Battle of the Peak

On the plaza, countless young clan members looked up at the massive projection in the sky, their faces filled with shock.

This situation was extremely rare; rumor had it that only when two "Special Grade Elites" met would a real-time projection be triggered, meant to inspire the younger generation and witness a true battle of geniuses.

"That's... that's the mysterious female swordsman! So she really is a Special Grade Elite—no wonder her strength is so formidable!"

"Not just her, but Bai Yuan too—this guy is also a Special Grade Elite!"

"Bai Xingyun is here as well—could he be a Special Grade Elite too?"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, but their eyes never left the image spanning the sky.

Special Grade Elites were already rare once in a century, yet now two had appeared at once, possibly even three—a scene rarer still.

Just as the crowd's emotions surged, the three figures in the projection had already begun fighting.

Yet what astonished everyone was that the female swordsman could single-handedly overpower two peerless geniuses.

"This, how is this possible! I thought Bai Yuan, even if outmatched, could at least put up a fierce fight, but this gap..."

"Even among First Grade Elites, there are differences in strength, and naturally among Special Grades too. This female swordsman's talent likely ranks in the upper-middle tier even among Special Grades."

"It's a pity Bai Yuan's realm is ultimately lower—if he were also at Apprentice Ninth Stage, he might have had a chance to fight."

Amazement, regret, envy... all kinds of emotions churned through the crowd.

Bai Yuan's friend Bai Guanren felt especially conflicted.

If Bai Yuan had been willing to use his second uncle's resources to boost his strength to Apprentice Ninth Stage, perhaps today's outcome would have been different.

But he also knew that if he had done that, Bai Yuan wouldn't be the Bai Yuan he knew.

In the Blade Tomb World, Bai Yuan and Bai Xingyun were brimming with battle intent.

Suddenly, Bai Xingyun stepped forward and spoke to Bai Yuan: "You attacked first just now—this time, I'll go first!"

Before his words faded, light and shadow flowed around him, and a strangely shaped telekinetic weapon materialized.

"A telekinetic weapon—don't tell me you've also trained as a spiritualist?" Bai Yuan asked curiously.

Bai Xingyun smiled and answered honestly: "No, I'm a spiritualist by nature; martial artist is just my secondary path!"

Thirty-three flying blades shot out in response, silver patterns on their edges shimmering like rippling water, circling around him like living silver rings.

"Zone One, Bai Xingyun, age twelve, comprehended Water Moon Concept, attack amplitude 4.5 times, blade technique combining hardness and softness, amplitude level 33, awarded Special Grade Elite."

As the intelligent lifeform's voice rang out, the cosmic-level powerhouses watching were all stunned.

In a single competition, three Special Grade Elites had appeared at once!

The last time such a spectacle occurred was 790,000 years ago.

Many of the cosmic-level beings present hadn't even been born yet.

"Brain domain width thirty-seven... This child's true talent lies in being a spiritualist!"

"I never expected our clan's fortune in this generation to be so abundant—three Special Grade Elites, perhaps three Domain Lords in the future. With enough luck... one of them might even become a Realm Lord!"

To have a brain domain width of thirty-seven at the Apprentice level was undoubtedly the pinnacle of talent for the spiritualist path.

Aside from Bai Xingyun, none of the other spiritualist participants in this competition had reached even thirty.

Most were around eighteen, the slightly more talented ones just over twenty, and the strongest barely reached twenty-eight.

And that was the highest talent among this competition's spiritualists, aside from Bai Xingyun—the next best was only twenty-five.

Among the group of spiritualists who had previously surrounded Bai Yuan, two had brain domain widths of twenty-five.

If not for that, Bai Yuan's battle wouldn't have been so difficult.

"Go!"

Bai Xingyun roared, and the thirty-three blades shot out like a rain of flowers enveloping Bai Luoyan.

Bai Luoyan's expression also turned unusually serious.

These thirty-three blades were like thirty-three experts, perfectly coordinated, echoing each other, swift as lightning—enough to pose a real threat to her.

"Gentle Breeze!"

Sword light flashed like a sudden breeze, light and precise, deflecting the incoming blades one by one.

Yet under Bai Xingyun's telekinetic control, the deflected blades spun in midair, instantly reforming their formation and charging at her again!

For a moment, the two were locked in a deadlock.

Bai Luoyan wanted to close in for a quick victory, but the thirty-three flying blades clung to her like shadows, blocking at every turn, and Bai Xingyun himself was no pushover—definitely not an easy opponent.

"Good! Pressure brings breakthroughs!"

Bai Luoyan's eyes blazed with light, her sword strikes growing faster and faster, her movement technique pushed to the limit.

The battlefield was filled with chaotic afterimages and crisscrossing sword light, as if several of her were swinging swords at once.

The crowd watching from the plaza couldn't help but gasp.

When Bai Luoyan had fought them earlier, she had clearly been holding back.

But now, facing Bai Xingyun, she was finally going all out.

Bai Yuan, who had been watching from the sidelines, now let out a light laugh: "They're really going at it. If I wait until both are worn down and then make my move, wouldn't I be able to take them both down in one go?"

The moment his words fell, they were broadcast to the outside world through the projection.

"This Bai Yuan is truly shameless! He actually wants to take advantage of their weakened state!"

"Though his approach doesn't break the rules, as a special-grade elite, if he doesn't even have the courage to fight head-on, he probably won't amount to much in the future."

"Heh, and I held him in such high regard before. I really misjudged him."

Among the crowd, none was more pleased than Bai Kashan.

The harsher the insults from others, the more elated he felt inside.

"Bai Yuan, you said I wasn't good enough? And yet you've been hiding your true self just as deeply. Today, you've finally shown your real face!"

Even those who hadn't joined in the mockery wore expressions tinged with varying degrees of contempt.

Only Bai Guanren remained silent, still trusting Bai Yuan, but knowing that any defense now would be useless.

What the truth was would ultimately depend on what Bai Yuan did next.

It wasn't just the younger generation buzzing with discussion; even some cosmic-level experts had a flicker of disappointment in their eyes.

But in the next second, Bai Yuan changed his tone and said with a smile:

"However, that would be far too dull. Fighting against true geniuses is itself a thrilling experience!"

"You two! Save a spot for me!"

Before his words had even faded, Bai Yuan struck without warning.

This time, he held nothing back. The Sharp Metal Eleventh Layer Slash erupted with full force, his entire form transforming into a golden meteor that tore across the battlefield!

He pushed the Sharp Metal Concept to its absolute limit, golden light dazzling, the blade's edge splitting the sky.

Though Bai Luoyan had comprehended three concepts, in terms of mastery over any single one, she could not compare to Bai Yuan's current level of the Sharp Metal Concept!

In an instant, the entire venue fell silent. Everyone was stunned, jaws nearly dropping to the floor.

It was only natural for Bai Luoyan to hide her strength, because no one had ever been worthy of her going all out, even when surrounded.

Bai Xingyun hiding his strength was also understandable—his attackers had fled too quickly, never giving him a chance to unleash his full power.

But what about Bai Yuan?

He had been besieged by twenty-six people, fighting a grueling battle, and yet he still had strength in reserve!