Third Chapter: Let's Fight

Magician?

This word instantly reminded Yu Xing of Carlos, the distinctive blue-eyed Magician from Coffin Village.

What a coincidence!

However, if the other party is also a newcomer... with that kind of bizarre ability, they could very well become one of the top five newcomers this month.

Yu Xing asked, "There's a question I've wanted to ask you for a long time: where exactly do the names of Persona Mask come from? Mine is a character from my name, and I've also seen personality traits combined with a character from the name before."

For example, [Persona Mask? Arashi? Weak].

Now, whether it's Magician, a prophet, or Ghoul, the focus is more on "identity."

Qu Xuanqing never gave newbies any basic knowledge lessons; usually, others would do these things, and no newbie would dare to ask her for help.

Now, she was experiencing the feeling of being a mentor again, which was quite novel. Moreover, the person asking her questions was Yu Xing. Ever since she met Yu Xing, the other party seemed to be omniscient and omnipotent, seemingly able to do everything except play claw machines.

So, this scene is truly a rare sight!

Qu Xuanqing was very patient. "The name of the mask comes from the characteristics of the wearer. Some people have obvious and concrete characteristics, such as Ghoul, whose abilities are obviously related to eating ghouls. Magician are a little harder to determine; their abilities may be more unpredictable, or they may be good at visual deception."

"And your 'luck' isn't just a single character in your name; it represents extended meanings—luck, misfortune, good fortune... Only you yourself can truly know what it means. In this respect, that nightmare might be similar to you—inner demons, nightmares, shadows—all are possibilities."

"As for personality traits plus a name, that's purely for weaklings. The system can't find any unique abilities for him, so it has to settle for second best. Once his traits are developed, the Persona Mask name will change."

Yu Xing listened attentively. He truly didn't know these things; no matter how long he had lived, he had never had the means or opportunity to learn about them before.

After he finished, he asked curiously, "So what's the name of your mask?"

Qu Xuanqing paused for a moment, then said, "Eh... calamity, misfortune."

Before Yu Xing could ask further questions, she changed the subject. "I heard you're participating in the Rookie Tournament. I investigated the other four people, but since they're all newcomers, there's not much information available. However, there's one you should pay attention to."

"Oh?" Yu Xing listened attentively.

"That Ghoul... was trained by Single Prism, and he's quite strong. Originally, it might have just been normal competition between you, but as you said, you tricked a couple from Single Prism before, and you even missed one alive."

Qu Xuanqing, "Given the personalities of the Single Prism members, they definitely won't let you go. That Ling Heng has probably already informed the higher-ups who trained him about your name. This time, your name is on the live stream list. Even if you have no grudge against Ghoul, you do now."

"For Single Prism, since one of their own members has encountered you, they'll definitely instruct the Ghoul to kill you on the live stream, so..."

"So I'll take him out first." Yu Xing understood Qu Xuanqing's meaning. He hadn't been noticed by the Lingren yet, so only lower-ranking members would retaliate against him. Why would he be afraid?

It was nothing more than a few people targeting him in the Rookie Tournament; it was quite simple. He didn't intend to let the Single Prism members off the hook either; if he encountered them, he would deal with them as he pleased.

"Hmm, the Ghoul is yours. These little fleas are so annoying to look at, so please make sure you kill him ruthlessly." Qu Xuanqing was also cold and sharp when she mentioned Single Prism. On the surface, many strategists knew that she had a grudge against Single Prism, and that she was the one who had been killed by Single Prism every time he tried to kill her.

After finalizing the details of the Rookie Tournament, Qu Xuanqing gave Yu Xing a briefing on the various factions currently in power among the deducers.

Four major guilds, Three Great Families, and a few lone wolves.

The guild is recognized by the system and has its own structure and operating model. Currently, the number one guild is [Midnight]. It accepts all types of strategists and has the largest number of members. The guild leader is a very strong star strategist.

The second-ranked group is called the [Widow Investigation Team]. It consists of only eight people, each of whom is a star predictor. They follow the elite route and do not accept those Fallen Path.

[Single Prism] ranks third, with the guild leader unknown and the Lingren equivalent to the vice-leader. This guild is very mysterious, only accepting Fallen Path, and its members are usually scattered. Many high-ranking members do not identify themselves as members of Single Prism, and its secrecy is excellent. If most members were not hiding their identities, it would not be ranked only third.

Fourth place goes to the [Research Institute], whose members all follow the Righteous Path. They are very popular among deducers because they often summarize deduction techniques, publish methods for using props, etc., which are of great help to deducers.

As for the Three Great Families, there is the Zhao family, which sells information; the Luo family, which learns everything from drawing talismans to setting up formations; and the Xu family, which is most diligent in dealing with ghosts.

The Xu family were involved in corpse-driving, performing rituals for the Impermanence, and tomb raiding; they did absolutely nothing of the mortal world.

There are many lone wolves, including Qu Xuanqing herself. Besides her, there are several other capable star predictors who disdain joining small guilds and are unwilling to be managed by large guilds, so they simply choose to be alone.

There's a lot to say about this Absurd Deduction. Qu Xuanqing isn't the quiet type; she tutored Yu Xing for most of the day, during which Yu Xing even cooked lunch.

In the afternoon, Qu Xuanqing at Yu Xing's house, ended her "teacher" career and wearily wiped away non-existent sweat.

Due to her physical condition, she lacks sensitivity to heat, so she can wear a trench coat outdoors even in summer.

"Hey, Yu Xing..." She suddenly remembered something.

Yu Xing tilted her head, signaling her to speak if she had something to say.

Qu Xuanqing asked, "How is that little girl, Zhu Yan, doing now?"

"You're only two years older than her, don't sound so old-fashioned." Yu Xing teased her first, then lowered her voice slightly, "She's doing great, she's always growing, and I'm intentionally bringing her into the public eye. Once I'm gone, she should be able to work well in the Criminal Investigation Detachment..."

"However, an accident happened the day before yesterday. A family member of a criminal was emotionally unstable and stabbed her."

Qu Xuanqing raised an eyebrow. "She can still be stabbed?"

Yu Xing helplessly shrugged. "There were other people around at the time. She just wanted to make it look like she was doing something, so she left a wound on her arm with the knife. She's still in the hospital."

Did you go see her?

"I went there secretly. To be honest, that policeman named Han Jiang is really good to her. He's been making soup for her every day for the past two days."

Qu Xuanqing's expression turned strange. She glanced at Yu Xing and tentatively asked, "Are you afraid that your father's position will be shaken?"

"How can you talk like that? I'm so young." Yu Xing deliberately showed a displeased expression. "Do you want to fight?"

"You can't beat me right now," Qu Xuanqing said.

The next instant, the sound of wind breaking rang out. Her pupils contracted, and she nimbly dodged. Looking at Yu Xing, who had withdrawn his fist with a smile on his face, she flexed her knuckles.

"That's right, it's been a long time since we fought. Shall we give it a try?"