Chapter 1057: A Lucky Break?

Chu Tianqiu had several people spread out and act separately. The primary task right now was for Yan Zhichun to obtain "Huixiang."

He deduced that Jin Yuanxun would soon lose his own "Zi." If Yan Zhichun could activate his ability in time, there might still be a chance to salvage everything.

"And..." He called out to Wen Qiaoyun at the last moment, "If the situation allows, go check on Zhang Shan's condition."

"Checking on his condition now...?"

"If Zhang Shan is still conscious, tell him the method for 'Huixiang.'" Chu Tianqiu added, "His 'Huixiang' has some self-healing capabilities, so he might be able to get back on his feet."

Wen Qiaoyun paused for a moment after hearing this and said,"What if he can't hear it?"

"Then I can only say it's a pity." Chu Tianqiu replied, "He's already done his best."

Wen Qiaoyun nodded in response, then turned and silently left the "Beizhan Qu."

As Chu Tianqiu watched her departing figure, he felt a slight daze, as if not long ago, Yun Yao had shown a similar expression before parting ways with him.

If he had to describe the fleeting emotion in his heart right now... he knew it wasn't sadness or reluctance.

It was an inexplicable, all-encompassing sense of loneliness.

Whether it was Yun Yao or Wen Qiaoyun, they had once been his most trusted companions. They had been through countless life-and-death situations and achieved various triumphs together.

But now, Chu Tianqiu had awakened, finding himself among a group of ordinary people, making him stand out as utterly abnormal.

How difficult was it to completely liberate the "Zhongyan Zhidi"?

He was walking a path that no one else understood. Not to mention Zhang Shan dying in the "Hedao," even if he himself died in the "Hedao," Chu Tianqiu could only mock himself with, "I've done my best."

He was mocking the decades of effort he had poured in, mocking how all his endeavors had ultimately come to nothing.

For Chu Tianqiu, winning or losing this game didn't matter at all. It was less of a contest and more of a performance.

He needed to showcase his abilities as much as possible to Qing Long and to Qi Xia.

If he acted impulsively and made a mistake now, he would lose his seat on this ride.

Qing Long had once stood on the rooftop of "Tianguang Kou" and told Chu Tianqiu and Qi Xia that only one of them could reach the pinnacle.

When Qing Long said that... did he even consider putting himself and Qi Xia on the same level?

But fortunately, Wen Qiaoyun was not Yun Yao.

Chu Tianqiu understood Wen Qiaoyun; she was a strong individual shaped by emotional environments. Unlike Yun Yao, she could distinguish the situation clearly, even in extreme pain, and make the most correct choice.

Then, Chu Tianqiu snapped back to attention and instructed Xu Liunian that since he couldn't revert to his original form, the best plan was to continue causing chaos as "Chen Junnan."

Since he had failed before, he could work to find the reasons for those failures. In the time ahead, reduce the failure rate as much as possible. No matter how many times it failed, as long as it succeeded once—reaching the enemy's "Beizhan Qu" or deceiving them into giving up a "Zi"—it would be worth it.

As for Zhao Yisheng, Chu Tianqiu simply told him to "adapt as needed" and didn't say much more.

Zhao Yisheng couldn't help but feel puzzled inwardly. As one of the most powerful "Huixiang" users in this game, he could disrupt the enemy's "Zi" if he got close enough. Yet, Chu Tianqiu seemed reluctant to make full use of him.

But now that Chu Tianqiu hadn't explained anything, Zhao Yisheng didn't clarify either. He just nodded and left the room with Wen Qiaoyun.

Meanwhile, Chu Tianqiu continued studying the possible "Zi" combinations on the screen.

Before long, he realized that for their side to win this match, they absolutely needed to secure two specific characters: "Bing" and "Xiang."

They already knew that Chen Junnan had "Bao" and "Jin," so where were "Bing" and "Xiang"?

As Chu Tianqiu was pondering this, Jin Yuanxun walked in from outside.

"Ge..."

Chu Tianqiu noticed that Jin Yuanxun was holding a "Bao" in his hand and felt puzzled.

"This is?"

"Chu Ge, I won." Jin Yuanxun said, "It was a bit lucky... but I got the 'Zi' from Chen Junnan."

Seeing Jin Yuanxun's smiling face, Chu Tianqiu didn't speak for several seconds.

Lucky?

For Jin Yuanxun to win against Chen Junnan in a game of "Jiaozhan" or "Wendao" with his current level of Chinese... just how lucky did he have to be?

"What about your own 'Zi'?" Chu Tianqiu asked.

Jin Yuanxun hesitated for a moment, then pulled a chain from his pocket. It held three parts of "Zu."

"It's here, Ge."

Only upon seeing the "Zu" did Chu Tianqiu feel slightly relieved. He said, "Good job, Jin Yuanxun."

"Don't mention it, Ge. It really was just luck."

Chu Tianqiu nodded and continued, "Jin Yuanxun, while you weren't here earlier, I heard a bell ring."

"A bell...?" Jin Yuanxun was stunned.

"Yes." Chu Tianqiu nodded, "I suspect you must have gained 'Huixiang,' since you were the only one playing against Chen Junnan."

Jin Yuanxun felt something was off about this. If a bell had rung, why hadn't he heard it?

Weren't the game rooms directly connected to the outside?

"Ge... just now, Chen Junnan and I were in the game together..." Jin Yuanxun probed, "Even if there was a bell, why wouldn't it be his?"

"Because he lost." Chu Tianqiu said, "Given what you know about Chen Junnan, with his skills plus 'Huixiang,' how could you have won?"

"I guess you're right..."

Jin Yuanxun nodded, though he didn't actually remember what Chen Junnan's "Huixiang" was. He just felt that this person had recently started making a big splash in the "Zhongyan Zhidi," so his previous low profile was probably due to not having a stable "Huixiang."

"So, give it a try now." Chu Tianqiu patted Jin Yuanxun on the shoulder, "I've heard your 'Huixiang' many times before. That bell sounds just like yours."

"You can tell just from that...?"

Jin Yuanxun muttered to himself, then slowly narrowed his eyes and looked toward the space behind Chu Tianqiu. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from in front of Chu Tianqiu and reappeared in front of the display screen.

"Huh?" Jin Yuanxun said with delight, "Ge... it really works..."

Seeing this, Chu Tianqiu nodded. It seemed Xu Liunian had indeed found a way to use "Huixiang" in this place. For someone who already mastered it, adding a bit of mental focus wasn't hard.

"Good, Jin Yuanxun." Chu Tianqiu said, "Keep the 'Zu' with you, and from now on, you need to protect it with your life."

"With my life..." Jin Yuanxun paused at those words, then suddenly remembered something. "Ge... when I was in the game area earlier, that 'Shengxiao' asked me to pass on a message to you..."