“Holy…”

“Haa…to think I’d live to see it with my own eyes…”

Various expressions of shock filled the air as the geniuses congregated at the location of the Primordial Undying Tree. And their shock was truly warranted.

Even discounting the fact that their end goal was finally before their eyes, the fact that they had lived through the trials that took place to reach here was enough of a miracle.

When compared to what they had heard before they entered the realm, the actual experience was far worse. In fact, most of them would’ve chosen not to enter if they had known it’d be like this.

‘What now?’

Ruyue wondered as she watched those geniuses regain their bearings. Everyone had gathered, sure, but were they just supposed to start fighting out of nowhere?

The tree was standing right in front of them with seemingly no protection. In this situation, the first to move would be the loser.

Ruyue’s gaze moved to the very peak of the tree. There, a single purple fruit sat like a king on its throne.

‘Although the tree isn’t too big, it still won’t be easy to reach that place. The branches are like a maze, so moving through the tree’s crown is disadvantageous. But at the same time, openly aiming for it will earn the combined attack of everyone else present…’

There was also the fact that they had no idea whether the tree was truly as unguarded as it looked. To account for hidden dangers was also necessary.

‘How troublesome…’

If Damien was here, she knew he would just charge for the top without regard for anyone else. But that was the kind of thing only he could do.

His spatial affinity, insane regeneration, and many other factors allowed him to move relatively unhindered regardless of where he was.

But Ruyue wasn’t the same. Even if she was powerful, that was it. She didn’t have the same versatility that he did when it came to this kind of thing.

‘For now, I’ll just observe.’

Ruyue wasn’t the only one thinking like this. Anyone with a brain had a similar thought process. Leading the charge wasn’t a role any of them were willing to take.

And it led to a stalemate where those congregated around the tree didn’t dare move any closer.

“Ahh, I hate this!” Feng Qing’er muttered under her breath.

“If you hate it then why don’t you charge into the fray?” Another woman responded.

She had emerald green hair and feathers coating different parts of her body. It wasn’t that the woman’s Beast Transformation Art was incomplete, rather, she simply took pride in her feathers.

“Peng Xiaoyan.” Feng Qing’er said unenthusiastically. “You’re as annoying as ever, I see.”

“Hmph. And you’re just as uncouth as I remember you to be. Though, it seems you’ve grown a fledgling of a brain since then.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. I’m surprised a **-for-brains bitch like you actually made it this far. I wonder who you sold your body to this time to protect your lousy ass?”

“You…!”

Ruyue watched them argue with an intrigued look on her face. ‘Peng Xiaoyan, so she must be the 6th rank genius on the beast record. I didn’t know she had a feud with Feng Qing’er.’

But she quickly shook her head and refocused her attention elsewhere.

‘I didn’t notice his presence until he spoke up earlier. He isn’t ranked first for nothing. If there’s anyone to be wary of, it’s him. And also…’

Her gaze shifted to a black-haired beauty who was standing to the side without drawing anyone’s attention. No, it was almost like her presence was erased from the world.

‘Qing Tan. According to Feng Qing’er, she and Damien were pretty close in the Trial World. The problem is what happened when they left.’

From what Ruyue had heard from Feng Qing’er, Qing Tan’s attitude had taken a total turn when they met in the desert. She had been ignored by someone she considered a friend.

But if that was the case, then something must have happened. Ruyue wasn’t sure if she could fully trust Qing Tan.

It was the same with the rest. As she observed the crowd, she realized how alone she was in this struggle.

‘If only Luna was here, the two of us could dominate most of these geniuses if we worked together.’

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

A gruff voice suddenly silenced all the commotion taking place around them. When Ruyue looked over, she saw Hun Fang staring at the sky a few hundred meters away from the top of the Primordial Undying Tree with narrowed eyes.

But his words were met with no response.

“Not coming out? Very well, it seems I just have to force you.”

Hun Fang extended his hand and emitted a murky grey mana. The mana formed a bullet that shot through the air, causing faint ripples as it did so.

And when it reached its destination, it burst into a puff of smoke, causing space to shatter like glass.

“Aiya…! And here I was wanting to make a grand entrance. How could you be so cruel?”

A playful voice came from the shattered space. Ruyue narrowed her eyes. ‘This voice…!’

“You guys are so boring! The grand prize is right in front of you, yet you sit here trying to play mind games with each other. Isn’t it a little too cowardly?”

The sarcastic tone of that voice continued as the man’s body was slowly revealed.

Long black hair with silver streaks, and a pair of eyes that Ruyue would never forget.

“Damien!” She inadvertently cried in excitement.

“Hm? Ah, Ruyue! Did you miss me?” He smiled softly and sent her a playful wink.

“Hmph! Who is missing you? I’m just glad that we can finally drop all these pretenses and actually do what we came to do.” Ruyue huffed back.

But inwardly, she was smiling. He may have been speaking in the same casual tone that he always used, but she could clearly feel his heart through the soul connection they had.

His yearning feelings, she could understand them clearly, and it made her all the happier to see him again.

But it wasn’t the time for a teary-eyed reunion. She wasn’t lying when she spoke to him.

Upon his entrance, he had immediately secured himself a spot far closer to the Primordial Undying Tree than the rest of them. If they continued to stand still, he’d reap all the benefits instead of them.

“Fuck! Don’t let him get to the fruits!”

It was unknown who spoke, but those words acted as a trigger.

Those hundred geniuses who made it to the Primordial Undying Tree all charged forth. Intense mana fluctuations enveloped the atmosphere as they pushed their speed to the max.

Bang!

The ground erupted. Massive vines similar to the ones Ruyue had seen previously shot into the air and attacked the incoming geniuses.

And attacks began to fly.

Whether it was fighting against the vines or each other, battle had finally broken out.

Damien grinned. “Yeah, this is what it’s supposed to look like.”

His gaze moved to Hun Fang, who was staring back at him ferociously.

“What? Did you have something up your sleeve? Sorry, but I’m the direct type. These pansy schemes aren’t to my taste at all.”

“If that’s the case, then you should have the strength to back up your confidence. Whether or not your presence is worthy of collapsing the schemes of others, it isn’t up to you.” Hun Fang growled back.

“Oh? Well then, whether or not my strength is enough, would you like to try it for yourself?”

These two were different from the rest. When it came to competition, they didn’t hold anyone in their eyes besides each other.

That purple fruit at the top of the tree, it would go to one of the two of them. And their battle would decide who.

“You’re bold. I don’t think anyone has been brash enough to challenge me so openly in many years. Come, then. Let us see whether it is shameless boasting or true confidence.” Hun Fang said as he readied his mana.

But Damien shook his head with a sly smile. “Come to you? Don’t make me laugh. If you truly want to fight, then you first have to catch me!”

“You…!”

Hun Fang rapidly shot a wave of gray mana at Damien’s position. But by the time it reached, the latter had already disappeared into the intertwining branches of the Primordial Undying Tree.

Hun Fang’s brow twitched when he saw it. ‘Fine. If you want to play games then I shall accompany you. I’ll gladly show you how I earned the title of Spirit King.’