Eldritch Horror Theatre

Is this... complete enlightenment after going blind?

The Sun Apostle, who by all logic should have launched a furious counterattack, was actually heaping praise on the hunter who had destroyed their eyes. The contrast was truly astounding.

Though Fu Qian had to admit he'd heard of similar plotlines before.

Losing one's martial arts only to achieve the Dao, being unable to see oneself yet seeing one's true self clearly... these were classic twists.

"Dropping it is for the sake of truly picking it up... You did very well, and I should thank you."

The high praise continued, as the Sun Apostle even began to analyze A Fei's previous actions.

And from Fu Qian's perspective, the analysis was flawless.

That's right, setting it down was to truly pick it up... A Fei's inconsistent battle results just now obviously couldn't be explained by something as simple as a desperate struggle.

Roaring a couple of times while covered in wounds and instantly slaying the Demon King with a single strike might be sufficiently hot-blooded, but a true swordsman should absolutely never emulate it.

If one could win just by getting hot-blooded and risking it all, why bother adding the motion of dropping the sword to the ground?

Therefore, Fu Qian shared the Sun Apostle's view: A Fei had dropped it on purpose.

It wasn't that he couldn't hold on, but that he realized he had never "truly grasped" that sword.

And the process of picking the sword back up was a process of correction.

In short, A Fei firmly believed that his sword was not dull; he simply didn't know how to use it yet.

And through this method, he had genuinely completed his training on the line between life and death.

As someone well-versed in the Unity of Body and Sword, Fu Qian found it incredibly easy to empathize with this.

But it was quite astonishing that the Sun Apostle, who clearly walked the path of faith, could actually share this sentiment.

Even though the person in question didn't seem to register the praise.

Amid his heavy panting, A Fei's eyes were completely glazed over, as if his body were awake but his mind had already gone to sleep.

"Heh, just like that... Go and recognize your true self."

The Sun Apostle seemed not only entirely unbothered, but even highly gratified.

Hmm...

After offering that soft instruction, the Sun Apostle finally turned toward Fu Qian.

Although the Apostle theoretically couldn't see anything, without a word being spoken, Fu Qian still felt a sense of provocation.

In this posture, a mass of colors too brilliant to describe spread out from the Sun Apostle's palm.

It shrouded the surroundings, isolating Fu Qian on the outside.

...

This blatant?

Though nothing was said, the message was clear. Fu Qian had no trouble grasping the meaning of the change before his eyes—

Having suffered heavy wounds, the Sun Apostle was using this brief moment of respite to incite the hunter's defection.

They had even specifically set up a barrier to prevent his interference.

Honestly, all of this fell under human nature. With everything clear at a glance, Fu Qian didn't even feel any dissatisfaction.

What surprised him was the color of the barrier—was Excellency Blazing Rainbow dropping the act?

[Color guards this place, color imprisons this place]

This was a description that had once appeared in the mission named prismatic color.

And in a series of subsequent dealings, that being had displayed similar methods multiple times, to the point that Fu Qian treated it as a distinct mark.

So after seemingly being recognized earlier, they were simply no longer hiding their identity?

It made logical sense, and their actions were certainly of a deceptive and fraudulent nature, but he still felt it was a bit too brazen...

Given the circumstances, Fu Qian didn't force any awkward conversation.

To avoid startling them, he only extended a single finger to touch that brilliance—

It wasn't just a visual effect; it was genuinely repelling him.

Even so, he quickly came to a conclusion.

It wasn't as simple and crude as "King of the Abandoned Prison Prohibited from Entry," but more like "Someone this overpowered is not allowed to exist here."

In just a split second, a curse already seemed to be festering on the finger that had touched it.

In contrast, the two relatively weaker individuals inside the barrier appeared to be receiving a healing effect.

It wasn't too obvious on the Sun Apostle, but the wounds on the dazed A Fei were being soothed at a visible rate.

The only flaw was that the curse spreading across his entire body hadn't shown any obvious signs of fading yet, leaving one to wonder if he would ever wake up—Hoo!

As if sensing Fu Qian's critique, A Fei's heavy breathing suddenly drew out into a long breath, and then he slowly opened his eyes, staring in this direction.

Although his gaze was still unfocused.

...

Quite efficient. Had he "recognized his true self"?

The speed at which the hunter woke up made even Fu Qian click his tongue in wonder.

After all, roughly calculating, the shield hadn't even been deployed for ten seconds. It had passed in the blink of an eye—

Was it possible that it literally took the blink of an eye, and the process in between was roughly equal to zero?

Even as he made the comparison, Fu Qian vaguely thought of an explanation.

Wasn't Etched Intellect precisely that—no matter how much time passed in the middle, it would return to the starting point when it ended?

A dream within a dream, Depth 4?

Was his situation just now akin to starting another round within the current spacetime fallacy? Did Excellency Blazing Rainbow know how to do this, too?

Marveling at this particular deduction, Fu Qian wasn't even in a rush to converse with A Fei.

"You aren't a researcher here?"

Unfortunately, the latter was very proactive. In the next moment, he stared at Fu Qian and pointed straight to the crux of the matter.

...

Flawless indeed, though it didn't seem like he had recognized his true self—he had recognized someone else's, right?

After a round of enlightenment, A Fei's words were astonishingly sharp, directly questioning the receptionist's origins.

So much so that, his internal critique aside, Fu Qian grew even more curious about what A Fei had just experienced.

"No, but I am indeed a researcher."

Besides, considering the hunter had made quite a few contributions along the way, Fu Qian didn't give him the cold shoulder. He honestly confirmed the statement, not forgetting to emphasize his own identity as an intellectual.

Unfortunately, it seemed that professional titles weren't very transferable between the two research institutions. Before his voice faded, a sharp sword tip had already arrived.

And incredibly, it was as if all the light was concentrated on that single point at the tip, prompting Fu Qian to stretch out a finger and flick it gently.

Hum—

Amid the strange humming, it felt as though destruction with nowhere to vent was surging across the blade. A Fei's lethal strike was repelled without success.

But how could the pawn favored by the King of the Abandoned Prison be so simple?

In just a brief moment, A Fei's control over the Rapier had become as natural as moving his own arm.

As the sword tip returned like lightning, one could almost feel him guiding the momentum, deliberately harnessing the surging energy within to multiply its power.

Hiss—

Instead of flicking it away again, Fu Qian chose to catch it with his palm this time, and nodded.

It truly had multiplied.

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