With his vision completely removed from the board, Tristan was forced to use his hearing to proceed.

Tristan didn't have to wait for long as a sound from some kind of trumpet resounded through the air several seconds later.

Wooooottt!!!

The first sign had been launched, but he still didn't move. The rules stated that the trumpet had to be blown three times before all participants could dash to the first course.

Wooooottt!!!

The second trumpet had been blown, and the audience could see the participants tensed their bodies in the efforts of getting the head start.

On Tristan's side, he was able to feel the presence of all 25 participants with the combination of Katra and his enhanced hearing.

As if he could see them with his two eyes, Tristan knew their muscles were tense and their hearts beating wildly - all participants, except three people who appeared to be very calm. Their breathing was orderly and Tristan couldn't sense a hint of worry in them.

Before the third trumpet sound was heard, Tristan once again used his Katra to scan his surroundings. The movement of the grass, the swaying of the leaves, and the direction of the wind. For a moment, he was submerged in the wonderful sensation.

If it wasn't for his success in reaching the second stage, Tristan would not be able to feel this.

Wooooottt!!!

The third and last trumpet was sent out, and the participants immediately dashed forward heading to the first course.

The first course was the steep 3 mile hill with hundreds of trees along the way, hindering and delaying the participants on their journey.

Tristan was sure he could traverse that three mile in less than three minutes, if it was a clear hill with no obstacles. Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly the case.

The blindfold and the obstacles would certainly make the task quite a hurdle to finish in ten minutes. Not only to Tristan, but also other participants.

Hence the reason why Katra was the focal point in the Gauntlet, and just like what the audience expected, the three number 1 disciples were able to run ahead from the others, separating from the pack as they shot through the course.

Currently, Tristan's mind was filled with a series of shouting and sounds of footsteps. It was very difficult to perceive the obstacles using Katra, especially in the high-speed situation and condition they were in right now.

Fortunately, Tristan already prepared an easy solution to allow him to pass through this first course with a breeze. Hence without further ado, he started running while trying his best to hide the wicked smile on his face.

----

The hand-to-hand best disciple, Sindur, was one of the front runners. He managed to come out ahead of the other participants, with Elyon running alongside him and Alanis, the only one he thought could beat him in this course, running slightly ahead.

The passion within him burned fiercely because it had been his dream to marry the princess aka Serene. He thought that it would be only a pipe dream of his when the queen presented the best opportunity for him to realize it. Therefore, he would not let anyone prevent him from doing exactly that.

At first, he was worried about that damned outsider elf, but he was surprised when he saw that the elf was still unmoving even when the race had begun.

"Beginners!" Sindur thought to himself while inwardly scoffing at Tristan.

When he fought against the elf the last time, he discovered that the elf had no Katra at all. Hence, he was sure that the reason the elf was petrified there was probably because the latter was not sure on which way to go. After all, a loss of vision wasn't a small matter.

The thought gave him a good chuckle as Sindur kept his dash through the hill, dodging all the obstacles in the way and trying to chase that female elf.

He was so focused on Alanis that he didn't realize that a figure was chasing after him at breakneck speed. When he realized about it, he was shocked because that figure was moving too fast!

"That stupid elf! How did he come right behind me?!"

Confusion filled Sindur's mind as he tried to think of the reason. But then, he shook his head and decided to not pay any attention to Tristan again.

"Never mind him! he's bound to crash if he keeps going at that speed!"

Even though Sindur thought like that, he still secretly kept his attention on Tristan. As a result, he was given the surprise of his life.

Tristan managed to dodge all the trees smoothly and still kept his mind boggling speed. He was so fast that he quickly reached the position right behind Sindur.

"How could this be possible?!!"

Seeing the nearing Tristan, Sindur immediately sped up while also kept dodging the obstacles. Even so, Tristan was still able to follow him despite that, which was confusing to him.

Dozens of meters later, Sindur finally realized that not only was the elf able to dodge the obstacles perfectly, the latter even took the exact same path as him. Thus, it hit him.

"He's following my track!!"

If Tristan could read Sindur's current thoughts, he would definitely nod his head, beam a shit-eating grin, and give two thumbs up to the latter. That's right, this was exactly what Tristan's first plan was.

Instead of trying so hard to sense the trees, it would be easier for his second stage Katra to focus on one person and trailing behind it.

This was the reason Tristan didn't immediately move when the Gauntlet began. He waited for a while and after he chose his target, that prick Sindur, he quickly used his unmatched 200 battle power to stay in the latter's shadow. This was the easiest way for him to pass the first course, and he did exactly that. Tristan didn't even hesitate when he thought about this.

As a result, he managed to come out from the sea of trees in less than five minutes.

"The hell?! You are following me!!?"

Facing the accusation, Tristan shamelessly- calmly replied, "No, no, no. That's ridiculous! Why would I do that?"

Seeing the expression on Tristan's face, Sindur knew he was right.

He could only grit his teeth and slowed his run, "Fine! If that's the case, go ahead first!"

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, Tristan slowed his run as well.

"No, you can go. I need to catch my breath a little!"

"Dammit! You shameless bastard!"

Knowing Tristan's strategy, as soon as Elyon and Alanis passed through the first course, Sindur shouted, "Alanis, Elyon! Let us go as planned!"