MTL - Perfect Encounter - Chapter 149

Manchester United, once a dominant force in world football, finds itself struggling under Erik ten Hag despite having the financial power to rebuild.Big-money transfers fail to restore the club’s glory, forcing Ten Hag to shift his focus to homegrown talent.Among the overlooked prospects in the U18 squad is Leo Calderon, a 17-year-old central midfielder buried deep in the pecking order.Lacking physicality and dismissed by teammates as weak, Leo endures constant ridicule from those who dominate with strength and athleticism.But during one ordinary training session, everything changes—Leo suddenly sees passing lanes no one else can, angles of play invisible to even the most talented prospects.Yet, there’s a problem. His vision surpasses his ability. The passes he attempts don’t connect, his technique unable to match his newfound awareness.Coaches dismiss his efforts as sloppy, and his struggles continue. But one unexpected observer—a visiting League One assistant coach—notices something different.He watches Leo’s movements, seeing potential where others see failure.As Leo fights to prove himself in an unforgiving system, the question lingers—can he refine his raw talent before the club moves on without him?

On this land of real souls, with millions of different martial art institutions, there are so many strong fighters just like the trees in the forests.

Among all, a mediocre apprentice from one of the mediocre institutions suddenly became a martial art genius after a mysterious incident. Not only did he acquire a photographic memory and keen perception, but he had also come to discover that his ability to comprehend martial arts is astronomically good, which eventually made him an almost godly existence.

From the hot-blooded intense battles to the clashes between the top geniuses, Martial Arts is no longer limited to the mortal world, it reaches to a level that can do everything from controlling the oceans to flying up the sky and diving under the ground.

- Description from Novelupdates

Kellen Woods grew up never knowing a normal world. By the time he could walk, his mother and father had already sealed several serious gates that threatened the safety of his hometown. By the time his sister was born, they were famous worldwide.So the world held their breath for when Kellen and his sister came of age, waiting to see what kind of power they would awaken.His sister was just like his mom, same power, same class, while Kellen, woke up one day to find out what it meant to be special in a family the world watched. But in the worst way.Awakening weaker then your powerful parents wasn’t unheard of, but when your younger sister awakened at the same class as your parent, anyone would feel inferior. And Kellen, never one to ask for hand outs, left the comfort and safety of his hometown to become better than the weak brat everyone thought he was.Kellen went to the front lines, to where the gates normally broke out. From there, Kellen worked hard, and then worked some more until no one could doubt that he was good at his job. He got so good that even with his lower class, people would still hire him to help. But Kellen never took it to heart. He had learned a valuable lesson on the front lines. Classification only meant shit if you walked back out of the gate. Otherwise, shut your mouth and listen to those with more experience. They determined who made it out alive or not.But Kellen was tired now. He had gotten everything out of his system, and the fast paced life on the front lines didn’t suit him anymore. Now, he wanted to go home, buy a house, maybe find a nice man to settle down with, and live a normal life.All the while, the yellow eyes he’d met on the front lines haunted him, no matter how much he tried to forget about them.Especially since the Esper they were attached to refused to let him go.

What if being the protagonist was actually the WORST possible choice?Li Hanfeng thought he'd gotten the short end of the reincarnation stick—transmigrated into a cultivation world with “only” Upper Grade spiritual roots. Sure, he joined the prestigious Shushan Sect, but compared to those Heavenly Grade chosen ones? He was clearly destined to be a background character.Then his golden finger awakened.The Karma Detection System.Suddenly, Li Hanfeng could see the true cost of every “opportunity” before him. That mysterious cave everyone's excited about?[Great Karma: Ancient Tomb][Death Rate: 97%].The beautiful junior sister asking him on a “simple” mission?[Path of Destiny][Triggers: Sect Destruction, Heavenly Tribulation, Outer Domain Demons].Wait... being the protagonist means a 90% chance of horrible death?!NOPE.While other disciples fight over “destiny” and “fortune,” Li Hanfeng discovers something incredible: his system doesn't just detect karma—it “rewards him for avoiding it”. Refuse a death flag mission? Get premium cultivation pills! Skip the mysterious inheritance? Unlock rare techniques! Dodge the protagonist route entirely?His cultivation speed actually INCREASES.“Junior Sister, I'm busy that day.”“Senior Brother, that treasure isn't for me.”“Sorry everyone, I'll pass on saving the world.”[Karma Severed Successfully! Reward: Immortal-Grade Technique]But there's a problem: the more protagonist flags he dodges, the stronger he becomes. And the stronger he becomes, the more the world tries to drag him into main character scenarios.Ancient masters want him as a disciple. Mysterious beauties keep appearing. Evil sects mark him as a threat. Even his own karma system seems shocked by how overpowered his “background character” route is becoming.Li Hanfeng just wanted to cultivate peacefully and avoid death flags.Instead, he accidentally became the most terrifying existence in the cultivation world.The kind of person who's so strong that destiny itself has given up trying to make him the protagonist.