He looked in the direction Lu Zong indicated, feeling only a vast emptiness. That place must be someone else’s dream, he thought. If he wanted to get there, someone else needed to dream of him and Lu Zong. He looked at Lu Zong and said, "There's no other way. We'll just have to try, see if we can be so lucky that the moment we both charge forward, the person happens to be dreaming of this very moment. Then we should be able to pass through."

With that, he half-crouched, preparing for a hundred-meter dash. He glanced at the dazed Lu Zong and asked, "Lu Zong, aren't you going to charge? What are you standing around for?"

Lu Zong stammered, "But I already tried that once. Not only did it fail, but I ended up with a huge blister on my head." He pointed to the blood blister on his forehead as he spoke.

Ma Xiong dropped his stance, stood up, and walked over to Lu Zong. He examined Lu Zong’s head and asked, "Yes, you certainly put a lot of force into it earlier. The fact that you didn't get through means they weren't dreaming of you then. Let's try again, the two of us this time."

Lu Zong retorted, "Forget it. What are the odds? Will they suddenly dream of us the moment we collide with it? I say we call it quits. It won't be that coincidental."

Ma Xiong grew slightly irritated. It was Lu Zong who had just stirred up his hopes for survival, yet now he was acting so cowardly. Ma Xiong’s blood had been boiling moments ago, determined not to disappoint Lu Zong, but Lu Zong was giving up too easily. How could he not be angry?

He roared at Lu Zong, his anger palpable: "Damn it, Lu Zong, get up now, get into position! We’re charging through, or you will regret this!"

Lu Zong looked at Ma Xiong, who seemed like an enraged leopard, and felt a genuine fear. But the injury on his own head was a stark warning: a headlong rush would only lead to more pain. Still, he had to deal with Ma Xiong's intensity first.

"To hell with it, let’s handle what’s in front of us," he muttered, and then he too bent over, ready to sprint. Seeing Lu Zong finally complying, Ma Xiong’s anger subsided. He stared at the flickering, unstable space ahead. "Look at that transparent space. It looks like a pane of glass separating two worlds—the very edge of everyone's dream."

Lu Zong suddenly interjected, "I don't feel that way at all. I think it should be called the edge of thought, because we are operating within someone else's mind. I feel like we aren't just in someone else's dream."

Ma Xiong didn't answer the fat man. Whether the target was consciously thinking of them or they were simply dreaming, the most crucial thing right now was to break through, to escape this narrow confinement.

Lu Zong bent down, braced his feet backward, and placed his hands on the ground, poised to launch himself, like a Shen Liu rocket preparing for takeoff.

Ma Xiong saw Lu Zong was ready, took a deep breath, preparing to summon every ounce of strength he possessed for the charge. Following Ma Xiong's command—One, Two, Three—they both shot out like arrows loosed from a bow. Ma Xiong, having used a bit more force and speed, flew slightly ahead of Lu Zong.

However, Lu Zong, trailing behind, showed no sign of haste. On the contrary, a look of cynical mockery began to form on his face. He regarded Ma Xiong with thinly veiled sarcasm, as if Ma Xiong were currently ensnared in his own trap.

With a muffled thud, Ma Xiong collapsed onto the ground, followed immediately by his pained groan. Lu Zong, seizing the moment, halted abruptly the instant he touched the membrane, his head stopping just over an inch away from the surface. He looked at the membrane so close at hand and said, his voice trembling with fear, "Good thing I didn't hit it. Otherwise, both of us would be suffering now."

He rushed to the groaning Ma Xiong, watching his friend writhe in agony, hands clutching his head in struggle. A wave of pity washed over him. If only Ma Xiong had listened to him earlier, he wouldn't be enduring this torment.

But then again, it was he who had instigated Ma Xiong’s collision. Ma Xiong’s suffering held a measure of his own responsibility. Even if he couldn't apologize to the other person, he shouldn't have mocked and ridiculed Ma Xiong. Thus, he stopped sneering at him, though he couldn't help feeling a secret surge of self-satisfaction.

He walked to Ma Xiong's side and gently helped him up, asking with a strange inflection, "Ma Xiong, are you alright? Did I hurt you just now?"

He pulled his head back slightly, fearing Ma Xiong might take revenge out of anger. Unexpectedly, Ma Xiong’s temper had improved. Not only was he not angry, but he looked at Lu Zong with genuine gratitude. "Lu Zong, you were right. I should have listened to you from the start."

Lu Zong looked at the usually self-assured guy with a touch of triumphant glee. To make this fellow admit defeat, his own abilities must be considerable. He was almost losing himself in the moment.

Ma Xiong, however, continued pressing, "Did the fat man tell you anything else? Didn't you say you were communicating with him just now? Try to see if you can still reach him."

Lu Zong closed his eyes and concentrated deeply. He received no response, no signal from the fat man whatsoever. Disappointed, he shook his head at Ma Xiong. "It’s useless. I can’t get any signal. The fat man was lively just moments ago, but why is he so lifeless now? Did something happen to the fat man outside?"

Ma Xiong remained silent, head down, trying to figure out exactly what had gone wrong. He was now starting to suspect his own brain had been damaged in the collision; he couldn't make sense of the current situation.

Suddenly, he noticed the presence of the armored figure. Could the problem lie with this suit of armor? He quickly called out to Lu Zong, "Lu Zong, what did the fat man say earlier about the relationship between this armor and this membrane?"

Lu Zong replied, "The fat man said if we couldn't get through, we should just kill this armored figure."

Ma Xiong let out a slow realization, "Oh," and then walked over to the suit of armor, circling it repeatedly. Lu Zong watched him pacing around the armor anxiously. Don't tell me Ma Xiong is planning to attack this armor? After all, this armor housed his physical body. If Ma Xiong truly destroyed it, that would be disastrous. He hurried forward, blocking Ma Xiong's path. "Ma Xiong, what exactly are you doing? You absolutely cannot lay a hand on my physical body. If you kill it, I lose my host, and won't I die too?"

Ma Xiong saw Lu Zong's worried gaze and quickly explained, "Don't worry, I won't kill your body. I'm thinking, since the fat man said we must kill the body to pass through, then the problem must originate with this armored figure. If we start with the armor, we might uncover the crux of the issue, and the problem will be solved naturally."

Lu Zong slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "That’s Ma Xiong’s brain for you—always thinking of the unexpected. Actually, I had already figured this out before you even arrived. Look how slow you are to react."

Ma Xiong rubbed the back of his head and mumbled, "No wonder the back of my head is so far back—it must be due to my IQ, haha."

His laugh eased the awkward tension. They approached the armored figure calmly, observing it in silence.

However, after searching the armor for a long time, they found nothing unusual. They could even feel the armor’s temperature and the faint pulse beating within, yet there was no deviation. It seemed the situation was not as simple as they imagined.

Lu Zong suddenly thought of something and asked urgently, "Ma Xiong, what do you think would happen to this suit of armor if we killed this physical body right here?"

Ma Xiong replied, "Usually, a physical body that is killed will vanish, becoming part of this space, and then this space will undergo some changes."

Lu Zong pressed on, "What kind of changes would the space undergo? Tell me, I think I might have found the answer."

Ma Xiong stared at Lu Zong with an expression of disbelief. Lu Zong urged him, "Hurry, hurry! I really think I’ve pinpointed the problem."

Under Lu Zong’s persistent questioning, Ma Xiong slowly explained, "Because human dreams are objects of extreme Yin, everything within the dreamscape is heavily imbued with Yin energy. Both of us—or more accurately, our thoughts—are also objects of extreme Yin. But this mortal body breathes the murky air of the human world; it is a purely Yang entity. That’s why we cannot pass through freely. Ah, I see! It must be this object of intense Yang energy disrupting the Yin energy of this place, preventing us from moving freely to the other side. We need to deal with this walking corpse quickly. Let's think—how can we rapidly remove the Yang energy from this armor and restore the balance of Yin and Yang in this space?"

Lu Zong sighed, "Is killing this person truly the only way? But if I kill him, I still won't be able to live on. I’d rather suffocate here than kill my own physical body."

Lu Zong sank onto the ground in despair, breathing heavily, afraid to look up and speak, lest he meet Zhi Xiong’s intense gaze. In his heart, however, his thoughts were different: if they reached a dead end, he would personally kill the armored figure. Better one death than two.

But Ma Xiong had never considered taking the life of the armored figure throughout this ordeal, after all, it was his best friend, and he couldn't bring himself to do it. He paced a few steps near the armor, then walked over to Lu Zong. Seeing Lu Zong looking down and silent, he patted his shoulder, signaling that Lu Zong shouldn't worry, that they would surely find a way through.

Lu Zong, however, completely misunderstood Ma Xiong’s intent. He thought Ma Xiong was telling him to accept the situation. Gritting his teeth, he stood up, picked up the long spear he had dropped earlier, and positioned himself less than a meter from the armored figure, then suddenly lunged the spear toward the armor.