Before long, Tian Tian slowly opened her eyes and was astonished to find a “Guard” piece lying on the ground. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The “Guard” looked incredibly refined, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
“Oh…?” Qi Xia also lowered his head. “Even though I never looked away, I didn’t notice the chain turning into a ‘character.’ It’s as if it had always been a ‘character.'”
Hearing this description, Tian Tian felt as though she had truly triggered her “Echo.”
The first time she had unleashed her “Echo” in front of Zheng Yingxiong, it had been the same. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she had activated her “Echo,” and in that moment, what she created replaced the original object. To everyone else, it seemed as though nothing had happened—as if those things had always been that way.
But this time felt somewhat strange, as if she had triggered her “Echo,” yet also as if she hadn’t.
Could it be that Qi Xia was putting on an act to deceive her with a real “character”? But where did this “Guard” come from?
Tian Tian quickly realized that Qi Xia had once mentioned that the opponent’s piece should be a “Advisor,” and it was well-protected. Therefore, this “character” couldn’t possibly belong to the opponent—it must have been created by her.
“So it really was me…” Tian Tian murmured. “It’s hard to believe. After all, I don’t even know the internal structure of this ‘character.’ How could I have possibly created a replica?”
Qi Xia nodded upon hearing this. “This shows that your ‘Echo’ has grown stronger than before. That’s why this mission will surely succeed.”
“Alright… I’ll hurry, then!” After agreeing, Tian Tian nodded and closed her eyes again.
Qi Xia knew that Tian Tian would be the true “wild card” in this match. He decided not to disturb her further, allowing her to practice her “Echo” as much as possible. He had originally intended to enter the “river” from the front but unexpectedly discovered that the room between Tian Tian’s room and the “river” was locked.
Frowning, he sensed something unusual and could only ask, “Who was in the room in front of you just now…?”
“It seems… it was Lawyer Zhang?” Tian Tian opened her eyes and replied.
“Lawyer Zhang…?” Qi Xia nodded, then changed his route. After ensuring no one was around, he entered.
He closed the door and began verifying his hypothesis.
His hypothesis was simple: in this space where “Echo” shouldn’t be possible, Xu Liunian was the first to attain it.
Xu Liunian’s intelligence and skills were nothing extraordinary, so “Echo” had nothing to do with intellect or technique—it was solely related to “experience.”
As a highly experienced “Echo” user, Xu Liunian possessed a level of experience others lacked, which was why she was the first to trigger her “Echo.”
Based on this, Qi Xia quickly realized that triggering an “Echo” wasn’t particularly difficult but required an additional element: “belief.”
Now that he had transferred this additional “belief” to Tian Tian, it was time to verify whether this “belief” had taken shape.
Qi Xia pulled out a handful of chains from his pocket.
Just as he had expected, parts of the chains had fused together, crookedly forming a “character.”
“Guard.”
Although it had the rough shape of a “Guard,” half of the chain still dangled down, as if it had only partially melted into the “character,” with the remaining part failing to fuse.
Qi Xia let out a sigh of relief. He felt as though he had reverse-engineered the process—using a real “character” to inspire Tian Tian to create a fake one. But that was enough.
No one cared whether the “character” was real or fake, as long as Tian Tian believed it was real.
He gently shook the fake “Guard,” feeling that it was slightly heavier than a real “character.”
It seemed the real “characters” indeed had mechanisms inside, while the one Tian Tian created was likely solid. Such a solid “character” wouldn’t be able to activate the “Phoenix Book-Presenting Platform” and likely wouldn’t score any points.
Qi Xia pocketed the “character,” thinking it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although anyone could tell it was fake upon closer inspection, as long as the enemy never got a chance to examine it carefully, it would always remain “real.”
He opened the door and stepped into the “river,” but instead of rushing to the opposite side, he moved laterally after confirming no one was there. He opened each of their team’s doors one by one, seemingly looking for someone.
In the leftmost room, Qi Xia found Zheng Yingxiong.
“Hmm…?” Zheng Yingxiong frowned at Qi Xia, his gaze quickly turning cold. “What do you want?”
Seeing Qi Xia enter from the “river,” he was one hundred percent certain this was an imposter. He had even already planned where to aim his headbutt.
But Qi Xia shook his head and, taking advantage of Zheng Yingxiong’s momentary distraction, stepped directly into the room.
Zheng Yingxiong turned and fled, pushing open the door and darting into another room.
The two stood facing each other across the doorway, but Zheng Yingxiong felt something was off.
“The door wasn’t locked just now. Come back,” Qi Xia said.
“Huh…?”
Zheng Yingxiong noticed that the “door” indeed wasn’t locked, but he found it hard to believe that the Qi Xia who had swaggered in from the “river” was actually real.
“You… shouldn’t you be behind me?” Zheng Yingxiong asked.
“The situation has changed,” Qi Xia replied. “I have a new task for you.”
“What task…?” Zheng Yingxiong was taken aback.
Instead of answering, Qi Xia stared at him and asked, “How’s your nose…? Has your sense of smell returned?”
Zheng Yingxiong sighed. “No… I thought it would recover over time, but the longer I’m here, the more accustomed I become to the smells here. It’s even harder to detect others’ scents now.”
Qi Xia took another step forward, entering Zheng Yingxiong’s room, and said softly, “Good. Now I’ll tell you the task, but you must promise not to reveal it to anyone else. Even if you die, take it to your grave.”
“Huh…?” Zheng Yingxiong was stunned and pointed in Qinglong’s direction. “What about him…?”
“It’s fine. He’s not human,” Qi Xia said.
“Uh… alright.”
“Right now, I’ll tell you the ‘Echo’ of each person on our team. Memorize it carefully and tell them you’ve detected these scents.”
“Huh?” Zheng Yingxiong didn’t quite understand. “I haven’t smelled anything, but I’m supposed to say I have?”
“Exactly. This is the first part of the task.”
In a few short sentences, Qi Xia told Zheng Yingxiong the names of the “Echoes” for Tian Tian, Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, Zhang Chenze, and Han Yimo.
“Remember them?”
“I remember…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “But why do this?”
“As long as you make it sound convincing, they will truly attain their ‘Echo,'” Qi Xia explained. “There is no ‘Bell’ here. You are the ‘Bell.'”
“I am… the ‘Bell’?”
“Remember, Zheng Yingxiong,” Qi Xia said. “It’s not that the bell rings when someone triggers their ‘Echo’—it’s that when the bell rings, someone triggers their ‘Echo.'”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yingxiong’s eyes slowly widened, as if he had just heard something unimaginable.
Before long, Tiantian slowly opened her eyes and was astonished to find a “Guard” piece lying on the ground. She couldn’t help but widen her eyes in surprise.
The “Guard” looked incredibly refined, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
“Oh…?” Qixia also lowered his head. “Even though I never looked away, I didn’t notice the chain turning into a ‘character.’ It’s as if it was always a ‘character.'”
Hearing this description, Tiantian felt as though she had truly triggered her “Echo.”
It was the same when she first unleashed her “Echo” in front of Zheng Yingxiong. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she activated her “Echo,” and in that moment, the things she created replaced the original items. To everyone else, it seemed as if nothing had happened—as if those things had always been that way.
But this time, the feeling was somewhat strange. It felt like she had triggered her “Echo,” yet also like she hadn’t.
Could it be that Qixia was using a real “character” to put on this act and deceive her? But where did this “Guard” come from?
Tiantian quickly realized that Qixia had once mentioned that the opponent’s piece should be a “Advisor,” and it was well-protected by the other side. Therefore, this “character” couldn’t possibly belong to the opponent—it must have been created by her.
“So it really was me…” Tiantian murmured. “It’s hard to believe. After all, I don’t even know the internal structure of this ‘character.’ How could I have managed to create a replica?”
Qixia nodded upon hearing this. “This shows that your ‘Echo’ has grown stronger than before. That’s why this mission will surely succeed.”
“Alright… I’ll hurry then!” After agreeing, Tiantian nodded and closed her eyes again.
Qixia knew that Tiantian would be the true “wild card” in this match. He decided not to disturb her further, allowing her to practice her “Echo” as much as possible. He originally intended to enter the “river” from the front but unexpectedly discovered that the room between Tiantian’s room and the “river” was locked.
Frowning, he sensed something unusual and could only ask, “Who was in the room in front of you just now…?”
“It seems… it was Lawyer Zhang?” Tiantian opened her eyes and replied.
“Lawyer Zhang…?” Qixia nodded, then changed his route. After ensuring no one was around, he entered another path.
He closed the door behind him and began to verify his hypothesis.
His hypothesis was simple: in this space where “Echo” shouldn’t be possible, Xu Liunian was the first to attain it.
Xu Liunian’s intelligence and skills were nothing extraordinary, so “Echo” had little to do with intellect or technique—it was solely related to “experience.”
As a highly seasoned “Echo” user, Xu Liunian possessed experiences that others lacked, which was why she was able to trigger her “Echo” first.
Based on this, Qixia quickly realized that triggering an “Echo” wasn’t particularly difficult but required an additional element: “belief.”
Now that he had transferred this extra “belief” to Tiantian, it was time to verify whether this “belief” had taken shape.
Qixia pulled out a handful of chains from his pocket.
Just as he expected, parts of the chains had fused together, crookedly forming a “character.”
A “Guard.”
Although it had the rough shape of a “Guard,” half of the chain still dangled down, as if it had only partially melted into the form of a “character,” with the remaining part failing to fuse.
Qixia let out a sigh of relief. He felt as though he had reverse-engineered the process—using a real “character” to inspire Tiantian to create a fake one. But that was enough.
No one cared whether the “character” was real or fake, as long as Tiantian believed it was real.
He gently shook the fake “Guard,” feeling that it was slightly heavier than a real “character.”
It seemed that the real “characters” indeed had mechanisms inside, while the one Tiantian created was likely solid. Such a solid “character” wouldn’t be able to activate the “Phoenix Book-Presenting Platform” and probably wouldn’t score any points either.
Qixia pocketed the “character,” thinking it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although anyone could tell it was fake upon closer inspection, as long as the enemy never got a chance to examine it carefully, it would always remain “real” to them.
He opened the door and stepped into the “river,” but instead of rushing toward the opponent’s side, he moved laterally after confirming no one was in the “river.” He opened each of his team’s doors one by one, seemingly looking for someone.
In the leftmost room, Qixia found Zheng Yingxiong.
“Hmm…?” Zheng Yingxiong frowned at Qixia, his gaze quickly turning cold. “What do you want?”
Seeing Qixia enter from the “river,” he was one hundred percent certain that this was an imposter. He even mentally prepared himself for where to aim his headbutt.
But Qixia shook his head and, taking advantage of Zheng Yingxiong’s momentary inattention, stepped directly into the room.
Zheng Yingxiong turned and fled, pushing the door open and darting into another room.
The two stood facing each other across the doorway, but Zheng Yingxiong felt something was off.
“The door wasn’t locked just now. Come back,” Qixia said.
“Eh…?”
Zheng Yingxiong noticed that the “door” indeed wasn’t locked, but he found it hard to believe that the Qixia who had swaggered in from the “river” was actually the real one.
“Shouldn’t you be behind me?” Zheng Yingxiong asked.
“Circumstances have changed,” Qixia replied. “I have a new task for you.”
“What task…?” Zheng Yingxiong was taken aback.
Instead of answering, Qixia stared at him and asked, “How’s your nose…? Has your sense of smell returned?”
Zheng Yingxiong sighed. “No… I thought it would recover over time, but the longer it’s been, the more accustomed I’ve become to the smells here. It’s even harder to detect others’ scents now.”
Qixia took another step forward, entering Zheng Yingxiong’s room, and said softly, “Good. Now I’ll tell you the task, but you must promise not to reveal it to anyone else. Even if you die, take it to your grave.”
“Ah…?” Zheng Yingxiong was stunned and pointed in Qinglong’s direction. “What about him…?”
“It’s fine. He’s not human,” Qixia said.
“Uh… alright.”
“Now I’ll tell you the ‘Echo’ of each person on our team. Memorize it carefully and tell them you’ve detected these scents.”
“Huh?” Zheng Yingxiong didn’t quite understand. “I haven’t smelled anything, but I’m supposed to say I have?”
“Exactly. This is the first part of the task.”
In a few short sentences, Qixia told Zheng Yingxiong the “Echo” names of Tiantian, Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, Zhang Chenze, and Han Yimo.
“Remember them?”
“I remember…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “But why do this?”
“If you make it sound convincing, they will truly attain their ‘Echo,'” Qixia explained. “There is no ‘Bell’ here. You are the ‘Bell.'”
“I am… the ‘Bell’?”
“Remember, Zheng Yingxiong,” Qixia said. “It’s not that the bell tolls when someone triggers their ‘Echo’—it’s that when the bell tolls, someone triggers their ‘Echo.'”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yingxiong’s eyes slowly widened, as if he had just heard something unimaginable.
“Oh…?” Qixia also lowered his gaze. “Strange… I never looked away, yet I didn’t notice the chain transforming into a character. It’s as if it was always this way.”
Hearing this, Tiantian felt as though she had truly activated her “Echo.”
The first time she had unleashed her “Echo” in front of Zheng Yingxiong, it had been the same—she had activated it in plain sight, replacing an object with something she had created, yet to everyone else, it seemed as if nothing had changed. The new object simply appeared to have always been there.
But this time felt slightly different—as if she had triggered her “Echo,” yet also as if she hadn’t.
Before long, Tiantian slowly opened her eyes and was astonished to find a “Guard” piece lying on the ground. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The “Guard” looked incredibly refined, almost indistinguishable from a real piece.
“Oh…?” Qixia also lowered his head. “Even though I never looked away, I didn’t notice the chain turning into a ‘character.’ It’s as if it had always been a ‘character.'”
Hearing this description, Tiantian felt as though she had truly triggered her “Echo.”
Just like the first time she had unleashed her “Echo” in front of Zheng Yingxiong, she had activated it under everyone’s watchful eyes. In that moment, what she created replaced the original object, and to everyone else, it seemed as though nothing had changed—as if things had always been that way.
But this time, the feeling was somewhat strange. It felt like she had triggered her “Echo,” yet also like she hadn’t.
Could it be that Qixia was using a real “character” to put on an act and deceive her? But where did this “Guard” come from?
Tiantian quickly realized—Qixia had once mentioned that the opponent’s piece should be a “Advisor,” and it was well-protected. So, this “character” couldn’t possibly belong to the opponent. It must have been created by her.
“So it really was me…” Tiantian murmured. “It’s hard to believe. After all, I don’t even know the internal structure of this ‘character.’ How could I have made a replica?”
Qixia nodded upon hearing this. “This shows that your ‘Echo’ has grown stronger than before. That’s why this mission will surely succeed.”
“Alright… I’ll hurry, then!” After agreeing, Tiantian nodded and closed her eyes again.
Qixia knew that Tiantian would be the true “wild card” in this match. He decided not to disturb her further, allowing her to practice her “Echo” as much as possible. He originally intended to enter the “river” from the front but unexpectedly discovered that the room between Tiantian’s room and the “river” was locked.
Frowning, he found the situation somewhat strange and could only ask, “Who was in the room in front of you just now…?”
“It seems… it was Lawyer Zhang?” Tiantian opened her eyes and replied.
“Lawyer Zhang…?” Qixia nodded, then changed his route. After ensuring no one was around, he entered another path.
He closed the door behind him and began verifying his hypothesis.
His hypothesis was simple: in this space where “Echo” shouldn’t be possible, Xu Liunian was the first to attain it.
Xu Liunian’s intelligence and skills were nothing exceptional, so “Echo” had nothing to do with intellect or technique—it was solely related to “experience.”
As a highly experienced “Echo” user, Xu Liunian possessed a level of experience others lacked, which was why she was able to trigger her “Echo” first.
Based on this, Qixia quickly realized that triggering an “Echo” wasn’t particularly difficult but required an additional element: “belief.”
Now that he had transferred this extra “belief” to Tiantian, it was time to verify whether this “belief” had taken shape.
Qixia pulled out a handful of chains from his pocket.
Just as he expected, parts of the chains had fused together, clumsily forming a “character.”
A “Guard.”
Although it had the rough shape of a “Guard,” half of the chain still dangled down, as if the fusion process had been interrupted midway, leaving the remaining parts unmerged.
Qixia let out a sigh of relief. He felt as though he had reverse-engineered the process—using a real “character” to inspire Tiantian to create a fake one. But that was enough.
No one cared whether the “character” was real or fake, as long as Tiantian believed it was real.
He gently shook the fake “Guard,” feeling that it was slightly heavier than a real “character.”
It seemed the real “characters” indeed had mechanisms inside, while the one Tiantian created was likely solid. Such a solid “character” wouldn’t be able to activate the “Phoenix Book-Presenting Platform” and probably wouldn’t score any points.
Qixia pocketed the “character,” thinking it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although a closer look would reveal it was fake, as long as the enemy never got the chance to examine it carefully, it would always remain real.
He opened the door and stepped into the “river,” but instead of rushing to the opposite side, he moved laterally after confirming no one was there. He opened each of their team’s doors one by one, seemingly searching for someone.
In the leftmost room, Qixia found Zheng Yingxiong.
“Hmm…?” Zheng Yingxiong frowned at Qixia, his gaze quickly turning cold. “What do you want?”
Seeing Qixia enter from the “river,” he was one hundred percent certain this was an imposter. He even mentally prepared himself for a headbutt.
But Qixia shook his head and, taking advantage of Zheng Yingxiong’s momentary distraction, stepped directly into the room.
Zheng Yingxiong turned and fled, pushing open the door and darting into another room.
The two stood facing each other across the doorway, but Zheng Yingxiong felt something was off.
“The door wasn’t locked just now. Come back,” Qixia said.
“Eh…?”
Zheng Yingxiong realized the “door” indeed hadn’t been locked, but he found it hard to believe that the Qixia who had swaggered in from the “river” was actually real.
“Shouldn’t you be behind me?” Zheng Yingxiong asked.
“Circumstances have changed,” Qixia replied. “I have a new task for you.”
“What task…?” Zheng Yingxiong was taken aback.
Instead of answering, Qixia stared at him and asked, “How’s your nose…? Has your sense of smell returned?”
Zheng Yingxiong sighed. “No… I thought it would recover over time, but the longer it’s been, the more accustomed I’ve become to the smells here. It’s even harder to detect others’ scents now.”
Qixia took another step forward, entering Zheng Yingxiong’s room, and said softly, “Good. Now I’ll tell you the task, but you must promise not to reveal it to anyone else. Even if you die, take it to your grave.”
“Huh…?” Zheng Yingxiong was stunned and pointed in Qinglong’s direction. “What about him…?”
“It’s fine. He’s not human,” Qixia said.
“Uh… alright.”
“Right now, I’ll tell you the ‘Echo’ of each person on our team. Memorize it carefully and tell them you’ve detected these scents.”
“Huh?” Zheng Yingxiong didn’t quite understand. “I haven’t smelled anything, but I’m supposed to say I have?”
“Exactly. This is the first part of the task.”
In just a few short sentences, Qixia told Zheng Yingxiong the “Echo” names of Tiantian, Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, Zhang Chenze, and Han Yimo.
“Remember them?”
“I remember…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “But why do this?”
“As long as you make it sound convincing, they will truly attain their ‘Echo,'” Qixia explained. “There is no ‘Bell’ here. You are the ‘Bell.'”
“I am… the ‘Bell’?”
“Remember, Zheng Yingxiong,” Qixia said. “It’s not that the bell rings when someone triggers their ‘Echo’—it’s that when the bell rings, someone triggers their ‘Echo.'”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yingxiong’s eyes slowly widened, as though he had just heard something unimaginable.
Before long, Tian Tian slowly opened her eyes and was astonished to find a “Guard” piece lying on the ground. She couldn’t help but widen her eyes in surprise.
This “Guard” looked incredibly refined, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
“Oh…?” Qi Xia also lowered his head. “Even though I never looked away, I didn’t notice the chain turning into a ‘character.’ It’s as if it was always a ‘character.'”
Hearing this description, Tian Tian felt as though she had truly triggered her “Echo.”
The first time she had unleashed her “Echo” in front of Zheng Yingxiong, it had been the same. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she had activated her “Echo,” and in that moment, what she created replaced the original object. To everyone else, it seemed as though nothing had happened—as if those things had always been that way.
But this time, the feeling was somewhat strange. It felt like she had triggered her “Echo,” yet also like she hadn’t.
Could it be that Qi Xia was putting on an act to deceive her with a real “character”? But where did this “Guard” come from?
Tian Tian quickly realized that Qi Xia had once mentioned that the opponent’s piece should be a “Advisor,” and it was well-protected by the other side. Therefore, this “character” couldn’t possibly belong to the opponent—it must have been created by her.
“So it really was me…” Tian Tian murmured. “It’s hard to believe. After all, I don’t even know the internal structure of this ‘character.’ How could I have managed to create a replica?”
Qi Xia nodded upon hearing this. “This shows that your ‘Echo’ has grown stronger than before. That’s why this mission will surely succeed.”
“Alright… I’ll hurry, then!” After agreeing, Tian Tian nodded and closed her eyes again.
Qi Xia knew that Tian Tian would be the true “wild card” in this match. He decided not to disturb her further, allowing her to practice her “Echo” as much as possible. He had originally intended to enter the “river” from the front but unexpectedly discovered that the room between Tian Tian’s room and the “river” was locked.
Frowning, he sensed something unusual and could only ask, “Who was in the room ahead of you just now…?”
“It seems… it was Lawyer Zhang?” Tian Tian opened her eyes and replied.
“Lawyer Zhang…?” Qi Xia nodded, then changed his route. After ensuring no one was around, he entered another path.
He closed the door behind him and began to verify his hypothesis.
His hypothesis was simple: in this space where “Echo” shouldn’t be possible, Xu Liunian was the first to attain it.
Xu Liunian’s intelligence and skills were nothing extraordinary, so “Echo” had nothing to do with intellect or technique—it was solely related to “experience.”
As a highly experienced “Echo” user, Xu Liunian possessed a level of experience others lacked, which was why she was able to trigger her “Echo” first.
Based on this, Qi Xia quickly realized that triggering an “Echo” wasn’t particularly difficult but required an additional element: “belief.”
Now that he had transferred this extra “belief” to Tian Tian, it was time to verify whether this “belief” had taken shape.
Qi Xia pulled out a handful of chains from his pocket.
Just as he had expected, parts of the chains had fused together, clumsily forming a “character.”
A “Guard.”
Although it had the rough shape of a “Guard,” half of the chain still dangled down, as if it had only partially melted into the “character,” with the remaining part failing to fuse.
Qi Xia let out a sigh of relief. He felt as though he had reverse-engineered the process—using a real “character” to inspire Tian Tian to create a fake one. But that was enough.
No one cared whether the “character” was real or fake, as long as Tian Tian believed it was real.
He gently shook the fake “Guard,” noticing that it felt heavier than a real “character.”
It seemed the real “characters” indeed had mechanisms inside, while the one Tian Tian created was likely solid. Such a solid “character” wouldn’t be able to activate the “Phoenix Book-Presenting Platform” and probably wouldn’t score any points.
Qi Xia pocketed the “character,” thinking it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although anyone could tell it was fake upon closer inspection, as long as the enemy never got a chance to examine it carefully, it would always remain “real.”
He opened the door and stepped into the “river,” but instead of rushing to the opposite side, he moved laterally after confirming no one was there. He opened each of their team’s doors one by one, seemingly searching for someone.
In the leftmost room, Qi Xia found Zheng Yingxiong.
“Hmm…?” Zheng Yingxiong frowned at Qi Xia, his gaze quickly turning cold. “What do you want?”
Seeing Qi Xia enter from the “river,” he was one hundred percent certain this was an imposter. He even mentally prepared himself for a headbutt.
But Qi Xia shook his head and, taking advantage of Zheng Yingxiong’s momentary distraction, stepped directly into the room.
Zheng Yingxiong turned and fled, pushing open the door and darting into another room.
The two stood facing each other across the doorway, but Zheng Yingxiong felt something was off.
“The door wasn’t locked just now. Come back,” Qi Xia said.
“Huh…?”
Zheng Yingxiong realized the “door” indeed hadn’t been locked, but he found it hard to believe that the Qi Xia who had swaggered in from the “river” was actually real.
“Shouldn’t you be behind me?” Zheng Yingxiong asked.
“Circumstances have changed,” Qi Xia replied. “I have a new task for you.”
“What task…?” Zheng Yingxiong was taken aback.
Instead of answering, Qi Xia stared at him and asked, “How’s your nose…? Has your sense of smell returned?”
Zheng Yingxiong sighed. “No… I thought it would come back with time, but the longer it’s been, the more accustomed I’ve become to the smells here. It’s even harder to detect others’ scents now.”
Qi Xia took another step forward, entering Zheng Yingxiong’s room, and said softly, “Good. Now I’ll tell you the task, but you must promise not to reveal it to anyone else. Even if you die, take it to your grave.”
“Huh…?” Zheng Yingxiong was stunned and pointed in Qinglong’s direction. “What about him…?”
“It’s fine. He’s not human,” Qi Xia said.
“Uh… alright.”
“Now, I’ll tell you the ‘Echo’ of each person on our team. Memorize it carefully and tell them you’ve detected these scents.”
“What?” Zheng Yingxiong didn’t quite understand. “I haven’t smelled anything, but I’m supposed to say I have?”
“Exactly. That’s the first part of the task.”
In a few short sentences, Qi Xia told Zheng Yingxiong the “Echo” names of Tian Tian, Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, Zhang Chenze, and Han Yimo.
“Remember them?”
“I remember…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “But why are we doing this?”
“If you make it sound convincing, they will truly attain their ‘Echo,'” Qi Xia explained. “There’s no ‘Bell’ here. You are the ‘Bell.'”
“I am… the ‘Bell’?”
“Remember, Zheng Yingxiong,” Qi Xia said. “It’s not that the bell rings when someone triggers their ‘Echo’—it’s that when the bell rings, someone triggers their ‘Echo.'”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yingxiong’s eyes slowly widened, as though he had just heard something unbelievable.
“So… it really was me?” Tiantian murmured. “I can hardly believe it. I don’t even know the internal structure of this character… and yet I managed to replicate it?”
Qixia nodded. “This proves your ‘Echo’ has grown stronger. That’s why this mission will succeed smoothly.”
“Alright… I’ll do my best!” Tiantian agreed with a nod before closing her eyes again.
Qixia knew Tiantian would be the true “wild card” in this match. He decided not to disturb her further, letting her train her “Echo” as much as possible. He had originally planned to enter the “river path” from the front but unexpectedly found the room between Tiantian’s and the “river path” locked.
Frowning, he sensed something was off and asked, “Who was in the room ahead of you just now…?”
“It… might have been Lawyer Zhang?” Tiantian opened her eyes to answer.
“Lawyer Zhang…?” Qixia nodded and changed his route, slipping into another path after confirming no one was around.
Closing the door behind him, he began testing his theory.
His hypothesis was simple: in this space where “Echo” was supposed to be impossible, Xu Liunian had been the first to awaken hers.
Xu Liunian wasn’t particularly intelligent or skilled, so “Echo” had nothing to do with intellect or technique—only experience mattered.
As a seasoned “Echo” user, Xu Liunian possessed unique experiences that others lacked, which was why she had awakened her ability first.
Thus, Qixia concluded that activating “Echo” wasn’t inherently difficult—it just required an additional element: **belief**.
Now that he had transferred this “belief” to Tiantian, it was time to verify whether it had taken root.
He pulled a handful of chains from his pocket.
Just as he had expected, parts of the chains had fused together, twisting into the shape of a character—
Before long, Tiantian slowly opened her eyes and was astonished to find a “Guard” piece lying on the ground. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The “Guard” looked incredibly refined, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
“Oh…?” Qixia also lowered his head. “Even though I never looked away, I didn’t notice the chain turning into a ‘character.’ It’s as if it was always a ‘character.'”
Hearing this description, Tiantian felt as though she had truly triggered her “Echo.”
The first time she had unleashed her “Echo” in front of Zheng Yingxiong, it had been the same—she had activated it right under everyone’s watchful eyes. In that moment, what she created replaced the original object, and to everyone else, it seemed as though nothing had changed. Those things simply appeared as if they had always been that way.
But this time felt somewhat strange—as if she had triggered her “Echo,” yet also as if she hadn’t.
Could it be that Qixia was putting on an act to deceive her with a real “character”? But where did this “Guard” come from?
Tiantian quickly realized—Qixia had once mentioned that the opponent’s piece should be a “Advisor,” and it was well protected. So this “character” couldn’t possibly be the opponent’s; it must have been created by her.
“So it really was me…” Tiantian murmured. “It’s hard to believe. After all, I don’t even know the internal structure of this ‘character.’ How could I have made a replica?”
Qixia nodded upon hearing this. “This shows your ‘Echo’ has grown stronger than before. That’s why this mission will surely succeed.”
“Alright… I’ll hurry, then!” After agreeing, Tiantian nodded and closed her eyes again.
Qixia knew Tiantian would be the true “wild card” in this match. He decided not to disturb her further, allowing her to practice her “Echo” as much as possible. He had originally intended to enter the “river” from the front but unexpectedly discovered that the room between Tiantian’s room and the “river” was locked.
Frowning, he sensed something was off and could only ask, “Who was in the room ahead of you just now…?”
“It seems… it was Lawyer Zhang?” Tiantian opened her eyes and replied.
“Lawyer Zhang…?” Qixia nodded, then changed his route. After ensuring no one was around, he entered.
He closed the door behind him and began verifying his hypothesis.
His hypothesis was simple: in this space where “Echo” shouldn’t be possible, Xu Liunian was the first to attain it.
Xu Liunian’s intelligence and skills were nothing extraordinary, so “Echo” had little to do with intellect or technique—it was all about “experience.”
As a highly experienced “Echo” user, Xu Liunian possessed insights others lacked, which was why she was the first to trigger her “Echo.”
Based on this, Qixia quickly realized that triggering an “Echo” wasn’t particularly difficult—it just required an additional element of “belief.”
Now that he had transferred this extra “belief” to Tiantian, it was time to verify whether it had taken root.
Qixia pulled out a handful of chains from his pocket.
Just as he expected, parts of the chains had fused together, crookedly forming a “character.”
“Guard.”
Although it had the rough shape of a “Guard,” half of the chain still dangled down, as if the fusion had been only partially completed, leaving the rest unmerged.
Qixia let out a sigh of relief. He felt as though he had reverse-engineered the process—using a real “character” to inspire Tiantian to create a fake one. But that was enough.
No one cared whether the “character” was real or fake, as long as Tiantian believed it was real.
He gently shook the fake “Guard,” feeling that it was slightly heavier than a real “character.”
It seemed the real “characters” indeed had mechanisms inside, while the one Tiantian created was likely solid. Such a solid “character” wouldn’t be able to activate the “Phoenix Book-Presenting Platform” and probably wouldn’t score any points.
Qixia pocketed the “character,” thinking it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although anyone could tell it was fake upon closer inspection, as long as the enemy never got a chance to examine it carefully, it would always remain “real.”
He opened the door and stepped into the “river,” but instead of rushing toward the opponent’s side, he moved laterally after confirming no one was in the “river.” He opened each of their team’s doors one by one, seemingly searching for someone.
In the leftmost room, Qixia found Zheng Yingxiong.
“Hmm…?” Zheng Yingxiong frowned at Qixia, his gaze quickly turning cold. “What do you want?”
Seeing Qixia enter from the “river,” he was one hundred percent certain this was an imposter—he had even already planned where to aim his headbutt.
But Qixia shook his head and, taking advantage of Zheng Yingxiong’s momentary distraction, stepped directly into the room.
Zheng Yingxiong turned and fled, pushing open the door and darting into another room.
The two stood facing each other across the doorway, but Zheng Yingxiong felt something was off.
“The door wasn’t locked just now. Come back,” Qixia said.
“Eh…?”
Zheng Yingxiong realized the “door” indeed hadn’t been locked, but he found it hard to believe that the Qixia who had swaggered in from the “river” was actually the real one.
“Shouldn’t you… be behind me?” Zheng Yingxiong asked.
“Circumstances have changed,” Qixia replied. “I have a new task for you.”
“What task…?” Zheng Yingxiong was taken aback.
Instead of answering, Qixia stared at him and asked, “How’s your nose…? Has your sense of smell returned?”
Zheng Yingxiong sighed. “No… I thought it would come back with time, but the longer it’s been, the more accustomed I’ve become to the smells here. It’s even harder to detect anyone else’s scent now.”
Qixia took another step forward, entering Zheng Yingxiong’s room, and said softly, “Good. Now I’ll tell you the task, but you must promise not to reveal it to anyone else—not even if you die. Keep it buried in your heart.”
“Huh…?” Zheng Yingxiong was stunned and pointed in Qinglong’s direction. “What about him…?”
“It’s fine. He’s not human,” Qixia said.
“Uh… alright.”
“Now I’ll tell you the ‘Echo’ of each person on our team. Memorize it carefully and tell them you’ve detected these scents.”
“What?” Zheng Yingxiong didn’t quite understand. “I haven’t smelled anything, but I’m supposed to say I have?”
“Exactly. That’s the first part of the task.”
In just a few short sentences, Qixia relayed the “Echo” names of Tiantian, Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, Zhang Chenze, and Han Yimo.
“Remember them?”
“I remember…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “But why do this?”
“If you make it sound convincing, they will truly attain their ‘Echo,'” Qixia explained. “There is no ‘Bell’ here—you are the ‘Bell.'”
“I am… the ‘Bell’?”
“Remember, Zheng Yingxiong,” Qixia said. “It’s not that the bell tolls when someone triggers their ‘Echo’—it’s that when the bell tolls, someone triggers their ‘Echo.'”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yingxiong’s eyes slowly widened, as though he had just heard something unimaginable.
Before long, Tiantian slowly opened her eyes and was astonished to find a “Guard” piece lying on the ground. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The “Guard” looked incredibly refined, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
“Oh…?” Qixia also lowered his head. “Even though I never looked away, I didn’t notice the chain turning into a ‘character.’ It’s as if it had always been a ‘character.'”
Hearing this description, Tiantian felt as though she had truly triggered her “Echo.”
It was just like the first time she had unleashed her “Echo” in front of Zheng Yingxiong. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she had activated her ability, and in that moment, what she created replaced the original object. To everyone else, it seemed as though nothing had happened—as if those things had always been that way.
But this time, the feeling was somewhat strange. It felt like she had triggered her “Echo,” yet also like she hadn’t.
Could it be that Qixia was putting on an act to deceive her with a real “character”? But where did this “Guard” come from?
Tiantian quickly realized—Qixia had once mentioned that the opponent’s piece should be a “Advisor,” and it was well-protected. Therefore, this “character” couldn’t possibly belong to the opponent. It must have been created by her.
“So it really was me…” Tiantian murmured. “It’s hard to believe. After all, I don’t even know the internal structure of this ‘character.’ How could I have made a replica?”
Qixia nodded upon hearing this. “This shows your ‘Echo’ has grown stronger than before. That’s why this mission will surely succeed.”
“Alright… I’ll hurry, then!” After agreeing, Tiantian nodded and closed her eyes again.
Qixia knew Tiantian would be the true “wild card” in this match. He decided not to disturb her further, allowing her to practice her “Echo” as much as possible. He had originally intended to enter the “river” from the front but unexpectedly discovered that the room between Tiantian’s room and the “river” was locked.
Frowning, he sensed something was amiss and could only ask, “Who was in the room ahead of you just now…?”
“It seems… it was Lawyer Zhang?” Tiantian opened her eyes and replied.
“Lawyer Zhang…?” Qixia nodded and had no choice but to take a different route. After ensuring no one was around, he entered.
He closed the door behind him and began verifying his hypothesis.
His hypothesis was simple: in this space where “Echo” shouldn’t be possible, Xu Liunian was the first to attain it.
Xu Liunian’s intelligence and skills were nothing extraordinary, so “Echo” had nothing to do with intellect or technique—it was solely related to “experience.”
As a highly seasoned “Echo user,” Xu Liunian possessed experiences others lacked, which was why she was able to trigger her “Echo” first.
Based on this, Qixia quickly realized that triggering “Echo” wasn’t particularly difficult but required an additional element: “belief.”
He had now transferred this additional “belief” to Tiantian. The time had come to verify whether this “belief” had taken shape.
Qixia pulled out a handful of chains from his pocket.
Just as he had expected, parts of the chains had fused together, clumsily forming a “character.”
“Guard.”
Although it had the rough shape of a “Guard,” half of the chain still dangled down, as if the fusion had been only partially completed, leaving the remaining parts unmerged.
Qixia let out a sigh of relief. He felt as though he had reverse-engineered the process—using a real “character” to inspire Tiantian to create a fake one. But that was enough.
No one cared whether the “character” was real or fake, as long as Tiantian believed it was real.
He gently shook the fake “Guard,” feeling that it was slightly heavier than a real “character.”
It seemed the real “characters” indeed had mechanisms inside, while the one Tiantian created was likely solid. Such a solid “character” wouldn’t be able to activate the “Phoenix Book-Presenting Platform” and probably wouldn’t score any points either.
Qixia pocketed the “character,” thinking it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although a closer look would reveal it was fake, as long as the enemy never got the chance to examine it carefully, it would always remain real.
He opened the door and stepped into the “river,” but instead of rushing to the opposite side, he moved laterally after confirming no one was there. He opened each of their team’s doors one by one, as though searching for someone.
In the leftmost room, Qixia found Zheng Yingxiong.
“Hmm…?” Zheng Yingxiong frowned at Qixia, his gaze quickly turning cold. “What do you want?”
Seeing Qixia enter from the “river,” he was one hundred percent certain this was an imposter. He had even already planned where to aim his headbutt.
But Qixia shook his head and, taking advantage of Zheng Yingxiong’s momentary distraction, stepped directly into the room.
Zheng Yingxiong turned and fled, pushing the door open and darting into another room.
The two stood facing each other across the doorway, but Zheng Yingxiong felt something was off.
“The door wasn’t locked just now. Come back,” Qixia said.
“Huh…?”
Zheng Yingxiong realized the “door” indeed hadn’t been locked, but he found it hard to believe that the Qixia who had swaggered in from the “river” was actually real.
“You… shouldn’t you be behind me?” Zheng Yingxiong asked.
“Circumstances have changed,” Qixia replied. “I have a new task for you.”
“What task…?” Zheng Yingxiong was taken aback.
Instead of answering, Qixia stared at him and asked, “How’s your nose…? Has your sense of smell returned?”
Zheng Yingxiong sighed. “No… I thought it would recover over time, but the longer it’s been, the more accustomed I’ve become to the smells here. It’s even harder to detect others’ scents now.”
Qixia took another step forward, entering Zheng Yingxiong’s room, and said softly, “Good. Now I’ll tell you the task, but you must promise not to reveal it to anyone else. Even if you die, take it to your grave.”
“Huh…?” Zheng Yingxiong was stunned and pointed in Qinglong’s direction. “What about him…?”
“It’s fine. He’s not human,” Qixia said.
“Uh… alright.”
“I’m going to tell you the ‘Echo’ of each person on our team. Memorize it carefully and tell them you’ve detected these scents.”
“Huh?” Zheng Yingxiong didn’t quite understand. “I haven’t smelled anything, but I’m supposed to say I have?”
“Exactly. That’s the first part of the task.”
In a few short sentences, Qixia told Zheng Yingxiong the “Echo” names of Tiantian, Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, Zhang Chenze, and Han Yimo.
“Remember them?”
“Remembered…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “But why do this?”
“As long as you make it sound convincing, they will truly attain their ‘Echo,'” Qixia explained. “There is no ‘Bell’ here. You are the ‘Bell.'”
“I am… the ‘Bell’?”
“Remember, Zheng Yingxiong,” Qixia said. “It’s not that the bell rings when someone triggers their ‘Echo’—it’s that when the bell rings, someone triggers their ‘Echo.'”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yingxiong’s eyes slowly widened, as though he had just heard something unimaginable.
Qixia exhaled in relief. It seemed he had successfully reversed the roles—using a real character to provoke Tiantian into creating a fake one. But that was enough.
No one would care whether the character was real or not, as long as Tiantian believed it was.
Before long, Tian Tian slowly opened her eyes and was astonished to find a “Guard” piece lying on the ground. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The “Guard” looked incredibly refined, almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
“Oh…?” Qi Xia also lowered his head. “Even though I never looked away, I didn’t notice the chain turning into a ‘character.’ It’s as if it was always a ‘character.'”
Hearing this description, Tian Tian felt as though she had truly triggered an “Echo.”
Just like the first time she unleashed an “Echo” in front of Zheng Yingxiong, she had activated it under everyone’s watchful gaze. In that moment, what she created replaced the original object, and to everyone else, it seemed as though nothing had changed—as if things had always been that way.
But this time, the feeling was somewhat strange. It felt like an “Echo,” yet also not quite like one.
Could it be that Qi Xia was putting on an act to deceive her with a real “character”? But where did this “Guard” come from?
Tian Tian quickly realized that Qi Xia had once mentioned that the opponent’s piece should be a “Advisor,” and it was well-protected. Therefore, this “character” couldn’t possibly belong to the opponent—it must have been created by her.
“So it really was me…” Tian Tian murmured. “It’s hard to believe. After all, I don’t even know the internal structure of this ‘character.’ How could I have made a replica?”
Qi Xia nodded upon hearing this. “This shows that your ‘Echo’ has grown stronger than before. That’s why this mission will surely succeed.”
“Alright… I’ll hurry then!” After agreeing, Tian Tian nodded and closed her eyes again.
Qi Xia knew that Tian Tian would be the true “wild card” in this match. He decided not to disturb her further, allowing her to practice her “Echo” as much as possible. He originally intended to enter the “river” from the front but unexpectedly discovered that the room between Tian Tian’s room and the “river” was locked.
Frowning, he sensed something unusual and asked, “Who was in the room ahead of you just now…?”
“It seems… it was Lawyer Zhang?” Tian Tian opened her eyes and replied.
“Lawyer Zhang…?” Qi Xia nodded, then changed his route. After ensuring no one was around, he entered.
He closed the door and began verifying his hypothesis.
His hypothesis was simple: in this space where “Echo” shouldn’t be possible, Xu Liunian was the first to attain it.
Xu Liunian’s intelligence and skills were nothing extraordinary, so the “Echo” had little to do with intellect or technique—it was solely related to “experience.”
As a highly seasoned “Echoer,” Xu Liunian possessed experiences others lacked, which was why she was the first to trigger an “Echo.”
Based on this, Qi Xia quickly realized that triggering an “Echo” wasn’t particularly difficult but required an additional element: “belief.”
Now that he had transferred this extra “belief” to Tian Tian, it was time to verify whether it had taken shape.
Qi Xia pulled out a handful of chains from his pocket.
Just as he expected, parts of the chains had fused together, clumsily forming a “character.”
A “Guard.”
Though it had the rough shape of a “Guard,” half of the chain still dangled down, as if it had only partially melted into the “character,” with the remaining part failing to fuse.
Qi Xia let out a sigh of relief. He felt as though he had reverse-engineered the process—using a real “character” to inspire Tian Tian to create a fake one. But that was enough.
No one cared whether the “character” was real or fake, as long as Tian Tian believed it was real.
He gently shook the fake “Guard,” feeling that it was slightly heavier than a real “character.”
It seemed the real “characters” indeed had mechanisms inside, while the one Tian Tian created was likely solid. Such a solid “character” wouldn’t activate the “Phoenix Book-Presenting Platform” and probably wouldn’t score any points.
Qi Xia pocketed the “character,” thinking it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although anyone holding it could tell it was fake, as long as the enemy never got a close look, it would always remain “real.”
He opened the door and stepped into the “river,” but instead of rushing to the opponent’s side, he moved laterally after confirming no one was there. He opened each of his team’s doors one by one, seemingly searching for someone.
In the leftmost room, Qi Xia found Zheng Yingxiong.
“Hmm…?” Zheng Yingxiong frowned at Qi Xia, his gaze quickly turning cold. “What do you want?”
Seeing Qi Xia enter from the “river,” he was one hundred percent certain this was an imposter—he even planned where to headbutt him.
But Qi Xia shook his head and, taking advantage of Zheng Yingxiong’s distraction, stepped directly into the room.
Zheng Yingxiong turned and fled, pushing the door open and darting into another room.
The two stood facing each other across the doorway, but Zheng Yingxiong felt something was off.
“The door wasn’t locked just now. Come back,” Qi Xia said.
“Eh…?”
Zheng Yingxiong realized the “door” indeed hadn’t been locked, but he found it hard to believe that the Qi Xia who had swaggered in from the “river” was real.
“Shouldn’t you be behind me?” Zheng Yingxiong asked.
“Circumstances have changed,” Qi Xia replied. “I have a new task for you.”
“What task…?” Zheng Yingxiong was taken aback.
Instead of answering, Qi Xia stared at him and asked, “How’s your nose? Has your sense of smell returned?”
Zheng Yingxiong sighed. “No… I thought it would recover over time, but the longer it’s been, the more accustomed I’ve become to the smells here. It’s even harder to detect others’ scents now.”
Qi Xia took another step forward, entering Zheng Yingxiong’s room, and said softly, “Good. Now I’ll tell you the task, but you must promise not to reveal it to anyone else. Even if you die, take it to your grave.”
“Ah…?” Zheng Yingxiong was stunned and pointed in Qinglong’s direction. “What about him…?”
“It’s fine. He’s not human,” Qi Xia said.
“Uh… alright.”
“Right now, I’ll tell you the ‘Echo’ of each person on our team. Memorize it carefully and tell them you’ve detected these scents.”
“Huh?” Zheng Yingxiong didn’t quite understand. “I haven’t smelled anything, but I’m supposed to say I have?”
“Exactly. That’s the first part of the task.”
In a few short sentences, Qi Xia told Zheng Yingxiong the “Echo” names of Tian Tian, Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, Zhang Chenze, and Han Yimo.
“Remember them?”
“I remember…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded. “But why do this?”
“If you make it sound convincing, they will truly attain their ‘Echo,'” Qi Xia explained. “There is no ‘Bell’ here. You are the ‘Bell.'”
“I am… the ‘Bell’?”
“Remember, Zheng Yingxiong,” Qi Xia said. “It’s not that the bell tolls when someone triggers an ‘Echo’—it’s that when the bell tolls, someone triggers an ‘Echo.'”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yingxiong’s eyes slowly widened, as though he had just heard something unimaginable.
This confirmed his suspicion—real characters must contain some kind of mechanism inside, while Tiantian’s creation was likely solid. A solid character wouldn’t activate the “Phoenix Script Platform” or score any points.
Still, Qixia pocketed the fake with a sense of satisfaction. Though a closer inspection would reveal its falseness, as long as the enemy never got the chance to scrutinize it, it would remain “real” in their eyes.
He stepped out into the “river path” but didn’t rush toward the enemy’s side. Instead, after ensuring the path was empty, he moved laterally, opening each of his team’s doors as if searching for someone.
In the leftmost room, he found Zheng Yingxiong.
“Hm…?” Zheng Yingxiong frowned at Qixia, his gaze quickly turning cold. “What do you want?”
Seeing Qixia emerge from the “river path,” he was certain this had to be an impostor—he was already calculating where to aim his headbutt.
But Qixia shook his head and, before Zheng Yingxiong could react, stepped inside.
Zheng Yingxiong immediately bolted, pushing open the door and fleeing into the next room.
The two now stood separated by the doorway, but Zheng Yingxiong hesitated.
“The door wasn’t locked. Come back,” Qixia said.
“Eh…?”
Zheng Yingxiong realized the door was indeed unlocked, but he couldn’t believe that the Qixia who had strolled in from the “river path” was actually real.
“You… weren’t you supposed to be behind me?” he asked.
“Plans changed,” Qixia replied. “I have a new mission for you.”
“What mission…?” Zheng Yingxiong blinked in confusion.
Instead of answering, Qixia studied him and asked, “How’s your nose? Has your sense of smell returned?”
Zheng Yingxiong sighed. “No… I thought it might recover over time, but the longer I stay here, the more accustomed I become to the scents. It’s even harder to detect others now.”
Qixia stepped forward into Zheng Yingxiong’s room and whispered, “Good. Now listen carefully—this mission must remain secret. Even if you die, take it to the grave.”
“Huh…?” Zheng Yingxiong stiffened, then pointed toward Qinglong. “But what about him…?”
“It’s fine. He’s not human,” Qixia said flatly.
“Uh… okay.”
“I’ll now tell you the ‘Echo’ abilities of everyone on our team. Memorize them, then go to each person and claim you’ve smelled their awakened power.”
“What?” Zheng Yingxiong looked baffled. “I haven’t smelled anything, but I’m supposed to say I have?”
“Exactly. That’s the first step of the mission.”
In a few concise sentences, Qixia relayed the “Echo” names of Tiantian, Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, Zhang Chenze, and Han Yimo.
“Got it?”
“Got it…” Zheng Yingxiong nodded slowly. “But why?”
“If you make it convincing, they’ll truly awaken their ‘Echo,'” Qixia explained. “There’s no ‘Bell’ here. **You** are the Bell.”
“I’m… the Bell?”
“Remember this, Zheng Yingxiong,” Qixia said solemnly. “It’s not that the Bell rings when someone awakens their ‘Echo.’ **The Bell rings, and thus, someone awakens.**”
Zheng Yingxiong’s eyes widened as if he had just heard something unfathomable.
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