Regardless of whether they were willing in their hearts, everyone walked down the hillside, following a path no more than half a meter wide through the green grass.

The Overseer stood beside the long table, offering what seemed like well-meaning advice. “When you’ve made your decision, please be decisive and firm, because when the sun sets in the west, those beautiful flowers will fall asleep.”

Everyone quickened their pace.

—The most beautiful flower should naturally be picked when in fullest bloom.

This game didn’t seem difficult so far—it was simply picking flowers. Anyone with normal aesthetic sense could distinguish between beauty and ugliness. Selecting and picking a beautiful flower should be very easy.

However, it was precisely this seemingly easy game that had a nearly fifty percent elimination rate.

Eighteen people—only ten would remain.

“In Socrates’ story, the ending was that not a single person picked an apple they were satisfied with.”

Shen Mo pushed Bai Youwei’s wheelchair, walking steadily through the grass, his voice as calm and composed as his steps.

“Some students encountered a good apple but wanted to find an even better one, so they continued forward. By the time they reached the end of the orchard, they realized the first apple they saw was the best. Other students picked what they thought was the best apple early on, but then discovered better ones during the rest of their journey and felt regret. They asked Socrates to let them choose again. Socrates told them that life is a choice where you cannot turn back.”

They entered the woods. Dense branches and leaves blocked the sunlight, and their vision suddenly darkened, while the flower fragrance in the air gradually grew richer.

Shen Mo asked Bai Youwei, “What do you think his intention was in mentioning Socrates?”

“Intention…” Bai Youwei rested her chin on her hand and thought. “Actually, there are many versions of this little story—choosing apples, choosing wheat, choosing trees. At the root, it teaches people to be cautious when choosing. However, I don’t think the Overseer would be so kind as to give us a philosophy lesson.”

“Mm.” Shen Mo nodded slightly. “Maybe it wants to mislead us. After all, the method of choosing apples and the method of choosing flowers are completely different.”

Choosing a large, good apple had very clear criteria.

But choosing the most beautiful flower—the word “beautiful” itself carried subjective connotations.

Bai Youwei recalled the Overseer’s blonde-haired, blue-eyed, long-armed, long-legged appearance and felt uncomfortable all over. “That thing’s aesthetic sense must be terrible.”

Shen Mo: “…Alright, now’s not the time to talk about that.”

…

The group walked in the woods for about fifteen minutes. Ahead, the view suddenly opened up, and flower fragrance washed over them.

It was a vast valley.

Between two mountains naturally formed a long, low concave area. A straight path led deep inside with no visible end, while on both sides bloomed flowers of every color!

Regardless of season, regardless of region, regardless of characteristics or species—all were blooming in this valley!

—Whether it was the snow lotus from extremely cold regions or the cactus that grew in the tropics; whether it was magnolias blooming on trees or water lilies growing in water; whether it was spring-welcoming flowers from March or osmanthus from August! They were all here! With absolutely no scientific logic!

Everyone was shocked by the spectacle before their eyes.

A sea of flowers with no end in sight left everyone stunned!

“So… so many flowers…” Wu Lili stared blankly. Right beside her happened to be a clump of violets. She couldn’t help but reach out. “These flowers… are they all real…”

“You can only choose once!” Zhang Qi frowned to remind her.

Wu Lili’s movement stopped. She turned back with an embarrassed smile. “I know. I just wanted to touch them. I can’t believe these are all real flowers…”

Zhang Qi was still brooding over her fake leg injury and gave her a cold look without acknowledging her further, continuing forward on his own.

Everyone walked very slowly, worried about missing the most beautiful flower.

As they walked, they discussed:

“So many flowers… to select the ten most beautiful from these… how do we choose…”