After handling the Zerg situation, Duan Chenhui returned to water the lotus seed. He glanced at the fish tank. The lotus seed had been growing rapidly lately. Although its leaves were only about the size of half a palm, a flower bud had surprisingly appeared.

He had shown it to the people at the research institute, and they said it might be a mini lotus.

It looked like it was about to bloom. After watering it, Duan Chenhui couldn’t resist touching the flower bud. Then, he picked up the fish tank and knocked on He Qing’s door.

He Qing opened the door and looked at him, “… General, what’s the matter?”

Duan Chenhui glanced at him. Something about He Qing seemed different. His eyes were avoiding his gaze, and his breathing was not as steady as before. Duan Chenhui said, “I thought you were chanting scriptures.”

“I’ve finished,” He Qing stared at the lotus in his hand. “It’s about to bloom. General, would you like to give it to me?”

“This is the medicinal primer?” Duan Chenhui placed the fish tank on the table. “This flower is so small, it wouldn’t even be enough for one bite.”

“…” He Qing slightly lifted his head, shocked by his blunt words. “General… you…”

“Hmm?” Duan Chenhui sat down, confused. “Isn’t this the medicinal primer?”

“It is.” He Qing sat across from him, hesitated for a moment, and said, “But you only need to take some pollen, not eat the whole flower.”

Duan Chenhui lowered his head to look at the tiny bud again, “Is it really that potent?” He still found it hard to believe.

He Qing silently stared at him. He wanted to say that the original form of the lotus was actually quite grand. This one was just a miniaturized version to save space.

He explained, “It’s like ginseng. It doesn’t have to be large as long as its medicinal value is high enough.”

“I see. Then I’ll wait for it to bloom before giving it to you.” After showing He Qing, Duan Chenhui stood up with the fish tank in his arms.

He Qing wanted to stop him but couldn’t. However, he “kindly” reminded Duan Chenhui, “Although it has a bud now, to ensure it blooms, you shouldn’t touch it in the meantime.” He had been interrupted earlier and didn’t expect Duan Chenhui would actually “touch” his flower.

“I get it. You botanists think if a plant is touched, the flowers will fall off, right?” Duan Chenhui recalled that Qiao Yi often complained that the flowers from his plants kept falling.

“… “ He Qing clasped his hands together, “Amitabha, General, that’s a bit of a curse.” Flowers falling off? That would be like turning into a eunuch…

Duan Chenhui chuckled, “I was just joking. Once it blooms, my leg should be healed, right?”

“Yes.”

“And then what?”

Duan Chenhui pressed further.

He Qing met his gaze for a moment, then slightly lowered his eyes and closed them, “Then we can resolve your inner demon.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for that.” Duan Chenhui responded deeply, then walked off with the lotus.

He Qing opened his eyes and closed the door behind him. He sighed and returned to his room to continue chanting. In reality, he had no idea how to resolve Duan Chenhui’s inner demon.

After a while of chanting, he was interrupted by a message notification. He opened it and saw it was from Zhang Yi’s group chat.

Zhang Yi: [He Qing! You’ve been exposed, do you know that?!]

Shi Lei: [Help! The internet is buzzing, wondering if you’re really Enigma!]

Zhang Lin: [You totally look like an Omega.]

Chu Yan: [No comment. Victory is all that matters.]

Zhang Yi: [Say something! People online are saying that if you’re Enigma, it means you’re the same person as the General! Is that why you two divorced?]

He Qing: [I’m an Omega pretending to be Enigma.]

Shi Lei wiped his face: [That’s a bit complicated.]

He Qing: [The truth is, I really am an Omega.] But in his mind, being an Omega didn’t matter. He was still a cultivator and a demon. Whether or not he was an Omega had no impact on his cultivation.

After explaining to them, He Qing went online to check. People were shocked, debating who was the dominant one in his relationship with Duan Chenhui.

[What the heck! He Qing is Enigma? No wonder they divorced!]

[No no no, shouldn’t it be that when two dominants meet, one has to yield? The General seems really assertive!]

[But the other side isn’t weak either. They probably fought on their wedding night, which led to the divorce.]

[Wow… you guys really dare to speculate! The real issue is that He Qing, as an Omega, is incredibly powerful, isn’t that more important?!]

He Qing silently opened his own Weibo and posted: [I’m a 100% genuine Omega.] He had to clarify things for the General since the rumors were getting more and more bizarre.

This Weibo post quickly became a trending topic.

[I don’t believe it! How can an Omega be that powerful? You must be a mutant!]

[I also don’t believe it, unless you prove it to us.]

He Qing replied to them: [It’s because all Omegas are mutants now.]

Everyone: [?!!!!]

All the Omegas: [No! We haven’t mutated! It’s just you! Don’t drag us into this!]

“Amitabha.” He Qing shook his head and logged off StarNet. He couldn’t communicate with these netizens; he had just told them the truth.

That evening, when He Qing went to the cafeteria for dinner, he was once again surrounded by onlookers. He ordered a salad and sat by himself to eat. A little while later, Duan Chenhui came over with a tray and sat down.

He Qing lifted his head and met Duan Chenhui’s eyes. Duan Chenhui gestured for him to check his messages.

He Qing swiped open a screen. Duan Chenhui had asked him: [Are you really an Omega or Enigma?]

He Qing thought for a moment. The gender system in this world was too complicated. He simply replied: [A very traditional male.]

Traditional male? Duan Chenhui looked at him. He Qing was indeed somewhat traditional, even a bit conservative. He nodded, “That’s pretty much what I thought.” He Qing should be purely a 1.

“Yes, that’s about right.” He Qing wasn’t sure what Duan Chenhui was talking about, but he still went along with it.

Duan Chenhui chuckled, “If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, you don’t have to respond.”

He Qing lowered his head and ate his salad, “The General is right. I’ll remember that.”

Duan Chenhui watched him eat for a while before starting on his own meal. After finishing, he said, “The ship will take you back to Capital Star. I’ll stay here.”

“Alright…” He Qing remembered Duan Chenhui’s previous words, that the Zerg invasion would be happening soon.

A few days later, the ship carrying the students began its return journey. Before leaving, He Qing gave Duan Chenhui a Peace Lotus.

Duan Chenhui looked at the white jade lotus seed, finding it familiar, “Is this modeled after that lotus?”

“Yes.” He Qing nodded.

Duan Chenhui suddenly recalled the previous white jade lotus root. It must have some kind of significance. He carefully put it away and bid He Qing farewell, “If anything happens, feel free to contact me.”

“Take care, General.” He Qing bid farewell to Duan Chenhui, and about a week later, the ship returned to Capital Star. The academy was discussing the location for the next competition.

He Qing wasted no time and arranged a meeting with Sun Tu. “I’m about to bloom.”

Sun Tu looked at him in shock, “That’s fast.”

“Not fast at all. It’s been 10,000 years.” He Qing pointed out that he hadn’t even reached adulthood in 10,000 years.

Sun Tu teased him harshly, “You’ve spent most of those 10,000 years sleeping!”

“…” He Qing stroked his prayer beads, “Although that’s true, I’ve still lived a long time.”

Sun Tu circled around He Qing, “How big is your true form anyway? When you bloom, it’ll definitely attract a thunder tribulation, won’t it? You’ll probably advance too, right?”

“I plan to advance first.”

“If you advance before blooming, won’t you end up enduring dual tribulations?”

“This is to divide the tribulation.” He Qing took out the crystal flowers he had picked earlier, “Take these. If I fail to bloom, please collect my body and send the flower to the General’s mansion.”

“… That’s too grim.” Sun Tu felt his teeth ache. “Why don’t you ask Duan Chenhui to handle your body instead? I’m not doing it.” Why did He Qing have to talk about such things so casually? And picking flowers after death? What the heck!

“I need to pick an uninhabited planet first,” He Qing added.

Sun Tu gave him a long look and thought for a moment, “Alright, I’ll take you there in my ship.”

“Okay.” After discussing it with Sun Tu, He Qing went to see Zhang Yi and the others, informing them:  the next competition, but don’t worry, you’ll definitely win.]

[Why?] Zhang Yi asked.

He Qing: [I have something important to do.]

Shi Lei: [That’s fine, I think we’ll still win with Chu Yan and the others. I’ll just sit back and let them carry me! Haha.]

After handing gifts to his mentor and saying his goodbyes to everyone, He Qing went to the frontier to pick a barren, uninhabited planet.

He Qing chose a giant rock and sat on it, starting his cultivation technique. Thunder tribulation clouds began to gather in the sky.

Sun Tu stood at a distance, watching. This time, the tribulation clouds were brewing for a long time. It took about a month for them to gradually form. He looked up at the sky, where a massive dark cloud loomed overhead.

After a while, the clouds began to roll, and the sound of thunder echoed.

It’s starting! Sun Tu watched nervously. The thunder tribulation seemed fierce, and he wasn’t sure if He Qing could survive it. Just then, He Qing suddenly stood up.

Sun Tu was startled, “Why did you stop the cultivation technique?!”

“I have urgent business!” He Qing suddenly took off, flying on his sword.

“Where are you going? Isn’t the tribulation more urgent?!” Sun Tu chased after him, but his own magic power was too weak, and before long, he lost track of He Qing. “Damn it…!”

Sun Tu spun around in frustration, “I’m done with you!!” Help! The thunder tribulation cloud in the sky was growing even larger, chasing after He Qing. Sun Tu suddenly realized something—He Qing’s true form might be here too! The thundercloud was merging!

He Qing touched the prayer beads on his chest. He sensed that Duan Chenhui was also on this planet, on the other side, and that he was injured.