Chapter 906: The Treasure Vault
"Impossible..."
My voice choked slightly as I felt like my entire life had just been turned upside down.
"Why is it impossible?" Bai Yang asked. "You're a smart person now. You should be able to see the clues yourself."
"Myself..."
"You've always felt that your memory was off. Did anything seem wrong during your days in the 'Land of the End'?" Bai Yang said. "Sometimes, looking at things from a different angle makes everything crystal clear."
Hearing this, I slowly furrowed my brow... Bai Yang had pointed out a direction I had never considered before.
Which meant... in the real world, I had actually been the most ordinary of ordinary people?
The words Bai Yang had spoken to me the first time we "waged war on paper" suddenly echoed in my ears:
"Yan Zhichun, I almost forgot you were a smart person."
Why did he say that back then? What did he mean by "almost forgot I was a smart person"...?
The more I pondered this, the more my entire body trembled.
One of the things I said most often to others was, "I'm not a smart person."
But why did I constantly have the phrase "I'm not a smart person" on my lips?
Was that something a smart person would say?
"What does it mean to say 'I'm not a smart person'?" Jiang Ruoxue's words also echoed in my mind. "There aren't that many smart people in this world to begin with. Why do you need to emphasize it? I've never heard anyone introduce themselves by saying, 'I'm very smart.'"
Why did I feel the need to emphasize that I wasn't smart...?
The reality was clearly that I believed I had some intelligence—enough to solve and analyze most problems. Yet the moment I opened my mouth, I would first declare that I wasn't smart.
Excessive modesty is arrogance. If I had always been a smart person, wouldn't speaking like that only make others dislike me?
I told everyone that I had been mediocre since childhood, that I needed to read a lot just to keep up with others.
I said I had a terrible memory growing up and had to learn various mnemonic techniques to help with my studies.
Someone who was mediocre, had a bad memory, and was ostracized for years—and yet I had always been a smart person?
I had built a massive organization in a place where even normal people couldn't even hope to survive, and day after day I speculated on the psychology of a true monster.
Did that make sense?
Yes... thinking carefully, my whole life had been contradictory...
My way of thinking didn't match my personality.
It was like the difference between an aristocrat and a nouveau riche...
I had no idea how to properly handle my own intelligence. Even though I could figure out many things... my words and actions constantly revealed an underlying inferiority complex.
I could never be as confident as Bai Yang...
Because his wisdom was his own, while mine had fallen from the sky...
Even when every word I said was correct, I found it hard to believe in myself.
Because I had made countless guesses throughout my life, and not a single one had ever been right. So I would always subconsciously dismiss myself.
If I had possessed this kind of intelligence since childhood, why would I have always denied myself?
Thinking of it this way, everything began to make sense...
But did I really kill my roommate?
Using such a flawed method?
"Yan Zhichun, you are very knowledgeable," Bai Yang said. "But unfortunately, you don't know how to use that knowledge. You're like a treasure vault without a door—all your talents have no outlet. I simply installed a door for you. The knowledge is all yours. Now your thinking is more active than before, and you can apply that knowledge everywhere."
Hearing this, I looked at Bai Yang and slowly swallowed. Some strange images began to surface in my mind.
In my memories, I really wasn't a smart person. I worked hard to keep up with everyone else, but I could never catch up.
I had tried so hard to read and study, but I could only learn by rote... My mind wasn't that sharp.
"Brother Yang... when did it all start?"
"From the moment you gained your memories," Bai Yang said. "Yan Zhichun, I discovered this treasure vault of yours, and I simply changed the way you approached things. So you don't need to feel inferior. The fact that you can move through the 'Land of the End' now is still due to your own knowledge."
I see...
No wonder I had never managed to retain my memories for so long...
If I had really been a smart person, how could I have been stuck for so many years?
If I had really been a smart person, how could I have become so fascinated by a smart person like Bai Yang?
"But there are some side effects," Bai Yang said. "Modifying a person's character and traits can easily lead to unpredictable consequences. In other words, only when my thinking is clear can your memory be clear. So don't force me into chaotic thoughts. Otherwise, it won't just be me who goes mad... but you people as well."
"You people...?" I felt like I had caught onto some disturbing key point. "Brother Yang... are there many others like me here?"
"Not many, but they are important," Bai Yang said. "But you can rest assured—I won't shortchange anyone."
Although Bai Yang hadn't exactly comforted me, I had to admit... I did feel considerably reassured.
This was always Bai Yang's way of doing things. He would do many things that seemed like a villain's actions, but as long as I firmly believed that his ultimate goal was to liberate this place, I would never be defeated.
I would always help Bai Yang, just as I had told Jiang Ruoxue... I would help him until a result was achieved.
"The time is about right," Bai Yang said. "Yan Zhichun, I'm going to tell you about the 'Ultimate Mission' now."
"The 'Ultimate Mission'...?"
"This mission is something you cannot accomplish on your own," Bai Yang continued. "It will require all the effort you've put in over these years."
"Alright, tell me..."
I didn't know why Bai Yang's way of speaking had changed. He was deliberately avoiding the word "Extreme Dao." He could have simply told me it required the power of the Extreme Dao, but instead he rephrased it as "all the effort you've put in over these years."
Was this a path he was laying for himself? Was he subconsciously trying to forget about the "Extreme Dao"?
"I estimate that in another two or three years, I will also completely disappear from this game field," Bai Yang said. "I need you to lie low during this time and expand your own strength and that of your team."
"You... are going to disappear again...?" I hesitated.
"Yes. At that time, this game field will be directly wiped clean," Bai Yang went on. "Just like last time. If you find that I'm gone, you can try to find me. Only this time, it will be even harder."
"'Harder' meaning...?"
"I suspect no one will know where I am," Bai Yang said. "Not even White Snake or 'Karma.' White Snake won't be able to know my situation, and 'Karma' won't be able to see the future I've planned."