Qinglong stared into Qi Xia’s eyes for a long time, then said softly, “If I’d known someone like you would exist in the ‘Land of the End,’ I should have chosen to possess ‘mind reading’ back then. After all, I really want to know which of your words are actually true.”

“It probably wouldn’t be much use,” Qi Xia said. “The ‘Heavenly-Snake’ can’t see through me, so even if you were a ‘mind reader,’ you probably wouldn’t gain much advantage either.”

“Mind reading can’t handle you either…? How do you manage that?” Qinglong asked.

“It’s simple,” Qi Xia said. “First, you need to be able to think about countless things at the same time. When the ‘Heavenly-Snake’ reads a massive amount of information, he has no way to process it—his brain will temporarily shut down.”

“But even so… if he could calm down, he could still sort through all your thought processes,” Qinglong said. “Even if you’re thinking about a hundred things simultaneously, it doesn’t matter—he can take more time to understand your thoughts.”

“But I have a second safeguard,” Qi Xia said. “From the moment I set foot on this land, I began speculating about the causes and truth of everything, but I have a bad habit.”

“What…?”

“I never draw definitive conclusions,” Qi Xia said. “Every path leads to countless answers, so I never make certain conclusions about anything. I try to keep every possibility simultaneously present in my mind. This helps me make more choices, and also helps confuse the ‘Heavenly-Snake’s’ judgment.”

“Never draw definitive conclusions…” Qinglong murmured. “In other words, even if the ‘Heavenly-Snake’ reads your thoughts, he only gets countless questions and uncertain answers.”

“Yes… so I really wish you were a ‘mind reader,'” Qi Xia said. “You could help me think through some problems I can’t find answers to.”

After hearing this, Qinglong didn’t respond. He just stared at Qi Xia for a long time, then said, “Qi Xia, no matter what reasons you give, we now have a crisis of trust.”

“Oh…?” Qi Xia nodded blankly. “I’ve already explained things to this extent… you still don’t believe me?”

“I don’t know if you still remember, but we’ve made many deals before, yet only this time is different,” Qinglong said. “After all, you now have the conditions to become a ‘Dragon.’ No matter how eloquently you speak, I can no longer fully trust you.”

“That’s truly unfortunate,” Qi Xia said. “Cooperation most fears mutual suspicion.”

“It’s very regrettable to hear this news,” Qi Xia said. “I can only prove myself through my actions.”

Qinglong’s face showed displeasure as he flicked his sleeves, then vanished from the rooftop. The “Silence” that had surrounded them both also disappeared.

After seeing Qinglong leave, Qi Xia let out a long breath, then collected himself and headed downstairs.

Having stayed on the rooftop for so long, Chen Junnan seemed somewhat worried and was preparing to come upstairs to check, when he happened to meet Qi Xia coming down.

“Old Qi… staying on the rooftop for so long, chatting with ghosts or gods again?” Chen Junnan asked, standing on the stairs looking up.

“More or less,” Qi Xia nodded.

“This young master suggests you play with humans more,” Chen Junnan said. “Those things have no fixed nature.”

Qi Xia didn’t speak, only sighed, then said, “Where’s the person I need to see?”

“Hey!” At the mention of this, Chen Junnan suddenly became interested. “Old Qi! I was just about to ask you—do you want a wife or not? That sister seems like a great match for you!”

After saying this, Chen Junnan paused for a second. He felt like he had said something similar before, but couldn’t remember exactly when.

“A match…?” Qi Xia furrowed his brow. “Stop fooling around. Where is she?”

“Oh! Come with me.”

Chen Junnan waved his hand and led Qi Xia all the way to the second floor of the teaching building, then walked to the room at the very end of the corridor and pushed open the door.

Yan Zhichun, dressed in white, was standing inside with her back to them, looking out the window.

Chen Junnan wanted to crack a few more jokes, but when he turned his head and saw Qi Xia looking at Yan Zhichun with an exceptionally serious expression, he knew he didn’t dare delay. He could only close his mouth. After Qi Xia entered the room, he closed the door from outside.

Hearing movement behind her, Yan Zhichun turned around and made eye contact with Qi Xia.

After looking at those gray-white goat-like eyes for a few seconds, Yan Zhichun’s expression changed.

She first showed confusion for a few seconds, then revealed a look of surprise, and finally nodded as if suddenly understanding.

“These eyes… it’s really you?” Yan Zhichun said. “Brother Sheep…?”

“That’s right,” Qi Xia nodded. “When I saw you before, I didn’t remember who you were, but now it’s different.”

After hearing this, Yan Zhichun pondered for a moment, then let out a long breath with a relieved expression. “What the hell… I really thought you were dead.”

“I won’t die that easily,” Qi Xia said. “Yan Zhichun, you’ve done very well over these years. It’s time for the final step.”

“You… how do you know I’ve done well?”

“Because the name ‘Extreme Path’ is too resounding,” Qi Xia chuckled lightly. “There’s a woman in ‘Extreme Path’ named Xiao Xiao. During the period when I lost my memory, she left an extremely deep impression on me. She beat the unconscious Qiao Jiajin and Tiantian to death right in front of me, making me instantly detest this place deeply, and detest ‘Extreme Path’ deeply. This despair came at just the right moment. This is also the result of your persistent efforts. I’m very gratified.”

After hearing this, Yan Zhichun smiled somewhat embarrassedly. “Brother Sheep, you’re really too kind. To put it bluntly, this ‘despair’ was you transmitting it to yourself after seven years. I was just an intermediary.”

After hearing this, Qi Xia nodded. “Also, I really like the name ‘Extreme Path.’ As a ‘needle,’ it’s very appropriate. But speaking of which… do you have your own ‘needle’?”

“Yes,” Yan Zhichun said seriously. “I learned a lot from you, Brother Sheep. Whether it’s ‘Cat’ or ‘Heaven’s Mouth,’ I’ve always had my people there.”

“Very good,” Qi Xia nodded. “Early tomorrow morning, I’ll participate in the ‘Earth-Dragon’s’ game. You’ll come with me then. Also… let those people begin their operations.”

“Alright,” Yan Zhichun nodded. “I’ll arrange it tonight.”

“These years… you’ve worked hard,” Qi Xia said with a nod. “Let the subversion begin.”