Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

As Su Xiao's mouth double, Baha's mouth was truly like it was coated with poison; just listening to it made others feel choked up.

Bach didn't deliberately design any memorable quotes, nor did he embed any puns or metaphors in his words. He simply used the most straightforward language to express what he wanted to say in a straightforward manner, and the listener would feel as if someone had choked them.

This kind of thing can't be learned; it's purely innate.

I wonder if Su Xiao made a mistake in the proportions of the materials when he created Bahamut. After all, Bahamut is the only one in the entire Servant squad who keeps talking non-stop, which is quite jarring.

Baha's claws scraped the snow off the branches, and it fell softly onto Hugh's shoulder.

Hugh didn't move, nor did he shake the snow off his shoulders. He simply looked at Baha calmly and waited until he finished speaking before replying with a faint remark.

"Are you done talking?"

Hughes’ tone was very calm, as if he were asking a child if they had had enough.

“Bach”.

Su Xiao's voice wasn't loud, but Baha's mouth closed in an instant.

Baha's head peeked out from the gap in its wings, revealing a dark red eye that stared at Quan Yu with undisguised malice.

Baha has always treated Su Xiao's enemies with the most malicious intent.

Quan Yu secretly smiled as she watched Baha mock Hugh, then turned her gaze to Lin Yi.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

"Only a few days."

Quan Yu smiled and then said something that silenced everyone present.

Do you need a good ranking in this competition?

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the entire valley seemed to freeze.

Su Xiao and Hugh's gazes fell on Lin Yi almost simultaneously.

For Su Xiao, this problem was very simple.

The unknown reward for first place is indeed very attractive. When the Void Tree announced the reward before the competition, it used the word "unknown" to mark the first place winner, which is rare in previous competitions. It usually means that the value of the reward is far beyond the norm, and may even be beyond the imagination of the contractors.

But if Lin Yi needs it, Su Xiao is willing to give it up.

For Su Xiao, it was extremely rare to find a teammate he could entrust his life to in the Paradise of Reincarnation.

He had seen too many people in the cycle of reincarnation, killed too many people, and been killed by too many people. None of them made him feel that he could entrust his back to them.

It's not because they're weak, but because they're untrustworthy.

In the world of Contractors, trust is an extremely luxurious thing, more luxurious than high-level equipment, rare skills, or any reward, because rewards are certain, quantifiable, and predictable, while trust requires time, experience, and repeated life-and-death tests to be established.

In Su Xiao's value system, friends are more important than any reward.

Because he is a very lonely person.

Most of the contractors in the Paradise of Reincarnation are lonely, not because they like loneliness, but because they have no choice but to be lonely. In this world where it's either you or me, getting close to others means exposing your weaknesses, and exposing your weaknesses means death.

But Lin Yi's appearance made him realize that loneliness is not an option.

This alone is already worth a fortune to Su Xiao.

As for Hugh, his idea was much simpler.

The entire Arcane Eternal Star leadership didn't care about the rewards of this competition. Their purpose in sending Hugh was never to win first place or grab any rare rewards. They only had one goal—to ease tensions with Lin Yi.

So Hugh arrived, carrying the mission of Arcane Eternal Star.

It's not about killing Lin Yi, nor about stealing the reward, but about establishing a connection with Lin Yi.

As for the ranking in the competition, that's completely unimportant.

Hughes withdrew his gaze from Lin Yi, lowered his eyelids, and the black flame at his fingertips flickered silently before going out.

Lin Yi stood in the center of the valley, noticing that all three people's gazes were fixed on him, and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he waved his hand.

"I don't even know what the first thing is."

"Second place is better."

Su Xiao recalled the list of rewards announced by the Void Tree.

First place: Unknown.

Second place: Abyss Baptism Permission.

Third place: 3700 grams of black maple tree branch.

Fourth place: an Origin Stone.

Baptism in the abyss.

Su Xiao frowned slightly. He had heard of the name of this reward before; it had been briefly described in the database of the Paradise of Reincarnation.

A power originating from the abyss cleanses and can deeply transform a contractor's body, clearing away accumulated impurities and hidden damage. It also has a certain probability of activating some hidden talents, but the side effects are also very severe, and many people dare not use it even if they obtain this privilege.

However, for contractors of the Abyss faction, the value of this reward is immeasurable.

The abilities of the Abyss type are inextricably linked to the Abyss itself. A baptism of the Abyss can cause a qualitative change in the strength of an Abyss type contractor, just like a piece of iron that has been repeatedly forged. Each hammer blow will make its structure denser, tougher, and harder.

However, for non-Abyss-type contractors, the Abyss Baptism is much less attractive.

Cleansing the body of impurities and hidden damage is certainly a good thing, but this effect can be achieved in other ways, such as high-level healing spells or certain rare potions. Although the cost is high, it is still more worthwhile than the risk of undergoing the baptism of the abyss.

Baptism in the abyss is risky.

The power that originates from the abyss is not a gentle spring rain, but a double-edged sword. While it transforms your body, it also leaves the mark of the abyss within you.

For Su Xiao, this risk was not worth taking.

His combat system is already very mature and doesn't need to be forcibly improved through the Abyss Baptism.

It's not worth the effort to undergo a risky baptism in the abyss.

It's even less worthwhile for Hugh.

The spellcasters of Arcane Eternal Star have their own training system, which has been passed down and perfected over thousands of years. Every aspect of the system has been verified and optimized by countless generations of spellcasters, and it does not require the power of the Abyss to improve.

Moreover, Hugh's biggest problem right now is not how many impurities are in his body, but that the uncontrolled elements are eroding his meridians. The Abyss Baptism will not only fail to solve this problem, but may also make the situation more complicated due to the intervention of the Abyss's power.

After Su Xiao finished reviewing the list of rewards, she exchanged glances with the other three. There wasn't much exchange in that glance, but the meaning was clear.

Quan Yu spoke first, his tone still calm, with a polite smile.

"I'm fine. I don't need the second-place prize; I'll give it to the doctor. As for first place, whoever is capable can take it."

Hugh nodded, his movement subtle, but everyone noticed.

“I’m fine with it too,” Hugh’s voice was hoarse. “Anyway, they don’t care about that over there.”

Su Xiao didn't speak, but he nodded slightly at Lin Yi.

The four of them looked at each other again.

This time, the eye contact was no longer the kind of probing and wary scrutiny, but a confirmation—a confirmation that everyone agreed to the agreement.

The remaining three people will receive their rewards based on their own abilities.

Once the battle is over and a winner is determined, the winner will give the second-place prize to Lin Yi.

It's that simple.

After the three people's auras were confirmed, a subtle change occurred.

Like three bows being slowly drawn, the bowstrings creak slightly under the tension, the arrows aiming in different directions, but they can be readjusted to their targets in a very short time.

Quan Yu flipped his hand, and a thin sword appeared in his hand. The edge of the blade trembled slightly in the air, making a sound like a buzzing.

His combat system is a combination of soul-based and swordsmanship mastery.

These two seemingly unrelated systems are perfectly combined in him—the swordsmanship mastery gives him top-notch melee abilities, and the soul system gives him the means to attack souls. The combined effect is that he can inflict fatal damage on both the physical and spiritual levels.

This dual-system combat style is rare among contractors because soul-based abilities require a lot of mental energy, while the cultivation of a sword master requires a lot of physical strength and time. Few people can reach a high enough level in both directions.

But Quan Yu did it.

His soul-based abilities are precisely what counteract Hugh's black flames.

Therefore, if Izumi and Hugh were to fight each other, Izumi would have a greater chance of winning.

It's not because Quan Yu is stronger than Hugh, but because his combat system happens to counter Hugh's combat system.

Hugh's black flames couldn't burn Quan Yu's soul, while Quan Yu's silver-white blade could pierce through Hugh's soul directly. With this disparity, Hugh's advantage was greatly weakened.

As for the duel between Su Xiao and Quan Yu, that's another matter entirely.

Although Su Xiao's Azure Steel Shadow power is not as easily countered by soul-based abilities as black flames, no one knows what will happen to the annihilation effect of Azure Steel Shadow power when it touches the soul level.

Lin Yi stood in the middle of the three people, turned his head to the side, and called out to those behind him.

"Bubuwang".

The sound wasn't loud, but it traveled far in the quiet valley.

As soon as he finished speaking, a furry figure darted out from the shadows of the pine forest. Its four short legs dug a white mist in the snow, moving so fast that only a brown shadow could be seen flashing across the ground. Then it plunged its head into Lin Yi's legs and nudged his calves with its head.

Bubuwang raised its head, its ears standing straight up, its eyes sparkling as it looked at Lin Yi. Its tongue dangled from the corner of its mouth, and it was panting heavily, with an expression that said, "You finally called me! I've been waiting for you for so long."

Lin Yi looked down at it, reached out and rubbed its head, then picked it up from the ground and tucked it under his arm.

Bubuwang kicked its four legs in the air, then gave up struggling and obediently hung on Lin Yi's arm like a cat in a bag, its tail swaying gently behind it.

Bubuwang is a support-type Servant whose abilities are mainly focused on perception, concealment, and mobility. Its role in actual direct combat is limited, and leaving it here would only distract Lin Yi from taking care of it. It would be better to take it away from the battlefield in advance.

Am and Baha are different.

These two are combat-type Servants, which is different from support-type Servants like Bubba.

Amu emerged from the depths of the pine forest. As it moved among the low pines, the branches left white marks on its body, but it was oblivious. It strode up to Su Xiao and stood still, its cloudy eyes scanning Quan Yu and Hugh, and two puffs of white mist escaping from its nostrils.

Baha flew down from the tree branch and landed on Su Xiao's shoulder. Its wings were folded to its sides, and its dark red eyes were half-closed. Its gaze swept over Quan Yu, like a raptor sizing up its prey's weaknesses.

They will fight alongside Su Xiao.

This requires no orders or arrangements from anyone; from the moment they are summoned, this is the meaning of their existence.

Lin Yi, carrying Bubuwang, retreated a few steps, from the center of the valley to the edge, into the shade of the pine trees, to a distance close enough that wouldn't interfere with their battle.

Then he said something.

"If you can't hold on, quit early; there's no need to stubbornly resist."

His voice was soft, and his tone was flat, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

Quan Yu turned to look at him, her smile deepening slightly, before turning her gaze away. She gently rotated the silver-white blade in her hand, the tip pointing towards the ground.

"My greatest strength is that I know how to be pragmatic," Quan Yu said, with a hint of self-deprecation in his tone. "Don't worry, I won't risk my life for an unimportant match."

Hugh didn't look at Lin Yi, but the corner of his mouth twitched, as if he was chewing on every word of the sentence, and then he said in a low voice.

"I have nothing left to return."

Quan Yu's smile faded slightly. She glanced at Hugh, but said nothing.

It's obvious that the current Hugh's fitting room
Su Xiao remained silent.

He simply took the Dragon Slayer Sword off his waist, held it in his hand, and then slowly drew the sword from its sheath.

The blade emitted a clear, resonant hum as it rubbed against the scabbard, the sound echoing round and round through the empty valley.

Blue-white arcs of electricity lit up the moment the blade was drawn from its sheath. The arcs danced on the blade's surface, emitting a faint crackling sound, and ionized the snowflakes falling in the surrounding air into clusters of tiny blue halos.

Su Xiao raised her head, her gaze passing over the blade to look at the two people opposite her.

Quan Yu, Xiu Ge.

The three people's eyes met in the air.

There was no murderous aura emanating from it, no rising aura, and no unnecessary foreshadowing.

But everyone present knew that the next moment, this place would turn into a bloody battlefield.

Lin Yi, with Bubuwang between his legs, leaned against the trunk of a pine tree. Xue huddled behind Lin Yi, her icy blue pupils shimmering in the hazy light as she looked at the three people in the center of the valley, barely daring to breathe loudly.

The sound of a sword slicing through the air tore through the stagnant air in the valley the next second.

The battle has begun. (End of Chapter)