Chapter 116: The Other Clone's Trump Card—Illusionary Martial Artist Style (Second Update)

In a certain trial space.

Within the first level of the seventh trial tower, there stretched a vast, boundless grassland.

Ten thousand ferocious beasts, known as "Blood-Haired Mammoths," possessed no intelligence, yet their strength was by no means weak. Each one was comparable to a genius ranked within the top one hundred in the entire universe. Every casual attack they unleashed contained the power of profound origin laws. For any genius, being besieged by ten thousand such beasts was an absolute nightmare.

"My space law comprehension is not as strong as Bolan's. I have only practiced the 'Ten Thousand Illusionary Bodies' technique—which I obtained from Thirteen—to the 'Hundred Illusionary Bodies' level..."

Inside the trial tower, the "Uchiha Shisui" clone gripped his short blade, the essentials of the "Ten Thousand Illusionary Bodies" movement technique flashing through his mind.

First level: One Illusionary Body.
Second level: Ten Illusionary Bodies.
Third level: Hundred Illusionary Bodies.
Fourth level: Thousand Illusionary Bodies.
Fifth level: Ten Thousand Illusionary Bodies.
And the legendary sixth level, "Teleportation," which no one had ever successfully mastered.

This technique was very similar to the "Ten Thousand Threads Flow" of the spiritual master path; it was almost cut from the same cloth, though it was better suited for a martial artist's combat style, focusing more on small-scale maneuvering and shifting. Jiang Chen’s comprehension of the space law only allowed him to reach the "Hundred Illusionary Bodies" level, enabling him to manifest hundreds of illusions to engage his enemies. Compared to Bolan, who could instantaneously manifest over a thousand, he was far behind.

"If I used laws other than fire and space, even if I only combined them with a lower-level law, I could easily clear this level. However, using only fire and space laws, this clone of mine is not as powerful as Bolan. I can kill some of the beasts, but certainly not as many as he can."

"Still... I have planned this clone as an 'Illusion Martial Artist.' In previous matches, I only displayed my martial prowess; I haven't used my 'illusion' capabilities yet."

"Now, in this seventh trial tower, there is no need to hide anymore."

The clone, appearing as Uchiha Shisui, drew his short blade from his back. Facing the herd of beasts charging toward him, he transformed into a streak of light and surged forward instantly.

—

"Heavens! The number of illusions this guy has is just too many!"

"Over five hundred illusions. Although not as many as Bolan's, it’s still terrifying."

"But compared to Bolan, he’s still a bit lacking in the end."

On the square, the geniuses watched the combat footage on the massive screen and broke into heated discussion. In this year's genius tournament, regarding the "space law" alone, only a few dozen could manifest "illusionary bodies," even if it was just one. Besides Bolan and Uchiha Shisui, the most any other genius had displayed in previous rounds was Rong Jun, who could manifest a dozen. Compared to Uchiha Shisui's five hundred and Bolan's over a thousand, they were simply not in the same order of magnitude.

Based on the scale of these illusions alone, the two had left all other geniuses far behind. Even Bolan, seeing Uchiha Shisui’s performance, wore a solemn expression, recognizing a formidable opponent.

The number of illusions was not the only factor in victory. Bolan’s strength in the space law was greater, but the strength Uchiha Shisui displayed was already enough to threaten him. Bolan widened his eyes, observing carefully, hoping to gather more intelligence on his opponent to better prepare for the potential arena battles ahead.

On the screen, over five hundred "Uchiha Shisui" figures charged into the beast herd. Most were merely illusions meant to interfere with judgment, possessing no physical form. However, the power of space law illusions lay in the ability to use special techniques within a certain range to instantaneously swap positions between the original body and the illusions. This granted him astonishing flexibility and speed during close-quarters maneuvering.

Fast!

On the screen, the speed at which Uchiha Shisui changed positions was so fast that most geniuses couldn't even keep up with their eyes. His original body constantly swapped places with his illusions, appearing at the weakest points of the herd before slashing out.

His blade was covered in a thin layer of fire, compressed to the limit, possessing terrifying destructive power. The hides of the beasts, which were as strong as those of geniuses ranked in the top hundred of the universe, were no different from paper under this horrific attack, pierced through by a single strike. The fire energy surged into the beasts' bodies through the wounds torn by the blade tip, erupting instantly to roast their insides until they were completely carbonized.

One strike, one kill. Not a single beast could withstand a second blow from Uchiha Shisui! The ten thousand "Blood-Haired Mammoths" were dwindling at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Suddenly, a genius noticed something amiss and exclaimed, "Have you noticed that whenever those beasts get close to Uchiha Shisui, their speed drops significantly and their consciousness falls into a daze? That’s why they don't defend at all and just let him slaughter them!"

The geniuses hurriedly widened their eyes, focusing on the screen.

On the screen, Uchiha Shisui swapped positions with an illusion, appearing beside three Blood-Haired Mammoths. A very subtle red glow flashed on the edge of his blade, reflected in the eyes of the three beasts. In the next instant, a glimmer of confusion flashed in the eyes of the three beasts that were about to attack him, and their charge momentum immediately stalled.

*Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!*

Within an incredibly short time, Uchiha Shisui swung his blade three times in succession, killing the three beasts.

In the sky, the immortal beings were conversing among themselves.

"A very good illusion technique. By the standards of little star-level fellows, it can certainly be called terrifying."

"Hiding illusions within sword techniques, using vision to trigger the illusionary realm. As long as the enemy sees his blade light, they are attacked by the illusion. Even if they don't fall into it, as long as their attention is distracted or they lose focus for even a split second, it is fatal in close-quarters combat."

"I didn't expect that in this year's genius tournament, not only would we see a 'technological' genius, which might not appear once in tens of thousands of epochs, but also an incredibly rare 'illusion martial artist'."

"Indeed, those with talent in general illusion usually follow the 'illusionist' path. Those who follow the 'illusion martial artist' path are very rare. It requires extremely high talent in both martial arts and illusion."

The immortals, with their keen eyes, saw through Uchiha Shisui's methods at a glance.

"Thirteen, your Ganwu Universe Kingdom is truly lucky this year. That little fellow following the technological path is already destined for first place. And this 'Uchiha Shisui' also has the potential to compete with Bolan for second. Rong Jun, and this newly emerged Luo Feng, all have the potential to challenge for the top twenty, or even the top ten."

"Indeed, this year's genius tournament has brought great prestige to your Ganwu Universe Kingdom!"

"And Thirteen won the bet on who would take first place."

"Thirteen, you must treat everyone to a drink!"

The immortals teased Thirteen one after another. Thirteen was in an excellent mood. Jiang Chen's "cheat-like" methods had already secured him first place. Now, Uchiha Shisui’s sudden outburst showed the potential to compete with Bolan for second, coupled with Rong Jun and Luo Feng. Perhaps this year, the Ganwu Universe Kingdom could sweep the top two spots and hold four places in the top ten!

For one universe kingdom to hold four spots in the top ten was something that hadn't happened in countless years. The last time there was such a heaven-defying performance, the Barbaric Universe Kingdom's "Man-Ka Star people" and "Desolate God race" had two monstrous geniuses appear in the same young generation, occupying two spots in the top ten. But that was at least a hundred million years ago.

Thirteen could not be sure if the Ganwu Universe Kingdom had broken the human race's historical record, but at least since he became an immortal, no universe kingdom had ever occupied four spots in the top ten. Even if it was just a possibility, it was enough to make Thirteen feel incredibly excited.

"Treating you to a drink is no problem, but it will have to wait until after the tournament. Let's not interfere with the important business of the lords!" Thirteen laughed while transmitting his voice to the other immortals, his joy and excitement impossible to hide.

Just as they were talking, the battle in the trial space ended. Uchiha Shisui successfully cleared the first four levels of the seventh trial tower but was defeated and eliminated on the fifth level by the "Machine Race puppets," which had no souls and were immune to illusions, ultimately ranking second.

Bolan’s ranking fell by one, dropping to third. Luo Feng was also eliminated in the sixth trial tower, ranking fifth overall.

The first round of the universe finals had ended!

Back at Building 0825, the one thousand geniuses from the Ganwu Universe Kingdom gathered.

"This year, our Ganwu Universe Kingdom has performed very well!" Thirteen was in a great mood and offered rare praise. "Besides Jiang Chen, Uchiha Shisui, Luo Feng, and Rong Jun, who are in the top hundred and have directly qualified, three other geniuses have ranked in the top 7,300 and are eligible to participate in the arena battles to fight for the remaining 900 spots. Although the hope is slim, it is an opportunity, so you must give it your all and strive for that sliver of possibility."

"As for the other 993 of you, your genius tournament ends here."

The earlier words had made many geniuses excited, but this final sentence caused the mood of many to sink.

"The 993 who were eliminated, some already belong to the Ganwu Secret Realm. Others are not members, but you will all receive the qualification to join the Ganwu Secret Realm. While it cannot compare to the core geniuses of the Virtual Universe Company, it is the top-tier training treatment within the universe kingdom, so it can be considered an opportunity for you."

Thirteen spoke for a moment before changing the subject. "You can return to reality immediately, or wait a while; the virtual universe system will send you back to the universe kingdom continent. Jiang Chen, Uchiha Shisui, the seven of you, come with me."

After saying this, Thirteen walked toward a side passage, and Jiang Chen and the others followed quickly. After they left, the atmosphere in the hall became oppressive. Those who failed to pass the tournament and were destined for the Ganwu Secret Realm either exited the virtual universe to return to reality or went to the restaurants and bars in the square, hoping to linger a little longer.

From this moment on, the one thousand geniuses who stood out in the Ganwu Universe Kingdom qualifiers had parted ways, walking down two vastly different paths. Some joined the core secret realms of the Virtual Universe Company to obtain the best resources, while most joined the Ganwu Secret Realm, where the guidance, resources, and training opportunities were considerably inferior. However, the secret realms within each universe kingdom had a larger number and scale of geniuses, and occasionally, some would emerge to surpass the core geniuses of the five great giants. No one could be sure what the future held for these geniuses.

—

As the first round of the finals concluded, various universe kingdoms became lively. Especially in smaller universe kingdoms, it might take countless years for a genius to even enter the top one thousand in the universe, so for one to emerge was a sensation throughout the kingdom. In the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, the fact that two geniuses, Jiang Chen and Luo Feng, had passed the first round and secured spots among the top 100 caused the entire empire to boil over.

(Note: The personal information for Uchiha Shisui's clone was not registered in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, but on "Qiongyu Star," which is directly under the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, as mentioned earlier.)

However, in the main venue of the genius tournament, inside a conference room in Building 0825, the scaled giant "Thirteen" was lecturing Jiang Chen and the others.

"Your performance in the first round was very good! However, if you think the subsequent ranking battles will be stable, then you are greatly mistaken!"

"The trial space in the first round, in terms of rules and setup, was the most favorable for 'Spiritual Master Controllers' among the three mainstream professions! Even your 'technological' path, Jiang Chen, did not gain much advantage!"

"And for illusionists, it was very unfavorable!"

"For example, that genius 'Galaxie' of the Hao God race—our many immortals unanimously agreed that he had top-ten strength. Yet in the first round, he barely made it into the top two hundred!"

"Remember, in the following arena battles, you cannot be careless against any opponent. You must give it your all!"

"Although entering the top one thousand grants you the status of a 'core genius,' your ranking determines the treatment and resources you receive! Our many immortals unanimously agree that Jiang Chen will definitely enter the 'Primal Secret Realm.' Uchiha Shisui, you also have a sliver of a chance. As for Luo Feng and Rong Jun, although you have no chance for the 'Primal Secret Realm,' you must strive to improve your rankings and aim for the 'Absolute Beginning Secret Realm'! And the rest of you, your strength is relatively weaker and the possibility of being eliminated later is high, but even if there is a sliver of hope to break into the top one thousand, you must fight for it with all your might! Even the worst 'Endless Secret Realm' is a hundred times better than the 'Ganwu Secret Realm'!"

Thirteen spoke at length, then glanced at Jiang Chen and the Uchiha Shisui clone, suddenly stopping. He said, "Alright, go and rest well, and conserve your energy. Perform well in tomorrow's arena battles."