"Actually, I lied to you back then. Those people weren't from countless races; they all shared one identity, which is—you!"
"Or rather, different versions of you."
Xu fell into the deepest state of reminiscence, murmuring like a dream, "We originally ca from Earth. Due to an accident, we crossed into another universe."
"The technology there was incredibly advanced, millions of tis more so than Earth's!"
"We lived there uneasily because our consciousness couldn't keep up with the form of society, living every day in constant fear."
"Until one day, a faction of scientists suddenly went mad and detonated an interstellar-level weapon, the Emotion Oscillator."
"Do you know what that thing is equivalent to?"
"In a way you can understand, it's equivalent to the power of hundreds of billions of nuclear bombs indiscriminately bombarding Earth at the sa ti, enough to completely annihilate that civilization."
"However, even in such a situation, a few survivors managed to hide inside the Matrix."
"Oh, the Matrix was equivalent to Noah's Ark on Earth, originally intended to preserve a part of civilization's fire during a crisis of extinction."
"We were incredibly lucky to be chosen as part of the fire and sent into the Matrix for protection."
"The Matrix was sent to wander the stars. We thought everything would go in a positive direction, hoping to find a new suitable colony, and one day, revive the civilization."
"But... we overlooked... no, underestimated the power of the Emotion Oscillator."
"After killing or driving mad most people, their consciousnesses rged under the influence of the oscillator, forming a spiritual storm that swept across the universe."
"Wherever this spiritual storm goes, all life perishes, their spiritual power is absorbed by the storm and used for its own."
"Sotis, for so reason, the spiritual storm infects certain creatures, turning them into extrely twisted monsters."
"These monsters are called—Twisted Creatures."
"Unlike the spiritual storm, Twisted Creatures can be killed, and sowhere in their bodies lies a crystal, brimming with intense spiritual energy."
"This spiritual energy can be absorbed to enhance the absorber's own spiritual power."
"We were thrilled to discover that powerful spiritual power could resist the spiritual storm, sotis even diminish it slightly."
"But... unfortunately, the limit for enhancing spiritual power is very limited. No matter the race, the enhancent ceiling is fixed, and beyond a certain point, it can't be increased further."
"No matter how many crystals you absorb, it's useless."
"Later, we began researching thods to increase the limit of spiritual power strength."
"Many years passed without any progress."
"To continue researching ways to combat the spiritual storm, so people transferred their consciousness into machines, living on in chanical forms."
"Later, others believed we couldn't sit idly by and decided to accept more races into the Matrix."
"Perhaps by pooling ideas, we could find a way to combat the spiritual storm."
"However, before we could find a thod, those races started fighting among themselves. We had no choice but to section off an area, establishing countless small rooms within it, letting them undergo tests step by step."
"Only those of upright character could pass through that area, entering the Outer City first."
"Those of poor character had their entry to the Outer City delayed, or if they beca so ruthless as to even kill their kin, they were thrown into the Wilderness to live or die on their own."
"Over ti, the rules within the Matrix were gradually improved, truly serving as a foundation for trials."
At this point, Xu laughed self-deprecatingly, "This was thanks to us being gaming enthusiasts before we crossed over, providing many useful ideas when establishing the rules of the Matrix, resulting in it becoming more and more like a survival ga."
"Later on... many things happened, but I can no longer rember them."
"Until that day, we had a dispute. He advocated selecting the strongest warriors using the Matrix, encouraging new races to fight each other, with the strongest sent to the frontline against the spiritual storm and Twisted Creatures."
"But I disagreed. My view was to maintain the current situation steadily, and one day, we would find a way to combat the spiritual storm."
"We couldn't reach a consensus, so he split with a knife, exiling to this void."
Upon hearing this, Li Zheng was astonished.
It turns out that when Xu said he and Terminal were two sides of the sa coin, this was indeed the case. However, at the ti, he didn't tell the whole truth and instead lied, saying he was a life born in the Dark Realm.
"Do you rember the first Lamp Holder?"
Xu, perceiving Li Zheng's shocked emotion, smiled nonchalantly, "Actually, he was also you and , only that after I and him split, it was the first session of Matrix survival. I don't know if he missed , as he didn't make the first clone entirely in his image, instead resembling greatly."
"I got along well with that Lamp Holder. He didn't understand anything, thought it was all a survival ga, and even created a tool to bring people into the Dark Realm."
"Thinking back now, he was naively funny." Xu couldn't help but shake his head, "If he hadn't been so naive, maybe he wouldn't have died later..."
Died?
Li Zheng paused for a mont, then realized that the Matrix trial at that ti was surely conducted under Terminal's guidance, with mutual killing extrely chaotic.
Soone inherently kind in such an environnt wouldn't survive long; it was only a matter of ti before self-destruction.
Just like Li Chun, who, lacking vigilance, was almost successfully assassinated by Lin Feng.
"Since then, almost every session has included a version of you, possibly due to the outco of the first Lamp Holder which influenced the routine, with extre malice being introduced in subsequent trials. Hard-hearted, decisive in killing, covered entirely in intense blood qi."
"I really disliked them, so I hid away, avoiding them, researching ways to combat the spiritual storm on my own."
"Fortune truly favors the prepared mind. After years of research, I finally found the answer!"
Xu raised his head, looking at the magnificent colors in the sky, a hint of satisfaction on his face.
"I succeeded!"
"Indeed, only spiritual power can counter the spiritual storm! And the changes brought by condensing nodes to spiritual power are our ultimate weapon against the spiritual storm!"
"I..."
Xu's expression froze because finding this thod was thanks to Terminal splitting him and casting him into this place.
Otherwise, confined within a body, he would never have discovered this thod.
"Sotis..."
"I really can't tell, between the two of us, who's right and who's wrong..."
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