Translator: CinderTL
Within the Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm, Jiang Ye felt a blinding surge of light before his vision spun wildly. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a vast, desolate wilderness.
"The Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm?" Jiang Ye gazed at the barren landscape before him. To his surprise, the realm was far larger than he had anticipated, stretching endlessly in every direction.
In the distant horizon, ten towering mountain peaks pierced the clouds. Though colossal in scale, they appeared diminutive from this distance.
Judging by the visual perspective, they were at least a thousand kilometers away.
Whoosh!
Whoosh! Many others were being teleported nearby.
The moment they landed, they transformed into streaks of lightning, hurtling toward the ten distant peaks over a thousand kilometers away.
Everyone tacitly agreed not to engage in combat.
Clearly, they all understood that the greatest opportunity within the Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm lay within those central ten peaks.
Their primary objective: rush toward the mountains!
"Charge!" Jiang Ye didn't hesitate. His figure instantly transformed into a phantom, hurtling forward at breakneck speed.
Speed?
He feared no one in that regard.
Swiftwind Step! Speed Control!
"Speed adjustment: 500%!" Jiang Ye thought to himself.
The next moment—
Boom! His body shot forward like a cannonball, tearing through the air at terrifying velocity, leaving a deafening sonic boom in its wake.
"Hmm?"
"Jiang Ye, your speed?" Bai Gui's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with surprise.
Jiang Ye didn't reply, knowing exactly why Bai Gui was astonished.
Currently,
Jiang Ye's base speed already exceeded one hundred meters per second.
A fivefold increase?
Over five hundred meters per second!
Far surpassing the speed of sound.
Boom! Jiang Ye continued to accelerate, unleashing thunderous sonic booms with each stride.
Within seconds,
He had overtaken the group ahead of him.
"What?!"
"That's supersonic, isn't it?!"
"Is it an innate ability?" The competitors trailing behind Jiang Ye stared in disbelief at his receding figure.
With the power of a second breakthrough martial artist, achieving supersonic speed while wearing Cosmic Battle Armor was no difficult feat.
But surpassing the speed of sound without armor? That was a different story.
Unless one had mastered a Profound-Rank High-Grade footwork technique to Perfection, or possessed a speed-enhancing innate ability, it would be nearly impossible.
"Domains, activate!"
"Don't let him escape!"
The remaining competitors unleashed their Innate Domains in unison.
In the next instant:
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Invisible Domains surged toward Jiang Ye, enveloping him in an instant.
A Gravity Domain amplified the gravitational force severalfold, while a Magnetic Field Domain erupted with terrifying magnetic energy, disrupting Jiang Ye's senses and judgment.
For someone of Jiang Ye's caliber, countering these intangible Domains posed little challenge.
But then, a tangible Domain erupted with a deafening roar.
Buzz!
A terrifying wave of energy washed over Jiang Ye, and in the blink of an eye, he found himself trapped in a quagmire, his limbs sinking into the viscous mud.
"A Substantial Domain?" Jiang Ye realized instantly.
While less terrifying than a transcendent domain, this type of domain was exceedingly troublesome.
Without a corresponding Innate Domain or overwhelming strength, dealing with such a Domain proved exceedingly troublesome.
Just as it was now.
Jiang Ye found himself enveloped in an endless quagmire, his limbs and entire body growing numb.
"Eliminated," a blonde youth declared, approaching from behind, completely unaffected by the mire. He thrust his spear toward Jiang Ye.
Clearly, he was the master of this Substantial Domain.
"From Penglai University?" A flicker of excitement flashed in the blonde youth's eyes. "I'll be the first Donghai University student to defeat someone from Penglai University!"
Boom! His spear moved like lightning, instantly conjuring dozens of phantom strikes that enveloped Jiang Ye.
Under the influence of the Quagmire Domain, Jiang Ye had no chance to retaliate.
Clang!
The moment the blonde youth's spear pierced toward Jiang Ye, Jiang Ye's own spear struck out.
Their weapons clashed instantly.
Clang! Clang! Clang! A series of explosive sounds erupted as Jiang Ye unleashed over a hundred strikes in a split second. His spear's light blazed like a sea of sunlight, completely engulfing his opponent's assault.
[Pinnacle of the Spear Dao: When facing martial artists with spearmanship cultivation below your own, spearmanship damage is increased by 50%. Against martial artists who do not cultivate the Spear Dao, damage is further increased by 25%.]
Pfft! Pfft!
In an instant, over a dozen bloody holes appeared on the blonde youth's body, blood gushing forth.
"What?" The blonde youth's eyes widened in shock.
Having unleashed his Quagmire Domain and launched a preemptive strike, he should have easily suppressed his opponent. Yet his attacks were completely nullified by Jiang Ye.
The brief clash revealed the insurmountable gap between their strengths—a chasm as vast as the heavens.
"Escape!"
The blonde youth withdrew his spear, desperate to create distance. He knew he was no match for Jiang Ye.
But...
"Hmph."
"Trying to escape?" Jiang Ye's gaze turned icy. His spear flashed like lightning, erupting in a thunderous thrust.
A brilliant spear beam, like a bolt of lightning, shot forth with a sonic boom, tearing through the air toward the blonde youth with unstoppable force.
Like a comet piercing the sun.
Pfft!
The spear exploded with power, piercing through the blonde youth's chest.
Yet in that instant, Jiang Ye felt immense resistance, preventing the spear from fully penetrating.
Whoosh! The blonde youth vanished instantly.
Huang Liang has been eliminated!
A notification flashed before Jiang Ye's eyes.
Simultaneously, the quagmire that had been binding Jiang Ye dissipated.
"He was teleported out directly?" Jiang Ye murmured, slightly surprised as he read the notification.
If his spear thrust had fully connected, the youth would have been either dead or grievously wounded.
But at the last moment, a mysterious force intervened, preventing the spear from piercing through, and the blonde youth disappeared.
"As expected, the Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm has protective measures in place," Jiang Ye nodded inwardly.
This was a good thing.
After all, the participants in the Genius Cup were all prodigies. Losing them to infighting would be a significant loss.
With these safeguards in place, the casualty rate would be drastically reduced.
Meanwhile, elsewhere:
"That guy!"
"He broke free from Huang Liang's Substantial Domain so quickly?"
"A one-hit kill? His strength is terrifying!" The other participants who had activated their Innate Domains earlier exchanged shocked glances.
These competitors were all top-ten geniuses from their respective schools, each carrying their own pride.
In their eyes, even if they were weaker than the geniuses from top universities like Penglai University and Donghai University, the gap couldn't be too wide.
But now?!
Jiang Ye's displayed strength far exceeded their expectations.
Simultaneously, Jiang Ye's gaze swept toward the distant group.
"Since you've made your move, you'll all stay here," he said, his eyes icy.
Now that he knew the area had protective measures, he no longer needed to hold back.
Kill them all!
Whoosh! Jiang Ye moved like lightning.
His spear rose!
Boom! A dense barrage of spear shadows, like a blazing Great Sun, crashed down upon the group with terrifying force.
"Damn it!"
"Dodge!"
"Spare me!" The contestants paled in terror, scattering in all directions.
But how could their speed possibly match Jiang Ye's?
Whoosh!
Moving faster than lightning, Jiang Ye caught up to one of them in mere seconds.
Swoosh! His spear, like the morning sun, slashed across the sky—direct, forceful, and mercilessly slamming into the contestant.
Clang! Clang! Clang! A series of rapid, metallic clashes echoed.
Pfft!
The spear pierced the contestant's chest, sending blood splattering.
Whoosh! The contestant's figure vanished.
Wang Bei, eliminated!
"Next," Jiang Ye said coldly. He had always lived by the principle of "I won't attack unless provoked." Since you dared to provoke me first, don't blame me for being ruthless.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Rumble! Rumble!
The ensuing battle was a one-sided massacre.
Jiang Ye alone surrounded the five opponents.
In less than thirty seconds, he had eliminated them all.
"These guys aren't even half as strong as Liu Wanxiao," Jiang Ye muttered, shaking his head. "They must be from the lower-ranked schools in the Twenty-Five Schools. How dare they attack me?"
What a waste of time.
If not for this interruption, he would have already covered dozens of kilometers.
"Charge!" Jiang Ye's figure blurred as he resumed his mad dash toward the ten central mountain peaks, still over a thousand kilometers away.
In the bird's nest-shaped arena, over a hundred thousand spectators watched intently as the projection screen in the center of the plaza displayed the action.
Although there were five hundred contestants, most were teleported into groups of a few individuals.
As a result, the projected screens displayed only a hundred or so different perspectives.
Elder Bai, the purple-robed elder Mo Zixuan, and other teachers from the Twenty-Five School Alliance each focused on different students.
But at that moment, Bai Qiudao, Mo Zixuan, and the others simultaneously turned their attention to the screen showing Jiang Ye.
When they saw the explosive speed Jiang Ye unleashed at the start of the competition, they exclaimed:
"That speed?"
"Supersonic?" Mo Zixuan asked in astonishment. "Elder Bai, is your student's innate ability related to speed?"
Elder Bai smiled faintly. "Jiang Ye does indeed excel in speed."
He had known this since Jiang Ye's Entrance Trials at Penglai University.
During Penglai's Heaven-Piercing Refinement, Jiang Ye's speed had already astonished many teachers.
So, he wasn't particularly surprised now.
Hearing this, a flicker of amusement flashed in Mo Zixuan's eyes.
"Excels in speed? So, this kid's innate ability isn't combat-oriented," Mo Zixuan mused to himself. "In that case, Wang Bo from Donghai University might actually have a chance to defeat him."
The vast majority of Dao Bone Aptitudes possess only one type of innate ability.
Of course, A-grade and higher aptitudes are exceptions.
A-grade Dao Bone Aptitudes typically grant two or more abilities, and when combined with a Substantial Domain, they become terrifyingly powerful.
The most exceptional geniuses with Dao Bone Aptitudes even possess divine abilities comparable to a transcendent domain.
However, such prodigies would naturally never participate in the Twenty-Five School Genius Cup.
Since Jiang Ye's innate talent lies in speed, he would likely be at a disadvantage in combat.
Just as Mo Zixuan was thinking this, the projected screen showed Jiang Ye encountering Huang Liang and his group.
"Let's see how he performs in battle," Mo Zixuan said, watching the screen intently.
A mere half-minute later...
Whoosh!
A blonde youth was teleported out of the arena onto the plaza.
It was Huang Liang from Donghai University!
His body was riddled with over a dozen bloody holes, but Huang Liang paid them no mind.
He scanned his surroundings, his expression instantly turning grim.
"I'm the first one eliminated?!" Huang Liang exclaimed in shock.
Fortunately, just a dozen seconds later...
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The other participants who had ganged up on Jiang Ye were also teleported back one after another.
"That guy... he eliminated them all so quickly?" Huang Liang watched the scene, his regret deepening.
I should have slapped myself! If I'd known Jiang Ye was this strong, why did I even provoke him?!
"Huang Liang got utterly destroyed?"
"And the others? Jiang Ye took them all down in under half a minute?"
"Is this Jiang Ye's true power?" Mo Zixuan's face was equally shaken.
Huang Liang ranked eighth among Donghai University's ten participants.
While not a top-tier competitor, his unique Quagmire Domain was exceptionally formidable.
According to Mo Zixuan's predictions, Huang Liang should have been able to hold his own for at least a few rounds, even against the strongest contenders in this year's Genius Cup.
But now? Was Jiang Ye truly this powerful?
Just as Mo Zixuan was reeling from this revelation, Elder Bai suddenly muttered to himself, "Is that kid holding back? It took him ten seconds to finish off his opponent—that's not right."
"..."
Mo Zixuan's lips twitched. He couldn't help but retort, "Enough, Elder Bai! You don't need to show off like that in front of me!"
"That's not quite right!" Elder Bai shook his head. "In my estimation, Jiang Ye's combat prowess far exceeds this."
Regarding Jiang Ye's combat strength:
Elder Bai had been observing Jiang Ye's progress through the second level of the Penglai Heavenly Tower during his earlier trials.
What he didn't know was that Jiang Ye had triggered multiple buff enhancements at the time.
This time, however, Jiang Ye was demonstrating his true, unenhanced combat capabilities.
Just as Elder Bai was puzzling over this, one of the hundreds of projected camera angles suddenly zoomed in, occupying a quarter of the screen.
The projection clearly showed Jiang Ye in action.
"Currently in first place is Jiang Ye from Penglai University!" Chu Jingye announced loudly from above the plaza. "He has already surpassed all other competitors."
A wave of uproar erupted from the audience.
"Penglai University is awesome!"
"Jiang Ye is awesome!" A group of students wearing Penglai University emblems shouted from a corner of the stands.
They were all students from Penglai University, mostly D-tier and C-grade students.
Class A and B students typically have extremely tight training schedules and rarely attend such events, at most checking the results later.
In contrast, students ranked lower tend to have more free time.
"Jiang Ye? How is he moving so fast?"
"The race has only been going for a few minutes, and he's already covered over fifty kilometers?"
"Lin Qingxue, in second place, is only at twenty kilometers—less than half the distance!"
"Go Jiang Ye! Go Penglai University!"
"Go! Go!" Many Penglai University students cheered enthusiastically.
If Penglai University could secure first place, they would share in the glory!
"The race has just started. No need to panic."
"The entire course is a thousand kilometers long. The real competition begins after they reach the ten highest mountain peaks."
"Jiang Ye is sprinting all-out from the start. He'll burn out later, won't he?"
"The Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm isn't just populated by contestants. They've also released powerful Shadow Clan creatures. Sprinting now will be trouble when they encounter them."
"Don't worry. Our Donghai University's Wang Bo is the strongest." The Donghai University students remained calm and unhurried.
(End of the Chapter)
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