bookandnovel Chapter 4260 The Path of Inquiry
Chapter 4260 The Path of Inquiry
Chapter 4260 The Path of Inquiry
Appropriate choices? A hint of doubt flashed in Angell's eyes.
Does Normeffen's mention of trade-offs mean he should answer from the examiner's perspective? In other words, is it highly likely he'll give an answer against his conscience?
Angell wanted to ask, but unfortunately he couldn't speak.
Normfins continued, "However, there is another difficulty. Once you have selected an examiner, it is very difficult to judge their stance from their appearance alone."
"Only by understanding the examiner's perspective can you align with their stance and provide answers that satisfy them."
When Angell heard this, he roughly understood.
The so-called choice and sacrifice indeed means changing one's own position, even if what one says is "against one's conscience," one must answer from the perspective of the examiner.
However, Angel still had some doubts. The name of this level was "Questioning the Heart," but if it was against one's conscience, could it be considered questioning the heart?
Normfins: "According to that person, many challengers who have passed the Chapter of the Heart in the past have chosen to give restrained answers in this Q&A session."
Restraint means not taking sides, or taking a bit of both sides' stances.
But they just won't make a clear statement.
For example, do you think humans are inherently good or evil? Because the challenger didn't know the examiner's perspective, he gave a restrained and vague answer, eloquently stating that humans were neither entirely good nor entirely evil at birth, but rather a state of chaos.
There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with what I'm saying.
If you can successfully persuade the examiner with your persuasive skills, there is still a chance that the examiner will let you pass.
"However, if the examiner you encounter happens to be someone with an extreme stance who cannot tolerate any flaws, then choosing to restrain your answer will backfire." Normefens: "Therefore, the Chapter of the Heart is also a great test of luck for many challengers."
Ingres understood what Normefens meant: choosing the middle way was acceptable, but it also carried the risk of being criticized for extreme positions.
Therefore, the key is to determine the examiner's stance.
Angell was somewhat confident in this; he could use his extrasensory perception to determine the examiner's emotions during the conversation and then constantly adjust his own stance.
If the values he expresses are disliked by the interviewer, he should immediately use a "proviso" to refute himself and jump to a position that the interviewer appreciates.
From this perspective, the judgment challenges that are most difficult for other challengers are actually the easiest for Angell to avoid.
Normfins: "I can't help you determine the examiner's stance, but he granted me some temporary authority that allows me to help you identify the examiner."
"When the time comes, after you make your choice, I will secretly tell you the identity of the examiner."
"As for judging your position, this is all I can do for you."
Angell nodded slightly in thanks.
While an examiner's identity may not be directly related to their inner stance, some identities inherently carry a stance.
For example, people who make a living as assassins often disregard life and the law; arms dealers on the battlefield are likely to support conflict and reject peace; and slave traders who spend their lives pursuing profit and trafficking in people will certainly have a different definition of freedom and value than ordinary people.
Therefore, being able to confirm the examiner's identity was of great help to Angell.
"These are roughly the rules and difficulties of the Chapter of the Heart."
When Normefens finished speaking, Angel thought it was time for him to choose his examiners, but Normefens suddenly changed the subject: "However, what I said above only applies to ordinary challengers entering the Chapter of the Heart."
"I have some hidden information to tell you."
Hidden intelligence? Angel was taken aback.
Normfins: "This hidden information was also given to me by that person."
According to her, there are actually two ways to pass this level.
"The first way to pass is the way I just mentioned for ordinary challengers. It's about answering questions by exercising restraint and maintaining a vague stance, or by anticipating the examiner's stance."
"As long as your answer satisfies the examiner, the examiner will pass you."
"I call this way of getting through customs the 'path of pandering'."
Everything was done in a way that catered to the examiners in order to complete the challenge.
"The second way to pass the test, which is also the hidden information that the person told me, I call it the Path of Sincerity, or rather, the Path of Asking Your Heart."
"In other words, when you choose this method of passing the level, your answer should be based on your true inner thoughts."
Even if your position is different from the examiner's.
Angell: If I were to act according to my own ideas, which would contradict the examiner's, wouldn't I be judged to have failed outright?
Angell was puzzled.
Normefens seemed to have guessed his thoughts and said, "Yes, the examiners will most likely not appreciate your answer, but the true examiners of the Path of Sincerity are no longer those people in the cubes, but the cruel scholars hidden behind the Nine Chapters of Scholars!"
A cruel scholar?!
Angel's eyes flickered slightly, and he glanced casually at the lantern on the demon master's tail.
So, according to Normeffens, the cruel scholar would "proctor" the exam?
"I bet you're thinking, were the cruel scholars listening the whole time? Of course not. The essence of this path, while called 'sincerity,' is actually about getting your answers substantial."
The Cruel Scholar, as a great demon in the pursuit of knowledge, thirsts for any knowledge that is "substantial".
As the Nine Chapters of Scholars serve as the testing ground He has set up, if an astonishing answer appears here that is "substantial and resounding," He will surely sense it.
At this point, the challenger's "examiner" becomes a ruthless scholar.
Even if the examiner initially dislikes your stance and doesn't pass you, their judgment is completely meaningless in the eyes of a ruthless scholar.
He lets you pass through, and no one can stop you.
"However, it's important to note that simply answering questions honestly won't attract the attention of cruelty scholars. Rather, your answers need to be insightful. If you lack depth and your answers are superficial, cruelty scholars won't even notice you."
"At this point, the examiner who determines whether you pass the test is still the same person."
Angell: "..."
This time, he truly understood.
The essence of the chapter on questioning one's heart,
It forces challengers to choose between "catering to their preferences" and "staying true to themselves."
For those with limited knowledge, catering to their preferences is the simplest way to pass the test, but the difficulty lies in the inability to judge the examiner's own stance.
For scholars with profound knowledge and the ability to speak meaningfully, choosing "stay true to oneself" is simpler, because they don't need to judge the examiner's stance; the final decision-maker is the devil, and they can simply answer according to their inner thoughts.
If Angell were to choose for himself...
Without a doubt, he would choose to "cater to their preferences".
He possesses extrasensory perception to detect the examiner's emotions, and Normefens helps him discover the examiner's identity; both of these advantages are more suitable for "playing to their liking."
"Staying true to one's principles" requires a profound knowledge base, which is precisely Ingres's weakness.
Therefore, choosing to "stay true to oneself" is foolish.
As Angell was thinking this, Normefens suddenly said, "That person told me that, just in case, you should at least complete one Path of Sincerity."
Angell: "???"
Normefens said solemnly, "If you are in the abyss, then if you complete any one of the nine chapters of the Scholar, the Demon God will indeed cast a glance at you, that is without a doubt."
"But you are not in the abyss now."
"Although according to that person's prediction, once you complete the Chapter of the Heart here, the probability of you being noticed by the Demon God's divine sense is almost a certainty, it is not yet 100% in a true sense."
"However, if you complete any part of the Path of Sincerity during the challenge, and also pass the Chapter of Heart, the combination of the two will definitely attract the attention of the Demon God's divine will."
"This is the real 100%."
Angell: "..."
Okay, this time he really, really understood.
To avoid even the slightest mishap, even with two powerful advantages to "cater to their preferences," one should still embark on a genuine journey of self-examination.
Just then, Normeffens suddenly spoke up again: "And..."
Angell: "???"
No, can't you just say it all at once? How am I supposed to say "I really understand" when you say it like this?
As Angell silently complained to himself, Normeffens finally finished speaking: "As I mentioned before, we have to make choices."
"The choice here refers to both your stance changing with the examiner and two different paths to success."
"You need to complete the Path of Sincerity once, but you cannot choose the Path of Sincerity for all three questions."
A look of confusion crossed Angell's eyes. Why was that?
Normefens: "If you answer all three questions with substance, you might attract the demon god of the abyss himself. Although the probability is very small, it cannot be ruled out."
"After all, the Cruel Scholar is a demon god who is extremely obsessed with knowledge. The better you perform, the more likely He is to notice this place."
Angell: "..."
This time he definitely understood.
Since Normefenes has stopped talking, it means he has finished speaking.
In short, he must perform well in the upcoming chapter of the heart, but he cannot perform too well.
Just make sure the demon god notices it.
……
Angel sighed and looked at the large and small glowing cubes floating in mid-air in the distance.
He was ready to make his choice.
Although there are only three questions in the "Asking the Heart" section.
However, fulfilling the conditions proposed by Normfins is still somewhat troublesome, and no one knows how long it will take...
Therefore, he must proceed as soon as possible.
But at that moment, Angel suddenly felt that the Nightmare Nodes remaining in the outside world seemed to be flickering.
After a moment's thought, I realized that the rabbit girl was contacting me through the doll.
Angell's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood.
Because the Radiant Disc only projects images and does not produce sound, and given that he had previously communicated with Normefens telepathically, the rabbit girl had no idea what the demonic host had said or what rules Normefens had secretly passed on. Therefore, she was probably staring anxiously at her motionless reflection in the projected image, trying to guess what was happening inside the arena.
Contacting oneself is most likely to confirm the rules.
Angel paused for a moment, then sent the challenge rules of the Chapter of the Heart to the rabbit girl.
……
Meanwhile, inside the main hall outside.
Gray Porcelain looked expectantly at the rabbit girl: "Commander... has Mr. Angell replied?"
The gray porcelain also had the Nightmare Nodes left by Angor, but before that, it had no idea that Angor could use them to communicate across space.
So when the rabbit girl told it, it was completely shocked.
The rabbit girl was silent for a moment, then nodded softly: "He just replied to me. I don't know whether to say that the test he's facing is difficult or not... It depends on what happens next."
The bunny girl briefly explained the rules.
Gray Porcelain felt a little dizzy after listening to the explanation. The rules were all interconnected, requiring her to answer questions and make trade-offs... Sure enough, she was not suitable for this kind of knowledge-based test.
Gray Porcelain looked up at the shimmering disc, his eyes filled with prayer: "I hope Mr. Angell will choose an easy question."
“I think the simpler the question, the harder it might be to answer,” the rabbit girl whispered. “Rather than the simplicity of the question, choosing an examiner with a clearer identity is probably more important.”
Gray Porcelain thought about it and nodded in deep agreement.
For example, if you are asked a question like "What is love?", it may seem simple, but there are too many things you can answer. If you are not careful, you can easily step on the examiner's landmine.
Therefore, the examiner is more important than the questions.
"What were you talking about? What was the question?" At that moment, a voice came from behind the gray porcelain.
The gray porcelain and the rabbit girl looked back.
Unbeknownst to them, Gabriel had emerged from the black dot, with a tall, newly erected phantom behind him.
Clearly, Gabriel's second challenge was also successful.
"That's the problem..."
Gray Porcelain pointed to the shimmering disc, about to explain the trials Angell had encountered.
Before it could finish speaking, Gabriel exclaimed in astonishment, "Seven points have already been activated? Mr. Angor has already gone to the gold points?"
"Isn't it just one black dot away from being missing?"
Gabriel: "No! I can't hold them back!"
After speaking, without waiting for Gray Porcelain to continue, he turned around and stepped into the last black spot on the field, starting a new round of challenges.
Only the gray porcelain and the rabbit girl were left completely bewildered.
……
The Chapter of the Heart.
The little devil host, who had been silent for a long time, saw Angor walking among the blocks but not making a choice for a long time, and couldn't help but yawn, lazily saying:
"Another idiot."
Angel paused for a moment, then looked at the little devil.
"Why are you looking at me? You're not convinced?" The little devil pouted. "I didn't say anything wrong. Every time, there are test-takers like you who think they can determine the identity of the examiner inside just by looking at the outline of the shadow on the seal."
"But do you think I'd be so stupid as to let you find a loophole like that?"
"A small sealing stele might contain a large life form, while a large sealing stele might contain a miniature life form. If I can't even do this much, how can I be the host?"