Wen Shan carefully studied the ancient script carved into the stone stele, then lifted his gaze toward the silent black sea.

  A strange sense of familiarity rose in his heart.

  Suddenly, he realized that this predicament resembled a parable he had once heard in his previous life.

  A story about the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates.

  Legend said that one day, Socrates led three disciples to a golden wheat field.

  He told them, “From this end of the field to the other, each of you may pick one ear of wheat that you believe to be the largest and fullest. But there are two rules. First, you may only move forward, never backward. Second, you may pick only one.”

  The first disciple entered confidently.

  After only a few steps, he saw an enormous ear of wheat, golden and bursting with grain.

  He was delighted.

  “This must be the biggest one!”

  Without hesitation, he plucked it.

  Yet as he continued forward, despair crept in. Each ear he passed afterward was larger and fuller than the one in his hand.

  He could only clutch his comparatively inferior prize and finish the walk in regret.

  The second disciple learned from the first.

  He walked cautiously, observing carefully.

  Whenever he encountered a fine ear of wheat, a thought arose: “Don’t rush. There will surely be a better one ahead.”

  So he passed by many excellent ears, letting them slip through his fingers.

  When he finally neared the end, he realized too late that only small, shriveled stalks remained.

  Panicked, he grabbed one at random.

  Neither disciple had made the optimal choice.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  They had not picked the largest ear, perhaps not even one among the top ten.

  In their case, the consequence was merely failing to choose the best.

  Here, however, the stakes were far graver.

  The quality of the boat would determine whether they could survive upon this eerie black sea.

  If the chosen vessel proved inferior and broke apart mid-journey, they would fall into the water.

  And faced with such strange, inky waves, stripped of spiritual power, Wen Shan had no desire to test whether survival was even possible.

  By now, the others had also read the inscription. Their brows furrowed, expressions heavy.

  “So this trial is about selecting the best boat,” a disciple from the Divine Iron Camp said grimly. “If the vessel’s quality is poor, it may collapse in the black sea. Then we are truly doomed.”

  “But how do we determine which is best?” a cultivator from Hundred Apricot Grove asked. “We don’t even know how the boats are distributed. What if the best one appears first and we let it pass?”

  “Exactly,” another agreed. “But if we choose the first and a better one comes later? This is different from the Five Element Lock. There, we had room for error. Here, once chosen, there is no turning back.”

  “Perhaps we should decide on a strategy first before touching the stele,” someone suggested. “Otherwise, if a hundred boats arrive at once and we panic, we may regret it forever.”

  They debated endlessly.

  Some argued for choosing early, believing it safer.

  Others insisted on waiting until the last.

  Some proposed relying on intuition.

  Ideas piled up, yet none convinced the group.

  This time, Wen Shan remained silent, listening like an outsider.

  Eventually, Senior Sister’s cool voice cut through the noise.

  “That’s enough.”

  Her gaze swept across the crowd before settling on Wen Shan.

  “Wen Shan. What do you think?”

  He was momentarily surprised she did not ask Huang Xiuxiu first.

  But this time, knowing the answer beforehand, he was far more composed.

  And he had no intention of weaving another story. The essence of this problem was simple, though the reasoning behind it was not easy to explain.

  He thought briefly, then said:

  “Let’s simplify the scenario. Suppose only three boats will arrive. How should we decide?”

  “Three boats?” Several people murmured. “That does make it simpler.”

  “But… I still don’t know which to choose among three.”

  “Yes. If the first is the best and we skip it?”

  “If the first is the worst and we choose it?”

  The debate reignited, though clarity remained elusive.

  Senior Sister frowned slightly and interrupted again.

  “Xiuxiu. What would you do?”

  Xiuxiu answered almost immediately, her voice calm and flat.

  “Do not choose the first boat. Observe the next two. If the second boat is better than the first, choose the second. If it is worse, choose the third.”

  The explanation left many half-understanding.

  “Why that method?”

  “What if the first was the best?”

  Senior Sister pressed gently, “Can you explain?”

  Xiuxiu shook her head as usual.

  For her, the answer required neither explanation nor perhaps could be explained.

  Senior Sister turned back to Wen Shan.

  “And you? Can you explain it?”

  Under everyone’s gaze, Wen Shan smiled faintly.

  “Of course.”

  “I reduced the number from one hundred to three precisely to make the reasoning clearer.”

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