The Supreme Genius Reborn

“What are you doing?” Samuel gasped as two men and a woman closed in, cutting off every path of escape.

His gaze locked onto the only woman among them, hurt flashing across his face.

“Leila… I can’t believe you’d betray me too. We’re a couple, for crying out loud!” His voice rose, tight with anger. How could she turn on him so quickly?

Leila flinched, lowering her head as guilt flickered across her expression. For a moment, she hesitated… then she lifted her gaze again, resolve hardening in her eyes.

“Just give up the crystal, Samuel. I promise nothing will happen to you if you hand it over.”

The crystal meant everything to her and her clan. She would not let this chance slip away. Not for anything.

Samuel’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “And who exactly am I supposed to give it to? There are three of you.”

The question made them hesitate, exchanging brief, wary glances. But the moment passed quickly. Leila shot them a steady, reassuring look, and they nodded in silent agreement.

She had already secured their cooperation. In exchange for the crystal, she promised them five years of cultivation in her clan’s Holy Land. They didn’t know the crystal’s true value. They had followed Samuel and his fiancée into the dungeon as “guides,” but that had always been a lie.

Whatever the crystal truly was, they knew it would never belong to them. Aligning with Leila meant safety and benefits. She could easily claim Samuel had died to wild beasts, and no one would question it. She was his fiancée. But if only the two men returned, suspicion would be inevitable.

Samuel let out a bitter laugh.

He never imagined the day would come when the woman beside him would raise a blade against him.

“Fine,” he said, voice turning cold. “If you want the crystal, you’ll have to take it over my dead body.” He drew his sword, steel catching the faint temple light.

Leila let out a soft, humorless chuckle. “You’re really foolish. Did you honestly believe these two were ordinary guides from Orchra Village? They’re powerful cultivators, specially arranged for this trip. Why do you think I insisted on bringing them?”

“Then answer me this,” Samuel shot back. “If you know so much about this temple, why didn’t you take the crystal yourself?”

“I tried,” she said calmly. “But no one had ever solved the puzzle at the entrance. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t prepare for the chance someone might. These two were placed here to watch for anyone who made it inside.”

She paused, her lips curving faintly.

“When you asked me to join you, I brought them along just in case. I never expected you’d actually solve it. You really are a genius, Samuel. No wonder they say you’re unmatched in our generation.”

Her expression turned distant, almost indifferent.

“The truth is, we were never close. Our marriage was arranged long ago. Neither of us had a choice. There were never any real feelings between us. You don’t love me, Samuel. You love your sword and your martial arts. And I don’t love you. I want control over my own destiny. I refuse to live under anyone’s shadow.”

Samuel exhaled slowly.

She wasn’t wrong.

He had never truly loved her, not deeply. But he had believed they could make it work. His father had always said feelings could grow with time.

Then her voice sharpened.

“Enough. Hand over the crystal, and I’ll spare you.”

Samuel laughed harshly. “Do you take me for a fool? Even if I give it to you, you’ll still kill me to make sure I can’t come back for revenge.”

Silence.

Her lack of denial said everything.

His family’s influence far exceeded hers. Letting him live would only invite disaster for her clan.

“Fine,” she said at last, her tone turning cold. “You’ve forced my hand.”

She gave a slight nod.

The two men moved at once.

They blurred forward with terrifying speed. One swung for Samuel’s neck with ruthless precision. Samuel raised his sword and met the strike, steel crashing against steel as sparks burst into the dim air.

The second attacker lunged low, aiming for his ribs, but Samuel twisted aside just in time, his reflexes razor-sharp.

He countered instantly, his blade slicing across the second man’s arm. Blood spilled, and the man hissed, but he didn’t retreat.

The first cultivator pressed forward again, relentless. Blow after blow hammered down on Samuel, and when the second joined in once more, their combined assault forced him back step by step.

Why are they this strong?

His breathing grew heavier.

These were no ordinary cultivators. They were trained killers.

Even so, neither was he.

Though still in his late twenties, Samuel’s strength was already renowned across the continent. Few of his age could match him. Even seasoned veterans struggled against him. Yet these two were clearly exceptional.

He gritted his teeth and focused, drawing on everything his father and master had taught him.

His aura surged outward, crashing against them like a storm. The air itself seemed to thicken. The two men faltered, their movements slowing under the crushing weight of his killing intent.

They exchanged uneasy looks, then glanced toward Leila.

She sneered.

With a flick of her wrist, she drew out a strange whip. Its length shimmered, lined with razor-sharp hooks that glinted coldly in the dim light. She twirled it lazily, her slender frame radiating a deadly allure.

Samuel caught sight of her from the corner of his eye, and a jolt of disbelief ran through him.

Everything about her felt unfamiliar.

Was this really the same woman who had once clung to him for protection? The same woman who had sworn she loved him?

“Since you’re so stubborn,” Leila said softly, “I’ll use my Whip of Soulhun to make you obedient. It’ll hurt… but you’ll listen after.”

The whip cracked.

Swish!

It moved too fast to follow. Pain exploded across Samuel’s back as the hooked tips tore into his flesh. His grip faltered, and in that instant, one of the men’s blades sliced along his side, drawing blood.

He staggered backward, trying to regain his footing.

Crack!

The whip struck again, coiling around his arm. Agony surged through him, burrowing past flesh and bone, clawing into something deeper. His teeth clenched, but a broken groan still forced its way out.

Then something cold drove into his abdomen.

He looked down.

A dagger.

Buried deep.

A weak laugh escaped him, trembling and hollow. “So… this is how I die? Killed by the woman I loved?”

His eyes found Leila, still frozen in the motion of her throw.

Blood poured freely from the wound, soaking into the pouch at his waist where the crystal lay.

Leila stepped forward, snatching a sword from one of the men. Her expression was empty as she raised it, ready to end it.

No hesitation. No regret.

But before the blade could fall, a brilliant white light erupted from Samuel’s waist, swallowing him whole.

“What?!” Leila cried, throwing up an arm to shield her eyes.

The light flared—

And then he was gone.