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In the end, Qiyu still couldn’t get an answer from his elf teacher.

But just like so many times before, since he didn’t deny it, there was no doubt—that was the answer. 

Qiyu felt a little happy: “So you’ve been looking out for me since way back then?” 

Aegnor: …

He never would have imagined that this was what Qiyu was focusing on.

His gaze softened: “Of course. I noticed you the moment you opened my notebook.”

He said it so casually, but no one knew just how chaotic things had become within the elven clan when the news reached them.

There were even some young elves who were eager to get close to Qiyu, but they were all firmly rebuffed in the end. This child had clearly suffered a great deal and was highly vigilant. Approaching him rashly would only make him even more guarded.

Qiyu was trying to recall—what had he been punished for back then?

Oh, it seems it was because back then, when Teacher Aegnor was still an archmage, he’d heard that above the rank of an archmage, there was an even more powerful figure: the magic saint.

And then he got smacked.

Not long after that, he saw a news article—which he’d fished out of the small lake—announcing the promotion of an archmage of the mages association to the rank of magic saint.

He hadn’t made the connection between these two pieces of news before.

Thinking back on it now… Hmm.

So that’s the kind of person you are, Teacher Aegnor. Your competitive spirit is every bit as strong as mine.

Emerging from his mental space, Qiyu looked full of energy.

As a four-star mage, he was not yet able to rely solely on his own magical power to construct a magical barrier covering the entire domain.

In fact, very few four-star mages need such a large barrier, which is why Teacher Aegnor hadn’t taught him this before.

But a magic saint naturally has his own methods.

He refined the principles of magical barriers, allowing Qiyu to set up magical barriers.

What is the difference between a magic array and a magical barrier?

A magic array is an independent formation; once formed, it can operate completely independently of the mage. Once a magic array is formed, an external force can shatter it by destroying its focal point.

But a barrier is sustained by the mage himself. After Aegnor modified it for him, even though it required the energy of magic crystals, it remained, at its core, a barrier.

As long as Qiyu’s magical power continues to flow, the barrier will not disappear.

Applying the knowledge he had just learned, he set up a concealed barrier to surround the entire territory.

That way, from the outside, the territory would “disappear,” and the naked eye would see nothing but a vast expanse of white snow. He activated the communication orb and shared his earlier theory with him.

Dan Xingyu: “Looking at it this way, the survival game really is guiding us to survive.”

Although reputation points are so important, they didn’t appear right from the start of the survival game.

The Reputation Rankings only unlocked after Qiyu had explored several areas and his reputation points reached a certain threshold.

Furthermore, even after the Reputation Leaderboard was unlocked, the Survival Game hadn’t distributed Exploration Scrolls on a large scale; the major player-controlled areas currently remained “inaccessible” to the native world.

Both of them understood that if the Survival Game merely wanted to allow various regions to make their presence known across the Indigenous World on a large scale, all it would take was to open up communication between the player zones and the Indigenous World.

Such “legendary regions” would naturally attract many adventurers. But if direct access to the Indigenous World were granted, which side would suffer more?

The players.

Qiyu is already among the very best of all players across every region, yet he is still only a four-star mage. In a single region like Ophelia alone, there are countless high-level professionals capable of levitating.

If these high-level professionals were allowed into the player zone, even a single one with malicious intent would spell disaster for the entire zone.

Qiyu: “Of course, I’ve said from the very beginning that survival game is great.”

If it weren’t, why would they have handed out so much food to everyone right from the start?

After finishing his conversation with Dan Xingyu, he shared the images he’d seen and his speculations with the 01 Survival Squad, omitting some details, and posted them in the zone channel.

【Liver Emperor: If the top players’ speculation is correct, then sooner or later, our Star Forest will find a way to connect with the outside world.】

【Liver Emperor: It might not take that long, so everyone, keep working hard to improve your skills.】

【Reaching for the Moon in the Heavens: No wonder the monthly leaderboard rewards are so generous. It seems the survival game is doing its best to help us improve our individual strength.】

Judging by the regional leaderboard rewards, the survival game seems to “prioritize resource allocation to top-ranked players,” fostering a “the strong get stronger” dynamic. But as soon as the announcement about merging servers came out, many players who had previously questioned whether the regional leaderboard rewards were too overpowered immediately fell silent.

Given that player-versus-player combat is prohibited—and that server populations must be kept as stable as possible—the stronger the top-ranked players are, the better it is for the entire region.

Combining this with the information Qiyu has shared, the same logic applies: if the Star Forest begins to interact with the outside world, the top-ranked players will undoubtedly be at the forefront.

Amid everyone’s anticipation, the clock struck twelve.

Three diamond chests had appeared in Qiyu’s inventory.

No sooner had he taken the chests out than he received a request to enter his territory. Huh? Dan Xingyu had never come to his territory at a time like this before. Qiyu chose to accept.

Dan Xingyu stepped out of the Ice and Snow Palace and said with a smile, “I know you definitely didn’t sleep last night.”

He scurried over to Qiyu in two strides, looked at the treasure chest he’d placed in the garden, and said with a grin, “My Lord, I’ve come to ask you for a favor.”

Qiyu: “What is it?”

Dan Xingyu pointed at the ground. In the next instant, three more identical treasure chests appeared beneath the three diamond chests that had been neatly arranged there.

Dan Xingyu clasped his hands together in a prayer-like gesture: “Please, my lucky Lord, help me open these chests.”

Qiyu recalled that while his good friend had no shortage of various ores and gold thanks to living in the Golden Desert, he was otherwise quite unlucky in other aspects of life. He readily agreed, “No problem!”

“But I have to say, I can’t guarantee I’ll get anything good out of them,” Qiyu said. “If I don’t get anything good, you can’t blame me.”

Dan Xingyu immediately nodded: “Of course. I’ll take full responsibility for all the risks.”

He looked at the two rows of gleaming treasure chests: “Should we open mine first?”

Although there were hardly any secrets left between him and Qiyu—Qiyu had even told him about something as valuable as a semi-divine artifact—

But Dan Xingyu had no intention of peeking at his best friend’s loot. He figured he’d let Qiyu open his own chests all by himself after he was done with his.

Qiyu wasn’t thinking much of it; he assumed his good friend was just eager, so he nodded: “Let’s open yours first, then.” He reverently made a wish to the statue of the Goddess of Nature, then gave the gold apple sapling and the seven-colored flower a gentle pat.

He told Dan Xingyu, “I’m opening your chest now.”

Dan Xingyu nodded: “Okay.”

Qiyu opened the treasure chest on the far left of the second row first.

Select “Open.”

Under Dan Xingyu’s stunned gaze, a crimson glow slowly rose from the treasure chest. Crimson—that signified a semi-divine artifact.

Qiyu was happy for his good friend: “Dan Xingyu, it looks like I didn’t let you down.” The chest’s owner… was already in a daze.

He’d never seen a light of this color before. A diamond chest with an unfamiliar hue—no need to even think about it; it was definitely an item of a higher quality than gold.

Qiyu urged him, “Hurry up and pick it up.”

“I…” Dan Xingyu took a nervous breath. “Let me catch my breath.”

He took another breath to make sure he wouldn’t lose his composure, then walked up to the crimson glow and selected “Pick Up.”

Qiyu watched him intently, wondering what kind of semi-divine artifact Dan Xingyu—as a swordsman—would draw. A formidable longsword, perhaps? After picking it up, Dan Xingyu seemed to freeze, standing motionless for quite some time.

Qiyu studied his expression but couldn’t tell what was going on; Dan Xingyu seemed to be staring at something, completely absorbed.

Qiyu decided not to disturb him; instead, he simply sat down on the grass to see when the man would snap out of it.

Dan Xingyu stood there in a daze for nearly ten minutes before finally snapping out of it.

A belated surge of elation washed over him. He looked at Qiyu sitting on the grass, laughed heartily, and suddenly rushed over, pulling him into a tight embrace. The immense force was too much even for Qiyu, whose physical attributes were already quite high; he was pulled backward, and the two of them tumbled heavily into the grass together.

Fortunately, the grass was soft, so it didn’t hurt.

Qiyu was genuinely curious: “Dan Xingyu, what on earth is this amazing thing that’s got you so excited?” He’d never seen his best friend lose his composure like this before.

As he spoke, he was still held tightly in Dan Xingyu’s embrace, the little elf’s warm breath brushing against the warrior’s neck.

Dan Xingyu realized just how intimate this position was, and his face flushed at a speed almost visible to the naked eye. If he’d been just a little calmer, he never would have done something so reckless.

He scrambled to his feet and, fumbling, helped Qiyu sit up.

“Sorry, I got too excited.”

Qiyu didn’t let this minor incident bother him; he was brimming with curiosity: “So, what exactly did it reveal?” 

A message popped up on his Survival Panel:

【God Has No Form: Information—A Complete Guide to Dragon Knight Training and Advancement.】

Dan Xingyu sat down beside him; the flush hadn’t yet faded from his face, though thankfully the dim nightlight and his skin—which wasn’t quite as pale as it would have been after being baked by the desert sun—saved him some face.

However, this slight embarrassment was nothing compared to his excitement.

“There’s a chapter in here that mentions the blood pact between dragon knights and dragons.”

With mutual consent, a dragon knight and a dragon may form a blood pact, after which both parties share their lifespans and cultivation progress.

This could be considered a win-win contract.

As mythical creatures, dragons enjoy an almost endless lifespan, but they also undergo the lengthy childhood and growth periods typical of immortal beings. Humans cultivate at a rapid pace; those with extraordinary talent can often achieve in a few decades the same level of cultivation that would take ordinary people hundreds or even thousands of years.

Sharing cultivation progress can significantly shorten the dragons’ growth period.

However, as recorded in these ancient texts, dragons willing to form blood pacts with humans are as rare as a phoenix’s feather or a unicorn’s horn.

After all, dragons are proud, and very few humans are worthy of their notice. Moreover, while it is called a win-win situation, humans ultimately reap the greater benefits.

Dan Xingyu and the little dragon had no such concerns; he had hatched the little dragon himself and regarded it as his closest and dearest kin in the world.

“I’m so happy,” said Dan Xingyu.

Beside them lay a sea of mist star flowers. The flowers thrived and spread rapidly; now, the small lake was almost entirely encircled by a ring of silvery starlight.

However, from Qiyu’s perspective, none of that sparkling silver starlight could outshine the radiance in Dan Xingyu’s eyes at that moment. The lingering anxiety that had weighed on the martial artist’s heart for some time had finally dissipated.

“Qiyu,” Dan Xingyu said, without addressing him as “My Lord” or “Master Mage.”

He gazed intently at Qiyu, his heart filled with peace and contentment: “This is wonderful. I can stay by your side for a long, long time.”