Chapter 48: Radar
In the evening, Xiaopang found Su Hao.
And the moment Xiaopang approached, Su Hao instantly understood what the rune "Perception" was all about.
On the basis of being devoid of vision and hearing, he seemed to have gained an additional sense of perception.
He was situated at the center of this perception space, continuously emitting an unknown ripple outward. When Xiaopang approached, it was like the ripple encountering an obstacle, immediately alerting Su Hao, who was at the center, that something was approaching.
Isn't this just like radar?
Xiaopang appeared before Su Hao, his face filled with excitement and anxiety as he asked, "Xiangwu, tomorrow is the annual competition. I've been assigned to Group Seven. Which group are you in?"
Su Hao shifted his gaze away from Xiaopang, closed his eyes, and could still accurately perceive Xiaopang's position. It was as if he had an infrared imaging device. When he opened his eyes and looked at Xiaopang, his vision and perception seamlessly overlapped without a trace of unnaturalness.
While conducting an experiment, Su Hao casually replied, "Ah, this... I don't really understand."
Xiaopang exclaimed, "What? You don't care about this? I heard that the first place in the annual competition will receive a powerful footwork technique called 'Song Chicken Treading Steps.' With your strength, you're definitely capable of winning first place. It would be a shame to miss the competition without any interest!"
Su Hao nonchalantly said, "You already know I'll easily win first place. Whether I go or not doesn't matter much. I don't want to bully others and give them some hope, you know? It's not good to always think about gaining advantages for oneself."
Xiaopang pondered for a moment and nodded, "You make a valid point."
Then he became excited and said, "Xiangwu, my strength has reached the level of an Intermediate Martial Artist. Our class teacher said I'm also a genius! I'll be the first one to compete tomorrow morning, and I'll definitely perform well and strive for a good rank. Xiangwu, you must come and watch my performance."
Su Hao nodded, "No problem. But what about Qingqing? Which group is she in?"
"Huh?"
Su Hao suddenly sensed someone approaching rapidly, seemingly running all the way. The intensity of the fluctuation in his perception was stronger than Xiaopang's.
Su Hao turned his head and saw He Qingqing.
"Xiangwu!" After He Qingqing approached and saw Xiaopang as well, her previously nervous mood seemed to relax a lot. She revealed a radiant smile and said, "Xiangwu, Xiaopang, you're both here!"
Xiaopang immediately said, "Qingqing, we were just talking about you. Which group were you assigned to?"
He Qingqing replied, "For tomorrow's preliminary competition, all the girls are divided into the last three groups. I'm in Group 11. What about you guys?"
Xiaopang said, "I'm in Group Seven. Xiangwu said he won't participate in the competition, which is a pity. If Xiangwu wins first place, I want him to show me the 'Song Chicken Treading Steps' technique."
Su Hao chuckled, "If I participate, to be frank, the annual competition will lose most of its fun and become my own stage."
He Qingqing looked at Su Hao with anticipation and asked, "Xiangwu, will you come to watch my match tomorrow?"
Su Hao simply nodded, "Of course!"
Since the incident of him single-handedly challenging all the third-grade students, He Qingqing had become a different person in front of Su Hao—more cheerful and open.
Su Hao thought that He Qingqing still harbored a grudge from their childhood and wasn't very close to him. But now, she suddenly transformed and seemed to revert back to their childhood days.
Upon hearing Su Hao's response, He Qingqing immediately became overjoyed.
Xiaopang quickly added, "Qingqing, I will definitely come to watch your match too."
He Qingqing nodded and smiled at Xiaopang, "Thank you, Xiaopang!"
Su Hao said, "Since we have time now, do you need me to help you with some training?"
Unexpectedly, He Qingqing immediately refused, "No, I want to rely on myself. I can do it for sure!"
Xiaopang hesitated for a moment, wanting to ask for Su Hao's help, but seeing He Qingqing's determined look, he also shook his head and said, "I'll train on my own. I can do it too! I've been working hard this past year."
"Well, I wish you both the best in tomorrow's competition," Su Hao nodded.
The youngsters were eager to prove their abilities, which Su Hao could understand. However, if it were his choice, he would never refuse help from others.
Others' assistance could accelerate the pace of progress, so why not take advantage of it? The time saved could be used for more interesting and meaningful pursuits in the future.
He would never miss the opportunity to learn new knowledge just because of some inexplicable desire to be self-reliant. He believed that as long as he approached the teachers and the knowledge itself with enough respect, he should learn everything he could.
After Xiaopang and He Qingqing left, Su Hao resumed his study of the Blood Qi Network.
Although the amount of blood qi he had was still less than half of his body's capacity, it was already considered an enormous quantity compared to before.
If he were to release this vast amount of blood qi in an instant, he couldn't even imagine the power it would unleash.
"The newly acquired perception ability can only sense blood qi. It can't perceive lifeless objects without blood qi."
"Once Xiaopang and Qingqing are more than 100 meters away, I can no longer perceive them. According to this calculation, my range of perception is approximately 100 meters, but it's not entirely accurate."
"There are subtle differences in the perception range between Xiaopang and Qingqing. Qingqing's blood qi is stronger than Xiaopang's, and I can sense Qingqing from a greater distance than Xiaopang. Therefore, it can be assumed that my perception range fluctuates with the amount of blood qi. The stronger the blood qi, the larger the range I can perceive."
"Moreover, I noticed that each person's blood qi gives a different feeling. Xiaopang's blood qi feels bloated and loose, lacking explosive power. Qingqing's blood qi feels sharp and restless, with an active characteristic. In other words..."
"Moving map!"
Yes, Su Hao thought of the online games he had played before, such as League of Legends and King of Glory. They all had a small map in the upper-left corner that allowed you to observe the movements of teammates or enemies at any time.
His rune "Perception," combined with the system "Xiaoguang," could easily achieve the effect of having a personal map.
Su Hao quickly entered the Ball Space and started writing the corresponding map program.
First, he created a character database and a creature database, automatically classifying all the people he had encountered and other living beings with blood qi into their respective databases.
Then, he found the block in the Ball Space that recorded
perception and created a separate program named "Radar," coordinating his perception with the radar in real-time.
He also added notes, giving different blood qi levels corresponding names according to the classification of martial artists in this world. Initial Stage - Ordinary, Intermediate Stage - Ordinary, Advanced Stage - Ordinary, No Threat - Gray font; Initial Stage - Elite, Intermediate Stage - Elite, Advanced Stage - Elite, White font, no threat; Initial Stage - Master, Intermediate Stage - Master, Advanced Stage - Master, Yellow font, some threat. More categories would be added later.
Finally, he synchronized the surrounding map in real-time. This part was a bit challenging, but Su Hao didn't have high requirements. He only needed to use some crude blocks and lines to outline the main obstacles.
Su Hao first entered Xiaopang and He Qingqing's data into the radar and started a trial run.
At this moment, the radar was empty.
Su Hao stood up and walked outside.
He wanted to take a walk and gather more information to fill the database.
Soon, Su Hao encountered the first person.
"Recorded, name: Student 00001, Initial Stage - Ordinary."
With Su Hao's command, in his perception, that person was no longer a red pattern. Instead, it became a circular face icon, reminiscent of the mini-map in games like League of Legends. The circular icon displayed the text "Student 00001" in gray font, and the icon moved in real-time with the movement of that student.
"It worked!"
Su Hao knew that this 100-meter range was not the limit. As he gradually adapted and replenished his blood qi, this range would continue to expand.
Su Hao was overjoyed and started wandering within the academy's range. Within a hundred meters, he collected data on anyone he encountered, enjoying himself.
When he squeezed into the crowd, the perception space was filled with numerous circular icons, but it wasn't chaotic. Instead, it was clear and hierarchical, allowing him to quickly find the corresponding person. Once he moved away, the space became empty again.
However, what Su Hao didn't know was that his peculiar behavior, wandering around the academy and exhibiting a series of strange actions, had caught the attention of all the students.
Thus, a peculiar piece of gossip quickly spread throughout the entire academy.
"Baozao Feiren Wu Xiangwu's behavior tonight is strange and abnormal. He is wandering around the academy in a disorderly manner, as if looking for targets to attack. Everyone, be cautious and keep your distance. Take care."
Translated by begs