After adjusting for a moment, O'Laidi took a deep breath, the frustration in his eyes quickly replaced by a resolute determination. He suddenly looked up, staring directly at Qing Yu, and declared in a clear voice:
"Qing Yu! I know I am no match for you, but please, attack with your full power just this once! Let me, O'Laidi, truly experience the gap between us! Even if I lose, I will have no regrets!"
"As you wish," Qing Yu's voice was flat, yet it clearly reached O'Laidi's ears.
"You go first. If I make the first move, you won't have a chance."
O'Laidi's pupils constricted slightly, a chill running through his heart. He had no doubt about the truthfulness of Qing Yu's words! Without the slightest hesitation, the longsword in his hand instantly glowed with dazzling light.
"Starfall - Annihilation Stab!"
O'Laidi roared, his figure transforming into a streaking light that tore through space. Man and sword united, carrying a tragic, unyielding momentum, directly piercing towards Qing Yu!
Just as O'Laidi's sword tip was less than three meters from Qing Yu's glabella, and the sharp sword energy was almost severing Qing Yu's silver hair on his forehead—
Buzz! Nine ethereal white threads, almost completely imperceptible to the naked eye, appeared out of thin air! Time seemed to freeze for a millionth of a second!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The nine Chaotic Dance Threads, with incomprehensible speed and trajectory, completed hundreds of intersections, stabs, and divisions within an inch of space, at the very instant O'Laidi's destructive streaking light, man and sword united, arrived!
Swoosh—O'Laidi's attack was instantly disintegrated! He himself was also cut into countless pieces in the next second!
"Arena One — Qing Yu wins!"
The other geniuses watching, despite being mentally prepared, were still shocked by this scene. They had originally thought it would at least take a few moves, and O'Laidi had even unleashed his strongest attack, yet he was still defeated in a single move!
"Mon—monster…"
"This isn't even a battle on the same level…"
The battles on the other arenas also ended one after another, but the process was far less shocking than Arena One. Soon, ten victors were decided and stood in the center of the square.
Venerable Nine Swords's majestic figure reappeared in mid-air, looking down at the ten geniuses below, his voice grand:
"Congratulations, all of you, for entering the top ten of this year's Genius Battle!"
"In half an hour, the top five will be decided from among you ten! And the final first place will emerge from these top five!"
"The rules for the ten-to-five matches are as follows: The virtual system will rank you by the time you won your previous battle. The fastest winner will fight the slowest, the second fastest will fight the second slowest, and so on!"
Qing Yu was undoubtedly the fastest to finish his previous battle, and his opponent was… Huang Li!
Almost simultaneously, a tall young man with strangely crimson skin suddenly looked up towards Qing Yu, a smile uglier than a cry on his face. It was Huang Li.
"Damn it… I should have finished the battle quickly at all costs earlier!" Huang Li regretted in his heart.
Although everyone had almost tacitly agreed that this year's first place belonged to Qing Yu, who wouldn't want their own ranking to be higher?
Half an hour passed in a flash, and five giant arenas rose again. Qing Yu and Huang Li were teleported to one of them.
Huang Li took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness and powerlessness in his heart. His eyes became sharp as blades. The long spear in his hand, wreathed in crimson flames, caused the surrounding temperature to rise sharply.
"Qing Yu! Take my strongest spear — World-Burning Furnace!" Huang Li roared. This was his secret technique, combining his initial comprehension of spatial and fire laws, and its power far surpassed O'Laidi's "Starfall - Annihilation Stab"!
Clang!
Huang Li's attack was indeed more than a notch stronger than O'Laidi's, approximately… it lasted three seconds longer! But it was only three seconds!
"Winner, Qing Yu!"
After the battles on the other arenas concluded, Venerable Nine Swords reappeared. His gaze lingered on Qing Yu for an imperceptible moment, then he announced:
"The top five have been decided! In half an hour, the final ranking battles will begin! Each of you five will fight one match against the other four! Win a match, get one point! The final ranking will be determined by the total points! The one with the highest points will be the ultimate first place in this Genius Battle!"
In fact, including Venerable Nine Swords, there were also 1008 immortal who had already decided in their hearts—this year's first place belonged to none other than Qing Yu! The subsequent battles were already largely superfluous.
The final ranking battles quickly began. Qing Yu's battles were utterly without suspense. Xing Hen, Moka, and Assane, another who made it into the top five, were all swept away, without any suspense!
Qing Yu seemed to be merely completing a predetermined task, calmly reaping victories.
Finally, it was time for the last match — Qing Yu versus You Meng!
You Meng, a woman with an ethereal and mysterious aura, wearing a dark blue long dress, was widely recognized as the strongest Illusionist of this generation. She stepped onto the arena, facing Qing Yu, her eyes burning with intense focus and… a faint, almost impossible glimmer of hope!
"Qing Yu!" You Meng's voice was ethereal and pleasant, yet filled with resolve.
"I know you are very strong, but the path of illusion is unpredictable! This is my only chance to create a miracle! Please guide me!"
As her voice fell, You Meng's eyes suddenly became incredibly deep, like two dark whirlpools devouring souls!
On the mental plane, in the invisible realm of soul confrontation, You Meng had poured all her strength into unleashing her strongest killing move — Illusion Moon Secret Art: Sinking!
A pure and powerful illusionary attack, like an invisible tide, instantly crossed space, directly rushing towards Qing Yu's sea of consciousness!
"You Meng's move, among the Stellar Level, has reached perfection," an immortal nodded slightly.
"Unfortunately, she met Qing Yu… Hmm?!"
On the arena, a sudden change occurred!
Qing Yu, who had been standing still, calmly looking at You Meng, seemed to have an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation flash through the depths of his eyes.
And You Meng, who had launched the attack, her deep, dark blue eyes that seemed to be burning with her soul, suddenly lost all their luster the moment Qing Yu's eyes subtly moved! Her body also completely stiffened in place!
The geniuses watching were instantly bewildered, completely unaware of what had happened. They only saw You Meng finish speaking, stare at Qing Yu, and then she seemed to be under a paralysis spell… completely motionless!
"What's going on?"
"Why isn't You Meng moving?"
"Her illusion has controlled Qing Yu! She should quickly attack with her psychic weapon!"
Qing Yu calmly looked at the stiff You Meng opposite him, and with a thought.
A subtle, almost completely transparent, ethereal white thread silently appeared, instantly sweeping past You Meng's defenseless body.
You Meng's stiff figure was cut in two the moment the Chaotic Dance Threads swept past.
It wasn't until her figure reassembled outside the arena that You Meng's empty eyes suddenly regained a trace of luster. Her body trembled violently, her face instantly turned ashen white as paper, her lips quivered, and her eyes were filled with a sense of defeat!
She didn't even… realize how she had been hit!