Single-Person Blind Spot

Two people stood in the center of the arena, each holding a spear. A few paces apart, they stared at each other.

Number 2 was a tall, thin young man who looked like he didn't talk much.

He lowered his spear tip slightly and fixed his eyes on Chu Ge.

"Chu Ge, I know you. You're the one who didn't awaken a trait, right?"

Chu Ge chuckled.

"Not bad. You even did your homework before the match."

"You're famous. Who in the whole East Sea doesn't know you?"

"Thanks for the compliment."

"But that's all there is to it." Number 2's lips twitched. "I'm a straight talker, so don't take offense. No trait means no trait. No matter how good your technique is, it's useless against superior strength."

Then he added:

"But I don't have a trait either, so don't feel like I'm bullying you."

Chu Ge nearly cracked up.

This guy was way too honest. Should Chu Ge give him a good-kid certificate when he got off the stage later?

He planted his spear against the ground, its shaft hitting the stage with a soft knock.

"Done talking? If you are, let's fight."

The referee raised his hand and swept it down.

"Begin!"

Both of them charged forward at once.

Whether his opponent had a trait or not, Chu Ge didn't take him lightly. He activated [Instant] straight away to max out his speed first.

The next second, their spear shadows collided. A sharp clang of metal against metal rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.

People in the stands immediately rose to their feet.

"That Chu Martial Arts School contestant is way too fast! It's like he's moving at double speed!"

"Is that a speed-type trait?"

"He's from the Chu Family. Maybe he cultivated some technique that boosts his speed."

The two traded thrusts for several rounds.

Number 2's spear technique was solid. Every thrust was clean and precise, without a trace of flashiness.

But in less than half a minute, sweat had appeared on Number 2's forehead.

The longer he fought, the more alarmed he became. The speed of the kid opposite him was completely abnormal.

He had clearly calculated his angle before thrusting, yet Chu Ge simply turned sideways to dodge and casually smacked his arm with the spear shaft.

"That speed of yours..." Number 2 abruptly retreated two steps and panted, "What's going on?"

"Take a guess."

"I'm guessing you awakened a trait."

Chu Ge deliberately put on a shocked expression.

"Seriously, bro, are you doxxing me?!"

Number 2's face darkened.

Chu Ge had admitted it so readily that he didn't believe him anymore.

Maybe he'd taken a speed-boosting potion before the match. It wasn't like such things didn't exist.

Once the match was over, he was going to request a urine test. They had to test Chu Ge!

In the Ye Martial Arts School stands sat two people who had originally been clamoring to go home.

Lin Luyin stared at the white figure in the arena, her brows knitted tightly.

Something's wrong.

That speed is definitely wrong.

She knew Chu Ge's foundation all too well. She had seen the Chu Family's Indestructible Golden Body before. It was a body-refining technique that focused on tempering the physique through qi and blood, with only a tiny speed boost on the side.

That was what Chu Ge cultivated, and there was no way that little extra speed boost could make him as fast as he was now.

He hadn't used this move during the class placement exam, either.

That left only one explanation: a trait.

But who in the whole East Sea didn't know Chu Ge hadn't awakened a trait?

Could it have been a delayed awakening?

The more Lin Luyin thought about it, the more convinced she became. She turned to discuss it with Ye Weiyu.

But she swallowed the words just as they reached her lips.

The woman beside her had a frightening gleam in her eyes. She stared at the arena without blinking, murmuring nonstop.

Lin Luyin leaned closer and listened.

"Big Brother Chu is amazing..."

"Big Brother Chu is so handsome..."

"That spear strike Big Brother Chu just made..."

Lin Luyin silently moved her chair half a meter away.

Being lovestruck was terrifying.

She only wanted to discuss tactics; there was no need to let a lovestruck fool poison her mind.

In the Chu Martial Arts School stands.

Xiao Yan opened a bag of potato chips and munched away, leaning back in her chair as contentedly as a Silly Roe Deer basking in the winter sun.

She had noticed something odd about Chu Ge's speed when they teamed up to farm Scarlet-Eyed Giant Rats last night.

Indestructible Golden Body focused on the physique, with speed only a side effect. At his current stage, there was no way it could make him this fast.

So Chu Ge had to be hiding another method, most likely a trait.

She had seen Chu Ge use [Blue Silver Grass] with her own eyes. There was no faking that.

And now he had shown another speed-boosting ability...

"Don't tell me this guy really awakened two traits..." Xiao Yan muttered, stuffing another chip into her mouth. "Two traits? That would be a little outrageous."

"If that's really the case, it wouldn't be bad. He'd be able to protect himself if he ran into danger later..."

Xiao Lan couldn't sit still beside her, leaning forward again and again.

"Sister Xiao Yan, do you think the young master can win?"

"Yes."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'm his older cousin." Xiao Yan held out the bag of chips. "Have some. Don't be nervous."

"I can't eat. I don't have an appetite right now."

"Then you should eat even more. These chips are rich in protein and dihydrogen monoxide. I guarantee you'll want more after you eat them."

Xiao Lan could tell Xiao Yan was teasing her with a straight face, but she still reached out, picked up a chip, and took a small bite.

In the arena.

Number 2 was being forced back step by step, but his spear technique remained steady and his defense was tight.

Chu Ge nodded inwardly.

As expected of a contestant who had made it into the main competition. His combat awareness and physical skills were both up to par; even without a trait, he couldn't be too shabby.

Unfortunately, he had run into Chu Ge today.

Don't underestimate the bond between me and [Instant], you bastard!

Four times speed, activate!

Chu Ge twisted his wrist and swept his spear out horizontally.

The snow-white spear shadow rapidly expanded before Number 2's eyes, moving so fast that its afterimages overlapped.

Number 2 hurriedly held his spear across himself to block.

He failed to block it.

There was a muffled bang.

The shaft struck him squarely in the chest, sending him flying like a kite with its string cut.

He traced an arc through the air and crashed onto the floor outside the arena.

His landing was fairly textbook: his knees hit the ground first, and he rolled with the momentum. After standing up, he even brushed the dust off his pants.

One look and it was clear he'd learned that from getting beaten up regularly.

The entire venue fell silent for a second.

Then applause and shouts erupted.

"Damn, that was awesome!"

"What happened with that spear strike? I didn't even see it clearly before the guy went flying!"

"That Chu Family kid was hiding his strength well."

Xiao Lan sprang straight out of her chair, shouting until her voice cracked.

"The young master is the best!!!"

In the Ye Martial Arts School seats, Ye Weiyu also stood up. Her face flushed bright red as she gripped the hem of her clothes and rubbed it vigorously.

"Big Brother Chu... is so, so amazing!"

It was clearly an exclamation, yet her voice was even quieter than usual. Even Lin Luyin beside her hadn't heard her clearly.

"What did you say?"

"N-nothing..." Ye Weiyu hurriedly sat down and buried her head low.

Lin Luyin rolled her eyes.

He'd only won one match. Was there any need to get so excited?

Oh my heavens and bodhisattvas, what kind of love potion did Haji Ge feed you when you were little?

As her best friend, she knew all too well that Ye Weiyu's language system had a bug.

The happier she was, the quieter her voice became; the angrier she was, the louder it became.

Working backward from that pattern, the real emotion behind that "so amazing" just now could probably have blown the roof off.

Still, jokes aside, Chu Ge's cultivation was still at the hundredth level of the Qi and Blood Realm, exactly the same as when they had last fought, yet his combat power had shot up by a huge margin.

Lin Luyin bit her lip.

Both she and Chu Ge were improving. She just didn't know when she would catch up and get back at him for last time.

Amid the cheers filling the venue, one shout stood out in particular.

"Little bro! Your cousin will treat you to grilled sausage after the match!"

Chu Ge looked toward the voice.

Xiao Yan was waving a bottle of AD calcium milk at him, potato chip crumbs still clinging to the corners of her mouth.

Chu Ge's lips twitched.

Do you even have money in your pocket to treat me? Won't I be the one paying in the end anyway? Don't you know that yourself?

The referee stepped forward and declared Chu Ge the winner.

He put away his spear, turned, and walked toward the waiting room.

Whoever fought in the second match had nothing to do with him.

The tournament rules stated that once the matches officially began, contestants who had not been eliminated had to remain in the waiting room.

The waiting room offered no view of the outside, and no sounds from outside could be heard, preventing opponents from learning each other's trump cards as much as possible.

During this period, no one except contestants who had not been eliminated was allowed inside, including eliminated contestants and nonparticipants; communication devices had to be temporarily handed over to the tournament organizers for safekeeping.

Inside the waiting room.

After taking a drink of water, Chu Ge sat cross-legged and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

[Instant] consumed a great deal of primordial force, so he had to hurry and replenish it.

Beside him, Yang Wei had already gotten so angry that he uninstalled Honor of Kings.

His teammates had said he was too much of a liability and threatened to deal with him in real life.

Now he sat on the floor, running through moves in his head again and again as he pondered how to deal with his opponent.

After working through dozens of approaches, he finally came to a conclusion.

His chances of winning were thirty percent at best.

At that thought, Yang Wei took a deep breath, accepting that outcome.

"Old Chu."

"What is it?" Chu Ge didn't open his eyes.

"The martial arts school will be counting on you from now on. Take care!"

"It's just a match. Why make it sound like a final farewell?"

"It's no different from dying."

Yang Wei slapped his number tag into his hand with a smack.

"Number 44. This number is way too unlucky. I keep feeling like someone's messing with me on purpose."

"What trait does your opponent have?"

"Even if I told you, you couldn't guard against it." Yang Wei wiped his face. "A three-star trait, [Single-Person Blind Spot]."

Chu Ge slowly opened his eyes and looked at the little fatty beside him.

Although he had browsed the trait compendium, there were too many kinds of traits for him to remember every one clearly. He really had no recollection of this [Single-Person Blind Spot].

"Give me the details."

"He can designate one person and make that person completely unable to see him." Yang Wei gestured. "It's not as simple as invisibility. All five senses are blocked. Your eyes can't see him, your ears can't hear him, your nose can't smell him, and you can't even sense his aura. Whatever he's wearing or holding is blocked too."

"What about everyone else?"

"Everyone else can see him, and cameras can catch him too. Only the person he designates is out of luck."

"How many times can he use it a day? Is there a time limit?"

"Three times. There's no duration limit, but he has to be in your line of sight when he activates it to select his target."

Chu Ge clicked his tongue.

"That's pretty nasty."

"He's a sneaky bastard, always has been."

Yang Wei planted his broadsword on the ground with a clang.

"But I'm damn well going to fight him today."

"Okay." Chu Ge nodded. "Let's go!"

"Can't you say something more auspicious?"

"You'll win."

The corner of Yang Wei's mouth twitched.

"Why does that sound even less auspicious?"

The announcement suddenly rang out.

"The twenty-second match is about to begin. Contestants 43 and 44, please come to the stage."

Yang Wei stood up and patted the dust off his pants.

"I'm going. If I win this match, dinner's on me for the whole martial arts school tonight."

"I'll remember that."

Chu Ge smiled and asked another question.

"At Shaxian Snacks? All the duck leg rice we can eat?"

Yang Wei had reached the door when he nearly stumbled and pitched forward.

Without looking back, he shouted:

"What else? You evil capitalist."

"Do I look like someone who can afford a five-star hotel?"

After Yang Wei left, Chu Ge stared blankly at the wall opposite him for a while.

Ye Han really was a tricky opponent.

Even knowing the effects of the three-star trait [Single-Person Blind Spot] in advance, it was hard to counter.

Someone who gave even Yang Wei a headache might just make it to the end.

Chu Ge thought for a moment, then closed his eyes again.

Forget it. When soldiers came, he'd meet them with a general; when water came, he'd hold it back with earth.

As long as no monstrous four- or five-star traits popped up, he probably wouldn't lose with [Instant].

As long as he was fast enough, he could hit someone even if he closed his eyes and swung wildly.

Outside, on the arena stage.