Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

In the Illusory Realm, the cultivators were hiding.

 Suddenly…

 There was light in the sky.

 The faint light fell on everyone like a waterfall. This was the guiding light in the Illusory Realm, which meant… They were about to return to the real world.

 “It's finally over!”

 The geniuses wept with joy.

 It was too painful!

 They had never taken part in such upsetting trials!

Only Heaven knew.

 They spent the last hour in constant fear. They did not know how they managed to survive! They had to keep dodging and running. Once they were discovered…

 They would kill themselves as soon as possible!

 It was mad!

 If not for successfully stopping Lu Ming from gaining more energy in the final hour and saving some face, all the geniuses might have gone crazy.

 “argh… We can finally leave this d.a.m.n place.”

 “d.a.m.n the Illusory Realm!”

 “Whoever comes here is an idiot.”

 “Mom, I want to go home!”

 The geniuses whined.

 At the same time…

 An awe-inspiring voice could be heard.

 “Children!

 “No matter what you have experienced, it's time to break through!

 “Upon returning to reality, the illusory energy that you have acc.u.mulated will become real energy. Use this energy to break through!”

 The voice was very encouraging.

 However…

 With this sentence, all the geniuses who were about to leave halted in their tracks.

 Wait a minute…

 Breakthrough?!

 Although they did not receive much energy, they were super geniuses. Some of them could already break through, and…

 They had received sufficient energy to break through in the last hour!

 At the very least…

 It was sufficient for them.

 However…

 Were they really going to break through?

 They hesitated at that critical moment!

 “If I break through now, does it mean that at the four-star stage, we will be in the same stage as Lu Ming…”

 One person suddenly spoke up.

 Shus.h.!.+

 The whole world was silent.

 Oh.

 If they were at the four-star stage, which was the same level as Lu Ming…

 Did it mean that in the future they would have to compete in all these activities with Lu Ming??? This applied for the five-star and six-star stages in the future as well?!

 They felt a chill inside their hearts.

 It was terrifying just to think of it!

 To h.e.l.l with it!

 Why was it like that?!

 This was the Illusory Realm and it did not matter if they died or not. But in the real world, if they were in a fight, they would have no chance of survival!

 That would be a real life or death situation!

 Therefore… They were afraid!

 They felt fear from the bottom of their hearts!

 They had read a lot of history books, and they knew that if there was a certain unparalleled genius that rose like the sun, devouring all the sunlight…

 The stars surrounding the sun… the brighter they were, the more miserable they would be!

 They would become stepping stones and disappear in history…

 No one would know them!

 “I don't want to break through,” someone suddenly said.

 He would rather wait for two more years. He had no wish to be dominated by Lu Ming.

 “I don't want to break through,” another man said.

 Why must they be compared with Lu Ming?

 Zhao Yunshan could not understand.

 He was an unparalleled talent.

 Or an unparalleled demon.

 It was normal for this type of person to be unlike ordinary people. Why must they compare themselves to him?

 Look at him.

 He never compared himself with Lu Ming. So what if he was strong? It was alright as long as they were powerful as well! What was the point in comparing themselves with Lu Ming?

 “Aren't you afraid?”

 Ye Liang looked toward Zhao Yunshan.

 These people…

 They were geniuses since childhood and had garnered much attention. If there came a day where they were beaten until they could not take care of themselves and they were told that they were merely a.s.sistants for others…

 They would be a.s.sistants all their lives…

 They would be playing a small role all their lives!

 Therefore…

 This was why they were panic-stricken.

 Ye Liang was no exception and he was hesitating. However, he did not expect Old Zhao woutold have such a good att.i.tude.

 “I am not afraid!”

 Zhao Yunshan did not hesitate at all.

 “Haha!

 “Good job!

 “In that case, I am with you!”

 Ye Liang suddenly felt a sense of heroism.

 Yes.

 Since Zhao Yunshan was not afraid, why should he be?!

 So what if he was cannon fodder or played a small role? So what if he met him in the legacy? Ye Liang would not concede defeat!

 Although he was not as talented, he had money!

 Lu Ming.

 Just wait…

 There would be a day where Zhao Yunshan and I will catch up with you!

 Zhao Yunshan cast him an odd glance.

 Why should he join him?

 Lu Ming was his master, he was not fearful…

 Even if they partic.i.p.ated in the legacy together, Lu Ming would take care of him. He was naturally not worried at all. Where did Ye Liang's inexplicable courage come from?

 Cough.

 Forget it.

 Let's not think about this.

 Shus.h.!.+

 Shus.h.!.+

 Lights and shadows descended upon them like a waterfall.

 The talents crowded around. Those who had gone in hiding came out quietly… After all, it was scary if Lu Ming was with them…

 “I won't concede defeat.

 “But… I don't want to compete with Lu Ming, therefore… I want to re-cultivate!”

 One of them said in a low voice.

 All along, he felt that his cultivation was flawed, but he did not care. Now that he thought about it, perhaps it was due to these flaws that he was not as powerful at the three-star level!

 He was a peak three-star now. When his potential was unleashed, he could rival a peak four-star!

 However…

 It was far from enough!

 He could tell that a real genius should be like Lu Ming!

 A four-star?

 It was nothing to beat a four-star!

 A peak three-star should be able to fight a five-star!

 Therefore…

 He felt that he was not qualified to be a peak three-star. He had to re-cultivate to walk the path that he had taken before and to gain a new understanding…

 After that, he would then be qualified to become stronger!

 Hence…

 He had a new understanding upon seeing the waterfall in front of him.

 “Goodbye!”

 He took a step forward steadily.

 Bang!

Bang!

The energy in his body suddenly dissipated.

 He had dissipated all the energy and began his cultivation from the one-star level, enhancing his foundation with the help of the illusory powers!

 Shus.h.!.+

 He stepped into the lights.

Buzz—

 His figure vanished.

 Eh?

 Everyone took a glance and their eyes lit up.

 Yes.

 Since they did not have a strong foundation as a peak three-star, they should enhance it! They saw for themselves how powerful Lu Ming was and knew that he was a true genius…

 Peak three-star!

 Hence…

 Another group of people decided to re-cultivate!

 Shus.h.!.+

 Shus.h.!.+

 They stepped into the lights.

 “Old Zhao, aren't you tempted?”

 Ye Liang asked.

 “I am re-cultivating now.”

 Zhao Yunshan looked indifferent.

 Re-cultivate…

 He had already re-cultivated from five-star Swordsman. There was no need for him to be tempted!

 “You're right.”

 Ye Liang was speechless.

 Yes.

 Zhao Yunshan used to be a five-star Swordsman. Perhaps this was why he was so calm?

 Ha!

 When one was cultivating, apart from one's energy level, one had to have the correct att.i.tude! If they re-cultivated whenever they met a genius, their re-cultivation process would be endless!

 Look at Zhao Yunshan!

 He was neither supercilious nor obsequious.

 Although he used to be a five-star Swordsman, he did not feel upset that he was beaten by Lu Ming.

 This was a real cultivator!

 He should learn from him!

 “Alright.

 “Haha, let's face it with courage!”

 Ye Liang laughed loudly.

 Shus.h.!.+

 He stepped forward first.

 “What are we facing?”

 Zhao Yunshan scratched his head. He had the feeling that this child was out of his mind.

 Forget it.

 He could not be bothered anymore.

 The illusory world was no longer stable. He had to leave.

 Hence…

 Shus.h.!.+

 Zhao Yunshan left as well…

 Buzz—

 Everyone entered the lights and the waterfall began to shrink in size.

 Shus.h.!.+

 Everyone was hung upside down.

 The illusory world closed right then.

 At this very moment…

 Outside the Illusory Realm.

 The vice president of the Energy Warriors a.s.sociation and some management who did not go into retreat or ventured out waited outside for the Energy Warriors.

 “Another batch of geniuses has come out.”

 “Yes, they have broken through to four-star. They are now real cultivators.”

 “We are progressing.”

The higher-ups were filled with emotions.

 It had been a long time since they partic.i.p.ated in the Illusory Realm…

 Beside them…

 The vice president was expressionless.

 His only hope was that the Illusory Realm would end peacefully!!! Lu Ming had destroyed the entire Illusory Realm. Hopefully…

 The ending would be smooth?

 After all…

 There was no one to compete with him.

 He had taken a look at what happened in the last one hour.

 This group was full of people who could not be considered as stupid. They knew to avoid Lu Ming and to form fifteen small groups and to attack each other. They managed to gain some energy in the last one hour. Although it was insignificant, it was sufficient for them to break through. To them…

It was sufficient!

 As for Zhao Yunshan…

 Forget it.

 He could not be bothered to intervene after seeing what the juniors were doing in the Illusory Realm. The Zhao family had been one of the biggest sponsors of the Energy Warriors a.s.sociation.

 Zhao Yunshan did not go overboard and was content with idling around.

 Besides…

 Given Lu Ming's abilities, with or without Zhao Yunshan, it did not make any difference. At the thought of this, the vice president could not be bothered anymore.

 His only hope was that it would end well!

 Bang!

A void appeared in the lights.

 A stream of light enveloped the surroundings!

 Thirty one figures appeared in the lights.

 Afterward…

 Bang!

The illusory energy exploded.

 The breakthrough had begun!

 Buzz—

 Buzz—

 Powerful illusory energy began to surge. The thirty one figures gradually materialized. The cultivators' abilities were enhanced and they broke through to a four-star!

 “I wonder how long these children will be able to stand it?”

 “Haha, I remember the more energy one acc.u.mulates, the longer the breakthrough will last.”

 “Exactly.”

 “I hope their average times can break the record.”

 The higher-ups were satisfied.

 The entire cultivation industry was expanding rapidly.

 Therefore…

 This meant that future talents would be stronger. They had broken various records and the best average time was that of the previous batch of cultivator!

 This current batch…

 Would be stronger?

 This was what they thought.

 However…

 At this moment.

 Shus.h.!.+

 The lights receded.

 The condensed stream of lights had ended!

 “Huh?”

 The higher-ups were confused.

 It ended?

 How could that be possible?!

 According to the previous years, one needed two minutes to break through to four-star… A few seconds barely pa.s.sed. How could it be completed in such a short time?

 Afterward…

 They took a look and were dumbfounded.

 Two-star…

 Indeed.

 A two-star cultivator appeared in front of them!

 Wait a minute!

 Why would there be a two-star among them?!

 They had the impression that all cultivators who partic.i.p.ated were peak three-stars.

 Two-star…

 Where did the two-star come from?

 However…

 At this moment.

 Shus.h.!.+

 Shus.h.!.+

 A few more figures completed the breakthrough and came out through the lights. The high-ups sensed instinctively and they turned sullen.

 Two-star…

 They were two-stars again!

 There were a bunch of two-star cultivators!

 “What is happening?”

 Everyone was in a frenzy.

 “I don't know.”

 The vice president was confused.

 Something was not right.

 This was not what he saw when he left! He kept a watch on the Illusory Realm and he only left to welcome them when the lights and shadows descended!

 Back then, all of them were peak three-stars!

 Where did the two-stars come from?

 However…

 Upon closer look, the two-star cultivators were the geniuses that they were familiar with. Some of them were expected to be future talents!

 Right now…

 All of them were two-stars!

 There were a total of twenty eight cultivators!

 “You…”

 The vice president found it unbelievable.

 “President. We want to re-cultivate,” the cultivators said in unison, “President, thank you for letting us partic.i.p.ate in this trial and letting us realize that we are very inadequate and we have to re-cultivate!”

Everyone sounded very serious.

 The vice president was dumbstruck. No one told them to re-cultivate!

 The higher-ups were sullen.

 They had indeed broken the record!

 This batch of cultivators was indeed amazing!

 However…

 It was the lowest record…

 This was the best result ever. A breakthrough record of 100% had finally been achieved! Oh, besides breaking the record…

 They had regressed!

 This was the first time that after partic.i.p.ating in the Illusory Realm, a group of cultivators became one-star!

 According to rumors…

 A dog could even break through in the Illusory Realm! This time, the record had been broken!

 What did this mean?

 Everyone was bewildered.

 The role of the Illusory Realm was to provide geniuses with a chance to gain experience!

 But, look at the outcome!

 Did they gain any experience?

 Indeed.

 They gained experience from being defeated by Lu Ming!

 “You…”

 The vice president was between laughter and tears.

 All of them had re-cultivated. What else could he do?

 Also…

 He was very sure that these people had done something so bizarre for one single reason—They suffered a crus.h.i.+ng defeat by Lu Ming!

 Could re-cultivation clear them of the trauma?

It did not seem so.

 “This won't do.”

 The vice president was very worried.

 After a long time…

 He told the a.s.sistant. “Tell the batch of cultivators who were defeated by Lu Yan a few years ago to come here. Tell them to teach us ways to get past the traumatic experience.”

 The a.s.sistant was silent.

 The vice president was ruthless!

 Those people took many years before they finally got over the trauma. It was cruel to tell them to share their experience of getting over it now!

The vice president was silent.

 He had no other options. He knew that it would be hard on them. But this was for the sake of the children!

 “I will make the arrangements.”

 The a.s.sistant understood.

 At this very moment…

 There were still three people in the stream of lights.

 Ten minutes later, Zhao Yunshan and Ye Liang came out from it. They conformed to the rules and broke through to four-star.

“Not bad.”

 The vice president nodded.

 Finally…

 There were two sensible four-stars!

 At the thought of this, he looked toward the stream of lights. Lu Ming was the only one left!

 “Is that Lu Ming?”

 “Yes.”

 “Throw him out after he breaks through…”

 “Understood.”

 “By the way, in the future, remember to black-list Lu Ming. He must be banned from all the activities in the Energy Warriors a.s.sociation! He will not be allowed to partic.i.p.ate, not even if he pays for it!!!”

 “Understood.”

 The big-shots looked upset.

 One hour later, the stream of lights still remained.

“Why is he not done with his breakthrough?”

 “Perhaps he had too much energy?”

 “No matter what, he should be finished!”

 Three hours later, the stream of lights still remained.

 Everyone was silent.

 How much energy did this guy gain?

 Zhao Yunshan and Ye Liang only spent ten breaking through to four-star! Even if Lu Ming had ten times or even twenty times as much energy, it should have ended by then?!

 Eight hours later, the stream of lights still remained.

 Everyone was silent.

 A few of the older big-shots went to have a rest.

 The next day.

 Early morning.

 The vice president had dark eye circles and he was full of doubt.

 To h.e.l.l with it!

 It had been fifteen hours!

 Even if Lu Ming had ten times more energy than the rest, he should have broken through?! However, Lu Ming was still in the process of breaking through!

 How could that be possible?!

 He should have consumed all the energy!

 Lu Ming…

 What the h.e.l.l was he doing?!

 He felt unsettled.

 Obviously…

 They had never encountered a situation like that.

 “What was Lu Ming up to this time?”

 “d.a.m.n it!

 “Keep a tight watch on him!”

 “Yes!”

 The big-shots looked at each other, looking worried.

 Lu Ming…

 What was he up to now?

 However…

 At this moment.

 Zhao Yunshan's heart skipped a beat.

 As a ‘bogus genius' who was not very talented and as a cultivator who worked his way up through spending lots of money, he had a different experience from the cultivators here…

 Therefore…

 While the geniuses were wondering why Lu Ming had not completed his breakthrough and what he was up to, he thought of a very real problem!

 It was a problem that all the talented cultivators would not have thought of!

 Master…

 Could he have reached the legendary bottleneck?