136: A gathering of geniuses

Zhou Hanyou and the others rose early and arrived at the spectator stands to watch the battles of the various teams.

After a day and night of fierce fighting, the number of people remaining in the Spirit Ascension Platform was now less than one-third of the Early Stage, yet there were still hundreds of people active within it.

Resting at night was the easiest time to be ambushed by enemies; in just one night, over two hundred contestants were forced to leave the Spirit Ascension Platform due to night raids.

Throughout the night, many spectators watched the competition without sleeping, eating and drinking mostly at the spectator stands. The Spirit Pagoda, as the organizer, took this opportunity to "thoughtfully" sell food and supplies to the spectators, making a fortune.

On the Sea and Land Academy side, there were also people remaining in the spectator stands to analyze the combat power of various teams. After all, now that the competition had reached this stage, all the contestants who had secured a spot had officially entered the competition, and the overall quality was on a completely different level than the previous two stages.

When Zhou Hanyou and the others arrived at the spectator stands, they were shocked to see Zhang Zhenpeng with dark circles under his eyes, looking exhausted.

"Dean, you've worked hard." Xian Lin walked over carrying breakfast. Originally, they had intended to stay and watch the competition themselves, but Zhang Zhenpeng insisted they needed to rest and adjust, so he had them return to their temporary residences to recuperate.

"Dean, inside are your favorite deep-fried meatballs and shrimp rolls. Try some." Zhou Tianer said playfully, then moved behind Zhang Zhenpeng to massage his temples.

"Hmm... it was worth it, my pampering of you two..." Zhang Zhenpeng enjoyed the massage, as The Zhou Sisters knew his preferences better than anyone.

"Dean, you watched all night. Were there any contestants worth noting?" Yang Zhanpeng couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, are there any particularly noteworthy contestants?" Song Yuner followed up.

Hearing these Little fellow asking about his observations from the night before, Zhang Zhenpeng's expression turned serious, and he said in a heavy tone: "The quality of the contestants this time is indeed a whole level higher than the previous few sessions."

"Just last night, shortly after you arrived at the destination, two other teams successfully reached the finish line." Zhang Zhenpeng's eyes flickered: "Facing the massive Spirit Beast tide, the methods they adopted were completely different from yours. One team's Breakthrough was built on the sacrifice of other teams—you could say they profited from the others' struggle—and another team used some unknown method to disrupt the Spirit Beast tide's path."

"The leaders of those two teams are the only two Spirit Emperors in this Youth Genius Competition."

Hearing this, everyone felt a sense of oppression. The term Spirit Emperor was an unattainable existence for them right now.

To reach the Spirit Emperor Rank before the age of eighteen—even converting to the average age of the Sea and Land Academy contestants, which was fifteen—meant having a Soul Power Rank of at least forty-five as a Spirit Ancestor.

It is said that ten thousand years ago, among the companions of Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao—that is, the two members of that generation's Shrek Seven Devils known as the Twin Stars of the Outer Academy, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi—were roughly at this Rank before the age of fifteen.

Such talent is truly terrifying...

"Among the other contestants, there are also some who performed quite brilliantly." Zhang Zhenpeng picked up the notebook he had been scribbling in and cast his gaze toward a certain area on the big screen. There, a teenager who looked under fifteen years old but stood over one point nine meters tall appeared—he was much taller than many adults.

"His Spirit is the quite rare Beast Spirit, the Dark Gold Bear. He has astonishing strength and is quite meticulous; many contestants have been tricked by him." Zhang Zhenpeng explained.

What is a Dark Gold Bear? It's a branch of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. No Spirit Master has ever possessed a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear Spirit, possibly because the Spirit is too overbearing for the human body to withstand.

And the Dark Gold Bear is hailed as the strongest among bear-type Spirit Beasts; it possesses almost all the characteristics of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear except for those Dark Gold Dreadclaw. Its strength and defense are super strong; it is absolutely the best meat shield, far more powerful than Yang Zhanpeng's Vajra Bear Spirit.

"And there is that girl you encountered earlier, Zheng Yiran, with the Jade Phosphorescent Serpent Spirit. You know about the Jade Phosphorescent Serpent, right?"

Jade Phosphorescent Serpent? Hearing this term, everyone couldn't help but shiver.

If one spoke of the Jade Phosphorescent Serpent alone, perhaps many would struggle to connect it to a certain legend from the ancient era, but if one added the word "Emperor" after those three characters, the meaning changed instantly.

"Two thousand years ago, a generation of Poison Douluo relied on a set of poison techniques that were unrivaled on the continent, and was famous among Titled Douluo for being the most skilled at group attacks. It is said that the Poison Douluo always acted according to his own whims. While serving as a Guest Elder for the Heaven Dou Empire royal Family, he was also the first high-level consultant and honorary Dean of Shrek Academy, as well as the first Guest Elder of the Tang Sect."

A weak but familiar voice sounded from behind the group, causing Zhou Hanyou and the others to turn their heads quickly.

Shen Guyan's face was as pale as a tissue, leaning on the scabbard of his canglang sword with one hand, his legs trembling as he arrived at the spectator seat.

Behind him was Major General Shen, Shen Yue, with her arms crossed and a face full of spring breezes.

"Tianya, what's wrong with you? What happened last night? Don't scare me!" Upon seeing Shen Guyan's weak appearance, Zhou Hanyou immediately went up to him, supporting him with a face full of heartache.

"I, I'm fine..."

Thinking of last night's encounter, Shen Guyan couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine, and he didn't forget to glance at Shen Yue behind him.

When he woke up early this morning, Shen Yue was sitting by his bed like nothing had happened, combing her long hair, saying she had long since used a Family secret technique to change her own Bloodline.

From now on, she would no longer be his sister, but his woman.

"Was your consumption in the Spirit Ascension Platform yesterday that great?" Xian Lin was stunned; he remembered Shen Guyan was laughing and joking when he left with them, it shouldn't have turned into this state overnight, right?

As someone who had been through it, Zhang Zhenpeng simply scanned Shen Guyan and Shen Yue back and forth, and a bold and shocking guess had already formed in his mind.

"Ahem, Tianya, continue telling us about the Jade Phosphorescent Serpent Spirit." Zhang Zhenpeng coughed lightly into his fist and said.

"The Jade Phosphorescent Serpent is one of the Dragon species and belongs to the rare Spirits. Once cultivated to the Realm of the Jade Phosphor Serpent, it can be said to be the ancestor of all snakes. Relying on the deadly poison brought by the Spirit, the Poison Douluo can instantly lay waste to life within a thousand meters, leaving not a blade of grass. In this World, among poison-attribute Spirit Masters, no one has ever been stronger than a Titled Douluo with the Jade Phosphor Serpent Spirit. Even if it's a Titled Douluo, if they are hit by such a Spirit Master's poison, there is definitely no survival."

Listening to Shen Guyan's explanation, everyone felt a lingering fear, especially Zhou Tianer; she remembered she had seemingly argued with the other party?

"Although Jade Phosphorescent Serpent Spirit Masters are not the strongest at the same Rank, when it comes to large-scale lethality, absolutely no one can compare to their poison." Shen Guyan thought for a moment and reminded them.

"Then this Zheng Yiran is a powerful opponent." Wang Dongqi nodded thoughtfully.

"Besides them, there are a few other opponents I need to remind you to pay attention to." Zhang Zhenpeng flipped through the notebook in his hand and continued to point at the screen: "Look there."

Just as a team rushed out of the bushes, several figures shot out from behind. There were three people in total, each with their own characteristics, and the leader was the easiest to notice.

He was pitch black all over, surrounded by a jet-black air current, making it impossible to see his true appearance. Moreover, he didn't make a single sound, but wherever he passed, the surrounding light seemed to be swallowed by the blackness on his body.

His body flickered, leaving a trail of afterimages behind him; his speed was extremely fast. The two people following the black shadow had different forms and were a step slower in speed. It looked like the black shadow was about to catch up to the team ahead.

A black light suddenly erupted. Zhou Hanyou and the others felt a chill all over their bodies just by watching the big screen—not a coldness felt on the body, but from the depths of the Soul.

What kind of Spirit is this?

The team that was attacked, as the parties involved, naturally felt fear, but before they could even counterattack, their surroundings fell into darkness! Both sides seemed to have been swallowed by that darkness.

And in the next moment, with a few "bang bang" sounds, the Spirit Masters of that team were all sent flying, slamming heavily onto the ground, their bodies sliding backward and dragging out a pool of blood.

The black shadow walked slowly out of the darkness, the black mist on his body slightly faded. Only then did Zhou Hanyou and the others see his appearance.

That was a young man who looked pale, his appearance nothing extraordinary, only a head of gray hair was more eye-catching. His eyes were also gray; the whole person seemed to come from another World.

In his right hand, he held a huge scythe. The scythe handle was three meters long, and the blade was over one point five meters long. There were many dark purple patterns on the blade; just looking at it with the eyes made one feel their gaze being drawn in, as if their entire Soul was being sucked in.

The gray-haired teenager raised the scythe in his hand and walked step by step toward the Spirit Masters who had fallen to the ground.

"Leave a line for others to survive!" A member of the attacked team shouted sternly.

Black light flashed, white light vanished! A team that looked quite powerful was actually killed just like that.

Only then did the two figures following behind reach the gray-haired teenager.

"Captain, it's done!" A teenager gave a thumbs up to the gray-haired teenager.

The gray-haired teenager's expression was very indifferent, without any emotional change, "Let's go."

The entire battle process was completely one-sided, and Zhou Hanyou and the others watched the whole scene, almost holding their breath.

In their eyes, there was shock. And their shock was not only because of the powerful strength displayed by this gray-haired teenager, but also because of the spirit rings on his body.

Yellow. All four spirit rings were yellow; there wasn't even a single thousand-year spirit ring. But even so, the number of his spirit rings was four! A full four!

He probably wasn't even fifteen years old, right? A Fourth Ring Spirit Ancestor under fifteen. Besides terrifying, they couldn't think of any other adjectives; in terms of talent, he could even be compared to those two Spirit Emperors.

Shen Guyan rested his chin on his hand while watching the screen, a trace of doubt rising in his heart. This person is so powerful, why doesn't he even have a thousand-year spirit ring? It's a bit incomprehensible...

However, Shen Guyan had seen that Tool Spirit in the Spirit encyclopedia, and he needed to recall it now.

What was it...

"Dark Demon Scythe." Shen Yue on the side suddenly spoke.

"Ah, yes, yes, that's the Spirit..." Shen Guyan remembered the Spirit after her hint.

"The Dark Demon Scythe is also known as the Reaper's Scythe. The reason it is not a top-tier Spirit is not because it is not powerful enough, but because it is too powerful, to the point where it causes a backlash to the Spirit Master themselves. Normally, it could even be defined as an evil Spirit. And the body of a Spirit Master who possesses this kind of Spirit is actually very fragile. Even at the Fourth Ring Rank, they dare not perform Fusion with a thousand-year level spirit ring."

"But even at the hundred-year level, he is extremely formidable. The Dark Demon Scythe has never met a match among his peers."

So terrifying... Hearing this, everyone was shocked again. It is by no means easy to defeat such an opponent.

Fortunately, they reached the finish line at the fastest speed.

"It's really too strong; I'm afraid we won't have a chance if we face this person one-on-one. Yang Zhanpeng, can you block his attacks?" Song Yuner turned her head with worry and asked Yang Zhanpeng.

Yang Zhanpeng's mouth twitched, and he quickly said: "I should be able to barely manage for a short time. However, the best way to deal with him is to use range-type abilities to suppress him directly. If you encounter him one-on-one, I'm afraid you can only lose. However, this kind of Spirit Master has a weak Physique, and they will be weakened faster if they encounter attribute attacks. Like Zhou Hanyou and the others, there is still a chance... right?"

Zhou Hanyou glanced at him; what is this guy saying? The other person is a Fourth Ring, and he's talking about suppression? Being counter-suppressed is more like it...

"In addition, this person is also worth your extra attention." Zhang Zhenpeng did not continue the topic of the Dark Demon Scythe Spirit Master but pointed to another big screen.

A group of people walked out of the jungle; there were seven of them, clearly a team.

Walking at the very front was a very handsome male student with long blue hair draped behind him. The whole person had an otherworldly temperament, always wearing a gentle smile, giving a feeling that everything was under control.

He was slender with fair skin, blue hair, and blue eyes. Every movement he made felt smooth and natural, as if he were integrated with nature.

Even watching from a distance, one could feel that this person should be the center of the entire team.

However, judging from the spirit rings rising from his feet, this person only had Three Rings.

"This person's individual combat power is probably not as good as Xu Yucheng's, but he is a control system Battle Spirit Master, and there is always a group of people gathered around him. His Mental Energy is particularly powerful, and he is also an extremely rare space-type Spirit Master, elemental attribute. His space-type Spirit Ability control ability is super strong; with someone cooperating, it is very troublesome."

Space-type? Shen Guyan subconsciously thought of Gu Yue.

Elemental Spirit Masters are rare, and the most basic four elements are water, fire, earth, and wind. Light, darkness, and space are known as the top three elements. That is, the strongest among the elemental types. Among them, the space-type is the most mysterious and elusive. Developing in the direction of the control system, just thinking about it makes one feel it's very strong. Moreover, specializing in the space-type, his Spirit Ability must be strong.

It goes without saying how useful space-type abilities are; the combination that Song Yuner and Xian Lin used at the academy was clearly a kind of space-type Spirit Ability.

"That's all for now. These people are very worthy of your attention. As for the others who are hiding their strength, I haven't discovered them yet for the time being." Zhang Zhenpeng spread his hands: "Alright, children, I'm going back to sleep. You don't have anything to do these two days; it's best to take turns sending someone here to record opponent information. As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated..."