Translator: CinderTL
In the audience seats, nearly all the teachers sat up straight, their expressions astonished.
The tenth stage was the most difficult challenge!
Contestants had to face an onslaught from ten early-stage third breakthrough powerhouses alone, with one of them being a Fallen Star-Level Genius.
Over 90% of participants failed to clear this stage.
Only a handful of geniuses managed to barely scrape through, and even they endured a grueling battle.
But now?
"One spear strike to instantly kill ten early-stage third breakthrough opponents? Even the Fallen Star-Level Genius was annihilated in a single blow?"
"Jiang Ye's strength is truly monstrous," the teachers murmured among themselves.
Among the freshman contestants, the strongest—Su Haiyue, Chang Qixing, and Zhou Hong—were all at the early stage of the third breakthrough.
They might stand a chance against a Fallen Star-Level Genius at the same realm, but they could never achieve such effortless dominance.
Jiang Ye's feat of instantly killing ten opponents with a single spear strike was simply unbelievable.
"There's no point watching the freshman matches anymore," Ye Hongying, the red-robed woman, shook her head. "Jiang Ye is guaranteed to win the championship."
"Indeed," the teachers nodded in agreement.
"Su Haiyue and Chang Qixing are no match for Jiang Ye," one teacher added.
"I wonder how Jiang Ye achieved this," Ye Hongying marveled. "His combat prowess far exceeds the early stages of the third breakthrough."
"Could it be..."
"He's already at the mid-stage of the third breakthrough?" Ye Hongying speculated.
"Impossible."
"Reaching the third breakthrough as a freshman is already the mark of a top-tier genius. There simply isn't enough time to advance further," several teachers shook their heads.
As high-level professors from the ten great schools, they had witnessed countless prodigies.
Before sophomore year, the early stages of the third breakthrough were the absolute ceiling.
No one could possibly surpass that.
Of course, Transcendent Aptitude was a different matter—that belonged to another dimension of genius.
"Old Qiu," Ye Hongying couldn't resist pressing, "what's the deal with Jiang Ye? Spill the beans!"
"Patience," Qiu Cang chuckled, remaining tight-lipped. "You'll find out soon enough, after the preliminary rounds are over."
"You're such a mysterious one," Ye Hongying said, shaking her head.
"Never mind. Let's just keep watching."
"After all, even if it's outrageous, the worst that could happen is Jiang Ye reaching the mid-stage of the third breakthrough." Ye Hongying had mentally prepared herself for anything, confident that nothing could exceed her imagination.
Virtual Civilization Battlefield.
Jiang Ye stood spear in hand, gazing at the blood mist before him. "The tenth trial is indeed quite challenging."
Though he had annihilated the ten early-stage third breakthrough opponents in an instant, Jiang Ye knew this was due to his overwhelming cultivation advantage. Had he still been at the early stage of the third breakthrough, facing their coordinated assault would have required significantly more effort to end the battle.
Trial 10: Cleared
You have passed the preliminary round. Calculating rewards...
"Hmm?"
"They're calculating the rewards already?" Jiang Ye stared at the floating text.
Moments later:
Your trial completion rating: Upper A-tier
Your rewards are as follows:
Two portions of Golden Source Fruit, two portions of Jade Nectar, two portions of Sacred Essence Fluid, Star Essence Tempering Fluid, Thunder Essence Spirit Nectar
"Seven D-Tier Opportunities, two C-Tier Opportunities."
"And an Upper B-Tier Opportunity—Thunder Essence Spirit Nectar?" Jiang Ye chuckled. "This trip was definitely worth it."
Just as Qiu Cang had said, each cleared stage granted a reward.
For Jiang Ye, these rewards were practically freebies.
Especially the final item, the Thunder Essence Spirit Nectar.
Even on Ancient Star No. 7, it would be considered a top-tier opportunity.
"I wonder if the others will also receive Upper B-Tier Opportunities," Jiang Ye murmured to himself. "That would be incredibly generous."
The Thunder Essence Spirit Nectar only appears once every ten years.
The Federation had clearly invested heavily in this.
However.
The geniuses competing in the Ten Schools League had already reached the pinnacle of Blue Star Civilization, so such rewards weren't surprising.
It was only because Jiang Ye had cleared the stages with such ease that the rewards seemed so extravagant.
As Jiang Ye was musing,
Whoosh! The surrounding environment rapidly faded away.
Darkness enveloped Jiang Ye's vision, and he immediately realized the preliminary round had ended.
Swish!
Opening his eyes again, Jiang Ye rose from the virtual cockpit.
Rising with him were the remaining five hundred participants.
Whoosh! A figure materialized in mid-air.
"The preliminary round is over."
"Out of five hundred participants, only sixty-four have successfully advanced!" Qiu Cang's voice boomed across the arena.
As the words faded, Jiang Ye was visibly surprised. "Only sixty-four advanced?"
But he quickly realized, "Advancement requires clearing the eighth stage, which features an enemy at the early stage of the third breakthrough."
He scanned the surroundings.
Among the five hundred participants, the vast majority hadn't reached the third breakthrough, and nearly half were merely approaching it.
In truth, this level of cultivation was far from low.
Considering these were just freshmen, reaching the cusp of the third breakthrough was already astonishing.
Only a handful, like Su Haiyue and Chang Qixing, had actually achieved the third breakthrough.
"Next," Qiu Cang announced, his voice ringing out, "the sixty-four remaining participants will engage in a free-for-all arena battle. Fight as you please, with no rules beyond survival, until only one remains standing!"
A chill ran through the crowd.
The competition rules for each Ten Schools League tournament varied.
This time, it was a free-for-all arena battle!
This meant the upcoming matches would be far more brutal.
"I declare," Qiu Cang roared, "the final battle of the Ten Schools League begins now!"
Without another word, the five hundred virtual cockpits on the battlefield rapidly sank into the ground.
Then, a massive black arena, a hundred meters wide and long, slowly rose from beneath the earth, its solemn and majestic aura filling the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Figures darted toward the arena.
Those who had reached this stage were the elite of the elite, geniuses with exceptional execution.
In mere seconds, all sixty-four competitors, including Jiang Ye, had assembled on the arena.
"Final battle, commence!" Qiu Cang bellowed.
Instantly, the arena's atmosphere ignited like gunpowder.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Overwhelming Martial Dao Auras erupted simultaneously.
Nearly all the competitors moved at once.
"Jiang Ye!" Li Qi, the purple-haired youth wielding a long blade, shot toward Jiang Ye, having also successfully advanced.
The moment the final battle began, Li Qi locked his gaze on Jiang Ye.
"This is the moment to avenge my humiliation!" Li Qi's eyes gleamed with icy determination.
In an instant, he closed the distance, unleashing his full power.
"Die!" Li Qi roared, his snow-bright blade slashing down at Jiang Ye with terrifying force—a peak-second breakthrough strike!
Clang!
Jiang Ye casually raised his spear, its tip flashing.
The spear moved with effortless grace, yet it instantly tore through Li Qi's blade strike, effortlessly breaching his defenses. The spear then landed lightly on Li Qi's chest.
"What?" Li Qi's eyes widened in shock.
He felt an overwhelming force surge from the spear's tip, vast as an ocean.
Boom!
A figure was sent flying backward, hurtling hundreds of meters off the arena. A protective barrier flickered around him—the arena's safety mechanism.
It was Li Qi!
Thud! He crashed heavily to the ground, a bloody hole gaping in his chest.
Jiang Ye's sudden burst of power had been too swift, even for the arena's protective mechanism to fully shield him.
If the damage exceeded a certain threshold, the protection mechanism could only save the participant's life.
Just like now.
Pfft! Li Qi spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling at least a dozen bones in his body shatter in that instant.
Yet he remained completely unfazed.
"Me?"
"One-shotted?" Li Qi stared at Jiang Ye's figure on the arena, his eyes filled with disbelief.
During the Genius Cup finals,
though he had lost to Jiang Ye, he had at least managed to put up a decent fight.
Since then, Li Qi had been training relentlessly, convinced he had made astonishing progress. He had hoped to avenge his previous defeat, but the result?
Completely beyond his expectations.
Li Qi's elimination didn't affect the other participants.
However, the power Jiang Ye had unleashed quickly drew the attention of the surrounding competitors.
"So strong."
"A third breakthrough powerhouse? Let's gang up on him!"
"Kill!" Several participants erupted with full force, charging toward Jiang Ye.
These were all Fallen Star-Level Geniuses approaching the third breakthrough. With their coordinated assault, they could even challenge an early-stage third breakthrough powerhouse.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Innate Domains erupted one after another. The participants held nothing back, immediately unleashing their deadliest techniques.
In an instant, a multitude of extraordinary phenomena materialized before Jiang Ye:
Rising suns and waning moons, boundless seas of fire, and colossal ocean waves—these were the Substantial Domains of A-tier profound physiques, each possessing terrifying power.
Several Domains layered upon one another.
Even a cultivator in the early stages of the third breakthrough would find this extremely challenging.
But...
Boom! Jiang Ye swept his spear horizontally, its radiant arc resembling the vastness of suns, moons, and stars, tearing through the air.
This single strike!
Carrying an explosive force of over ten million kilograms, it hurtled directly toward the assembled competitors, instantly shattering their Domain restraints.
"This power?!"
"Block it now!" The competitors frantically activated their defensive techniques, attempting to parry Jiang Ye's strike.
But their efforts were doomed to failure.
The moment Jiang Ye's spear descended, the competitors felt as if they were being crushed beneath a towering mountain peak, their bodies convulsing violently.
The overwhelming pressure widened their eyes in terror.
Boom! A deafening roar erupted.
With just one strike, all the competitors were sent flying backward, defeated and bleeding.
One strike!
The area within a ten-meter radius around Jiang Ye instantly transformed into a desolate void.
"This aura?"
"It's not the early stage of the third breakthrough, definitely not!"
"Could Jiang Ye have...?" The teachers leaned forward, their eyes fixed on the arena.
Earlier, in the Virtual Civilization Battlefield, they couldn't accurately gauge Jiang Ye's true strength.
But now, as Jiang Ye's power surged, the teachers began to grasp the truth.
Of course, they could have used their Martial Will Perception to envelop Jiang Ye, revealing all his secrets—his cultivation realm, true strength, and more.
But such an act would be considered impolite.
Even Jiang Ye's teacher, Qiu Cang, rarely resorted to such methods.
"Is he really at the mid-stage of the third breakthrough?" Ye Hongying straightened in her seat, her expression incredulous.
But the next moment, silence fell over the entire arena.
Boom!
A terrifying aura erupted from Jiang Ye's body.
"Let's end this quickly."
"Full power." Jiang Ye didn't want to expose his Blood Sea Domain.
He abandoned all restraint, circulating stellar energy through his body and unleashing his Martial Dao Aura without reservation.
Jiang Ye's aura surged with astonishing speed, reaching its peak in an instant.
Late stage of the third breakthrough!
At that moment, Jiang Ye resembled an ancient beast breaking free from its seals.
His terrifying presence swept across the arena like a storm.
"What?"
"This aura... how is this possible?"
"I'm completely suppressed!" The dozens of other competitors on the arena paled in shock.
The overwhelming dominance of a higher life level was on full display.
Before the late-stage third breakthrough powerhouse, even the early-stage third breakthrough geniuses felt like they were sinking in quicksand.
As for those who hadn't yet reached the third breakthrough, they were directly suppressed by the aura, struggling to even take a step.
"Kill!" Jiang Ye moved instantly.
Wielding his long spear, he transformed into a phantom, vanishing from his spot.
Whoosh! A spear beam flashed, the spear's shadow flickering, instantly eliminating several near-third breakthrough geniuses.
Pfft! Pfft!
The spear's shadow danced relentlessly, each strike unleashing over a hundred thousand strands of stellar energy—a terrifying display of power.
In mere seconds, Jiang Ye had eliminated more than ten competitors.
It was utterly absurd.
At that moment, Jiang Ye was like a wild beast unleashed, charging through the battlefield as if it were empty, unstoppable and relentless.
"How is this possible?"
"His realm..." Chang Qixing, Zhou Hong, and the others wore expressions of shock.
These individuals were among the top contenders for the Ten Schools League championship, each having reached the early stage of the third breakthrough.
Yet facing Jiang Ye, they felt like mayflies gazing up at the vast sky.
"This is bad," Zhou Hong's face suddenly darkened.
Jiang Ye was charging straight at him.
"Innate Domain: Moon Wheel!"
"Myriad Blades Pay Homage!"
"Wind and Snow Dance!" Without hesitation, Zhou Hong unleashed all three of his Innate Domains simultaneously.
In an instant, a Domain world descended, enveloping the entire battlefield.
As the publicly acknowledged strongest freshman at White Dragon University, Zhou Hong's power was beyond question.
He possessed three Innate Domains!
His strength rivaled that of Mina, Rosen, and others of their caliber.
Rumble~ A purple Moon Wheel rose majestically, bathing the surroundings in its ethereal light. Beneath it, countless blades gleamed into existence.
Simultaneously, an endless blizzard swept across the battlefield.
Three Substantial Domains erupted, instantly boosting Zhou Hong's power to its peak.
"Kill!" Zhou Hong roared, slashing his blade at Jiang Ye.
The strike gathered countless blade lights and the boundless blizzard, as if the entire world were converging to crush Jiang Ye.
An absolutely terrifying attack.
Even Chang Qixing, Su Haiyue, and others wouldn't have been confident in blocking it.
But unfortunately for Zhou Hong, he was facing Jiang Ye.
"Break!" Jiang Ye remained unfazed, his long spear sweeping down like a dragon.
Boom!
A peerless spear radiance erupted, tearing through the sky and shattering Zhou Hong's Innate Domain.
This was absolute realm suppression—a crushing display of power from a higher dimension.
With a single thrust, the spear effortlessly pierced through the world, hurtling toward Zhou Hong.
Boom!!!
Jiang Ye's spear slammed down, unleashing hundreds of thousands of strands of stellar energy.
The impact resembled multiple nuclear warheads detonating simultaneously, sending terrifying energy waves surging across the battlefield.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The shockwave instantly tore apart over a dozen contestants, triggering their protective mechanisms.
Eliminated!
As for Zhou Hong, caught at the epicenter of the blast?
He had no chance to retaliate, utterly crushed and sent flying.
Zhou Hong—eliminated!
"It's over," Jiang Ye declared, standing like a war god, long spear in hand, and began sweeping across the battlefield.
Invincible among his peers?
No!
He was now openly bullying the weak with overwhelming power!
(End of the Chapter)
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