Bai Qiu didn’t understand why the intangibility effect disappeared after boarding the ship, but one thing was clear:
On board, the strong truly could prey upon the weak.
However, the Lancer who had killed those troublemakers didn’t take over their spot to continue collecting tolls.
Only after he found his assigned cabin and went inside did the other players finally dare to pass by and look for their own rooms.
After that incident, no one else aboard the cruise ship dared to demand tolls or “protection fees.”
Most of the truly powerful players had gathered on the uppermost deck and couldn’t have cared less about such petty matters.
At their level of strength, extorting protection money was simply a waste of time.
As the elites of their respective districts, they had long since been treated like honored guests, enjoying abundant resources.
Naturally, none of them cared about such insignificant gains.
Bai Qiu had originally intended to spend the voyage leisurely admiring the scenery until they reached the Shattered Celestial Realm.
Instead— A blade of sword qi slashed toward him from behind.
Although he instantly released his mana and raised a magical barrier to block it, the slash still left a shallow cut across his chest.
“Oh? Looks like this little rat hiding in the shadows isn’t completely useless after all.”
The speaker was a young man who looked to be under twenty years old.
His tone was dripping with mockery.
Bai Qiu turned to him coldly.
“So… those are your last words?”
As he spoke, he drew the Dragonslayer Star Breath Spear, its true form still concealed by the Hidden Wind Barrier Pearl, and calmly walked forward.
“Oh? Instead of wetting your pants after I attacked you, you’re actually coming closer?”
The young man remained completely unconcerned.
His nonchalant attitude irritated Bai Qiu for no apparent reason.
“If I don’t get close to you…”
“…how am I supposed to kill you?”
Bai Qiu continued walking as he spoke.
“Oh-ho? Then come even closer.”
Holding a crimson katana in one hand, the young man casually strode toward Bai Qiu without the slightest hint of caution.
When the distance between them closed to roughly two meters— Bai Qiu swung his spear in a sweeping slash.
Unexpectedly, the young man was even faster.
Despite moving second, he struck first, slashing Bai Qiu across the shin before smoothly sidestepping the spear attack.
“Too slow! Far too slow!”
“My [Thousand Slaughters] is the strongest weapon in the world!”
“Its speed and attack power are both superior to the weapons you little rats keep hidden!”
The young man laughed arrogantly.
The spectators nearby, who had initially been watching with amusement, gradually darkened their expressions.
Bai Qiu had also grown tired of this exchange of taunts.
He immediately began combining Mana Manipulation, Mana Release, and the power of Wind Mastery, launching a lightning-fast thrust.
The young man’s relaxed expression changed instantly.
Caught off guard, he desperately tried to block and evade.
Even so— The spear pierced straight through his right shoulder, leaving a gaping hole.
He actually dodged it?
Bai Qiu was genuinely surprised.
That thrust had been delivered at the fastest speed he was capable of.
Not only was the Dragonslayer Star Breath Spear rendered invisible by the Hidden Wind Barrier Pearl, but the instantaneous velocity of the attack had even surpassed the limits of C++ Rank.
Even with a weapon that couldn’t be seen and moved faster than Bai Qiu himself…
The young man had still managed to react.
For the first time, Bai Qiu became slightly serious.
There was definitely something unusual about this young man.
Whoosh!
A violent gust erupted.
Bai Qiu vanished from where he stood.
In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of the swordman and thrust his spear straight toward his heart.
The expressions of the surrounding spectators immediately turned grave.
If the young man had merely been arrogant…
Then the man standing before them possessed genuine transcendent combat ability.
“His speed has reached pseudo-Transcendent level…”
“Judging from his mana fluctuations, he’s already at the Transcendent Realm…”
“And his strength as well…”
A woman dressed in mage robes slowly stepped backward.
In only a few moments, she had roughly assessed Bai Qiu’s attributes.
The only thing she couldn’t determine was exactly what weapon he was wielding.
Bai Qiu had deliberately concealed the full length of the Dragonslayer Star Breath Spear.
He gripped it near the middle of the shaft while fighting, causing his movements to resemble those of both a Saber and a Lancer.
What shocked Bai Qiu even more was that— His nearly foolproof thrust was predicted once again.
The young man swung his katana directly at the invisible spear, using every ounce of his strength to knock its trajectory slightly off course.
As a result, the Dragonslayer Star Breath Spear merely grazed past his side.
It only shattered his armor instead of piercing his body.
Just as the young man attempted to seize the opportunity to counterattack— Bai Qiu drove his knee hard into his abdomen.
The impact instantly twisted the young man’s face in agony.
At the same moment— Bai Qiu thrust his spear once more.
Clang!
The young man was sent flying dozens of meters before crashing violently into the edge of the deck.
A blossom of blood burst from his chest.
Yet overall… He had managed to block Bai Qiu’s attack once again.
At the very last moment, the young man had already raised his katana horizontally in front of his chest.
He had predicted exactly where Bai Qiu’s attack would land before it even came.
Although the tremendous impact sent him flying and damaged his katana in the process…
He had survived.
Gone was the arrogance that had filled him moments before.
Now, gripping his sword with both hands, the young man stared warily at Bai Qiu from a distance.
As the saying went, amateurs watch the spectacle, while experts watch the technique.
The spectators were astonished that the young man had managed to survive Bai Qiu’s relentless assaults.
Judging purely by their attributes, Bai Qiu’s explosive speed, strength, and mana output all vastly exceeded the young man’s.
Normally, in a fight like this, the slightest difference determined life and death.
Yet time and time again, the young man had found a path to survival beneath Bai Qiu’s lethal attacks.
That alone earned him everyone’s respect.
Bai Qiu had also figured it out.
The young man seemed capable of predicting Bai Qiu’s killing blows just before they landed.
That was how he had repeatedly escaped certain death.
However, Bai Qiu had no intention of wasting any more words on him.
He charged forward again, murderous intent laid completely bare.
For the first time, genuine terror overtook the young man’s face.
As he desperately struggled to fend off Bai Qiu’s attacks, he frantically begged for mercy.
“I was wrong! Please, spare my life!”
Bai Qiu ignored his pleas entirely.
He pressed the attack without pause, refusing to give his opponent even a moment to catch his breath.
Six times…
Seven…
Eight…
As the young man escaped death again and again, Bai Qiu’s brows drew tightly together.
Then, catching him off guard, Bai Qiu drove a powerful kick into his chest.
The impact forced the young man to spit out a mouthful of blood as he was launched backward toward the ship’s cabins.
“You fell for it, bastard!”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that I deliberately ran toward the cabins?”
“This was my escape route all along!”
“As long as I get inside a room, you won’t be able to kill me!”
The young man laughed mockingly while flying backward.
“What?!” Bai Qiu’s expression changed.
He immediately burst forward at full speed.
Just as the young man flew through the air, reached a cabin door, opened it, and was about to step inside— Bai Qiu intercepted him at the doorway.
Standing squarely in front of the entrance, Bai Qiu said coldly,
“Sorry, This room is full.”
“Bastard!”
His escape plan ruined, the young man flew into a rage and swung his katana at Bai Qiu with both hands.
But in the very next instant— Clang!
The katana fell to the floor.
Along with it…
Both of his hands.
A heartbeat later, the Dragonslayer Star Breath Spear pierced straight through his chest.
With a violent twist of the spear, Bai Qiu tore his body apart into several pieces.
A flash of white light enveloped the corpse.
It gradually faded away.
Bai Qiu let out a long sigh of relief.
He had finally killed him.
It was the first time Bai Qiu had fought another person without holding anything back.
Even then…
It had taken him a full two minutes to finish the battle.
He was really hard to kill.
However, after obtaining the young man’s Item Card, Bai Qiu finally understood the source of the uncanny ability that had allowed him to predict his fatal attacks over and over again.
— The end of the Chapter–
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