Xuanwu stared at the strange pattern on the massive screen, his lips twitching slightly as he whispered, “This is…”
“A dream…” Chen Junnan replied, though inwardly, he felt a flicker of unease.
Could this *character* truly defeat *village*?
It wasn’t that he doubted Qi Xia’s reasoning—rather, the character *dream* seemed to skirt the rules.
He could only hope Qinglong wouldn’t pick up on the discrepancy.
“A dream…” Xuanwu stiffened momentarily before murmuring, “*Dream* is good… In a *dream*, anything is possible. Only in a *dream* can one escape the *village*…”
Qi Xia stepped cautiously from behind the screen. The third round had concluded.
Both Qinglong and Qi Xia wore uneasy expressions, as if burdened by unspoken concerns.
Uncharacteristically, neither spoke. They simply stood beside Xuanwu, awaiting her judgment.
Just as Qiao Jiajin was about to speak, Chen Junnan grabbed his arm. Now wasn’t the time for psychological warfare.
Chen Junnan knew Qi Xia had already done all he could.
With Xuanwu as the judge, Qinglong had presented an answer that seemed insurmountable—one rooted in existential obsession, transcending mere physicality.
Under normal circumstances, the game should have been lost. But Qi Xia, ever cunning, had countered with *dream*.
He had exhausted every possibility. Among all conceivable options, only *dream* could make Xuanwu hesitate.
Yet Chen Junnan knew this round differed from the previous ones—because Qi Xia had broken the rules.
If they struck first with psychological tactics, Qinglong might spot the logical flaw and counterattack. The wiser move was to let Qinglong make the first move, then retaliate with logic.
Alternatively—though the odds were slim—there was a chance the game could end with *dream* declared the winner, unchallenged.
Xuanwu, her hair trailing behind her, took a slow step forward.
Between *village* and *dream*, the answer seemed obvious to her.
How could a *village* that trapped her compare to a *dream* of infinite possibilities?
What unsettled her was that no one had stepped forward to argue which character was truly “greater.”
“*Dream* is good…” Xuanwu muttered, tilting the scales in Qi Xia’s favor.
“Wait—” Qinglong finally broke, unable to hold back.
Qi Xia and Chen Junnan turned to him simultaneously, their expressions unreadable.
“Xuanwu,” Qinglong said, “where is *dream*?”
“What…?” she asked.
“You know where *village* is, but do you know where *dream* is?” he pressed.
Chen Junnan’s brow furrowed. Qinglong had pinpointed the flaw in Qi Xia’s argument—things were about to get dangerous.
He glanced discreetly at Qi Xia, only to find his expression eerily calm, his gaze icy as he stared at Qinglong.
“*Dream* is…” Xuanwu murmured. “*Dream* is in…”
Qinglong snatched the slip of paper from her hand, unfolding it before the crowd. “The final rule of this game is ‘the one with the greatest physical footprint wins.’ But *dream* doesn’t exist in reality—how can it *occupy space*?”
The group turned to Qi Xia, expecting a rebuttal. Instead, he remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. “I hadn’t considered that.”
“…?” Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin exchanged glances. Something felt off about Qi Xia’s response.
Was he… *conceding*?
“So… *village* is truly larger?” Xuanwu blinked in confusion. “*Dream* doesn’t exist in the real world—only *village* does. *Village* occupies space, but *dream* doesn’t.”
Qi Xia nodded. “It’s as I suspected. *Dream* wasn’t the right choice.”
“Oh?” Qinglong arched a brow. “So you admit you can’t win this round?”
“Essentially,” Qi Xia agreed. “Your *village* perfectly targeted Xuanwu’s perspective—something I didn’t anticipate. I don’t know her well enough to predict how she’d judge.”
“You could’ve fought back,” Qinglong taunted. “If I were you, I’d have defended *dream* with everything.”
“Really?” Qi Xia replied ambiguously. “Perhaps seeing your *village* broke me. Anything I say now would just sound like desperate excuses.”
“Ha…” Qinglong’s lips curled into a grin. “Qi Xia… Qi Xia… Seeing you like this brings me *indescribable* joy.”
“Like what?”
“Like the look on your face when you admit defeat.”
“But I don’t think I’m showing any expression,” Qi Xia countered coldly. “Besides, I haven’t lost. Even if you win this round, it’s still one-to-one.”
“And what of it?” Qinglong shot back. “I know every *rule* in that box. From now on, I’ll keep targeting Xuanwu’s life, while you… well, who knows?”
“Is that so?” Qi Xia nodded. “You think there’s still plenty of time to break me? You think the score is truly one-to-one? That’s… unexpectedly naive of you.”
“Isn’t it?”
“My mistake was misinterpreting the rules. But you—you *cheated*,” Qi Xia said. “I wonder how Xuanwu judges those who break the rules?”
“You—!” Qinglong stiffened.
“Qinglong, the so-called ‘god,’ is just an overconfident mortal. Then again, if you truly were wise, *this place* wouldn’t have reached its current state.” Qi Xia glanced at the *village* on the screen. “Tell me—what was the order in which you created *village*?”
“A *village* only needs two components. Does order even matter?” Qinglong scoffed.
“Ah, ‘two components’—*wood* and *inch*, right?” Qi Xia nodded. “Such a simple *village*, conjured effortlessly in your hands.”
Qinglong opened his mouth to retort—then froze.
“You call yourself a ‘god,’ so no one dares question your methods. You assume every path to *wood* is valid.” Qi Xia’s gaze never left the screen. “But you have no idea how much effort us ‘mortals’ expend just to assemble that *wood*.”
“Qi Xia, you—”
“Every step we take is cautious—one misstep, and we’re doomed. That’s why we *follow the rules*.”
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