Everyone fell silent. The Doctor studied Li Wufang with curiosity for a mont, then asked, puzzled:
"You're a 'rigid' Order believer, yet you want to join the most changeable Destiny?
I see genuine devotion in you — even more devout than these two Destiny followers right here. That's fascinating. Investigator, could you explain why you chose self-sacrifice?"
Li Wufang froze briefly, then quickly recovered. Climbing to his feet with a smile, he said:
"Do I even need to explain? Precisely because I'm an Order believer, I have unwavering faith that order still exists.
When corruption isn't dragged into the open, the scales of trust won't tip. I believe in my teammates, just as my teammates believe in .
Praise Order — He saved us all."
"..."
Though the words dripped with piety, Cheng Shi couldn't shake the feeling that the Investigator's next line would be a Destiny pitch aid at the Doctor.
His devotion to Destiny far outstripped his devotion to Order.
Li Wufang's burst of sincere rhetoric genuinely threw the Doctor for a loop. Wang Mou's expression turned strange as he nodded and said no more.
The Blind One, however, smiled softly and "watched" this man who was practically a confird Destined One — seemingly pondering his connection to Destiny.
She didn't believe Cheng Shi would recruit an Order believer into the Destined Ones without reason. Especially not once she noticed Li Wufang's personality bore a faint resemblance to Cheng Shi's own — that made her even more curious.
What quality had the Fate Weaver spotted in this man? Or was it that Destiny's next guidance would sohow fall upon this Investigator?
Cheng Shi shook his head with a wry smile and ignored Li Wufang. Instead, he began cross-referencing the trial's details with his other two teammates, running through every fact about the original world again and again. Only when every detail matched did he confirm that his good fortune was real.
This sudden "reset" seed to an Ti had given up His deliberate obstruction at the trial's end.
After all, the rules had been thoroughly mapped. No matter how much changed, the players only needed ti to find their way ho.
Cheng Shi's heart eased. His expression turned wistful.
It seed nothing had changed. It seed they'd finally found the ho they started from.
"One, two, three, four, five... Mm, Chosen One — your prophecy ca true again.
Ti to bring our last lucky soul back to life."
Cheng Shi chuckled softly and walked toward Qin Xin's body. But this mundane movent suddenly froze the clown in his tracks, expression kaleidoscoping across his face.
Everyone looked at him in confusion. He pointed at his own feet, then turned to the Blind One:
"Chosen One — that prophetic scene you saw earlier... it wasn't about right now, was it?"
The Blind One's expression stiffened. She recalled the prophecy she'd seen before entering the trial — the one about Qin Xin's fate — and "looked" at the scene before her. She was stunned speechless.
"..."
Just as she'd thought! Identical!
The prophecy hadn't only applied to the trial's beginning — it had reappeared at its end!
Qin Xin really had died. And those feet really were Cheng Shi's.
Only, Qin Xin's death had nothing to do with Cheng Shi. And Cheng Shi's presence wasn't to kill Qin Xin — it was to save him...
'So this is the revelation You granted , my Lord? Using two identical scenes to tell : "Seeing is not believing, and existence itself can breed illusions"?'
The Blind One bowed her head slightly, thoughts branching outward.
Looking back across the entire trial, she realized this trial bestowed by Ti was riddled with Destiny's hidden traces.
'So even during trials, You're locked in combat with Your rival?'
'It seems what I told the Fate Weaver was right — You really did plant foreshadowing throughout Your opponent's trial.'
The Blind One's thoughts ran deep. But Cheng Shi didn't let this interlude distract him for long. He smoothly revived Qin Xin and — eting the Torchbearer founder's sowhat complex gaze — extended a friendly hand.
"Welco ho, Mirror. Per. Son."
Qin Xin was pulled to his feet by Cheng Shi. He nodded awkwardly, then turned toward the Blind One beside him. But she was still contemplating Destiny, oblivious to the first complicated look Qin Xin had cast her.
By the ti she raised her head, he'd already replaced it with a warm smile.
"We et again, Ming Yu. Welco ho."
The Blind One bead — radiant.
"That should be my line. Welco ho, Qin Xin."
"Alright, alright — if we keep exchanging pleasantries, the next hour mark's coming. I don't want to live through another one. Even knowing none of us would let a discrepancy happen, just — stop here.
Ti didn't leave us much ti. This trial's dragged on long enough. It's ti to end it."
Cheng Shi waved his hand, cutting off the reunion's niceties. Decisively — before the next hour mark could arrive — he gathered every NPC and submitted what he believed to be the trial's answer.
He knew Qin Xin wouldn't refuse his verification. He also knew Li Wufang and the Doctor had no voice to object right now. So, in front of everyone, he wagered — reversing the original discrepancy answer and hamring out his final verdict on the Ti discrepancies afflicting the three NPCs.
"The trial's hint was: 'Whether past, present, or future — ti has never aligned.' After days of verification, we've identified three discrepancies. But the current situation may differ from everyone's earlier conclusions. Allow
to restate:
The three discrepancies are:
Shi Lolin, the Extre Desire Brotherhood's boss of the Shanty Area. Though her behavior suggests the 'future,' she actually cos from the 'past.'
Ad Ric, a mber of the Proxy Hand. This miner — who unknowingly beca the 'present' — muddles along as the 'present' discrepancy.
Ger Si, the stowaway. He sounds like soone from the 'past' — a man from Ad Ric's 'father's generation' — but the truth is, he cos from the distant 'future.'
That is the trial's answer. If nobody has objections, I'll submit it on behalf of us all."
The mont he finished, soone spoke up.
"I have an objection!"
Though the Doctor couldn't refuse submission, he still had the right to challenge. He couldn't understand why a perfectly good answer had been turned on its head by Cheng Shi. Regarding Shi Lolin and Ger Si's identities, he had ten thousand reasons to disagree.
But the instant he voiced his objection, the warmly smiling Li Wufang and the subtly frowning Qin Xin flanked Wang Mou from both sides. The Doctor's expression froze, and he promptly swallowed every subsequent question.
Cheng Shi scoffed and didn't bother engaging the Doctor. With a playful grin:
"It seems nobody has questions. Wonderful. Then thank you all for your support — this trip's been very rewarding. I trust everyone's wishes have been fulfilled.
In that case... let's et again if fate allows!"
With that, Cheng Shi submitted the answer.
The next second — the trial froze. Ti halted. Existence shattered. The players vanished.
Everything seed to end.
[Wish Trial (Discrepancy — Ti) Challenge Successful]
[Grading in progress, calculating rewards...]
[Player: Cheng Shi — Performance Rating: S]
[Obtained Item: Persistence Mask (S) x1]
[Obtained Item: Change Mask (S) x1]
[Obtained Item: Destined Mask (S) x1]
[Obtained Item: Stowaway Mask (S) x1]
[Road to Ascension
18]
[Ladder of Ascent
3]
[Current Road to Ascension Score: 2,242 — Global Ranking: 359,190]
[Current Ladder of Ascent Score: 181 — Path Ranking: 40]
[Trial Cleared — Exiting Now]
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