperity]?"
"It's not about like or dislike. I like power. He gives
power. I wouldn't call it gratitude, but I'm thankful.
But what I do and what He wills are worlds apart. You've probably noticed.
What He champions is the flourishing of all life in the universe. But —I'm a selfish person. I can't be bothered with whether others prosper or not. All I want is for
and my friends to prosper. All I care about is
and my friends prospering.
As grand as His vision is, that's how narrow my selfishness is.
And yet, despite all this, I still receive His attention, earn His approval, and keep climbing the Ladder of Ascent...
That feeling is unsettling. Deeply unsettling.
No matter how I think about it, it reeks of conspiracy.
So whenever soone calls
Chosen One, I can't help but read into it—wondering if these so-called Gods really are choosing sothing. As for what, no one probably knows. No one dares to know.
You've heard the talk, right? A lot of people think the Faith Ga was never designed to be won or cleared. I'm not a pessimist, but I think... they're probably not wrong."
Cheng Shi listened in silence until the end, then looked at Hong Lin with surprise—this "friend" was starting to feel like a real friend. She was actually confiding in him?
Still, there was sothing undeniably strange about the relationship between Hong Lin's actions and [Prosperity]'s response.
This wasn't worship of [Prosperity]—it looked more like plundering!
She accepted [Prosperity]'s blessings, used the power to gain more advantages, then erected walls of caution and suspicion against the faith itself. In essence, how was that different from a shaless bandit?
So what exactly did [Prosperity] see in Hong Lin?
But setting that aside, another question nagged at Cheng Shi—today's speculation seed to confirm the notion that the Faith Ga was very likely a ga without victory or completion.
The only question was how long this ga could continue.
And from which [Ti] in the future had the Cheng Dashi who'd left him this choice actually co?
Cheng Shi's thoughts churned, his eyes clouded with uncertainty. Seeing the flash of bewildernt in his gaze, Hong Lin smirked:
"Don't overthink it. I just felt like you'd understand.
I haven't shared my thoughts with anyone in a long ti. The people around my score range all have their own agendas—hard to trust. And the so-called Chosen Ones are all walking their self-proclaid righteous paths to godhood with unwavering conviction.
Players like , who want the benefits yet resist the implications—there aren't many of us.
Tao Yi is my closest friend, but she's too... weak.
The little fox can figure out a lot of things, but a fox is still a fox—she can't withstand a tiger's swipe. So she shouldn't know too much.
If you want to bare your heart to a tiger, first, you need to be a fox who can eat one.
And you—you look like one to ."
"..."
'I'll take that as a complint...'
Hong Lin snickered at his expression: "Why the sudden interest in being a Chosen One?"
"No reason. Just curious. Hey Baldy—would you say a Chosen One... counts as a top scholar?"
That question genuinely stumped Hong Lin. She spent a mont with an indescribable look on her face, then nodded uncertainly.
"If you really had to... sure. But it's more like a martial top scholar... hmm, the kind with a bit of brains."
'With a bit of brains...'
That qualifier was perhaps a touch too pointed—and not strictly necessary either.
"A martial top scholar..." Cheng Shi smacked his lips. "A martial top scholar is still a top scholar."
"Are you having a breakdown?
What's with all this random nonsense? I asked if you've figured things out, and you start talking about Chosen Ones and top scholars. What's that supposed to an?"
"Hm? It doesn't an anything. I've figured it out."
"What is it?!" Hong Lin's eyes lit up, suddenly energized.
"I'm going to take the exam—no, wait, that's not—"
Cheng Shi nearly blurted out what was really on his mind. He hastily swallowed the rest, then looked at this sowhat reliable new friend who didn't particularly like [Prosperity], and suddenly broke into a radiant smile.
"What are you grinning at? Spit it out."
Cheng Shi nodded, wiped the smile off his face, and with utter solemnity, took Hong Lin's hand in his. He spoke with grave earnestness:
"Can I trust you?"
Hong Lin raised an eyebrow and glanced at her captured hand. She didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned back with an amused, teasing smirk:
"The heart-to-heart, bare-all kind?"
"..."
That single sentence obliterated every shred of atmosphere Cheng Shi had painstakingly built.
His toes curled so hard they nearly cramped. His face went rigid, cycling through shades of green and white. After an agonizing stretch of embarrassnt, he finally rembered to release Hong Lin's hand, wearing the expression of soone who'd lost all will to live:
"So you and Tao Yi really are close, huh... ha... haha... ha..."
Hong Lin snickered.
"She told
that whenever you say those words, it ans you're about to start lying.
Co on—let
see how you plan to trick
today!"
"..."
Cheng Shi went numb.
'Damn it! This world really is one giant mouth!'
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