Chapter 73: Blending In Seamlessly

A long-haired woman with glasses stepped out from behind the cordon and sized up Gu Changqing, who was sitting in the back seat with one leg hanging out of the car.

Gu Changqing was dressed entirely in white, with gold-rimmed glasses shaded blue, which made him seem less fierce. Just sitting there, he exuded an imposing presence.

"Gu Changqing? The genius from Angang. I've seen your videos! You're ferocious!"

"Come on, follow me in. Park the car over there," she said.

Gu Changqing patted the driver's seat, smiling as he gestured for her to take the wheel.

"You think I'm your chauffeur?" the woman shot him a glare.

"I can't drive. Someone else brought the car," Gu Changqing replied casually.

She eyed him suspiciously, muttering under her breath as she slid into the driver's seat and drove the car into a leveled parking area off to the side.

The lot was packed with vehicles, many of them luxury sedans or SUVs—clearly, other awakened had arrived in style.

After parking, they both got out. The woman glanced at Gu Changqing, then stepped back and sized him up, gesturing with her hand in surprise, "You're only about a meter ninety? I thought you were over two meters."

His presence was simply too strong. Even at one ninety, he felt even taller just standing there.

"What type of power did you awaken?" Gu Changqing asked, interested.

To his surprise, the woman instantly sprang two meters back, watching him warily. "You're not planning to attack me, are you?"

Gu Changqing had gained quite a reputation on the forums for his arrogance and ruthlessness—he never held back, even after winning. Word had spread of how he’d rendered Ming Xue powerless and then kicked her away.

"Relax, I'm not a bad guy," Gu Changqing waved dismissively, though inwardly he wondered how long she’d cry if he really punched her.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Jian Lan, from Yong'an. I'm a support-type awakened. I'll take you to meet the person in charge here. The others are all over there!"

"Who else is here?" Gu Changqing asked as they walked.

He was already planning—once he got the lay of the land and the schedule, he’d challenge them one by one. His Eightfold Fists needed battle after battle to grow stronger, feeding off the momentum of victory to build an invincible aura and an unstoppable will.

"There are a lot of us, not just from Yongzhou, but from other regions too. All top talents from each division. The Qingjiang battlefield is the most important matter right now," Jian Lan explained.

"Many of them are geniuses from their divisions, like Ning Ze, Pei—" Jian Lan suddenly cut herself off, remembering what this man had said on the forums, and looked at him in shock.

Gu Changqing grinned, baring a set of gleaming white teeth.

A beastly aura radiated from him, like a predator baring its fangs.

"Go on, tell me who’s here."

"Pei... Pei Yuntai, Su Yiqing from Liuzhou, Xu Fu from Xining, Li Yao from Beihai, Luo Xun from Chichuan..." Jian Lan, startled, rattled off a dozen names.

Gu Changqing thought for a moment... forget it, he couldn’t remember them all.

It didn’t matter. He’d just fight them one by one.

Soon, they arrived at a sprawling camp, where dozens of awakened were gathered—forty or fifty at a glance, men and women, most of them young, only a few over thirty.

Every one of them radiated vigor and confidence. It was only natural; awakened possessed strength far beyond ordinary people, regardless of their abilities. In these times, awakened had powers unimaginable to most, and these were all elite—full of confidence and pride.

Those with true strength were always like this. Here, they were all on the same level, or even higher, so even though their arrogance was kept in check, their aura was still overwhelming.

Even the seemingly delicate girls had more presence than elite soldiers.

As the two entered, all eyes turned to Gu Changqing, scrutinizing him.

After all, he was tall, exuded a fierce energy, and swaggered as he walked—a sight that immediately rubbed people the wrong way.

Gu Changqing met their gazes, took off his glasses, and flashed a chilling smile.

Then he gave a thumbs-up to the crowd—before turning it down.

The awakened were momentarily stunned, then quickly grew restless; many stood up, men and women alike.

Which of these awakened weren’t confident in their strength? How could they tolerate such a provocation?

"Damn, is this guy provoking everyone?"

"Who is he? So arrogant?"

"It’s him! The genius from Angang, Gu Changqing!"

"I think I’ve heard of him... the one who’s so cocky on the Yongzhou forum, right? It’s one thing to be arrogant online, but to act like this here?"

"He’s out of control. Does he really think he can take everyone here?"

Some looked calm, some mocked, others were cold, and a few burst out laughing—but all their eyes gleamed dangerously.

Gu Changqing’s single gesture had ignited the entire camp. Jian Lan felt her scalp tingle and quickly stepped aside.

Gu Changqing was very satisfied with their reaction.

No one set the mood better than him—wasn’t the atmosphere already perfect?

Just as he was about to leave with Jian Lan, a young man called out, "Hey, aren’t you going to say something? Just going to walk away?"

Gu Changqing looked over. It was a young man in a jacket, glaring at him with obvious irritation.

Gu Changqing grinned, veins bulging across his body as he shot toward the youth like an arrow.

"Interesting! You want to be arrogant in front of me?" the youth sneered, shifting his stance, weight back, and extending his nails like knives.

This wasn’t an awakened ability—he practiced martial arts, specializing in claw techniques.

His awakened power was physical enhancement, allowing him to maximize his old skills. He was well-known in Liuzhou for his strength.

As Gu Changqing charged, he was all sharpness, like an arrow—but as he closed in, his weight shifted, turning from an arrow into a collapsing mountain. The sheer force of it made several faces pale.

Gu Changqing’s right arm swelled, and he threw a savage punch.

The youth’s expression changed drastically. All he could see was the fist growing larger, and a voice in his mind screamed that he couldn’t dodge, couldn’t block—if it landed, he’d die.

"I don’t believe it!" the youth bit his tongue, eyes fierce, retreating quickly, hands moving so fast they were a blur as he grabbed for Gu Changqing’s fist.

Those hands could dismember an awakened in seconds. He refused to believe he couldn’t block this punch.

But as soon as his nails touched Gu Changqing’s fist, a tremendous force blasted them away.

The youth, undeterred, tried to grab the fist again, only to have several Bloodsea Stinger Needles pierce his palms.

Gu Changqing’s punch crashed straight through, hammering into his chest.

Bang!

Gu Changqing could feel bones shattering under his fist as the youth was sent flying.

"Too arrogant!" The other awakened, seeing this, immediately stepped forward, united in their hostility.

Gu Changqing laughed wildly and lunged at the nearest awakened, unleashing an even more powerful punch.

The Eightfold Fists grew stronger with every victory.

No one knew where its limit lay, but it only climbed higher.

His next target was a woman, whose face paled as she faced his attack.

Just watching from the side had been enough to sense the ferocity—now, confronted directly by that unstoppable force, she felt she had nowhere to run.

She was a psychic-type awakened. With only two options—attack or defend—she instantly decided, her eyes turning silver, her delicate features hardening.

Gu Changqing felt as if his head had been struck by a sledgehammer, stars flashing before his eyes.

But his movements didn’t falter—if anything, his expression grew fiercer as his fist struck her face.

Bang!

Had he not held back, she might not have survived.

Gu Changqing paid no heed to the others, and they could restrain themselves no longer—several lunged at him.

Some, just about to attack, realized they were a step too slow and hesitated.

After all, they were all elites. Though they disliked Gu Changqing, they had their limits—they wouldn’t swarm him all at once.

"So arrogant—who do you think you are?" In a flash, a youth appeared behind Gu Changqing, stabbing a short blade at his lower back.

But Gu Changqing, shifting from mountain-heavy to light as a bird, surged forward. The blade cut only half a centimeter, drawing blood.

In return, Gu Changqing flung dozens of Bloodsea Stinger Needles, enveloping the youth.

Then, in a swift turn, he hurled the Dao-Demon Hammer, which swelled in the wind—startling many, who’d never seen such a spiritual weapon.

Barely escaping the needles, the youth took the hammer to the head and collapsed in a daze.

Gu Changqing landed, pushed off, and shot forward like an arrow, punching the youth before he could recover—shattering bones and sending him crashing through several tents.

"Damn, is he really that strong?" someone cursed and lunged at him, leaping into the air with an alloy hammer raised overhead.

Gu Changqing was savage, his punches terrifying, but every awakened here was proud and confident in their own strength.

Two more chapters to come—one before midnight, one after.

(End of chapter)