Before long, Cao Benqi's face had swollen up like a pig's head.
"Go on, kill me if you've got the guts!" Cao Benqi was so enraged that he roared at the top of his lungs, every word brimming with fury and echoing across the empty arena.
But Ling Xuan acted as if he hadn't heard. Cold light flashed in his eyes as Void power surged around him. He controlled the Void Great Hand Seal, landing one precise slap after another across Cao Benqi's face.
The great hand seal came with a howling rush of wind. Every blow carried Ling Xuan's contempt for Cao Benqi, making Cao Benqi's head jerk violently from side to side.
"Ah! You deserve to die!" Cao Benqi flew into a rage, wildly swinging the great halberd in his hands. Layers of halberd shadows filled the air as he tried to fend off the Void Secret Technique, which seemed to lack power yet left him utterly helpless.
But the Void Great Hand Seal clung to him like a parasite. The Void power it contained was unfathomable; as soon as the great halberd touched it, an invisible force sent it flying. Cao Benqi's palm split open at once, and blood streamed down the shaft.
Before he could recover, the great hand seal came howling back the very next second, carrying the force of thunder. It smacked him squarely in the face and sent him flying sideways another few hundred meters.
Ling Xuan had inherited the Void Great Hand Seal from the Void Ancient Mirror. Its workings were endlessly subtle and profound, and its power could be freely controlled.
It could summon overwhelming force to knock the weapon from Cao Benqi's hands, yet also be controlled with precision, swelling his cheeks without taking his life.
"Kill me! Just kill me!" Cao Benqi had completely lost his mind. He roared over and over, no longer able to speak coherently.
But Ling Xuan seemed to have taken a mischievous delight in it. One Void Great Hand Seal after another rained down on Cao Benqi's face like a downpour, and Ling Xuan showed no intention of stopping or ending his life.
"Yanmo is so mean." On Giant Axe Plaza, Ren Yaoli blinked her bright eyes, her small mouth hanging wide open. It was hard to tell whether she truly thought Ling Xuan's methods were cruel or was simply captivated by the unusual match.
Leng Yanqiu stood beside her, pride in her eyes. Her gaze followed Ling Xuan as he dominated Cao Benqi on the arena, slapping him with abandon, as though the light surrounding him shone on her, too.
Feng Lishuang's expression was frosty. After watching the arena in silence for a moment, she gently shook her head and murmured, "It seems he was holding back in his earlier fights. The gap is just too great."
With that, she turned and found a quiet corner. Sitting cross-legged, she closed her eyes and began to cultivate, as if the commotion around her no longer had anything to do with her.
Elsewhere, Ganwu Kingdom Lord sat upon his towering throne, watching the farce on the arena with an expression caught between amusement and exasperation.
After all, this final showdown would be edited into a highlight video or even broadcast live. Forces of all kinds were watching, including spies from the Alien Race.
Humanity's enemies—the Monster Race, the Zerg Race, and the Machine Race—had long kept their eyes on this once-in-a-billion-years super-genius, newly born among humanity.
But now, this super-genius, who had been entrusted with such high hopes, was being slapped around like a target, utterly unable to fight back.
Every slap across Cao Benqi's face was like a resounding blow to the Yanshen Clan's dignity.
At the thought, Ganwu Kingdom Lord's normally straight back instinctively slumped halfway. He inwardly groaned.
"Zhulong, that brat of yours is far too bold," Ganwu Kingdom Lord couldn't help complaining to Zhulong King beside him, his voice full of helplessness and concern.
"Hahaha!" Zhulong King laughed heartily, seemingly unconcerned. "It's fine. This isn't anything serious. I can handle it."
Ganwu Kingdom Lord rolled his eyes and replied sourly, "My frail shoulders can't withstand Yan Shen Kingdom Lord's wrath."
Zhulong King remained unconcerned. He waved a large hand and laughed. "It's fine. Yan Shen isn't petty. He might even thank Little Xuan for knocking some of the arrogance out of Cao Benqi."
Seeing this, Ganwu Kingdom Lord could only glare helplessly, inwardly cursing Zhulong King as an unreliable old fool.
But he truly couldn't interfere with the Genius Tournament. All he could do was leave it to fate.
On Giant Axe Plaza, an Immortal Expert from the Yanshen Universe Kingdom watched Cao Benqi suffer such humiliation. His face flushed red, then pale; he felt as if the disgrace were his own, and trembled with rage.
He didn't dare—and had no way—to interfere with the arena match inside the Virtual Universe. So he unleashed all his fury on Blood Sword Marquis, roaring at him, "Blood Sword, is this the kind of genius your Ganwu Universe Kingdom produces? Did you give that brat some special instructions beforehand? Are you trying to ruin the greatest genius the Yanshen Universe Kingdom has ever had?"
Blood Sword Marquis wore a bitter expression, unable to explain himself. He could only repeat, "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. This is all a misunderstanding."
But the Immortal Expert from the Yanshen Universe Kingdom was consumed by rage and wouldn't listen. Spittle flew onto Blood Sword Marquis's face as the man continued to shout furiously, "The Kingdom Lord will never let this go!"
Blood Sword Marquis had no choice but to keep placating him, hoping only that he wouldn't cause Ganwu Kingdom Lord any more trouble.
"Ah!!" On the arena, Cao Benqi was furious beyond measure. His hair and beard whipped wildly, and his already rugged face had swollen into a leavened bun, his features twisted into a grotesque grimace.
"I'll kill you!" Cao Benqi's body suddenly swelled. Origin Force surged wildly around him, bubbling through his body like molten lava, as if it were about to burst free.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he fixed Ling Xuan with a look of hatred, as if he meant to devour him alive.
"Ling Xuan, I'll repay you a hundredfold for today's humiliation! We'll meet again, sooner or later!" Cao Benqi roared at the sky, his voice full of desperate madness.
Before his words had even faded, the Origin Force within him began to run wild beyond his control. Space twisted violently around his massive body, and jagged black cracks tore open one after another like gaping maws.
He intended to end this humiliating battle by self-destructing. If he could take Ling Xuan down with him, the match might still have an unexpected outcome.
Rumble—
Cao Benqi used fire and the Space Origin Law to ignite all the Origin Force in his body in an instant, setting off a terrifying explosion.
"You can't beat me today. All you'll ever be able to do is look up at me!" Ling Xuan's lips curled into a mocking smile. His figure flickered like a ghost and vanished into the Void ripples surging all around him.
The terrifying shock wave from Cao Benqi's self-destruction swept across the spot where Ling Xuan had stood like a crimson flood, yet it couldn't touch him in the slightest as he hid deep within the Void.
There were only two ways to hurt Ling Xuan in his current state: first, to use an extremely high level of Law comprehension to see through the Void and drag him out; second, to unleash an attack powerful enough to shake space and force him from his hiding place.
But with Cao Benqi's current Star Level strength, either would be as futile as an ant trying to shake a tree.
The explosion's shock wave continued to rage, and the Virtual Universe System's light suddenly blazed to life.
The light enveloped Ling Xuan and Cao Benqi, and their figures vanished in a flash as they were transported outside.
With that, this Genius Tournament came to an official close.
In the viewing area, a thousand geniuses and Immortal Experts all gazed toward the high platform.
Venerable Beiyan stood in the air and looked down at the crowd, his gaze as sharp as a torch. His voice rang out like a bell as he announced, "First and second."
"Third through tenth."
"Eleventh through one hundredth."
"One hundred and first through one thousandth."
"All four tiers have now been decided. The Cosmic Humans' Peak Genius Selection Battle has ended perfectly today."
Everyone knew that Ling Xuan and Cao Benqi were far stronger than the other geniuses, and that they fully deserved the places in the Giant Axe Secret Realm.
"Of all the generations I've led, yours has been the most dazzling. You've performed exceptionally well!"
Venerable Beiyan spoke loudly, pride and hope in his eyes. "I firmly believe that in a few dozen or a few hundred eras, one of you will become an extraordinary powerhouse whose name shakes the universe!"
After a brief pause, he continued, "In a little while, staff will escort you to the Giant Axe Martial Arena's headquarters in the universe to assemble. Then you'll set out for the Initial Universe.
"From today onward, you'll embark on an extraordinary path to power.
"The Giant Axe Martial Arena will do everything it can to help you grow. But how far you ultimately go—whether you become a super-being renowned throughout the universe, remain an ordinary powerhouse, or tragically perish along the way—will depend entirely on you! Remember, your legends are only just beginning!"
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