Blue Azure Chapter - First Awakening

(I hadn't originally planned to continue the prequel immediately, but I suddenly realized I'd reached 700,000 words. To commemorate this milestone, I present this long-form piece.)

(In truth, I had hoped the protagonist experiencing this would be Ming Jian, but since Ming Jian has already had two special chapters, I pushed this experience onto Saint Gonglan. In my mind, Saint Gonglan is exactly this kind of person; if he had met Ming Jian years ago, the two would surely have been brothers-in-arms...)

(This story might be a bit taxing; it will be divided into "Reality" and "Sensory Perception." Reality is the true main plot, while Sensory Perception is a future created by Gonglan's special ability, known only to him.)

(Think of it as a mystery game. After finishing each chapter, you can try to guess who the target is...)

(What if you could see through to what will happen in the future? But you can only see what happens within thirty minutes of your current time layer...)

(Everything is just the beginning...)

At a certain Japanese-style academy, because it was Sunday, only members of various clubs remained to practice. The top members of each club, in particular, were working harder than usual for the upcoming competitions.

By dusk, the vast majority of people had left the quiet campus; even the uncle guarding the school gate had disappeared, presumably off to study somewhere.

Xia Hun was the only non-club member still at school. Following a teacher's request, he had spent the day conducting a training survey for each club. By the time he finished, it was evening, and all he wanted was a good meal.

Xia Hun stood at the school's main gate. He could only stand there, because taking another step forward meant walking straight into a wall...

"What is going on? This isn't a dream!"

"Damn it, I really can't get out. What the hell is happening?"

Xia Hun tried every method he could think of, but there was no progress. It seemed he was locked inside the school.

He stared at the unchanging school grounds.

"Human, you have no choice now but to accept the arrangement of fate!" This sudden voice gave Xia Hun a severe shock.

Xia Hun quickly looked around, but the school remained just a school; nothing special appeared, as if the voice from a moment ago had never existed.

"I am a race from another world. If I were to use your human naming conventions, I should be called Qinuomen. I have appeared here for only one reason: to change the future of this world. You are one of the chosen. If you succeed, you will become a Saint, but if you fail, your opponent will replace you and become the Source Evil. Possessing that kind of power, you can't possibly disbelieve what is before your eyes, can you? Being able to see through the future, you should have believed in the possibility of such things from the very first moment."

"Humans love games most of all. Now, you are playing a game that can change your fate and the fate of the world. Within this campus, including yourself, there are sixteen people. Your opponent is among them. You must find them, and when you do, you need only designate your target in your heart."

"You only have two chances. If you choose wrong twice, your game ends there."

"In this game, you have only three days—seventy-two hours, not a minute more, not a minute less. If the time ends and you haven't found the target, the game is also considered over."

"Furthermore, among the sixteen people, only you cannot die. Even if you suffer the most grievous wounds, you will not die; you will recover in just a few minutes. However, the others will die. If everyone except you and the target dies within three days, your game is also considered a failure."

"Do you understand, human?"

"The game will begin in one hour. Think it over carefully; I believe you will enjoy this game!"

"Also, if you kill the target with your own hands, victory belongs to you."

"You cannot reveal this information to anyone, or it will still be considered a failure."

"Think carefully, then act. Victory lies within your future..."

"What I have said is an absolute iron rule; you may judge and decide on all other matters yourself."

Xia Hun remained silent. Since the other party had already stated their intentions, there was no need to stall. The power he possessed was "Sensory Perception of the Future," but this power had significant limitations.

Xia Hun could only perceive one of the paths he chose, and during the perception process, time in reality continued to flow. Three minutes in reality equaled thirty minutes in the sensory world. These thirty minutes were the maximum extent of Xia Hun's perception, a very convenient ability in certain situations...

Xia Hun looked at the school gate and closed his eyes.

Sensory Perception: "Xia Hun heads from the gate to the gymnasium. He encounters no other students on the way, and finds no one inside the gymnasium. One minute passes."

Sensory Perception: "Xia Hun heads from the gate to the first teaching building. He encounters no other students on the way. He searches the building, following the principle of checking every classroom and office. He finally discovers the Astronomy Club president, Ying Kong, on the roof. Two-plus minutes pass."

Sensory Perception: "Xia Hun heads from the gate to the second teaching building. At the cafeteria entrance, he sees the track team ace, Qing Sheng, heading toward the gymnasium. He searches the second teaching building using the same method as before. On the fourth floor, he finds the teacher Qiu Honghui berating the Swimming Club president, Zhu Xiaohua. Later, on the sixth floor, he runs into the lesbian twin sisters, Fu Ziqi and Fu Ziyou, being intimate in the chemistry lab. Three minutes pass."

Sensory Perception: "Xia Hun heads to the garden. He finds Qiu Dinghong practicing in the swimming pool. On the path in the garden, he runs into the Art Club president, Ming Nan, who is lost in thought. In the garden, he encounters the Literature Club president, She Zhongtian, and the vice president, Yang Sisi, being intimate. Two minutes pass."

Reality: "Eight minutes have passed."

Xia Hun took a sharp breath. Although only eight minutes had passed in reality, he had actually spent over an hour. Fortunately, he had confirmed the locations of the other students. Now, he had to gather them; it would be troublesome if the others died without knowing why...

Xia Hun organized the information he had on these nine people.

"Ying Kong, female, Literature Club president. A typical model student with no disciplinary record. Being slightly quiet and timid, she is often bullied by others."

"Qing Sheng, male, one of the main members of the track team. Lively and bright, he is definitely a target for young girls' affections. No disciplinary record at school."

"Zhu Xiaohua, female, Swimming Club president. A super athlete and two-time consecutive national freestyle champion. No disciplinary record at school."

"Qiu Honghui, female, recognized as one of the worst teachers in the school. She frequently oppresses students, especially Zhu Xiaohua. To make her niece, Qiu Dinghong, the Swimming Club president, she has repeatedly subjected Zhu Xiaohua to malicious lectures."

"Fu Ziqi and Fu Ziyou, female, twins. The school's recognized lesbians. With superior family backgrounds and personal qualifications, they look down on almost all men. Furthermore, due to their massive family background and excellent grades, the teachers can only turn a blind eye."

"Qiu Dinghong, female, Qiu Honghui's niece and a core member of the swimming team. Constantly overshadowed by Zhu Xiaohua, she is actually on the verge of a mental breakdown."

"Ming Nan, male, Art Club president. Excellent grades, sharp mind. A perfect human who could be given a hundred points in everything except physical strength."

"She Zhongtian, male, Literature Club president. His grades are always first in the school. Combined with a good family background, handsome appearance, and elegant speech, he is the recognized rival of every boy in school. No disciplinary record."

"Yang Sisi, female, Literature Club vice president. Excellent grades, but from a very poor family. She has always been looked after by the president, She Zhongtian. Her appearance is very ordinary, and she is not particularly outstanding in other aspects. No disciplinary record."

Everyone was doing completely unrelated things. On the surface, none of them seemed like the target the voice had described. It seemed he would have to dig deeper.