Li Xuan had been sleeping after taking care of all the business and training. Even while resting, his mind was not at peace. He had already prepared a backup plan in case things went wrong. If they were unable to make the black snake leave, he could only rely on Bai Lingling to inform it that the ones who stole the egg were already dead and that it would be returned.
He knew this was risky, but it was the safest option left. If the snake decided to fight, they would suffer huge losses. Even if he and the core members managed to escape, most of the ordinary people would not survive. Thinking about this made his expression slightly serious, but he forced himself to stay calm.
The next morning, he called Xu Ming and gave clear instructions. "Go and invite all the sequencers from both convoys," he said. "Also spread the message that anyone who is hiding should come. We need to discuss the black snake matter." Xu Ming nodded seriously and left immediately after confirming Xu Ling was safe.
Soon, after about one hour, twelve sequencers arrived. Five were from Jiang City convoy, six from Spark convoy, and one was an independent survivor. Li Xuan also brought his original six members along with Wei Dong, the old man with plant-type sequence, making a total of twenty sequencers seated in the hall.
He had deliberately hidden the twin sisters and Bai Lingling, keeping them as hidden forces. They would only appear when truly necessary. Sitting calmly, Li Xuan observed everyone carefully, analyzing their expressions, strength, and behavior without showing it on his face.
Among the twelve invited members, four were women and eight were men. From Spark convoy, one young woman and one middle-aged woman stood out. The young woman was Yin Mei, who seemed to be the wife of their leader Yun Che, and she had a fire elemental ability, while another had ice control.
The middle-aged woman was a healer, similar to Rou Xi. The remaining three from Spark convoy were beast-type sequencers—two wolves and one earth bear. The lone middle-aged man had a Wind Walker sequence, giving him high mobility and speed.
From Jiang City convoy, the young leader Zhi Peng had a Scholar sequence, giving him knowledge and enhanced intelligence. The two women with him were young as well—one had a Navigator sequence, while the other was a Beastman with cat traits. The remaining two were an Assassin and a rare Dark-type sequencer.
Li Xuan noticed that none of them had any identification ability, which made things slightly inconvenient. Still, he did not show any reaction and began the discussion directly. "I need some defensive and escape-type strange artifacts," he said calmly, looking at everyone.
"I will only borrow them temporarily," he continued. "When I go to return the egg to the snake, I will need them. You all know we have less than six days. If we fail, even if some escape, most ordinary people will die." His words made the atmosphere heavy.
Everyone fell silent and began discussing among themselves. Some were hesitant, unsure whether they could trust Li Xuan. A few whispered quietly, worried that he might run away with their artifacts. Their doubts were clear, even if they tried to hide them.
Seeing this, Li Xuan let out a small chuckle. "If I were the type to kill for benefit," he said calmly, "I would have done it long ago… or even now." He leaned back slightly and added, "Ariel alone is enough to kill everyone in this village."
Hearing this, everyone was stunned. They knew he wasn't lying, but the statement still made them uneasy. Some people instinctively looked around, as if expecting Ariel to appear at any moment. The tension in the room increased slightly.
At that moment, the dark-type sequencer from Jiang City spoke. "If she is that strong, why not kill the snake?" he said. "If we all attack together, we might have a chance." His tone carried a hint of provocation.
Many people inwardly thought he was foolish, but no one spoke. Li Xuan sneered slightly and looked at him. "Do you have the confidence to fight me?" he asked. "How many moves can you last?" His voice was calm, but it carried pressure.
The dark-type sequencer, Jin Peng, sneered back. "I would win," he said arrogantly. "Those Tiger Gang people were weak. That's why you defeated them." His words shocked the others, as he was usually silent.
Zhi Peng immediately reacted and shouted, "Jin Peng, shut up!" The Jiang City members were terrified that Li Xuan might get angry and attack them. But Li Xuan remained calm, showing no sign of anger.
"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not," Li Xuan said. "The difference between each level is huge. Even if Ariel is Level 2, she is no match for the snake." He paused briefly before continuing.
"We don't even know if the snake is Level 3 or Level 4. If we fight it, we will definitely die. That's why I don't want to provoke it. It's better to leave silently without causing trouble." His reasoning was clear and logical.
He looked at everyone again and said, "If you have useful items to help me negotiate, lend them. Otherwise, find your own way to survive. I will only be responsible for my people." His tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
After hearing this, the lone middle-aged man stepped forward. He took out a beautiful flower radiating a strange aura. Everyone felt its uniqueness immediately. Zhi Peng stood up in shock and pointed at it.
"That's a Phantom Flower," he said quickly. "It can create hallucinations. Even a Level 3 target can be affected for a short time." His explanation made everyone look at the flower with interest.
Li Xuan also analyzed it with his ability and confirmed the effect. He silently noted the value of Scholar sequence. "Your knowledge is quite useful," he said to Zhi Peng before turning to the middle-aged man.
"How did you find this?" he asked. The man introduced himself as Wei Dong and explained how he found it near a tree while scavenging. "I didn't know its use," he said honestly. "But I felt it might be helpful."
Li Xuan nodded and said, "It is valuable, but without a potion maker, it's limited. You can keep it or sell it to me. I will offer a good price." Hearing this, others also showed interest in buying it.
But Wei Dong shook his head. "I don't want anything," he said. "I just want my family to join your group and be protected." His words surprised everyone present.
Li Xuan looked at him calmly. "With your ability, many groups would value you," he said. "Why didn't you join them?" Wei Dong sighed and explained how his ability was not useful in the current situation due to slow growth speed.
After hearing this, everyone understood his situation. Li Xuan nodded and said, "Maybe after leveling up, your ability will improve." Then he agreed, "You can join. Go inform Xu Ming." Wei Dong smiled with relief and handed over the flower.
Zhi Peng then stepped forward and took out a bracelet. "This can make you immune to damage below Level 4 for five seconds," he explained. "But it costs 200 ml of blood and can only be used once every three days."
Li Xuan checked it and confirmed it was true. Its rank was 6988, which made it quite valuable. With this, his safety improved significantly. He accepted it without hesitation.
Yun Che from Spark convoy then gave him a talisman. "This increases movement speed by twenty percent for one minute," he said. "It has no cost." Hearing this, everyone realized there were treasures beyond strange artifacts.
Li Xuan felt satisfied with what he received. With these items, even if things went wrong, he could escape safely. He thanked them and continued discussing information while arranging meals for everyone.
After more than an hour, just as the meeting was about to end, a powerful aura suddenly spread from Li Xuan's room. Everyone froze, feeling intense pressure. Detection-type users immediately sensed its strength.
"This aura… it's almost at the snake's level," someone said in panic. The atmosphere turned tense instantly. Some people even stood up, preparing for danger.
But Li Xuan smiled instead. "Don't worry," he said calmly. "Aril is breaking through. It seems she has reached Level 3." His words shocked everyone present.
Before anyone could react, Aril flew into the hall and landed directly on Li Xuan's head. She smiled proudly, looking extremely happy. Li Xuan sighed helplessly and said, "You again…" before giving her chocolates.
Everyone watched in shock. This was the first time most of them had seen her up close. Jin Peng, in particular, felt intense pressure, as if his ability was instinctively afraid of her.
Li Xuan simply smiled and stood up. "That's all for today," he said. "I need to prepare for the snake." With that, he ended the meeting, leaving everyone deep in thought.