“Tsk, a few strategists on our side told me that even though you asked me to contact you, you actually have nothing to say to me. Is that true?”
“It’s true,” Qixia replied. “I have nothing to discuss with you.”
“Alright, then everything adds up,” Saturday said. “Tsk, as expected, smart people rely on their brains, while I can only guess.”
Qixia chuckled lightly but didn’t respond.
“Tsk, genius,” Saturday continued. “So you only wanted me to relay the message to hear the results of our discussion?”
“That’s right,” Qixia confirmed.
He thought to himself: *Cats* truly lived up to their reputation. When everyone could unite as one, even second-rate strategists could produce first-rate results.
After all, every opinion put forward was either for the team’s benefit or leaned toward self-sacrifice. Their minds would synchronize in such moments, multiplying their collective strength.
This kind of mental synchronization placed extremely strict demands on the team. If even a single person proposed an idea out of selfishness, it would immediately create a “bucket effect,” dragging the entire team’s capability down to the level of the “selfish one.”
“Tsk, genius, we’ve got the results now,” Saturday said.
“Tell me.”
“Uh… hold on a sec…”
After a few seconds of rustling discussion on her end, she spoke again: “Tsk, I double-checked. The targets for elimination—first *Xuanwu*, then *Zhuque*. Right?”
“Correct,” Qixia acknowledged. “What’s the second conclusion?”
“Tsk, damn…” Saturday sounded puzzled. “How did you know there was a second conclusion?”
“Go on,” Qixia urged.
“…The *elimination plan* doesn’t include *Qinglong* or *Baihu*, right?”
Qixia paused for two seconds before nodding. “Right.”
“Damn, it really is…?” Saturday was stunned. “Tsk, but why the hell is that? Aren’t there supposed to be four *Divine Beasts*? Why do we only need to kill two? And what’s up with the order? Did you really think of all this?”
Faced with Saturday’s barrage of questions, Qixia simply replied calmly, “Earlier, you said there are things you have that I don’t. So who should be asking, and who should be listening?”
“Tsk…” Saturday sighed. “Fair point. No matter how many questions I have, you can’t answer them anyway. But if you knew all this in such detail, why didn’t you just have that bastard Chen Junnan tell us? Do you know how long we spent debating to reach these two conclusions? Nineteen’s practically exhausted.”
“Only by discussing it yourselves could you truly believe the conclusions are flawless,” Qixia explained. “Otherwise, even if you knew the outcome, you’d still have a pile of doubts to resolve.”
“Fine…” Saturday relented. “Since you also think it’s solid, we’ll proceed with this plan.”
“Appreciate the effort,” Qixia said.
Saturday’s voice then faded, and Qiao Jiajin and Chen Junnan approached.
They could clearly sense Qixia was deep in thought, so they refrained from speaking recklessly.
After a few seconds, Qiao Jiajin finally asked, “Liar… everything going smoothly?”
“Nothing major,” Qixia replied. “You two should rest early tonight. Tomorrow, you’ll need to come with me to participate in the *Earth Dragon* game.”
“No problem,” Qiao Jiajin nodded.
“Anything this young master needs to do…?” Chen Junnan chimed in.
“I…” Qixia pondered for a moment. “Are you planning to protect someone tomorrow?”
“Damn…” Chen Junnan muttered under his breath. “Did you plant a bug on me? Old Qi, you’re crossing the line here. Pull the plug right now.”
“Not at all,” Qixia said. “I just figured you might receive such a request, but you don’t have to comply.”
“Huh…?” Chen Junnan paused briefly. “But hold on… do you even know who I’m supposed to protect…?”
“Whoever it is, it doesn’t matter. You don’t need to protect anyone,” Qixia stated. “I’ll take care of it.”
“You… you will…?”
“Chen Junnan, your job is to protect *me*,” Qixia declared. “And my job is to protect *everyone*.”
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin exchanged glances, momentarily stunned.
Qiao Jiajin understood what Qixia meant and then asked, “Liar, aren’t we just going to play the game tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Qixia confirmed.
“Going to play a game… but you’re planning to protect *everyone*?” Qiao Jiajin pressed.
“Exactly… at this stage, I’ll do everything I can to ensure everyone’s safety,” Qixia said. “Tomorrow’s *Earth Dragon* game isn’t just some ordinary match. Take it seriously, make sure we *win*, and leave the rest to me.”
“Got it…”
The two agreed before retreating to a corner of the room to rest. Meanwhile, Qixia remained fixated on the window.
Even when everyone else was asleep, even when the *train* had fallen silent, Qixia couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
Though all *Celestial Moments* had been intercepted by Qinglong, every *Celestial* had their own selfish motives. There was no telling whether a rogue *Celestial* might suddenly activate their moment.
This was their most critical juncture.
Anyone with eyes could see the rift between Tianlong and Qinglong widening, and the numerous *Celestials* would soon have to pick sides.
Choosing the right faction wouldn’t guarantee them wealth or glory, but it would at least ensure their survival.
Even if they were momentarily intimidated by Qinglong’s power, that didn’t mean they’d stay loyal forever. Given the right opportunity, some would inevitably side with Tianlong.
Yet none of these *Celestials*, who had lived carefree for so long, could possibly realize that siding with *either* Qinglong or Tianlong was a mistake.
The only way they could truly survive was by aligning with the *Participants*.
Perhaps only seventy years ago, those standing on this land believed the *Participants* could win.
But in the many years since, the *Participants* had never stood a chance—a conclusion the *Celestials* had drawn from their own long-standing experience.
“There will likely be random *Wild Needles* appearing…” Qixia thought to himself. “Even if the factions seem stable, the *Celestials*’ minds are still in turmoil… If one of them encounters an *Earth-level* attacker at this moment… sparks will fly.”
Qixia mentally simulated the events to come, all while keeping a wary eye on the sky, ready for any *Celestial Moment* that might strike at any second.
The entire night passed. Only when the sky began to lighten at dawn did he finally stretch his stiff limbs and rotate his neck.
He then woke Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin. After a brief freshening up, the three regrouped with Yan Zhichun in her room before heading toward the *Earth Dragon* game’s venue.
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