The Supreme Genius Reborn

Chapter Two

Samuel raised his head, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, his expression taut as if he stood on the brink of enlightenment.

His eyes snapped open, clarity blazing within them.

“So, this is it? I understand now.” He rose to his feet and slowly took in the vast space around him, his gaze sweeping across the strange orbs that floated silently in the air.

“I’ve finished here. Let me go find my next task. I really want to leave as soon as possible.”

After he was stabbed, he had thought he would die. Instead, he was swallowed by a brilliant white light, his consciousness dragged into this strange place. He didn’t understand it. Everything around him felt unreal, like an illusion, including the wizened old man who had guided him all this time.

From the moment he arrived, he had been forced to learn countless things, ranging from cultivation techniques to various other skills and abilities, some of which he still didn’t understand the purpose of.

There were so many that they threatened to drown him.

This space was divided into different rooms, each dedicated to a specific skill or ability. Every room had its own instructor, and they trained him through vivid, lifelike simulations. At times, he was thrown into scorching deserts, forced to survive under brutal, unforgiving conditions.

Other times, he found himself piloting strange vehicles he had never seen before. Most of what he encountered here didn’t exist in his world. Everything felt foreign and unfamiliar.

Even the cultivation he learned here was vastly different from that of his own world. Back on his continent, at most, someone could live up to 150 years through cultivation. 

The highest realm was the body foundation realm. But the cultivation manuals he studied here spoke of far higher realms beyond the body foundation realm, realms where one could live forever if they reached the peak.

In this place, where time held no meaning, he had no idea how long he had actually spent here.

Yet it felt like thousands of years had passed.

Yes, it sounded exaggerated, but that was exactly how it felt.

He walked into the main hall and saw the wizened old man dressed in white. Samuel stopped before him, standing still as he waited for his next task. By now, he had completely surrendered himself to fate.

“I shouldn’t have touched that crystal,” he muttered, regret flickering in his eyes. If he had known all this would happen, he would never have climbed that mountain.

The old man looked up at him and smiled warmly.

“You are very talented, son. No matter what was thrown at you, you mastered it long before the intended time. Even the ancient beings would be shocked if they witnessed your talent,” he said with quiet pride.

Ancient beings? What ancient beings?

Before Samuel could ask, the old man rose to his feet and continued.

“You are ready now. You will be sent to a new world, a low-tier world that will serve as your starting point. The energy in the crystal is only enough to send you there. We have trained you in all the skills necessary to conquer that world. Your mission is to grow as powerful as you can and surpass the limits of that world in the shortest time possible,” the old man instructed.

“Who are you? Who created this crystal? Why did you save my consciousness, and what do you actually want from me?” Samuel asked, voicing the questions that had weighed on his mind for so long. 

There was more he wanted to ask, but he held back, unwilling to overwhelm the old man, especially now that they were finally speaking openly.

Throughout his time here, the old man had done little more than guide him from room to room, offering only brief instructions. Even when Samuel tried to speak to him, he rarely responded.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot answer you,” the old man said softly. “There are things you will come to know in time. For now, focus on becoming as powerful as you can. Your fate is tied to this crystal. Even if you do nothing, powerful beings will come for you. If you are not strong enough when that time comes, you will be killed.”

Samuel froze as cold terror crept into his chest. He had no idea how strong these beings were. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fists.

“Then I’ll train harder. I’ll grow stronger. Strong enough to defeat anyone who dares come after me.”

The old man studied his face, then nodded when he saw the resolve burning in his eyes. He could not force the possessor of the crystal to accept the mission. If Samuel rejected it, there would be nothing left to do but watch his soul burn away.

The old man raised his hand, and a white gate materialized before them. Beyond it, a swirl of strange blue energy pulsed and shifted like living light.

“Step through the gate to be reincarnated and begin your journey toward becoming the most powerful being in existence. You may accept or reject, but be warned. If you reject, your soul will be obliterated. Everything that you are will cease to exist.”

Samuel’s mouth twitched.

“You didn’t even give me a real choice, old man,” he muttered with a bitter laugh.

No matter what, he didn’t want to die. He had always been an ambitious youth, dreaming of one day standing above the entire continent as the most powerful man alive. Now, his ambitions had grown far beyond that.

With firm determination burning in his eyes, he stepped through the white gate. The old man watched as it vanished behind him, a faint smile lingering on his face.

******

“Argh! What’s this?!”

Samuel was stunned. The moment he stepped through the gate, his consciousness faded. When it returned, he found himself in the middle of being beaten to death.

“Argh!” His eyes snapped open as dozens of fists and boots crashed into him. Men surrounded him in a tight circle, attacking him viciously. Their hatred felt raw, personal, suffocating. He tried to fight back, but his body was far too weak to respond.

“Old man… everything you said was a lie. You tricked me, didn’t you?!”

That was his last thought before everything went black.

******

When Samuel woke, his head spun violently, and a crushing headache throbbed behind his eyes.

“Water…” His throat was dry and parched. He turned his head and spotted a glass of water on a nearby table. Reaching out, he grabbed it and drained it in one gulp.

A faint sense of relief washed through him.

“What’s this… memory?” he muttered, clutching his head tightly.

Suddenly, strange memories flooded his mind—memories of another Samuel. This Samuel was him, yet not him at the same time.

“Wait a minute!” His eyes widened as realization struck. He forced himself to stand, but pain tore through his battered body, making him wince. Looking down, he saw himself wrapped in bandages.

The pain was nothing compared to what he had endured inside the crystal space. Gritting his teeth, he dragged himself toward a mirror, needing to confirm his suspicion.

The moment he saw his reflection, his doubts vanished.

He had been reincarnated into the body of this young man… someone who, coincidentally, shared the same name as him.