"Choose your opponent: a warrior, a Mental Master Controller, or a Mental Illusionist. Choose one. Defeat your opponent to pass the first level of the Heavenly Bridge." Ahead, a huge mass of clouds churned as a cold voice rang out.
According to the rules, he had to defeat his opponent before the clouds would disperse and he could continue forward.
"I choose... a warrior," Qin Ming said calmly. He followed the path of a warrior, so there was no need to consider anything else.
A mass of black liquid immediately flew out of the clouds. It quickly condensed in midair, taking the form of a mysterious figure wearing a black mask. The figure carried a War Blade on his back, his aura sharp and focused as he stared coldly at Qin Ming.
"Choose your weapon," the man in black said indifferently.
"Quite the cold type." Qin Ming casually picked a one-handed sword.
"Come on."
"Hmph!" The man in black gave a cold snort and moved in a flash!
The bridge shook beneath his feet as he charged at Qin Ming like a bolt of black lightning, drawing the blade from his back at the same time. A fierce crisscross of blade lights slashed toward Qin Ming!
And yet...
A flash of sword light.
Pfft!
Qin Ming merely raised his hand as if at ease and thrust his sword. Yet the tip passed with uncanny precision through a gap in the crisscrossing blade lights, plunging straight into the man in black's throat.
"How could..." The man in black's eyes widened in disbelief.
Before he could finish, his figure turned into black liquid and flowed back into the white mist.
The first level, cleared.
Clean and decisive, without a hint of suspense.
At the second level, an opponent appeared. Again, Qin Ming defeated him in a single move.
The third level. Still one move.
Qin Ming didn't slow his stride at all, as if he were strolling through his own backyard.
His opponents grew stronger with each level. Their blade techniques became more refined, their movements more unpredictable. But against Qin Ming, they were all as flimsy as paper.
Fourth level, instant kill.
Fifth level, instant kill.
Sixth level, instant kill.
At the seventh level of the Heavenly Bridge, the clouds gathered once again.
By the time Qin Ming appeared on the seventh-level bridge, hundreds of geniuses who had hurried over after hearing the news had gathered in the island plaza.
They stared fixedly at the path of light representing the Heavenly Ruins Bridge. The point of light marking Qin Ming's position was leaping upward from the first level at a speed that left them dumbstruck, without the slightest pause.
First level... second level... third level...
Each time the point advanced a level, a wave of barely suppressed gasps swept across the plaza.
When it smashed through the sixth level and settled firmly on the seventh, the entire plaza fell silent.
Everyone held their breath, staring at the point of light.
The seventh level!
Qin Ming had already fought his way to the seventh level! And he had... instantly killed his opponents on every level!
His strength had completely surpassed their understanding of what a "Star Level" cultivator could be. It had even surpassed their imagination of what a "genius" could be.
Could the seventh level stop him?
Or would he... keep killing his opponents in a single move?
The shock outside had nothing to do with Qin Ming.
The seventh level.
His opponent was a man in black wielding a long sword. His swordsmanship was fierce, and unlike the opponents from the first six levels, he couldn't be instantly defeated by Qin Ming with a casual strike.
Qin Ming exchanged dozens of moves with him. Sword lights clashed, and ripples of law energy shook the bridge.
In the end, Qin Ming found an opening and swept his sword across, defeating his opponent.
The eighth level.
The opponent was stronger still. His swordsmanship had reached a high level, and he wielded the laws with greater proficiency.
Qin Ming fought him for hundreds of moves before barely managing to defeat him.
The geniuses watching let out wave after wave of gasps, while secretly breathing a sigh of relief. At least Qin Ming wasn't killing everyone in one move. It seemed he had finally met a real challenge.
The ninth level.
His opponent's strength reached a new height. After a long and fierce battle, Qin Ming ultimately suffered a "narrow defeat," driven back by a single sword strike before his figure vanished from the Heavenly Bridge.
The island plaza erupted in an uproar.
"Whew! Finally, finally! I thought he was going to clear the ninth level, too."
"The ninth level! He stopped at the ninth!"
"Too strong! How many years has he been in Chaos City? He actually reached the ninth level! In our batch, most of us haven't even cleared the first level!"
"Even if he lost at the ninth level, this result is already unbelievable!"
"As expected of the monster ranked first overall..."
Praise, shock, and awe filled the air.
Only Qin Ming knew that his "hard-fought battles" and "narrow defeat" from the seventh through ninth levels were all deliberate.
With his true Law Comprehension and combat strength, he could still have instantly defeated his opponents starting from the seventh level.
He was even confident he could keep going until he reached a level far beyond his current realm.
But there was no need.
A tree that stood out in the forest would be battered by the wind. He had already shown enough brilliance in the Genius Tournament to attract the attention of the Chaos City Lord.
In Chaos City, it was enough to reveal his abilities in moderation. There was no need to expose all his trump cards and potential at once. His progress in fusing laws, in particular, was far beyond what outsiders could see.
Keeping his true abilities hidden would make his path safer and longer.
"Stopping at the ninth level is a pretty good result." Qin Ming's figure reappeared in the plaza. His expression remained calm, as if the "hard-fought battle" had taken little out of him.
He glanced at Guardian Bafen, the guardian of the Tongtian Bridge Plane, and gave a slight nod before preparing to leave.
The geniuses around him cast complicated looks his way. Some were admiring, others jealous, and still others deeply aware of how far they fell short.
Qin Ming paid them no mind. With a thought, his figure vanished from the Tongtian Bridge Plane.
He knew that this result was enough to draw attention, but not so startling as to be unbelievable. It was just right.
News of Qin Ming stopping at the ninth level of the Heavenly Bridge swept through Chaos City like a hurricane in an incredibly short time. It soon spread through the Virtual Universe to all the secret realms of the Virtual Universe Company, even reaching many geniuses from earlier generations.
From the End-of-the-World Secret Realm to the Heaven and Earth District, the Primordial Beginning District, and the Primal District... Nearly every genius following the news, whether a newcomer or an "old hand" who had cultivated for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, was so shaken they couldn't speak for a long while.
"The... ninth level? How long has he even been in Chaos City?"
"We've been cultivating hard for thousands of years and are still stuck at the sixth or seventh level. And he's already fought his way to the ninth?"
"How can the gap... be so huge?"
Originally, some of the geniuses who thought highly of themselves, especially the "old hands" in the Primordial Secret Realm and Primal Secret Realm, had their doubts.
Though they admitted that Qin Ming was highly talented, they weren't entirely convinced. They thought he had merely gotten lucky and possessed slightly better comprehension. Sure, he might become very powerful in the future, but right now, they were still stronger than him.
But Qin Ming's result on the Heavenly Bridge this time was like a basin of icy water dumped over their heads. Its bone-chilling cold instantly extinguished all their unrealistic fantasies and wishful thinking.
This wasn't merely being ahead. It was a crushing gap, plain and simple!
A huge difference so despairing that it seemed to separate them into entirely different dimensions of life!
The "old hands" at Universe Level in the Primal Secret Realm, in particular, felt an unprecedented pressure and chill.
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