Falsehood and Reality, Reason and Madness

Within Eastsea Academy, it was already late at night. Yun Luo had just come out of the cafeteria.

Several classmates from his class greeted him with smiles. After replying to them, he wandered toward the dormitories in a daze.

His steps felt light, and a voice in his mind kept telling him that he should not go back. He should head to the academy's training room instead.

Yun Luo did not understand where this urge had come from, but subconsciously, he could not refuse it.

With a somewhat vacant look in his eyes, he slowly made his way toward the training room.

What he did not notice was that Wu Zhangkong stood behind him, his eyes full of confusion.

Wu Zhangkong had noticed something was wrong with Yun Luo the moment he came out.

But he did not know what had happened, so he could only follow behind his roommate.

When he saw Yun Luo head for the training room rather than return directly to the faculty apartments after eating, he became even more puzzled.

What Wu Zhangkong also failed to notice was the academy gate some distance behind him.

Chen Ye and Gu Yue had already quietly climbed over a nearby railing and slipped inside.

Gu Yue glanced at Chen Ye, then immediately dashed toward the cafeteria without pausing.

Chen Ye remained where he was, and another Chen Ye appeared beside him.

As Chen Ye's true body chased after Gu Yue, the newly appeared Chen Ye wore a strange smile.

He held a pure white mask in his hand and put it over his face.

Then, he looked directly at Wu Zhangkong and calmly took a step forward.

The moment that step fell, the surrounding scene changed completely in an instant.

The school buildings and athletic field vanished abruptly, replaced by a still lake.

Wu Zhangkong suddenly stopped walking. One second ago, he had been at the academy, with his roommate and friend Yun Luo ahead of him.

The next second, all he could see was a tranquil, rippleless lake.

Wu Zhangkong furrowed his brows deeply. As soon as he turned his head, he saw the figure wearing a white mask.

It was impossible to tell whether the figure was male or female. They stood around five foot seven, with a rather slight build.

Most bizarrely, they also had long pale-blue hair.

Wu Zhangkong looked at this person, whose clothes and every other detail gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

There was no wariness in his eyes, only terrifying killing intent.

Wu Zhangkong had already guessed that something might happen to Yun Luo, though he did not know the exact reason.

But now that this person had pulled him into such a strange space, there was clearly a problem.

Sensing the killing intent in Wu Zhangkong's eyes, the figure calmly stepped forward.

"No ice element may be used here." As her words fell, the Frost Sword had just appeared in Wu Zhangkong's hand when the frost condensing over it abruptly dissipated.

Wu Zhangkong froze for an instant when he felt the frost on his Frost Sword vanish.

But it lasted only an instant. He gripped the Frost Sword and charged straight at the figure.

"Third Soul Skill, Sky Frost Slash!" There was a trace of resolve in Wu Zhangkong's voice.

As he rushed at the figure with his sword in hand, a terrifying blade aura flashed out, though no frost appeared upon it.

The figure remained where she was, watching him with interest. She allowed Wu Zhangkong to approach and slash directly into her body.

Yet when the blade struck her, no blood spilled. Only countless scraps of paper burst apart and scattered through the air.

At that moment, the figure stood silently in the air, white scales appearing across her body.

Her pale golden eyes watched Wu Zhangkong quietly through the gaps in her mask.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Frost Ice Language." The figure's voice was soft, and even her words were almost exactly the same as Wu Zhangkong's.

As her voice fell, a Frost Sword suddenly appeared in the figure's hand.

The instant she grasped it, the sword transformed into an enormous greatsword and slashed down fiercely from the sky.

A flash of horror and astonishment appeared in Wu Zhangkong's eyes before they gradually hardened.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Frost Ice Language."

The same greatsword, the same attack—except one came down from above, while the other rose from below.

The terrifying attacks collided, and the two conjured giant swords shattered at once.

Wu Zhangkong was abruptly blown backward by the violent gusts. He held the Frost Sword in his hand as six soul rings descended around him, yet his eyes were filled with confusion.

He looked at the figure in the air. She stood there calmly and raised her hand again.

"No martial soul may be used here."

The figure's voice was soft, carrying a chilly quality that felt extremely familiar to him.

As the figure's words fell, the Frost Sword in Wu Zhangkong's hand suddenly disappeared.

He stood rooted to the spot, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

"Who are you? How did you make my martial soul disappear? That's impossible! How could you possibly make my martial soul disappear!"

"Who are you... Answer me. Who exactly are you?"

There was rare anger in Wu Zhangkong's voice, but there was even more trembling and fear.

He did not know why he had suddenly arrived in such a completely unfamiliar place, much less how he was supposed to return.

What truly frightened him was that the other person's build, voice, and even movements all felt incomparably familiar.

Only that pure white mask prevented him from seeing their face.

When he thought of his own suspicions and thoughts, of that nearly terrifying and absurd sense of familiarity, fear welled up within him.

Facing Wu Zhangkong's gaze, the figure merely shook her head.

Wu Zhangkong was very strong, but his spiritual power was ultimately somewhat weak.

He would be able to realize that he had fallen into a dream, though it might take some time.

And Chen Ye only needed that time, because his goal was not to kill Wu Zhangkong.

It was to make him despair, to make him experience a despair he could not accept.

Of course, this was not needed for any ritual. It was merely the unique twisted amusement of "Chen Ye."

In reality, Chen Ye stood there calmly. He raised his foot and slowly walked to Wu Zhangkong's side.

He stood shoulder to shoulder with Wu Zhangkong. The training room lay before them, and Yun Luo had already slowly opened its door.

Yun Luo's eyes were filled with confusion, but even more than that, there was a strange madness in them.

The moment he pushed open the training room door, he saw a boy slowly walking toward the entrance.

Their gazes met. There was a trace of confusion in Yun Xiao's eyes.

He did not know this teacher, yet the teacher's gaze was locked firmly onto him.

Just as Yun Xiao was feeling lost, the last trace of reason in the other man's eyes seemed to vanish completely, leaving behind nothing but madness.

A pitch-black longsword suddenly appeared in his hand, wreathed in blazing black flames.

At the same time, four soul rings lit up around him. Without the slightest hesitation, he charged straight at Yun Xiao.