"You..."
Baili Zilin's eyes were wide, his face twitching uncontrollably.
He had never imagined that the finish line it had taken him a full three days to reach, Chu Feng had achieved in a single instant.
Everyone else wore expressions of shock as well.
Yet inwardly, they were deeply shaken.
"Why is the power of Chu Feng's stone tablet formation so overwhelming?"
"There's no technique to it at all — it's an absolute suppression by raw power, a true steamroll."
"Is this why Chu Feng took so much time? Turns out the power of his stone tablet formation surpasses the auxiliary grand formation."
People pieced it together, but even after understanding the reason, they still found it hard to believe.
If Baili Zilin had done the same from the very start, that would have been one thing.
But they had watched Baili Zilin break through those formations with their own eyes.
They knew exactly how difficult those formations were.
And precisely because they understood the difficulty, they had marveled at Baili Zilin's talent and capability.
They had all believed Baili Zilin would surpass every junior and even surpass Chu Feng, becoming the greatest genius of the current era.
Yet at this very moment, Chu Feng had displayed power that utterly dwarfed Baili Zilin's.
It was power on an entirely different level.
This act had not merely reclaimed the title of greatest genius — it had been reclaimed through absolute domination.
Having witnessed the power of Chu Feng's formation and heard the shifting discussions all around him, Baili Zilin seethed with fury deep inside — but he was also genuinely panicked.
He hurriedly asked Jie Mubai, "What exactly is going on? Why is his formation power so powerful?"
His tone carried a hint of anger, driven by sheer anxiety.
"What are you panicking for?"
"Pay him no attention. Continue your challenge."
At that moment, Jie Mubai was inside a grand formation — one situated within this very world, suspended at the very apex of the sky above its center.
But no one could see him.
He, however, could observe this world with perfect clarity through this formation, including every change within the Fortune Sacred Land.
"Does it really not matter?" Baili Zilin asked.
"Don't let him rattle you. Did you forget why I had you take such a wide detour to break through the formations?"
"Forget about him now. Simply seize the final power," Jie Mubai said.
Jie Mubai's reminder restored some of Baili Zilin's composure, and at the same time, it jolted him to understanding.
He began forming hand seals, and on the black longsword in his grip, several gem-like objects appeared.
Those objects were embedded within the black longsword, each radiating a different glow and aura.
Most importantly, as the black longsword underwent its transformation, the aura of the great compass behind the Fortune Sacred Land began to shift as well.
It felt as though the compass was growing excited.
The two were resonating with each other.
"Chu Feng, and here you were hailed as a genius Spirit World Master."
"Did you not even notice why I deliberately took such a long detour to arrive here?"
"Because I needed to collect these powers, and they had to be fused in a specific sequence."
"Now, the sword in my hand is the key that will unlock the final power of the Fortune Sacred Land."
"As for you, even standing here is pointless — because you were wrong from the very beginning."
"Your challenge has already failed."
As Baili Zilin spoke, he rose into the air, ascending to mid-sky, the black longsword in hand as he formed his hand seals.
At that moment, the Fortune Sacred Land trembled violently.
The massive compass spun rapidly.
Raging winds swept in from all directions.
The entire world was shaken by the upheaval.
And the searing energy within the compass surged forward like rolling dark clouds, converging toward the black longsword in Baili Zilin's grasp.