Once Wang Ye made his decision, a rare sense of ease washed over him.
Without further hesitation, he began transmitting the secrets of the Wind Hou Secret Art to Hikaru Uchiha.
Inside the Genjutsu space Hikaru had crafted, time seemed to lose all meaning.
Wang Ye explained the full structure and intricacies of the art in what felt like a long teaching session—but when he returned to the real world, he was shocked to find that almost no time had passed.
Everything was just as he'd left it.
The realization made Wang Ye reevaluate Hikaru's power.
To maintain such a seamless illusion space—and manipulate time perception within it—meant Hikaru's strength was beyond anything he could comprehend.
Still… none of that mattered anymore.
Hikaru had agreed to deal with Zhuge Qing. With that done, there was no need for Wang Ye to linger.
Every extra second spent here increased the risk of the Wind Hou Secret Art being exposed.
But he didn't notice that his rapid change in expression drew curious glances from those nearby.
Clearing his throat, Wang Ye abruptly announced:
"I just remembered—I left some laundry drying on Wudang Mountain. I'll be taking my leave. Farewell!"
And with that, he turned and left, leaving everyone baffled.
Hikaru, of course, knew exactly what Wang Ye was thinking.
But since he'd already gotten what he wanted, there was no need to press.
With that interlude behind them, the group finally reached the arena for the Trinity Gate Gathering.
The venue was already perfectly arranged. Massive tournament platforms rose high, emanating the gravity and grandeur of battle.
Mount Dragon-Tiger's disciples moved swiftly to maintain order and run the drawing lots ceremony.
Hikaru, having agreed to Wang Ye's request—and needing to obtain the Heavenly Talisman himself—naturally participated in the draw.
Feng Baobao and Zhang Chulan also drew their lots and began searching for their designated duel areas.
But then—chaos struck.
A disturbance erupted outside the arena. Screams and shouts shattered the calm, followed by a flood of panicked footsteps.
"Madmen! Let me go! Help!!" a voice wailed in terror, full of desperation.
"What's happening?! Why are so many people going berserk?!"
"They're being controlled—everyone run!!"
The sudden panic left the gathered crowd frozen in confusion.
Feng Baobao and Zhang Chulan stopped in their tracks, warily scanning their surroundings.
A horde of frenzied civilians charged into the arena, eyes blank, faces twisted in unnatural expressions—as if possessed by some unseen force.
Order dissolved into chaos.
Dragon-Tiger Mountain disciples reacted immediately, forming defensive formations to contain the crowd.
But something was off—these crazed people didn't fear pain. Even when injured, they kept charging forward like beasts.
Fortunately, the crowd was full of experienced elites from across the nation. They quickly stabilized the situation and kept the chaos from spreading further.
Yet just as they prepared to strike harder—they realized something.
These attackers… were just ordinary citizens.
Clearly controlled by some jutsu, they were mere pawns.
This revelation made the crowd hesitate. No one wanted to injure the innocent.
Though still holding the advantage, no one could break free from the ethical bind.
Just then, Wang Ye stumbled back into the scene, slightly disheveled.
He offered a sheepish smile. "Bad luck… I ran into these folks on my way out. Bit of a miscalculation."
Hikaru chuckled quietly.
He knew Wang Ye could've escaped easily. But the man couldn't bring himself to harm those who were clearly victims.
And more than that, Hikaru now realized—this incident was likely his fault.
The butterfly effect had begun.
He'd flapped his wings—and the world had shifted.
Events that should've followed a fixed trajectory were now unraveling unpredictably.
Like this assault by Quan Xing—happening ahead of schedule.
Had the Six Vaulted Immortal Bandits arrived early too?
As he turned to leave, Hikaru paused.
A smirk crept across his face.
"Well, well. I haven't even gone looking for you yet… and here you are, delivering yourself to me."
The moment his words fell, everyone around tensed up.
Zhang Chulan's heart clenched.
He knew Hikaru wasn't the type to joke during a crisis.
And despite Hikaru's overwhelming strength… that didn't mean he'd protect him unconditionally.
If the enemy was after him, Hikaru might just stand aside and watch.
The others—unable to sense anything—grew even more nervous.
That made it worse. If they couldn't sense the threat, it likely meant the enemy was well beyond their level.
Then, Xia Liuqing emerged from the shadows—accompanied by a foreigner, who kept his eyes locked on Hikaru.
"A few brats. Hand over the little girl with you, and we'll spare you the trouble," Xia Liuqing said flatly.
But the words had barely left his mouth when Hikaru burst into laughter.
He hadn't expected this kind of jackpot to drop from the sky.
He was planning to hunt down Baron—but the guy just waltzed right into his lap.
Without another word, Hikaru raised his hand.
The frenzied crowd halted.
Then—eyes rolled back, they collapsed one after another.
Xia Liuqing, just moments ago acting smug, involuntarily took a step back. Baron visibly swallowed.
Hikaru stared at them with playful menace.
"I didn't quite catch that. Mind repeating it?"
Xia Liuqing let out a dry laugh, trying to defuse the tension.
But deep down, his nerves were in chaos.
He'd never imagined that within this seemingly mundane gathering of rookies…
There would be a monster hidden in plain sight.