Seeing Jiang Yuan's disheveled state, Liu Zhaodi said playfully, "Why are you so scared? Even the little girl isn't scared!"

"My Queen, you've got it wrong, okay? They came to me for compensation, but you've made me pay for a lavish meal instead. You have no idea how difficult it is to cook such delicious food as Tohka!" Jiang Yuan said righteously, taking out the bill.

"Heh, you idiot, you think you can fool me by changing the takeout box? You think you're so superior with Shi Xiang Ge's takeout!" Liu Zhaodi glanced at him irritably.

Jiang Yuan gave an awkward smile, then put his arm around her and sighed, "As expected, I can't hide anything from someone as intelligent and perceptive as you. But how did you know I ordered takeout!"

“I’m not one of those two naive little girls. Have you ever seen a spiritual chef cook with a medicinal cauldron? Only an innocent little girl would be fooled by you! Besides, the taste of your dish hasn’t changed at all. I can even tell which chef from the Ten Fragrance Pavilion made it!” Liu Zhaodi reached out and pinched Jiang Yuan’s face.

"Too hasty!"

Jiang Yuan smiled helplessly and replied, "You can't blame me for that. It's your fault for throwing away my instant noodles!"

"Let's stop talking about them and get down to business!"

Liu Zhaodi's expression turned serious, and Jiang Yuan naturally knew why Liu Zhaodi had come to see him. There was probably nothing that could make her so anxious except for the pilgrimage route.

"You should know what the half hour of darkness on the Imperial Star at noon means, right?" Liu Zhaodi asked seriously.

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "The battlefield has been upgraded, and the number of alien races participating in the battle has increased. By noon today, all the alien races had completed their descent missions, which means that the battlefield will be fully open."

“Yes! The number of alien races has increased to a terrifying number, and because of this, the territory actually controlled by our human race has shrunk drastically once again,” Liu Zhaodi said solemnly.

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. The human race has a weak foundation, and it's already extremely difficult for them to have developed to this point."

"Hua Sheng Academy was also affected by this battle, because Hua Sheng Academy is not within any safe zone, and the landing point happens to be the area with the most alien races in Zhongzhou, so the pressure it faces is unprecedented," Liu Zhaodi said.

"Is this why Huasheng Academy keeps recalling its students?" Jiang Yuan had heard An Xiaoyu mention this before.

"Huasheng Academy is recalling its students from outside not only to protect Huasheng Academy, but also to destroy the alien gathering place known as the Monster Room of Zhongzhou, and to use it as a center to radiate the academy's influence, making Huasheng Academy a truly deserving number one academy in China."

"Therefore, the annual pilgrimage route of Huasheng Academy has also changed. This time, the selection of pilgrims will no longer be based on academic credits and school rankings."

Liu Zhaodi finished speaking calmly.

Jiang Yuan frowned and asked, "Then what method should we use?"

“Battle merits!” Liu Zhaodi said two words, then said with a serious expression, “This time is different from the past. In the past, entering the Pilgrimage Road depended on individual strength, but now, teamwork is more important! The academy will open a battle merit system to score any alien kills made by any student on the battlefield. When the Pilgrimage Road opens, the top twenty teams will be selected, and the members of these teams will be the ones to enter the Pilgrimage Road.”

"The team approach does make more sense. After all, in terms of combat power alone, many geniuses in support or primary/secondary professions cannot enter the Path of Pilgrimage, which deprives many people of this opportunity!" Jiang Yuan nodded in agreement with this change. In terms of combat power alone, it may have great effect in the early stages, but in the increasingly changing battlefield, pursuing combat power alone will only lead to a disadvantage in the competition among all races. A powerful race must have a complete Spirit Awakening System, and alchemy, medicine making, formations, and so on are all indispensable.

Jiang Yuan remembered a question and asked, "What is the maximum number of players a team can have?"

“Five people! The maximum number of people in a team is five, and the minimum is one person. Of course, if you want to compete with five people for battle merits, you definitely can’t beat them!” Liu Zhaodi paused after speaking, looked Jiang Yuan up and down, and then said, “Not necessarily, after all, there are always one or two freaks who are not human.”

Jiang Yuan: "You might as well just read my ID card!"

"Right, you pervert!" Liu Zhaodi wrapped her arms around Jiang Yuan's waist.

"Looks like you've never experienced the true extent of a pervert's perversion!"

Jiang Yuan leaned forward, his face almost touching Liu Zhaodi's.

"Looks like today the pervert is going to show just how perverted he is!" Liu Zhaodi was not afraid at all, and after saying that, the two of them kissed.

"Let's go then, let's go cultivate. The most insane thing I can think of is cultivation!" Jiang Yuan said with a playful smile.

Liu Zhaodi was displeased upon hearing about cultivation, and said unhappily, "Hehe, that's really too abnormal, my legs are so weak with fear!"

"Come on, I was injured in this battle. Let's see if I can break through a small level tonight and use the energy from the surge of my cultivation realm to recover some of my injuries!"

Jiang Yuan explained seriously that the dark curse mark on his body severely affected his combat power, and he could only hope that the powerful feedback ability brought by each breakthrough would heal the dark curse mark.

Although each breakthrough can't achieve the same level of full health regeneration as leveling up in a game, it can still provide a perfect healing experience for the physical body.

"Come into the room, I need to check your injuries!" Liu Zhaodi ordered seriously.

"It's an internal injury; you can't see it on the surface!" Jiang Yuan said with a wry smile.

Liu Zhaodi said firmly, "I don't care, you have to take off your clothes so I can check you out, just in case you have any injuries! Besides, I need to check if you've done anything wrong these past two days!"

"Your Majesty, can you please not be so controlling!" Jiang Yuan was on the verge of tears. The current Liu Zhaodi was so different from the obedient Liu Zhaodi of the past.

"There's nothing I can do, who told you to raise me to be this way! Since you raised me, then I have to take responsibility for you!" Liu Zhaodi retorted, claiming that Jiang Yuan had given her the Divine Medicine Master's inheritance and the God-Slaying Spear, among other valuable things, so now she had to make him take responsibility.

Jiang Yuan: "..."

"Be self-aware, or you'll be traumatized if I force you!" Liu Zhaodi pursed her lips, but there was a mischievous smile in her eyes.

"Why does it feel like our roles have been reversed?"

"Stop playing the victim. Don't think I don't know about your affair with An Xiaoyu. If I don't check diligently, she might beat me to it. Wouldn't I, as her older sister, be making a huge mistake by doing something small?"

"..."