Chapter 32

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Chapter 32: [Dream Illusion]

Though the little butterfly merely fluttered its wings, Zhuang Mian felt as though she could hear its tone of amazed wonder.

“Even in another world, those who can achieve this level are exceedingly rare. Those testers have no idea what a true dream is.

“Remember, a dream is the freest stage of all. If you can’t see your truest self here, what’s the point?

“Your performance is remarkable; you’ve fully revealed your true self, even aspects you didn’t know existed.

“And this world, in its operation, lacks sufficient flexibility; for instance, no one cares about your gender or anything of that sort…”

Zhuang Mian didn’t fully grasp what the little butterfly was saying, but she instinctively continued to listen.

“Alright, since you’ve achieved the perfect ending, you must believe in the potential you possess.

“This is you, and that over there is also you; there’s no doubt about it.

“Accept this blessing, and then return.”

Zhuang Mian seemed to recall something and asked just before the pink butterfly faded away:

“Is this a dream?”

A light, non-mocking laugh echoed in the void,

“Who can say for certain?”

In the next instant, the little butterfly vanished completely, and the consciousness of Observer Zhuang Mian returned to the new emperor at the High Platform of Abdication.

The two intertwined personalities, separated for years, reunited, and everything seemed to have shifted.

Then, the entire world silently crumbled.

—

In the Clinic, Lin Qingliu, who hadn’t stayed up late in quite some time, waited quietly by the bedside, ready to confirm her condition the moment she awakened.

If the precious seedling he had finally bestowed a blessing upon were to perish due to severe injuries right then and there, it would be a significant loss for Lin Qingliu.

As Lin Qingliu idly read the newspaper, he suddenly felt a brief moment of disorientation.

This fleeting daze lasted even shorter than a blink; had it not been for the enhanced senses granted by his [Flesh and Blood] ability, he might not have noticed this subtle change at all.

At the same time, a pale golden notification appeared before him:

【【Bestow a Blessing】has been activated

Believer Zhuang Mian has awakened

Current Level: One

Current Path (Unique): 【Dream Illusion】

Manifested Ability: 【Chaos】】

【Triggered feedback effect of 【Bestow a Blessing】, you have gained a new ability

Path: 【Dream Illusion】

Abilities: 【Chaos】, 【Clarity】

【Chaos: Consciousness can enter dreams within a ten-meter radius, but the dreamer must be in deep sleep or a similar state.】

【Clarity: The ability to forcibly enter dreams of targets within a fifteen-meter radius while they remain conscious in the dream, but the dreamer has no memory of the entry point.】

“So this is the path…”

Leaning back in his chair, Lin Qingliu pondered:

“The compatibility of this instance with her shouldn’t be particularly high, right…”

With the awakening of a new path, Lin Qingliu felt as if he had gained some strange abilities. At this late hour, he could almost sense the plump man across the street snoring, imagining what kind of sweet dream he was having.

Yet, a surreal feeling soon enveloped the entire small clinic in a thin mist.

It was the overflow of abilities from the bestowed one before awakening!

Lin Qingliu squinted his eyes, and a faint glow appeared in his gaze. The abilities from the 【Artifact】 path had already activated.

However, what he saw this time was slightly different from when he previously used his ability. Instead of information being directly infused into his mind, it transformed into floating words enclosed in parentheses, swirling drunkenly around the described target.

Table (like new), chair (like new), bed (like new after refurbishment), Zhuang Mian (seems nearly dead)…

In an instant, nearly a hundred twisting, writhing phrases filled Lin Qingliu’s vision…

The activation of the 【Artifact】 ability didn’t normalize the dream; rather, it became even stranger.

As expected, the collision of different path abilities indeed produced unpredictable effects. Lin Qingliu silently noted this in his mind, already planning to develop new combination abilities.

Yet, such impact was nothing compared to the recently acquired 【Clarity】 ability, which was enough to keep his reason in this low-level Dream Illusion exactly like the real world; it was just…

Others might not be so lucky.

“Mom… I’ve killed a lot of people…”

As Lin Qingliu stepped out of the examination room, he immediately spotted El sitting at the front desk, wiping away tears. Seeing this scene made Lin Qingliu feel a touch of sadness. This child was still only in his teens; although he looked quite mature, it was entirely reasonable for him to weep in a completely defenseless dream.

Needless to say, the instigator of all this was, of course, Zhuang Mian, who had successfully awakened her abilities but had yet to awaken from deep sleep.

After several rounds of nurturing his seedlings, Lin Qingliu had found that each believer awakened by him would initially experience some ability overflow. Once the supernatural phenomena around them gradually calmed down, his seedlings would wake up.

He sat down on another chair at the front desk, gently patted the crying boy’s head, and began to wait for the dream’s end.

At that moment, Lin Qingliu could have disrupted the dream that Zhuang Mian subconsciously created, but he felt that using a higher-level force to interfere might affect the growth of his seedlings…

So five more minutes passed. Watching the twisting, writhing little phrases gradually return to their respective objects, Lin Qingliu knew the dream was about to end.

—

Lin Qingliu opened his eyes and found himself still seated in the clinic’s reclining chair, holding a newspaper that had stopped on the “Outer City News” section.

Outside, El seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, and through a wall, Lin Qingliu could hear the rhythmic sound of his breathing.

Seeing Zhuang Mian’s eyes beginning to roll around, Lin Qingliu got up, folded the newspaper, and straightened his appearance. Underneath his remarkable demeanor and expression control, Doctor Lin quickly transformed into the “Preacher.”

“What is this…?”

Zhuang Mian opened her eyes from her deep slumber, and before she could imagine her life as an emperor, her weakened body and sharp pain pulled her back to reality.

In that moment, she completely understood why she had split into two personalities before merging back in that world; it was to synchronize the time between the two worlds.

Otherwise, if her memories of ascending the throne dominated, the current Zhuang Mian would be sitting up, calling the palace guards to capture the rebels…

Fortunately, all memories had merged before waking up, and there were no signs of splitting again. Whether it was Emperor Zhuang Mian, Observer Zhuang Mian, or the original Zhuang Mian, they were all lying on the bed right now.

Bracing herself to raise her head only to fall back onto the examination bed, Zhuang Mian soon saw a gentle, reassuring face appear in her field of vision. The person wore a white coat, and she figured he was the one who saved her.

“Doctor, may I ask…?”

“Miss Zhuang Mian, forgive me for being bold, but you should now refer to me as ‘Father.’”

At that moment, Lin Qingliu held a serious expression that showed he was not joking.

“I know you believe I saved you, but in reality, it wasn’t me. It was the kind citizens outside who brought you here, and it wasn’t me who saved you, but the divine, the great Lord.

“Because you are the chosen fortunate one, a genuine favored one.”

Lying flat, Zhuang Mian was taken aback, speaking in surprise to herself:

“Dream… is actually real?”