The end after the beginning

Underneath the bright night sky, only the whiteness of Qiu Changyi's white clothes could, at least, be seen by the naked eye.

Those weaker than him in cultivation couldn't even see him while those on par or stronger than him could follow his movements and speed but if they had to compete with him, they would find it quite a headache to engage him.

After all, he was renowned as the speedster among the four great geniuses from the previous Genius Summit.

But there was one important detail to address. Even among speedsters, there would naturally be a hierarchy. They would always be those who were faster and understood the dynamics of running and movements more than the others.

The embodiment of true speed.

Qiu Changyi was unaware.

Both Zhao Feng and Xin Wuheng were also unaware.

Everyone was unaware but only Zhao Wei understood.

To others, Qiu Changyi might have been considered someone really proficient in movement techniques but to Zhao Wei's calm eyes, he was akin to someone trying to cross swampy grounds.

Qiu Changyi was damn slow despite his efforts to superimpose both of his high-ranked movement techniques.

Qiu Changyi concentrated his inner strength on his balled right fist and ruthlessly aimed at Zhao Wei's face.

The punch packed around 3 tons of destruction!

[Relentless Tornado Kicks: Second Form]

[Azure winds gliding through the clouds]

+

[Instantaneous Lightning Movement]

Zhao Wei retained his signature evil smile as a perfect mix of light turquoise wind and vibrant blue sparks of lightning crackled around his form.

At that moment, he looked like the god of the winds and lightning.

And then Zhao Wei moved.

He didn't move much but only leaned his head back from the destructive punch.

Zhao Wei didn't necessarily fear the fist attack and was confident in his own defense and durability but he wasn't stupid enough to allow himself to be stung by an ant.

Time seemed to slow down whenever Qiu Changyi's attacks were about to land on Zhao Wei and it was starting to get on his nerves.

It was damn frustrating that his attacks were being evaded at only mere inches away from landing on the hateful Zhao Wei.

How was he doing that? Qiu Changyi thought as he delivered a combo of lightning-fast punches at Zhao Wei only for him to easily miss the target.

Did that mean that he was faster than me? Qiu Changyi felt jealousy, frustration, and anger at his own incompetence.

It was crystal clear that Zhao Wei was playing 'catch me if you can' with him and even though he, Qiu Changyi, was doing everything he could to land a hit, at least, on the bastard's clothes, all were just being proven utterly futile.

Qiu Changyi was breathing heavily due to his stamina and inner strength being on the verge of dwindling to zero.

Zhao Wei had probably worn him out.

And witnessing the mischievous smile on his face was all Qiu Changyi needed to know that he had been played like a fiddle.

He was just a mere marionette acting under the invisible threads of manipulation from the puppeteer.

"Why are acting like a wuss instead of fighting me like a true man?" Qiu Changyi decided to resort to such a tactic in order to give himself some time to recover some of his stamina and inner strength.

"Is this supposed to be a spar when you have only been escaping instead of fighting me head-on?" Qiu Changyi put on a facade of righteousness as someone who had just suffered from injustice.

He spoke loudly so that the audience could also hear his woes. It was intentional; premeditated.

"That's right. Qiu Changyi isn't wrong. Zhao Wei hasn't been doing anything ever since the fight started except for running away."

"He is all bark but no bite."

"Even though he's faster than Qiu Changyi, why isn't he attacking yet?"

"Qiu Changyi looks almost drained to nothingness but look at him trying to act tough."

Zhao Wei muted all of the background noises as he solely focused on the hopeless guy in front of him.

"It's all useless, Qiu Changyi."

"Don't try to incite the public's useless banter while slowly trying to fill up your stamina bar."

Zhao Wei spoke in a relaxed, monotonous voice before his face morphed into one of unpredictability and apathy.

Qiu Changyi noticed his sudden change.

Those who were observant also noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere around Zhao Wei.

All of the geniuses currently had serious and attentive expressions on their faces.

Silence permeated everywhere almost immediately.

Zhao Wei took one step, an inconsequential action compared to the huge distance between him and Qiu Changyi.

But Qiu Changyi thought otherwise.

Instinctively, Qiu Changyi found himself further increasing the distance between them by jumping back.

He didn't know why but at that moment, his body moved on its own. His subconscious had taken control during that moment.

He was afraid. He had never been that afraid.

But why was he afraid when Zhao Wei had clearly done nothing instead of taking a single step?

"Why are you moving away from me when I haven't done a thing?" Zhao Wei calmly asked and then took another step.

His hands incessantly trembled while the pupils of his light blue eyes dilated due to the sound of Zhao Wei's footsteps.

"Why are you approaching me?" Qiu Changyi tightly clenched his trembling hands as he attempted to calm his speeding heart. However, he didn't forget to take a step back.

"Approaching you, huh?" Zhao Wei comically arched his eyebrow and didn't answer him. Instead, he revealed a question of his own.

"Then tell me why are you increasing the distance between us when you had clearly stated that we should fight head-on like honorable men?" His voice was bland but hidden within it was blatant mockery.

"I just followed my instincts. If I didn't move I fear that I might have died." Qiu Changyi replied in a barely discernable voice as undisguised terror showed on his face, making his handsome features shift toward ugliness.

"Keeping a distance between yourself and your opponent is only meaningful if you are both equal or close in strength and skills. Anything beyond that can be considered utter futility."

"You need to wake up from the illusions."

Zhao Wei then disappeared, taking everyone by surprise, and as if he had teleported, he appeared inside the fear-struck Qiu Changyi's personal space. No one had seen him move.

Even the reincarnated God Lord barely saw the traces of his speed mirage.

Zhao Feng with his Ancient God Eye and his slow temporal perception couldn't see or recall anything even when he tried to concentrate all of his eye power.

Uncaring of his surroundings, Zhao Wei placed his hand on Qiu Changyi's trembling shoulder whose face embodied what it meant to be scared shitless. Even his sweat seemed to be moving in reverse.

"See? The distance between us had been pointless ever since we entered this arena."

Zhao Wei raised his hand off Qiu Changyi's shoulder, much to the awe and anticipation of many.

It was just a simple action, full of tension and suspense.

But Qiu Changyi didn't feel that way.

For he saw the end of the world in that simple raise of the hand. He saw his life flashing in front of his very eyes like a movie being forwarded.

Qiu Changyi also saw heaven and hell, with the door to heaven closed off from his path and leaving him with only one choice - to go to hell. It was an inevitable path.

And when Zhao Wei's hand descended for a chop, Qiu Changyi saw his dead ancestors smiling down at him with expectation.

KACHA!

The sound of a bone being dislocated from its joints was the last sound Qiu Changyi heard before his world turned upside down and before he lost consciousness.

Zhao Wei seemed to be lost in thought as he stared down at Qiu Changyi's unconscious body.

After some time, he turned his bored gaze to somewhere in the Xin Clan's Pavilion before speaking in a powerful voice filled with inextinguishable battle intent.

"Xin Wuheng, we are the main characters of today's Genius Summit."

"Why don't we save time by giving the audience a legendary fight that they won't ever forget in their lives and the Genius Summits to come?"

Many geniuses felt offended and undermined by Zhao Wei's words as protests and profanities echoed throughout the arena.

But the receiver of all those dark insults, Zhao Wei, seemed unfazed, blind, and deaf to all their nonsense.

He didn't like beating around the bush.

And also he had already seen 'them'.

The kind of audience that he had been waiting for.

Even though they remained hidden in the shadows, they couldn't escape his all-seeing eyes.

Xin Wuheng, the recipient of Zhao Wei's battle declaration, looked at the arena with indecipherable thoughts running through his mind.

The look of fascination and thirst for battle on his face mirrored that of Zhao Wei's.

"There won't be a need for that, Brother Wei. I have been waiting for you to say something like that since forever."

"I must say you totally exceeded my expectations." Xin Wuheng stood up from his seat.

And then with unbridled arrogance, not one of conceitedness but one where one was filled with surety, Xin Wuheng stated.

"Brother Wei, even though you don't know about this rule of mine, I feel like I should let you know in advance."

"Ten Moves. I normally defeat my opponents within ten moves regardless of their genius status."

With an interesting look on his face, Xin Wuheng walked into the huge battle arena.

For a moment, Zhao Wei was totally dumbfounded by Xin Wuheng's confidence.

And then he wildly laughed as if he was high on something illegal as he supported his right hand on his forehead.

"And here I thought my imaginary title as the one-minute man was impressive." Zhao Wei smiled after he finished laughing.

"I like your arrogance since you have the skills to back it up."

"Let's fight to our heart's content!" And then, both of them almost synchronized their final wishes

In the battle arena, only two beings mattered.

Everything else was an illusion and only the two of them were real!

After all, they were the main characters of the show, their lights meant to cast shadows over all of existence!

***

Enjoy!

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