As the Earth Dragon turned around and pushed open the wooden door, Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu discovered a space as pitch-black as the one they were in.
Though both inside and outside the door were equally dark, they could distinctly sense that the door led somewhere else entirely.
Whispers echoed from within—evidently, all the previously selected participants were gathered there, a total of twelve people.
The Earth Dragon stepped inside first, but Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu didn’t follow immediately, instead watching her retreating figure intently.
“Qi Xia… why did you join this game?” Chu Tianqiu asked softly.
“Wasn’t it arranged by the ‘Azure Dragon’?” Qi Xia countered.
“At this point… there’s no need to lie to me anymore,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Let me guess—did you come here looking for these ‘doors’?”
“No…” Qi Xia replied. “Though it’s related to the ‘doors,’ my ultimate goal isn’t them.”
“So you’ve long known about the strangeness of this place…” Chu Tianqiu mused.
“Isn’t that thanks to you?” Qi Xia said.
“Me…?”
“Yes.” Qi Xia nodded. “Forgotten? The first time I participated in the ‘Human-Dragon’ game, it was your setup—you made us turn on each other. But I really should thank you, because from that moment on, I had a bold hypothesis.”
“Ha…” Chu Tianqiu smirked darkly. “So that’s it… The ‘answer’ to this world truly lies within the games… It really is the ‘Dragons’? Had I known, I should’ve taken the lead and immersed myself in the games more.”
“In that game… we entered a bizarre space through different ‘doors,'” Qi Xia explained. “Not only that—others could reach the same space through other ‘doors.’ That proves the ‘doors’ aren’t the main focus—it’s the ‘spaces’ that matter.”
“So have you deciphered the meaning behind these ‘doors’?” Chu Tianqiu pressed.
Qi Xia took a deep breath. “Chu Tianqiu… all I can say is that the so-called ‘train’ is merely something shaped like a ‘train.’ If you break it down, its true form is countless ‘doors’ that allow ‘travel.'”
“What…?” Chu Tianqiu stiffened. “You’re saying there’s no ‘train,’ just ‘doors’…?”
“If you open your bedroom door and step into the bathroom, then walk a few steps and open the bathroom door to find the kitchen and living room, wouldn’t you naturally assume the house is rectangular?”
Chu Tianqiu frowned. “Isn’t it?”
“But if someone tampered with the ‘doors,’ making them lead to other spaces, your perception would shift. If they forcibly linked unrelated rooms together, people moving through them would only describe it as a ‘hallway’ or a ‘train’ based on their senses. In reality, it’s just countless unconnected spaces stitched together.”
Chu Tianqiu was no fool—within those few sentences, he grasped Qi Xia’s meaning.
As Earth Dragon turned and opened the wooden door, Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu discovered a space just as pitch-black as the one they were in.
Though both sides of the door were shrouded in darkness, they could distinctly sense that the door led somewhere else.
Whispers echoed from within—it seemed all those selected earlier were gathered here, twelve in total.
Earth Dragon stepped inside first. Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu didn’t follow immediately, instead watching her retreating figure.
“Qi Xia… why did you join this game?” Chu Tianqiu asked softly.
“Wasn’t it arranged by ‘Azure Dragon’?” Qi Xia countered.
“At this point… there’s no need to keep lying to me,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Let me guess—was your goal to find these ‘doors’?”
“No…” Qi Xia replied. “Though it’s related to the ‘doors,’ my ultimate aim isn’t the ‘doors’ themselves.”
“So you’ve long known about the strangeness of this place…” Chu Tianqiu remarked.
“Isn’t that thanks to you?” Qi Xia said.
“Me…?”
“Yes.” Qi Xia nodded. “Forgotten? The first time I took part in the ‘Human-Dragon’ game, it was your setup. You made us turn on each other… But I really should thank you. Because from that moment, I began to form a bold hypothesis.”
“Ha…” Chu Tianqiu smirked. “So that’s it… The ‘answer’ to this world truly lies within the games… It really is the ‘Dragons’? If I’d known, I should’ve taken the lead and immersed myself more in the games.”
“In that game… we entered a strange space through different ‘doors,’” Qi Xia explained. “Not only that… others could reach the same space through other ‘doors.’ That can only mean the ‘doors’ aren’t the main focus—the ‘spaces’ are.”
“So have you deciphered the meaning of these ‘doors’?” Chu Tianqiu pressed.
Qi Xia took a deep breath. “Chu Tianqiu… all I can say is that the so-called ‘train’ is merely something shaped like a train. If you break it down, its true form is countless ‘doors’ capable of ‘shuttling.’”
“What…?” Chu Tianqiu was stunned. “You’re saying there is no ‘train,’ only ‘doors’…?”
“If you push open your bedroom door and find yourself in the bathroom, take a few steps forward, push open the bathroom door, and end up in the kitchen or living room, you’d naturally assume the house is rectangular, right?”
Chu Tianqiu frowned. “Isn’t it?”
“But if someone tampered with the ‘doors,’ making them lead to other spaces, it would warp your perception. If they forcibly connected rooms that weren’t originally linked, people moving through would only rely on their senses to describe it as a ‘long corridor’ or a ‘train.’ In reality, it’s just countless disjointed spaces pieced together.”
Chu Tianqiu was no ordinary person—within a few sentences, he began to grasp Qi Xia’s meaning.
“But the instability of that ‘door’ earlier…” Chu Tianqiu still had a major doubt, especially after Qi Xia wrote the character “Yu.” “Could it lead to some space beyond reality…?”
“No.” Qi Xia denied it. “You’re overthinking it. It can only take us to spaces that truly exist.”
“That ‘door’ seemed almost insane…” Chu Tianqiu’s voice grew quieter. “Are you sure what’s on the other side really exists?”
“Of course.” Qi Xia nodded meaningfully. “A space you can reach just by opening a door—how is that not real?”
Chu Tianqiu fell silent, his expression serious as he continued to ponder.
Based on Earth Dragon’s reaction earlier… whatever was beyond that “door” couldn’t exactly be called “real.” Earth Dragon frequented the eerie “Land of the End” daily—what world could possibly be more terrifying than this, enough to startle even her?
“Right now, all the ‘doors’ are stable,” Qi Xia said. “They’re as steady as a ‘train,’ with long corridors and countless fragmented spaces. But think about it—how could a place like this possibly contain a behemoth spanning over ten miles…?”
“Qi Xia…” Chu Tianqiu lowered his voice and leaned closer. “You already know so much… Aren’t you worried ‘Azure Dragon’ might hear?”
“Hear…?” Qi Xia shook his head. “My guess is… ‘Azure Dragon’ can’t hear anything here.”
“What…?”
“If ‘Azure Dragon’ could really hear, then when I wrote the character ‘Yu’ earlier, it wouldn’t have been ‘Earth Dragon’ who stopped me.” Qi Xia’s expression was grave. “Besides, I tested it earlier—‘Azure Dragon’ insisted on coming to watch our game in person, which further proves that unless he’s physically present, he can’t know what’s happening here.”
“And based on that, you boldly assume ‘Azure Dragon’ can’t hear anything here?”
“But this hypothesis still needs verification.” Qi Xia said. “Let’s go. Face me with your full strength.”
The two followed Earth Dragon through the door and found themselves in yet another vast, dark space.
The first thing they saw was a large plaza. The ground here wasn’t dark—instead, it was paved with white tiles. In the distance stood massive white walls, roughly seven or eight meters tall.
The team members selected by the two stood in small groups here and there. Since Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu weren’t entirely hostile toward each other, the people they’d chosen weren’t mortal enemies either.
Qiao Jiajin was chatting with Zhang Shan, arms slung over each other’s shoulders. Han Yimo and Dr. Zhao were whispering about something, while Chen Junnan kept talking to a visibly exasperated Xu Liunian.
Zheng Yingxiong kept his hand over his nose, and Tiantian was beside him, asking concerned questions.
If not for the fact that this was a “Earth Dragon game,” anyone would’ve mistaken it for a gathering of old friends.
As Earth Dragon and the two emerged, the crowd gradually quieted down and began to gather around.
“You two… next is the ‘inspection,’” Earth Dragon said. “If you confirm your teams are ready, I’ll take you to the game arena separately.”
“Separately?” Qi Xia asked. “Aren’t we all participating in this game together?”
“Yes.” Earth Dragon nodded. “But the only time all of you will stand together is now. What follows is a ‘team versus team’ match.”
The expressions in the crowd varied. Some were here because they trusted their “general,” while others never expected their “general” to choose them at all.
“That’s fine,” Qi Xia said. “Let everyone have some time to talk among themselves.”
“As you wish.” Earth Dragon said. “In five minutes, I’ll take everyone to the arena.”
The moment the words were spoken, the place erupted into chatter.
“No.” Qi Xia denied. “You’re overthinking it. It can only take us to spaces that truly exist.”
“That ‘door’ looked like it had gone mad…” Chu Tianqiu’s voice grew quieter. “Are you sure what’s on the other side is real?”
“Of course.” Qi Xia nodded meaningfully. “A space you can reach just by opening a door—how is that not real?”
Chu Tianqiu fell silent, his expression grave as he continued pondering.
Judging by the Earth Dragon’s reaction earlier… whatever lay beyond that door could hardly be called “real.” The Earth Dragon spent her days lurking in the eerie “Land of the End”—was there really a world more terrifying than this that could unsettle her?
“Right now, all the ‘doors’ are stable,” Qi Xia said. “They’re as steady as a ‘train,’ with long corridors and countless fragmented spaces. But think about it—how could a place like this possibly contain a behemoth stretching miles long…?”
“Qi Xia…” Chu Tianqiu lowered his voice, leaning closer. “You’ve figured this much out… Aren’t you worried the ‘Azure Dragon’ might hear?”
“Hear…?” Qi Xia shook his head. “Based on my guess… the ‘Azure Dragon’ can’t hear anything here.”
“What…?”
As Earth Dragon turned and opened the wooden door, Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu discovered a space just as pitch-black as the one they were in.
Though both sides of the door were shrouded in darkness, they could distinctly sense that the door led somewhere else entirely.
Whispers echoed from within—it seemed all those selected earlier were gathered here, twelve in total.
Earth Dragon stepped through first. Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu didn’t immediately follow, instead watching her retreating figure.
“Qi Xia… why did you join this game?” Chu Tianqiu asked softly.
“Wasn’t it arranged by ‘Qinglong’?” Qi Xia retorted.
“At this point… there’s no need to keep lying to me,” Chu Tianqiu said. “Let me guess—are you here to find these ‘doors’?”
“No…” Qi Xia replied. “Though it involves the ‘doors,’ my ultimate goal isn’t the ‘doors’ themselves.”
“So you’ve long known about the strangeness of this place…” Chu Tianqiu remarked.
“Isn’t that thanks to you?” Qi Xia said.
“Me…?”
“Yes.” Qi Xia nodded. “Forgotten? The first time I took part in the ‘Human-Dragon’ game, it was your setup. You made us turn on each other… but I really should thank you. Because from that moment on, I began to form a bold hypothesis.”
“Ha…” Chu Tianqiu smirked darkly. “So that’s it… The ‘answer’ to this world truly lies within the games… It really is the ‘Dragons’? If I’d known, I should’ve taken the lead and immersed myself more in the games.”
“In that game… we entered a strange space through different ‘doors,’” Qi Xia explained. “Not only that… others could reach the same space through other ‘doors.’ This can only mean the ‘doors’ aren’t the main focus—the ‘spaces’ are.”
“So have you deciphered the meaning of these ‘doors’?” Chu Tianqiu pressed.
Qi Xia took a deep breath. “Chu Tianqiu… all I can say is that the so-called ‘train’ is merely something shaped like a train. If you break it down, its true form is countless ‘doors’ capable of ‘shuttling.’”
“What…?” Chu Tianqiu was stunned. “You’re saying there is no ‘train,’ only ‘doors’…?”
“If you push open your bedroom door and find yourself in the bathroom, take a few steps forward, push open the bathroom door, and end up in the kitchen or living room, you’d naturally assume the house is rectangular, right?”
Chu Tianqiu frowned. “Isn’t it?”
“But if someone tampered with the ‘doors,’ making them lead to other spaces, it would warp your perception. If they forcibly connected rooms that weren’t originally linked, people moving through would only rely on their senses to describe it as a ‘long corridor’ or a ‘train.’ In reality, it’s just countless disjointed spaces pieced together.”
Chu Tianqiu was no ordinary person; in just a few sentences, he began to grasp Qi Xia’s meaning.
“But the instability of that ‘door’ earlier…” Chu Tianqiu still had a major doubt, especially after Qi Xia wrote the character “Yu.” “Could it lead to some space beyond reality…?”
“No.” Qi Xia denied it. “You’re overthinking it. It can only take us to spaces that truly exist.”
“That ‘door’ seemed almost insane…” Chu Tianqiu’s voice grew quieter. “Are you sure what’s on the other side really exists?”
“Of course.” Qi Xia nodded meaningfully. “A space you can reach just by opening a door—how is that not real?”
Chu Tianqiu fell silent, his expression serious as he continued pondering.
Based on Earth Dragon’s reaction earlier… whatever was beyond that door couldn’t exactly be called “real.” Earth Dragon frequented the eerie “Land of the End” daily—was there a world even more terrifying than this that could startle her?
“All the ‘doors’ are stable now,” Qi Xia said. “They’re as steady as a ‘train,’ with long corridors and countless fragmented spaces. But think about it—how could a place like this accommodate a behemoth spanning miles…?”
“Qi Xia…” Chu Tianqiu lowered his voice and leaned closer. “You’ve figured this much out… Aren’t you worried ‘Qinglong’ might hear?”
“Hear…?” Qi Xia shook his head. “My guess is… ‘Qinglong’ can’t hear anything here.”
“What…?”
“If ‘Qinglong’ could really hear, it wouldn’t have been ‘Earth Dragon’ who stopped me when I wrote the character ‘Yu.’” Qi Xia reasoned solemnly. “Besides, I tested it earlier. ‘Qinglong’ insisted on coming to watch our game in person, which further proves that unless he’s physically present, he can’t know what’s happening here.”
“And based on that, you boldly assume ‘Qinglong’ can’t hear anything here?”
“But this hypothesis still needs verification,” Qi Xia said. “Let’s go. Give me your strongest game.”
The two followed Earth Dragon through the door and found themselves in yet another vast, dark space.
The first thing that caught their eye was a large plaza. The ground here wasn’t dark—instead, it was paved with white tiles. In the distance stood massive white walls, roughly seven or eight meters tall.
The team members selected by the two stood in small groups. Since Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu weren’t entirely敌对, their chosen members weren’t sworn enemies either.
Qiao Jiajin was chatting casually with Zhang Shan, Han Yimo and Dr. Zhao were whispering about something, and Chen Junnan kept talking to a visibly exasperated Xu Liunian.
Zheng Yingxiong covered his nose with his hand, while Tiantian asked him concerned questions.
If not for the fact that this was an “Earth Dragon game,” anyone would’ve mistaken it for a gathering of old friends.
As Earth Dragon and the two emerged, the crowd quieted down and gradually gathered around.
“You two… next is the ‘inspection,’” Earth Dragon said. “If you confirm your teams are ready, I’ll take you to the game arena separately.”
“Separately?” Qi Xia asked. “Aren’t we all participating together in this game?”
“Yes.” Earth Dragon nodded. “But this is the only time all of you will be together. After this, it’ll be ‘team versus team.’”
The expressions in the crowd varied. Some were here because they trusted their “general,” while others never expected their “general” to choose them at all.
“That’s fine,” Qi Xia said. “Let everyone have some time to talk among themselves.”
“As you wish,” Earth Dragon replied. “In five minutes, I’ll take everyone to the arena.”
The moment the words were spoken, the place erupted into chatter.
“So you’re boldly assuming the ‘Azure Dragon’ can’t hear anything here just based on that?”
“But this hypothesis still needs verification,” Qi Xia said. “Let’s go—give me your best in this match.”
The two followed the Earth Dragon through the door, stepping into yet another vast, pitch-black space.
The first thing they saw was a large plaza. Unlike the darkness outside, the ground here was paved with white tiles, and towering white walls, roughly seven or eight meters high, loomed in the distance.
The teammates they had “selected” earlier stood in small groups. Since Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu weren’t outright enemies, their chosen members weren’t sworn foes either.
Qiao Jiajin chatted casually with Zhang Shan, arms slung over each other’s shoulders. Han Yimo whispered something to Dr. Zhao, while Chen Junnan pulled aside a visibly exasperated Xu Liunian, talking incessantly.
Zheng Yingxiong kept a hand over his nose, with Tian Tian hovering beside him, asking concerned questions.
If not for the fact that this was the “Earth Dragon’s game,” anyone would’ve mistaken it for a reunion of old friends.
As the Earth Dragon and the two men emerged, the crowd fell silent before gathering around them.
“Gentlemen… next is the ‘troop inspection,'” the Earth Dragon announced. “If you confirm your teams are ready, I’ll escort you to the game grounds separately.”
“Separately?” Qi Xia asked. “Won’t we be participating in this game together?”
“Yes.” The Earth Dragon nodded. “But this is the only time all of you will stand together. After this, it’ll be ‘team versus team.'”
The expressions among the crowd varied. Some stood there out of faith in their “commanders,” while others never imagined they’d be chosen at all.
“That’s fine too,” Qi Xia said. “Let everyone have some time to talk among themselves.”
“Go ahead,” the Earth Dragon permitted. “In five minutes, I’ll take you to the grounds.”
The moment she finished speaking, the crowd erupted into chatter.
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