At this moment, inside the Conclave Hall of the Divination Commission,
Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan's projections stood side by side, exchanging intelligence.
Fu Xuan: "This matter is utterly bizarre, unless Kafka somehow deceived the Matrix of Prescience Ultima."
Jing Yuan reassured, "Don't panic, Fu Xuan. Trust that the Matrix of Prescience Ultima does not lie."
"The logic behind Kafka's actions, as you described, is highly reliable. It fills in a piece of the puzzle for me."
Or rather, it confirms it.
It proves that the information Leon conveyed through the chess game was almost entirely accurate.
Fu Xuan, unaware of this, looked puzzled. "What puzzle?"
"There must be external enemies and internal threats in the Luofu, for a Stellaron cannot appear out of nowhere. Someone must have smuggled it into the Xianzhou through some means."
"As for the internal threat, it must be the sinister organization that claims to follow the Abundance, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus."
"Kafka's truths perfectly corroborate my suspicions."
Fu Xuan's eye twitched, words caught in her throat, her fair face gradually flushing red.
Don't misunderstand—it wasn't a blush of shyness.
It was the red of rising anger.
Jing Yuan!!
"You… General, when did you figure this out?"
Even in her inner fury, Fu Xuan's expression remained composed, showing no loss of control.
"When the Stellaron first surfaced."
Jing Yuan crossed his arms, speaking calmly:
"The Xianzhou is blessed by the Reignbow Arbiter. If not for the intervention of another Aeon's Emanator, how could it infiltrate the Luofu without my knowledge? Thus, there must be an external enemy."
"The Stellaron's corruption has affected various areas, yet it bypassed the Seat of Divine Foresight and The Shackling Prison, two critical strongholds. Clearly, there's a deeper scheme at play."
"For the enemy to plan so meticulously without leaving a trace, they must have access to internal intelligence from the Luofu. Hence, an internal threat is inevitable."
"Figuring out these two points isn't difficult. The challenge lies in proving these suspicions."
He didn't need to prove it himself.
But the Six Charioteers did.
At this point, Jing Yuan recalled his chess game with Leon and said with conviction:
"The Stellaron Hunters are not the masterminds. I understood that the moment I saw Blade."
"But why he came, and why he drew the Astral Express here—that piece of the puzzle I couldn't find."
"To be precise, I couldn't find it until that guest arrived uninvited."
From the start of the chess game, through its progression, to its conclusion, it opened up many subtle ideas and possibilities.
All from a single game of chess.
There was no denying Jing Yuan's keen understanding, able to grasp and see through the cryptic meanings Leon intended to convey.
But if Leon didn't have that skill, how could he have controlled the game's direction?
That game of the Immortal's Endgame was entirely under Leon's control.
What did that signify?
It meant that even if they played seriously, Jing Yuan would likely have lost.
Life is like a chess game, and a chess game is like life.
Jing Yuan knew exactly what losing a game implied.
This was why he was relieved that Leon was a friend, not a foe.
When the gap in strength isn't overwhelming, strategy becomes the key to victory.
"That guest? Who are you talking about? You don't seem to mean the Nameless of the Astral Express," Fu Xuan frowned.
"You guessed wrong there."
Jing Yuan refuted her assumption with a sly smile:
"But the truth brought by this guest—relying solely on my word wouldn't convince anyone."
"Kafka understood this too, which is why she surrendered willingly and came to the Divination Commission."
"She took such a roundabout approach just to reveal the truth—that she wanted to connect the Xianzhou with the Express."
Fu Xuan fell silent.
Facts speak louder than words.
Had it not been for the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, even if Jing Yuan shared his thoughts and this truth with her, she would never have believed it.
The Divination Commission is one of the Six Charioteers. If the Divination Commission didn't believe it, the leaders of the other Charioteers surely wouldn't either.
Jing Yuan's "telling us" really meant telling the Six Charioteers.
But it seemed he left out the most critical piece of information?
"Connecting the Express with the Xianzhou—you're the General. How could you not know how difficult that is?"
"The three from the Express have some strength, but if I may be blunt—"
"If the external enemy we face is an Aeon's Emanator, they don't have the power to turn the tide for the Luofu."
Jing Yuan gave a mysterious smile.
"No need to rush, Fu Xuan."
"Whether they can turn the tide is a matter for later. Whether they have that ability can't be determined now."
Seeing Jing Yuan's usual leisurely tone, Fu Xuan shot him an exasperated glare.
"General, stop dawdling at a time like this. The Ambrosial Arbor …"
"No need to worry. That's caused by the Stellaron. The traitor planted it in the domain where the Ambrosial Arbor resides, causing it to regrow."
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have finally made their move."
At this, a spark of realization flashed through Fu Xuan's mind, and she blurted out in disbelief:
"Could it be… the one who sabotaged the Matrix of Prescience Ultima is a mole planted by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus within the Commission?"
"Well—"
Jing Yuan's eyes flickered mischievously.
"A mole, yes, but not quite."
"You… you—!"
Fu Xuan felt like Jing Yuan was about to make her spit blood from frustration.
What did his words imply?
They implied he even knew who the mole was…
He. Knew. Everything!
And yet, he said nothing, not even to her!
What a rotten guy!
"Fine. A crisis is also an opportunity. Knowing where the problem lies makes everything manageable."
Jing Yuan said nothing, merely tilting his head to watch Fu Xuan.
Fu Xuan froze for a moment, then the corners of her mouth twitched violently.
"Me again, coming up with ideas?"
"Of course. I knew Fu Xuan would have a plan."
Jing Yuan flashed a squinting smile reminiscent of Leon's.
Fu Xuan sighed.
"In my opinion, the priority now is to muster the Cloud Knights, head to the domain where the Ambrosial Arbor is rooted, eradicate the Stellaron's corruption, and halt its regrowth."
"Hm, hm… Fu Xuan's keen insight is surely the fastest path to solving this."
Jing Yuan opened his eyes, saying with deeper meaning:
"But sometimes, the fastest isn't the best. Guess why, knowing the Stellaron's location, I've held back?"
Fu Xuan pondered.
After a moment, she took a deep breath and met Jing Yuan's eyes directly.
"General."
"Yes?" Jing Yuan was still smiling.
Fu Xuan raised her brows, speaking concisely:
"You're such a villain!"
Jing Yuan couldn't hold back, laughing heartily: "Haha, to uproot the weeds, you must pull out the roots. Just wait a bit longer."
"The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus chose this moment to act, meaning the Cloud Knights have already stabilized the overall situation."
"The traitor's losing patience. Now, with a justified cause, it's the perfect time to take them all down in one swoop."
Fu Xuan's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
"You're just waiting like that? What if something goes wrong? How will you, General, bear the losses?"
"Fu Xuan, oh Fu Xuan, as I said, don't rush. With elite allies assisting, there won't be any mishaps."
Surely by now, Leon has successfully infiltrated the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, right?