Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 240 A Frenzied Charge, Shattering the Source Sea (4.8K)

Outside the tower, almost all the onlookers' eyes were instantly drawn to the huge circular light ring on the first floor.

Almost the instant everyone's attention was focused, as if it were only the blink of an eye, the first layer of light rings instantly changed from white, representing the challenge, to green.

At the same time, the white light ring on the second layer also lit up.

First level, passed.

"It was indeed a swift kill."

"A team with this configuration can easily defeat a Star Vortex Tier 1."

The people outside the tower were not at all surprised by this situation.

On the contrary, if you linger too long on the first floor, that would be the real accident.

Inside the tower, on the first floor.

In the standard circular arena, the mirror image carrying the energy fluctuations of the Star Swirl level had just taken shape and hadn't even been able to unleash a decent rule-based attack when a petite figure tore through the air and appeared before it with a piercing sonic boom.

Amber's fist was covered with solidified, earthy-yellow, regular light. With a simple punch, he slammed hard into Mirror Image's chest.

"Oh!"

The image, like a burst energy bubble, instantly shattered into the most basic particles of light and vanished without a trace.

Amber withdrew her fist, wrinkled her small nose, and seemed somewhat dissatisfied: "Too weak, we haven't even warmed up yet."

"Don't rush, there are tough battles ahead."

Lin Yi said calmly, his gaze already fixed on the light emanating from the entrance to the second level.

For him, an opponent of this caliber wasn't even worthy of his serious attention.

The second level was quickly teleported to.

The group found themselves in a void filled with countless meteorites of all sizes.

The two mirror images rapidly coalesced, one surrounded by a stream of scorching plasma that distorted the air, and the other continuously generating a storm of sharp ice crystals that exuded a chilling aura.

Lei Hao roared and took a step forward. A thick and solid rock and soil barrier instantly condensed, like an insurmountable mountain range, blocking the plasma flow and ice crystal storm, blasting out sparks and ice shards everywhere.

Almost at the same time as Lei Hao was defending, Mo Yuan's figure had already turned into a blurry afterimage. The golden rules on his dark spear condensed, carrying unparalleled sharpness. He appeared in front of the fiery mirror as if by teleportation, and the tip of the spear pointed with a cold light with perfect precision at the most active core of its energy.

"puff!"

The fiery mirror's defenses were as fragile as paper; its core was instantly pierced, and the raging fiery energy dissipated out of control, causing the mirror to collapse.

On the other side, Kenx made a gesture with both hands, creating an illusion that slightly deflected the dense storm of ice crystals. Most of them grazed the edge of the team, while only a few were easily blocked by Lei Hao's barrier.

The remaining ice crystal mirror image was no match for Lin Yi and was destroyed remotely by Lin Yi combining three lightning beads.

The second level took about five seconds to pass.

Outside the tower, the green lights on the second floor lit up immediately after the first floor.

"I passed the second level so quickly, that's interesting. It seems the fourth level won't be too difficult either. I guess I can make it to the fifth level."

"Judging from the time it takes, it's clear that the three Star Vortex Tier 3 opponents on the third floor are no challenge for them. I just don't know how they'll perform when they face four Star Vortex Tier 4 opponents on the fourth floor."

"I have a feeling we're going to run into some trouble. The fourth level is going to be the mid-stage of Star Vortex, which will significantly increase the difficulty."

Amid the discussions, some people who had initially just been watching the spectacle began to take things seriously.

At this moment, Lin Yi and his group had already appeared on the third floor.

The third level is a dark and eerie planet, where enormous living plants wield deadly vines.

Three Star Vortex Tier 3 mirror images were hidden among them, waiting for their chance to strike.

"Starfire, scan and locate. Amber, clear the area. Everyone else, be ready to pick off targets."

Lin Yi gave the order.

"Received." Xingying's cold electronic voice rang out, her eyes blazing with blue-purple light, and an invisible detection wave swept across the entire jungle. "Target locked, coordinates transmitted."

"give it to me!"

Amber charged forward again, this time slamming her fists into the ground.

"boom!"

Centered on her, a visible ripple of earthy yellow color spread outwards.

Wherever it passed, the enormous living plants seemed to be crushed by an invisible force, collapsing and disappearing.

The three mirror images hidden within were instantly exposed.

"Found you!" Mo Yuan whispered, his spear moving like a dragon, aiming straight for one of them.

Kenx's optical illusion caused another mirror image's attack to miss, hitting empty air.

The third mirror image attempted to ambush Lin Yi from the flank, but was bound by a vine cage that shimmered with green light.

Evan directly used the broken vines in the field and used the rules of life to create a temporary control move.

Lin Yi remained motionless, simply observing quietly.

The battle lost its suspense the moment it was exposed, and with everyone's cooperation, the battle was quickly resolved.

The third level, took 30 seconds, passed.

Outside the tower, the fourth layer of lights is steadily lit.

"Completely crushing! Absolutely completely crushing!"

"It seems there's real hope for the fifth level."

"The fourth level has four mid-stage Star Vortex cultivators. That's a qualitative change. Let's see how they deal with it."

On the fourth level, the environment transforms into an extremely cold ice field, with biting winds carrying icy blades howling through the air.

Four mirror images, each at the mid-stage of the Star Vortex realm, stood in four directions. The power of rules flowing around them was more solid, and their auras were significantly stronger. They even faintly formed a formation.

The pressure suddenly increased!

Outside the tower, everyone held their breath.

The fourth level is the first important threshold for testing whether a star core-level team truly possesses the ability to fight beyond its level.

Inside the tower.

"At the fourth level, the mirror image's strength has increased, making it impossible to defeat by force. We should use the rule-based suppression tactics we practiced before," Xingying quickly analyzed. "Captain, the core tactic revolves around your strongest attack."

Lin Yi nodded: "Okay, it's up to you guys."

Almost simultaneously, as soon as he finished speaking, three powerful fluctuations of rules shot into the sky.

A deep blue light emanated from Xingying, spilling across the ice plain like mercury, instantly enveloping most of the ice field—the domain of the Water Rule.

The chill in the arena was amplified and utilized, transforming into an invisible frost field, causing the movements of the four mirror images to become visibly stiff and sluggish.

Immediately afterwards, Amber let out a shout, stomped her feet on the ground, and an even thicker, earthy-yellow halo spread out from her center, overlapping with Starfire's domain.

Earth's Rule Domain - Gravity Blessing.

With the double deceleration, the mirror images seemed to be carrying mountains on their backs, making every move extremely difficult.

"Golden Realm, open!"

Mo Yuan's cold voice rang out, and an incomparably sharp aura spread out, with a dazzling platinum light emanating from the dark spear.

Mo Yuan comprehended the domain of rules five days ago, giving everyone a huge surprise.

His golden rule not only lingers with layers of lightning, constantly paralyzing and slowing down the mirror image, but it can also amplify or reduce all golden rule attacks within the domain, including Lin Yi's Nine Luminaries Thunder Pearl.

“It’s my turn.”

Kenx chuckled, and a rainbow of light shone as the Phantom Maze activated.

The mirror images' senses are distorted; the positions of their teammates change in their eyes, their attack targets become blurry, and they even begin to make mistakes by casting skills into empty spaces.

"Barrier, stand firm!" Lei Hao roared, and the huge rock and earth shield expanded, with runes flashing on it, firmly protecting him and Aiven and Lin Yi behind him.

With life energy flowing through his fingertips, Aiven acted like the most precise conductor, ready to heal any potential damage to Lei Hao and provide continuous life restoration for everyone.

"It's now."

Lin Yi's eyes narrowed, and the Nine Luminaries Thunder Pearl roared out. But the moment it left his side, it was stained with a layer of white-gold sharpness by Mo Yuan's golden domain, and its speed and penetrating power increased dramatically.

"Hey!"

Under Lin Yi's control, the nine lightning orbs were linked together, transforming into a spiral spear beam wrapped in platinum sharpness and destructive lightning, which shot straight toward one of the mirror images.

The mirror image attempted to defend, but under multiple weakening effects, it was more than a beat too slow.
The spiraling spear light pierced through its energy shield without any hindrance, penetrating its core. Then, the spear light drew an arc and passed through the remaining mirror images in succession.

Tactics successful. Fourth level, time taken: ten seconds, passed.

Outside the tower, the green light ring on the fourth floor lit up.

"It's passed! It's really passed!"

"What's going on? The time on the fourth level is so much shorter than on the third level?"

"That can't be right, can it? Were they holding back before? Or is someone still waiting to make a move?"

"Wait, let me sort this out."

Xingyu immediately reported to the captain through the encrypted channel: "Captain, Lin Yi's team has passed the fourth level in a very short time. I suggest you come and take a look."

Qingfeng murmured, "These guys really do have some skills."

On the fifth level, the environment transforms into a complex terrain composed of countless sharp, blade-like metal prisms.

Five mirror images appear, and the rules become even more bizarre and unpredictable.

“Looks like this is going to be pretty tricky,” Lin Yi quickly analyzed. “Starfire, Amber, use the maximum range of slowing and gravity suppression from both domains. Kenx, use illusions to cover the entire field. Mo Yuan, let’s get a solo kill together.”

The order was given, and the team instantly changed formation.

Starfire's pale blue water domain and Amber's earthy yellow gravity domain unfolded simultaneously, superimposing on the five mirror images. Their movements instantly became as if they were stuck in a swamp, and even the speed of the metal torrents they controlled was greatly reduced.

Kenx created a large number of distorted optical illusions, making the entire metal jungle seem to shake, which greatly reduced the accuracy of the mirror's attack.

"Focus fire on the lone mirror image." Lin Yi seized the opportunity.

Mo Yuan's spear, Lin Yi's lightning bead, and even Amber's solid fist strike from a distance, under the combined effects of deceleration and illusion interference, precisely hit the lone mirror image, completely destroying it.

Although the remaining mirror images were powerful, their threat was greatly reduced under the control of the triple domain and optical interference, and they were quickly killed one by one.

Finally, after paying the price of Lei Hao being seriously injured and everyone's energy being depleted, they passed the fifth level in less than a minute.

Outside the tower, the fifth ring of lights illuminated.

"They really did it on the fifth floor."

"A Star Core-level team that directly defeated five well-coordinated mid-stage Star Vortex peak players has already surpassed some veteran Tier 4 teams."

"It seems that reaching the sixth level isn't impossible."

The fact that they cleared the fifth level so easily means that their strength is far greater than that.

Just then, several powerful auras quietly descended around the tower base.

"Look, Xinghui's captain, Huiyao, is here. And Bingren's Qinglan too! Several more Gear 3s are here, tsk tsk."

The leader, standing on a deep green halo, exuded an aura of profound power and imposing strength. He was the captain of the Starshine Squad, a renowned powerhouse among the 4th tier teams. He had come personally after receiving Xingyu's message.

Not only that, but several other figures with blue halos under their feet also appeared in other directions. They were members of teams such as "Icewind Valley" and "Ring of the Sun", all of whom were third-tier geniuses attracted by the news.

At this moment, on the sixth floor.

Inside the tower, the environment transforms into a maze with abnormal gravity and disorientation.

Six mirror images appeared, exuding a powerful aura, their power of rules perfectly integrated, and their energies subtly resonating with each other.

“The sixth layer is much stronger,” Xingying instantly assessed. “Their rules complement each other almost perfectly, and their energy cycle is stable. Our domain suppression effect will be greatly reduced.”

"Execute the Source Sea Outburst tactic and strive for a crushing defeat in one round." Lin Yi quickly set the tone.

"understand!"

From the very beginning of the battle, they held nothing back.

Xingying's Water Rule Domain, Amber's Earth Rule Domain, and Moyuan's newly acquired Metal Rule Domain—these three domains overlapped, like invisible shackles, forcefully pressing down on the six mirror images.

At the same time, Kenx activated his Light Illusion at full power, interfering with his judgment.

Lei Hao stood at the forefront, his giant shield erected, while Aiven's life energy surged, ready to meet the impact.

Under this ultimate control chain, even the opponent, who was at the Star Vortex 6th level, showed obvious signs of stagnation in their movements.

"The first one!" Lin Yi shouted.

Under his control, the Nine Luminaries Thunder Pearl received the ultimate amplification from the Mo Yuan Gold Domain, transforming into an extremely fast and sharp platinum lightning bolt that instantly pierced through the core of the foremost mirror image.

Instant kill.

In an instant, one of the six was gone.

However, the remaining five mirror images were clearly enraged. They roared in unison, and even more violent power of rules erupted from their bodies, like five volcanoes erupting, forcibly tearing apart the triple-layered domain.

The domain was forcibly broken open, and Xingying, Hu Po, and Mo Yuan all trembled violently, their faces turning pale, suffering a severe backlash.

The control chain has broken.

"Now," Lin Yi said coldly.

"Source Sea, shatter!"

Kenx was the first to respond. His smile vanished, and a sound like shattering glass seemed to rise from within him. Rainbow-colored light, like burning fireworks, suddenly erupted.

A cage of light, far larger and more solid than ever before, instantly formed, imprisoning the five mirror images in place.

However, his aura was like a candle flickering in the wind, and his figure became extremely illusory.

"Source Sea, shatter!"

Lei Hao roared, and the runes on the giant rock shield shone with unprecedented brightness. He burned his source sea, condensing all the defensive rules into an immortal barrier that stretched across the void, blocking the front of the team and preparing to withstand the upcoming crazy counterattack.

"Source Sea, shatter!"

Aiven also shattered his Source Sea, and the emerald green life radiance surged towards all his teammates like a tide, especially the four who were about to launch an attack, providing them with a final energy boost and resonance with the rules.

His face instantly turned transparent.

The three of them bought themselves crucial and precious time by shattering the source sea.

“It’s our turn!” Lin Yi, Xing Ying, Hu Po, and Mo Yuan didn’t hesitate at all.

"Source Sea, shatter!"

Four sounds, seemingly shattered from the depths of the soul, rang out simultaneously.

Xingying compressed all the water rules that erupted from the shattered source sea to an extreme degree, transforming them into a dark blue ice spear that seemed capable of freezing souls. With an unstoppable momentum, she shot it toward a mirror image.

Amber's petite body unleashed a power akin to a primordial beast. The rules of earth condensed in her fist, transforming it into a brown sphere of light, like the core of a star, which she slammed into another mirror image.

Collapsing Star Force!
Mo Yuan merged with his spear, the rules of gold reaching their ultimate sublimation. He transformed into a pure, golden blade, piercing through the void and pointing directly at the third mirror image.

Lin Yi, on the other hand, was overwhelmed by the immense energy from the shattered Origin Sea, causing the Nine Luminaries Thunder Pearls surrounding him to emit a humming sound like a dragon's roar! The Thunder Pearls instantly transformed into a spiraling thunder spear wrapped in destructive lightning and platinum sharpness, shooting towards the final image at a speed beyond comprehension.

"Boom boom boom!"

Four attacks, exceeding all limits, struck the target almost simultaneously.

Xingying's azure ice spear froze the target, then shattered along with the frozen rules.

Amber's shattering force directly blasted the target into the most basic energy particles.

The golden blade that Mo Yuan transformed into pierced through the target, leaving behind a huge void where the rules were constantly being annihilated.

Lin Yi's Blazing Thunder Spear, with overwhelming force, pierced through the defenses of the last two mirror images along with the main body.

Sixth floor, 15 seconds, passed.

The white halo on the seventh floor also lit up.

"We passed! We passed the sixth level!"

The third-tier geniuses who arrived later also showed surprise on their faces.

"First team challenge, they fought their way up to the seventh floor. This team is quite interesting." A genius at level 3 nodded slightly, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"Seven late-stage Star Vortex cultivators! The mid-to-late stage is a qualitative leap. If they succeed, they will break the record for the first challenge by a Tier 4 team."

"That's right, many teams in Tier 3 only made it to the seventh floor on their first attempt, but I feel their chances are slim."

"Indeed, their high-level battles were shorter, most likely because they used some kind of burst tactic. If you can't kill your opponent instantly with this kind of fighting style, you're basically doomed. But how easy is it to kill someone instantly in the later stages of Xingxuan?"

Inside the tower, on the seventh floor.

A flash of light, and the seven, now fully restored, appeared in a chaotic void that seemed to be composed of pure energy.

Beneath my feet flows a river of energy light, and above me hangs a distorted glow of radiant light.

Seven illusory figures, exuding a suffocating pressure, began to quietly coalesce.

(End of this chapter)