Chapter 435: The First Battle

When Luo Feng returned to his quarters, he remained in a state of shock for a long time before finally calming down.

“Huh? How could that savage, Ronjun, know so much?” A thought stirred in Luo Feng’s mind. “He knows a great deal about the four secret realms of the Virtual Universe Company. It seems his background is not ordinary at all.” This time, the two individuals from the Qianwoo Cosmic Nation who had broken into the top 1000 of the overall rankings — ‘Luo Feng’ and ‘Ronjun’ — had both emerged from their respective star regions.

They appeared to have no background…

In reality, Luo Feng had inherited the legacy of the Yantom Star and was also a Golden-Horned Beast.

As for the savage Ronjun, his true identity and background were clearly no less extraordinary.

…

On Earth, within the castle of the West Lake Villa in Yangzhou City.

Sitting in the tea room, pouring a cup of tea, taking a sip, his consciousness communicated with Babata: “Babata, what’s the deal with the four secret realms of the Virtual Universe Company?” Luo Feng recounted everything Ronjun had told him, as well as the rules of the upcoming battle, and even the events that had transpired in the Central Plaza.

“Those idiots actually dared to doubt the Virtual Universe System? Goodness, have their brains turned to mush? The Virtual Universe System can simulate various fundamental laws — it’s an existence beyond imagination!” Babata shrieked.

“Uh…” Luo Feng was momentarily speechless.

Babata was clearly on the side of the Virtual Universe System.

“Indeed, what that savage Ronjun said was correct! The status of members of the Primordial Realm is indeed very high,” Babata said. “For the Virtual Universe Company, those who enter the Primordial Realm are all the rarest and most extraordinary geniuses in the universe. That’s why the company invests a massive amount of precious resources in cultivating them.”

“How many resources? Are they as much as my master’s wealth?” Luo Feng asked eagerly.

“Luo Feng, you must understand one thing,” Babata said seriously. “Your master is indeed a powerful immortal, one before whom even the Black Dragon Mountain Empire must bow! However, compared to the Qianwoo Sovereign, your master is not even in the same league!”

Luo Feng nodded.

The Qianwoo Sovereign was an ancient being who had established a cosmic nation and existed for billions of years.

“And even the Qianwoo Sovereign must heed the Virtual Universe Company’s words!” Babata continued. “Out of the 1008 cosmic nations, who dares to offend the Virtual Universe Company? It is a true colossus! Such a colossus cultivates geniuses in the Primordial Realm with strict plans, and the number of such geniuses is pitifully small. The amount of resources and wealth spent… how could it be comparable to your master’s assets?”

Luo Feng fell silent.

“You must broaden your horizons and look far ahead. Don’t just limit yourself to the Black Dragon Mountain Empire or even a single cosmic nation. Look at the entire universe!”

“Actually, I know that ever since the day you took over the Golden-Horned Beast, your path has already surpassed that of your master, becoming even more distant and unfathomable,” Babata said. “Of course, from what I know, entering the ‘Primordial Realm’ is not a one-time guarantee. There is a competitive system in place. The weak will be expelled from the Primordial Realm… while perhaps in the ‘Tai Chu Realm,’ there may be supreme geniuses who can break into the Primordial Realm.”

“Therefore!”

“To enjoy the top-tier resources, you must keep striving. Because behind you, there are countless supreme geniuses eyeing your position. Once you slack off, you might be overtaken by someone else.”

Luo Feng felt a surge of passion.

He felt anticipation!

Yes, this kind of life was exactly what he had been looking forward to — the capable rise, the incapable fall. It was as simple as that!

“Babata, I still don’t quite understand… even at the Stellar Lord level, Primordial Realm members are given guardian squads, and the leader of the squad is an immortal being,” Luo Feng said. “After all, that’s an immortal — a great immortal!”

“Yes, immortals are indeed great!” Babata replied.

“But the members of the Primordial Realm are equally great beings.”

“Luo Feng, let me explain it this way,” Babata continued. “Determining one’s status isn’t solely based on combat strength; many other factors come into play. For example, within the Virtual Universe Company, there are those responsible for commerce — some commercial or investment prodigies. Their combat abilities might be low, but they can still hold high positions. Take ‘Feite,’ the investment genius of the Universal First Bank, for instance. The amount of funds he controls is unimaginably vast. Although his combat ability is weak, he even has an immortal being as his personal bodyguard.”

Luo Feng was greatly surprised.

“The same logic applies.”

“Take that ‘God of Death’ Bolan, for example. Yes, he’s still weak now. But you must understand — he is considered the greatest genius among humans in millions of years. There’s only one such genius in millions of years. And millions of years is essentially the lifespan of a Domain Lord. Among the 1008 cosmic nations, each has over a million Domain Lords. Just think, how many Domain Lords have emerged across the entire universe in millions of years?”

Luo Feng held his breath.

“The value and status of this ‘God of Death’ Bolan are beyond words!”

“Every individual who enters the Primordial Realm is an elite of the Virtual Universe Company — the very foundation of its power,” Babata sighed. “Understanding the fundamental laws of existence is most easily achieved during the Domain Lord stage. However, even during the difficult Stellar Lord stage, Bolan has already reached a remarkable level in spatial fundamental laws. Just imagine… how great his future achievements will be?”

“There’s no doubt about it!”

“As long as he doesn’t perish.”

“In terms of spatial laws, he will surpass your master. Once he becomes an immortal, he will be at the peak of immortals — an almost invincible being.” Babata exclaimed in awe. “And spatial laws are one of the two most difficult fundamental laws. If he becomes an immortal, he will be truly terrifying. Remember, not all immortals are equal. That’s why the Time Domain Lord had such grand ambitions.”

“Pity the Time Domain Lord didn’t succeed. If he had, his strength might have approached that of your master.”

“Of course!”

“The core of the Virtual Universe Company is divided into four secret realms, ranked from highest to lowest: Primordial, Tai Chu, Tian Di, and End Times. Many immortals reside in the Tai Chu Realm. Don’t aim too high; making it into the Tai Chu Realm is already a great success. Moreover, your most important task right now… is to deal with your first opponent, ‘Utwisk’!”

Luo Feng picked up his teacup and drank it in one gulp.

Utwisk was his opponent for tomorrow’s battle.

…

The next morning.

In the Central Plaza, a thousand extraordinary geniuses gathered.

Luo Feng blended into the crowd, glancing at the tall, three-eyed youth in the distance. The three-eyed youth had a gloomy expression and remained silent, clearly still affected by yesterday’s events.

“Venerable!”

From afar, the 1008 immortals respectfully bowed.

“Hmm.”

The man in the cyan battle robe with purple scales floating in midair slightly nodded, then turned his gaze to the thousand young people below and spoke: “Today is a good day. Within this single day, from among you thousand, we will select the top hundred, the top ten, and the first and second places.”

“Are you all ready? Then the battle begins now!”

The man in the cyan robe looked down at the crowd, then waved his hand. Instantly, one hundred massive arenas appeared in the Central Plaza. Each arena was surrounded by a black mesh net at its edges and above. Along with this, 200 young men and women, including Ronjun and the Illusion Demon Galesi, were directly teleported into the arenas.

Each arena now contained two combatants.

At once, the powerful immortals and the elite geniuses who were not qualified to participate mostly turned their attention to the battle involving the ‘God of Death’ Bolan.

One of the arenas contained the combatants Luo Feng and Utwisk!

…

The silver-white arena, spanning about ten kilometers in diameter, was completely enclosed by a black mesh net.

“‘Madman’ Luo Feng, hailing from the Black Dragon Mountain Empire of the Qianwoo Cosmic Nation, secured third place in the trials—infamous for his berserk fury beneath an icy calm,” sneered a gaunt youth with thick, dark lips and shadowed complexion, his frigid gaze locked onto Luo Feng in the distance. “My trial rank? A mere 113. But mark my words… trial rankings are meaningless!” he roared, defiance blazing in his voice.

“Enough talk!” Luo Feng, his back bearing a dark golden long rod and standing on the Dark Cloud Shuttle, hovered in the air far away and shouted back.

“Excellent!” The slender youth bared his teeth in a wide grin. “Vanquishing you shall grant me passage into the Celestial Dominion. One more conquest, and I shall ascend to the Primordial Expanse!”

Whoosh!

A fierce gale howled as the slender youth dissolved into the tempest itself, streaking toward Luo Feng with deceptive languor—his movements appearing unhurried yet crossing impossible distances in the blink of an eye.

Luo Feng, standing on the Dark Cloud Shuttle and hovering in midair, scanned his opponent while his mind raced with information: Utwisk, nicknamed ‘Gale,’ wielded a fifth-tier primal energy weapon, the ‘Void Shadow Sword.’ His sword strikes were incredibly fast, blending into the wind, striking from all directions with unstoppable speed and power, making them extremely hard to defend against.

“Perish!” The slender youth’s gaze flickered with an icy glint.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The slender youth, who had once moved with the grace of a whispering breeze, abruptly surged forward with terrifying speed. Simultaneously, his “Voidshadow Blade” erupted into a tempest of steel—countless sword gleams coalescing into a howling maelstrom that swallowed the battlefield whole, leaving Luo Feng ensnared within its merciless vortex with no path to retreat.

“Hmph!” Luo Feng snorted coldly.

The Shadowmire Gale flickered through an arcane trajectory. Though the tempest of blade radiance appeared unbreachable, he slipped through a fleeting gap, leaving nine phantasmal afterimages in his wake. The slender youth’s countenance shifted imperceptibly: “He actually evaded us! The ‘Hundredfold Dragon Vein’ recorded in the intelligence scrolls proves truly dreadful indeed.”

At the moment Luo Feng evaded the attack, the dark golden rod behind him shot out five golden beams, which combined into five golden phantom swords hovering in midair.

“Go!” Luo Feng stared at his opponent with a cold gaze, as if looking at a dead man.

Enveloped in streams of radiant golden energy, the five phantom swords howled like celestial dragons forged from sunlight, their gleaming blades converging upon the slender youth standing at the eye of the tempest.

“Die!” The slender youth’s face contorted with rage, his eyes burning with a desperate, feral hunger.

Whoosh!

With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a streak of white radiance. In the blink of an eye, it traversed hundreds of meters and materialized before Luo Feng, its speed surpassing even that of the golden phantom blades.

Luo Feng’s expression changed drastically. He desperately activated the Dark Cloud Shuttle to its maximum speed and instinctively conjured sixteen shields around his body.