Volume Two: Travels in the State of Qi, Chapter 135: A True Genius

Zhang Heng had no choice but to deploy his "Minor Aurora Phantom" movement technique and begin to flee. Although the dueling platform was not large, Zhang Heng was exceptionally fast and could weave through the space freely, leaving the other cultivators unable to catch him for the time being.

Meanwhile, battles between various talents on other platforms were also unfolding. Some formed teams, some fought alone, and others schemed from the shadows; regardless, everyone exhausted every means to knock everyone else off the platform. The audience below watched with great excitement. Because of Wu Hong’s deliberate arrangements, there was only one true genius on each platform. Consequently, situations like Zhang Heng’s—where nine people teamed up against one—were quite common. Several eighth-stage Yuan Dan talents were forced to concede, unable to withstand the combined assault of the other nine.

Zhang Heng darted around, while his group members pursued him persistently, never letting him out of their sight. Qi Xuan and Mu Wanqing, finding the proceedings rather dull, both cast their gazes toward Zhang Heng. They both knew that the first place in this competition belonged solely to him; everyone else, including themselves, was merely vying for second. The realization was incredibly frustrating, yet they were helpless—after all, Zhang Heng was the darling of the heavens. A single strike from him would have been enough to send them packing several times over.

Currently, Zhang Heng continued to run. He did not fear these people; rather, he viewed this as an opportunity to practice the Aurora Phantom technique. These individuals were, after all, local talents with various tricks up their sleeves. As they chased him, Zhang Heng ran, and with every stride, his command over the movement technique improved.

At this moment, Wu Hong noticed the situation on Zhang Heng’s platform. Fearing that something might go wrong, he felt compelled to interject. "There is one quarter of an hour remaining in the competition. If, when the time ends, there are two or more people left on any platform, all members of that group will be disqualified."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere grew tense. Since some competitors were acquaintances, they had initially planned to coexist peacefully to ensure their mutual advancement. Now, however, those who knew each other immediately turned to fight.

On Zhang Heng's platform, upon hearing the new rule, his pursuers stopped chasing him and stood panting to the side. Zhang Heng was simply too agile; they had exhausted every trick, yet they remained powerless against him. "Kid, since you're so good at running, just wait to be disqualified along with us," they thought. Even if they couldn't catch him, they wanted to spite him. They knew they lacked the strength to do more than act as cannon fodder at the Imperial City Tournament, so they saw no need to fight to the death. If they couldn't win, they would at least drag this genius down with them and see how he liked losing his qualification. They assumed that although they couldn't hit him, Zhang Heng was only one person and couldn't possibly handle all nine of them at once. They decided to stall until time ran out.

Of course, that was merely their wishful thinking.

"Mutual destruction? You overestimate yourselves," Zhang Heng said with a cold laugh. He stopped running and began to walk slowly toward them.

"Kid, do you think you can take on all nine of us at once?" they asked, confused, wondering if he had lost his mind.

Zhang Heng did not answer, continuing his steady advance. Seeing this, the group laughed. Because Zhang Heng had been so fast, they had been helpless to stop him, but if he were foolish enough to face them head-on, they would finally have the chance to teach him a lesson. In an instant, Zhang Heng arrived before them, and they channeled their spiritual energy in preparation.

Yet, one second they were full of confidence, and the next, they were utterly bewildered, their minds unable to process what had happened. Zhang Heng casually approached one of them and whispered, "Down you go." Before the man could react, Zhang Heng tapped his chest with a single finger. The man’s body lost control and stumbled backward, sliding all the way to the edge of the platform and right off the side before he even realized what had happened. It was too late. With a single finger, Zhang Heng had eliminated a sixth-stage Yuan Dan opponent.

"Are you all coming together, or one by one?" Zhang Heng asked, his eyes cold and his voice sounding like that of a demon. He was in no rush; there was still a quarter of an hour left.

"He's just bluffing! Brothers, attack together!" a stronger cultivator shouted, as if to bolster his own fading courage. It was clear now that Zhang Heng was truly stronger than all of them; only by uniting did they stand a sliver of a chance. The others realized the gravity of the situation and charged at Zhang Heng, unleashing all their techniques and magical treasures.

Zhang Heng smiled. A mob of rabble wanted to defy the heavens? "Get lost, all of you!"

Zhang Heng lunged into the midst of the nine. Like a wolf among sheep, he used his fists, feet, and fingers in unison. One by one, he struck them down, and before long, he had sent them all flying off the platform. The audience below was stunned. These were not mere weaklings; they were sixth and seventh-stage Yuan Dan talents, yet Zhang Heng had tossed them aside as if they were toys.

Only now did they realize that their assessment of Zhang Heng’s strength had been wrong again.

"Not bad, not bad at all," the Qi Emperor laughed heartily from the second floor. Zhang Heng was undoubtedly capable of contending with Qi Xuan and Mu Wanqing. More importantly, Zhang Heng’s cultivation was only at the third stage of the Qi Sea Realm. Such a monstrous talent was truly rare. He grew increasingly determined to keep Zhang Heng within the borders of the Qi Kingdom.

Having easily dealt with his opponents, Zhang Heng turned to Mu Wanqing, who had been watching him all along. He offered a gentle smile and flipped his hair. "Miss Mu, how was that?"

Mu Wanqing quickly turned her head away, ignoring him.

Meanwhile, battles on the other platforms were nearing their conclusion. With only one winner permitted per stage, everyone had exhausted their full potential. Several platforms had already finished, each featuring a peerless youth standing proudly, possessing the combat power to look down upon their peers. Zhang Heng observed them carefully, knowing these would be his next opponents.

Excluding Mu Wanqing and Qi Xuan, there were three other ninth-stage Yuan Dan cultivators—a terrifying figure. None of these people were over thirty, yet they had already reached the ninth stage; they were true super-geniuses.

On the first platform stood the elegant and peerless Mu Wanqing, eyes closed in concentration, her every movement drawing the attention of most male cultivators. The second platform was the exact opposite; the handsome and extraordinary Qi Xuan smiled gently, his presence captivating the majority of the female cultivators. On the ninth platform sat a youth with an air of dominance, a red-glowing blade resting beside him. On the twentieth platform stood a youth in black, expressionless. Zhang Heng recognized him; he was Yan Ying, the young sect master of the Yin God Sect. On the twenty-fifth platform, Wu Ba, the young master of the Heavenly Feather Manor, glared at Zhang Heng with a gloomy expression, finding it hard to accept that Zhang Heng had managed to last this long. But it didn't matter; once the true competition began, he would have his chance to teach Zhang Heng a lesson.

A winner had been decided on every platform. Their ability to emerge victorious from among such talents was proof enough of their strength. They were the true geniuses.

Before long, the winners of all thirty-three platforms were determined: five ninth-stage Yuan Dan cultivators, eighteen eighth-stage Yuan Dan cultivators, nine seventh-stage Yuan Dan cultivators, and one third-stage Qi Sea Realm cultivator—Zhang Heng.