A Bold Scheme

When Qingjun's coordinates surfaced in the command channels of the arena, Gu Tingzhi froze.

He had just been discussing with Li Muyi that, to avoid the point-deduction mechanic, Longyuan and Du'e could exchange coordinates and swap star domains. Since they had already agreed to cooperate, they could simply hold their position for now.

Gu Tingzhi had also tried messaging Jia Xiangying to ask if she wanted to cooperate, but got no reply. Jia Xianglan's message, however, did come through.

“So arrogant?” Jin raised an eyebrow at the scene. “Is he planning to take on the other five academies single-handedly?”

Shen Shouli shook his head. “He definitely came prepared.”

The preparations Jia Xianglan had made were soon broadcast on the sky screen. Federal Kezhen and Federal Youfeng had both arrived at Qingjun's star domain through wormholes at the first possible moment.

But they didn't launch an attack.

The star fleets of Kezhen and Youfeng drove straight up to Jia Xianglan, waiting for him to confirm and integrate them into his own fleet.

“Tsk, he's really going all in—basically making them work for Qingjun,” Jin clicked his tongue.

“Actually, that's not surprising. Did you all see the Federation's interviews?” Liu Zheng suddenly spoke up.

Xu Xiqin nodded. “They did a basic analysis of why they lost in our group. Zhicheng and Dongwen were both stronger than Situke, but Situke ended up ranked higher. It's because Situke found a good patron. Zhicheng and Dongwen didn't trust Lianda enough, and now the government media is stepping in, urging Federal academies to unite.”

Jin rolled his eyes. “With Tansen Meilin acting like that, who could trust him?”

“He also said in his post-match interview that he didn't think he lost to my sister,” Xu Xiqin said, exasperated. “And he said next time he'd show Federal citizens Lianda truly defeating Moye. Honestly, one shot to the face from Guan Chuanjun would've set him straight.”

At that moment, Guan Chuanjun, who had come to watch the match after finishing his own and was sitting behind the five Moye members, genuinely felt like the sky was falling.

Was this ever going to stop being brought up?

Kezhen and Youfeng had now been fully integrated into Qingjun, their chief commanders reduced to deputy commanders under Jia Xianglan.

Meanwhile, the Empire's three academies were still holding their positions.

In terms of average strength, the Empire's three academies were actually superior to the Federation's three. But that created a problem: with three academies together—especially Dolanston and Longyuan—who was in charge?

“Commander, what do you make of this?” Jin asked curiously.

“Jia Xiangying and Gu Tingzhi need to have a serious talk, but right now they can't communicate well.” Jia Xianglan had probably counted on his sister's personality to do this. Xu Lingqu glanced at Jia Xianglan, who was currently optimizing the positioning of his star fleet. “Qingjun isn't hiding anything. It's deliberate. A bold scheme.”

A bold scheme meant playing your cards openly. Qingjun wasn't bothering with strategy or tricks against their opponents. All the gamesmanship, backstabbing, and alliances that might have occurred under this mechanic were flipped off the table entirely by them.

They simply had the strength and the confidence to absorb Kezhen and Youfeng, then charge straight at the Empire's three academies. All their plans were laid out in the open, yet no one could do a thing about it. It wasn't the most elegant tactic, but for Federal spectators, it was more than enough to stir their blood.

“So what should Dolanston, Longyuan, and Du'e do now?” Xu Xiqin asked nervously. Even though they were opponents, she still didn't want the Empire's academies to lose.

“Ideally, they'd pick a new leader, integrate the teams like Jia Xianglan did, and then go in for a direct confrontation,” Xu Lingqu replied.

Jin cracked a joke. “Unless you got airdropped in there.”

Gu Tingzhi was formidable, but not to the point where Jia Xiangying would willingly serve as his deputy. Jin also didn't think Xu Lingqu could make Du'e and Dolanston her pawns if she were in there, but commanders always found a way.

“If they can't pick one, they don't go in. The wormhole mechanic is still there, so the three of them can exchange coordinates first to avoid losing points. They talk it out and just leave Qingjun hanging,” Xu Lingqu continued. “If they really can't reach an agreement and refuse to cooperate, they can fight guerilla-style and scatter. The fewer people, the faster they pass through wormholes. The ones who'll crack first aren't us—it's Qingjun, who's already made their alliance and promises. They can just stall, hide with a hundred people and a full fleet's points, and drag it out to the end. Then everyone splits the points.”

“Exactly right.” That kind of infuriating mentality struck a chord with Jin. He loved this sort of thing and joked, “If Gu Tingzhi, Jia Xiangying, and Li Muyi can't sort it out, they should just summon you to possess them and fight in their place.”

Xu Lingqu, who had actually done substitute fighting before: ...

“The battlefield changes in an instant, and each academy's situation is different. It's up to them to adapt in the moment,” she said flatly.

Meanwhile, Jinfang Taibai was losing his mind.

He was convinced Sky Network was targeting him specifically!

He'd seen similar maps before—those used interstellar jump points, meaning he could rely on his skills to hack the system and force out the coordinates. But now they'd introduced wormholes, entirely crippling that approach. All he could do was eavesdrop on Qingjun's channel communications.

Since Jia Xianglan was already playing out in the open, he didn't care about Jinfang Taibai's eavesdropping. Right now, he was sending a communication request to Jia Xiangying.

The first time, Jia Xiangying ignored him—probably still communicating with Gu Tingzhi.

The second time, Jia Xiangying finally accepted. Her expression on screen was terrible. Jia Xianglan knew his sister well—her talk with Gu Tingzhi had definitely not gone well.

“Sister, are you afraid of me?” he asked softly, like a devil's whisper.

Jia Xiangying was disgusted. “Keep your sewer-grade act away from me. If you have something to say, say it.”

Jia Xianglan shook his head. “If you weren't afraid of me, why haven't you come to my star domain? Time's almost up. I'm about to move with them to Kezhen and Youfeng's star domains to save them from losing points. Are you sure you still won't come and teach me a lesson?”

“You're not going to save them from losing points—you're just saying that!” Jia Xiangying knew Jia Xianglan's character all too well. He was a master at sweet-talking people into being used dry, then making them feel grateful to him.

“If you don't come, how can you know if I'm just saying it?” Jia Xianglan flashed a mocking smile. “Sister, once I relocate, I won't send you my coordinates again. You'll have to ask Gu Tingzhi and Li Muyi for them. Because you're a complete coward—even given multiple chances, you wouldn't dare come straight at me for a fight. Everything Father said about you was accurate.”

Jinfang Taibai relayed his words to Gu Tingzhi. “This guy is disgusting!”

Gu Tingzhi paused, then saw the message Jia Xiangying had sent him. He turned to Jinfang Taibai. “Trouble. Dolanston is about to jump into Qingjun's star domain.”