Chapter 118: The Infinite Realms of Heaven and Earth

“Haha, Third Brother, we know you’ve already broken through to the Cosmic Tier, but these are the rules of the Genius Tournament. To keep things fair, all participants’ initial real-world cultivation levels are set at the Stellar Tier. Regardless of how much you advance during the contest, once you reach the virtual universe finals, everyone will be considered at Stellar Tier Ninth Rank. After all, this tournament tests potential, not current cultivation level,” Luo Feng said with a smile.

“I understand. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared to break through to the Cosmic Tier so recklessly. In the upcoming matches, you have to work hard too!” Luo Yuan replied.

Luo Feng nodded earnestly.

As time passed, more and more geniuses arrived, until finally, all one thousand prodigies had gathered. The crowd bustled with activity; many recognized each other from real life or previous battles and chatted amicably.

“Luo Feng, so you’re here! You’ve improved quite a bit this past year, haven’t you? I know you’ve made great progress,” said the wild youth Rong Jun, looking down at Luo Feng.

Luo Feng glanced at the over three-meter-tall savage man before him and retorted, “Wait for the ultimate showdown, then you’ll see!”

“So confident? Oh, this must be Luo Yuan. I’ve seen your combat videos—you’re strong, but I’m determined to surpass you,” Rong Jun said brightly, eyeing Luo Yuan.

Luo Yuan looked up at the wild giant—a disheveled, bare-footed man with powerful muscles—and frowned. “You’re blocking my sunlight!”

“Uh…” Rong Jun stood awkwardly, but he wasn’t angry; Luo Yuan was indeed far stronger than him.

Suddenly—

“Boom!” An invisible pressure swept over the entire plaza. The faces of the thousand geniuses turned pale, their bodies trembling involuntarily. Then, with heavy footsteps, a giant clad in scale armor and helmet approached. His natural aura was like the arrival of death itself.

The thick, blood-soaked aura inspired uncontrollable fear.

The towering giant was over eight meters tall—the very same presence from before.

“To the one thousand geniuses of the Qianwu Cosmic Nation, by order of the Sovereign, I lead you to witness the geniuses of the myriad worlds,” the giant’s voice thundered. His eyes beneath the helmet radiated boundless pressure. “You may address me as Lord Thirteen. Understood?”

“Understood!” The thousand geniuses responded in unison, including Luo Yuan.

“What a terrifying will. Lord Thirteen’s real-world cultivation is probably at the Sovereign-level Immortal,” Luo Yuan thought.

Fear gripped them.

Before this scale-armored giant, the thousand geniuses felt as small as ants. Naturally, fear arose—an instinct no amount of willpower could suppress.

“Luo Yuan! Rong Jun!” The giant’s gaze fell on the two, especially Luo Yuan, whose eyes revealed clear admiration.

“Lord Thirteen,” the two bowed slightly.

“You are the only two among this group from Qianwu Cosmic Nation who have a real chance of not being eliminated. The Sovereign places great expectations on you. Do not disappoint him. Understand?”

“Yes,” they replied respectfully.

The giant then swept his gaze over the others and said coldly, “As for the rest of you, there is little hope.”

Immediately, many of the others clenched their fists. Luo Feng’s brows furrowed slightly.

“Hmph! Don’t be resentful. Strength isn’t something you claim with words; it must be proven through battle!” the scale-armored giant said coldly. “Except for Luo Yuan and Rong Jun, the strongest among you is at best Luo Feng’s level. According to our intelligence, this year’s batch includes many rare prodigies. Even making it into the top 5,000 is impressive for Luo Feng; breaking into the top 1,000… the chances are slim!”

“Of course!” “You might still create miracles! History has seen prodigies who started modestly but exploded spectacularly in the final showdown,” he added, scanning the crowd before shifting the topic. “Enough talk. Follow me!”

The thousand geniuses from Qianwu Cosmic Nation’s various star regions could only endure.

Luo Yuan patted Luo Feng on the shoulder, urging him not to take the giant’s words to heart.

…

Later, under the lead of the scale-armored giant, the thousand geniuses, including Luo Yuan, were simultaneously teleported to a brand-new plane created within the virtual universe.

It was a vast continent.

All 1,001 of them—counting the leader—appeared on this land.

“Qianwu Cosmic Nation team, ahead are 1,008 buildings. Your team is assigned to Building 0825,” a middle-aged man in white robes respectfully saluted the scale-armored giant.

“Hmph!” The giant snorted, then led the team flying directly toward the distance.

“Wow!” “1,008 buildings? One building per cosmic nation team?”

From afar, the buildings formed a circular arrangement. At the center was a beautiful plaza filled with the songs of birds and blooming flowers. Countless young men and women from various cosmic nations strolled and chatted casually. At a glance, there were at least over a hundred thousand.

“Landing!” The thunderous voice of the scale-armored giant commanded.

The Qianwu Cosmic Nation team swiftly landed at the plaza’s edge, then proceeded along a dedicated path toward Building 0825. The plaza had exclusive passages leading to each building.

“Look, that’s Building 0825—Qianwu Cosmic Nation’s. Seems like their genius team.”

“Hey, isn’t that Luo Yuan? The handsome young man in dark golden armor!”

“He’s strong,” someone said.

“Which one is Luo Yuan?” “Luo Yuan?”

Many geniuses from other cosmic nations began to discuss the Qianwu team from afar.

Within the Qianwu team, hearing the chatter from other cosmic nations, most harbored silent resentment. Those who made it into Qianwu Cosmic Nation’s top 1,000 were all unparalleled prodigies—stars among men. Yet the other cosmic nations clearly only valued Luo Yuan, disregarding the others.

Luo Yuan remained calm. As their group advanced, he scanned the other cosmic geniuses present. Their eyes burned with determination and fervor.

After a while, the Qianwu team and their leader entered Building 0825. The first floor was spacious enough to hold over a thousand people.

“Boom!”

That overwhelming pressure returned, suppressing the thousand geniuses. Luo Yuan and the others all turned to face the towering scale-armored giant.

He reined in the pressure and said coldly, “I have number plates from 1 to 1,000 here. Each of you will receive a plate. Hold your plate to enter your individual rooms. Those will be your resting quarters.”

With a wave of his hand, the number plates floated down, each landing before a person.

Luo Yuan reached out and grasped his plate—bearing the number ‘1’.

Luo Feng also caught his plate—marked with the number ‘3’.

All one thousand geniuses secured their number plates.

“You are free to disperse!” the giant declared.

“You may rest in your rooms or visit the plaza to socialize with geniuses from other cosmic nations.” He scanned the thousand geniuses coldly. “When evening approaches, the organizers from the Virtual Universe Company will summon all of you. No matter where you are in this plane, you will hear the notice.”

With that, the scale-armored giant strode out.

Only then did the thousand geniuses of Qianwu Cosmic Nation breathe a sigh of relief, grouping in threes and fives, chatting or heading to their rooms with their number plates in hand.

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