Chapter 908: Clash Of The Strongest (4)

The second round of matches concluded with no more upheavals, and the top 160 were decided.

Now, among the remaining geniuses, over half were Supreme Geniuses, and the rest who had mastered Sovereign-level techniques mostly had their own unique strengths. None were easy to deal with.

"The third round will begin in a quarter hour," the Heavenly Domain Emissary looked down at the remaining hundred-plus geniuses on the plaza and said flatly: "Getting to this round means your performance has been excellent, but you should understand that there is a big difference between rank 160 and rank 80.

"Providence! For the top eighty—who can also be considered the top hundred—you will receive more than just the visible treasures and cultivation opportunities within the Megaverse Crossroads. There is also an intangible enhancement of providence. The higher your final ranking, the stronger your providence becomes, increasing your chances of becoming an Overlord in the future," the Heavenly Domain Emissary explained slowly.

Wu Yuan, Bai Lian, Mu Long and the other hundred-plus geniuses all showed solemn expressions. Indeed, providence, though unseen and unquantifiable, was incredibly important.

Soon after, the Heavenly Domain Emissary waved his hand. "Round Three, Battle One," he announced.

Wu Yuan's qi refiner self and High Deity Gu Ya instantly vanished from their spots

"What?"

"Ming Jian versus Gu Ya?"

"A Supreme Genius matchup right from the first battle?" A wave of commotion swept through the crowd, as both eliminated and remaining participants turned their attention to this fight.

There were nearly a hundred Supreme Geniuses, but only eighty could advance to the third round. Therefore, regardless of how the Heavenly Domain Emissary arranged the matches, at least a dozen Supreme Geniuses would be eliminated. Yet no one had expected a matchup between Ming Jian and Gu Ya.

Ming Jian was universally acknowledged as a monstrous prodigy capable of reaching the top twenty despite his young age. Gu Ya was also considered a contender for the top twenty.

Both were incredibly powerful, yet they were matched against each other early on, suggesting the Heavenly Domain Emissary's arrangements weren't purely based on strength. Other factors were likely taken into consideration.

"Who will win?"

"Hard to say. Ming Jian has better odds, but as a qi refiner, his self-preservation ability is somewhat weaker, which puts him at a slight disadvantage."

"Yes, Gu Ya has comprehended the Law of Death, making him a fearsome opponent in battle." Many Supreme Geniuses speculated.

Most Supreme Geniuses believed Ming Jian would likely win, though the battle would be intense. Even Zhu Shan and Inconstance shared this view. They guessed that his mana body might 'die' in battle, resulting in a close victory. Of course, no mana or ether bodies would truly die - they would be teleported away by the Heavenly Domain Emissary at the last moment.

However, the actual progression of the first battle of round three defied everyone's expectations.

As soon as they engaged, Ming Jian merely deployed his mana body which immediately unleashed the Primordial Technique to block the full-force assault from both High Deity Gu Ya's true self and ether body. The two sides reached a stalemate.

Then, Ming Jian's true self finally made his move, one that was truly earth-shattering. His nine lifebound flying swords formed a Hundred Swords Array, transforming into a Spacetime divine sword.

It only took three strikes!

The first strike sent High Deity Gu Ya's ether body flying backward, nearly shattering his body.

The second strike blasted away High Deity Gu Ya's true self.

The third strike broke three of High Deity Gu Ya's arms, turning it into a one-sided battle. High Deity Gu Ya was forced to concede.

Ming Jian was victorious!

"Impossible!"

"Those nine flying swords?" A wave of shock spread through the crowd, as You Feng, Li Guang, Inconstance, Bai Shui, Bai Lian, and other top-tier geniuses stared intently at the nine flying swords circling Ming Jian's true self. The sharp radiance of the swords’ edges made their hearts tremble.

No one had expected High Deity Gu Ya, who had performed spectacularly in the previous round, to be so easily defeated by Ming Jian.

"Nine lifebound flying swords, perfectly upgraded via the optimal evolution pathway."

"The strongest offensive artifacts."

"Ming Jian has also mastered the Primordial Technique to an extremely high level, increasing the power of his flying swords."

"How frightening."

"Top ten - Ming Jian's strength definitely puts him in the running for the top ten, perhaps even close to Wu Yuan's level."

These top-tier geniuses all felt the pressure. Ming Jian had kept his true strength hidden all this time, and when he finally revealed it, it was explosive! His unexpected display struck fear into almost every participant.

No one apart from Zhu Shan was absolutely confident they could defeat him.

Ming Jian? He has become this powerful?

Zhuo Haiyue showed a slight smile. She knew Ming Jian possessed extraordinary talent, but hadn't expected him to be this strong.

My disciple!

High Immortal Dong Yang, who had already been eliminated, was equally surprised.

Ming Jian is his qi refiner self, capable of reaching the top ten, while Wu Yuan is his body refiner self, who also has a high chance of reaching the top ten.

Two true selves, both capable of reaching the top ten?

Just thinking about it made High Immortal Dong Yang shiver, finding it almost absurd.

I managed to raise such a disciple?

High Immortal Dong Yang mused to himself. He couldn't help but recall a scene of a naive youngster in the Golden Core phase learning swordsmanship from him thousands of years ago. Was it really the same person?

Time truly holds extraordinary power.

High Immortal Dong Yang sighed inwardly.

To achieve such greatness in just tens of thousands of years of cultivation, what about after hundreds of thousands of years? Millions of years? It's unimaginable.

High Immortal Dong Yang could already foresee the rise of a powerful Overlord in the Ling Jiang Universe, one who would dominate numerous macrocosms.

...

The sudden eruption of Ming Jian's strength in the third round had startled all the participants. However, the subsequent battles reassured top-tier geniuses like Li Guang and Bai Shui that not everyone was as abnormal as Ming Jian.

Apart from the dozen or so battles between Supreme Geniuses, most fights were completely one-sided. Those who only mastered Sovereign-level techniques stood almost no chance against Supreme Geniuses.

Wu Yuan's body refiner self defeated an ordinary genius, advancing without any drama. Geniuses like Zhuo Haiyue, Zhu Shan, and Lie Jin also easily overcame their opponents, successfully advancing.

Finally, after all eighty battles in the third round were completed, the top eighty were determined.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Only Supreme Geniuses are left."

"Each one is formidable."

"All of them are extraordinary." The thousands of eliminated geniuses, seated in the viewing stands, discussed through voice transmission.

Having been eliminated, their minds were at ease, allowing them to freely evaluate the remaining participants and share their insights.

The top eighty were all Supreme Geniuses. This was an extremely rare occurrence. Normally, among the thirty-six universes of the megaverse, only three to five Supreme Geniuses emerged in an era, rarely exceeding ten.

Furthermore, they were usually unrivaled in their respective universes within their generation. Why were they called ‘supreme’? Because they were truly powerful, unmatched in their generation in their universe.

Even when the Megaverse Crossroads opened and providence intertwined, the megaverse normally only produced thirty to forty Supreme Geniuses. Yet this time, nearly a hundred Supreme Geniuses had emerged?

This iteration of the Megaverse Crossroads also produced geniuses of far superior quality compared to the previous dozens of iterations.

On the plaza, Wu Yuan, Zhu Shan, and the other seventy-eight Supreme Geniuses were all meditating quietly, calming their minds as the final battle approached.

A quarter hour passed in an instant.

...

"First, congratulations on reaching the top hundred," the Heavenly Domain Emissary looked down at the eighty geniuses below: "You've all done well. Many of you will become late-stage Sovereigns in the future, and perhaps some will become Overlords.

“However, the top hundred surely isn't your goal. The top ten is what you're after, so don't slack off." The Heavenly Domain Emissary spoke slowly: "Round Four, Battle One."

Whoosh!

With a wave of his hand, two figures instantly vanished from their jade platforms.

"It's Wu Yuan!”

“And Wan Bao!" A wave of surprise spread - in the previous three rounds, Ming Jian had always fought the first match, but in the fourth round, it changed to Wu Yuan?

"An internal battle of the Eldritch Court?"

"Haha, excellent." Most geniuses showed pleased expressions, with those from the Immortal Court being the most delighted. Whether Wu Yuan or Wan Bao, both were Supreme Geniuses of the Eldritch Court. No matter who lost, it would still be a loss for the Eldritch Court.

"What a shame."

"Wan Bao will probably lose."

"This Heavenly Domain Emissary is deliberately targeting our Eldritch Court." The Eldritch Court geniuses felt dissatisfied but helpless. Losing to Supreme Geniuses from other factions would be one thing, but an internal battle?

"Wan Bao will most likely lose."

"Yes, Wu Yuan's strength is terrifying."

This was the consensus among all observing geniuses. Among the eighty Supreme Geniuses, there were stronger and weaker individuals. And without question, Wu Yuan was acknowledged to be one of the strongest. High Immortal Wan Bao? Though also famous, he was clearly inferior when compared to Wu Yuan.

However, as this was a battle between Supreme Geniuses, no one dared to make their final predictions until the very end. For all they knew, Wan Bao had hidden his strength.

Meanwhile, those like Zhuo Haiyue, Xuan Rong, and High Immortal Dong Yang naturally hoped for Wu Yuan's victory.

...

Within the grotto-heaven battlefield, Wu Yuan and High Immortal Wan Bao stood facing each other from afar.

"Wu Yuan, I truly am unlucky," High Immortal Wan Bao revealed a bitter smile. "I never expected to encounter you in the fourth round. My defeat is predestined."

Wu Yuan smiled but said nothing.

"Brother Wu Yuan. Though we are both members of the Eldritch Court, circumstances compel me to show no mercy," High Immortal Wan Bao said in a low voice. "However, knowing your immense strength, I shall employ a secret art. If you can withstand it, I will concede defeat."

"Concede?" Wu Yuan was slightly taken aback. At this stage, High Immortal Wan Bao was willing to concede voluntarily?

"If you can easily block it, it proves your strength far surpasses mine, and there's no point in fighting to exhaustion when I would likely lose anyway, perhaps even forcing you to use your hidden trump cards," the childlike High Immortal Wan Bao grinned. "It would be meaningless and would only reveal your abilities to your future opponents, giving them an advantage. Better to concede early.

“If both you and Zhu Shan claim Saintcrests, it would be our Eldritch Court’s great fortune."

High Immortal Wan Bao's words moved Wu Yuan. He had truly considered the greater good of the Eldritch Court.

"Don’t worry!" Wu Yuan smiled. "High Immortal Wan Bao, you may fight with all your power, without concern for my future battles."

"What? You?" High Immortal Wan Bao was stunned.

"Apart from Zhu Shan, no one in the entire Heavenly Domain Path is my match. Even if I meet Zhu Shan, we’ll only know who the victor will be after a battle," Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. "You cannot possibly force me to reveal my full strength."

High Immortal Wan Bao's pupils contracted. Such arrogance.

"Haha!" Instead of getting angry, High Immortal Wan Bao laughed. "This is exactly the spirit a Saintcrest Prodigy should possess.

“Wu Yuan, in the past, I only admired Zhu Shan. Now, I truly believe you too can claim a Saintcrest.

“As you wish, I shall fight with all my might," High Immortal Wan Bao's eyes flashed with light. "Prepare yourself."

Swoosh!

Another childlike figure appeared beside High Immortal Wan Bao, and two invisible waves of soul power struck forth.