"Shameless!"
"That Zifeng is unbelievably sinister. He hid on the sidelines and launched a sneak attack while Blood Sword and Aurora were fighting to the death!"
"You can't put it that way. The fact that Zifeng could conceal himself within the wind proves his comprehension of the Wind Origin Laws is extremely profound. He's definitely an expert."
"Hmph. I despise people like that the most."
Regarding Zifeng's rise to first place in World District 72, the spectators watching the battle argued endlessly.
Soon after, the final battle in World District 1 also reached its conclusion.
"Fenglun lost?"
"That madman is pretty incredible. He fought three law-comprehending experts to the death in succession and still came out on top!"
"That golden light at the end should've been the Yan Shen Bing. Looks like he's a genius who comprehends the Metal and Space Laws. The question is, how many levels can he use?"
As time passed, the slaughter continued until the very last minute.
"Preliminary Elimination Round Ends In: 60, 59, 58... 3, 2, 1, 0!"
A vast and resonant voice echoed through all one hundred world districts.
The instant the countdown reached zero, every surviving contestant felt the world blur before their eyes. Space shifted in an instant, and they were forcibly removed from their respective world districts.
The preliminary elimination round of the Qianwu Universe Country had officially ended!
"I was just a tiny bit short of enough points!"
"I'm finished. I spent too much time lying low and hiding!"
"Damn it! Damn it! Just one second! If I'd blocked that killing strike, I would've qualified!"
"Great! I made it in!"
"Hahaha! Rank 1001. Not one more, not one less. Perfect!"
As the preliminary round concluded, the final rankings of every world district were simultaneously published on the Virtual Universe Network.
Some celebrated.
Others despaired.
After being teleported back to Blue Silver City on Black Dragon Mountain Island, Jiang Li was immediately bombarded by notification alerts from the Virtual Universe Network.
Ding!Ding!Ding!
The notifications came one after another without pause.
"Hahaha! Even the great Babata has to admit it this time—Jiang Li, you're absolutely insane!"
Babata leapt from Jiang Li's shoulder, dancing excitedly in midair.
"There are already more than six thousand communication requests! Huh? The number is still rising! Emails from the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, Three Axe Mountain, Liuyun Pavilion... What? More than a thousand emails already!"
"Reject them all."
Jiang Li shook his head slightly and glanced around. The surrounding space rippled faintly.
"Husband."
"Brother Jiang."
"Jiang Li, Your Highness Jiang Li..."
Luo Feng, Hong, Lei Shen, Ling Ling, Ye Changge, and the others appeared one after another.
"You're incredible. First place in World District Eleven—straight into the Final Showdown!"
Lei Shen gave Jiang Li a thumbs-up before smacking his lips.
"Luo Feng ended up third. Brother Hong finished one hundred seventy-second. I was the only one who almost got eliminated."
"I still don't know which unlucky guy got killed at the last second, but somehow I squeezed into rank 1001."
After being defeated by the wild man, Lei Shen's ranking had once fallen to 1003.
Who would've thought that by the end, he'd risen two places and barely secured a spot in the Arena Finals?
It was perfectly normal.
Someone ranked within the top few hundred could easily fall beyond rank one thousand after a single death.
"It's a pity about the Curator. If that Zifeng hadn't launched a sneak attack at the end, he might've taken first place."
Luo Feng couldn't help feeling regretful on Hong's behalf.
As for himself, there was nothing he could do.
His final opponent had been evenly matched with him. They fought until the very end without a clear winner, leaving him in third place.
"It's not really a pity."
Hong didn't seem bothered at all.
"During my battle with Blood Sword, I vaguely touched upon the threshold of Time. There's still one month before the Arena Finals. I'll spend that time studying it properly."
"I'll work harder too and try to take another step forward."
Lei Shen and Luo Feng exchanged a glance before bidding farewell to Jiang Li.
"Brother Jiang, let's meet again in the Final Showdown!"
"Mm."
Jiang Li nodded lightly.
The preliminary elimination round was over, but the upcoming Arena Finals would be just as brutal.
Aside from world district champions like Jiang Li, who automatically qualified for the Ultimate Final Battle, Hong, Luo Feng, and Lei Shen still had to fight through the merciless arena war involving one hundred thousand competitors to seize one of the remaining nine hundred spots.
Moreover—
The Arena Finals were far more difficult than the preliminary rounds.
Ninety-nine percent of those who had made it this far had already comprehended at least one Law.
To outside forces, these hundred thousand participants represented the absolute elite among the elites of the Qianwu Universe Country.
After the preliminary competition ended, Jiang Li spent fifteen days touring Black Dragon Mountain Island with Ling Ling before finally logging out of the Virtual Universe Network.
Henglan Star System, Myriad Divine Mountains.
As Jiang Li stepped out of the cultivation chamber, he saw Venerable Wanshan seated in the palace hall, holding a golden book that shimmered with flowing light.
"Jiang Li, I heard you purchased Miscellaneous Essays on Time, written by a King-Level Undying?"
Upon seeing Jiang Li emerge, Venerable Wanshan smiled and asked.
"Yes, Master."
Jiang Li nodded honestly.
"Your disciple has already gained comprehension in Earth, Wood, and Space. Fusing all three is nearly impossible, so I wanted to seek new insights through other Laws."
"Under normal circumstances..."
"With only a Stellar-Level realm, trying to draw parallels between different Laws is practically impossible. More often than not, it leads to scattered knowledge without mastery."
A proud smile spread across Venerable Wanshan's face.
"Of course!"
"You are my, Wanshan's, personal disciple. Ordinary standards don't apply to you!"
Jiang Li: "..."
Was he praising me?
Or praising himself?
Seeing Jiang Li momentarily stunned, Venerable Wanshan casually spread his palm.
The golden book in his hand instantly flew before Jiang Li.
On its cover were four large characters:
Time and Wind
The moment Jiang Li's eyes landed on the title, he felt the dazzling brilliance of Laws radiating from it.
"This is the secret inheritance of my good friend, Venerable Qiongfeng."
"He differs from me. His path lies in the Law of Time."
After a moment's thought, Venerable Wanshan continued:
"Jiang Li, I originally believed you would keep a low profile while advancing."
"I never expected you to be this aggressive."
"Master wanted me to stay low-key?"
Jiang Li asked.
"At first, yes."
Venerable Wanshan paused before suddenly speaking with great vigor:
"But now, I hope you remain strong and dominant all the way through."
"The best outcome would be attracting the attention of a Universe Master."
"That would provide the greatest protection for you."
Hearing this, Jiang Li's heart trembled.
Looking down at Time and Wind in his hands, he nodded heavily.
"This disciple understands."
With the Arena Finals approaching, battle recordings of numerous experts were compiled and distributed by the Observation Group.
Naturally, Jiang Li's videos were among them.
At this stage, however, the only people studying Jiang Li's battle footage were the super-geniuses who had already secured places in the Final Showdown.
"Among all one hundred world districts of the Qianwu Universe Country, this person is the strongest."
Within a Divine Kingdom covered in endless lightning, streams of light flowed across the heavens.
Even a Marquis-Level Undying wore a grave expression while watching Jiang Li's battle recordings.
"His sword strike appears simple and unremarkable, but the amplification it unleashes is at least sixtyfold."
"Keduo, you are not his opponent."
"If this year's Final Showdown turns into a group battle and you encounter him—run."
The purple-haired youth being instructed by the Marquis-Level Undying didn't dare argue.
He could only nod heavily.
Virtual Universe Network.Black Dragon Mountain Island.Blue Silver City.
"Brother Jiang, could you come to the Blue Silver Royal Palace?"
Luo Feng contacted Jiang Li through a virtual call.
"The Black Dragon Mountain Empire has sent a special envoy. They want to meet you."
"Alright."
Jiang Li immediately summoned a heavenly-horse carriage and headed toward the Blue Silver Royal Palace.
"Greetings, Your Highness Jiang Li."
Outside the palace, numerous high-ranking officials of the Blue Silver Empire stood waiting respectfully.
Among them was Scarlett, the Second Legion Commander who had met Jiang Li before.
Jiang Li's identity was no longer a secret.
"Your Highness, this way please."
After Scarlett respectfully gestured for him to proceed, the empire's senior officials personally led the way.
Jiang Li still wasn't entirely accustomed to such grand treatment.
Upon entering the palace, he found Luo Feng, Hong, Lei Shen, and twelve unfamiliar individuals already seated inside.
"Brother Jiang!"
"Jiang Li!"
"Greetings, Your Highness Jiang Li!"
The moment he arrived, everyone rose to their feet.
An elderly man with silver hair seated at the head of the hall laughed warmly.
"Your Highness Jiang Li, my name is Christensen. I have come on behalf of His Majesty, the ruler of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, to pay you a visit."
In terms of current status, Jiang Li was merely the Lord of Earth and naturally far beneath Christensen.
However, based solely on his performance in the Genius Battle—and even without the terrifying backing of Venerable Wanshan—not a single person in the vast Black Dragon Mountain Empire would dare underestimate him.
A world district champion...
Even if he failed to enter the Final Showdown's top one thousand, he was destined to become a major figure within the Qianwu Universe.
-------------------
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