Something was wrong. Nine out of ten parts wrong... no, eleven out of ten parts wrong.
Why can't I probe this man's path at all? While Xianzhou divination was essentially an exhaustive calculation of possible changes, and it wasn't strange for it to fall short—something Fu Xuan, as the Master Diviner, was quite used to—this time she was using the Third Eye gifted by Nous the Erudition.
In some ways, this Third Eye from Nous was even more advanced than the Divination Commission's own Grand Divination Matrix.
"..." Brow furrowed tightly, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead, Fu Xuan pushed harder. While the Third Eye granted her considerable convenience, its use took a heavy toll on her Xianzhou physique, especially during high-intensity operation, causing immense pain for the young genius.
Refusing to accept defeat, she decided to try examining the other person playing chess with Jiang Qiao... What the hell? Why can't I see this one either?... No, wait, I think I can see something... It's blurry. The experienced Fu Xuan instantly noticed the difference in how her Third Eye perceived Jiang Qiao versus the other man.
If the former was completely untraceable, the latter... she recognized this feeling. It usually occurred when the subject had a special status or was a key focus of a Path of Mystery faction. For cases like this, simply increasing the intensity should work.
Hmph, if I can't see through the one beside him, surely I can see through you? Let me see who you truly are!
It's unlocking... Wait... no... this isn't right... this feeling...
Just as Fu Xuan felt the veil loosening, only a step away from seeing the truth, she eagerly probed the blue-and-black-haired man's true identity. Her eyes slowly widened in shock.
This is...!!
"Rei... Reignbow Arbiter!!?" she stammered, forcing out the four syllables with immense difficulty.
An unparalleled sense of terror washed over her, as if the arrow of the Hunt was already aimed at her... No, it felt more like it had just brushed past her—at least, it should have. But Fu Xuan had stubbornly placed herself directly in its path...
The next moment, her vision blurred, her body went limp, and she collapsed onto the ground. Only the stinging pain confirmed she was still alive.
At the same time, the man in front of her spoke with weary resignation: "Honestly... using that thing to probe others is quite rude. I don't mind, personally, but attempting to delve into the details of an ██... even if THEY probably don't care much, it's still very dangerous."
The two simple words denoting the entity's nature reached Fu Xuan's ears as if censored, muffled and unclear. But it didn't matter. From the moment she attempted to use Nous's Third Eye to probe 'HIM', even if she only glimpsed a minuscule fraction of HIS being, it was enough to tell Fu Xuan exactly what HE was.
"Lady Fu Xuan, are you alright?!" Qingque rushed over.
"I... I'm fine..." Supported by Qingque, Fu Xuan shook her head, her face pale and dazed. Though she claimed to be fine, her weak, staggering steps clearly showed she was just putting on a brave face.
The blue-and-black-haired young man watched this scene and silently stood up.
Jiang Qiao spoke to the empty air where the man had been, "Not planning to take this chance to look around more? It took quite some effort for me to pull you out temporarily, you know."
He seemed to listen for a moment. "No difference? Well, that's true enough. But compared to being swept along by the power of the Path, isn't being free like this more comfortable?"
He sighed. "Fine, if you think it's okay."
After Jiang Qiao sighed and shook his head, the presence vanished like a shooting star, gone in an instant.
"That person was..." Qingque started.
"Haven't you two figured it out already?" Jiang Qiao replied. "The object of Xianzhou faith, the hero sung of in legends... the Reignbow Arbiter, Lan, the Hunt Aeon... Of course, even though I say that, as you saw, he's not entirely complete due to certain reasons."
"...The Reignbow... You were playing chess with the Reignbow Arbiter HIMSELF? Why didn't you tell me?!" Qingque's eyes widened in disbelief, her cheeks flushing. If that was the Reignbow Arbiter, then all her petty actions and thoughts earlier...
How embarrassing!
AAAAAHHHH!!!
"You didn't ask," Jiang Qiao stated simply. "I thought you could tell."
His honesty was so blunt it made Miss Qingque grind her teeth. Well, sorry, I couldn't tell! She thought what she learned from the Ten-Lords was already overwhelming, but apparently, he was holding back an even bigger bombshell here?
"Right, is Lady Fu Xuan okay?" Jiang Qiao asked, changing the subject.
"Fine, fine, she just overloaded herself by trying to perceive something beyond her limits... The stuff that mechanical head gives out might be useful, but it's easy to hurt yourself with it." Miss Qingque had absolutely no desire to know who the 'mechanical head' Jiang Qiao was talking about was.
"Here, have her try this. Drinking it should help a lot," Jiang Qiao said, as if suddenly remembering something. He produced a cup of tea from somewhere and handed it to Qingque.
She glanced at it. Though it looked unfamiliar, she didn't hesitate, immediately holding the cup to the lips of Fu Xuan, whom she was still supporting.
Just as he'd said, in mere moments, Fu Xuan's complexion went from bloodless pale to a healthy pink. She clutched the cup and gulped it down eagerly.
"It works that well?" Qingque was surprised.
"It smooths out disordered Abundance power and repairs some mental damage... That's roughly the effect. It wasn't anything serious to begin with," Jiang Qiao explained calmly, having procured another steaming cup for himself from somewhere and taking a sip.
Curious, Qingque leaned closer to look. The next second, she grabbed his hand, unceremoniously took a big gulp from his cup, then looked puzzled: "Floating Sheep Milk?"
"...This cup was yours..." Jiang Qiao pointed to the other cup on the table.
"Hmph, who cares about you," Qingque retorted. "...I'll drink both!"
Miss Qingque, quite brazenly, finished the cup in Jiang Qiao's hand, then downed her own portion on the table in one go, declaring her intentions with a hint of 'bossiness' and 'willfulness'.
Recalling the certain someone's detestable actions, she felt indignant. So what if I drink two of your cups? If we were somewhere else, I'd chug it straight from the bottle!
"Hah..." Fu Xuan sighed, having recovered. Seemingly back to normal, she didn't leave with Qingque but sat down directly opposite Jiang Qiao. She gave Qingque a complicated look, then turned to Jiang Qiao, her tone laced with seriousness and uncertainty.
Normally, she'd be wary of such an unidentified individual—it was part of the Divination Commission's job—but this man... Setting aside the fact that even Nous's Third Eye couldn't figure him out, there was his inexplicable connection to Qingque, and just now... By the Reignbow Arbiter!
Fu Xuan just felt that facing this man, she couldn't quite straighten her back.
"Me? I'm Qingque's friend," Jiang Qiao replied simply.
If it were anyone else, Fu Xuan would assume they were just brushing her off. But this man, when he gave this answer, had no trace of murkiness or impatience in his eyes, only sincerity—as if he genuinely believed it. And this answer was the most appropriate one he could give after consideration.
Indeed, Jiang Qiao might have many other identities.
A traveler from another world, an Emanator favored by an Aeon, and so on. But clearly, to him personally, these identities meant nothing.
Right here, right now, beside Qingque, he would only be present as 'Qingque's friend'. Anything more... might perhaps include being an 'Outworlder observing the Luminary Wardance'?
For a moment, Fu Xuan was speechless, unsure how to respond to the man before her. All he offered in return was a smile. Despite the bustle of the Exalting Sanctum, the air around the game table felt utterly silent.
---||---
Meanwhile, a similar solemn silence filled the Divine Foresight.
The events of the past period were simply too complex, even for the battle-hardened Seven Arbiter-Generals. First, the major battle against the Legion, and then... the matter of dealing with the sinner, Jingliu.
Although a certain someone had indeed used this opportunity to rewrite the ending for the High-Cloud Quintet, allowing those former sinners to atone for their deeds in a sense, for the Xianzhou Alliance, merits and demerits were entirely different calculations. This was especially severe and obvious in Jingliu's case.
One must remember, the former Jingliu was the Sword Champion of the Luofu, a Cloud Knight commander second only to the Seven Arbiter-Generals.
In some matters, Jingliu's prestige even rivaled most of the Arbiter-Generals. Yet, the issue of being 'Mara-Struck' was firmly in the hands of the opposing faction, the Ten-Lords.
It had to be said, the Sedition of the Vidyadhara truly dealt a heavy blow to the Cloud Knight faction led by Hua within the Xianzhou. A legendary Sword Champion whose prestige rivaled the Seven Generals, a powerful Dragon High Elder who curbed the Vidyadhara and maintained balance... The Ten-Lords basically won that round by default.
The former High-Cloud Quintet personally handed the leverage to the other side, leaving even Hua speechless.
She felt quite bitter about it too.
Truthfully, although the Cloud Knights held extremely high status within the Xianzhou Alliance system, even faintly surpassing the Ten-Lords and guiding the Xianzhou's course, the Cloud Knight faction itself wasn't actually that stable.
At least when it came to political maneuvering, straightforward warriors like them were inherently no match for the gods of infighting left over from the Three Sufferings era (nah i lazy to search the EN TL, here 三劫时代 search yourself).
In this situation of apparent strength but actual weakness, the disadvantaged Cloud Knights could only continuously raise the banner of the Hunt, barely maintaining their base through constant victories.
Unfortunately, the High-Cloud Quintet, who should have been the sharp edge of the Cloud Knight faction, ended up creating a huge mess, completely dashing Hua's hopes just when she thought there was promise, or at least a chance to endure humiliation while seeking an opportunity for change.
Now, another chance seemed to have appeared... but Jingliu being Mara-Struck meant she inherently carried a politically incorrect label within the Alliance... The only good news was that they didn't seem too concerned about this issue.
Instead, the choice Jingliu presented them with... The Swarm King's remains...
As if remembering something, Hua gave a wry smile. If [she] hadn't appeared, this might have truly been her only option. After all, with the contradictions within the Xianzhou Alliance growing sharper, the only way to uphold the Path of the Hunt might be to participate in that grand Aeon war, completely crushing the ambitions of the Ten-Lords and other remnant factions.
As for internal purges... that was undoubtedly the most foolish, almost suicidal course of action—at least for the Xianzhou Alliance, it was absolutely unfeasible. Because ultimately, the essence of the Xianzhou Alliance wasn't the 'Xianzhou' ships, but the 'Alliance' itself.
They came together for mutual benefit.
Therefore, no matter how glorious the slogans shouted, it couldn't change the fundamental reality laid down from the beginning—even for a supposedly 'unbreakable' alliance.
If one day the Xianzhou Alliance completely went against their constituents' needs, the only outcome would be civil war, just like the Three Sufferings War... and after such a war, the Alliance would definitely fall apart.
This outcome wouldn't change based on the war's results; it was an inevitability. Or rather, for the Xianzhou Alliance, the moment civil war erupted, they had already lost.
There would be no winners, only degrees of loss. Regardless of who won or lost, the Xianzhou Alliance would inevitably disintegrate—and a single Xianzhou ship could not survive long in the vast cosmos.
Returning to the era of solitary voyages? The fate of the Daiyu and the Yuanqiao served as stark warnings.
If violence could solve everything, why would Xipe, the Harmony, even exist?
Hua knew well that in this cosmos, the military might the Seven Arbiter-Generals prided themselves on wasn't actually as powerful as the world perceived. They only solved problems solvable by force. As for using force to solve everything... the Hunt wasn't insane like the Antimatter Legion.
Unless one was a madman like the Legion, or a slacker like the Elation, no individual or faction in this cosmos would focus solely on violence. It should be the last resort, a guarantee when all else failed. In this regard, the Xianzhou Alliance was no different.
---||---
From the depths of the Xianzhou, a vast gravitational wave rippled outwards.
Accompanied by the chime of ancient bells, under Hua's watch and escorted by the three generals, several more figures instantly appeared.
From the Fanghu, General Xuanquan, Subduer of Currents.
From the Yuque, General Yaoguang, Strategist Marshall.
And finally... from the Xuling, General Liaowu, Dust-Queller.
Sensing Hua's gaze, Liaowu spoke with utmost calmness, her voice slow and measured:
"Marshal, since you would summon me at such a time, does that mean..."
"You..."
"Have you found the answer?"