Chu Tianqiu had selected the combatants, and just then Qiao Jiajin, Lin Qin, and Han Yimo pushed open the door and walked in.

They hadn’t expected to find over a dozen people sitting inside the room, and were startled.

“What’s going on?” Qiao Jiajin scanned the room, his gaze landing on Qi Xia. He quickly walked over and said, “Liar boy, did you hear that just now? Three consecutive bell tolls!”

“Yes, I heard it.” Qi Xia nodded. “We gathered together precisely because of this matter.”

“You’re Qiao Jiajin, right?” Zhang Shan walked over slowly with Li Xiangling. “Tomorrow the three of us will form a team to participate in a ‘Combat’ type game.”

“Huh?” Qiao Jiajin was a bit confused about the situation. “Why aren’t you letting me bring my ‘Brain’ out again? That’s very dangerous…”

“Brain?” Zhang Shan was also taken aback. “Who’s your ‘Brain’?”

Qiao Jiajin stuck out his thumb and jerked it toward Qi Xia beside him. “I’ve been cooperating with Liar boy—he’s my ‘Brain.'”

“Interesting.” Zhang Shan smiled and nodded. “If he’s the ‘Brain,’ then what are you?”

Qiao Jiajin thought for a moment, then said, “If I had to say… I’m his ‘Fist.'”

“That’s exactly right.” Zhang Shan nodded. “Now your ‘Brain’ has encountered danger. Whether it can be resolved… depends on how hard you swing that ‘Fist’ of yours.”

“Hm?” Qiao Jiajin turned to look at Qi Xia. “Liar boy, did someone beat you up?”

“The situation is far more complicated than that.” Qi Xia said. “Tomorrow’s combat game is related to me, but I can’t participate. I can only count on you to help me.”

“Help you? That’s easy enough.” Qiao Jiajin stretched lazily. “So-called ‘combat’ means the opponents are ‘people,’ right?”

“Correct.”

“Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

Seeing this, Chu Tianqiu also nodded. “Since we’ve finished selecting and Qiao Jiajin has returned, then…”

“Wait a moment…” Yun Yao slowly raised her hand.

“What is it?” Chu Tianqiu asked.

“May I presume to ask, which of these three people has achieved ‘Echo’?”

The three looked at each other, their expressions all somewhat unnatural.

“Chu Tianqiu…” Yun Yao felt something was quite amiss. “None of these three have ‘Echo’ right now.”

After speaking, she looked at Chu Tianqiu with suspicion.

“What kind of arrangement is this?” Yun Yao felt this tactical plan was extremely strange. “I told you… the other side is ‘Extreme Path.’ Those are three genuine ‘Echo’ users.”

“This…” Chu Tianqiu’s expression hesitated for a moment. “No problem, I trust these three.”

“Trust? Trust?!” Yun Yao thought she had heard wrong. “Tianqiu… what are you saying? You’re assigning these three people… just because you trust them? Don’t you have any other tactics?”

Zhang Shan sensed the atmosphere was becoming somewhat delicate, so he patted Yun Yao’s shoulder and said, “It’s alright. I’m sure Chu Tianqiu has his own plans. Besides, fighting and combat games aren’t difficult for me.”

Seeing someone speak up for him, Chu Tianqiu’s expression relaxed. “In that case, meeting adjourned. You three should get acquainted since you’ll be teammates tomorrow.”

“You three don’t leave yet.” Qi Xia said quietly to Yun Yao, Zhang Shan, and Li Xiangling. “There are some matters I want to brief you on.”

The three nodded silently after hearing this.

After everyone had gradually filed out of the room, Yun Yao couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Zhang Shan, don’t you think Chu Tianqiu is very strange?!” She looked extremely angry. “Yesterday his scheme got Jin Yuanxun and Little Glasses killed, and today he’s arranging for you three to face ‘Echo’ users… No, not just this time—he was strange the previous time too…”

Zhang Shan smiled bitterly and said, “Yun Yao, have you forgotten? Last time I also didn’t have ‘Echo.’ In my memory, I no longer know what the original Chu Tianqiu was like.”

“This…” Yun Yao looked around and discovered that among everyone present, she seemed to be the only one who knew the original Chu Tianqiu. A bellyful of words couldn’t come out, leaving her feeling stifled and uncomfortable.

In her impression, Chu Tianqiu’s strategies had always been primarily characterized by ‘stability.’ He would never come up with such reckless plans.

The reason why so many people in this round of “Heaven’s Mouth” had lost their memories was precisely because during the last few days of the previous round, Chu Tianqiu had arranged for everyone to participate in games in what was almost a suicidal manner.

In Yun Yao’s memory, every round when participating in games according to Chu Tianqiu’s arrangements, eighty or ninety percent of the people in “Heaven’s Mouth” could achieve ‘Echo,’ because Chu Tianqiu clearly understood each person’s trigger for ‘Echo.’

But what exactly happened last round?

Why did Chu Tianqiu suddenly change his tactics?

Could there be some circumstance she didn’t know about?

“Wait…”

Yun Yao slowly turned her head to look at Qi Xia.

Speaking of which… the biggest variable in the previous round was precisely Qi Xia.

Qi Xia had come to visit Chu Tianqiu, and Chu Tianqiu refused to see him. The day after that, Chu Tianqiu seemed to become a completely different person.

“What on earth is going on…?”

Yun Yao felt she had discovered something very terrifying, but she couldn’t grasp even a shadow of the answer.

The others paid no attention to Yun Yao and instead chatted casually among themselves.

Zhang Shan crossed his arms over his chest and asked, “How about we introduce ourselves? What are you two good at?”

He looked Qiao Jiajin up and down and asked, “Kid, have you trained?”

Qiao Jiajin nodded and said, “Big guy, not only have I trained, I’m pretty good at it.”

“Oh?” Zhang Shan immediately became interested. “I’ve trained in some Sanda. What do you practice?”

Qiao Jiajin held out his hand and counted on his fingers, saying, “Boxing, Sanda, wrestling, judo, Wing Chun, Muay Thai, grappling, Tai Chi, Jeet Kune Do, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu…”

“Stop, stop, stop…” Zhang Shan raised his hand to interrupt Qiao Jiajin. “Who asked you to list fighting categories? I’m asking which one you practice?”

“I’ve practiced all of them.” Qiao Jiajin said with conviction.

“All…” Zhang Shan was stunned. “Damn, kid, even when bragging you need to have some limits. You’re not that old—how could you have practiced so many?”

Qi Xia scratched his head and exchanged a glance with Lin Qin.

Only the two of them knew just how absurd this matter was, because what Qiao Jiajin said was actually the truth.

His expression was written clearly on his face, with absolutely no concealment.

“I’ve been training for over ten years.” Qiao Jiajin said. “I only know the basics of each.”

“You…” Zhang Shan was at a loss for words again. No wonder when they tried to restrain this person before, they nearly suffered for it. “Then how long do you train each day?”

“Since I was eleven, day and night. As long as I have one hand that can move, I’m practicing my punches.”

Zhang Shan swallowed hard and asked again, “Have you had real combat experience?”

“Before coming here, I was in real combat every single day, without a single day’s break.” Qiao Jiajin answered matter-of-factly.