Xu Yuan had actually long since set winning and losing aside. To him, victory or defeat no longer held any real meaning.
Moreover, Xu Yuan understood things as clearly as looking into a mirror. He knew full well that Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM had an almost obsessive fixation on power.
Even though Xu Yuan himself had also relied on steady, step-by-step accumulation, putting one foot in front of the other, to gradually obtain powerful strength and ultimately grow to his current level…
There was an undeniable fact, ever since Xu Yuan rose to prominence, he had firmly occupied the very peak of combat power in the current world.
Because of this, no matter what kind of matters he handled, he could do so with ease, relatively speaking far more effortlessly.
This kind of power granted Xu Yuan unparalleled authority and decision-making power, allowing him to have the final say in many situations.
By comparison, Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM were not the absolute pinnacle of combat power in their respective worlds, and naturally could not act as freely or be as invincible as Xu Yuan.
Therefore, before taking action, they often had to think things through carefully, repeatedly weighing many factors such as their own strength and capabilities.
Precisely because Xu Yuan knew the various concrete situations of the worlds that Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM each came from, he clearly understood where their deep-rooted, bone-deep obsession with power truly originated.
One had to know that every person's environment and experiences differed greatly, and the pressures they faced and the challenges that followed one after another were likewise completely different.
Thinking back to his former self, before he had grown strong enough to stand on his own, he too had chased after power with the same hunger and thirst.
It was only after his own strength steadily improved and he gradually became stronger that he finally woke as if from a dream and began to comprehend the deeper truths hidden behind many things.
Because of this, Xu Yuan felt there was absolutely no need to waste words arguing anything with Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM.
That was because the two of them were merely groping their way forward along the same path he himself had once walked.
Fortunately, under Xu Yuan's guidance, the way Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM thought had already undergone earth-shaking changes.
Once they successfully obtained the powerful strength they had long dreamed of, they would be able to calm their minds, settle down, and think carefully, gaining insight into many things.
Thus, for Xu Yuan, whether it was his own original intention or that of the true HIM, whether it was the starting point or the final goal, in reality, all of it had already been fulfilled as wished.
At this moment, among Tyrant HIM, Annoying Village HIM, and Xu Yuan, no matter which party ultimately obtained that unimaginably powerful and mysterious force, to Xu Yuan, it had already lost any substantive difference.
After all, the ultimate goal of the three of them was exactly the same, they all earnestly hoped that the entire world would move toward peace and stability.
Moreover, their core ideas were also highly aligned. They all hoped to properly resolve the many deep-seated dilemmas of the current world by avoiding the extreme method of war.
Although the three of them differed significantly in temperament, disposition, and personality traits, fundamentally speaking, there was actually not much essential difference between them.
Because no matter which one of them happened to obtain that power, the way they solved problems would be astonishingly similar.
Since the ending was already decided, then who would control this power naturally no longer seemed all that crucial.
It was precisely for all these reasons that Xu Yuan resolutely chose to withdraw from the trial on his own initiative.
One had to know that Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM had already formed a cooperative relationship.
Once Xu Yuan withdrew, as long as they could continue to maintain and deepen this cooperation, the entire trial would soon come to a perfect conclusion.
However, as for who would ultimately obtain that powerful force, this eye-catching key question would likely have to be left to that lofty, unfathomable true HIM to make the final judgment.
This undoubtedly counted as a thorny problem that Xu Yuan had deliberately set for the true HIM. After all, it had been the true HIM who summoned Xu Yuan here in the first place and generously bestowed upon him the identity of HIM.
After that, without giving him any choice, he had pulled him into this mysterious and unfathomable trial ground, with the purpose of having Xu Yuan solve those problems that even he himself could do nothing about.
Along the way, Xu Yuan had indeed experienced remarkable growth and transformation.
He had fully immersed himself in this different, fantastical alternative life, gaining countless precious experiences and insights.
However, despite how, on the surface, every choice Xu Yuan made in this process appeared free and autonomous, in reality, it was as if an invisible hand had always been manipulating everything from behind, that being the script written in advance by the true HIM.
Although the specific development of events might not have been entirely written by the true HIM, the overall direction and framework of the story had long been under the true HIM's control.
And precisely because of this, a bold thought arose in Xu Yuan's mind, he wanted to turn the tables and set a problem for the true HIM instead.
The emergence of this idea marked yet another major transformation for Xu Yuan.
In the past, he had merely passively accepted and carried out the various tasks assigned by the true HIM.
But now, he had already seen through the true HIM's way of thinking. Not only that, he had even begun trying to assign tasks to this mysterious and powerful existence.
This meant that Xu Yuan's status had already changed. His current identity was completely different from when he had first entered the trial grounds.
He was no longer HIM, no longer someone chosen by HIM, but himself.
This also indicated that he had already broken free from the plot framework written by the true HIM, and that the road ahead would be controlled by Xu Yuan himself.
Of course, all of this had to be built on the premise that Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM cooperated.
If Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM saw Xu Yuan withdraw and then changed their way of thinking, wanting to resolve problems through combat again, then all of Xu Yuan's efforts would have been for nothing.
———
At this moment, when Xu Yuan's words reached the ears of Tyrant HIM and Annoying Village HIM, the two of them seemed as if they had been struck by a bolt of lightning, standing there dumbfounded, their faces filled with disbelief.
Tyrant HIM vigorously shook his head, suspecting that he might have heard things wrong.
He widened his eyes, stared fixedly at Xu Yuan, and urgently questioned him.
"What did you say?! You're withdrawing?!!"
Annoying Village HIM, standing to the side, was equally shocked, his eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.
Annoying Village HIM's emotions were usually very stable, but at this moment, even he could no longer remain calm.
"Even I know that the Void has always regarded you as a mortal enemy. If you don't obtain the power to confront the Void and just leave the trial like this…"
"Have you thought about what the consequences will be?!"
"As far as I know, the majority of living beings in this world have placed their hopes on you…"