"Look, the elimination round bracket draw is starting!"
At this shout, everyone turned their attention to the large screen.
Having finally shaken off Feng Baobao's pestering, Su Xiaoqi noticed Lu Linglong's flushed face and asked curiously, *"Linglong, what's up with your face?"*
*"N-Nothing..."*
Lu Linglong lowered her head and muttered a reply. The things Feng Shayu had said earlier were still echoing in her mind—they were far too explicit, and she couldn't handle it.
The results of the elimination round bracket draw were soon displayed for all to see. However, when the crowd saw the matchups, their gazes immediately turned toward Lu Linglong with mocking expressions.
Lu Linglong's face turned even redder—this time not from embarrassment, but from sheer anger.
She had indeed been placed in the upper half of the bracket, but her first opponent was none other than **Su Xiaoqi**.
If that were all, it wouldn't have been so infuriating. However, her next opponent would be the winner between **Zhu Zhuqing** and **Tokisaki Kurumi**, followed by likely facing two out of **Zhuge Qing**, **Wang Ye**, and **Zhang Lingyu**—this was practically setting her up for failure.
Meanwhile, Zhang Chulan's lower bracket was a cakewalk, practically guaranteeing him a spot in the finals.
Fuming, Lu Linglong glared at Su Xiaoqi. *"If those old bastards are going to play dirty, then screw it—let's just blow up Longhu Mountain!"*
The surrounding crowd stiffened at her words. Zhang Chulan, in particular, looked at Su Xiaoqi and asked nervously, *"Bro, can you actually do something like that?"*
Su Xiaoqi smirked. *"I could blow up the planet if I wanted to."*
Zhang Chulan forced a laugh. *"Haha, bro, no need for jokes like that..."*
*"He's telling the truth."*
At that moment, the **Heavenly Master (Tian Shi)**, **Lu Jin**, and others arrived, followed by Zhang Lingyu, Wang Ye, and Zhuge Qing.
With the Heavenly Master's confirmation, no one could doubt Su Xiaoqi's words anymore. They now looked at him as if he were some kind of monster—except for Feng Baobao, who muttered under her breath:
*"Seems like my 'Ah Wei Nineteenth Style' isn't enough. I'll have to come up with more moves."*
The Heavenly Master smiled at Su Xiaoqi. *"Xiaoqi, what you said yesterday makes sense, but the supernatural world has its own rules. We can't act as freely as you do."*
*"However, I promise you this—whether Linglong wins first place or not, I'll still give you everything I promised yesterday. You two can split it however you want."*
Lu Jin turned to his granddaughter. *"Linglong, the bracket results can't be changed. If you win first place on your own merits, I won't say a word. Hell, I'll even give you anything else you want to sell off."*
*"But don't worry—the other thing you two are planning, neither I nor the Heavenly Master will interfere. You can do whatever you want."*
Lu Linglong sneered. *"Oh, so you think just because you all gang up on me, I'll be scared?"*
*"Since you're offering such terms, I'll play along properly. Just wait—I'm taking first place **and** everything else!"*
Lu Jin scowled. *"You're forbidden from saying that phrase ever again! What kind of girl goes around spouting nonsense like that? Who the hell taught you that? Point them out, and I'll beat them to death!"*
*"Reporting to Elder Lu, Linglong learned all that from a woman named **Nami**. But don't worry, I already told her to stop hanging out with that kind of person."*
Zhu Zhuqing, Tokisaki Kurumi, and Zhi Jinhua twitched at his shameless deflection. Meanwhile, Nami, watching the livestream from the group chat, exploded in rage, cursing Su Xiaoqi out.
Lu Jin patted Su Xiaoqi's shoulder. *"Xiaoqi, I'll leave my granddaughter in your hands. Make sure she doesn't associate with those kinds of people."*
Su Xiaoqi nodded solemnly. *"Mission accepted."*
After the Heavenly Master and Lu Jin left, Zhang Chulan immediately slung an arm around Su Xiaoqi's shoulders, trying to cozy up. *"Bro, you looking for a sidekick? I could totally work under you. If Linglong makes it to the finals, I'll forfeit!"*
***THWACK! THWACK!***
Feng Baobao punched him to the ground. *"You think you've got a hole down there? Once you're my slave, you stay my slave. Got it?"*
*"Y-Yes, Boss Bao..."*
Zhang Lingyu then looked at Su Xiaoqi. *"I know I'm no match for you, but if possible, I'd like to spar with you—just to see the gap between us."*
Su Xiaoqi nodded. *"Sure, I'll find you later. I'll even introduce you to someone."*
After chatting for a while, Su Xiaoqi and the others returned to their lodgings, accompanied by Feng Shayu and Feng Xingtong.
When Feng Shayu saw **Sakata Gintoki** still snoring on the floor, she immediately pounced on him, delivering a brutal beating.
*"Yan'er, Gin-san was wrong! Gin-san shouldn't have gone out drinking and fooling around!"*
*"Are you insane?! I don't even know you! Who cares where you go?!"*
*"Yan'er, have you forgotten that night? It was brief, but Gin-san has treasured it in his heart!"*
*"You shameless bastard! One more word, and I'll cut it off right now!"*
Half an hour later, Feng Shayu dragged a bruised and battered Gintoki before Su Xiaoqi's group. *"I'm borrowing this idiot for a bit. I refuse to believe I can't straighten him out."*
Su Xiaoqi grinned. *"Go ahead. Just don't break him."*
After Feng Shayu and Feng Xingtong left, Su Xiaoqi turned to Lu Linglong. *"You made some bold claims earlier. What's your plan?"*
Lu Linglong smirked. *"I'm going all-in on the gacha with my points—about 50 pulls. If I get lucky and land some useful skills, I'll crush those bastards."*
*"If my luck sucks, I'll just borrow some skill cards from Zhuqing and pay her back after this mission."*
Su Xiaoqi nodded. *"Alright, go ahead. We'll watch."*
Lu Linglong hesitated. *"Uh, before I pull, I need to perform a ritual. It'd be awkward if you guys were here. Just Zhi Jinhua will do."*
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at Su Xiaoqi—he was the same, always performing some weird ritual before pulling, though it never seemed to help.
Su Xiaoqi chuckled. *"Guess we're alike. Go prepare then. I'll train for a bit. We'll go catch **Gong Qing** together tonight."*
---
Two hours later, just as Su Xiaoqi had nearly forgotten about Lu Linglong's gacha session, a rapid series of system notifications exploded in the group chat.
**[System: Congratulations to Lu Linglong for obtaining 515 points.]**
**[System: Congratulations to Lu Linglong for obtaining a skill card—"Selective Invisibility" (same as Yuigahama Nao's ability).]**
**[System: Congratulations to Lu Linglong for obtaining...]**
**[System: Congratulations to Lu Linglong for obtaining...]**
**[System: Congratulations to Lu Linglong for obtaining a skill card—"Kaioken"!]**
*"Kaioken?!"*
Su Xiaoqi's excitement nearly caused him to lose control of his energy, almost destroying the gravity chamber. He quickly deactivated it and **burst through the roof**, flying straight back to their lodings.
Rushing to Lu Linglong's room, he flung the door open. *"Linglong, can you sell me the Kaioken—"*
*"Holy shit, what are you two doing?!"*
Standing frozen in the doorway, Su Xiaoqi stared at the scene inside—Lu Linglong and Zhi Jinhua, clad only in lingerie, locked in an embrace. He had **never** expected this kind of relationship between them—nothing in the original story hinted at it!
The two girls were equally stunned, and the three of them just stared at each other in silence.
*"Uh... should I come back after you're done? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."*
Just as Su Xiaoqi was about to close the door, both girls lunged forward, dragging him inside before slamming the door shut.
*"Su Xiaoqi, it's not what you think! Zhi Jinhua and I aren't like that!"*
*"Don't get the wrong idea! We're both straight!"*
Su Xiaoqi gave them a knowing look. *"Linglong, Zhi Jinhua, there's nothing wrong with being into girls. I won't judge."*
This only made them panic more, and they began frantically explaining the situation. If this misunderstanding wasn't cleared up, they'd never live it down.
After hearing their explanation, Su Xiaoqi gave them an odd look.
*"So... your 'ritual' was having Zhi Jinhua help you shower and get all perfumed up, then pulling gacha in your underwear, and then hugging her out of excitement when you got something good?"*
Lu Linglong nodded rapidly. *"Yes! Exactly! If we were really doing something, we'd at least lock the door, right?"*
*"Fair point."*
Su Xiaoqi nodded, then smirked at their current state. *"You two planning to keep talking to me like this? With the little bear and cat prints?"*
Both girls turned beet red. Wearing lingerie wasn't a big deal—they'd worn swimsuits at the beach before—but the **cartoon patterns** on their underwear made this unbearably awkward.
*"Get out! We need to get dressed!"*
---
A minute later, when Su Xiaoqi re-entered the room, Lu Linglong cut him off before he could speak. *"I know you want the Kaioken. I checked the price—selling it to the system is worth about one **Tang San**."*
*"I said before that if I pulled something you needed, I'd sell it to you cheap. How about **80,000 points**?"*
Su Xiaoqi didn't hesitate. *"Deal. I'll cover the transaction fee too. And from now on, if you ever need anything from me, I'll give you the lowest price."*
Lu Linglong grinned. *"Then our revolutionary friendship stands strong."*
Su Xiaoqi returned the smile. *"Damn right."*