Chapter 1063: The Plan Begins

Not long after, Tiantian slowly opened her eyes and was shocked to find a "Shi" placed on the ground, and she couldn't help but widen her eyes.

This "Shi" looked extremely exquisite, almost indistinguishable from the real one.

"Oh...?" Qi Xia also lowered his head. "Even though I didn't move my gaze away, I didn't notice that the chain had turned into a 'Zi', as if it was originally a 'Zi'."

After hearing this description, Tiantian felt that she had indeed activated her "Hui Xiang."

Previously, when she first released "Hui Xiang" in front of Zheng Yingxiong, it had been the same way. She had activated it right in front of everyone, creating something that replaced the original item, and to the others, it seemed as if nothing had happened—as if those things had always been that way.

But this time, the feeling was a bit strange, like she had used "Hui Xiang," yet also like she hadn't.

Could Qi Xia have taken a "Zi" and put on this act to deceive her? But where had this "Shi" come from?

Tiantian quickly realized that Qi Xia had mentioned earlier that the one on the other side was "Shi," and it was well protected there. So, this "Zi" couldn't have come from the other side; it must have been something she had created herself.

"So, it really was me..." Tiantian said. "It's a bit hard to believe, since I didn't know the internal structure of this 'Zi', yet I was still able to make a replica."

Qi Xia nodded after hearing this. "This shows that your 'Hui Xiang' is stronger than before, so this mission will go smoothly too."

"Okay... I'll get to it right away!" Tiantian agreed and nodded, then closed her eyes again.

Qi Xia knew that Tiantian would be the true "secret weapon" in this confrontation, so he didn't disturb her and let her focus on honing her "Hui Xiang." He had intended to enter "He Dao" from the front but unexpectedly found that the room between Tiantian's room and "He Dao" was locked.

He furrowed his brow, sensing something odd, and asked, "Who was in the room in front of you just now...?"

"It seems... it was Zhang Lüshi?" Tiantian opened her eyes and said.

"Zhang Lüshi...?" Qi Xia nodded, then changed his route. After making sure no one was around, he went inside.

He closed the door and began to test his hypothesis.

His hypothesis was simple: in this space where "Hui Xiang" couldn't be used, Xu Liunian had been the first to gain "Hui Xiang."

Xu Liunian didn't stand out in terms of intelligence or skill, so "Hui Xiang" wasn't related to intelligence or skill—it was connected to "experience."

As a highly experienced "Hui Xiang" user, Xu Liunian had experiences that others didn't, which was why she had been the first to activate it.

Based on all this, Qi Xia quickly concluded that "Hui Xiang" wasn't too difficult, but it required some additional "belief."

Now, he had transferred that additional "belief" to Tiantian, and it was time to verify if it had taken shape.

Qi Xia pulled out the bundle of chains from his pocket.

As he expected, part of the chain had fused together, awkwardly forming a "Zi."

"Shi."

Although it had the basic shape of "Shi," half of the chain still hung down, as if it had only partially melted and formed into a "Zi," with the rest not fusing.

Qi Xia let out a sigh of relief, feeling that he had reverse-engineered the process by using a real "Zi" to inspire Tiantian to create a fake one—but that was enough.

No one cared whether the "Zi" was real or fake, as long as Tiantian believed it was real.

He gently shook the fake "Shi," and it felt a bit heavier than the real "Zi."

It seemed the real "Zi" had some mechanism in the center, while the one Tiantian had created was solid. This solid "Zi" probably couldn't activate the "Feng Huang Xian Shu Tai" and wouldn't score points.

Qi Xia put the "Zi" back in his pocket, thinking this wasn't a bad thing. Although it was obvious it was fake if someone held it and examined it closely, as long as the enemy didn't get a good look, it would always be real.

He opened the door and entered "He Dao," but instead of rushing to the other side, he first confirmed that "He Dao" was empty before moving sideways and opening the doors to his team's rooms one by one, as if searching for someone.

In the room on the far left, Qi Xia found Zheng Yingxiong.

"Hmm...?" Zheng Yingxiong furrowed his brow and looked at Qi Xia, his gaze quickly turning stern. "What are you doing?"

He saw Qi Xia walking in from "He Dao" and was one hundred percent sure he was a fake, even thinking about where to headbutt him.

But Qi Xia shook his head and, while Zheng Yingxiong wasn't paying attention, walked straight into the room.

Zheng Yingxiong turned and fled, pushing open the door and dashing into another room.

The two of them faced each other across the door, but Zheng Yingxiong felt something was off.

"Just now the door wasn't locked, so come back." Qi Xia said.

"Huh...?"

Zheng Yingxiong noticed the door really wasn't locked, but he still couldn't believe that Qi Xia, who had strolled in from "He Dao," was the real one.

"You... aren't you supposed to be behind me?" Zheng Yingxiong asked.

"The situation has changed." Qi Xia said. "I have a new task for you."

"What task...?" Zheng Yingxiong was stunned.

Qi Xia didn't answer and instead stared at Zheng Yingxiong, asking, "How's your nose...? Have you regained your sense of smell?"

Zheng Yingxiong sighed after hearing this. "No... I thought it would recover over time, but the longer I'm here, the more familiar I am with the smells around, and I can't sense anyone else's scent at all."

Qi Xia took another step forward and entered Zheng Yingxiong's room, speaking softly, "Alright, I'll tell you the task details now, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else, even if it kills you, keep it to yourself."

"Ah...?" Zheng Yingxiong was taken aback and pointed toward the Qinglong direction. "What about him...?"

"It's fine, he's not human." Qi Xia said.

"Uh... alright."

"I'm going to tell you everyone's 'Hui Xiang' in our team right now. Memorize them carefully, and tell them that you smelled these scents."

"Ah?" Zheng Yingxiong didn't quite understand. "I didn't smell anything, but I have to say I did?"

"That's right, that's the first part of the task."

Qi Xia briefly explained the "Hui Xiang" names for Tiantian, Chen Junnan, Qiao Jiajin, Zhang Chenze, and Han Yimo.

"Got it memorized?"

"Got it..." Zheng Yingxiong nodded. "But why do this?"

"As long as you say it convincingly, they'll really gain 'Hui Xiang'." Qi Xia said. "There's no 'Zhong' here, and you are the 'Zhong'."

"I'm the... 'Zhong'?"

"Remember, Zheng Yingxiong." Qi Xia said. "It's not that someone gains 'Hui Xiang' and then the bell rings—it's that the bell rings, and then someone gains 'Hui Xiang'."

Zheng Yingxiong slowly widened his eyes, feeling as if he had just heard something incredible.