Earth-Dragon stood on high ground, quietly watching the movements on Chu Tianqiu’s side, and soon revealed a smile.

Now both sides seemed to have already understood that collecting twenty-eight “characters” was similar in principle to collecting “Dao”—it was an arduous path that would lead to more deaths.

After Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu discovered the secret of “crossing the river,” they both seemed eager to find the quickest and simplest route to win this game.

Although both sides would only encounter simplified “Earth-level games” after crossing the river, the excessively high mortality rate still stood before them like a great river.

Qinglong stared at Chu Tianqiu for a while. When he saw him release his “Echo” and then swallow an eyeball, Qinglong’s eyes also gained a look of interest.

“I was right not to underestimate Chu Tianqiu…” Qinglong turned his head to speak to Earth-Dragon. “Did you see…? How much he resembles me?”

“Resembles you?”

“Just now, did you hear what he said…?” Qinglong said. “He said ‘dealing with unintelligent people is truly exhausting.’ Haven’t I felt the same way?”

Earth-Dragon only felt that Qinglong and Chu Tianqiu were vastly different, but couldn’t specifically articulate where the difference lay.

“I’ve already transcended ‘mortals’ by so much—a single glance from me can make them kneel—so why should I need to explain my schemes to them in a pleasant manner?” Qinglong asked. “On this point… Chu Tianqiu truly resembles me too much.”

Earth-Dragon nodded. “You’re saying that although Chu Tianqiu possesses considerable intelligence and scheming ability, he’s not skilled at communicating with people.”

“‘Not skilled at communicating with people’…?” Qinglong clearly disliked this phrasing. “I believe it’s ‘no need to communicate with people.'”

“But is this really correct?” Earth-Dragon asked. “To better control ‘mortals,’ you even chose ‘Echoes’ specifically designed to control them. ‘Soul Seizure’ shows you want them to act according to your ideas, ‘Divine Hearing’ shows you wish to hear their words, and ‘Leap’ and ‘Thunderclap’ show you want methods to intimidate them.”

“The logic is sound,” Qinglong said. “I need to use the simplest and most forceful methods to make these people submit to me and no longer question my ideas. Do I need to explain to them one by one that ‘I am a god’?”

Earth-Dragon understood Qinglong’s meaning. “So you say Chu Tianqiu resembles you, because Chu Tianqiu often falls into predicaments where he cannot mobilize his teammates. Whether at ‘Heaven’s Mouth’ or in ‘Cangjie Chess,’ it’s the same—he needs to constantly explain his ideas to try to make his teammates understand him. If he also possessed the abilities you have, perhaps this match would have been won long ago.”

“I don’t think so,” Earth-Dragon shook his head. “After all, some people don’t need these ‘Echoes’ to achieve the same effect… Everyone will act according to their suggestions, will tell them their innermost thoughts, and will even be willing to sacrifice their lives for them without needing to be threatened. Doesn’t this prove that such a person is more suitable to become a ‘god’?”

“Is that so?”

Qinglong narrowed his eyes and looked toward Qi Xia’s direction, but Qi Xia seemed to have already entered a game room with someone and was not currently at the “Cangjie Chess” game venue.

“Earth-Dragon… although some people can reach that level, the effort they expend is truly terrifying,” Qinglong shook his head. “Even they themselves are on the edge of breaking apart—and you tell me this is a ‘god’? Would a ‘god’ push themselves into such a desperate situation?”

Earth-Dragon shook his head again after hearing this. He couldn’t understand Qinglong’s thinking—Qinglong had sat in the position of “god” for far too long.

He believed himself to be a “god” and likewise did not accept any other form of “god.”

…

When Qi Xia returned to the “staging area,” Chen Junnan and Han Yimo were both waiting there properly.

He didn’t speak, only walked to Qiao Jiajin’s side to check on his injuries. He discovered that Qiao Jiajin had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion. With his physical constitution, he should wake up soon.

“Old Qi,” Chen Junnan came to Qi Xia’s side and called out in a low voice. “I have something to tell you.”

“Oh?” Qi Xia looked at him. After a few seconds, he said, “About Han Yimo?”

“Right! You guessed it again, kid!” Chen Junnan nodded and pulled Qi Xia aside to say quietly, “This master gave his ‘character’ to him.”

Qi Xia thought for a few seconds. “Is it ‘Jin’?”

“Exactly!” Chen Junnan laughed. “I’m planning to give the other side a warning strike and throw them into confusion!”

“If we give them ‘Jin,’ it’s no different from directly issuing a declaration of war,” Qi Xia said. “I estimate Chu Tianqiu won’t be able to sit still next. Let’s prepare to meet their attack.”

“That’s exactly what we’re waiting for—for them to be unable to sit still!” Chen Junnan said. “Your trick is cunning enough, kid—keeping the other side’s mole on our side…”

Qi Xia glanced without expression at Han Yimo in the corner. He seemed worried that continuing this conversation might cause problems, so he interrupted Chen Junnan, saying, “Let’s not talk about this matter anymore. How was Fist just now?”

“Oh, he’s lying there,” Chen Junnan said. “But I just heard him snoring. What kind of constitution does this kid have?”

“As long as he’s fine,” Qi Xia nodded. “Next we’ll shift from offense to defense, likewise operating in groups of two, trying not to trigger games as much as possible.”

“Fine,” Chen Junnan nodded. “Anyway, this master has always listened to you. So how do we handle our dear teammate Little Han?”

Qi Xia looked at Han Yimo and said indifferently, “Han Yimo has always been our teammate, right?”

After hearing this, Han Yimo nodded vigorously like a pecking chicken. “Of course, Qi Xia… Anyone else can distrust me, but you must believe me.”

After saying this, Han Yimo kept making eye signals at Chen Junnan, who immediately caught on.

“Oh, oh! Right, Little Han is absolutely loyal, clear as the sun and moon,” Chen Junnan said. “Old Qi, you absolutely must believe him!”

Qi Xia nodded and looked at Han Yimo. “Do you still have any ‘characters’ on you?”

Han Yimo shook his head after hearing this. “Uh… sorry, I just lost my ‘character’ again… Wen Qiaoyun is really too formidable…”

“It’s fine,” Qi Xia said. “As long as you’re our teammate, losing a few times doesn’t matter.”

“Huh…?” Han Yimo was stunned after hearing this.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll give you another ‘character’ shortly,” Qi Xia said.

“Ah…? Okay… okay!” Han Yimo nodded earnestly.

At this moment, Chen Junnan felt that something seemed off. Qi Xia was still going to give Han Yimo a “character”?

“Old Qi… what are we waiting for?”

Qi Xia turned around to look at the screen and said softly, “Waiting for me to finish my business. You two can go to the ‘front line’ first. I’ll come find you shortly.”

“Oh…”

Chen Junnan nodded and took a step toward the “door.” While he was hesitating, he heard another sentence drift slowly from Qi Xia’s direction: “This really opens one’s eyes. Even without scoring, there’s a spelling like ‘Mi’…?”

Chen Junnan suddenly realized something was wrong. The matter Qi Xia had instructed him about earlier also occupied his mind at this moment.

But before Chen Junnan could rush forward, in the next second, Qi Xia suddenly raised his fist and, under the shocked gazes of both Han Yimo and Chen Junnan, smashed the display screen to pieces.