These people were either the ones who followed Whirlwind Boss from the very beginning, or, from Bian’s perspective, the ones least likely to betray Whirlwind Boss.
Egg Seven: “Why’s there another new group?”
Fortune God's Only Daughter: “Where’s Qi? Did she fall asleep? I didn’t dare message her either—worried she might be sleeping a.”
Breaking Cocoon into Butterfly: “Yeah, she’s been working way too hard these past few days. She deserves some real rest.”
War Wolf 009: “Watching her exhausted is painful,” (⋟﹏⋞)...
“Never Without Speaking Tonsils:” “She is definitely resting, but before she slept, the Boss transferred me ten Spirit Stream Eyes and told me to pass them on to everyone in our group.
I was actually trying to talk her out of it, saying that since we’re about to establish the guild, maybe everything should be more standardized, not given out privately. But the Boss said we’ve all come this way together, and the bond runs deep. She didn’t want this kind of material thing to cheapen the connection.
She already gave to Sister Yuan and Old Fourth too, but because they went with her into the Sea God’s Treasure Map Secret Realm, the rest of us… it puts me in an awkward spot.”
Old White Dragon in the Waves: “That’s just how Whirlwind Boss is—too sentimental. Back when our team was small, this kind of special treatment strengthened our bonds. But now that we’re larger, if things stay like this, irrelevant conflicts are bound to arise.”
Song Peifeng: “Count me out. Put mine in the guild instead. The Boss said there’d be guild tasks, right? I’ll claim it after I complete some of those.”
Muzi Li: “Yeah, that’d be more reasonable. The Boss cares too much, so we should think a bit more objectively.”
Golden Bell Armor Iron Shirt: “I support this! Hope our team keeps getting better!”
Everyone chimed in, saying they didn’t need the Spirit Stream Eye. Luo Xinpan even used a special item to verify if the words people spoke truly came from the heart.
The result made the corner of her mouth lift instantly—the Boss had good judgment.
Never Without Speaking Tonsils: “Let’s let it slide this time. The Boss exhausted herself grinding to exchange for those rewards, too tired to say a word, yet she insisted on reading out every single one of our names and pushing us to level up faster. If we refuse again, it might break her heart. Next time, though—we’ll all stay sharp and stop letting her get away with being so sentimental..”
Egg Seven: “Alright, we’re all family. Whatever works.”
Bubbly Girl Guo Degang: “Exactly. Our emotional foundation is solid, but since the team’s grown, we really do need to be more careful. If members outside this circle think the Boss is playing favorites, we’d lose more than we’d gain.”
War Wolf 009: “So, what matters most is contributing to the guild and earning ourselves a voice. (˘︶˘)”
Luo Xinpan went ahead and sent all the Spirit Stream Eyes into the group. After everyone had taken one each, she immediately disbanded the group chat.
The true intention was given freely, but people’s hearts can change. The Boss didn’t want to test things, but Luo Xinpan knew she had to take precautions—not out of distrust for the team, but to keep them united and able to go further together.
As Qi Xu fell into deep sleep, Ni Jiujiu stayed by her side, constantly repairing her body. When her mental energy had gradually returned to normal levels and all her wounds were healed, she emerged from that state of deep rest.
But she ended up sleeping fitfully. There were too many undone tasks on her mind—so much so that she started hallucinating, feeling as though countless people were messaging her about things that really mattered.
Or maybe in her dreams, she was already thinking about the most critical steps—how to integrate the service zone with the guild after its establishment, who to go with into the international treasure map secret realm (since her hands were so unlucky she hadn’t managed to open anything good from two obsidian supply crates)…
Her mind wouldn’t stop spinning, racing through a blur of meaningless urgency. Instead of the three-day straight sleep she had envisioned, she awoke in just seven or eight hours.
When she opened her eyes, it was the middle of the night. Qi Xu was stunned, almost thinking to herself she had time-traveled—unable to believe that she, the supposed queen of sleep, was awake at this hour she did.
She crawled back into bed, but miraculously, she ended up wide awake and couldn’t fall back asleep.
The three little creatures lay beside her, blinking drowsily in confusion. Qi Xu patted them gently. “It’s okay, go back to sleep.”
Then, mechanically, she closed her eyes. She didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she felt a restless urge—a compulsion to do something, anything.
“Boss?”
Qiuqiu chirped softly.
“Yeah, Qiuqiu? You’re not resting?”
“Why would a ball like me need rest? My work hours are 24/7. But I got the feeling you’re not too happy about something. We took first place in the Master’s Tournament, and not only did we meet expectations, you outdid yourself several times!”
Qiuqiu didn’t understand; it could only sense Invincible FlyingWhirlwind’s restlessness, which was making it jittery in turn.
Qi Xu didn’t rush to answer. She took a serious look at all the hidden undercurrents in her subconscious before she understood why.
“I think… I’m under too much pressure. Getting first place isn’t impossible, but I’m scared I won’t be able to keep taking first place. And I’m even more scared of disappointing all the people who trust in me.”
Qi Xu understood clearly that negative emotions had to be voiced—even if the audience wasn’t exactly perfect. It wouldn’t necessarily understand everything.
“Easy peasy. Because of your breakthrough performances, I’ve evolved to an A-Class sphere now! S-Class sphere is within sight! That means even better support and rewards for you and your team. Plus, the teammates around you—they can all share your load.
From nowon, there’ll hardly be any solo tournaments. Whether or not we get first won’t rest on your shoulders alone. If one person could soar on their own merit… wait, before that… uh? Why did I just talk like that? What was I trying to say?”
Qiuqiu seemed to glitch briefly; a short burst of static crackled through. Then its words came out staccato, syllable by syllable.
The last shred of drowsiness Qi Xu had vanished completely. Her eyes, gleaming in the dark, narrowed with sudden alertness. Her curiosity about the past far outweighed the confusion and pressures of the unknown.
True enough—focusing on a goal was the most effective cure for an anxious mind.
Her audience of choice had now gone on the fritz, but that didn’t matter—Qi Xu had already broken through her own knots.
Just then, the global server broadcast rang out:
[Congratulations to player Cheese Milk Cover 80% Sugar from Huaxia Server District 766 for becoming the sixth player on the entire server to upgrade to a Level 8 Mount!]
[Congratulations to player Endless Longevity from Huaxia Server District 02 for becoming the seventh player on the entire server to upgrade to a Level 8 Mount!]
[Congratulations to player LUNA from USA Server District 02 for becoming the eighth player on the entire server to upgrade to a Level 8 Mount!]
…
One global announcement after another came in rapid succession. In no time, all ten front-runner spots were snapped up.
...
