In the First World Zone, all combatants could fly up to approximately nine thousand meters above ground at most. Beyond that height, an invisible membrane blocked further ascent.
Above the membrane,
numerous spacecraft slowly drifted through the skies. Inside a private cabin aboard one of these ships were Luo Hongguo, Gong Xinlan, Xu Xin, the two children Ping and Xiao Ping, and also Xu Xin’s older brother Xu Gang’s entire family.
“This Genius War isn’t even being broadcast,” Xu Gang remarked with a sigh. “To watch the preliminary battles, one must come to this World Zone and view from a spacecraft, and the cost is so high.”
“Brother, it’s perfectly normal not to broadcast,” Xu Xin smiled. “With over 8.2 billion combatants fighting, how could they possibly broadcast it all?”
Through the external virtual view,
Xu Xin and the others could look down and see the bloody battles occurring in cities across the continent below. They could also ‘zoom in’ and clearly see the faces of each combatant on the battlefield. Of course, if someone hid inside a building, they would be out of sight.
“Mom, Dad’s ranking keeps dropping,” Xiao Hai said with a frown, holding a screen in his hand displaying three leaderboards—one for the 1st World Zone, one for the 72nd, and one for the 88th—tracking Luo Feng, Hong, and Leishen in these zones.
Luo Feng’s ranking kept falling.
“Big Uncle’s ranking is dropping too. But Second Uncle’s is rising,” Xiao Hai continued. “Second Uncle is rising really fast—he’s already in the top 100,000! Dad and Big Uncle are both past the ten million mark.”
“You don’t understand. This is called holding back strength,” Xiao Ping said.
Xiao Hai glared at him. “With over 8.2 billion people down there, who could possibly be Dad’s opponent? Why would he need to hold back?”
“Haha…”
The grandparents nearby burst into laughter.
“That’s quite a bold statement,” Xu Gang chuckled. “Come here, Xiao Hai, sit on Uncle’s lap.”
“No,” Xiao Hai said, lowering his head again to look at his screen.
Indeed, Luo Feng and Hong’s rankings were both very low and unremarkable.
…
The preliminaries were taking place simultaneously across 100 World Zones. Without any broadcasts, countless citizens of the Qianwu Cosmic Nation, from the highest officials to ordinary citizens, paid to board spacecraft and observe the battles from above the 100 World Zones.
…
Above the 61st World Zone, aboard a luxurious spacecraft, a group of young men and women were sipping wine and enjoying delicacies while watching the battles through the virtual view.
“Haha, the number one spot is still held by someone from our Cosmic Nation’s direct star region,” a tall, three-meter figure in a noble robe raised his glass and laughed. “Oh, tsk tsk, Luotuer, your Pengyu Empire is doing well. You have someone in the top 100.”
“Thank you for your Highness’s praise,” a young man with a single braid and a strange gem embedded in his forehead smiled.
“The Pengyu Empire has always been one of the vassal states under the Qianwu Cosmic Nation that produces the most powerful warriors. By the way, Luotuer, I heard rumors that your Empire is considering naming you as the first heir to the throne?”
“I heard that too, Luotuer. If you become Emperor of the Pengyu Empire, don’t forget about us!”
“Luotuer…”
The young man Luotuer smiled slightly and shook his head. “These are all just rumors; nothing is decided yet. Besides, we can never compare to your Highness! You are the only son of the Marquis of Dingtian and will surely inherit his title in the future. His territory is ten times larger than our Empire.”
The tall, muscular man couldn’t help but smile at that.
The Qianwu Cosmic Nation was vast and powerful. At its peak stood the Sovereign, and beneath him were the various Marquises—immortal beings who ruled vast territories, often larger than entire mid-tier civilizations.
“Brolin, why don’t I see anyone from your Heishan Imperial Domain?” the prince asked, turning his gaze to a young man nearby.
“That’s right, Brolin.”
“Didn’t your Heishan Domain even have a single person in the top ten thousand last time?”
“Yes, the Heishan Domain has been performing poorly in recent competitions.”
The group consisted of princes and princesses of vassal states, heirs of the Qianwu Cosmic Nation, and young nobles from powerful families. They often mingled together in the Virtual Universe. Brolin, the strongest prince of the Heishan Domain, was among them.
“Many strong warriors haven’t made their moves yet. Perhaps later, the Heishan Domain will produce a powerful warrior. Don’t you agree, Brolin?” Luotuer smiled toward Brolin.
Brolin forced a smile. “It’s still early. Anything could happen.”
But inside, Brolin felt deep embarrassment.
Across the cosmos, a strong sense of regional and imperial pride often existed. If the Heishan Domain produced a supreme warrior, the entire empire would feel honored, and other star regions would look upon it with newfound respect.
…
In a private cabin aboard an observation spacecraft, a single figure sat in silence—Nolan Shan.
“Ancestor, only 83 disciples from our clan remain alive. The rest have been killed. In the early stages, the density was too high, and the slaughter was too intense. There was no chance to escape. Now, the highest-ranked among the 83 is at position 130,000,” Nolan Shan read the message on the screen, his face darkening.
“A bunch of useless trash.”
Nolan Shan shook his head. “But the competition is far from over. Let’s see. Perhaps they’ll surprise me.”
…
Back in the First World Zone, in that same residential building,
Inside a simple room, Luo Feng still sat cross-legged, staring at a golden illusionary sword before him. The sword, composed of nine smaller golden blades interwoven with countless golden threads, danced rapidly in an “8” shape in front of him.
“Absorb!” Luo Feng willed.
The golden illusionary sword immediately disassembled, transforming into a streak of golden light that flew back into the dark-golden long rod resting on his lap.
Luo Feng felt a bit tired. Controlling the Yanshen Pike was far more exhausting than using the Duntian Shuttle. But its power was indeed incredible! Luo Feng sat in meditation for about an hour, restoring his energy.
“Ten days.”
“The First World Zone preliminaries have been ongoing for ten days. I’ve stayed in this building the entire time. I didn’t even bother attacking unless someone approached my room,” Luo Feng glanced at the screen on his wrist, displaying his current score.
Contestant: Luo Feng
Score: 92
Ranking: 6,894,2048
“There are over 60 million people ranked above me?” Luo Feng smiled slightly. “Ten days have passed—this preliminaries is already one-third over. The most chaotic period is over. Those who remain are true experts.”
“These ten days, I’ve nearly mastered the Illusionary Sword Art. Also, my mental energy has formed the ‘Void Tower’ in my consciousness.” The Void Tower was a secret technique, not created by the Master of Yimo Star. Even when the Master died, he hadn’t perfected it.
This technique could be used in the Virtual Universe.
It had taken Luo Feng nearly nine days to form the first level of the Void Tower in his consciousness. Even at this early stage, it greatly enhanced his soul defenses, especially when combined with his astonishing willpower—the willpower of a sixth-stage cosmic-level Golden Horned Beast. Very few of his peers could match him in this regard.
“Now!”
“It’s time.”
“Time for slaughter!”
A strange gleam flashed in Luo Feng’s eyes. He stood up and walked out of his room, quickly exiting the building through the stairwell.
The residential complex where the building stood was quite beautiful, though the ground was often littered with shards of glass, dried bloodstains, and corpses. To maintain realism, the Virtual Universe Company preserved the bodies of the fallen.
Walking across the lawn of the complex,
Luo Feng spread his mental energy outward. Due to the extreme gravity here, his mental reach was limited to about 800 meters. Still, that was enough for him to scan half the complex. As soon as his mental energy swept out, six figures burst from nearby buildings.
“Friend, surviving ten days already proves you’re no fool. But you dared to scan the area with your mental energy? Seems you’re quite confident,” the six figures spread out. One of them, a dark-skinned, thin youth holding a crimson curved blade, sneered.
“Six.”
Luo Feng’s gaze swept over the six figures.
Surviving this long, their scores were likely all higher than his.
“Attack!” One of the six, a youth in black primal armor whose gender was unclear, barked a command. Simultaneously, an invisible mental attack pierced Luo Feng’s consciousness. Surviving this long in the First World Zone meant these were all prodigies—top three in their respective star systems.
Luo Feng’s mental scan was a challenge.
Now, one gave the command, and the other five naturally followed.
“Boom!” “Boom!”
Two youths who looked nearly identical charged forward with blinding speed, swords in hand.
“Whoosh!” “Whoosh!”
A silver light and a golden light shot from afar.
“Hmph.”
The youth in black primal armor launched a mental attack at Luo Feng’s soul. But within Luo Feng’s consciousness, the towering Void Tower merely trembled slightly, easily repelling the attack. Luo Feng himself stood atop the Duntian Shuttle, golden light faintly shimmering around him. With a simple flicker, he effortlessly evaded the incoming assault.
“Domain!”
“His domain is extremely strong,” the six thought, their expressions shifting slightly.
Under the Fifth Layer of Domain, and with the Duntian Shuttle primarily attuned to the Law of Gold, Luo Feng’s speed and unpredictability had increased dramatically now that he had begun to grasp the Laws. Dodging these attacks was effortless.
“Die!” Luo Feng willed.
Whoosh!
A golden fish shot out from the Duntian Shuttle at an incredible speed, faintly carrying an aura of profound cosmic rules. It curved in a wide arc and swept past the six figures. Immediately, low groans filled the air, followed by the metallic clang of weapons striking the golden fish.
“Not all of them died,” Luo Feng looked at the dark-skinned, thin youth. The other five had already fallen.
The thin youth, still standing, gripped his crimson curved blade and stared at Luo Feng, licking his lips.
At this moment, Luo Feng’s wrist screen updated.
Contestant: Luo Feng (Heishan Imperial Domain)
Score: 8162
Ranking: 12,2912
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