Xingtie: Starting with an in-depth analysis of the Yellow Springs

Bronya: Welt was once the Herrscher of Reason, the former leader of Anti-Entropy, and saved the world from the brink of destruction many times...

[Ling: Wow, Uncle Yang was hiding something! Leader, no wonder he has such a commanding presence.]

[Walter: ...I'm just an ordinary animator.]

[Kainese: This is utterly absurd! We were born of the great Titans, and you, you blasphemous madman… I curse you to be forever condemned to eternal damnation, to be devoured by the behemoth known as the Iron Tomb, and even that will not be enough to vent my anger.]

[Magic trick: Aglaia, can you control this mad dog?]

[Aglaia: That's all negotiable. But you disregarded the lives of the entire city-state's inhabitants just to complete your own experiment. Shouldn't you give an explanation?]

[Magic trick: If you could intervene in my next life, I'd be at your mercy, but for now, we're partners.]

[Abao: Um... I think I can speak for myself.]

[Little Candle: Stop arguing. As members of the Golden Clan, our only targets right now are Rigus and Firewalker. Let's leave everything else to the future.]

[Bai Er: It's still more effective for Caesar to intervene.]

Danheng quickly realized, "To grasp the principles of creation, to make all things perfect from the moment of their birth... Now, Xia is in Ohma, and his goal is..."

Both of them gave the answer at the same time, "--It's Kefaller [Bear the World]!"

Entering that moment in Xia's memory, he was also a student at that time.

"Teacher, the sky we see is fake, right?"

Enbedocles looked up at the simulated starry sky in the laboratory. "Of course, it's fake. It's just a teaching device, an insignificant magic trick."

"Now that day and night are out of order, to help you understand the starry sky, astronomers, through the miracles of the Titans, have exchanged light and projected the nights of the past here..."

"Just as the sky over the holy city is illuminated by the dawn machine of Kefaller."

In that moment of clarity, Xia instantly grasped the teacher's subtext: "Therefore, the sky over Ohmma is also an illusion."

Chapter 386 The Soul Scholar

The teacher smiled kindly at him and shook her head in denial, "You can't judge it like that, Xia. You need to know: only children can unveil the magic trick and be proud of it."

"Often, people are not truly ignorant, but must pretend to be ignorant."

That summer didn't understand. "This is self-deception. The people believe in the creation myth of Kephale, and they believe whatever the priests say. But you and I, we have awakened from the cave of ignorance."

He became more and more excited as he spoke, feeling no need to hide anything from his teacher and speaking freely.

“We’ve realized we live in a world governed by rules woven by Titans, a world filled with the stars they’ve cast. Instead of watching over this false eternal night, why can’t I be the one operating the projector?”

That single eye was incredibly bright at that moment, so bright that it made the teacher temporarily avoid its sharp edge.

“My child, so much time has passed since you planted the seed of doubt in me.” The teacher stood with one hand behind his back, leaving him with a broad silhouette. “I have recorded my inferences and wild ideas day and night, only to burn them all when I wake up.”

"Why?" Xia spread her hands and asked stubbornly, "Just because it will send you and me to the burning at the stake?"

Death... he was never afraid of it from beginning to end.

The teacher, with his gray hair, slowly closed his eyes. "As a sage of the Worship School, my roots are already connected to the giant tree. Every move I make will affect every branch and leaf of it, and may even shake the tree itself."

"However, most importantly: as a dying man, I can only speculate about golden blood and soul through intuition, and cannot put it into practice. The golden bloodline in my body is so thin that I am unwilling to think about conjectures that I am powerless to prove."

At that moment, Xia walked up to her teacher and pounded her chest. "But I can do it, teacher! The time is ripe. Give me everything I need, and I will lead you to accomplish this supreme and magnificent feat."

The teacher stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder twice, smiling, "Of course, that's exactly what I was thinking. At the next meeting of wise men, I will do my best to fight for your rightful entitlement."

"Go, prepare to establish your own school of thought—"

"Go and find out what we really are, and become the ones who conquer the ultimate truth of the world."

[Hu Tao: That summer's teacher belongs to the Worship School! Didn't we say before that this school is the most devout group of people?]

[Bai Er: I was shocked for a long time when I learned of this, but my teacher's wisdom is enough to move any scholar.]

[Walter: A relationship that was both teacher and friend.]

[Star: A crazy teacher and a crazy student. From now on, I'll have to be extra careful when dealing with smart people.]

[Fireworks: Heh, with your cunning... I'd pay you a thousand, and you still couldn't outsmart me.]

[Magic Technique: Teacher...]

[Fu Xuan: What exactly are we? This question haunted Na Ke Xia throughout his life. No wonder he was almost fanatical in his pursuit of truth. But isn't the essence of Onpharos just data?]

[Jing Yuan: Fu Qing, the answer is more than that. Tracing back to the root of the problem, they are asking: What is the purpose of life?]

[Zhongli: Perhaps the answer to this question is the root that the ancients sought.]

[Doctor Truth: You have a great teacher, who holds a high position but is not limited by outdated traditions, and is willing to give everything to pave the way for you. What time lacks is not truth, but people who seek it.]

[Magic trick: Yes, I'm so glad I met my teacher.]

Return to the summit of Dawn Cloud Cliff.

Sersis watched that summer's retreating figure, "So, Son of Man..."

"You went to great lengths just to gain a glimpse of light from the gods... surely it wasn't just to question the deities?"

"Hmph, not bad." His sharp eyes seemed to pierce through the Titan before him.

"If I were a foolish and ignorant earth beast, faced with such power, I might have crawled on all fours on the ground, hoping that the gods would give me divine instructions. Unfortunately, I am a human being who walks upright on two legs and possesses wisdom and dignity."

“Heh…” Sersis clearly didn’t believe it. “Excuse my bluntness: in the face of such a disparity in power, what difference is there between humans and earth beasts?”

“You should have heard the story of the Stikosians: faced with the surging, invading sea, they did not sit idly by, but instead built dikes to withstand the raging waves, putting shackles on the mad Fagina [the ocean].

As Naksha narrated, the scene unfolded into a somber city-state, enveloped by withered trees and vines, with a bright moon hanging high in the sky, pouring down its light. Nothing but deathly silence… utter stillness.

He turned around. "Cerseis, people call me a blasphemer. But that doesn't mean I deny the existence of divinity; it's just that, in my view—"

"Titans are nothing more than unconquered forces by humankind."

Sersis asked in confusion, "Oh? Since you intend to possess power comparable to the Titans, then according to the oracle, you shall take on the trial."

"Ha, merely mastering the power of the Titans is far too superficial." At that moment, Xia declared with great ambition, "What I want to master is the law of the root of life, the essence of the soul—what are we really?"

"Thanks to you, I have personally verified through various signs that death is the end of the soul. But where there is death, there is life; where there is an end, there is a beginning—"

"How is the soul born? — In my calculation, only one unknown remains."

Serhith: "Judging from your tone, you must have some suspicions, right?"

"...No, the conclusion has already been reached. I saw the answer with my own eyes during my journey to death just now."

[Bai Er: The teacher already knows the truth. The journey to death... was it an exchange between Calypso, Gnaeus, and that girl? The answer lies within.]

[Aglaia: Butterfly... Now it's your turn to embark on the journey to seek the fire. If I'm not mistaken, the process of seeking answers cannot avoid death.]

[Xia Die: Lady Aglaia, I am ready. I am willing to give everything to fuel the flames.]

[Star: @Firefly, didn't you say we'd enter Onpharos in three days? It's been five or six days already.]

[Firefly: Star Baby, I'm in trouble, wait for me.]

[Black Swan: I have some bad news. Onfaros has been invaded by a large number of Memory Ents, and their target is March 7th.]

[Long Night Moon: Interesting, do you think I haven't killed enough people?]

Himeko: Who are you?

[Laigushi: Coveting the memories of the fallen Star God, Onpharos has welcomed a third party. Two geniuses, can we please stop this meaningless contest?]

[Screwgoom: I'm sorry, Lord Ragus.]

[Black Tower: One Onpharos has wasted so much of my time, I won't give up so easily. I'm determined to protect them.]

[Star: Lady Black Tower, you are our goddess! Love you...sending love.]

Chapter 387 Witnessing the Truth

"At that moment, Teacher Xia..."

A girl dressed in a purple dress walked over. "I've arrived. Lord Xing's life is in imminent danger. Please do not do anything unnecessary."

Xia said, "Of course, I will make the final decision and give you the answer you want."

"But according to the principle of equivalent exchange, I must also ask you for what I need."

Upon hearing this, Xia Die remained silent for a moment. She was willing to make sacrifices for Xing. "...I agree to the exchange."

"Aren't you even going to ask what the price will be?"

She shook her head. "It concerns the truth about the Death Titan and Xing's life... This may be the only chance I have in my life to save a life, and I have no reason to hesitate."

Since that's the case, then Kexia turned to look at Kefal again, "Alright, then... let the show begin."

“Wait a minute,” Sersis suddenly spoke up. “Excuse me, are you planning to prove both the location of Cenatos and what we really are?”

He tilted his head slightly. "First, I must admit that I have been trapped in a cognitive trap all along."

"On the surface, these two propositions seem unrelated; however, they are logically equivalent, merely two descriptions of the essence of the soul."

"Secondly, why do I say this? As I just explained, the answer lies in that journey to death."

What? Xia Die unconsciously clenched her fists. "Teacher, you... went to the underworld?"

“That’s right, because I’m now a living dead. But that’s not important. What’s important is—I overheard a conversation between a group of heroes.”

At that moment, Xia looked at it with burning eyes, "And not only that... Remember, Cesis? I also saw you participating in that conversation."

Serhith emphasized, "But as I said, I have never had such a memory. It was even a hallucination you conjured up before you died."

“That’s right, you don’t remember—” he had the truth, “because that wasn’t you at all, but Calypso, one of the Seven Sages from Treehouse.”

“…Calypso?” Xia Die lowered her head in thought.

Serhis paused, "Isn't that a pseudonym I made up in front of this girl? How did you know?"

"The Seven Sages are even more of a joke. If they were truly sages who had found refuge under my shade, I would have been able to detect them. Don't you also know the past of the Tree Garden like the back of your hand?"

Xia sighed softly, "It seems you've even forgotten the memories imprinted on your soul."

"Use your brain and think about it: since all of this happened in the realm of the dead, then they must all be the appearance of someone's soul from the past."

"The living could never have entered this world, so who are they? Especially Calypso, whom I just mentioned, why does he have the same face as you, Sersis, yet the latter has no recollection of anyone?"

"I think the answer is already obvious—"

His gaze swept over the two men. "Those fallen heroes were the Titans in their pre-godhood form. The gods were not creations born out of thin air, but beings no different from humans, and evolved from them."

The amount of information was so enormous that even Cecilia took a long time to process it.

Seeing that it remained unmoved, Xia asked, "What, is this answer disappointing you?"

"Of course, isn't that the same as saying nothing at all? If I am truly a son of man, then where do you sons come from?"

At this moment, Xia Die also raised a question, "Moreover, even if that is indeed the case... it is still very far from where Cenastos is. How are we going to find it?"

"Ha, I knew you'd all say that..."

He would use his remaining eyes to witness Onphalus's greatest truth, and turned to invite him, "I am confident. Why not ask the supreme god before us to tell us everything?"

[Star: Congratulations to Teacher Xia for obtaining the Fragment of the Truth of Onpharos! You're so cool! I also want to become a genius who stands out from the crowd.]

[Black Tower: You...maybe it's really true.]

[Aglaia: The problem that has plagued Onphalus for a thousand years has been solved by a blasphemous scholar. The scholars of the Tree Garden must be losing sleep over it.]

Bennett: Knowledge is power, and I must also strive to learn about adventure.

[Bai E: So death is the key to the answer. Wan Di, don't you experience death all the time? Why can't you do it like the teacher?]

[Wan Di: Hmph, if you're so capable, go experience it twice.]

[Bai E: Haha, just kidding. I was just trying to lighten the mood.]

[Xia Die: How can I prove my teacher's answer? Lord Xing, could you spend these last few days talking to me?]

[Star: No problem, I'd love to.]

[Fou: That's strange. Even if it's related to reincarnation, it's unlikely that the title of Tree Garden Sage has never changed.]

[Feng Jin: Perhaps the pursuit of fire is a journey of constant repetition, making the same choices time and time again, without regret until death.]

[Qiqi: My name is Qiqi, and I'm a zombie.]

[Fireworks: That Time Summer: Hello, I'm a living dead.]