Chapter 102: Genius
Chapter 102: Genius
Zuo Meng left the search for the giant’s true form to the chess piece. After stepping out of the chess game, he found many things in this world worth studying—especially those unfamiliar rules he couldn’t comprehend. Once the chess game was won, these foreign rules would become his power, merging into his Dream World to strengthen him and lay the groundwork for devouring this realm.
Chen Fei didn’t realize he was a chess piece.
His memories were entirely crafted by Zuo Meng. To him, every detail of his life as Chen Fei—from childhood onward—felt real.
Driven by curiosity, Chen Fei rode his electric bike and soon found Wu Qiuyue’s car parked beneath an office building.
“Hua’an Tower? Does she work here?”
After locking his bike, Chen Fei stepped inside.
The interior surprised him. Beyond the reception counter lay not offices but a vast sports arena buzzing with people playing basketball.
“Who’re you here for?”
A muscular young man in a red tank-top strode over from the court, eyeing Chen Fei.
“I’m looking for—”
Chen Fei froze mid-sentence. The tank-top man’s face now sprouted leopard-like fur, his pupils shifting to deep brown as primal wildness radiated from him.
“Superpower?”
Chen Fei narrowed his eyes, his decades of internal energy stirring automatically.
“Huh? Still talking? Not bad!” The tank-top man smirked, his features snapping back to normal.
“Seeking death?”
A cold fury rose in Chen Fei. With forty years of cultivated energy, he wasn’t ordinary anymore. He could end this fool in thirty seconds—superpower or not.
“Time to teach you manners.”
The tank-top man’s eyes glinted crimson.
Chen Fei’s body locked up as if pinned by a predator’s gaze—but only for an instant. His energy surged, bones crackling, until a new thought halted him:
_Why not test Wu Qiuyue through this?_
Feigning helplessness, Chen Fei let his power fade and went still.
“All that big talk for nothing!”
The tank-top man sneered at the “paralyzed” Chen Fei.
“Done already?”
Another man approached, tossing a cola can. “Will this bait work on her?”
“Worth trying. Plant a seed now, reap later. Can’t be too careful with that woman.”
The tank-top man gulped his cola. Their casual exchange betrayed shared wariness toward Wu Qiuyue.
“Playing more rounds?”
“Sure.”
After finishing their cola, the two tossed the cans into the trash and returned to the basketball court.
Chen Fei stood alone where they left him, seemingly forgotten by everyone.
“Feels like animal instinct.”
He sensed the changes in his body. Having withdrawn all his internal energy into his dantian, his current state resembled a rabbit frozen under a tiger’s gaze. His nerves felt cut off by some invisible force, leaving him rooted like a statue. The suppressing sensation carried bestial undertones, yet felt distinctly different.
The restraint wasn’t strong. Chen Fei could’ve easily broken free, but chose instead to study the energy’s patterns, wondering if he could replicate this technique with his own cultivation.
On the mountain.
Within the Daoist temple, Zuo Meng stretched out his palm. Spiderweb-like strands of energy spread outward, blanketing the entire compound. Every snake, insect, and rodent within instantly stiffened as if sensing a predator.
“Amusing trick. A new law of this world?”
No longer limited to simple energy cultivation, Zuo Meng used feedback from his chess piece Chen Fei to identify an entry point. Mimicking the energy flow, he uncovered a fresh principle – the Wildness Rule.
“Perfect to reflect back. My chess piece deserves his golden finger.”
Zuo Meng tapped the water bowl. His comprehension of the tank-top man’s power rippled across the surface, flowing into Chen Fei’s consciousness. The ancient cultivator now resembled a shadowy puppeteer – letting pawns fight his battles while reaping benefits from afar, occasionally tossing them rewards to fuel their desperation.
Night fell.
When Chen Fei finished his epiphany, the gym stood nearly empty. The tank-top man and cola drinker had vanished, likely confident their ambush had succeeded. They’d never considered Chen Fei worth watching – their true target remained Wu Qiuyue.
As Chen Fei stretched, sudden understanding flashed through him. He’d fully grasped the tank-top man’s technique.
A basketball player exiting the court bumped into his shoulder.
“What the hell—”
The muscular man began cursing, annoyed at someone blocking the path.
Chen Fei’s gaze snapped up, locking eyes.
The gym-goer froze mid-sentence, prey-animal terror glazing his features.
“Hah! I’m a damn genius!”
Chen Fei’s triumphant laugh echoed as he strode from the building, leaving the paralyzed man behind.
“This world will kneel!”
He raised his hand dramatically at the entrance, fingers splayed as if crushing the sky itself.
Top floor.
Wu Qiuyue glanced down from her window, barely registering Chen Fei’s theatrics. Her attention fixed on figures near the gym equipment. Murderous glint flashed in her eyes.
“They dared harass my mother before. Now they push further.”
She lifted her phone, dialing with cold precision.