The Genius Tournament Begins

Everyone was dumbstruck. He had angrily dismissed Qin Feng as a bottom-ranked disciple and called Qin Peng's cultivation too pathetic to look at?

And he had even declared that he would take first place in the Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament!

That he would surpass Qin Feng and Qin Peng within half a year!

This Qin Hao... what an arrogant boast!

Qin Feng's and Qin Peng's faces instantly turned livid, then filled with fury.

Watching Qin Hao walk away, Qin Feng struggled to contain his rage and roared, "Qin Hao, you're nothing but trash with a grade-one martial soul! How dare you dream of taking first place? You've gone mad with delusions!"

Qin Peng's fury soared to the heavens, as though he had suffered an unbearable humiliation. He wanted to say something, but Qin Hao had already gone far away.

At once, Qin Peng turned to Qin Fang and said viciously, "Qin Fang, if you meet Qin Hao in the Genius Tournament, give him a savage beating! Don't worry. With Qin Feng and me guiding you, you're certain to place in the top three in this Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother Peng!" Qin Fang hurriedly cupped his hands, then glared viciously at Qin Hao's distant back.

He made up his mind. He would cripple Qin Hao in the Genius Tournament!

Meanwhile, Qin Hao had already returned to the Young Master's Residence. He had thought he might learn something from Qin Feng and Qin Peng, even if it was only more information about Myriad Phenomena Hall. But after going there, he had discovered that the two did nothing but show off and offered everyone no real guidance.

Rather than waste his time there, he was better off returning early to cultivate.

I've already mastered the Firmament Phantom Sword, but my cultivation is still at the late sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm.

Qin Hao reflected, After my Martial Soul advanced to grade three, the speed at which I absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy increased severalfold. But the amount of spiritual energy I need for each breakthrough has also become more and more terrifying.

There are only three days left until the Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament. My cultivation is just one step away from the peak of the sixth level!

Time for the final push!

Over these past two months and more, Qin Hao had not neglected his cultivation while practicing his swordsmanship. Several days earlier, he had broken through to the late sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm.

After several days of consolidation, he was already very close to the peak of the sixth level.

Judging by previous Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournaments, however, the Warriors who placed in the top three were generally at the seventh or even eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm!

Qin Hao's cultivation was already considered low by those standards.

Even so, his cultivation speed was already remarkably fast.

After all, Qin Hao had been formally cultivating for less than three months!

At the same time, at the Chen clan in Tianshui City.

As one of Tianshui City's three great lineages, the Chen clan was no weaker than the Qin and Liu clans. Its estate was grand and imposing, looking truly extraordinary.

At that moment, two men, one old and one young, stood inside a room.

They were Chen Family Head Chen Huo, head of the Chen clan, and Chen Yuntian, its young master!

"Tian'er, are you confident about this Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament?"

Chen Huo said gravely, "I don't mean the top three. I mean first place."

"As far as I know, a new reward has been added for first place in this year's Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament: an Azure Origin Fruit! This fruit can cleanse your meridians and marrow and improve your aptitude! If you can win it, it will be an enormous boon to your future cultivation."

"An Azure Origin Fruit?"

Chen Yuntian was startled. To encourage geniuses from every region to participate enthusiastically in the Genius Tournament, Myriad Phenomena Hall occasionally added new rewards to the existing prizes.

And those rewards were often extremely precious, even within Myriad Phenomena Hall!

The Azure Origin Fruit, for example, was something very few people in Myriad Phenomena Hall ever obtained!

Chen Yuntian's eyes burned with eagerness as he said confidently, "Father, first place was my goal all along. Qin Hao, who once posed the greatest threat to me, is now nothing but trash with a grade-one martial soul!"

"Among Tianshui City's younger generation, the only person who can compete with me now is Liu Kuang of the Liu clan. As for Qin Fang of the Qin clan, he couldn't withstand a single blow!"

Hearing this, Chen Huo looked pleased. After a pause, he added, "You mustn't be careless, either. Although you've reached major mastery in the Two-Yi Sword Art and your cultivation has reached the late seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm, our three great lineages aren't the only ones participating in the Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament. There are many smaller factions as well. One or two geniuses might well emerge from among them."

The Two-Yi Sword Art was the Chen clan's guardian martial technique, and its power was immense.

Only a handful of people in the entire Chen clan had attained major mastery in the Two-Yi Sword Art.

And that was without even mentioning that Chen Yuntian's cultivation had already reached the late seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm!

Among Tianshui City's younger generation, such cultivation could be called the highest!

"I understand, Father." Chen Yuntian nodded solemnly.

Chen Huo smiled in satisfaction and said kindly, "Good. Rest well for these final three days, and enter the tournament in your best condition."

Time flew, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, all of Tianshui City bustled with activity, its streets surging with people.

Whether they were native residents of Tianshui City, rogue cultivators from outside the city, or members of smaller factions, they all arrived in Tianshui City early that morning.

This was also the grandest event Tianshui City had seen in years!

The Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament!

As in previous years, this Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament was held at the Martial Arts Arena in the center of Tianshui City.

The Martial Arts Arena was extraordinarily spacious and could accommodate tens of thousands of spectators at once.

At the first light of dawn, the Martial Arts Arena was already a sea of people. Many had secured their seats early and were whispering excitedly among themselves.

Just then, led by Chen Huo, the many elders and disciples of the Chen clan arrived at the Martial Arts Arena.

"Look! It's Chen Yuntian of the Chen clan!"

"Among the seeded contenders in this Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament, Chen Yuntian deserves the top spot! He's also the strongest contender for first place!"

Many Warriors looked at him with admiration.

Several days earlier, people eager for gossip had already drawn up a list of the top three seeded contenders for this year's Genius Tournament.

Chen Yuntian ranked first!

Next came Liu Kuang of the Liu clan and Qin Fang of the Qin clan...

Along with disciples from several other smaller factions.

Back when Qin Hao had been hailed as Tianshui City's greatest genius, Chen Yuntian had ranked second. Moreover, unlike Qin Hao, Chen Yuntian had cultivated since childhood. He had fought several times in his early years, displaying tremendous strength each time.

Chen Yuntian had rarely appeared in public over the past two years, but even so, no one dared underestimate him.

After entering the Martial Arts Arena, Chen Huo and the others found seats in the front row and settled down to wait quietly.

Chen Huo kept glancing outside the Martial Arts Arena from time to time, as though waiting for something.

Before long, led by the Qin clan's Grand Supreme Elder, Qin Yuntian, Qin Gaochi, Qin Fang, and the others also arrived at the Martial Arts Arena.

With their arrival, the entire Martial Arts Arena grew even livelier.

Although Qin Fang had only been cultivating for a short time, everyone knew that Elder Zhang Yuanji of Myriad Phenomena Hall had personally tested his grade-three martial soul. His future potential was limitless.

Everyone in Tianshui City was waiting!

Waiting for the person who would preside over this Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament!

For every Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament, Myriad Phenomena Hall dispatched an envoy to preside over it. The same envoy could not oversee consecutive tournaments in the same city, ensuring that the competition remained fair and impartial.

While everyone waited, Qin Hao, who sat cross-legged in the Qin Young Master's Residence, suddenly shuddered. A powerful aura burst from his body. Then he slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing in them.

"I've broken through to the peak of the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm!"

Qin Hao slowly exhaled and reflected, The Great Dao Spirit-Seizing Art truly lives up to its name as an Elder-Era Cultivation Art. Every minor stage I advance is incredibly difficult, but compared with Warriors at the same level, my strength is far more substantial and powerful!

He stood, his bones immediately letting out a series of crisp cracks. Then Qin Hao picked up the Iron Sword beside him and strode straight outside.

"Myriad Phenomena Genius Tournament, I, Qin Hao, am coming!"

"Liu Ruoxue! Liu! Just you wait. Today, I'll make you regret what you did back then!"