Life is full of twists and turns, and Master Mai did not know what the future held, but at that moment, he was indeed sitting on the mountaintop stargazing.

The spot where he sat provided a clear view of the comings and goings at the entrance to Shi Chun's cave, and when he suddenly saw a group of more than ten people enter, he immediately stood up and then descended the mountain, lingering around the vicinity of Shi Chun's cave entrance.

When the group emerged again, he happened to bump into them and expressed surprise at their unfamiliar faces, thus he ascertained which sects the fifteen people belonged to: they were from the Righteous Sky Gate, Beiting Sect, and the disciples of Gathering Spirit Valley.

Indeed, they were from the sects that had been implicated by Chu Jingtang and had not shown their faces since then, invited over by Shi Chun.

Master Mai pretended to want to arrange a meeting with them to get closer, but the disciples from the three sects said they had other matters to attend to and could not stay. What they were going to do, they revealed bluntly: they were to act as scouts for this side's forces.

There was nothing they could not talk about, as Shi Chun had instructed them that if anyone asked, they were to honestly explain.

Master Mai could only express his regret, saying that they should get together again when they had the chance, and courteously saw the group off. Then he turned back and saw someone riding on Wind Scale moving away—it seemed to be Wang Sheng, but where he was heading to again...

The other half of Xuan State's forces were still in the process of reorganizing and had not stopped day or night.

In the central cavern, after giving a report on the new reorganization situation, Wan Daoyuan suddenly digressed and blurted out, "I hear that Wang Sheng's people have fought three battles in one day, each a small-scale skirmish. I hear they harvested five hundred and fifty Insect Extreme Crystals in just one day."

It was too easy to leave ears and eyes in the opponent's camp amidst the crisscrossing of forces.

Mulan Qingqing had also heard about this and was somewhat puzzled. Just after taking over the command for one day, leading the troops in three consecutive battles in a single day, while they on this side had not even finished rearranging the troops—one day was simply not enough.

Although these were just minor skirmishes, some things can be indicative of larger issues. Freshly assuming command, the troops were able to sustain long marches, and when ordered to encircle the enemy, they did so without any confusion—thousands of troops remained disciplined. As simple as it sounds, in reality, it was incredibly difficult to achieve.

When she first heard the news, she thought it was nonsense. Was this even humanly possible? It was more like a mythological tale.

After all, it wasn't just about collecting a few hundred Insect Extreme Crystals. Others might not know, but didn't she? She had commanded these forces for so long, and that too under the identity of a Su Yuan Sect disciple; she knew all too well how hard it was to direct several thousand troops, especially those that were newly handed over and in disarray, ready to be commanded at a moment's notice. If this wasn't a myth, then what was it?

After repeated confirmations, the reality left her speechless—Wang Sheng's side indeed had done it without fuss.

The ability to precisely target, the capacity to lead thousands of troops as easily as if directing one's own limbs, the effortless control, and the simplicity that hinted at the ease of handling weighty matters—these made her appear somewhat incompetent by comparison.

She couldn't help but introspectively question herself: was the gap between her and him really that large?

She was also very curious: do Youxia Mountain disciples often form groups for frequent skirmishes? She didn't believe the tales of innate knowledge.

Tang Zhen muttered, "You might want to joke, but even though they're just minor skirmishes, it seems Wang Sheng really does have some skills."

While speaking, she subconsciously took a few more glances at Mulan Qingqing, thinking to herself what kind of people his elders must be, as everyone seemed to doubt their ability to pick a son-in-law.

Mulan Qingqing, as the commanding officer, did not want to bolster others' morale at the expense of her own dignity, and glossed over the issue, "Minor skirmishes won't lead to greatness. We must hurry here too. By tomorrow, we must complete the division of our forces."

It had only been a day since the forces were divided, but Wang Sheng had already put considerable pressure on her.

"Okay," several people responded in succession.

Under the night sky, in the open plain where there was no place to hide, Shi Chun descended from the sky and landed beside Xiang Laner.

Without any pleasantries upon meeting, Shi Chun picked up several black cloth bags, patted them, and said, "A total of 2,387, you handle them again tonight. The process is the same as you saw yesterday night, just keep doing that."

Over two thousand? Xiang Laner was surprised, "Where did all these Insect Extreme Crystals come from?"

Shi Chun: "Half from the Xuan State's division plus a few hundred of our own."

Xiang Laner: "All to be put out?"

Shi Chun: "All of them. These are still not enough. Tomorrow we'll do three more rounds. You must arrange over a thousand for the first two rounds. After I receive the Insect Extreme Crystals, I'll bring them to you, and you must arrange an event with over two thousand for the third round."

Xiang Laner was alarmed, "Such a large quantity, to obtain from just dozens of people, do you think that's reasonable?"

Shi Chun: "That's why the scale must also be larger, the personnel can exceed a hundred, but try to avoid the elite forces of the various states. Just arrange it as you see fit."

Xiang Laner still hadn't taken the bags from his hand and asked, "Going round in circles to rob our own stuff, what exactly are you trying to do with so much effort?"

Shi Chun: "Didn't I already tell you? We need to grab first place."

Xiang Laner pointed at the bag in his hand, "You think by just scooping up these things and snatching them back and forth, you can take first place?"

Shi Chun nodded, "Exactly. While snatching and snatching, first place will naturally come."

Xiang Laner didn't want to appear dumber than her counterpart, but this time she really couldn't understand. She seemed to sense something, but on second thought, it didn't make sense, and she couldn't hold back any longer. She began to act petulantly, "Explain your method of snatching clearly. I can't blindly help you with this, only to be sold out by you in the end without knowing."

Saying so, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, turned around, and stood sideways with a proud and coquettish air.

She might not even realize that she had become more and more casual in front of Shi Chun, less and less inclined to pretend.

Secrets lead to success, and Shi Chun really didn't want to reveal his plan so easily. But since matters had already been guided in this direction, and they had progressed so far, he did indeed need to rely on her help, and she had him by the throat.

After thinking for a bit, he confessed, "You know about the rules of victory and defeat between Mulan Qingqing and me."

Xiang Laner calmly said, "I know. Isn't it about whoever snatches more Insect Extreme Crystals? In the end, all of the Insect Extreme Crystals will belong to whoever wins. But how can you win against her by constantly snatching your own stuff back and forth at the same count?"

Holding a bunch of stuff was tiring, so Shi Chun set down the things before saying, "Feng Meimei, you may have forgotten where I come from, forgotten who I am."

Xiang Laner glanced at him sideways, "Isn't it just the Land of Exile? Is that something to be proud of?"

Shi Chun smiled faintly, "What's there to be proud of? In the eyes of you outsiders, we are nothing more than a bunch of lowly, disposable riffraff and scum."

Xiang Laner immediately objected, "Hey, don't talk nonsense. I've never thought that way. Don't blame your self-deprecation on me."

That wasn't worth arguing over, so Shi Chun skipped over it and got back to the point, "Coming from the Land of Exile, I may not have many skills, but I do have some insight into robbery. Put like this, everyone wants to snatch stuff from one another, and I can't believe that the stronger side would just hand it over."

Xiang Laner suddenly looked as if she had an epiphany, "You mean to say, Mulan Qingqing's side will tear up the agreement and renege on the deal?"

Shi Chun: "This isn't warfare among mortals. Without the support of strength, mere numbers are useless. Although the difference in cultivation isn't big, a hundred mediocrities can't stop an expert.

All the elite troops of Xuan State are with Mulan Qingqing. I've only got a disorderly mob. Roughly, all the major Extreme Crystals of each state are in the hands of these elite troops. Even if my few thousand ragtag bravehearts clash repeatedly, how often can they encounter the elites from the states?

Even if they win a few times, our forces will quickly be worn down. Can we really snatch first place by winning a few times?

So the real power to snatch first place from the states is still with Mulan Qingqing. To seize first place, we still have to rely on Mulan Qingqing.

According to the original rules of the competition, even if we use up all our people, we cannot possibly win against them.

What we have to do is to force Mulan Qingqing's side to snatch first place more crazily, to snatch first place at any cost, and finally, let them find out that no matter how hard they try to snatch, they cannot win against us!"

Xiang Laner's bright eyes shone with a different light, as she put down her hand, turned around to face him, and excitedly said, "You want to force them to break the agreement and default on their own?"

Shi Chun: "Exactly. Again, everyone wants to snatch what's in the other's hands. The strong will not simply concede. But after all, we're both from Xuan State. They can't just kill us to take the Extreme Crystals by force. In the end, the only solution will have to be something that both I and they can accept."

Now she understood. Xiang Laner finally got it. This guy really had such a plot in mind when he kept snatching his own things back and forth.

Her look at Shi Chun became more complex. It was this time that she truly realized he wasn't joking before. He really aimed to snatch first place, and astonishingly, intended to do so on his own strength, without any backing forces.

If there really was any force helping, it was just her.

Taking a deep breath and regaining her composure, she asked, "Have you ever thought about how you would explain to Wukang Mountain if you really snatch first place? They don't look like they could enjoy such a fortune."

Shi Chun scoffed, "If I really snatch first place, do I need to care what Wukang Mountain thinks?"

Xiang Laner was momentarily taken aback, not quite understanding his point of view. It seemed that their cognition didn't match up. Anyway, this guy was truly daring.

"Alright, I've explained it clearly enough, right? I'll leave this to you." Shi Chun kicked the black cloth bag at his feet, "There's still a bunch of people over there. I'll go back first. When there's news, let me know."

With that, he leapt up and soared away, displaying his Wind Scale technique, gliding through the starry sky.

Xiang Laner watched him go from afar, standing still and silent for a long time.

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