!?

Yuxuan nodded as if her answer were obvious.

"Of course. What else am I supposed to do? If I don't take them on, what can I do?"

Jiaxiya was speechless. But after a moment's thought... Yuxuan was right.

In this situation, Yuxuan had to make the first move, and she had only one choice: take them on. Take on the heavens,

the earth, the whole world.

The enemy was the hidden hand controlling the world. If Yuxuan didn't strike first, there was no telling when she might be caught in another of his schemes

again. He could afford to wait, but Yuxuan

couldn't.

It was that simple.

Jiaxiya took a deep breath, slowly rose, and gave Yuxuan a graceful curtsy.

"May fortune favor you in battle."

The moment Jiaxiya spoke, Karls stared at her in disbelief.

"What did you say!? Jiaxiya, shouldn't you be stopping her? How can you..."

But Jiaxiya merely shook her head and looked at the bewildered Karls.

"Karls, if he can use the world as his chessboard and Earth as his laboratory, then just how clever Fang Yinglong

really is may be beyond you, me, and even everyone

in the world put together. If we don't act now and give him more time, then one day, you, I,

and perhaps even Yuxuan could die

at his hands. Instead of waiting for that to happen, we should take the initiative. At least then, we'd have a better chance of winning..."

!?

There was reluctance in Jiaxiya's expression, but encouragement showed through more strongly. Jiaxiya was a clever woman, and she thought

farther ahead than Karls. She understood

that if Yuxuan failed to act now, her position would only grow more precarious.

But... did Yuxuan really stand a chance against someone who could play the entire world like