### Chapter 8: The Truth of Asking Dao (1)
After enduring the bizarre realities of the Modern Small World and the Low Martial World, Lin Nan found herself back in the underground of the Sky Tower, surrounded by unfamiliar sights. It felt as if she had lived through life after life that were almost disturbingly real—while the current moment felt like a dream. For a brief instant, she couldn’t tell which world she was really fighting for.
After resting for what felt like an eternity, she gradually shook off this strange sensation.
Right, the Asking Dao Continent had tossed more twists and turns her way in just a few months than her twenty-something years in the real world combined!
In some bizarre way, it felt like this place was her true home.
【Congratulations! You have perfectly cleared the Low Martial World! You have received the reward “Words Become Reality,” which you can use once in the next Small World.】
Next Small World?
Oh, that’s right! Per the Sky Tower rules, she had to clear the remaining two Small Worlds to finally reach the finish line!
“System, does the Low Martial World still exist after I left it?”
【As a newly constructed realm, it can continue to operate, provided that no one breaks the limitations of the Low Martial World.】
“Got it. So those temporary NPCs I encountered—they’ve returned too, right?”
Thinking of Shiyuan, Fatty, and Trissa, she couldn’t help but ask.
【Of course.】
Phew… good to hear that.
Lin Nan let out a sigh of relief.
The left protector from the Ji Shen faction, Fu Yetian, was permanently stuck in the Modern Small World, while the right protector, Lady Rong Ji, was dead.
Even the leader of the Demon Race, Prince Eric, had met his end in the Modern Small World, with Count Morris temporarily stepping in as commander.
In the Sky Tower, there were no other forces that could match her.
The only thing to worry about were the upcoming two mission worlds.
Compared to the relatively easy Modern Small World and Low Martial World, the challenges ahead would only get tougher.
“System, your previous promise still stands, right?”
【Of course! Based on your completion rate, I can answer up to three questions.】
“Great.”
Lin Nan didn’t intend to rest; every moment felt crucial, and she didn’t want to waste time on meaningless waiting.
【Have you selected the next mission world?】
“Yup.”
Her options were limited, so she casually picked a medium-difficulty Small World and shut her eyes for a moment.
With a whoosh, she vanished from the empty, cold cave.
But just two seconds later, bruised and weary, she found herself back in the cave again.
The scenery remained unchanged, but the task prompt before her had reached Level 100.
【Congratulations! Once again, you have perfectly cleared the tests set by the system!】
Lin Nan wiped the mixture of grit and dirty bl**d from her face, her expression as flat as a pancake.
The struggle in the Apocalypse Wasteland was fresh in her mind; although she had eventually passed the challenge, the pain it left behind would take more than a moment to heal.
Faced with the system’s inquiry, she decided to rest for half a day first.
This non-stop grind was pushing her nerves to the breaking point.
Torches blazed on the walls, the dim yellow light casting a calming glow on the ground, giving Lin Nan a sense of peace.
Leaning against a stone pillar, she closed her eyes lightly.
After about three or four hours of rest, Lin Nan rose once more.
Her gaze turned cold and sharp, her will renewed.
The final mission world was right at her fingertips, and victory was just a step away. She had to push through!
【The 100th level of the Sky Tower is a high-difficulty mission world. Are you sure you want to enter?】
“Absolutely.” Lin Nan replied, resolutely.
A second later, the cave was once again empty and eerily quiet, as if no one had ever disturbed it.
This journey seemed unusually long.
A whole minute passed before Lin Nan reappeared in the cave.
【Congratulations! As expected of my chosen one, you’ve perfectly passed all the tests!】
After resting for a bit and readjusting to the cave environment, she asked, “So, does this mean I get to ask three questions now?”
【Yes! Provided that the questions do not exceed my knowledge scope.】
“There are actually questions you can’t answer?”
【Naturally! Even a system cannot grasp the entirety of the universe—this is indisputable.】
Lin Nan took a deep breath, having pondered over her three questions for quite a while.
After all, since arriving in the Asking Dao world, she had gone through so much that there were many questions weighing on her mind.
“System, my first question:
Does the Asking Dao world truly exist? Why have humans become players here? And what about those players who were dragged here and cut off from the game system? Do they have any chance of going back?”
【You’ve already asked three questions. If you’re sure of this, I’ll answer.】
“No, no, just wait a minute.”
She initially thought of exploiting a loophole in the system by saying a whole sentence at once to count as one question, but that plan proved to be quite lame.
“First question: How can we players from the modern world safely leave the Asking Dao Continent and return to our homes?”
【That’s a great question.】
The system went silent for a moment, seemingly weighing how to phrase its answer appropriately.
【Clearly, I must first clarify the relationship between the Asking Dao Continent and your so-called modern world so you can understand my answer.
First off, the Asking Dao Continent is a real world, but it doesn’t exist in the same plane as yours. No, to be precise, it doesn’t belong to the same system.】
Lin Nan’s face was as dumbfounded as a deer in headlights.
【You might try to understand “system” as akin to a beehive.】
Beehive? Lin Nan was even more confused.
【The queen bee runs her territory with a bunch of bees, and the beehive is filled with countless uniformly shaped hexagonal cells.
The queen bee and the worker bees are the rulers of the hive, whom we refer to as gods.
Those honeycombs represent individual planes governed by the gods.
The Asking Dao Continent is merely a tiny plane within this beehive system.】
Lin Nan was flabbergasted; she thought her thinking was already broad, but the system’s explanation left her utterly blown away.
The vastness of the world always exceeded human imagination.
“I think I understand what you mean. You’re saying that the modern human world and the Asking Dao Continent don’t exist on the same beehive.”
【Exactly! Beehives are far apart, sometimes separated by insurmountable chasms. This means, even if billions of years pass, the Asking Dao Continent and the modern world would never intersect.
But somehow, a god discovered a possible connection between two beehives in the Asking Dao Continent.】
