Qin Ze's hand stopped on the door.
My agitated mind was a complete mess.
He was like a paramecium that had stopped thinking.
He wouldn't even listen to what the Heavenly King and his clones said.
All they see are doors.
It became a ruthless door-pushing machine.
His good friend Miss Sword Case's voice seemed to have a magical power, restoring a sliver of clarity to his eyes.
Qin Ze resisted the urge to push the door open and asked, "Why?"
Brother Devour a sigh of relief and finally stepped on the brakes.
Qin Ze's strange mental state was clearly related to his constant pushing of the door.
If this continues, Qin Ze might drive himself insane before the final boss even appears.
Fortunately, my best friend came through at the crucial moment.
Miss Sword Case released a Daydream Seed and planted it on Qin Ze's head.
A faint white fluorescence gently enveloped him.
For a moment, Qin Ze felt as if he were being massaged by a dozen young girls' hands.
As his agitated mood gradually calmed down, Qin Ze was finally able to use his head to think.
Seeing this, Miss Sword Case became even more certain of her guess, and she said very seriously, "We're in a dream."
Qin Ze asked in surprise, "You can dream too?"
If it were just a dream, Qin Ze could understand.
After all, he is still Flesh and Blood, a cellular organism.
It's quite unbelievable that Miss Sword Case, the "goddess of dreams in Ancient Greece," also dreams.
Miss Sword Case replied, "That's right, she has a very strong control over dreams, but she's still a little bit inferior to me."
Qin Ze smiled as he reconsidered, "Then how did you end up in a dream too?"
Miss Sword Case then said, "I was careless," and "I didn't expect anyone to have a control over dreams that rivals hers," and so on.
If the art style were changed to anime, Miss Sword Case would definitely have two blushes on her cheeks right now.
Qin Ze stopped joking. "This dream was just the opening of a door?"
He still didn't understand the meaning of this dream.
They opened dozens of doors but encountered no battle.
There were only doors and stairs; it seemed as if the only purpose was to trap him there.
Miss Sword Case said solemnly, "With each flight of stairs we ascend, we enter another layer of the dream."
"A downward staircase represents a deep dream."
"The upward staircase is just a surface dream."
Qin Ze asked Brother Devour, "Do you remember how many upward doors we opened?"
Brother Devour replied, "Six up, fifty-six down."
Qin Ze murmured, "We're in the fiftieth layer of the dream."
Miss Sword Case replied, "That's right, it's the fiftieth layer of the dream, which is already a very deep level of dream."
Qin Ze carefully examined the four doors in the room.
Based on the probability of encountering upward stairs along this route, there's likely only one door out of the four that leads upwards.
Some of the rooms even had doors that faced downwards.
Miss Sword Case continued, "The deeper one sinks, the harder it is to wake up from the dream."
"If you reach the deepest part of your dream, without external help, you will never be able to wake up."
"Moreover, the mental anguish during dreams is excruciating, worse than death."
Qin Ze finally understood where his previous agitation came from.
Compared to the initial test of physical and mental strength during the apple-picking challenge, this stage is entirely a gamble.
If it were Magician, he probably wouldn't be able to open a single door upwards; he'd be fast asleep by now.
Qin Ze frowned. "This is what you call a trial?"
Trials are usually designed to test and refine a particular aspect of one's abilities.
Picking apples could barely be considered a trial.
What kind of trial is pushing open the door?
Unless you keep pushing the door upwards, without a helpful reminder like Miss Sword Case, you'd never wake up.
Qin Ze even felt that these doors could be changed up or down at any time.
The four doors in the first layer of the dream might all be facing downwards.
This round isn't a trial at all; it's an attempt to trap him here and kill him.
Qin Ze said calmly, "No wonder the success rate of leaving the Oracle Holy Temple is so low."
It's already quite remarkable that the clan chief survived.
Zi Yue cleared the Holy Temple before even becoming Advanced Martial Artist; even the Xiao family's sons were no better.
Qin Ze asked, "So, is it possible for us to wake up now?"
Miss Sword Case, brimming with confidence, straightened up and said, "Perhaps the deepest layer of the dream would be a bit more challenging."
"Now, it's a piece of cake!"
It's a pity Miss Sword Case doesn't have hands, otherwise she would definitely be standing with her hands on her hips right now.
Immediately afterwards, Miss Sword Case released another Daydream Seed.
This seed is much larger than usual.
Miss Sword Case flew to Qin Ze: "Are you ready?"
"It might hurt a lot at first, but it will feel better later."
Qin Ze smirked. "Ready? You can hit me harder."
Miss Sword Case tossed the Daydream Seed high into the air.
"Detonate all the Daydream Bomb!"
boom--
With a loud bang, the Daydream Seed, like a sun falling to earth, instantly emitted a dazzling white light.
The room, illuminated by the light, began to melt rapidly from the top.
Qin Ze's mind went blank for a moment.
It was as if an S-class alien beast was chewing his head like gum.
It hurts, it hurts so much!
The instant the room completely melted away, an identical room fell, trapping a person and a Sword Case case inside.
Miss Sword Case threw out another Daydream Bomb, instantly blowing up another room, and Qin Ze's head was chewed up by the monster once again.
Boom boom boom boom--
Miss Sword Case kept releasing Daydream Bomb, one after another, as they fell on the rooms.
In the blink of an eye, he blasted through more than thirty layers and arrived at the middle and surface layers of the dream world, and Qin Ze's head no longer hurt so much.
Miss Sword Case asked, "Are you feeling better now? If you're still in pain, I can go slower."
Qin Ze shook his head. "Please be sure to increase the intensity."
He never wanted to see that damn door again.
Upon hearing this, Miss Sword Case increased her attack speed and unleashed a devastating barrage.
The moment the initial room was blown apart, Qin Ze, who was under the apple tree, opened his eyes.
Miss Sword Case flew up beside him with a "whoosh".
That's all?
"If you're so capable, don't try to ambush me!"
"Trying to pull this stunt on me is like someone showing off their swordsmanship or trying to teach a fish to swim!"
Miss Sword Case kept flying around, attacking at point-blank range and taunting relentlessly.
However, due to limited cultural knowledge, many of his statements were nonsensical.
Qin Ze shook his head and stood up from under the tree. "Shouldn't the trial be over by now?"
The unseen whispers around them began again.
"Huh? He beat the game again!"
"Even if you say you'll go, it won't work!"
"The box next to him was faulty; it shattered the dream I had created."
"Who will go with him?"
"I don't want to!"
"Since it's the box's power, that doesn't count. Let's try again."
"That's right, the box doesn't count."
Who's coming this time?
"..."
Hearing the whispers, Qin Ze's face darkened.
"Is this never going to end?"
"If I don't say anything, they'll think I'm easy to bully."
"What level do you think you are to dare test me?"
After saying that, golden divine light gradually flowed out from the corner of Qin Ze's eyes.