Chapter 7: The Strongest Team

After pulling Jing Ruli into their squad, Tian Dao immediately dragged the girl over to where Kalolin was still buried deep in data analysis.

At that moment, Kalolin was completely absorbed, her emerald pupils flickering like cascading streams of code across her Tactical Tablet. Smoke practically curled from her scalp—literally, a visible, ghostly haze rising from her head, a true manifestation of brain overload.

Tian Dao didn’t hesitate. He raised a hand and snapped his fingers directly at her forehead.

“Tian Dao?” Kalolin blinked, dazed, finally lifting her head. She hadn’t even noticed the red mark blooming on her brow.

“Stop calculating, Kalolin. That thing’s Stellar Energy Value alone is thirty times ours. Even if you worked until tomorrow, our chances are still zero.”

“But…”

“No ‘buts’.”

Tian Dao pulled a candy from his pocket and shoved it into her mouth.

“Do you really think those old fools released this challenge just to make things fair? They wanted to send us a message—a warning.”

“Think about it. If they’ve already considered every angle, then we can’t possibly beat it.”

“So… just relax. Our goal isn’t to win. It’s to shock those old fools into disbelief.”

Kalolin slowly calmed down, her expression softening as she slowly chewed the candy.

Beside her, Jing Ruli watched with wide, pleading eyes—her Kazilan Big Eyes fixed on Tian Dao’s coat pocket.

“T-Tian Dao… I need sugar too!”

“Huh?”

Tian Dao rolled his eyes, waving her off with a dismissive flick of his hand. “Go on, go play. You’re lucky if your brain fires up once every ten days. Do you even need sugar to run that thing?”

Jing Ruli puffed up, indignant. “Who says I can’t think? Don’t underestimate me, Tian Dao!”

“Huh?” Tian Dao arched a brow. “What’s 10 times 25?”

Jing Ruli’s pupils instantly spiraled into tiny, buzzing rings. Her fingers flailed helplessly in the air.

“1025… that one?”

“250, you idiot!”

“I knew it was 250! You just stole my answer!”

Furious, she snatched her phone, frantically tapping through a few screens until she pulled up a report.

“Tian Dao, I’m not stupid! Look—this is my IQ test result from last time! I paid 100 bucks for it, and my score was—”

Tian Dao snatched the phone mid-sentence. His expression darkened.

“Not even real people pay 100 bucks for this garbage. You’re not just dumb—you’re gullible. Only someone who’s truly stupid would believe this fake app and actually pay for it.”

“Liar!” Jing Ruli’s voice cracked, tears welling up. She glared at him, biting her lip. She refused to admit she was foolish… or that she’d been scammed.

Kalolin, feeling pity, quietly interjected: “Um… actually… I’ve done one too.”

“Really?!” Jing Ruli’s eyes lit up, desperate hope flooding her face—like a drowning person clutching at a straw.

But before she could ask, Tian Dao cut in:

“Don’t get your hopes up. Kalolin’s either lying to comfort you… or she did take the test, but never paid for it.”

“Do you really think everyone’s as easy to fool as you?”

“Tian Dao, shut up!”

Tian Dao raised both hands. “Fine, fine, I’m done. I’ll stop.”

Kalolin shot him a sharp look—stop it. But it was too late.

Jing Ruli’s face had gone pale. Her entire aura shifted—her confidence shattered, replaced by a hollow, grayish despair. She mumbled to herself, over and over: “I was tricked… I lost 100 bucks…”

Tian Dao paused. A flicker of guilt passed through him.

…Maybe he’d gone too far.

Should he… apologize? Offer a little comfort?

But before he could act, Jing Ruli suddenly set down her Treasured Pillow. Then, with a sharp swoosh, she grabbed a marker and started scribbling furiously across the pillow’s surface.

Tian Dao and Kalolin leaned in, curious.

Then Tian Dao froze.

His sunglasses nearly slid off his nose.

On the pillow, in bold, angry letters, was written:

“LIAR TIAN DAO ONLY HURTS PEOPLE.”

That was it.

Tian Dao’s face twisted. “Let go of me, Kalolin! She’s defaming me! She’s defaming me!”

“Calm down, Tian Dao. Just let it go.”

“Calm down? I can’t calm down today!”

Jing Ruli turned her back, hugging her pillow tightly, letting out a dramatic hmpf.

As if to say: You’re a terrible liar. And a bully. A big, terrible one.

“Kalolin! You see this? She’s challenging me! Let me go—I have to settle this right now, or I’ll write ‘Tian Dao Siming’ backwards for the rest of my life!”

“Lalala~”

Jing Ruli stuck her tongue out, blowing a raspberry, utterly unafraid.

Meanwhile, the rest of the squad—still carefree, still bickering—moved toward the Final Evaluation stage.

Chen Kong watched from afar, sighing. “Sis… do you think Tian Dao’s team can pass the Final Evaluation?”

“They don’t seem to take it seriously at all.”

Chen Xing, ever logical, replied: “First-place Tian Dao, third-place Jing Ruli, and fourth-place Kalolin. Just on paper, they’re already the strongest among the twelve teams.”

“Not to mention their cores can synergize perfectly. If they can’t pass, I can’t imagine who could.”

“Anyway, stop worrying about them. Focus on yourself. If you lag behind, I won’t hold back.”

“Y-Yes, I understand…”

Meanwhile, high above in the Central Arena, a voice echoed behind a one-way glass.

“Regardless of how you look at it… Tian Dao’s team is clearly the strongest.”

“But even so… I still see no chance of victory.”

“The Second-Rank Earth Dragon Lizard is a legendary beast. Top-tier in its class. Even Tian Dao can’t last three minutes against it. How could any other team hope?”

“Doctor… are you sure this Final Evaluation setup is safe?”

The doctor smiled—a slow, knowing curve of the lips. He stared down at Tian Dao below.

“No… actually, I think it’s perfect.”

“Just watch. Tian Dao will give you all a real surprise.”

“Oh? Now that sounds interesting.”

The Griffon man stood, stepping to the edge of the glass wall. He watched as Tian Dao’s team marched onto the arena stage.

The Final Evaluation… had begun.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end