Han Jue, ranked first overall, and Luo Feng, ranked third overall, had caused a sensation that rippled across the entire cosmos.
The Black Dragon Mountain Empire was in an absolute frenzy. From the Emperor seated on his throne to the youngest child who could access the virtual universe, every citizen was exposed to the Empire's overwhelming propaganda campaign. The two young warriors were being hailed as heroes, living legends who had brought unprecedented glory to their nation.
The Emperor himself had publicly announced that both Han Jue and Luo Feng would each receive an entire star system as a reward. This move was transparently motivated by political calculation rather than mere generosity. The Emperor understood full well that these two young men were destined for greatness beyond anything the Black Dragon Mountain Empire had ever produced, and he wanted to establish favorable relations while they still remembered their origins.
On Earth, at the Han Family Manor.
Han Hesheng, Han Hechang, Hong, and Thunder God had gathered together in the main hall.
"Number one in the universe! As expected of my son!" Han Hesheng's voice carried undisguised pride as he raised his glass.
"Thunder God, what do you say now?" Han Hechang quipped with a smug grin.
"Hmph. Han Jue is strong, I'll grant you that, but what does that have to do with you?" Thunder God snorted, though his eyes held genuine amusement. "If you don't agree, let's enter the virtual universe and have a proper fight to settle this."
"I'm not going to fight you," Han Hechang shook his head dismissively. "My nephew's strength is obviously due to my excellent guidance and influence."
Hong watched their playful banter, a faint smile playing on his lips. But then his expression grew serious as he set down his glass.
"You two, and you as well, second brother, I need to tell you something," Hong said solemnly. "I'm leaving Earth and following my teacher into the universe."
"So suddenly?" Thunder God's jovial expression vanished, replaced by genuine surprise.
After Hong had become a disciple of the Lord of Time Realm, he had informed them all. They knew of his connection to one of the universe's most powerful beings, but this announcement still caught them off guard.
"Yes," Hong nodded. "Seeing Han Jue become the number one in the universe and Luo Feng making such significant progress... I also want to pursue my own path with everything I have. I cannot remain stagnant while those I care about reach for the stars."
"The Qianwu Secret Realm invited me to join," Thunder God said with equal seriousness. "Brother Hong, I was planning to invite you as well. We could have traveled this path together."
"What a pity," Hong said with a warm smile, reaching out to pat Thunder God's shoulder. "But this isn't goodbye. We can still keep in touch through the virtual universe. When we meet again in person, we'll both be among the strongest cultivators in existence!"
"Yes!" Thunder God nodded solemnly, clasping Hong's arm in a warrior's grip.
"Han Jue, Luo Feng, Rong Jun, the three of you stay," the giant in scaled armor commanded.
The other geniuses filed out of the chamber, leaving only the three young warriors standing before the intimidating figure known as Thirteen.
"One of you ranked third, the other fourteenth. Do you think you're strong?" The giant's voice was deep and resonant, carrying a faint pressure that made it difficult for Luo Feng and Rong Jun to maintain their footing. Han Jue, however, stood without visible effort, meeting Thirteen's gaze steadily.
"Yes," Han Jue said simply.
Thirteen's eye twitched.
"I wasn't talking about you!" The giant reached out and physically moved Han Jue to the side with one massive hand. "Stand over there!"
Thirteen turned his attention back to Luo Feng and Rong Jun, his expression stern.
"No!" the wild-haired Rong Jun said firmly.
"The trial doesn't prove anything," Luo Feng agreed with a slight bow. "We still have much to learn."
"Good!" Thirteen nodded with satisfaction. "This time, you've brought tremendous honor to the Qianwu Universe Nation! Especially Han Jue, who has practically secured first place in the entire Genius Battle, an unprecedented achievement!"
His gaze shifted to encompass both Luo Feng and Rong Jun.
"But you two... Luo Feng, I have to remind you that eight of the top ten in this trial are Spirit Readers, psychic masters whose abilities make them formidable opponents for warriors like you."
Luo Feng's expression shifted slightly. He understood the implication immediately. Ranking didn't tell the whole story. Someone ranked lower could still be incredibly dangerous depending on matchups and circumstances.
For example, the Phantom Demon Galesi was only ranked one hundred and ninetieth in the trials, but what about his actual combat capability? He had the potential to break into the top ten if circumstances aligned properly.
"I'm just reminding you not to become complacent or arrogant!" Thirteen's gaze lingered briefly on Han Jue before returning to the others. "You still have a long journey ahead of you, and the Genius Battle is not truly over yet. Throughout history, there are countless examples of prodigies who died young because they grew overconfident."
"Now go back and rest. There are still battles to come!"
With that dismissal, Thirteen turned and departed, his armored footsteps echoing through the chamber.
"Would you like to introduce yourselves?" Han Jue smiled, turning to face his two companions.
Luo Feng and Rong Jun had been staring at each other with barely contained competitive energy, sizing one another up.
"Ahem." Luo Feng coughed awkwardly, breaking the intense moment. "Han Jue, this is 'Wild Man' Rong Jun."
"Hello, Han Jue." Rong Jun extended his hand solemnly. "It's an honor to meet you."
"I hope to fight you in the future!" Rong Jun added, his eyes blazing with excitement and determination. "A real battle, not just a ranking competition."
"There will be opportunities," Han Jue said warmly, accepting the handshake. "I look forward to it."
The assembly hall filled with the thousand qualified geniuses as the final rankings and rewards were announced.
The Nine Swords Venerable stood at the center of the massive platform, his presence commanding absolute attention despite his relatively small stature compared to some of the other supervising Immortals.
"Of these one thousand of you, those ranked from one hundred and first through one thousandth will receive a bonus of ten Hunyuan Units, access to the Initial Universe for contemplation, and admission to the 'Apocalypse Secret Realm', one of the four core training regions of our Virtual Universe Company."
Excited murmurs rippled through the crowd. Even the lowest-ranked survivors would receive resources beyond what most civilizations could provide their strongest warriors.
"Those ranked from eleventh through one hundredth will receive a bonus of one hundred Hunyuan Units, access to the Initial Universe for contemplation, and admission to the 'Heaven and Earth Secret Realm.'"
The energy in the room intensified. These were life-changing rewards that would accelerate their cultivation by decades or even centuries.
"Those ranked from fourth through tenth will receive a bonus of one thousand Hunyuan Units, access to the Initial Universe for contemplation, and admission to the 'Absolute Beginning Secret Realm.'"
Now the atmosphere became electric. The Absolute Beginning Secret Realm was legendary, a place where Universe Masters occasionally provided personal guidance.
"The top three will each receive a bonus of ten thousand Hunyuan Units, access to the Initial Universe for contemplation, and admission to the 'Original Secret Realm', the most prestigious training ground in the entire Virtual Universe Company."
Absolute silence fell over the assembly. Ten thousand Hunyuan Units alone represented wealth beyond comprehension for most planets. But the Original Secret Realm...
"Normally, the Original Secret Realm only admits one individual per generation," the Nine Swords Venerable continued, his voice carrying a note of emphasis. "But your generation is exceptional. After deliberation, the top management of the Virtual Universe Company has granted three places in the Original Secret Realm for this cycle."
The announcement sparked an immediate uproar. Geniuses who had previously accepted their rankings now looked at each other with renewed hunger and ambition.
Several self-important competitors immediately voiced their dissatisfaction, believing they should at least be given the right to challenge for higher positions. They argued loudly that the rankings didn't accurately reflect their true capabilities.
Some even had the audacity to question the fairness of the Virtual Universe Company's ranking methodology.
Foolish, Han Jue thought, observing the commotion with folded arms. He was ready to watch the spectacle unfold.
The arena tournament rules were announced, and the format became clear: direct elimination battles to determine the final standings within each tier.
As Han Jue stood observing, Bolan approached him. The pale-skinned genius with his distinctive white hair and crimson eyes moved with fluid grace that spoke of his exceptional spatial law comprehension.
"You're strong. I'm not as good as you," Bolan said solemnly, meeting Han Jue's gaze directly.
Bolan had always been supremely confident in his abilities. He had even been cultivating the two fundamental laws of space and time simultaneously, an achievement that would have seemed impossible to most. But Han Jue's appearance had shattered his pride completely.
He had been forced to pause and confront an uncomfortable truth: how could he avoid being surpassed by such a massive margin? How could he possibly catch up, let alone overtake someone with such monstrous talent?
His vaunted spatial comprehension, which had amazed Immortals and shocked his peers, seemed like nothing in comparison.
"Ha." Han Jue chuckled, his expression friendly rather than condescending. "You just need to find the path that suits you best, and you'll become stronger. Don't compare yourself to others, compare yourself to who you were yesterday."
Bolan lowered his head, his eyes flickering with deep thought as if realizing something profound.
"I surrender."
Han Jue's first arena opponent took one look at him and immediately conceded without even attempting to fight.
Han Jue shook his head slightly, a wry smile on his face. 'Why won't anyone let me do anything?'
This pattern repeated itself several times. Opponents would see his name, recognize his overwhelming dominance in the previous trials, and simply forfeit rather than face certain defeat.
"Congratulations!" the Nine Swords Venerable announced with a warm smile. "You've made it into the top one hundred, earning entry into our Virtual Universe Company's 'Heaven and Earth Secret Realm.' Now we must select the best twenty among you to advance further."
These twenty would be chosen by the Virtual Universe System's analysis, a perfect evaluation that considered every aspect of their previous performances.
There was little suspense in the selection process.
Although Han Jue's opponents had surrendered, the system still placed him among the twenty based on his demonstrated capabilities throughout the entire competition.
The next round began.
Han Jue versus Opatra.
The battle was a foregone conclusion. Han Jue easily defeated this opponent who hadn't played a significant role in establishing himself as a threat. His technique was adequate but unremarkable, his law comprehension solid but not exceptional.
Luo Feng, Rong Jun, and the others also defeated their respective opponents with varying degrees of difficulty, each advancing to the next tier.
They had entered the top ten.
"Han Jue, Bolan, Qian Shui, Luo Feng, Jiang Mo, Lancelot, Wu Ka, Ai Chen, Long Yun, Rong Jun, congratulations to all ten of you," the Nine Swords Venerable announced, genuine pride evident in his voice.
"Next, we'll have to choose the top five who will advance to the final round," he continued with a slight smile. "According to the rules established by the virtual universe system, you ten will be matched based on your winning times in previous battles. The fastest will face the slowest, the second-fastest will face the second-slowest, and so on."
The matchups appeared on the display:
Han Jue versus Rong Jun!
Bolan versus Long Yun!
Qian Shui versus Ai Chen!
Luo Feng versus Wu Ka!
Jiang Mo versus Lancelot!
"I didn't expect to be fighting you so soon," Han Jue said with a genuine smile.
Rong Jun was stunned for a moment, then broke into a fierce grin.
"I know I can't beat you, but I want to see exactly how big the gap is between us!" His voice carried no shame, only honest determination to measure himself against the absolute peak.
"No problem!" Han Jue said, patting his chest confidently. "I'll give you my full effort."
Half an hour later, the battle began.
Thousands of phantom avatars surrounded Rong Jun the instant they materialized in the arena. Each image appeared perfectly solid, moving with identical fluidity and emanating the same aura.
Rong Jun's face changed as he desperately tried to identify the real body among the countless duplicates.
These phantoms... they were completely indistinguishable from reality!
"How is it?" Han Jue's voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once, yet somehow managed to sound conversational rather than threatening. "Can you tell which one is real?"
After staring intensely for a long moment, analyzing every possible detail with all of his spatial perception abilities, Rong Jun finally shook his head in defeat.
"I surrender."
He couldn't identify which phantom was Han Jue's real body. Even his law comprehension couldn't penetrate the illusion.
'How could this possibly be fought?' he thought with a mixture of frustration and awe.
Thanks to Rong Jun's immediate surrender, Han Jue's battle finished fastest, allowing him to move to other arenas to watch his peers compete.
Bolan faced Long Yun in a contest that showcased both fighters' exceptional abilities.
Long Yun's defense was formidable, nearly impenetrable. His understanding of both the earth law and spatial law even surpassed Rong Jun's comprehension. He had almost perfectly integrated these concepts into his domain. In terms of pure domain suppression, Long Yun could legitimately compete for first place among all the competitors.
But Bolan was no ordinary opponent.
After a thrilling battle that pushed both fighters to their limits, Bolan finally shattered Long Yun's defensive technique through sheer spatial manipulation prowess, becoming the second person to finish their match.
The remaining three battles concluded quickly one after another, each demonstrating the exceptional quality of this generation's geniuses.
The winners were Luo Feng, Ai Chen, and Jiang Mo.
After the top five were determined, the reincarnation battle began, a round-robin tournament where each of the five would face every other competitor.
The final rankings emerged clearly:
Han Jue: Four wins, zero losses. Undisputed first place.
Bolan: Three wins, one loss. Second place.
Luo Feng: Two wins, two losses. Third place.
Ai Chen: One win, three losses. Fourth place.
Jiang Mo: Zero wins, four losses. Fifth place.
With these results finalized, the Genius Battle had officially concluded.
"First, second, third," the Nine Swords Venerable said, his voice carrying satisfaction as he gestured to Han Jue, Bolan, and Luo Feng.
"Fourth through tenth." He indicated the next group.
"Eleventh through one hundredth."
"One hundred and first through one thousandth."
"These four tiers have all been determined. This year's Universe Peak Genius Selection Battle has come to a perfect conclusion today."
His expression became more animated, almost excited.
"Someone will contact you later and transport you to the universal headquarters of the Virtual Universe Company. You will gather there and then journey together to the Initial Universe!"
The assembly erupted in cheers. The Initial Universe, a place where the fundamental laws of reality were visible, where comprehension that would normally take centuries could be achieved in years or even months.
Their true journey was only just beginning.
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