"What is happening? Why are my memories resurfacing? Does it have some sort of relevance to my current predicament?"
"Gaze beyond the moon"
"Worldly matters"
"Seeking transcendence"
"Did I say such things? It feels too unfamiliar to me. As for the hypothesized prophecy, this is my current assessment."
The origin of the paper traces back to Bai Sheng's master—Bai Feng—who died under mysterious circumstances.
This object was his collected manuscript from some experience he had.
The five prodigies emerged during his time. The experience Bai Feng had must have spread around, enticing Xuan Ren and Yin Ren. However, they did not act while Bai Feng was still alive, because he was far too powerful.
One day, he passed away, and the paper in his possession was lost.
He did not give it to Bai Sheng, because there is no plausible evidence that showcases his intimate connection with it, aside from it only being a cherished item of his master. Thus, it was lost. However, Bai Sheng—trying to keep up appearances—lied about his possession of it, enticing a conflict between the five prodigies.
Tian Li must have been friends with Bai Sheng through the connection between their fathers. After hearing that Bai Sheng was in possession of it, the group split in half, with Xuan Ren and Yin Ren going against Ru Ming—who was Bai Sheng's close friend—and Bai Sheng himself. Tian Li remained neutral during this time due to his responsibilities as the young master and his general disinterest.
Thereafter, they captured Ru Ming and used him as bait to catch Bai Sheng off guard, killing two birds with one stone.
Bai Sheng was not in possession of the paper and only revealed this while being chased by Xuan Ren. After their deaths, they must have come to the conclusion that it had been sent somewhere not passive, such as the competition. The conflict went on for a long time, with Xuan Ren and Yin Ren appearing here to kill and loot under the guise of searching for the paper.
Based on the timing of the sequences, Tian Li appears during the end, where Bai Sheng and Ru Ming die, and Tian Li also subsequently confronted me—meaning that they were both killed just prior to the competition. However, the sequence also shows Tian Li appearing during their deaths, but he cannot have two temporal parts, because he was present during the competition.
The prophecy occurs structurally the same. It must be expectations rather than a prediction. However, since Tian Li died, who appeared during Bai Sheng and Ru Ming's deaths in place of Tian Li, while under the presumption of being him?
It can't be!
Wu Qiong inwardly rejected this thought, but suddenly his heart dropped—it made sense.
"Tian Xue was Tian Li's brother. Although they were not twins, it does not mean, appearance-wise, they cannot be compatible. As for the prophecy, it may recognize the Tian bloodline rather than the individual himself. Think of it: if Tian Xue, under the guise of being Tian Li, plays out the latter's role, then the prophecy will go on as regular, rendering no changes."
Tian Xue appeared right when the host announced the competition suddenly—he must not have been present yet. Where else could he have been?
That's right—the forest!
Wu Qiong felt a strange pain in his heart and clutched his chest again. The thought of the kind and thoughtful Tian Xue doing such a thing felt preposterous. He had a rather close connection with Tian Xue—one could say he looked up to him. The pain in his heart intensified.
He recalled the time when Tian Xue reached out his hand under the blazing sun, an umbrella in his right hand.
His kindhearted nature and the laughter that seemed hard to forget—although Wu Qiong tried to reject it and convince himself it wasn't true, as the saying goes:
"The more one thinks about not thinking about something, the more likely it is they will think about it."
"I distracted Xuan Ren back then earlier. He must have already realized that he had been deceived and that I am in possession of it. Although he has no complete confirmation—does it matter? If he found me, I would still be killed off."
Wu Qiong pondered, trying to account for both Xuan Ren and Yin Ren.
He was planning on killing them both!
"This is a cruel world. If I allow others to trample on me, then my options will be limited. I must go against anyone who tries to harm me—even if it's the two prodigies, and most importantly…"
Wu Qiong stopped for a moment before muttering:
"Tian Xue."
He had a complex relationship with him. Wu Qiong held some regard for him, and the thought of hurting Tian Xue—albeit being far weaker than him—felt painful. He could not bare the thought of Tian Xue's involvement, thus Wu Qiong's thoughts were conflicting.
"As for the paper, I must solve it! No matter the cost, I must see what has caused so much anguish and conflict."
"Look at yourself, the world, and the unknown.
The inconceivable truth bears weight where it should not.
For the forbidden knowledge, a glimpse into the eye of the abyss.
For the truthful lies, a glimpse into the eye of the beholder…
the non-transmutable…
the irrefutable…
the insane…
the unyielding…"
"Now that I read it in solitude, I realize how difficult it truly is!!"
It had been about a week since he entered the competition. Currently, he was sitting down and pondering in silence.
Hours went by as Wu Qiong kept analyzing, trying to find even the smallest details to deduce. Even though it was not a good idea, his body was in a bad state. Although he had time to recover, he also needed to fulfill his physiological needs. With no water, he consumed snow directly. As for food, he had some dried bread in his bag.
"Damn it! Why can't I understand it? Am I looking at it from the wrong perspective?"
"Wait! The prophecy and the paper must be correlated to each other. Why didn't I think of it that way?"
"The first part of the text describes three sets of truths:
Oneself, the world, and the unknown.
The world can be understood in comparison to the individual, or the individual to the world. Then there is the unknown, which is the mystery of essentially all that we know, encompassing oneself and the world.
This is affirmed by the second line, which says the inconceivable truth bears weight where it should not. This means a set of truths too large or complex to understand, pressing someone mentally and leading to potential insanity.
The third line affirms the second by positing that truth may sometimes be unbearable to know, or dangerous—forbidden knowledge not meant for people to try to understand, and thereafter staring directly at the abyss, which is nothingness or another side of reality beyond our scope of comprehension.
The fourth line draws a contrast to the third. A truthful lie is something that is not objectively factual but feels necessary to believe, and thus "in the eye of the beholder." Truth can be shaped by perspective and how we view the world according to personal virtues and values, not directly the world itself—such as feeding oneself lies intentionally because it helps one function. It is a necessity, or it could lead to insanity when exposed to a truth. These two lines show two sides of truth itself.
As for the four descriptors:
The non-transmutable — unchanging
The irrefutable — unable to argue against
The insane — disorderly, irrational, self contradictory
The unyielding — something that perseveres and never bends
Then there's a fifth… "
Wu Qiong's thoughts drifted as he suddenly recalled his memories again.
"Wu Qiong, why do you want to pursue something that may not exist, something beyond what we can see? Is there not more comfort in living this life thoroughly?" Xing'Er asked.
Wu Qiong smiled and looked at Xing'Er.
"When all else is lost, what is the one thing which cannot be erased, Xing'Er?"
He pointed at her heart, the sky, and beyond the moon.
"When all else is lost, hope may remain, Wu Qiong."
Wu Qiong held her hand and said:
"Hope can fail. It is the wish for an alternate future, but how can things go the way we want them to? I can hope for wealth, but it will not arrive. I can hope for longevity, yet I will die as a fragile old man. I can hope for you to stay by my side forever—but the world moves on. There's an underlying force that precedes hope."
Xing'Er replied, "What is it?"
"It is something that can and must exist, because without it we are nothing. Hope may provide comfort or illusory visions, but can hope allow you to face reality and overcome the very constraints imposed on you?"
Wu Qiong muttered:
"The will to power."
"The will to power perfectly aligns with everything in the poem. It is unchanging, because one cannot not acknowledge it.
It is irrefutable and cannot be argued against, because the very act of doing so is an expression of it.
It is insanity beyond the traditional sense and manifests as an irrational or sometimes destructive nature—the will to act regardless of circumstances, it is a driving force of life itself.
And the unyielding, which is the relentless pursuit and never-ending nature of striving.
Wu Qiong's body was engulfed in flames again, as he had to solve it thoroughly to its extent.
"Damn it! Is there a limit to how long I can possess it before it ends my life? It has to be solved."
The first line expresses three truths: the individual, the world, and the unknown. The will to power must exist in the individual as personal traits or consciousness, and in the world through nature and how we view it from the individual—or the other way around.
The second line says that facts, such as life inevitably ending, must be reconciled with, and should not be something that causes distress because the truth itself has no power—it is a fact. However, it "bears weight" on humans, sometimes too crushing. What is left despite this?
The will to power.
The third line postulates that there is no objective meaning, and searching for it leads to the abyss, because it is a terrifying realization that nothing is factual—you are then staring into the void of existence itself. The abyss symbolizes something devoid of all structure and order, and once someone sees this, it is that knowledge which is described as forbidden, because we are not meant to come to such a realization.
Wu Qiong's body burned even more rapidly, his mind in chaos.
The fourth line means that when there are no objective meanings, it is in the eye of the beholder—thus it has to be created.
What remains when everything else seems lost?
This is the will to power. It is everywhere.
Wu Qiong was struck by a force so crushing it nearly stole his consciousness. He collapsed face-down onto the ground, his body frozen. His eyes sank into an endless void—no light returned, only a depthless black.
At last, he understood what had truly destroyed Bai Feng. It may have been suicide, but the true cause lay deeper—he could not withstand that realization. After the nightmare, the pressure became unbearable, driving him into mental collapse until he ended his life, unable to survive the pain.
But Wu Qiong—was he someone like Bai Feng? What did Bai Feng do when he felt all else was lost?He hoped, again and again—but did it save him?
For Wu Qiong, when all else was lost, what truly remained was his will—no matter how small—but the intention to exist, to dare to exist.
Although one's heart could carry hope, it is not in its purest form. It is the wish for something to change for their reality, yet they do not possess the will to shape that very future.
When confronted with death, hope became a means to look towards God or for a miracle, but when we ask ourselves truly, who else can be responsible for their own life; if not themselves?
We must illuminate our hearts with not only hope but the willingness to carry that hope, because only then is it overcoming.
In front of his eyes, he saw a light-blue flower gradually sprout from the ground, blossoming. The light was so intense that even in Wu Qiong's pitch-black eyes, it illuminated. This was an expression of life and the will to grow and nurture—to dare to live in an environment even unfitting for itself: the crushing winter.
Wu Qiong muttered:
"I choose to live."