"All participants from the 1,008 Universe Kingdoms, immediately assemble in the central square!"
The command was cold and majestic.
Like an invisible tide of will, it swept across the entire Virtual Universe, piercing space itself and imprinting directly into the consciousness of over a million geniuses.
In the next instant—
A breathtaking scene unfolded above the vast square.
From every starfield, 1,008,000 contestants converged like a cosmic flood, each group gathering beneath the banner of its respective universe kingdom.
Within mere breaths, the chaotic torrent stabilized.
The millions of geniuses were rearranged into perfectly aligned formations, ranked cleanly by universe kingdom—order imposed with terrifying precision.
"As expected of a high-level Universe Venerable…"
Jiang Yan's eyes sharpened as he instantly regained awareness, his gaze lifting toward the figure suspended above.
"That single command nearly forced my consciousness offline."
Around him, Luo Feng, Hong, Rong Jun, and countless other geniuses also snapped awake, shock written plainly on their faces.
"Where… are we?"
"What just happened?"
Moments ago, they had all been going about their own business.
Yet the instant that voice sounded, their bodies had ceased to obey them.
When consciousness returned, they were already standing here—assembled without resistance.
The murmurs spreading through the ranks quickly died out.
At the front of each formation, the Immortal-level leaders of the universe kingdoms descended, standing upon empty space itself.
Their auras poured outward like solid mountains.
Under that pressure, all restlessness vanished.
Millions of geniuses fell silent—
breathing light, hearts pounding, as if even the air itself demanded restraint.
"Welcome."
A calm, penetrating voice echoed across the square.
All eyes rose.
A figure clad in a blue battle robe appeared in midair, time and space rippling faintly around him.
He wore a purple-scaled helmet, a gentle smile resting on his lips.
Though he hovered plainly before them, he felt detached from reality, as if separated by an immeasurable distance—
a projection across dimensions rather than a physical body.
That innate majesty—
It compelled submission.
Even the Immortals subconsciously restrained their auras.
Venerable Nine Swords.
"In this Peak Genius Battle," he said calmly,
"each of the 1,008 Universe Kingdoms has selected one thousand participants."
"That makes 1,008,000 geniuses."
His gaze swept across the square, tranquil yet overwhelming.
"From among you, the Virtual Universe Company will select the strongest one thousand, who shall become our core members."
The square erupted instantly.
To become a core member of the Virtual Universe Company—
meant limitless resources, supreme status, and a boundless future.
Even the calmest geniuses felt their blood heat.
"Next," Venerable Nine Swords continued, his voice flattening the noise,
"I will explain the rules."
"Starting tomorrow, each of you will enter an exclusive Trial Space."
"The company has prepared 1,008,000 independent trial spaces, completely isolated from one another."
"Absolute fairness."
"In each Trial Space, there exist seven Trial Towers."
"Each tower contains seven floors."
"You will begin on the first floor of the first Trial Tower."
"You may advance by killing all targets on a floor—or survive for ten days to be forcefully promoted."
"The trial ends when your life origin is exhausted, or when you are eliminated by the rules."
"We will calculate points based on:
— Floors cleared
— Combat performance
— Time consumed"
"The Top 100 by points will directly become core members, skipping all subsequent battles."
"Those ranked 101 to 7,300—a total of 7,200—will compete for the remaining 900 core slots in the arena battles."
He paused.
Then his voice turned cold.
"As for everyone ranked below 7,300…"
"All eliminated."
Silence.
Absolute, suffocating silence.
One million contestants—
for one thousand positions.
Over 99% elimination.
And this was only the first stage.
Venerable Nine Swords' figure dissolved into ripples of time and space, vanishing from view.
The square erupted into subdued chaos.
"This elimination rate is insane…" Thor muttered.
Luo Feng nodded grimly.
Rong Jun spoke quietly, eyes sharp.
"The Trial Towers scale upward in difficulty. How far you advance reflects your true comprehensive strength."
"If the Virtual Universe Company wanted," he added calmly,
"they could eliminate everyone below rank 1,000 immediately."
He then turned toward Jiang Yan, a trace of sharp intent flickering in his eyes.
"The seven Trial Towers—since the Genius Battle began—no one has ever cleared them all."
"Are you confident?"
Jiang Yan shook his head lightly.
"That depends on what waits at the top."
Especially the rumored Zerg Empress on the seventh floor.
If that entity possessed Immortal-level strength—
no amount of confidence would suffice.
The next day arrived.
"Attention all contestants!"
A clear, resonant voice echoed throughout the plane.
"Prepare for collective teleportation into your respective Trial Spaces."
Tension spiked instantly.
More than a million people would be eliminated—
today.
Jiang Yan smiled faintly and looked at Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor.
"Don't get eliminated in the first round."
"Haha—together!" Luo Feng laughed.
Boom!
An invisible force descended.
In an instant, 1,008,000 figures vanished, scattered across countless isolated Trial Spaces.
Jiang Yan's vision darkened briefly.
When it cleared, he stood upon a massive meteorite drifting through a strange starry sky.
The meteorite stretched for hundreds of kilometers.
Upon it stood seven towering structures, positioned in different directions.
Each Trial Tower rose nearly ten kilometers high, exuding ancient, oppressive pressure.
Jiang Yan glanced at the display projected from his left wrist.
Participant: Jiang Yan (Qianwu Universe Kingdom)
Trial Space: No. 0000001
Points: 0
Ranking: Unranked
Rules Overview:
Seven Trial TowersFirst Tower: up to 70,000 pointsSecond Tower: up to 700,000 pointsFifth Tower: up to 700,000,000 pointsSeventh Tower: up to 70,000,000,000 points
Conditions:
Kill all targets on a floor or survive ten daysDeath ends the trialRanking determined by total points
Jiang Yan's eyes gleamed.
"So… we begin."
His figure blurred.
In the next instant, he appeared before Trial Tower One and stepped inside.
The display updated immediately.
Trial Tower One — Floor One
Targets: 10,000 Bloody Mammoths
The battle—
Had begun.