Translator: CinderTL
Within the Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm, hundreds of participants sprinted from the map's edges toward the ten towering peaks at its center.
The journey spanned a thousand kilometers.
Even for these prodigious competitors, reaching their destination would take considerable time.
Second breakthrough experts possessed stamina far surpassing ordinary humans, but even they couldn't cover such a distance in a single breath.
Naturally, those with greater strength could maintain high speeds for longer periods.
As a result, just over ten minutes into the competition, the gaps between the hundreds of participants had already begun to widen.
In the northern region of the secret realm, Lin Qingxue, despite her name containing the character for "snow," wore a black dress.
As she raced forward, she glanced at the projection on her wristband, a flicker of surprise in her beautiful eyes.
"Jiang Ye? He's in first place already?" she murmured, astonished.
"It's only been ten minutes, and he's already covered nearly a hundred kilometers," she thought, her surprise growing.
"Could Jiang Ye's innate ability be related to speed?" she mused.
"If so, his combat prowess might be weaker," Lin Qingxue speculated.
She quickly shook her head, dismissing these thoughts.
Whoosh! Lin Qingxue's figure flashed like lightning as she surged forward relentlessly.
The race had only just begun, and a momentary lead meant nothing.
The true competition would begin when everyone reached the ten peaks in the Central Mountain Region!
Southern region of the secret realm.
Boom!
In a mountain valley, Li Qi, a purple-haired youth with an arrogant demeanor, stood blocking the path of over a dozen participants.
Though alone, his Martial Dao Aura blazed with a ferocity that dwarfed the combined might of the group.
His presence radiated the explosive fury of a volcanic eruption.
"You're surrounded," Li Qi declared coldly, his gaze sweeping over the dozen participants as if they were already corpses. "Surrender now."
"Friend, we have no quarrel with you," one of the participants shouted, recognizing Li Qi's overwhelming strength. "Why not join forces?"
The group of over a dozen was clearly a small alliance formed shortly after entering the secret realm. Now, they were trying to recruit Li Qi into their ranks.
But Li Qi paid them no heed.
"Kill!"
Wielding a purple war blade, Li Qi moved with lightning speed, unleashing a sonic boom with each strike.
The blade's light surged like a tidal wave, sweeping toward the dozen or so competitors.
Boom!
With a single strike, he effortlessly shattered one opponent's defenses, eliminating him with overwhelming force.
"Damn it!"
"Retreat! This guy's too strong!" The remaining competitors scattered in all directions.
"Think you can escape?" Li Qi sneered, his figure blurring into a phantom.
Boom!
Clang! Clang! Clang! His movements shifted like illusions. With each pass, he casually unleashed two strikes, unleashing a torrent of blade light like a thousand crashing waves.
Rumble! Rumble!
He slaughtered them as easily as butchering chickens.
In just over ten seconds, Li Qi had eliminated all the competitors.
"Too weak."
"Is this the level of the Genius Cup?" Li Qi's face twisted into a mocking sneer. "And they dare call themselves geniuses?"
"Well, true."
"The twenty-five school alliance is just second-rate. They can't compare to the top ten schools," Li Qi muttered, shaking his head slightly.
Beep! He activated the holographic projection on his wristband, checking the global participant coordinates.
"Oh?"
"Jiang Ye? He's already covered over two hundred kilometers?" Li Qi chuckled. "That guy's got some speed, but I wonder about his combat prowess."
"I hope he doesn't disappoint me."
A glint flashed in Li Qi's eyes as he closed the projection and surged forward once more.
Time flowed relentlessly.
Within the secret realm, hundreds of participants continued their relentless sprint.
Forty minutes had already passed in the blink of an eye.
In the Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm, the vast majority of competitors had already covered over a hundred kilometers.
Even Wang Bo from Donghai University, who wasn't particularly skilled in speed, had managed to sprint nearly one hundred and fifty kilometers.
"Li Qi, Lin Qingxue, and the others must have already covered two or three hundred kilometers," Wang Bo thought to himself. "I'm quite far behind them. But combat is my forte, so there's no need to rush for now."
With that thought, he activated the projection on his wristband to check the overall standings.
"What?!"
"Jiang Ye?"
"Almost eight hundred kilometers already?!" Wang Bo exclaimed in disbelief. "How is that even possible?"
In the past twenty minutes, aside from a brief check of the global coordinates five minutes after the start, he hadn't paid any attention to the competition.
Even when Wang Bo first saw Jiang Ye pull ahead, he hadn't paid much attention. After all, a slight lead at the start meant nothing.
But now, just forty minutes later, Jiang Ye was already nearing the finish line?!
"This guy... doesn't he ever rest?" Wang Bo exclaimed in shock. "Is he maintaining his maximum speed the entire time? Doesn't he get tired?"
Even a strong cultivator like Wang Bo would need a short break after running over a hundred kilometers. After all, this was true footwork—every step taken with his own legs.
Second breakthrough experts were still human and felt fatigue!
But Jiang Ye? Was he some kind of perpetual motion machine?
Whoosh!
In a region of the secret realm's eastern sector, Jiang Ye's figure flashed like lightning, sprinting forward at over five hundred meters per second.
He had maintained this speed for a full half-hour.
Tired?
He felt nothing.
Jiang Ye spent every night on the first and second levels of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder, honing his Martial Dao Will to a level far surpassing others at his cultivation stage.
Endurance? Jiang Ye had always excelled at it.
"Just over two hundred kilometers left," Jiang Ye thought, his pace unwavering.
Not a single drop in speed!
"Jiang Ye's almost at the finish line!"
"The others have barely covered a hundred kilometers, and he's already nearing the finish line?"
"He's not even pretending anymore!" A wave of uproar swept through the stands.
The current situation was unprecedented in the history of the Genius Cup.
While the quality of students varied across the twenty-five school alliance, the top-tier students were all exceptionally talented.
After all, these students represented the full resources and cultivation efforts of their respective schools. Even the least impressive among them were still remarkably skilled.
Logically, even if there were differences in ability, they shouldn't be this extreme.
"Jiang Ye."
"His stamina is incredible. He's maintained this high speed for over forty minutes without slowing down even slightly."
"Something's not right. Even with an innate ability, how could he sustain it for so long?"
Teachers from various schools exchanged puzzled glances.
"Elder Bai."
"What's going on with your student?" Mo Zixuan couldn't help but ask. "Can his innate ability really last this long?"
Elder Bai smiled enigmatically, offering no explanation.
While others remained clueless, he knew the truth.
Jiang Ye didn't possess the Dao Bone Aptitude or any innate ability whatsoever.
As for why he was so fast? Geniuses always have their unique traits. Is it really so strange for one to be exceptionally fast?
More than Jiang Ye's speed, Elder Bai was more intrigued by the fluctuating combat power he displayed—sometimes soaring high, sometimes plummeting low.
"Perhaps... this is what it means to be a genius," Elder Bai mused.
Mo Zixuan didn't press further, his gaze fixed on the projection. "Jiang Ye's combat prowess still falls short compared to Li Qi and Lin Qingxue."
"But reaching the finish line so quickly will likely earn him significant rewards."
The ten mountain peaks at the heart of the secret realm concealed substantial opportunities.
"It won't be that easy," a teacher nearby remarked. "After the 900-kilometer mark, numerous powerful Shadow Clan will emerge. Jiang Ye must overcome this obstacle to reach the central region."
The Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm wasn't solely populated by competitors.
The tournament organizers had released vast numbers of Shadow Clan into the realm. To seize the opportunities, participants had to overcome this challenge.
"Jiang Ye is alone. He'll likely face overwhelming swarms of Shadow Clan."
"In that case, rushing ahead might not be such a good idea after all."
"Will he wait outside the checkpoint? Or will he charge in alone?"
Many secretly wondered.
"Jiang Ye," even Elder Lianbai murmured, his curiosity piqued. "Will he go in?"
Choosing to enter meant facing hordes of terrifying Shadow Clan members. Any injury sustained during the onslaught would severely hinder his performance in the subsequent matches.
But if he waited?
Jiang Ye would forfeit the exclusive opportunity to seize the treasures of the Central Mountain Region.
Time ticked by relentlessly.
Soon, the projection screen showed Jiang Ye, a lone figure riding ahead of the pack, had already crossed the 900-kilometer mark.
On the screen,
before Jiang Ye, materialized a series of formidable, pitch-black shadows.
All were in their youthful Shadow Clan forms.
Judging by the numbers, there were at least fifty of them!
"Jiang Ye's charging in!"
"That's reckless! Facing such a massive ambush, he's bound to get hurt."
"Huh? Wait! How is this possible?!" A wave of uproar suddenly erupted from the audience stands.
Within the Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm,
a dense forest blocked Jiang Ye's path.
Beyond this area lay the core region of the secret realm, dominated by ten towering mountain peaks.
"Roar~ Roar~ Roar!"
As if sensing his approach, a chorus of roars echoed through the dense foliage.
"The Shadow Clan?" Jiang Ye's eyes narrowed.
Whoosh! Without hesitation, he dove forward.
Roar!
The moment he entered the dense forest, over a dozen terrifying shadows surged toward him, intent on killing him.
A horrifying aura erupted.
The Shadow Clan youths possessed bodies comparable to late-second breakthrough experts!
Roar~ As they attacked, the Shadow Clan warriors unleashed piercing roars, unique to their kind.
These roars targeted the Martial Dao Will, momentarily disrupting their opponents' focus.
Many speculated that this roar might be an innate ability, as the Shadow Clan warriors never opened their mouths when emitting the sound.
Thoughts flashed through Jiang Ye's mind.
Without pausing, his figure transformed into a bolt of lightning as he charged forward, spear in hand.
"Kill!"
A spear strike erupted like Dawnlight tearing through the night, unleashing a thunderous force.
[Po Jun: When surrounded, damage increased by 30%.]
Damage increased by 30%!
The tip of Jiang Ye's spear blazed with blinding light, striking the Shadow Clan warriors with overwhelming force.
Thwack! Thwack!
The spear flashed.
Jet-black blood sprayed wildly!
"Roar~" In a single exchange, two Shadow Clan warriors were pierced through their bodies and blasted into nothingness by Jiang Ye.
"Die!" Jiang Ye's eyes were cold as he swept his spear horizontally.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Jiang Ye's figure blurred as he moved, unleashing terrifying spear strikes that crashed down like thunder across the battlefield.
These Shadow Clan warriors were at most equivalent to mid-second breakthrough experts, and even then, they were just ordinary ones.
With Jiang Ye's current strength, combined with a 30% damage boost, he could easily sweep through entire groups with a single strike, or at the very least, land critical hits with every thrust.
One down!
Five down!
Ten down!
He moved like a merciless killing machine, entering the forest and reaping the lives of the Shadow Clan warriors with relentless efficiency.
In just one minute, Jiang Ye had purged the vast majority of Shadow Clan forces from the area.
"Advance," Jiang Ye said, his figure moving like lightning as he strode deeper into the dense forest.
He could sense even more powerful auras emanating from the depths, belonging to the Shadow Clan.
"A late-second breakthrough Shadow Clan member?" Jiang Ye's eyes flashed with light as he quickened his pace.
Half a minute later:
Whoosh!
A terrifying shadow, radiating intense killing intent, suddenly lunged at Jiang Ye.
Boom! An overwhelming pressure descended like a crushing weight.
Late-second breakthrough!
Without hesitation, Jiang Ye's spear erupted with power, blasting forward in a blinding strike.
Clang! The spear tip collided with the Shadow Clan member in a deafening clash.
This time, however, the strike failed to kill in a single blow.
"So it really is a late-second breakthrough," Jiang Ye's eyes gleamed. From his Guanyuan Acupoint, thousands of strands of stellar energy surged forth.
Following the Star Meridian, the energy flooded into the spear tip.
"Kill!" Jiang Ye roared, his spear humming with power. Limitless, dazzling stellar energy erupted from the tip, coalescing into a radiant Great Sun.
Great Sun Spear Technique, Eighteenth Form: Great Sun Pierces the Clouds!
With Jiang Ye's current strength, this technique's power far surpassed its previous iterations.
The terrifying Orange-Red Great Sun, unleashed with Jiang Ye's spear thrust, crashed into the late-second breakthrough Shadow Clan youth's body.
Explosion!
A blinding light erupted, so intense it made the Shadow Clan youth's pitch-black eyes flicker with fear.
It sensed the terrifying power of this strike!
Boom! The Great Sun crashed down, its myriad spear tips blazing.
Tilting at Windmills!
100% damage boost!
Roar!
The Shadow Clan youth let out a desperate howl as its body instantly shattered into dust, vanishing in an instant.
The late-second breakthrough Shadow Clan youth was dead!
"As expected of a late-second breakthrough expert," Jiang Ye thought to himself. "I even had to use a spear technique to kill it. And it triggered the Tilting at Windmills effect."
Late-second breakthrough experts are truly terrifying!
"Kill!"
Jiang Ye didn't linger. After eliminating the first late-second breakthrough Shadow Clan youth, he charged deeper into the dense forest, spear in hand.
He was getting closer to the Central Mountain Region!
"One-shotting a late-second breakthrough expert with a single spear strike?"
"Am I seeing things?!"
"Was that an ultimate move? Or a Cosmic Secret Art?"
"Neither! It looked like a regular spear technique!"
The audience of over a hundred thousand spectators was utterly stunned.
The students from top universities like Donghai University and Nanyang University were particularly stunned beyond words.
One move to kill a late-second breakthrough Shadow Clan member?
If it had been an ultimate move, it would have been understandable, given Jiang Ye's genius.
But a standard spear technique? That was simply absurd!
"Jiang Ye is awesome!"
"Penglai University will definitely win the championship!" The Penglai University students erupted in cheers, their excitement reaching fever pitch.
Jiang Ye's performance had exceeded all expectations, filling them with pride and joy.
"This kid Jiang Ye... his combat power is even more ridiculous than I thought!" Mo Zixuan couldn't stay seated any longer.
"If Wang Bo encounters him, he might be in trouble."
"Still, Wang Bo's innate talent greatly amplifies his strength," Mo Zixuan mused inwardly. "If he can find Jiang Ye's weakness, defeating him isn't impossible, though the odds are slim."
"Sigh..."
"I just hope Jiang Ye ends up facing Li Qi or Lin Qingxue," Mo Zixuan wished silently. "If either of them eliminates Jiang Ye, Wang Bo's place in the top three will be secure."
(End of the Chapter)
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