The corner of Ao Bing's eye twitched uncontrollably.
He was the Third Prince of the East Sea Dragon Clan, born noble. He had lived for thousands of years, listened to Sages preach the Dao, and witnessed the aftermath of the Lich-Demon War.
He considered himself well-traveled and well-informed.
Yet every word on the Jade Slip before him was familiar, but when put together, they gave him an absurd feeling, as though he were listening to some heavenly scripture.
Uprising?
Rebellion?
Team-building activity?
What the hell were these supposed to mean?!
"What... what does this mean?"
Ao Bing's voice was dry, as though it had been polished by ten thousand years of sand and gravel.
Behind him, the Turtle Prime Minister gathered his courage and leaned forward, craning his neck for a look. His cloudy old eyes instantly widened.
"Your Highness, this... this seems to be... asking us to define the nature of our own actions?"
Nonsense!
Of course this prince knew that!
Ao Bing roared inwardly, but what he wanted to know even more was why!
Why did they need to define it?
The mighty Dragon Clan was acting on its own territory. Did they need to explain themselves to anyone?
Watching Ao Bing's face turn from green to purple, then from purple to black, Shen Gongbao's legs shook even harder. Still, he forced himself to explain in an official tone.
"Ahem, Third Prince, this is a necessary Process."
"Different types of actions correspond to different response plans within our sect. For instance, if you choose A or B, this matter will be classified as a serious violent conflict, and our sect will activate the highest level of risk-avoidance measures."
He paused before cautiously adding another sentence.
"If you choose D... our sect will only send clerical personnel to observe and learn, along with congratulatory gifts."
"Pfft—"
A young dragon scion could not hold back and nearly laughed aloud, only for someone beside him to clamp a hand over his mouth. His face turned bright red from holding it in.
Congratulatory gifts?
Our weapons were drawn and Killing Intent filled the air, yet the Interception Sect called this team-building? They even wanted to bring gifts?
Ao Bing's teeth were already grinding together.
The Jade Slip in his hand was made from the material of a high-grade Dharma treasure, yet he had squeezed tiny cracks into it.
Utter humiliation!
This was no longer mere provocation. They were rubbing Ao Bing's dignity—and the dignity of the entire East Sea Dragon Clan—into the ground again and again!
Suppressing the urge to stab the Leopard Spirit before him to death with a single spear, he lowered his gaze and continued reading the questions below.
[2. Who is the direct person in charge of your side's operation?]
[A. Ao Guang, Dragon King of the East Sea B. Ao Bing, Third Prince C. Dragon King of the West Sea D. An unnamed mastermind behind the scenes]
[3. What is the core objective of your side's operation?]
[A. Dominate the Primordial World B. Restore the glory of the Dragon Clan C. Dissatisfaction with Heavenly Court personnel appointments D. Simply dislike the Interception Sect E. Nothing in particular, just wanted to come out and have some fun]
Ao Bing's breathing began to grow heavy.
He felt as if ten thousand mosquitoes were biting his dragon brain at once, making it buzz incessantly.
These questions appeared absurd, yet every one of them concealed a trap.
Choose who was responsible?
Wasn't that plainly meant to make the Dragon Clan suspect one another?
Core objective?
No matter which one he chose, it made the Dragon Clan's long-simmering fury seem like childish make-believe, reducing it to an unreasonable farce!
"Enough!"
Ao Bing let out a furious roar, and the terrifying sound wave shook the seawater within the great hall into ceaseless turbulence.
He hurled the Jade Slip straight into Shen Gongbao's face.
"This prince does not care what tricks your Interception Sect is playing!"
"Go back and tell that damn Dao Protector of yours! If you do not give the East Sea an explanation within three days, this prince will personally lead troops to flatten Golden Ao Island!"
The blow left Shen Gongbao seeing stars, and he nearly passed out on the spot.
He scrambled to pick up the Jade Slip. Not only did he not dare show the slightest resentment, he instead wore a troubled expression.
"Third Prince, please calm down, calm down!"
"Why... why must you make things difficult for yourself?"
Shen Gongbao said tearfully.
"If you do not fill out the form, I... I cannot report back! Our Dao Protector said that without investigation, there is no right to speak. An Action Plan without data support is just hooliganism."
"Without this Assessment Report, the Calamity Aversion Department cannot initiate a project. Without a project, it cannot mobilize resources. Without resources... this battle cannot be fought!"
Ao Bing was completely dumbfounded.
He stared at Shen Gongbao as though he were looking at a monster.
What did he mean... it could not be fought?
This prince wanted to fight, and the Interception Sect dared refuse?
Since when did the Interception Sect get to call the shots in the Primordial World?
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"Third Prince."
Seeing that Ao Bing seemed to have taken some of it in, Shen Gongbao grew a little bolder and earnestly persuaded him.
"Look, this is actually for your own good. If you fill out the form and we go back to assess it, then find the risk too high and reject the project outright, wouldn't everyone be happy? You preserve your dignity, and we avoid conflict. That is called a win-win situation!"
"Besides, if you do not fill it out, what if our Dao Protector gets carried away, makes a casual assessment, and sends one hundred and eight thousand disciples over... When weapons start flying and blood flows like rivers, won't it be your Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals who die? Can you really bear that?"
These words, like demonic voices boring into their ears, plunged Ao Bing and the Aquatic Clan generals behind him into a strange silence.
It seemed...
It seemed to make a little sense?
Hadn't they made such a huge fuss precisely to force the Heavenly Court and the Interception Sect to compromise and give them an explanation?
If they truly fought, no one would come out ahead.
If filling out a form could make this matter go away...
A sharp gleam flashed through the Turtle Prime Minister's cloudy old eyes. He secretly transmitted his voice to Ao Bing.
"Your Highness, this is an excellent plan! We might as well fill one out and exaggerate the risks to the heavens! Say that a Sage supports us from behind and that Chaos Demon Gods are aiding us! Frighten them so badly that they dare not send troops, and this matter can simply be dropped!"
That's right!
Ao Bing's eyes suddenly lit up.
How had he not thought of that?
What Investigation Form was this? It was clearly a template for a threatening letter!
He snatched the Jade Slip back from Shen Gongbao's hand. Most of the anger on his face faded, replaced by a cold smile of calculated confidence.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!
"Fine! This prince will fill it out for you!"
He activated his mana, and the Light Screen reappeared.
However, when he saw the contents of the second section, the smile on his face froze once more.
[II. Strength Assessment and KPI Assessment (Please fill in truthfully. This section will serve as the core basis for casualty ratios and resource allocation.)]
[1. Your side's total troop deployment for this operation is approximately ____ ten thousand. Of these, ____ are Grand Unity Golden Immortal-level combatants, and ____ are Golden Immortal-level combatants.]
[2. Does your side possess an Innate Spiritual Treasure? A. Yes B. No. If yes, please list the treasure's name, grade, and primary function.]
[3. Has your side deployed a large-scale formation? A. Yes B. No. If yes, please describe the formation's coverage area, maximum destructive power, and weak points.]
[4. What strategic objectives (KPIs) does your side expect to achieve in this conflict? (Multiple selections allowed)]
[A. Annihilate all invading enemies B. Kill the enemy commander C. Inflict over 50% casualties on the enemy D. Seize at least one Innate Spiritual Treasure E. Successfully Defend East Sea Dignity (Specific quantifiable standards must be provided for this item)]
[5. To achieve the above KPIs, what is the maximum loss your side expects to be able to bear? (Please state it as a percentage of troops or number of damaged Spiritual Treasures.)]
The great hall fell deathly silent.
If the questions in the first section had merely made Ao Bing feel absurdly humiliated,
then the questions in this second section were downright deranged!
What Investigation Form was this?
This was plainly asking them to write down the color, size, and material of their own underwear in exhaustive detail for the enemy to see!
And KPI Assessment?
And quantifiable standards?
How was he supposed to quantify it?
Was he supposed to use a ruler to measure how many inches of the East Sea Dragon Clan's dignity remained?
"Pfft—"
This time, Ao Bing could no longer hold it in.
A mouthful of old blood, mixed with towering rage and endless grievance, sprayed out. It bloomed into a glaring crimson cloud in the seawater before him.
His body trembled violently. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the words on the Light Screen, like a trapped beast driven completely mad with fury.
He wanted to roar.
He wanted to kill someone.
He wanted to tear the Leopard Spirit before him, along with that damned form in his hand, into pieces!
But he could not.
Because an unprecedented sense of helplessness had seized his heart.
He realized that the strength, authority, and prestige he had always been proud of were as fragile as a joke before this unheard-of "Process."
When you reasoned with him, he followed the Process.
When you used your fists, he made you fill out forms.
How was he supposed to fight this battle?
They were not even on the same wavelength!
At last, after an inner struggle lasting the time it took for an incense stick to burn,
Ao Bing gave up.
He was tired.
Soul-weary.
Still, no matter how exhausted he was now, he would have to thank Chen Changsheng. It was precisely this experience today that would save his life in the future.
Of course, with Chen Changsheng's intervention, some things might not happen again.
He slowly raised the hand trembling with rage and accepted the Wolf-Hair Brush that Shen Gongbao had somehow offered him.
Under the ghost-struck gazes of all the dragon scions, Ao Bing, Third Prince of the East Sea, took a deep breath and asked, in a nearly numb tone, a question that even he found unfamiliar.
"Um... does option E's 'specific quantifiable standards' have a reference template?"
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