Cultivating with Bragging System-Chapter 593 - 278 Wu Ming: Don’t Come Over! (4700 words)_1

Wu Ming had already dashed a great distance, leaving everyone else far behind. Only a few of the geniuses who had started first were still ahead of him, and it looked like he was about to overtake them as well.

However, when he looked back, he saw that Wang Xiu hadn't been left behind at all. Instead, he was keeping pace leisurely at Wu Ming's side, only half a body-length behind.

His snow-white hair streamed behind him as he strolled with his hands clasped behind his back, as if taking a walk in his own garden. A faint, playful smile touched his lips. "I really thought Young Master Wu was going to leave me in the dust!" he said with a chuckle. "Turns out you were just joking. You gave me quite a scare!"

Wu Ming's pupils contracted, his gaze turning solemn. He snorted, "You do have some skill, but it's not your place to get cocky. I haven't even used one-tenth of my full strength yet!"

DING!

[Nearby boasting detected. Congratulations, Host, for receiving Mana +988!]

Wang Xiu's expression didn't change as he nodded with a smile. "Of course. Please, Young Master Wu, continue to grace me with your instruction!"

Hmph!

Wu Ming turned his head, refusing to look at Wang Xiu again. Dense runes materialized around his body, radiating divine light. His golden hair whipped in the wind as his aura swelled to an incredible degree, and his speed skyrocketed once more.

He warped the very void around him, ascending a thousand feet in an instant.

The pressure here was terrifying, several times greater than what they had faced below. Every cultivator who reached this height slowed considerably, their faces strained as their bodies endured unimaginable weight.

The roars of dragons echoed in their ears, at times like the beat of a war drum, at others like a clap of thunder, shaking them to their very spirits.

A few of the geniuses were already bleeding from their mouths and noses, their bodies swaying unsteadily. It was clear they wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

Wu Ming had also slowed down considerably. The light from his runes dimmed, suppressed by an invisible force, but his speed was still astonishing, standing in stark contrast to the other cultivators.

"Wu Ming of the Wu Clan truly lives up to his reputation."

"To maintain such speed this high up... his foundation is truly astonishing!"

"I heard that even the Wu Clan's old ancestor, a suspected Quasi-Emperor, holds Wu Ming in high regard and has taught him almost everything he knows. It seems the rumors are true."

"..."

Gasps of awe and admiration filled the air.

「On the Heavenly Stairway.」

Zhao Qingyu and the others were not sprinting, but they maintained a steady and remarkably fast pace.

A young man with a cold aura said indifferently, "Showing off like this before we've even reached the island... it seems he has no regard for any of us."

Another youth with a lazy expression yawned. "That's just Wu Ming for you. If he knew how to be restrained and hide his strength, he wouldn't be Wu Ming!"

A young man dressed as a scholar fanned himself with a folding fan. "This wild, domineering aura is cast from the same mold as the Wu Clan's Overlord from thousands of years ago! No wonder he is so highly regarded. What are your thoughts, Miss Zhao?"

Zhao Qingyu didn't join the discussion, her eyes fixed on a particular spot. Startled when someone called her name, she collected herself and said, "I don't think Wu Ming is following the path of the Wu Clan's former Overlord. It's more like he's blazing a new trail, one that leans more toward arrogance than dominance."

Upon hearing this, the others around her chuckled softly.

"What new path? That's clearly a wrong turn!"

"Miss Zhao, you'd better hope Wu Ming doesn't hear you say that, or he'll never let it go!"

"But Miss Zhao has nothing to fear from him, does she? The Xuan Tian Sect Master is famously protective! He's always doted on Miss Zhao, his favorite disciple..."

Zhao Qingyu offered a faint smile and said no more. Her gaze remained fixed on that distant spot, a strange light flickering in her eyes.

The young scholar beside her noticed her fixed gaze and followed it, only to realize... Zhao Qingyu was watching Wang Xiu.

His expression changed slightly, as if recalling something. "I heard," he said, "that this Saint Heir of Sanqing once rejected Miss Zhao?"

Zhao Qingyu glanced at him and chuckled softly. "That is true."

The young scholar pressed, "You hold him in high regard?"

Zhao Qingyu didn't hide her admiration. "He is exceptional. If he had been born in the Nine Heavens, he would be no weaker than you or I—perhaps even stronger."

The young scholar nodded. "I have absolute faith in Miss Zhao's judgment. It's just a pity. Now that he's offended that lunatic Wu Ming, this trial will be a difficult one to pass."

Beside them, other geniuses joined in. "It's true. Wu Ming is impossibly arrogant. They say if someone so much as looks at him the wrong way on the street, he'll fly into a rage on the spot if he's not in a good mood!"

Someone sighed. "This Young Master of the Wu Clan has the temper of a top-tier silk-pants heir, the talent of a peerless genius, and a backer that cannot be shaken. He's someone you just can't afford to offend."

Zhao Qingyu smiled faintly. "Difficult doesn't mean impossible. No one believed he could defeat Yi Chen back then, either."

The young scholar shook his head. "Times are different now."

"Unless the Second Son of the Yu Family is willing to step in and protect him, there might be a path to survival."

"I doubt it. If the Yu Family's Eldest Son were here, that would be another matter. Wu Ming certainly wouldn't dare to act so recklessly. But the Second Son... to put it bluntly, the Yu Family's reputation is only enough to protect himself. Wu Ming won't be too concerned about him."

The crowd of geniuses continued their discussion, shaking their heads and sighing. They all felt that Wang Xiu was facing an insurmountable ordeal.

"HOLY CRAP!"

Then, in the next moment, someone cried out, "Everyone, look!"

"Look at what?"

A confused cultivator followed the voice with his eyes, which then widened in shock. "HOLY CRAP!"

"HOLY CRAP!"

"Is that real?!"

"..."

...

Wu Ming exploded with speed once again, leaving every other genius in the dust. His sheer power was enough to make others cry out in despair.

But what nobody expected was that Wang Xiu hadn't been left behind at all.

In fact... the gap between them hadn't widened in the slightest.

He was still just half a body-length behind Wu Ming.