Chuunibyou Yan Di

The next morning.

In Giant Axe Plaza, 1,000 peerless geniuses gathered.

Ling Xuan mingled in the crowd. His whispered grumbling from yesterday had been overheard by everyone, nearly causing him to die of social embarrassment; today, he had to be careful and keep a low profile.

Cao Benqi continued to stare at him fixedly, as if he wanted to tear him to pieces.

"Venerable!"

In the distance, 1,000 immortals bowed respectfully.

"Mm."

Beiyan Venerable nodded slightly, then turned to look down at the 1,000 young people below, saying, "Today is a good day. Within this single day, we will select the top one hundred, the top ten, and the first and second place winners from among you 1,000."

"Are you all ready? Then, the decisive battle begins now!"

With a casual wave of Beiyan Venerable's hand, one hundred giant arenas instantly appeared on the plaza, each one enclosed by a black mesh net at the edges and top.

Over 200 geniuses were simultaneously teleported into the arenas, two to each.

Opposite Ling Xuan stood a man with cyan scales on his head, clad in cyan battle armor. He gripped a wide-bladed greatsword; the blade was thick and heavy, clearly marking him as a power-type fighter.

"Damn it, I didn't expect to run into Yanmo Ling Xuan in the first round. I could have made it into the top ten," the man said quite distressfully, his face filled with helplessness and unwillingness.

"..."

Ling Xuan was speechless. He felt that if he and Cao Benqi weren't so heaven-defying, these guys would probably all think they could take first place.

The Virtual Universe system matched you with me, so consider this a chance for a dignified exit, kid. Don't be ungrateful.

"Brother, at least when you go back, you can tell people you only lost to the champion. Be content with that." Ling Xuan raised his blade, scorching flames instantly wrapping around the steel as the blade aura flickered.

He swung fiercely, a flaming blade aura carrying rolling heat waves like a crimson fire dragon, sweeping toward his opponent as he shouted softly: "Flame Blade First Bloom!"

"Don't even think about it!" The cyan-scaled man roared, raising his greatsword high. The heavy laws of earth spread out like a tide, condensing into a yellowish-brown shield in front of him.

The surface of the shield shimmered with light, appearing as immovable and sturdy as a towering mountain.

However, the moment the flaming blade aura touched the shield, the seemingly solid barrier disintegrated instantly like thin ice meeting a scorching sun, striking directly against the man's greatsword.

"Crack!" The immense force sent the greatsword flying, and the remaining momentum slashed along the blade's edge onto the cyan armor, causing scales to peel off and blood to splatter.

The man screamed as he was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing heavily into the black mesh net at the edge of the arena, collapsing to the ground and losing the ability to fight.

Ling Xuan was then teleported out of that arena and back to the plaza below.

At this moment, Cao Benqi was already waiting there.

"You... are too slow." Cao Benqi glanced at Ling Xuan sideways, mocking him.

"Yes, yes, you're fast, you're the fastest, you're just too fast." Ling Xuan rolled his eyes and went to watch the other matches.

The focus was on his friends from the genius tournament, the three women including Leng Yanqiu.

The duels in the one hundred arenas varied in speed; the fast ones, like those of Ling Xuan and Cao Benqi, ended in a single strike.

The slow ones appeared evenly matched, falling into bitter struggles that lasted over ten minutes before the first round concluded.

"Congratulations to the little ones standing in the arenas." Beiyan Venerable looked down at the 100 young men and women on the platforms. "First, congratulations on entering the top 100. You are now eligible to enter the 'Kaitian Secret Realm' of my Giant Axe Martial Arena. Now, we must select the best 20 among you."

"According to the selection of the Virtual Universe system, I will announce the list of 20."

At this moment, most of the 100 young geniuses standing in the arenas became nervous. Although they had won, only 20 of them were qualified for the next battle, and that next battle would determine the top 10!

"Cao Benqi!"

"Ling Xuan!"

"Feng Lishuang!"

"Leng Yanqiu!"

"Ren Yaoli!"

"Amaterasu!"

"Naruto!"

"That is the list of twenty selected by the Virtual Universe system," Beiyan Venerable said. "Rest for a moment to recover your energy and adjust your state; the next battle will begin in a while. As for who your opponents are... you will know when you fight!"

The group of young men and women sat casually on Giant Axe Plaza.

Ling Xuan chatted freely with Feng Lishuang and the others, exchanging views on the matches and insights into the laws.

Cao Benqi radiated low pressure as usual, looking like a person who shouldn't be approached.

When he caught a glimpse of Ling Xuan saying something that made Ren Yaoli laugh heartily, and even the usually cold Feng Lishuang smile, his knuckles gripping his halberd turned white. A cold snort escaped his throat: "Ling Xuan, it won't be long. I will personally eliminate you, make you taste the bitterness of defeat, trample you fiercely under my feet, and leave you to sink into oblivion."

Half an hour later, the plaza suddenly began to tremble.

Ten giant arenas, each a hundred meters high, broke through the ground. Dark purple lightning flowed across their surfaces, and domes woven from black silk threads shrouded the arenas, resembling ten cages meant to imprison power.

White light enveloped Ling Xuan and the others, and in the next second, they vanished from where they stood, appearing in their respective arenas.

After stepping into the arena, Cao Benqi merely glanced at his opponent before casting his gaze toward the other arenas, searching for the figure of Ling Xuan.

"How lucky, you've picked up another soft persimmon." His tone was as flat as if he were discussing the weather, and he didn't even change the way he held his halberd.

The young man roared in anger, "Cao Benqi, although I know I am no match for you, aren't you being a bit too arrogant?"

Dozens of flying discs hummed and hovered in the void around the young man, their metallic edges gleaming with a chilling light.

The discs spun rapidly in the air, piecing together the phantom of a hundred-meter-long giant beast that opened its tooth-filled maw and lunged toward Cao Benqi, accompanied by a screech that tore through the air.

"The wailing of the weak is so noisy." Cao Benqi finally raised his eyes, a flash of disdain crossing his scarlet pupils.

He slowly raised his great halberd, a point of crimson light igniting at the tip, and swung it forward as if it were nothing.

In an instant, a dark red halberd glow tore through the sky, moving too fast for the naked eye to track.

The moment the halberd glow touched the giant beast phantom, it burst like a bubble, and the body formed by the flying discs disintegrated into countless fragments.

The remaining discs turned frantically in the air, attempting to launch attacks from different angles.

Yet Cao Benqi seemed to have foreseen everything; his halberd moved like an extension of his arm, carving afterimages in front of him.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The sound of metal colliding was incessant as the halberd blade struck the center of each disc with precision, sending them flying like kites with broken strings toward the edge of the arena, where they embedded themselves deep into the ground.

The young man's eyes widened, and before he could make his next move, Cao Benqi's figure had already appeared before him.

The great halberd, carrying a biting intent to kill, swung down heavily from above.

"Pfft!" Blood splattered as Cao Benqi's halberd cleaved his opponent in two with a single strike, then he stood at the edge of the arena without looking back, waiting to be teleported away.

Before long, Ling Xuan was also teleported over.

"You're slow again." Cao Benqi sneered and shook his head.

"Yes, yes, you're definitely faster than me." Ling Xuan spread his hands helplessly.

"Hmph, with such a casual and lax attitude, how could you ever become a powerhouse?"

Ling Xuan sighed helplessly, not expecting the young Yan Di to be such a chuunibyou; it seemed he had cast himself as an opponent that must be defeated.

Following that, the remaining top ten contestants finished their battles one after another.

Thanks to 'Freedom Wind' for the monthly ticket, and thanks to 'Worry-Free Wind' for the monthly ticket.

Thanks to both Young Master Fengs for the monthly tickets.

Continuing to ask for votes, follow-up reads, collections, investments, and comments.