Chương 293: End of the Meeting

The entire huge palace shook greatly, as though a mini earthquake had struck. The roof of the hall exploded shrapnel that flew out. Some of them made holes on the floor. Lu Jian watched calmly and tilted his head sideways.

"Hm… did I go too far? I thought they'd at least be able to withstand ten percent of my strength. Looks like I overestimated them even at that." He shook his head and sighed. His words would leave anyone from the continent zone startled. To think this was just ten percent of his strength? This single palm strike would absolutely defeat Huang Fang Hao without any doubts whatsoever!

"Senior brother Lu is so awesome. You didn't have to move. We would've been enough to teach these trashes their place." One of the youths behind Lu Jian laughed and said.

"Indeed. Senior brother Lu has soilt his hands by attacking these fools. This alone is enough for generations of theirs to be proud." Another youth smiled fawningly and added. Lu Jian didn't turn around as he replied.

"I lost my calm. It is quite vexing indeed. I've struggled for so long, yet I am still unknown in the Mainland. Yet these backwater kids dare to call themselves geniuses? I hope I didn't kill anyone."

"Hehehehe, even if all of them died, it would be their absolute honor to die by senior brother Lu's hands. To think they proudly call themselves geniuses? Such ignorance."

"Senior brother Lu's name will surely resound throughout the four regions of the mainland soon!" The youths behind him were quick to fawn on him. Lu Jian merely smiled faintly and didn't take their words to heart. To become famous in the four regions? Only one word could describe that. Difficult! Talented geniuses were one thing the mainland had never lacked before. They were so plentiful that they were practically nothing.

Only real monsters were worthy of being called geniuses, and Lu Jian was quite far from that stage. As for prodigies… Lu Jian couldn't think of them without shivering. A single person who was worthy of the title of Prodigy could raze a normal high ranked continent to the ground. And a high ranked continent would have at least a single Dao foundation realm master as their core!

It was understandable that Lu Jian had felt annoyed to see a bunch of ants wearing the title he had chased after all his life and still hadn't gotten. The dust completely cleared, revealing all the continent zone's geniuses. Or at least, slightly above half of them. Out of the fifty geniuses, almost a dozen of them were dead. They were all peak spirit realm warriors, and they couldn't survive the attack regardless of how strong their defenses were. The difference was just too great.

Only the Imperial realm geniuses survived. And many of them were barely keeping themselves conscious. Their hearts were filled with pure terror as they stared at Lu Jian, unable to believe that a youth could wield such power. He barely looked twenty! Yet his strength would leave many peak Imperials thinking thrice before facing him! Was this a genius of the mainland? Then they recalled what he had said before.

'I really am nothing much in the mainland. I'll be honest with you, none of us here are geniuses back in our sects. We're just above average disciples.' These words now resounded in everyone's ears, terrifying them to no end. Above average disciples? If these were just above average, then who were actual geniuses? How strong would they be? No one could even begin to imagine. Lu Jian glanced at them all, including the smashed corpses of those who died and shook his head slightly.

"It's as I thought. You're all nothing but ignorant fools." He had challenged the continent zone's geniuses that none of them would be left standing after his attack. His words seemed arrogant to them and had enraged them. But now… Not a single person was standing. Even the eight overlord geniuses were forced to their knees and had coughed up blood, and Ping Ran's injuries worsened and he was also laying down. The eight overlord geniuses' hearts were gushing with shock.

They still couldn't believe what just happened. Just before the palm hit them all, Lu Jian had actually reduced the force it contained by half, even after holding back so much. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Yet he still reduced them all to this… all below the Imperial realm were dead. To a single attack! Was this really a junior? If this was considered average in the mainland, then…

The overlord geniuses exchanged bitter glances and began to feel their expectations crumbling, their dreams slowly tearing open to the brutal facts. They weren't even considering average. They would be below average, or even real trash! To think they all had dreams of making a name for themselves in the mainland, gaining fame and rising to the top. A single youth had humbled them all with a single slap. Even Long Feng felt his confidence wavering slightly.

He was more than clear about the exact strength of this Lu Jian. Peak Imperial realm! His aura was even stronger than most of the low rank Yin soldiers from the Yin ghost forest. He was on an entirely different level of strong.

"I apologize for the deaths. I will send proper compensations. There's nothing of interest in this continent zone." Lu Jian sighed. He slowly turned around and began to walk away and the group of youths trailed after him. Everyone watched them leave without a word. Even breathing was subconsciously suppressed due to fear. Suddenly, Lu Jian paused.

"One word of advice." He began without turning around.

"Do not try to make a fuss in the mainland. Lock yourself up and cultivate for as long as you can. The four regions are nothing like the continent zone. You could die without knowing what or why. Entire sects and clans are wiped out frequently. Drawing attention to oneself in the Mainland is simply a death sentence. There are thousands like you and even better than you. Forget standing out, you'll find it hard to even survive.

I don't expect to see any of you in the future, but I'm telling you this so you don't let your foolish pride blind you like that Huang Fang Hao. His confidence is completely laughable. He'll be humbled within days of going to the Heavenly Spear Pavilion." After saying his piece, Lu Jian slowly left the hall. The youths behind him glanced back at the dazed and terrified continent zone's geniuses and snorted disdainfully or laughed as they left as well, leaving the half destroyed hall silent.

Long Feng slowly wiped the trace of blood from his lips and stared at the hall entrance with a cold gaze. Although he was shaken, this wasn't nearly enough to break his confidence and believe in himself. Although he knew that everything Lu Jian said was true, he inwardly disagreed with a single point.

"Thousands like us? …" He smiled faintly, though his eyes remained cold.

"The mainland may have many talented geniuses, but… they've never had anything like me." Why did he think so? Because he wasn't going to the mainland to cultivate and reach the so called peak as almost everyone else wanted. He did want to grow stronger, but he had a greater reason for heading to the mainland. And it was a simple reason. Vengeance. And the foe? The supreme Liu Royal Clan. Long Feng was probably the first person to actually dream of facing an entire Royal Clan.

He didn't know what status Liu Shan had within the Liu Royal Clan, but no matter what, he knew that he would be slapping the face of the royal clan if he ever killed Liu Shan. That alone was reason enough for any force to kill a person. The only way for him to quickly gain the strength he required was by going to the mainland himself. This wasn't about himself. It was about the hundreds of innocent Long clansmen who died to give him a chance to live.

The thousands of people in the Mortal Heaven Sect who died without even knowing what exactly caused their deaths. The Jianhai clan, the Wuma clan, the Sword Mountain… His grandfather, who gave everything for his clan. His teacher, Lord Yi Ming; Long Feng was never able to bring himself to head to the Mortal Heaven Sect before he left the province. He wasn't sure he could withstand the guilt. And Yan jian, whose slumbering soul laid in a gourd within his void ring.

It was unknown when he would ever wake up, if he did. Closing his eyes, Long Feng suppressed these thoughts and began to consume healing pills to recover his injuries. Everyone silently did the same, their hearts filled with the fragments of their shattered dreams. A few hours passed silently. Everyone healed enough to leave. The dead were silently taken to be returned to their families or sects while the remaining gathered again within the broken hall.

The hall was filled with a solemn silence as everyone stared at each other. At last, Lei Jie spoke up first.

"I know we're all shaken by what happened. I am as well. But we should all remember that the hope of the entire continent zone rests upon our shoulders. Generations before us went through greater struggles and died trying. We can't let oke person destroy the hope you've built over several years, the pride, the confidence we've accrued. They can't be taken from us. No matter what we'll face, as long as we stick together, we'll be able to overcome anything!" Unfortunately, his words didn't boost any morale.

Almost all of the youths present already had their confidence shattered, replaced by terror. Their curiosity of the Mainland had turned to absolute fear. This was the effect Lu Jian wanted, and it worked perfectly. Long Feng looked around and silently shook his head. Other than the eight overlord geniuses, all the others were pretty much wasted. Their eyes were dim and their wills and determination were extinguished. Their future were ruined unless some miracle happened. Lei Jie sighed.

"We should all leave. I hope to meet you all in the mainland if fate allows it." He waved his hand tiredly and ended the genius meeting. Everyone silently began to walk towards the door, leaving only eight figures standing in the hall; the eight overlord geniuses. Lei Jie sighed again.

"We've severely underestimated the Mainland's geniuses. Honestly, my confidence is more than half done as well." Everyone remained silent. Lei Jie slowly stared at each and every one of them.

"I'm relieved that we're all still standing. We are the hearts of the continent zone. We can't let our determinations waver. If we all meet in the mainland someday, I hope we'll all remember our origins and support one another through all situations. That is our only hope."

"So, you're the leader now?" Dong Fang raised his brows and asked coldly. He and Lei Jie were equal in strength and it was hard to decide who was really stronger between them. It was naturally impossible for him to accept Lei Jie as their leader. Lei Jie smiled and slowly shook his head.

"Of course not. I don't dare to take that spot. We already have our leader. And he's already in the mainland. It would be great if we find him as well. Even if we don't, it doesn't matter." Dong Fang snorted but didn't bring up the topic again. Everyone knew who Lei Jie was referring to. Their leader was naturally no one but Huang Fang Hao! Long Feng silently watched them regain their confidence and he couldn't help but be surprised. The overlord geniuses definitely weren't disappointing their titles.

"Brother Long Feng, how are you going to do now?" Lei Jie turned to Long Feng and asked, drawing everyone's attention to the latter. They all knew about the rumors. Long Feng definitely wasn't having a good time even if he found a way to hide. If he couldn't leave the continent zone, then he would sooner or later be caught and killed. They naturally wanted to know what exactly he was planning to do. Long Feng smiled faintly.

"I plan to head to the mainland as well." He replied honestly.

"Mainland? Brother Long Feng, are you sure about your choice?" Lei Jie asked again. Crossing the Jade Sea required at least a cultivation of the deity realm, and that was the barest minimum. Dao Foundation Realm was the actual stage where one could travel across the vast jade sea. Long Feng was strong, but he was merely a rank one spirit realm warrior with a combat power of a rank three or four Imperial; very far from the deity realm, not to mention the Dao realm.

"That's right. I have my ways." Lei Jie nodded and didn't ask about it further.

"Very well. I hope I meet you in the mainland. We'll certainly need you as well."

"I'll be there. Definitely." Long Feng replied leaving them all stunned and curious as to where exactly he got his confidence from. Did he figure out a way to escape from several deities and travel across the jade sea to the mainland? That was definitely impossible. Not even Long Feng himself would ever believe that. But is so, then what was his source of confidence?

"I'll bid you all farewell. The next time we meet, we'll be in the mainland. I hope we'll all be well and much stronger than we are now." Jin Bao clasped his fists and laughed as he walked away. Ping Ran, Wang Qiang, the new overlord from the Desolate Continent, Mei Ling, Dong Fang, Lei Jie and Long Feng, each of them clasped their fists and left the palace, heading in different directions.

From this moment, their fates diverged entirely from the continent zone and into a wider stage, and each of them walked towards their destiny. Or not?