Translator: CinderTL
Inside the Bird's Nest Structure, the largest projection angle on the plaza screen had long shifted away from Jiang Ye's perspective. Instead, it focused on the perspectives of geniuses like Li Qi, Lin Qingxue, and Wang Bo.
The reason was simple: Jiang Ye had remained holed up in a cave for the entire duration, without eliminating a single opponent. Naturally, his performance paled in comparison to the dazzling displays of Li Qi and the others.
But just then...
Buzz!
The plaza screen zoomed in on Jiang Ye's perspective once more, drawing all eyes back to him.
"Jiang Ye has encountered Wan Yaoyang?"
"Finally! That guy's been hiding in a cave the whole time. Someone finally found him!"
"Wan Yaoyang... from Northern Territory University, one of the ten great schools."
"Who's stronger, him or Jiang Ye?" The audience erupted into renewed excitement.
Over a hundred thousand spectators turned their attention back to the projection showing Jiang Ye's perspective.
"Jiang Ye's finally met his match!"
"This old man wants to see just how strong this kid really is."
"After devouring so many top-tier opportunities, someone finally caught up to him." Teachers from various schools were also watching intently.
"Jiang Ye? Wan Yaoyang?"
"This should be his first clash with a student from one of the ten great schools," Mo Zixuan said, his eyes fixed on the screen.
"Wan Yaoyang is about to be eliminated," Elder Bai chuckled.
"You're awfully confident in Jiang Ye," Mo Zixuan remarked, glancing at him. "Wan Yaoyang is still a student from one of the ten great schools."
"Then let's watch and see," Elder Bai smiled, offering no further explanation.
Jiang Ye's original strength had already been formidable.
Now, after consuming dozens of top-tier opportunities, to what extent had his power grown? Even Elder Bai couldn't be certain.
"How many moves will it take to finish him?" Elder Bai wondered, his anticipation rising.
"Jiang Ye versus Wan Yaoyang."
"Although Northern Territory University, where Wan Yaoyang attends, isn't as prestigious as our Star River University, its overall strength still far surpasses Penglai University."
"Among their school's participants, Wan Yaoyang is also considered quite strong."
"This match will probably last a while, right?"
"It's likely to be a fierce battle." The students from Star River University also stared intently at the screen.
Now that the competition had reached this stage, they were all intensely curious about the gap between Jiang Ye and the students from the ten great schools.
Outside a hidden mountain cave, a white-robed youth with a sword case strapped to his back ascended the mountain path.
The youth possessed an extraordinary beauty, yet it was an unnatural kind of beauty. His pupils glowed with a dark golden light, his lips were crimson red, and his entire face radiated an eerie, otherworldly allure.
"Damn it," Wan Yaoyang muttered, his expression darkening. "After all this time in the competition, I've only managed to seize two low-tier opportunities. What a waste of time! I'd be better off cultivating on my own!"
As he thought this, a flicker of confusion crossed his otherworldly features. "Logically, there should be over a dozen top-tier opportunities within the Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm. How have I not encountered a single one along the way?"
"Li Qi and Lin Qingxue don't seem to have claimed any top-tier opportunities either. Who exactly has taken them all?" Wan Yaoyang's bewilderment deepened.
Suddenly, he paused.
"Hmm?"
"There's a cave ahead," Wan Yaoyang's eyes narrowed. "Let's check it out."
With a swift movement, he darted forward.
In the very next instant, a deafening sonic boom erupted.
A dazzling spear beam shot out from the cave, slicing directly toward Wan Yaoyang.
"Who's there?" Wan Yaoyang's eyes narrowed.
Clang! The sword case on his back shuddered violently, and a blade of light shot skyward, colliding fiercely with the spear's energy.
A terrifying shockwave, like a bomb blast, erupted outward.
Boom!
The mountain cave collapsed instantly, billowing thick clouds of dust and smoke.
Whoosh!
The spear's energy coalesced into a physical spear, returning to the collapsed cave.
A tall, imposing figure emerged, gripping the spear with a steady hand. His gaze burned like torches, radiating heroic vigor.
"You?"
"Heh," Wan Yaoyang chuckled. "No wonder I couldn't find you. You've been hiding in this cave all along."
Since entering the Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm, he had been searching for Jiang Ye.
Wan Yaoyang still vividly remembered the humiliation he had suffered at Jiang Ye's hands.
This competition was the perfect opportunity for revenge.
"Good."
"I thought you'd already been eliminated," Wan Yaoyang said with a smirk. "But it seems I'll have the pleasure of claiming your head myself."
"Why so much chatter?" Jiang Ye frowned slightly. "Don't you know villains always die from talking too much?"
"What?" Wan Yaoyang froze.
"You disrupted my secluded cultivation," Jiang Ye said calmly. "For that, you deserve death!"
Wan Yaoyang's lips twitched. Wait a minute, didn't you attack first?
But he knew that even if Jiang Ye hadn't struck first, he would have attacked the moment he saw Jiang Ye.
"Then let's fight," Wan Yaoyang licked his lips. "I hope you can give me a good fight."
Boom!
Before the words left his mouth, his figure had already blurred into an afterimage.
A continuous wave of sword light, as heavy as a tidal surge, crashed down on Jiang Ye.
Clang!
Clang! Jiang Ye wielded his spear, its starlight-like glow meeting the sword's assault.
The two clashed in an instant, unleashing a deafening roar.
Boom!
Terrifying force erupted, shattering nearby rocks and causing the ground to crack and explode.
"What?"
"This power..." Wan Yaoyang's expression twisted after the first exchange.
He felt an overwhelming, savage force surging from Jiang Ye's spear, causing his sword to groan under the unbearable strain.
That feeling...
It was as if he were a lone boat facing a towering, monstrous wave.
"This guy..."
"How can his stellar energy be so much stronger than mine?" Wan Yaoyang thought, his heart pounding.
With his keen eye, he could see it clearly: this wasn't just a difference in raw power, but a disparity in the energy's very level of refinement!
Jiang Ye's mastery of stellar energy surpassed his own, creating such a terrifying display.
"I can't drag this out."
"I need to end this quickly." Wan Yaoyang resolved, abandoning all his earlier arrogance.
A glint flashed in his eyes.
Innate ability: Abyssal Gaze!
Unless their Martial Dao Will far surpassed his own, anyone caught in his gaze would be momentarily paralyzed.
This unique innate ability was one of the reasons Wan Yaoyang ranked in the middle tier at Northern Territory University.
Relying on this ability, he had repeatedly defeated stronger opponents, even those with higher scores than his own.
Now, Wan Yaoyang planned to use Abyssal Gaze in conjunction with his ultimate move to swiftly eliminate Jiang Ye.
But the instant he activated his innate ability...
Boom!
A terrifying mental backlash instantly assaulted Wan Yaoyang's mind.
"What?"
"This..." Wan Yaoyang had no time to react. His mind went blank, and he froze in place.
At the same moment, Jiang Ye showed no hesitation.
Whoosh! His body moved like a swimming dragon, his spear erupting with a dazzling light as it pierced forward with explosive force.
Thwack!
Blood splattered everywhere!
Whoosh~ Wan Yaoyang's figure slowly faded away, a look of utter shock still frozen in his eyes.
"Holy shit?"
"What just happened? One-shot kill?"
"Jiang Ye just one-shot Wan Yaoyang?!" In the stands, over a hundred thousand spectators stared in disbelief.
The entire exchange, though it seemed drawn out, had occurred in a mere instant.
Most had only seen Jiang Ye and Wan Yaoyang exchange a few words before the battle erupted.
And then...
There was nothing more to see!
Jiang Ye had simply unleashed a few swift spear strikes, piercing Wan Yaoyang's neck and triggering the protection mechanism that eliminated him.
"Is the gap really this vast?"
"Is this all Wan Yaoyang's strength amounts to? So weak?"
"Or is Jiang Ye just too overwhelmingly powerful?" The students from Star River University grew solemn.
They could have defeated Wan Yaoyang without much difficulty.
But to achieve such a clean, one-shot kill like Jiang Ye?
That was virtually impossible.
At the center of the arena,
Whoosh! A figure materialized.
It was Wan Yaoyang.
"I..."
"I was instantly killed?" Wan Yaoyang's eyes were filled with disbelief. "Instant-killed by Jiang Ye?"
He still hadn't recovered from the shock.
He had expected this battle to end with his overwhelming dominance.
But the result? It was indeed an overwhelming dominance.
Only, he was the one being crushed!
"How did this guy become so powerful?" Wan Yaoyang heard the roaring cheers from the audience and his face darkened further.
This time, he had truly lost face in a big way.
Before the ruined cave.
Jiang Ye frowned slightly as he slowly withdrew his spear. "So weak?"
"No, that's not right."
"It's Wan Yaoyang's innate ability, Abyssal Gaze."
"He was backfired by my Martial Dao Will?" A strange expression appeared on Jiang Ye's face.
In that brief moment, he had indeed sensed a mental attack invading his mind.
But Jiang Ye's Martial Dao Will was far too profound.
It instantly suppressed and devoured the attack.
Then he saw Wan Yaoyang freeze in place.
"Still..."
"Even without the backfire, he was no match for me." Jiang Ye shook his head. "The difference in strength is too great."
This battle had allowed him to gauge his own power.
Even using ordinary techniques, without resorting to his ultimate moves, he could easily crush opponents like Wan Yaoyang.
If that weren't the case, Wan Yaoyang wouldn't have immediately activated his innate ability after their first clash.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ye suddenly smiled.
Back then, he had looked up to this opponent with admiration.
Now, without even realizing it, he had left them far behind.
"Jiang Ye!"
"Jiang Ye." Just as Jiang Ye was lost in thought, two girls' voices called out to him.
He turned to see two graceful figures approaching.
One was a silver-haired girl with crimson eyes, the other a timid and delicate girl dressed as a bunny girl.
It was Shen Changxi and Yun Qing'er.
"Jiang Ye," Shen Changxi said softly, landing lightly on the ground with an aloof and ethereal air. "We heard the sounds of fighting just now. Are you alright?"
"Ran into a student from the top ten," Jiang Ye replied with a smile. "Already taken care of."
"A top ten student?" Shen Changxi's expression flickered with surprise.
The battle sounds she had heard had lasted less than five seconds.
And he had defeated a top ten student in that time?
"Has this guy gotten even stronger?" Shen Changxi couldn't help but glance at Jiang Ye several more times.
"Jiang Ye," Yun Qing'er asked timidly, "where have you been these past few hours? We couldn't find you anywhere."
"Looking for me?"
Jiang Ye paused, then shook his head. "I was in secluded cultivation. Of course you couldn't find me."
"Secluded cultivation?" Yun Qing'er whispered in surprise. "Don't you want those opportunities?"
"Opportunities?" Jiang Ye shook his head. "Let them have them."
Shen Changxi and Yun Qing'er stared at him in astonishment, seeing his magnanimous expression.
Wait, bro.
When did you become so generous?
"Jiang Ye, don't underestimate them," Shen Changxi couldn't help but warn him. "Li Qi, Lin Qingxue, and Wang Bo have all seized quite a few top-tier opportunities."
"By the time the finals start, their strength will definitely have increased further."
"You need to be careful," Shen Changxi said, looking at him earnestly.
"Got it," Jiang Ye nodded. "Thanks for the reminder."
Li Qi, Lin Qingxue, Wang Bo?
It was time to meet them.
A flicker of anticipation appeared in Jiang Ye's eyes.
He was eager to test himself against these geniuses and finally determine who truly stood above the rest.
Buzz!
Buzz!
Suddenly, all three of their smart wristbands vibrated simultaneously.
Jiang Ye and the two girls exchanged glances, realizing what it meant.
Beep! Jiang Ye activated his wristband's projection.
Whoosh! Beams of light converged to form golden subtitles:
Congratulations! You have successfully advanced to the final round!
Please prepare to exit the Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm.
"It's over already?" Jiang Ye asked, surprised.
"Several hours have passed, and only about thirty people are left," Yun Qing'er explained softly.
Shen Changxi said, "Jiang Ye, you didn't just kill that one person earlier, did you?"
"I think so," Jiang Ye replied, nodding after a moment's thought.
The two girls exchanged speechless glances.
They had fought their way through countless battles to reach this point.
But Jiang Ye?
He had simply found a place to hide until now—and somehow, he had made it to the finals!
They truly didn't know what to say.
Before they could dwell on their astonishment any longer...
Buzz! Buzz!
Jiang Ye, Shen Changxi, and Yun Qing'er simultaneously transformed into ethereal shadows, slowly dissipating.
At the same moment, the remaining dozens of participants in the Mountains and Rivers Secret Realm also dissolved into phantom forms, teleporting out of the realm.
Within the ten treasure mountains at the realm's center, nearly all the opportunities, both large and small, had been claimed.
The secret realm would not reopen for another three years. By then, these ten treasure mountains would have grown new opportunities once more.
Bird's Nest Structure
Above the central plaza, the projections slowly faded away.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The thirty-two finalists were successively teleported onto the plaza.
"Li Qi! Li Qi!"
"Wang Bo! You're the strongest!"
"Lin Qingxue is the most beautiful! Be my wife!"
"Jiang Ye will definitely win! Penglai's strongest!"
The audience stands erupted in a frenzy as spectators from various schools roared their support.
It wasn't uncommon for spectators to become enamored with a particular competitor during the competition and join their cheering section.
The crowd roared like a tsunami, deafeningly loud.
"What a spectacle," Jiang Ye murmured, unable to suppress his awe at the scene.
The Twenty-Five School Genius Cup truly wielded immense influence.
The audience wasn't limited to students or residents of Donghai City.
Most had traveled from the far corners of the world.
The fervor of over a hundred thousand spectators—Jiang Ye had never witnessed such a grand spectacle before!
Of course, he understood that the upcoming finals were the true climax.
The champion wouldn't just earn the recognition of this massive crowd; their triumph would be broadcast across the globe through various media channels.
"Champion," Jiang Ye declared, his gaze unwavering.
Meanwhile, high above, the handsome young man in black robes, Chu Jingye, reappeared.
"Congratulations to the thirty-two competitors who have advanced to the finals of this year's Genius Cup!"
(End of the Chapter)
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