Translator: CKtalon

Alan broke through. Lei Yunfang and Kai Saint Mills in the stands had sharp eyes. They could tell that Alan had broken through with his last strike, and this made the two of them have mixed feelings. After all, their old opponent—who they had fought for a long time—had broken through, while the two of them were still at the limit of Lv. 4.

“Jingming, the guest commentator has determined that Alan Emelianenko’s last strike should’ve broken through to Lv. 5,” Li Miaomiao said. “Is the guest commentator right?”

“No problem at all.” Xu Jingming nodded.

“Group 1 is too intense. Elimination is still possible even after breaking through to Lv. 5,” Li Miaomiao said.

…

“Group 1 performed very well.” Director Zhou revealed a look of delight. “Tu Ling has a limitless future. Although Alan Emelianenko was eliminated, he has also broken through to Lv. 5. Earth’s civilization will have another cosmic citizen.”

Many upper echelons of Earth’s civilization were very satisfied. They didn’t care too much about the competition’s rankings. What they cared about was the number of Lv. 5s—the more, the better. What they cared about was… whether there were super geniuses.

There were a total of three Lv. 5 in Group 1, so they were naturally happy.

In Group 1, Tu Ling and Riven Gullit qualified for the round of sixteen, while Alan Emelianenko and Coppola—who had lost all three matches—were eliminated.

“It’s Tejano’s turn.” Xu Jingming turned solemn, and Li Miaomiao watched attentively.

Tejano Xire was ranked on the Cosmos Ranking not long after the virtual world’s launch and was recognized as the world’s number one genius. He was younger than Xu Jingming and didn’t even have any professional martial arts experience, but he had always stood at the apex after the virtual world’s launch.

“Come, come. Show me all your strength.” Tejano Xire stood on the ancient battlefield, wearing light black armor and holding a metal staff. He casually swung the staff, and his opponent was Abhishek, an expert from India.

Abhishek held a spear and charged forward as an afterimage. As he charged forward, he waved his hand, and concealed weapons flew out at high speeds.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Tejano leisurely stood still and casually swung the short metal staff in his hand, blocking all the concealed weapons. At the same time, he struck the last concealed weapon, sending it flying back!

When the last concealed weapon was sent flying back, Abhishek had already closed in. As he was too close, he didn’t have the time to react.

His eyes widened as the concealed weapon penetrated his head. Then, Abhishek’s body turned ethereal.

“No—” Countless citizens of India found it unbelievable.

A total of three experts from India entered the main competition. The strongest was naturally Halu Singh, but Abhishek also had countless fans in India. Many citizens had hopes and expectations of him, but he was easily crushed by Tejano.

“How boring.” Tejano shook his head gently.

Why is he using a short staff? This is his first time using a short staff, right? In the stands, Xu Jingming was a little puzzled. Liu Hai, Tiger Fussen, Madeleine Logan, Ysarova, Halu Singh, and the other experts were also a little puzzled.

The world’s top experts paid great attention to Tejano. After all, if one wanted to win first place in the competition, Tejano was undoubtedly one of the most threatening opponents.

“What? He changed weapons again?”

Of the six matches in Group 2, Tejano participated in a total of three. In the first match, he used a short staff, in the second match, he used a huge ax, and in the third match, he used a saber. The weapons he used were different every time, but one thing every match had in common… he easily defeated his opponent.

They’re all so weak. Tejano shook his head while carrying his saber. The three matches were too easy and boring.

…

“What kind of weapon is Tejano good at?” Li Miaomiao asked in confusion.

“I don’t know.” Xu Jingming shook his head. “He rarely fights publicly. Moreover, he’s been changing weapons at will in this global competition. I’m not sure… what he’s best at.”

Group 2’s competition ended. First in the group was Tejano Xire, and second in the group was Mickey from the EU.

“Mickey.” Xu Jingming smiled.

Li Miaomiao was puzzled.

“He’s my good friend,” Xu Jingming said. “He was also a professional martial artist in the past. When I participated in the competition for the first time at 20, it was also his first time participating. Later on, he came to China and learned the saber techniques of China’s Eight Trigrams and Wing Chun. I interacted with him more back in China, but after he returned… We didn’t often keep in touch because of the distance.”

“He even sent a gift when we got married,” Xu Jingming explained. “It’s just that there were too many people giving gifts back then, so you didn’t notice.”

“Oh.” Li Miaomiao came to a realization. “There were too many gifts back then, and many fans sent gifts.”

“Mickey’s dual sabers are getting more and more impressive,” Xu Jingming praised. “It’s not easy to qualify for second place in a group with a strength at the limit of Lv. 4.”

…

It was Liu Hai’s turn in Group 3.

Liu Hai had been world champion since the virtual world’s launch!

When they were both at the limit of Lv. 4, Xu Jingming was still defeated in a battle with his master! Xu Jingming was very confident in actual combat, but his master, Liu Hai, was clearly more terrifying in actual combat.

“Liu Hai has appeared.” Many experts, including Tejano, Xu Jingming, Tiger Fussen, Yeshalova, Madeleine Logan, and the others carefully watched every move he made.

If he wanted to be first, Liu Hai would be his greatest opponent! However… the others in Group 3 were too weak; Liu Hai had it easy in all three matches.

Liu Hai only used his saber technique and delivered several strikes each time before defeating his opponent. His opponent was like a puppet in front of him that couldn’t control their body.

Master’s control over strength has reached the acme of perfection. Xu Jingming’s fighting spirit rose when he saw this. He had lost the last match, but he and his master had both reached Lv. 5. It was difficult to say who would win or lose the battle.

Group 3’s matches ended, and Liu Hai and Alex finally qualified.

Group 4’s most famous contestant was Hercules Japlov.

“Japlov was the only person who could suppress Fang Yu in terms of strength in Global Crossfire,” Li Miaomiao said. “Back then, everyone was at the limit of Lv. 4! Fang Yu was invincible with his body, but half a month ago, Japlov also reached the limit of Lv. 4. When he fought Fang Yu, he completely suppressed the latter in strength, forcing him to use his halberd technique and fight for a long time before barely winning.”

“Yeah, this Hercules’s weapon techniques are inferior, but he has high talent in physique.” Xu Jingming nodded.

It was terrifying to be able to suppress Fang Yu at the limit of Lv. 4.

Boom!

Japlov wore heavy armor and brandished his two axes.

He was extremely strong and fast. He relied on his physical advantage to suppress his opponent and clinch victory.

“A powerful strength alone can defeat ten.” Xu Jingming thought highly of Japlov. “He’s at the limit of Lv. 4 now. If he breaks through to Lv. 5, he will be a very threatening opponent.”

Bang!

But in the next match, Japlov bumped into Madeleine Logan!

Madeleine Logan wore light, close-fitting black armor and had boxing gloves on her hands. When Japlov came close and delivered a terrifying strike, she stood still and only reached out to gently grab the ax’s blade. Then, she exerted her strength!

The ax flew back and crashed into Japlov’s face, reducing him to nothingness.

Instantly, countless viewers in the official livestream were dumbfounded.

In the next battle.

When Madeleine Logan faced China’s Zhang Qing, her dual sword techniques were dazzling and dangerous. With her movement technique and sword technique combined, she was unpredictable.

But in the face of Zhang Qing’s peerless sword technique, Madeleine Logan remained expressionless. She also stood still and reached out to grab her.

This grab was like lightning—she attacked too quickly!

Not good. Zhang Qing realized that the situation wasn’t good, but her two swords were instantly grabbed by her opponent.

Madeleine Logan held her two swords in one hand and exerted a little force, sending a terrifying force over.

Zhang Qing failed to grip her sword any further, and her palms were covered in blood. At the same time, the two swords flew back and brushed past Zhang Qing’s body, causing her to turn ethereal.

In all three of Madeleine Logan’s matches, she only used one hand to easily kill her three opponents.

She made the entire world realize how terrifying she was!

A formidable opponent. Xu Jingming, Liu Hai, Tejano, and the others realized that Madeleine Logan wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

My goal is first place, thought Madeleine Logan to herself. I’ve practiced in the virtual world for more than a decade. It’ll be a joke if I’m defeated by them.

The officials of the Earth Alliance had utilized her and Ysarov, hoping to employ the catfish effect to threaten all the other contestants.. However, the two of them… planned on eating all the fish and becoming first!