MY HIDDEN TALENT IS FORBIDDEN BY THE HEAVENS-Chapter 92: ANOTHER ONE

Chapter 92 — WHEN STILLNESS BREAKS

THE COUNTER HITS ZERO.

For the first time since the countdown vanished—

Nothing happened.

No explosion.No opening strike.No reckless charge.

The battlefield remained quiet.

Twenty figures stood scattered across the vast, multi-terrain arena, each occupying a different slice of space. Some stood atop broken stone platforms. Others lingered near forest projections or shallow water zones. A few chose higher ground, while others melted into shadowed ruins.

Not a single one moved forward.

The crowd was confused.

Murmurs rippled through the stands.

"Why isn’t anyone attacking?"

"Is this some kind of trick?"

"Come on, fight already!"

But the fighters knew better.

This was a battle royale, not a duel.

The first to move would become the first target.

And so, instinctively, everyone spread out.

Even those from the same academy.

Azure Dragon’s members were no exception.

Ling Yifan stood alone on an elevated stone ridge, spear grounded lightly, eyes sweeping the terrain with cold focus.

Ouyang Xue’er occupied a frost-shadowed basin, aura suppressed, body relaxed but ready.

Chen Wulian—

Chen Wulian was standing alone in an open section of shattered stone, arms crossed, chin lifted, looking far too relaxed for someone who had just been declared fair game to nineteen other monsters.

Long Hao stood farther away, near the edge of a mist-covered forest projection, hands in his pockets, posture loose, eyes unreadable.

Even Dragon Turtle Academy’s participants had separated.

Xing Yanlong planted himself near a collapsed pillar, abyssal pressure anchoring him like a living fortress.

Fang Zhao prowled restlessly along the edge of a water basin, tiger aura rippling faintly.

Yue Hanran stood calmly near the center, water-like spiritual energy flowing around him in slow, controlled waves, eyes half-lidded as if already bored.

Everyone had dispersed.

Everyone—

Except one academy.

On the far side of the battlefield, five figures stood together.

Silvermoon Arrow Academy.

The crowd’s attention shifted.

They hadn’t moved at all.

At the front of the formation stood a tall young man with ash-silver hair tied loosely behind him. His posture was relaxed, one foot slightly forward, hands resting calmly at his sides. He wore no heavy armor, only a fitted combat coat etched with subtle leaf-like patterns.

Behind him, four figures had taken positions in a wide, elongated formation—

Two to the left.Two to the right.

All slightly back.

From above, it looked unmistakable.

An arrow.

And he was the tip.

The announcer’s voice lowered, intrigued."Silvermoon Arrow Academy... has chosen to remain grouped."

Whispers surged.

"That’s suicide."

"They’re asking to be targeted."

"Unless..."

Someone in the crowd leaned forward.

"Unless that guy is insane."

His name had not been announced earlier.

And yet—

As the cameras zoomed in, the silver-haired youth lifted his head slightly, eyes calm, lips curved in the faintest smile.

A name flickered briefly across the private displays of instructors and guild observers.

LUO QINGHE

Unknown talent.No public combat records.No academy ranking.

But the air around him felt... wrong.

—

Far behind the battlefield, in the reserved squad observation zone for eliminated and non-participating members, Azure Dragon’s team watched intently.

Jin Ruolan was practically vibrating.

"This is SO COOL," she whispered fiercely. "A real battle royale! No rules! Everyone’s spread out! I wish I was in there!"

Zhao glanced sideways. "You say that now."

Jin grinned. "I’d say it later too."

Qin Shuo didn’t respond.

He was already working.

His gaze flicked across the battlefield, fingers moving subtly as if tracing invisible lines in the air.

"Based on current spacing," he muttered, "probability of early multi-party engagement is low. Everyone’s waiting for a trigger."

Zhao Ming leaned closer. "Who’s most likely to lose first?"

Qin adjusted his glasses. "Statistically?"

"Yes."

He didn’t even hesitate.

"Chen."

Zhao winced. "Wow."

"It’s not an insult," Qin added calmly. "He’s exposed, loud, and psychologically relaxed. That makes him—"

He paused.

"...a magnet."

Before Zhao could respond, a sudden tap landed on Qin Shuo’s shoulder.

He blinked and turned.

"What—"

Wang Xie was pointing furiously to the right.

"Look," he whispered urgently. "Over there."

Qin followed his finger.

And froze.

To the right of the observation zone, occupying an entire section of the stands, was a cheering squad.

Not just a few people.

Twenty-five girls.

All dressed in coordinated colors.

All holding banners.

A massive silk strip unfurled across the front row, glittering under formation lights.

HAN DUWEI

They were chanting in perfect rhythm.

"HAN DUWEI!"

"HAN DUWEI!"

"HAN DUWEI!"

Qin stared.

"...Why," he asked slowly, "does Han Duwei have a cheer squad."

Zhao blinked. "Isn’t he... not even fighting?"

Qin nodded numbly. "Correct. Our final squad was announce 1 day prior too."

Han Duwei smirked.

Chen, still on the battlefield, happened to glance back toward the stands at that exact moment.

He squinted.

"...Wait," he muttered. "Is that a cheer squad?"

He turned fully, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"HEY! IS HE EVEN IN THIS MATCH?!"

The chanting faltered for half a second.

Then resumed even louder.

"HAN DUWEI!"

"HAN DUWEI!"

Chen stared, offended. "For a second I thought I was losing my mind."

That second—

Was all it took.

The ground behind Chen collapsed.

A massive shadow surged upward.

"CHEN—!" someone shouted from the stands.

Xing Yanlong erupted from the stone like a living siege weapon.

Abyssal pressure slammed outward as his shoulder crashed straight into Chen’s back.

The impact was catastrophic.

Stone shattered.Air detonated.

Chen was sent flying, skidding across the arena floor in a violent arc, barely managing to roll before smashing into a fractured pillar.

The crowd exploded.

"FIRST STRIKE!"

"DRAGON TURTLE MOVED!"

"XING YANLONG!"

Chen coughed, pushing himself up, blood at the corner of his mouth.

"...Okay," he growled, grin turning feral. "That’s on me."

Xing Yanlong didn’t respond.

He advanced.

Each step felt like the ground itself was being pressed down.

Chen met him head-on.

Fists collided with reinforced flesh.

A shockwave rippled outward.

Other fighters immediately tensed.

Fang Zhao’s grin widened. Yue Hanran’s eyes sharpened. Rong Yueran shifted her stance.

Several competitors prepared to converge.

Too early.

The silver-haired youth at the tip of Silvermoon Arrow’s formation finally moved.

Luo Qinghe raised one hand.

Slowly.

The ground answered.

Vines erupted.

Not thin tendrils—but thick, ancient-looking roots burst from the earth, glowing faintly with emerald light. They surged upward and outward, weaving instantly into a massive, interlocking lattice that spread across a huge portion of the battlefield.

Stone cracked as roots forced their way through.

Platforms were wrapped.Corridors sealed.Movement restricted.

Several fighters found their paths cut off mid-step, forced to halt as living barriers surged up in front of them.

"What the—?!" someone shouted.

"A DOMAIN?!" another cried.

The air changed.

Pressure bloomed.

Not oppressive.

Absolute.

Luo Qinghe exhaled softly.

DOMAIN — KINGRIG SOVEREIGN’S EMBRACE

The instructors’ chamber erupted.

"A divine domain?!"

"That wasn’t disclosed!"

"Silvermoon hid a divine rank?!"

On the battlefield, fighters froze—not by force, but by instinct.

This was not an attack.

It was a claim.

Luo Qinghe’s calm voice echoed gently across the battlefield.

"Relax," he said. "I’m not here to eliminate anyone yet."

His brown-green eyes lifted, gaze sweeping the arena.

"I just don’t like interruptions."

The vines tightened slightly.

Holding everyone exactly where they stood.

And for the first time since the battle began—

The entire arena realized.

The game had truly started.

[Chapter ENDS]