Number One on the Genius Ranking

Clear Sky Sect.

Tang Xiao stood before the hall with his hands behind his back, gazing at the golden text upon the Sky Screen, remaining silent for a long time.

Behind him, the elders sat on both sides, the atmosphere so heavy it felt as if it could be wrung out like water.

"Now," Tang Xiao spoke slowly, his voice low and heavy, "Spirit Hall, Heaven Dou, Star Luo, Seven Treasure... Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Shrek Academy, Tianshui Academy, Blazing Fire Academy... all have had people make the list."

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over those present, his eyes filled with exhaustion and confusion.

"Where should my Clear Sky Sect go from here?"

Within the great hall, there was dead silence.

The First Elder sighed: "Sect Master, to be honest... the young ladies cultivated by Brother Cao are all Spirit Douluos or Titled Douluos, and Qian Renxue is even at level ninety-seven. This power is no longer something any single sect can contend with alone."

The Second Elder chimed in: "Indeed. And Brother Cao himself is unfathomable. Slapping Golden Crocodile Douluo away, even Qian Daoliu admitting he is inferior... such strength likely already exceeds the realm of Limit Douluos."

The Fifth Elder gave a bitter smile: "Our Clear Sky Sect has always prided itself on martial strength. But now... we don't even have a single girl on the list. Yuehua, that girl, although outstanding in appearance, is already over twenty-five. Who knows if Brother Cao would even take an interest..."

Tang Xiao waved his hand, cutting him off: "Let us not speak of Yuehua for now. What I am worried about is..."

"Who exactly is at the top of the list?"

Indeed, the second place was already the level ninety-seven Qian Renxue.

What kind of existence must the first place be?

Level ninety-nine? Or... has it already transcended the limits of mortals?

More importantly, could that top-ranked person also be one of Brother Cao's people?

If that were the case...

Then Brother Cao would possess a terrifying force composed of nearly ten Titled Douluos! Added to his own strength that surpassed all limits...

This power was enough to overturn the entire landscape of the continent!

Tang Xiao closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Pass down the order," his voice was weary yet firm, "All disciples of the Clear Sky Sect are to pull back their defensive lines starting today. Do not provoke anyone who has made the list."

"Furthermore," he paused, "find a way to contact Yuehua and have her... prepare herself."

Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Fengzhi stood in the center of the great hall, glowing with vitality.

Ever since his spirit evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, his aura was far more powerful than before, and he looked several years younger.

"Haha, so what if Qian Renxue is level ninety-seven?" He clapped his hands and laughed, "My daughter Rongrong is the only sect heiress on the list! Brother Cao's taste is quite good after all!"

Sword Douluo Chen Xin stroked his beard and smiled: "The Sect Master is right. Now that we have Rongrong in the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Brother Cao will have to show us some respect."

Bone Douluo Gu Rong nodded: "Indeed. And the Sect Master has also consumed the immortal herb, evolving his spirit into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda; ascending to Titled Douluo in the future will be a matter of course. Our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has a bright future ahead!"

Ning Fengzhi laughed heartily, his laughter filled with satisfaction.

A moment later, he looked out the window where the golden Sky Screen still hung high; the information for the top spot had yet to be revealed.

"That top spot... who could it be?"

Across the entire continent, countless factions and countless powerhouses were asking the same question at this moment.

The final moment of the Genius Ranking was about to arrive.

Amidst the anticipation of everyone on the continent.

"BOOM!!!"

An unprecedented light erupted from the center of the Sky Screen!

The light was no longer purely golden, but flowed with seven-colored radiance like a kaleidoscope, staining the entire continent in dreamlike hues!

Within the light, a brand-new image slowly coalesced.

It was an ancient and imposing fortress, and on the lintel, three archaic characters were faintly visible: Ye Family Fortress.

The image slowly pushed forward, passing through layers of courtyards, and finally stopped in an elegant bedchamber.

A breathtakingly beautiful face appeared upon the Sky Screen.

Her water-blue hair cascaded down her back, her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, her eyes like ripples on an autumn lake, her cheeks like fresh lychees, and her nose delicate as if carved from fine jade.

She possessed both the innocence of a young girl and the charm of a mature woman; these two diametrically opposed temperaments blended perfectly within her, creating an extreme contrast.

She stood quietly by the window, looking up at the Sky Screen, her expression as calm as water.

Xiao Cui stared blankly at her young mistress's face on the Sky Screen, stammering:

"M-Mistress... you are in first place?"

Her voice trembled, her eyes filled with incredulous joy!

"I knew it! With the Mistress's peerless beauty, how could she not be on the list! So she was the finale! The top spot! Hahaha!"

Xiao Cui danced with excitement, spinning around three times on the spot.

"Miss, you're amazing!"

She chirped away, completely failing to notice that her mistress's mood did not seem particularly high.

Ye Lingling's expression remained calm; she merely looked up at the Sky Screen, her water-blue eyes revealing neither joy nor anger.

The information for the top spot finally manifested in its entirety on the Sky Screen:

[Genius Ranking, First Place: Ye Lingling.]

[Identity: Heir to the Nine Hearts Begonia family.]

[Strength: Level 99 Titled Douluo.]

[Cultivation Technique: Nine Turns Sacred Heart Art.]

[Rewards: Youth-Preserving Pill, grants eternal youth; Teleportation Talisman ×5, can teleport to any location on the Douluo Continent; Kun-Kun Defensive Array, can cover a radius of one kilometer; Death-Substitution Puppet ×1, can substitute for death once.]

BOOM!!!

The entire continent erupted in a frenzy!

"Level 99 Titled Douluo! My god!"

"The Nine Hearts Begonia family? I never expected it to be the legendary Nine Hearts Begonia martial soul! That is the continent's number one healing martial soul! Her talent is truly terrifying!"

"Bullshit talent! I've figured it out; it's clearly just that Brother Cao has a thing for this type! Look at that appearance, that temperament, tsk tsk..."

"Don't you guys realize? The technique she cultivates isn't the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique!"

"Holy crap, holy crap! It's true! What is this Nine Turns Sacred Heart Art? I've never heard of it!"

"Could it be... she's different from those girls before? Is she completely 'wild'? Has she never been guided by Brother Cao?"

"Hiss! That's even more terrifying, isn't it? She surpassed those cheaters purely through her own talent!"

Countless discussions exploded like a tsunami across every corner of the continent!

Everyone had assumed the top spot would be just like the others—all of them people cultivated by Brother Cao.

After all, from fifteenth place to second, all fourteen young women cultivated the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique and had all received guidance from Brother Cao.

No one expected that this first-place winner would be an outlier!

Her cultivation technique was different, and perhaps... she might have absolutely nothing to do with that Brother Cao at all!

"Level 99! That is already the limit for human soul masters! How old is she? She looks like she's only in her early twenties!"

"A Level 99 Limit Douluo in her early twenties? That's even more outrageous than those who relied on Brother Cao!"

"Could it be... that there really are peerless geniuses in this world who can surpass everyone without needing to cheat?"

To reach Level 99 in one's early twenties based solely on one's own talent—this was absolutely unprecedented and would likely never be seen again.

First place on the Genius Ranking was well-deserved.

Every faction across the continent was now plunged into deep shock and bewilderment.