[10 ch today as i did not upload in many days, 5 ch tomorrow]
The central square buzzed with discussion.
Every word, every whisper, seemed to circle around a single name.
Jiang Yan.
Bolan heard them all.
Though his face remained cold and expressionless, turmoil churned within his heart.
Almost every discussion compared him to the Great Demon King—
and almost every conclusion was the same.
Bolan was inferior.
That realization gnawed at him.
People feared comparison most of all.
Yet Bolan could not deny the truth—
in terms of Space Law comprehension, he was behind Jiang Yan.
"But true combat power isn't determined by law depth alone,"
Bolan snorted inwardly.
In the peak finals, they would inevitably meet.
And when that time came—
he would prove, with blood and steel, who was truly stronger.
With that resolve, Bolan quickened his pace and headed toward the Noah Universe Kingdom's building.
Just then—
"Look! The Great Demon King Jiang Yan is here!"
The cry echoed across the square.
Bolan stopped.
He turned his head.
From the passage leading to Building 0825, a young man in a silver-and-gold robe walked forward at an unhurried pace.
His aura was restrained, calm, almost ordinary—
yet every step seemed to weigh upon the space itself.
Jiang Yan.
Bolan stared at him for a long moment, took a deep breath, then turned away.
"I'll defeat you in the grand finals," he murmured.
And without another glance, he disappeared into his own building.
The square erupted.
"The Great Demon King Jiang Yan—recognized as the greatest genius since the inception of the Human Peak Genius Battle!"
"A demon unseen in billions of years!"
"He's the undisputed number one of this session!"
"Great Demon King!!"
Shouts, discussions, and exclamations surged like a tidal wave.
All eyes—
including those of every championship favorite—
were fixed on Jiang Yan.
Thor laughed loudly.
"Third Brother, it has to be you. Look at this reaction—everyone's talking about you!"
Jiang Yan smiled faintly.
His gaze swept past the crowd, landing on Ai Chen, with her pink twin ponytails, and Uka, clad in silver armor.
Ai Chen stepped forward first, her eyes bright.
"Hello, Great Demon King Jiang Yan."
She extended her hand with a sweet smile.
"I finally get to meet you in person."
Jiang Yan returned the smile and took her hand.
"Hello."
Ai Chen was indeed beautiful—sweet and radiant like a dream.
But the moment their hands touched—
Her heart jolted.
Time Law.
Light Law.
Clear, unmistakable fluctuations.
Ai Chen had crossed the threshold in both laws herself—she was exquisitely sensitive to their presence.
For a split second, she forgot to let go.
Thor immediately made a strange face.
"Hey—this treatment's unfair!"
Rong Jun added casually, "That's because you're weak."
"Haha!" Luo Feng laughed.
"Second Brother, how could we compare to Third Brother?"
Jiang Yan withdrew his hand naturally.
He had not deliberately concealed those law fluctuations—
otherwise, Ai Chen wouldn't have sensed them at all.
Ai Chen looked at him with unconcealed shock.
Time, Space, Thunder, Light—four laws crossing the threshold.
A monster worthy of the phrase:
unseen in hundreds of millions of epochs.
Uka couldn't help himself.
"Jiang Yan… how did you master teleportation at the Star Level?"
"That's one of the three great mysteries of the Space Law," he said incredulously.
"Are you even human?"
Jiang Yan smiled calmly.
"Just luck."
The corners of everyone's mouths twitched.
Across the square, several top geniuses watched silently.
Long Yun of the Lanting Universe Kingdom.
Lancelot and Opatra of Noah.
And Bolan, standing in the shadows.
"At the Star Level, mastering teleportation…"
Lancelot sighed.
"That's absurd. Bolan's Ten Thousand Lines Flow is already heaven-defying—but teleportation? That's another dimension entirely."
Opatra shook his head.
"Bolan's just unlucky… to run into the Great Demon King."
Nearby—
A green-haired girl with flowing hair stared fixedly at Jiang Yan.
"Brother… that's him," Qian Shui whispered.
Her brother, Jiang Mo, spoke gravely.
"Teacher said we still have a thirty percent chance against Bolan."
"But against Jiang Yan?"
"Zero."
Qian Shui sighed softly.
"The champion… must belong to the Great Demon King."
Jiang Mo nodded.
"With teleportation alone, he's nearly invincible. Add illusion techniques on top of that…"
"No one can beat him."
Elsewhere—
Guthro of the Imu Universe Kingdom watched solemnly.
"Dual cultivation of martial artist and spiritual master…"
And within a black robe, Galesi, the Phantom Demon, lifted his head slightly.
"I'd like to see," he murmured,
"whether your illusion is stronger—or mine."
High above the continent—
A figure in a blue robe stood silently, as if time and space themselves were frozen around him.
"Such a pity… such a pity," he sighed softly.
"A demon of this caliber… cannot be used by me."
He was the overseer of this Peak Genius Battle—
Venerable Nine Swords.
According to protocol, all top thousand geniuses who entered the Virtual Universe Company would nominally fall under his authority.
But Jiang Yan?
That was impossible.
As one of the top executives of the Virtual Universe Company,
Nine Swords already knew who Jiang Yan's teacher truly was.
The moment he learned the truth—
Even he had been shaken.
The Star Prison Demon Lord—
one of the three supreme overlords of the Human Race.
An existence whose strength surpassed even many Universe Lords.
The last time that being accepted a disciple was countless eras ago.
And yet—
a few years ago, he had quietly taken one in.
That revelation had sent shockwaves through the highest echelons of the Virtual Universe Company.
Later.
Jiang Yan, Luo Feng, and the others headed toward the restaurant to eat.
The competition would begin the next day.
Inside Restaurant No. 1, Immortal leaders chatted casually, reminiscing about the past.
Suddenly—
A calm laugh sounded.
"Hehe… what are you all discussing?"
The room fell silent.
Then—
Shock.
"Venerable Nine Swords?!"
"He's personally presiding over this session?!"
"I pay my respects, Venerable!"
The Immortals rose and bowed in unison.
Venerable Nine Swords smiled gently.
"This Genius Battle was made possible by the support of all your universe nations."
"On behalf of the Virtual Universe Company, I offer my thanks."
"This is our duty,"
Lord Thirteen and the others replied respectfully.
Nine Swords nodded.
"Carry on. I'll go meet the geniuses of this generation shortly."
As night descended—
A voice echoed directly into every contestant's consciousness.
"All participants of the 1,008 Universe Kingdoms—assemble immediately in the central square."
The true battle—
Was about to begin.