Weird Rules Rumor: At The Beginning, He Insisted That He Was Not Dead

【Completion Rewards: Rule Points, Title: Perfect Escape, Combat Skill Book 1!】

What is a real lie?

A real lie is when elements of truth are woven into an ostensibly false narrative.

When something blatantly untrue is spoken aloud, rearranging the sequence of events can make it perceived as truth.

For example, Bai Lian retrieving the Book of Illusions and writing a story within it — that part truly happened.

But everything in that story was fabricated by Bai Lian. None of it occurred; it was merely fiction.

Yet, by first presenting the story and later revealing that Bai Lian authored it, all prior events are retroactively accepted as reality.

“Hmm… when did everything become a lie?” Bai Lian stored the Book of Illusions, his lips curling into a faint smirk.

Had the shift happened when he learned to transform lies into truth? When he retrieved the Book of Illusions?

Even Bai Lian couldn’t fully untangle it, but one fact remained: he had cleared the dungeon, and that was undeniable.

【Player: Bai Lian, exiting the dungeon in 30 seconds. Prepare. 30… 29… 28…】

When the dungeon completion alert echoed in the minds of all players trapped in the Endless Prison, they froze.

“Someone cleared the dungeon in 10 minutes? And got an SSS rating? Are you kidding me?!”

“Impossible! The Endless Prison is a D-rank dungeon. Even top-tier players need at least five days to clear it. How could someone finish it in 10 minutes with the highest rating?!”

“Bai Lian… that name sounds familiar. Wait — isn’t he the guy spamming the global chat earlier?!”

“No way! This guy was in an E-rank dungeon just days ago. How’d he jump to D-rank? Did he speedrun his class upgrade?!”

The prison guards were stunned. The inmates were baffled.

They’d just entered the dungeon, still figuring out their next move, and now they’re told someone cleared it in 10 minutes?

How was that even possible?

No one believed it, yet the system notification proved it true — someone had performed a miracle, achieving a flawless SSS clear in record time!

Meanwhile, in Bai Lian’s livestream, viewers were equally confounded.

They’d barely received the stream notification before witnessing Bai Lian effortlessly complete the dungeon.

But when the completion prompt appeared, the screen flickered, returning to the prison cell.

Bai Lian held a pen, writing the final character in the Book of Illusions.

Everything that transpired had been recorded in the book — the dungeon itself had remained unchanged.

【??? My brain’s overheating. I don’t get it. What just happened?】

【So Bai Shen actually has the power to turn lies into reality? Was everything we saw just his illusion?】

【WTF! When did we even enter the illusion?!】

【Wait, maybe when Bai Shen said he could deceive even illusory people, he’d already fabricated everything?】

【He used that item to create illusions and then tricked them?】

【No… He tricked not just the illusions but us too! And the other players!】

【This is too convoluted. All I know is — Bai Shen really cleared the dungeon, right?】

Their minds spiraled in confusion, but one truth crystallized:

They’d all been deceived.

Because Bai Lian had truly cleared the dungeon!

…

“Folks, Bai Shen’s diving into another dungeon. No rest for the legendary — he’s a grindlord among grindlords!”

Mi Gao, as usual, hosted Bai Lian’s stream. His commentary remained wildly popular, thanks to his sharp insights and occasional theatrics.

Since covering Bai Lian, his viewer engagement had skyrocketed!

“Bai Shen’s already entered the dungeon. Let’s see which one it is…”

“Judging by the environment, this looks like the Endless Prison. A C-rank dungeon?! Did Bai Shen leapfrog to this tier already?!”

“Wonder what random skill he’ll manifest this time?”

Mi Gao rambled nonstop, his curiosity piqued by Bai Lian’s evolving abilities.

“‘Turn Lies into Reality’ — sounds absurd at first, but since it’s Bai Shen, it somehow makes sense!”

“But now that his skill’s exposed, its effectiveness is neutered. What’ll he do?”

When the guard revealed Bai Lian’s skill, Mi Gao frowned.

The skill thrived on secrecy. Once exposed, its power dwindled.

“Let’s keep watching. I’m sure Bai Shen has a backup plan. Even if this skill fails, he’s got others!”

On screen, Bai Lian procured two prisoner rulebooks, tamed Ren Yuanwei, rallied other players, and cleared the dungeon.

Mi Gao grinned smugly. “See? A minor setback won’t stop Bai Shen!”

But his voice choked mid-sentence.

The screen flickered back to the prison cell. Bai Lian, holding the Book of Illusions, penned the final character.

Mi Gao’s smile froze. His pupils constricted in terror as he stared at Bai Lian’s placid smirk.

“What the—?! WHAT THE—?! WHAT THE ACTUAL—?!”

His mind short-circuited.

A total plot twist!

His chat exploded with “WTFs” and confusion. Everyone gaped at the pale-faced youth whose gaze felt utterly inhuman.

After a moment, Mi Gao clutched his head, muttering, “I think I get it… or maybe I don’t.”

“So everything we saw was a lie? The whole ‘clearing the dungeon’ was just us being gaslit into believing it?!”

“Even the guard exposing his skill was part of the act — to make the lie more believable?!”

“HOLY SHIT! WHO DARES CALL BAI LIAN A CHEATER NOW? I’LL FIGHT THEM!”

He hastily saved the clip, ready to upload this mind-bending moment to the "Mysterious World Highlights" forum. This surreal play would go viral for sure!

Meanwhile, Bai Lian returned to the Player Space.

It was time to collect his loans… with interest.