Jing Yuan stood with his arms crossed, exuding an air of calm composure—as if everything was within his expectations.
Seeing this, the audience remembered: Jing Yuan was a master of handling pressure, a general of extraordinary intellect.
Slowing his speech, Jing Yuan began explaining to Fu Xuan.
In truth, the moment the Stellaron erupted, Jing Yuan knew the Luofu would face threats from within and without.
The Xianzhou, protected by the Aeon Lan, could only be infiltrated without alerting Jing Yuan by someone at least at the level of an Emanator.
The Stellaron crisis had erupted, yet it hadn't corrupted the Seat of Divine Foresight or the Shackling Prison—clearly, there was another scheme at play. The enemy's meticulous planning suggested they possessed insider knowledge of the Luofu, meaning internal strife was inevitable.
When Jing Yuan met Blade, he realized Blade wasn't the mastermind—just someone here to stir trouble.
It wasn't until he heard Fu Xuan's divination results that everything finally clicked.
[Wait, so Jing Yuan knew everything all along? And he mentioned an Emanator? Whose Emanator? Yaoshi's?]
[No idea. As expected, Jing Yuan was playing dumb while fully aware.]
[I bet Fu Xuan thought this news would shock him, but the Divine Foresight already knew—he just needed to confirm their motives.]
[Fu Xuan's promotion hopes are looking bleak.]
"General, now's not the time to take it slow! The Ambrosial Arbor—" Fu Xuan urged impatiently.
"No need to search. That's the Stellaron. The traitors threw it into the Ambrosial Arbor's pocket dimension, causing it to regrow. Look—the Denizens of Abundance have finally made their move."
"A crisis is also an opportunity. Now that we know the problem, we can handle it."
Yet after a few seconds, seeing Jing Yuan still hadn't issued orders, Fu Xuan looked up to find him smiling like a quizmaster.
"...You want me to come up with the plan again?"
Jing Yuan chuckled. "Indeed. I knew you'd have a strategy, Fu Qing."
"In my opinion, our priority is mobilizing the Cloud Knights to the Ambrosial Arbor's pocket dimension, uprooting the Stellaron's corruption, and halting its revival."
"Mmm, Fu Qing's insight is undoubtedly the fastest path to resolution. But sometimes, the fastest isn't the best. Care to guess why I've held back despite knowing the Stellaron's location?"
Fu Xuan rested her chin on her hand, then suddenly had an epiphany.
"General."
"Yes?"
"...You bad guy."
[LMAO, so that's why Fu Xuan paused—she was searching her vocabulary and only came up with this?]
[This is so meme-worthy!]
["You Bad Guy"]
[Agh, my heart—Fu Xuan is too adorable.]
[I'm recording this as my ringtone and listening to it 100 times.]
[Bronya, Herta, and Fu Xuan—somehow I feel these three combined still couldn't out-argue Belobog's traffic lights.]
[Pfft—I held it together until this comment.]
"Haha, to eliminate weeds, one must pull them by the roots. Let's wait a little longer. The Denizens of Abundance chose this moment to act because the Cloud Knights have control—the traitors are getting impatient. Now we have just cause to wipe them all out." Jing Yuan patiently guided Fu Xuan.
"And if something goes wrong while we sit idle? How will you bear the consequences, General?!"
"Fu Qing, ah Fu Qing, I still have a wild card unused." Jing Yuan glanced at the approaching Trailblazers.
"With needs must, since the Stellaron Hunters intend for the Express to forge an alliance with us, I'll gladly oblige."
Caelus raised an eyebrow. "You're putting us to work again?"
The camera cut to March 7th, her eyes dull with exhaustion.
"I knew it! The moment the General smiles, we're getting voluntold!"
Fu Xuan hurriedly apologized to the Express crew. "My mistake—I foolishly expected better from the General..."
Then she turned back to Jing Yuan. "Have mercy! You're overusing this 'wild card'—does the Luofu have no one else?!"
Jing Yuan said nothing, merely tilting his head slightly as he looked at her.
"...Why are you staring at me? And I must remind you—the Ambrosial Arbor's location is top secret. Letting outsiders near it violates regulations!"
"Let me remind you, Fu Qing: regulations exist for the Xianzhou, not the other way around. In times of crisis, we use what works and discard what doesn't."
"So, I'm about to make a decision that defies regulations. Ah, perhaps more than one—how exhilarating."
[Jing Yuan hasn't changed—he's just bound by his position.]
[Exactly. The Jing Yuan of the High-Cloud Quintet was famously unorthodox—no wonder he seemed so restrained in Season 3.]
[Jing Yuan, but Sampo-style: Let me make a decision that defies my ancestors.]
[Caelus: Regulations are meant to be broken.]
Jing Yuan swiftly assigned tasks: Fu Xuan would lead the Cloud Knights to monitor the Alchemy Commission pocket dimension adjacent to the Ambrosial Arbor.
As for the Trailblazers? True to his "use them hard" philosophy, Jing Yuan asked them to investigate the silent Artisanship Commission and then take a shortcut to the Alchemy Commission.
"Wow, you really never treat us as outsiders, huh?" March 7th sighed weakly.
Tingyun, who thought her mission was over, was now tasked with guiding the Express crew to the Artisanship Commission.
After parting ways with Qingque and Fu Xuan, Tingyun led the group forward.
Soon, they arrived at a new scene—the Artisanship Commission, its entrance crowded with people.
"Huh? This place is packed. Seems today's Luofu horoscope says 'Avoid work, rest at home.'" Tingyun glanced back at the trio. "The Artisanship Commission's pocket dimension shut down after the Stellaron's corruption. Why haven't these people taken star skiffs to safe zones?"
"Maybe they're just dedicated workers." March 7th's mind flashed to a certain Jade Plaque-loving girl. "Compared to the Divination Commission's slackers, talk about a night-and-day difference."
Welt sighed. "Work is life for adults. The grown-up world... well, isn't easy."
"Mr. Yang, that tone of experience..."
"Just reminiscing."
The Stellaron crisis explained the chaos. Deciding action was needed, the group resolved to enter and assess the situation.
But after just a few steps, an artisan blocked their path.
"Are you reinforcements from the Cloud Knights?!" His excitement faded upon seeing their attire.
"Oh... just tourists. What rotten luck, getting caught in this mess. Ah, my heart aches—for you and me."
"Let me tell you," Caelus suddenly sang, "love is like a never-ending..."
The surrounding crowd stared.
"...Just lightening the mood."
After conversing with the artisan, "Ah Wei," they obtained a key to the gate and a side quest to rescue his master.
Upon entering, a staggering sight greeted them:
The reviving Ambrosial Arbor's colossal roots had pierced through the area like dragons, wreaking havoc. The closer a pocket dimension was, the worse the damage.
In the Artisanship Commission, a massive furnace was ensnared by the roots, lifted midair—the bridges to it destroyed in the upheaval.
Then, March 7th pointed ahead. "Look! There's someone over there!"