Chen Ye steadied himself and prepared for the next attack.
Seeing this, Gu Fei Yi did not dare to be careless in the slightest. Their sharp gazes locked onto each other without wavering, both filled with cold determination.
Neither of them moved.
For a moment, the surroundings fell into complete silence, as if nothing existed within the area. A lone leaf slowly drifted down from above.
When the leaf finally touched the ground, it was as though it had become the signal that marked the beginning of the battle.
Whoosh!!
The instant the movement began, a sharp blade and a terrifying wave of sword energy erupted outward, spreading across a radius of one hundred meters.
Gu Fei Yi, who was within that range, was struck directly by Chen Ye's sudden and incredibly swift attack. Although the jade pendant protecting him had formed a defensive barrier, it was now on the verge of collapse, cracks spreading across it rapidly.
Gu Fei Yi: "Damn it! My defense is about to break! I have to escape the hundred-meter range!"
The moment he finished speaking, he immediately activated his Spatial Talent.
In an instant, he escaped the hundred-meter radius and retreated to a distance of three hundred meters.
"Huff... Huff..."
"If I had stayed within the range of those personal sword waves any longer, even with my spatial control talent, escaping without injury would not have been easy. Just a fraction of a second earlier, my defensive barrier shattered, and those sword energies crashed toward me like the massive waves of an ocean. Even now, I've only suffered a minor wound on my left shoulder-but against a true expert, even such a small injury is a huge disadvantage."
Gu Fei Yi's eyes sharpened with fierce determination.
For this battle, he would give it his all.
The moment he finished making up his mind-
Chen Ye suddenly appeared thirty meters away in front of him and swung his sword with full force, forming a massive sword projection that shot straight toward him.
Gu Fei Yi refused to allow himself to fall into a disadvantage. He immediately used his Spatial Talent technique.
He tore open the space between the surrounding area, creating a massive spatial crack that swallowed the violent incoming sword wave into the void.
When the rift closed, the attack vanished as though it had been completely cut off from this world.
Chen Ye was momentarily stunned.
To encounter another cultivator who possessed such powerful and refined spatial abilities made him cautious. He no longer dared to underestimate the opponent's control over space.
Maintaining distance, he continued launching attacks from mid-range and long-range.
Meanwhile, Gu Fei Yi observed every movement Chen Ye made with sharp and calculating eyes, searching for an opening.
Finally-
"I found it!"
The moment his opponent revealed a flaw, he wasted no time.
Using his Spatial Talent, Gu Fei Yi instantly teleported dozens of meters forward, appearing right beside Chen Ye.
Almost immediately, Gu Fei Yi thrust his sword toward Chen Ye without hesitation.
Chen Ye knew that he had exposed an opening and allowed his opponent to close the distance. However, he quickly regained his composure and raised his sword just in time to block the piercing strike.
The clash between Chen Ye's sword and the sharp tip of Gu Fei Yi's blade caused the surrounding space itself to tremble.
A violent spatial shockwave erupted, blasting both of them apart.
Gu Fei Yi refused to waste the opportunity to press the attack.
Using his spatial ability once more, he instantly teleported behind Chen Ye-and instead of his sword, he launched a powerful punch toward Chen Ye's back.
Chen Ye was unable to react in time.
The heavy and violent punch struck him directly, sending his body flying.
However, Chen Ye used the momentum of being thrown backward to accelerate his movement, widening the distance and regaining his footing.
Gu Fei Yi looked at him with a trace of admiration.
Gu Fei Yi: "You're quite strong. I admit that you're a very capable opponent to have fought me for this long."
"But even so... you're still far from my true strength!"
The moment he finished speaking, a violent wind slowly began to form from the surrounding void.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, and the distant sound of thunder began to rumble.
Chen Ye looked up in disbelief.
"What...?"
"He can summon wind and rain and darken the skies?"
"It seems I've truly encountered a difficult opponent this time."
Chen Ye slowly closed his eyes, calming his mind as memories and thoughts flashed through his head.
When he opened them again, his gaze had become firm and resolute.
He prepared himself for whatever was about to happen next.
The aura surrounding his body began resisting the natural disaster and altered laws of nature created by Gu Fei Yi.
"To encounter an evenly matched opponent is a good opportunity for growth. Whether victory or defeat..."
"But I... will not fall here."
"The promise I made has yet to be fulfilled."
Lightning suddenly flashed across the sky like chaotic currents of electricity.
It was thunder formed by the gathering power of heaven and earth.
Gu Fei Yi stared at Chen Ye with an indifferent expression, as though the battle was hardly worth his time.
Chen Ye stared back coldly.
Neither of them needed to say another word.
Cultivators who walked the path of cultivation did not always need conversation or spiritual communication to understand one another.
Sometimes-
A single exchange of gazes was enough.
Because it was the signal that the true battle was about to begin.
Gu Fei Yi shouted loudly, his voice resounding as if it were commanding the laws of nature themselves and controlling the energy of heaven and earth.
Countless bolts of lightning descended violently from the darkened sky, striking directly at the place where Chen Ye stood. They moved with incredible speed, as if his position had been locked onto from the very beginning before they appeared.
Chen Ye dodged those lightning strikes as though it were simply the natural flow of his movements. The lightning that continuously crashed down from the sky was avoided by him with smooth and effortless motion.
Gu Fei Yi had no intention of letting his opponent evade the descending lightning so easily.
He swung his blade repeatedly, releasing numerous waves of sword energy into the attack. At the same time, he used his Spatial Talent to teleport directly in front of Chen Ye, forcing him to defend against the sudden close-range assault.
When Chen Ye saw that his opponent had attacked by rapidly teleporting through space, he immediately blocked Gu Fei Yi's strike.
However, the moment Chen Ye raised his sword to defend, Gu Fei Yi suddenly disappeared again.
At the same time, the sword waves that had been released earlier by Gu Fei Yi surged forward and joined the attack. They slammed directly into Chen Ye and blasted him down onto the ground.
A small trace of blood seeped from the corner of Chen Ye's lips.
He wiped the blood away calmly, without showing any sign of panic, and slowly raised his gaze toward the sky.
Rain was beginning to pour down endlessly from the heavens.
Lightning continued to strike the ground, and the rain that mixed with the puddles on the surface of the earth seemed to act like a conductor, transmitting the lightning's power throughout every place where water had gathered.
But this had no effect on Chen Ye.
He used his inner energy to form a wall of qi, preventing the rain from touching his body. Because of this, the lightning waves transmitted through the water on the ground had no effect on him at all.
Chen Ye murmured quietly,
"What a brilliant strategy..."
Slowly, he placed both of his hands firmly on the hilt of his sword.
His grip tightened until a faint grinding sound could be heard.
The energy of heaven and earth gradually flowed into his sword without interruption, resisting the natural laws that had been manipulated by Gu Fei Yi.
At this moment, the blade of his sword was wrapped in dense heaven-and-earth energy, condensing powerful natural laws around it.
When Gu Fei Yi saw this, he sensed that the situation was turning unfavorable.
He decided to attempt a close-range attack. Although it carried some risk, it might also create an opportunity for his opponent to make a mistake.
Without hesitation, he tore through space and appeared directly in front of Chen Ye.
But the moment he arrived, he was shocked to the extreme.
Just a moment ago, he had clearly seen Chen Ye standing still, continuously absorbing the energy of heaven and earth. In such a state, even the slightest disturbance could cause severe backlash.
However-
Now that he had reappeared in front of Chen Ye, the sword that had been held still earlier was already swinging toward him.
The slash was already descending.
It was almost impossible for him to defend against it.
Gu Fei Yi roared coldly.
"Damn it! I fell for it!"
He hurriedly activated several defensive treasures on his body and rapidly condensed his qi and inner energy throughout every part of his body to brace himself for the incoming attack.
The roar of the technique echoed throughout heaven and earth.
"Heaven-Severing Sword - Ten Thousand Realms!"
Whoosh!
Fwoooooosh!
The violent slash of that sword produced a thunderous echo that reverberated for thousands of miles.
The destructive force shattered the ground in front of it, turning it into a massive abyss hundreds of meters deep. At the same time, a gigantic rift appeared in the sky, stretching thousands of meters wide and long-as though the heavens themselves had been split apart by that single strike.
Even the natural laws that had gathered earlier were torn apart and completely dispersed.
That blade had directly cut through the laws of heaven and earth, erasing the natural rules that had previously dominated the surrounding area.
People within several thousand li could all feel the aura of sword intent and the extremely terrifying power spreading outward.
Even the senior elders watching from outside were stunned by the scene displayed through the projection of the Secret Realm.
Jun Yi, who was observing from outside, suddenly stood up from his seat among the supreme elders.
Everyone else was equally shocked and could hardly believe what they were seeing. Even Xuan Yue could not help but be astonished by the scene before her. Could it be that such a powerful and extraordinary genius had been hiding all this time? Her gaze remained fixed on the attack that had just been unleashed.
However, the one who was most shocked was undoubtedly Gu Chen Wei.
He abruptly stood up from his seat, his face filled with shock and fear.
"No! My Gu Fei Yi... he wouldn't die like this, would he?!"
He was nearly losing his mind. Seeing his own son being struck by that terrifying attack, even he himself wasn't certain he could withstand such power-let alone his young master son.
The elders of the Gu Family hurriedly rushed forward to support their clan leader.
One of the great elders quickly spoke up.
"Clan Leader, please do not worry too much. I believe our young master will definitely be fine. After all, he possesses the Spatial Talent. Escaping from that attack should be easy for him."
The others nodded in agreement with those words.
The scene within the Secret Realm slowly became clearer as the dust gradually faded away.
Chen Ye stood in a magnificent slashing stance. His body was slightly bent forward, yet the arm gripping the sword was raised toward the heavens as if challenging them.
His body clearly showed signs of injuries and the backlash from exceeding his limits while executing that previous attack. Blood was flowing from the corners of his mouth, ears, and nose, and he had also suffered internal injuries.
He coughed out a large mouthful of blood and nearly collapsed, but he refused to fall. Instead, he stabbed the tip of his sword into the ground and used his other hand to support himself, refusing to collapse-like a declaration of victory from the last one still standing.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Chen Ye gasped heavily.
"Forcing past my limits this time has left me severely injured... but at least I am still the final survivor... the victor."
He slowly closed his eyes, trying to relax his tense mind and muscles.
But suddenly, a voice rang out.
"That attack just now really startled me. For a moment, I thought I wouldn't be able to block it."
Chen Ye was instantly shocked and instinctively retreated from the area.
The voice continued speaking.
"It seems I underestimated the other geniuses too much. I never expected someone capable of breaking through my defense and even injuring me. This is truly beyond my expectations."
The figure within the dust slowly became visible. Gradually, the true appearance of the man was revealed.
It was Gu Yi Fan, the elder brother of Gu Fei Yi.
When this image appeared, Gu Chen Wei-who was watching from outside-immediately felt relieved. He had thought he had already lost his direct bloodline heir.
One of the elders observing the scene voiced his opinion.
"What is this? Could it be that Clan Leader Gu actually sent both of his sons to assist one another? If that is the case, wouldn't that be considered cheating?"
Gu Chen Wei replied coldly.
"How could that be considered cheating? In battle, everyone has their own strategies and can cooperate with others. There are no rules stating that participants cannot help one another."
Everyone who heard this immediately saw through the old man's scheme. He had intentionally sent both sons so that the elder brother could protect the younger and help him survive these trials without risking death.
However, since it was still within acceptable rules, no one could openly oppose it.
The projection within the Secret Realm continued.
Chen Ye prepared himself for any possible attack or defense at any moment. Even though his body was no longer responding properly, he still forced himself to remain ready.
Seeing this, Gu Yi Fan smiled slightly and let out a soft laugh.
"You don't need to worry that I'll harm you in your current state. If I truly intended to act, you wouldn't still be standing here."
Chen Ye was silent for a moment before asking,
"Then how do you intend to deal with this situation? Weren't you the one who interfered with my attack just now?"
Gu Yi Fan smiled and shook his head.
"I simply didn't want my younger brother to die before his time. Besides, I wasn't able to completely block your attack. Some of it slipped through my defense and struck him directly. He's already unconscious now."
"I only blocked the remaining force so that he wouldn't die. And I have no intention of causing trouble with you either. After all, you are the true victor of this duel. I swear I will not attack someone who is already half-dead."
Chen Ye secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"So the two of you are brothers after all."
"If you truly intend to let me go, then I'll say it honestly-I don't believe you. Unless you leave first, I will stand here and keep watching. I will not turn my back."
Gu Yi Fan clearly understood Chen Ye's intentions.
He immediately lifted the unconscious and severely injured Gu Fei Yi onto his shoulder.
Before leaving, he turned back and glanced at Chen Ye with cold, merciless eyes. Then he said,
"In the final round of the Genius Tournament, I hope to cross blades with you."
The moment he finished speaking, he vanished from the area instantly.
Chen Ye remained standing there cautiously for a while longer.
Only after a long time had passed, when he could no longer sense any presence or life nearby, did he finally relax his guard.
Without wasting another moment, he immediately left to find a place to treat his injuries.
.....
....
Four days had already passed.
Only one day remained-tomorrow, the Genius Competition would finally come to an end.
A thunderous voice echoed throughout the Secret Realm, announcing to all participants that time was running out and the end was drawing near.
Those who heard the announcement felt that the first trial had been far too easy to pass.
Inside a cave.
Chen Ye sat cross-legged, quietly healing his injuries.
"What? There's only one day left already?"
"Even now I still haven't repaired my identity token. What a pity... If that battle hadn't been interrupted, Gu Fei Yi's token would have already been destroyed by my hand."
He muttered softly to himself and continued healing in silence, waiting for tomorrow to arrive.
....
...
...
Inside the Inner Scroll World.
At last...!
BOOM!
The explosive sound of a breakthrough resounded through the entire space.
"Hahaha! At last! I have successfully raised my foundation to the absolute peak of the Core Condensation Realm!"
"Not only that, but the Heaven and Earth energy within this world has also helped refine my Primordial Chaos Body to the Great Completion of the initial stage!"
"Even though it is only the initial stage, it still far surpasses every other physique that exists within the Heaven and Earth of the Kun Lun World."
More than six months had already passed inside the Inner Scroll World.
....
...
Outside, however, only four days had gone by.
For everyone else, there was only one day left before the Genius Competition would end. Yet within this world, I still have more than enough time to completely merge this Inner Scroll World with my Supreme Divine Intent!
"Now, whether it is my cultivation foundation, my physical body, or the quality of my spiritual power, I finally possess the qualifications to refine this Inner Scroll World!"
"Let's begin immediately. There's no time to waste."
Wu Ming stood at the center of his Inner Scroll World, a dimensional realm that stretched outward as if boundless. Each mountain, river, forest, and shadow of the sky remained distinct, alive in its own right, yet not yet harmonized with his will.
He extended his hand slowly, as if wishing to touch everything with careful reverence, without haste. His hair fluttered in a wind that did not exist, and his body was not yet filled with the formidable aura of cultivated energy. Still, merely focusing and attuning himself to the inner world was enough to create subtle vibrations that rippled throughout the surroundings.
Wu Ming released his mind, gently sensing the rhythm of the dimensional world. He felt the flow of water, the movement of air, the drift of dust, and the scents of earth and stone-all fused within his awareness.
He moved his hand again. A faint trace of energy flowed from his palm into the dimension-not to attack, not to destroy, but to tentatively link each particle with his consciousness.
Several mountains trembled softly, certain rivers curved as if acknowledging a new master. The Inner Scroll World began to respond to Wu Ming's will, subtly, just enough to draw a faint smile to his lips.
"This is only the beginning... you still do not fully comprehend who I am," he murmured, his voice echoing faintly through the core of the dimension.
Wu Ming seated himself on a stone amid a gentle stream, allowing his body and mind to gradually merge with the Inner Scroll World. He felt a subtle resistance from the very essence of the dimension, as though it whispered: "We are not easily reshaped."
Yet he remained undeterred. He let his consciousness flow through every particle of the world, slowly learning its nature, understanding the flow of water, the movements of the air, the tremors of the earth and stone.
Time stretched slowly. Hours bled into minutes. He moved his hand again; the wind and drifting dust began to align subtly with his thoughts. The dimensional world began to adjust to his consciousness.
Wu Ming moved his other hand. Delicately, he reordered the mountains and valleys, patiently, with meticulous care. The sound of flowing water, the whisper of air, even the faint resonance of the atmosphere began to synchronize with his mind.
He could sense that every entity in this dimension had life and a will of its own, though not yet fully aligned. Some points remained stubborn, radiating a resistance toward him.
Taking a deep breath, Wu Ming refrained from unleashing his full cultivated energy. He merely wished the world to respond to his will. This process of refinement was a bridge between the creator's consciousness and the dimensional world.
He began to "speak" with the dimension, as if conversing with a living entity. There might have been no one to see him, yet he felt the collective heart and intent of the world itself.
"You need not fear. I will not destroy you. You simply need to communicate with me," his voice reverberated silently, carrying both authority and calm.
The terrain gradually began to align into a new balance. Rivers slowed into gentle flows. Forests softened, losing their wildness. Faint energies in the sky and drifting dust seemed prompted to arrange themselves according to his rhythm.
Wu Ming touched a small mountain with his fingertip, sensing the very essence of the dimension on a microscopic scale. Every stone, every droplet of water, every branch responded, as if aware of him.
Hours passed. He did not avert his gaze from any particle of the Inner Scroll World. His body ached, but his mind slowly began to meld with the will of the world.
Now, the sound of flowing water, the whispering wind, had transformed into a miniature symphony of the universe, responding to Wu Ming's thoughts and intentions. He felt a modest yet significant success, marking the first stage of unification.
The Inner Scroll World began to calm, the chaos of its terrain fading, leaving only the emerging harmony between his consciousness and the dimension. Though not yet complete, Wu Ming knew he had laid the first foundation of merging this realm with his will.
He did not rise hastily, taking his time to ensure that every particle of the world recognized him as its true master.
Minutes passed. He remained seated, his mind suffused with tranquility and resolve. The dimension began to radiate a quiet brilliance-not destructive, but a power of acceptance and balanced integration.
Wu Ming knew this was only the beginning. Many layers of the Inner Scroll World remained to be refined, countless intricacies awaiting his guidance. Yet he was ready, starting from this very foundation.
And in that moment, every breath, every movement, became part of an unbroken cycle of refinement, as the awareness of Wu Ming and the Inner Scroll World wove a stronger, ever-tightening bond of connection.
Wu Ming remained seated, letting the subtle hum of the Inner Scroll World resonate through him. A faint warmth spread through his limbs as if the very particles of the dimension were acknowledging him, yet he knew-deep within-that this unity was only partial. The world had bent slightly to his will, had begun to recognize him as its master, but the full power of this domain was still beyond his immediate grasp.
Every shift in terrain, every subtle ripple in the water, every whisper of the wind reminded him of the enormous potential contained within this realm-and of his own limitations. He could feel the energy that pulsed through the rivers and mountains, the latent life force coursing through the trees and stones, yet he could not yet summon it in full. To do so recklessly could shatter the delicate bond he had begun to form.
A soft vibration ran through his consciousness, as if the Inner Scroll World itself was testing him. Tiny fragments of resistance, remnants of the world's natural will, pushed back against him. It was a gentle, insistent reminder: "You may shape us, but do not overreach. Not yet."
Wu Ming exhaled slowly, closing his eyes, feeling the rhythm of this newly forged connection. He could sense the faint pulse of life in every grain of soil, every droplet of water, every leaf trembling on the trees. Each beat resonated with his heartbeat, creating a fragile harmony between the consciousness of creator and creation.
He lifted a hand, and a ripple of barely perceptible energy flowed from his fingertips into the dimension. The mountains shivered, the rivers curved in subtle arcs, the forests softened their rough edges. The response was real, tangible, yet restrained-like a whisper of power, not a roar. It was a gentle confirmation that the bond was solidifying, yet not yet strong enough to fully manifest his will in action.
Wu Ming opened his eyes slowly, surveying the vast expanse of the Inner Scroll World. He felt a profound satisfaction, but also a humble awareness of his limitations. The realm was alive, its potential immense, but the full mastery of it would require patience, understanding, and countless more cycles of refinement. He could shape it, touch it, feel it respond-but commanding its full power would have to wait until his body, mind, and spirit were ready.
The air around him shimmered faintly, a subtle acknowledgment from the dimension itself. Streams of light traced invisible paths through the trees and along the riverbeds, as if the world were learning his rhythm, following his pulse. Yet even this beauty reminded him that he was still at the threshold: capable of minor guidance, but not yet able to bend the entire realm to his will in a sweeping gesture.
He stood slowly, feeling the slight weight of the bond that now tethered his consciousness to the Inner Scroll World. Every breath he took, every subtle movement, was a negotiation between himself and the dimension. He sensed the smallest of victories-a hill that no longer resisted, a river that now curved precisely with his thought-but he also sensed the boundaries. Pushing too hard now could tear the fragile connections he had painstakingly built.
"Not yet..." he murmured, almost to himself. "The world acknowledges me... but it will take time before I can command it fully."
He extended his hand once more, letting the faint currents of the dimension wash over his awareness. The rivers sparkled, the forests swayed gently, and the wind carried whispers of the mountains' ancient memory. Each response was a note in a symphony he had just begun to conduct, a melody of possibility.
Even in this restrained state, Wu Ming felt an exhilarating sense of power-calm, measured, restrained, but undeniable. He was no longer just a visitor within this Inner Scroll World. He was part of it. His will intertwined with its essence, forming a tenuous, fragile, yet real bridge between mind and matter.
And though he knew he could not yet wield the full breadth of this dimension, he felt the first true proof of his potential that one day, when his spirit, body, and will had grown stronger, he could reach out and bend this realm entirely, shaping it as an extension of his very self.
For now, he remained patient, grounded, attentive. Every ripple in the water, every sway of the trees, every subtle tremor beneath his feet, was a conversation, a confirmation, a bond forming. And even in his restraint, Wu Ming smiled slightly, knowing that the seed of true mastery had been planted-and that in time, it would grow to dominate the Infinite Scroll World in ways even he could not yet imagine.