NOVEL NEXT Chapter 343 Rule Document
"Oh? Really?"
Seeing that the other party actually followed the agreement and prepared to send him to the top of the Tower after giving the answer,
Xiao Yi was somewhat surprised; he thought there would be more haggling to endure.
"Um, of course…" that voice said, "after all… I am not some shameless person. A promise made must be fulfilled. Moreover… I have already lost to you in this duel, so there's even less reason to break my word."
"...you said, a... duel?" Xiao Yi couldn't help but tilt his head, "Were we really in a duel just now? Wasn't it... a prize quiz round?"
"No... it was a duel."
The voice slowly explained:
"After reaching realms like yours and mine, the traditional level of duels becomes meaningless, just like the Empty Way of Dependent Dharma. Each individualized entity possesses complete authority over truth. So for them, quantity has lost its meaning, countless numbers will only ever be equally matched…
... And achieving a realm like ours, where one can easily change all truths, rules, and logic, it's even less possible to decide a victor through level-based duels... And besides, we can't possibly settle our scores by throwing galaxies at each other's faces, right?"
"...Indeed." Xiao Yi imagined it for a moment, then nodded in agreement, finding the thought quite distasteful, "Just the idea of it seems incredibly crude; I wouldn't do it even if begged."
"...Right? So, when I posed those questions just now, it was essentially a duel with you... It is one of the few meaningful, decisive methods of contest at our level. It's called an... intellectual duel."
"...An intellectual duel?" Xiao Yi nodded thoughtfully, "No wonder there was the outlandish event of a question granting access to the top of the Tower. So you were hiding such a scheme... By the way, if I hadn't been able to give an answer, would my fate have been terribly grim?"
"...Of course." That voice frankly said, "I originally planned to lock you in the Endless Spiral, to completely erode your human essence through infinite self-contradiction and opposition. It's just a pity... such a pity."
The voice sighed, but there was more resignation than sadness in its tone.
"Is... that so?" Learning this, Xiao Yi couldn't help but feel a chill.
He thought to himself that it was a good thing his IQ was high enough to deal with these things.
"Our interests conflict, and it stands to reason that life should be at stake, not settled by simple questions," the voice continued, "But there's no point in mentioning this anymore, since I've already lost… Xiao Yi, as a human from Blue Star, you've surprised me. Because of you, this instance of Analog Horror... I think it can come to an end much sooner."
"..."
Xiao Yi did not respond, but thought to himself:
The words and tone of this voice undeniably proved it belonged to Blue Sky Appearance, and moreover, that it was behind the current plight of Blue Star.
From what Xiao Yi knew, there seemed to be many with the Blue Sky Appearance; he didn't know which one this might be.
Nevertheless, whichever one it was, Xiao Yi had no desire to truly come into conflict with it.
Even though he had won this so-called intellectual duel, Xiao Yi could clearly understand that if a battle were fought in earnest, he might very well be no match for this being of Blue Sky Appearance.
Since the other party had agreed to let him ascend, and even mentioned ending this crisis sooner, it indicated that the being no longer had the will to fight. Xiao Yi did not wish to entangle any further.
Xiao Yi felt that this matter... could be settled later.
"Here, take this..." At that moment, as the voice spoke, an object shaped like a key floated towards Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi immediately caught it and held it in his hand.
"This is the Tower Key." The voice introduced, "With it, you need only a thought, and you can go to the top of the Tower."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi clenched the key-shaped object tightly in his hand and replied,
"...Thank you, Xu Yingguang."
"..." The voice fell silent for a moment, then said, "How many times have I told you, I am not Xu Yingguang."
"Oh? Is that so?" Xiao Yi asked again, "But I heard that Old Xu entered this Tower. If you're not Old Xu, then where could he have gone? Besides, your stubborn denial makes me somewhat skeptical."
"...That's enough." The voice, somewhat helplessly, said, "At this point, do you still have the leisure to worry about these trivial matters? Go on, to the top. There you'll find the Answer you seek."
It was clear that the other party didn't want to give a direct response.
Given that, Xiao Yi didn't feel like pressing the issue any further. With a thought, the key-shaped object in his hand responded to his will and immediately erupted with a blinding light!
Immediately after! The entire Tower shook with vibrations and rumbling noise.
"...Hmm? What's this?"
Xiao Yi suddenly sensed a glimmer of light and abruptly looked up!
Then, he saw an earth-shattering transformation occur to the whole Tower!
The Tower's entire structure split into countless diamond-shaped fragments!
This immense Tower, floating near Blue Star, looked from other planets just like a pencil sticking out of an apple.