"Just like Luo Feng back then? Making a name for himself at the last minute?" Venerable Lan Song chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Han Jue smiled slightly at the comparison. Back then, Luo Feng's initial performance hadn't been as dominant as Han Jue's own showing, yet he still managed to claim third place in the Genius Battle, second only to Han Jue and Bolan.
Later, while Han Jue made his legendary name throughout the universe, Luo Feng proved no less impressive.
Fifty thousand years had passed since that fateful competition, and Luo Feng had long since broken through to the Immortal realm. His strength now rivaled that of a Universe Venerable, and his identity as the Blade River King had been publicly revealed, information that Venerable Lan Song was well aware of.
On the other hand, Bolan, once considered the most dazzling genius of their generation, had faded from the public eye. Despite switching to cultivate the Universe Chaos Monument in pursuit of mastering both space and time laws simultaneously, he remained stuck at the peak King level. Though he'd earned some renown on the extraterritorial battlefields, his achievements paled in comparison to Han Jue's meteoric rise. Perhaps he still possessed the potential to become a Universe Venerable, but he'd clearly fallen far behind his former rivals.
"Hard to say, isn't it?" Han Jue replied diplomatically.
"That's true." Though Venerable Lan Song didn't hold particularly high expectations for the other geniuses in this year's competition, he still nodded in agreement.
"Let's take a look at these young talents," Venerable Lan Song suggested with renewed interest.
The current phase was the Trial Tower challenge, a brutal test of combat ability and law comprehension.
Su Mu, being primarily an illusionist, faced a natural disadvantage in this particular phase. He currently ranked in the top fifty, having reached the fourth Trial Tower.
According to established patterns, geniuses who reached the fifth Trial Tower generally placed within the top twenty, while those who conquered the sixth Tower typically claimed first place. In most Genius Battles, no one even managed to reach the sixth Tower at all.
After all, even Bolan, hailed as a once-in-ten-thousand-epochs genius, had fallen on the very first level of the sixth Trial Tower. Only a monstrous prodigy like Han Jue had ever reached the seventh Tower.
Inside the Trial Tower, Su Mu gritted his teeth, pushing himself to his absolute limits.
His combat style blended illusionist techniques with Controller methods, utilizing one of the nine legendary divine weapons used by Controllers, the Water Divine Weapon, which embodied the mysteries of the Water and Space Laws.
He could now unleash the second form of the Water Divine Weapon.
While this ability fell far short of his illusionist mastery, it was still sufficient to propel Su Mu into the top ten of the Genius Battle. Though his talent for law comprehension appeared mediocre, that assessment was only relative to his overwhelming soul talent.
The bloodline of Earth's people had long since surpassed the ninth rank of genetic optimization. Even those who didn't reach Domain Lord or World Master levels by adulthood could effortlessly achieve Stellar level status.
A azure flying sword hovered beside Su Mu, dancing through the air as it methodically slaughtered the demonic beasts surrounding him.
Su Mu harbored a singular ambition: he wanted to claim first place in this Genius Battle, join the Primal Secret Realm of the Virtual Universe Company, and replicate Lord Han Jue's legendary growth trajectory. His ultimate dream was to become a legend like Han Jue himself.
For all Earthlings, especially those residing in the Huaxia Star Region, this represented the highest possible honor.
The people of this star region were all elite members of Earth's diaspora, and they all shared the same impossible dream: to become the next Han Jue or Luo Feng. Han Jue represented their ultimate, almost mythical goal, while Luo Feng embodied a more attainable, though still extraordinarily difficult, aspiration.
Hong and Lei Shen weren't included in these comparisons for specific reasons. Lei Shen wasn't ethnically Chinese, and Hong had transcended the concept of national identity altogether. Though Earth's descendants no longer maintained rigid national divisions, the Huaxia Star Region remained under Jia Yi's administration, preserving certain cultural influences.
The resources required to transform an ordinary person into a World Master or even an Immortal were no longer prohibitively expensive for Earth's current civilization. Jia Yi himself stood at the peak of the World Master level, and with the Huaxia Star Region's accumulated resources, breaking through to Immortality would be trivial.
However, he didn't dare apply for that breakthrough before achieving sufficient accomplishments, the Huaxia Star Region wasn't his personal property, after all.
"Die!"
The Zerg Queen commanding the fourth Trial Tower's forces found her illusion techniques completely useless against Su Mu, who methodically dismantled her defenses and eliminated her, advancing to the fifth Trial Tower. His ranking immediately jumped into the top ten.
Unfortunately, within the fifth Trial Tower, he only managed to clear the second level before falling to a particularly powerful demonic beast.
"Hmm?"
After exiting the Trial Tower, Su Mu glanced up at the sky, somewhat dejected, when he suddenly caught sight of a rather familiar figure hovering in the distance.
Su Mu blinked, convinced he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, but the figure had already vanished.
"What are you staring at? Su Mu, did you know you're ranked eleventh overall?"
While Su Mu remained lost in thought, a friend approached, interrupting his reverie.
He could only suppress his excitement and force a smile.
"Eleventh place is nothing. My goal is, "
"I know, I know. Your goal is first place," his friend laughed good-naturedly. "And honestly? If nothing unexpected happens, you'll probably get it."
High above the virtual arena, Han Jue, Venerable Lan Song, and Rimuru observed the proceedings.
"Master, are you planning to take on a disciple?" Rimuru asked excitedly, bouncing slightly in the air.
Han Jue nodded with a slight smile. "I do have that idea."
He'd made a promise long ago: if anyone from the Earthling lineage could successfully become the host for the reincarnation of the Lord of Eternal Lake, he would personally accept them as a disciple. Based on current observations, Su Mu's chances of success were remarkably high.
Possessing willpower comparable to a World Master while still at the Planetary level was an incredible achievement, practically the next Hong.
"However, to formally accept him as a personal disciple, we'll need to wait until he reaches the World Master level and successfully completes the possession ritual," Han Jue explained thoughtfully. "If he can become the host for the reincarnation of the Lord of Eternal Lake, he'll immediately possess the foundation of a Universe Venerable with virtually unlimited potential. He'll become a top-tier special life form in the universe, his talent surpassing even Kedi's level, comparable to geniuses who appear once every tens of millions of epochs."
After all, even the Eclipse Venerable, who'd been touted as a talent equal to Kedi, only reached the Universe Venerable level.
Furthermore, after successful possession, Su Mu would gain an additional avatar slot from the Eternal Lake Secret Realm, allowing him to cultivate another powerful special life form body. This would essentially eliminate any concerns about insufficient talent.
"Then, Junior Brother, are you going to accept him as a disciple now?" Venerable Lan Song asked curiously, though he didn't fully understand the complexities of possession.
"No rush. Let's wait until they finish their matches," Han Jue shook his head calmly.
Next came the arena battles.
Su Mu's illusion techniques proved so overwhelmingly powerful that almost no opponent could break free from them. They were instantly incapacitated, then swiftly eliminated by his divine weapon. Winning first place in the Genius Battle became almost trivial for him.
The Genius Battle officially concluded.
More than ten cycles of Genius Battles had passed since Han Jue's legendary performance, and the Ganwu Universe Country had once again produced a first-place finisher. This achievement made the kingdom's ruler pay even closer attention to Earth's descendants, with some officials even suggesting relocating the capital to the Huaxia Star Region.
After tens of thousands of years of development, Earth had genuinely become the second core of the Ganwu Universe Country.
Afterward, these young geniuses would board the Virtual Universe Company's spacecraft and travel to Chaos City, humanity's legendary cultivation ground, to begin their training.
Before departing the Virtual Universe, Su Mu finally met the person he most wanted to see.
"Lord Han Jue! It really is you!" Su Mu exclaimed, his voice trembling with barely contained excitement.