Popularity is everything; I play a super genius

The dust settled slowly.

In the western battlefield, with the death of the last Tier 2 Poison Scorpion, the remaining few Tier 1 Poison Scorpions were quickly dealt with by the other students working together.

The battle is over.

……

In the college's multimedia room, several teachers watched the footage transmitted by the recorder and fell into a brief silence.

"This guy didn't use Echo the entire time?"

"No."

"So... he defeated a Tier 2 Upper-level Scorpion King protected by rock armor in a direct confrontation purely through physical strength and speed, and then instantly killed a Tier 2 Lower-level one?"

"This level of physical ability cannot be simply described by an 'S'!"

"What is his responsiveness like?"

"He...didn't get tested."

"Not tested?!"

"Well, neither the final assessment at the preparatory school nor today's entrance exam included any potential tests related to response."

"Why?!"

A teacher who had heard of Saki's deeds adjusted his glasses and, in a tone that mixed with helplessness and amazement, repeated Saki's famous quote:

He said, "Testing is defining, and defining is limiting."

"And he is—"

"A genius who is neither defined nor restricted."

Silence fell once again in the judging room.

Only on the recorder screen, the boy wearing a pure white mask stood calmly with his hands in his pockets under the murky, cracked sky.

It's as if they have their own halo.

……

……

Chapter Fourteen: Because of him, he was terrifyingly strong.

What was imagined to be a difficult battle turned out to be a complete victory with zero casualties.

The students of Class 8, panting heavily, looked at the corpses of the Void Beasts scattered on the ground. Besides the joy of victory, they were also filled with shock and disbelief.

It was only at this moment that they truly realized just how strong the legendary "Number One Genius of the City of Fire" really was...

Is this guy even human?

Even monsters aren't this bad!

What touched them even more was that, given the power that Saki had just displayed, he could have easily handled everything by himself.

But instead of taking all the limelight, he left the opportunities to everyone.

Qi Ji provided a safety net for them, allowing each of them to unleash their full potential.

Therefore, all twenty people achieved results commensurate with their abilities in this battle.

Do not!

Because of Qi Ji's support, they didn't need to worry too much, and many of them performed exceptionally well, with results far exceeding expectations!

For example, fire and wood, or a fleeting moment.

Everyone looked at the estimated scores on the recording device, their eyes sparkling with surprise.

"Is anyone hurt?"

Qi Ji's gaze swept over everyone, his tone as usual.

However, when his gaze swept over a certain spot, he paused slightly, and his eyebrows twitched.

Almost simultaneously, Bai Lili also raised her hand, looking somewhat worried, and said, "Liuli...she seems to have...disappeared."

"?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone finally snapped out of the lingering excitement of their victory in the previous battle.

Liuli had disappeared from the crowd without anyone noticing.

"You all stay here, don't move, recover your strength, stay alert, I'm going to find her."

Saki gave the order in a very fast voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared from everyone's sight like an arrow released from a bow.

……

Deep within the fissure.

A clearing surrounded by giant, pale fungi.

Seigen Kamishiro, Ruri's half-brother, is currently staring coldly at his younger sister.

He was dressed in a dark blue outfit that allowed for easy movement, with an ancient-looking longsword at his waist, exuding a sinister aura.

Why didn't they succeed?

His voice had little variation, yet it carried an undeniable sense of authority.

"With your abilities, manipulating the emotions of a kid who hasn't even awakened a response, and inducing him to die, should be a piece of cake. The family gave you their best talent, not for you to fail!"

Liuli lowered her head, her long, misty purple hair obscuring most of her face.

"Something unexpected happened."

Ruri gave a brief explanation, and although Shinjiro Seigen listened with a frown, he didn't harbor much suspicion.

His younger sister had always performed her tasks perfectly in the past.

It is one of the tools that the Kamishiro family is most proud of.

The target this time is Yan Yi's son, which involves very complicated matters.

Moreover, according to their latest news, Yan Yi seems to have returned to the City of Fire these past few days...

Perhaps Liuli's mistake was related to that guy.

Fortunately, the family had a backup plan.

Thinking of this, Shindai Seigen's expression softened somewhat. Instead of blaming Ruri, he offered a few words of comfort with the gentleness of an older brother:

"Fine, I'll take the blame for this. You've worked hard all these years in the City of Fire."

His tone softened, and he began to skillfully paint a rosy picture.

"When I finally come to power, I will definitely help you break the curse and give you true freedom."

free?

Upon hearing these two unfamiliar words, Liuli felt no emotion whatsoever; in fact, she almost wanted to laugh.

"Mission report complete. May I go back now? Leaving for too long will arouse suspicion."

Shinjiro Seigen gave Ruri a subtle look.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt a certain way about his younger sister during this meeting...

Something seems a little different.

But then he shook his head, finding it amusing—

It's just a tool, so what difference does it make?

"You don't need to go back yet. In a little while, you can come with me to enjoy an interesting performance."

He leisurely patted the cloth bag at his waist.

"I brought the family's 'Crimson Fragrance' with me this time. Combined with the circuits I set up in advance, it's enough to drive all the Void Beasts in this area's rifts... into madness."

After explaining his plan, Seigen Kamishiro calmly said with an expression of anticipation:

"Next, let's enjoy watching how these little guys from the City of Fire get torn to pieces."

Upon hearing this, Liuli was startled.

She originally thought that the family's goal was only firewood.

You can hear what Shinjiro Seigaku means...

"Don't be surprised."

Seigen Kamishiro seemed to see through her thoughts and explained calmly,

"Deep Blue and City of Fire are destined for war. The family has changed its mind. Now, what we need to do is not just kill Firewood and lure out Flame One. We need to destroy the entire next generation of City of Fire!"

War, by its very nature, is about ruthless tactics and destroying the enemy's future! If Deep Blue can conquer the City of Fire, then my Kamishiro family, through this achievement, will surely be able to…”

Just as Seigen Kamishiro was immersed in his beautiful daydreams, an untimely voice suddenly interrupted him.

"I'm really sorry. Although your fantasy is very wonderful, but, if I may be so bold, let's save the dreaming for tonight."

Whose voice is that?

Shinjiro was startled and turned around abruptly!

Not far away, at the top of a twisted giant tree, a figure had appeared out of nowhere.

Wearing a pure white mask and a black trench coat, he sat casually on a horizontal branch.

The visitor was none other than Qi Ji.

He was still fiddling with a college-standard recorder that was recording in progress.

Saki shook the device in his hand, the mask facing Shinjiro Seigaku:

"As you can see, everything you just said was recorded and transmitted in real time. Sorry for ruining your plans."

The sudden appearance of Saki was a shock to Shinjiro, because he had not noticed it at all from the beginning!

However, he quickly regained his composure, glanced contemptuously at the recording device in Saki's hand, and sneered:

"Idiot, do you want to check if that thing in your hand is working?"

The recording equipment stopped working as soon as it came into contact with this area.

That's a given.

Saki already knew.

After all, Liuli was also present. If the recording device was really useful, why would he take it out at this time?

Wouldn't that be tantamount to personally reporting Liuli's identity to the academy?

But he knew this, yet he still did it, for one purpose only—

Time to prepare for Liuli.

"Oh dear, in this world where the extraordinary is the foundation, electronic devices are indeed unreliable."

As he spoke, Qi Ji casually tossed the equipment aside.

With a light leap, he landed gracefully from the tree.

The landing location was very delicate.

It lies precisely between Ruri and Shindai Seigen.

……

……

Chapter Fifteen: The Playful Ends Here

Shinjiro looked at him as if he were looking at a dead man.

"Liuli, make your move."