I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

A system announcement sounded.

[In the first round of the second stage, Fog Sees Through Flowers (District 21) wins!]

The stands outside the arena were deathly silent.

If the internal explosion of the first arrow shocked them, then the second arrow's disregard for absolute defense instilled in them a deep-seated fear.

There was a full minute of silence in the internal channel of the analysis group that discussed the blade dimensions.

"...Did you record it?" Dao Kuchi's voice was a little hoarse.

"It's been recorded. His second special skill has the effect of... conceptual penetration. It ignores any form of block or shield, directly damaging the target."

"How are we supposed to fight this?" someone asked desperately in the chat. "One can detonate internally, and the other can ignore defense. With these two skills combined, what's the point of having a tank class against him?"

No one answered.

Because the answer is already obvious.

Pointless.

After the first round of competition, only 60 of the 120 finalists remained.

Li Wu's victory was like a boulder thrown into a lake, creating ripples everywhere. Those players who had initially thought he would be reduced to his original form fell silent. They finally realized that this man's strength was never solely based on his attributes.

After a short break, the match schedule for the second round has been updated.

[Second Stage, Second Round: Seeing Through the Fog (Area 21) VS Thousand Shadows Kill (Area 18)]

"Thousand Shadows Assassin! It's that top assassin from District 18!"

"Holy crap, this is going to be interesting! Thousand Shadows Assassin is a renowned one-on-one fighter, his stealth and backstab skills are unparalleled, it's said he can take the head of a general amidst a massive army!"

"In an environment where attributes are evenly matched, assassins are a perfect counter to squishy archers! Once Thousand Shadows Assassins get close, Fog Seeker is guaranteed to die!"

"That's right! The paladin last round was too clumsy, which is why he was kited. This time, it's the elusive assassin; let's see how he manages to win!"

The public channel buzzed with excitement once again, this time with people's expectations at their peak. They longed to see a true clash of titans, to see someone break the myth of invincibility shrouded in mystery.

With a flash of white light, Li Wu was teleported to the second round of the competition.

Unlike the first round's open circular arena, this time the venue was the ruins of an abandoned ancient temple. Broken walls, towering stone pillars, and shadows everywhere offered hiding places, severely limiting visibility.

This is a hunting ground tailor-made for assassins.

Li Wu looked around but did not see his opponent immediately.

Thousand Shadows Assassin has already made his stealth move.

A faint but palpable murderous aura permeated the air, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, watching its prey.

In the audience and in the live broadcast room with its omniscient view, everyone held their breath. They could see a blurry black figure, using the shadow of the stone pillar, silently creeping behind Li Wu. His movements were as light as a cat's, without making a sound.

"The Thousand Shadows Assassin has already circled around to the back! The distance is less than ten meters!"

"Completely oblivious, like someone trying to see through a fog! He's still standing there, looking around!"

"It's over, it's over! At this distance, Thousand Shadows Killer can close the distance with a single 'Shadow Step' followed by a 'Gouge,' and Fog-Seeing Flower won't even have a chance to react!"

Everyone believed that the battle would end in the next second.

However, just as Qianyingsha adjusted his posture and prepared to launch a fatal blow, Li Wu, who was standing in the center of the arena, suddenly made a move that no one could understand.

He closed his eyes.

"He...he gave up?"

"Close his eyes in this situation? Is he insane?"

Even Qianying Sha himself was taken aback. He had never seen prey behave so unusually after being targeted. Was it a trap? It didn't seem like it. There were no magical fluctuations around.

Never mind all that! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

A cold glint flashed in Qianyingsha's eyes as he activated his skill!

His figure vanished instantly, and the next second, he appeared behind Li Wu like a ghost, the poisoned dagger in his hand turning into a cold light, piercing straight into Li Wu's back!

The angle, timing, and speed were all perfect!

However, just before the dagger was about to touch Li Wu's body, Li Wu's body was pushed to the left by an invisible hand, shifting half a meter.

[Flash Arrow]!

But this flash was incredibly short, more like an extreme lateral movement.

The Thousand Shadows Killer's dagger grazed Li Wu's clothes and missed.

How is that possible?!

A monstrous wave surged within Qian Yingsha's heart. He had launched this attack after anticipating all possible evasion routes of his opponent. How could his opponent possibly dodge in such an unbelievable way? This was not a reaction, this was foresight!

Having missed his first attack, Thousand Shadows Killer did not linger and immediately tried to retreat, disappearing back into the shadows.

But it was too late.

Li Wu opened his eyes the moment he appeared.

He closed his eyes, not to give up, but to use his true "eyes"—the perception of fate!

In Li Wu's perception of fate, Qian Yingsha's malevolent killing intent was as conspicuous as a campfire in the dark. His stealth, his movement, his every move were all laid bare before Li Wu's eyes.

Just as he brushed past Qianyingsha, Li Wu had already drawn his arcane bow to its fullest extent.

A blue-purple lightning bolt suddenly lit up on the bowstring.

Lightning Bolt!

"Sizzle!"

A deafening clap of thunder boomed through the silent temple.

The blue-purple lightning struck Qianyingsha's chest without any suspense, at a distance of less than a meter.

"-1488!"

A massive critical hit occurred, and Qianyingsha's body instantly froze.

Before he could recover from the paralysis, Li Wu had already turned around, and a second arrow, an ordinary energy arrow, was already pressed against his forehead.

"How...how could you have found me?" Qianyingsha's face was filled with resentment and confusion; this was his only question before he died.

"Your killing intent is too strong," Li Wu said calmly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the bowstring twanged softly.

"-325"

Thousand Shadow Killer's health bar was emptied, and he unwillingly turned into white light.

[Second Stage, Round 2: Fog Sees Through Flowers (Area 21) wins!]

The entire public channel fell into an eerie silence once again.

If the victory over the paladin in the previous round was due to a unique skill mechanic, then the counterattack against the top assassin in this round demonstrated a completely incomprehensible perceptive ability.

"How on earth did he discover Thousand Shadows Kill? Even with a god-like perspective, he almost lost track of him!"

"I replayed it three times. That time he closed his eyes, it definitely wasn't giving up, it was like he was sensing something!"

"Arcane Archers, with such strong anti-submarine capabilities? Is that even possible?"

"It doesn't make sense, but it happened. This elusive figure seems to have no weaknesses whatsoever. Whether it's a heavily armored tank or a highly agile assassin, they can't last three moves against him."

Panic began to spread among the remaining fifty-odd contestants.

They originally thought that after the attributes were leveled out, everyone would be back on the same starting line.

Now they realize that some people are born at the finish line.