The Elimination Round Begins, with a One-in-a-Million Advancement Rate
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
On the opening day of the Cosmic Genius Battle, Chen Du put on the Spirit Realm Headband and his consciousness sank into that pure white space.
The youth group competition will proceed first, while the junior group competition will begin after the youth group preliminary rounds are completed.
He wasn't surprised; he'd signed up for both groups anyway, so it didn't matter which one he played first.
The Spirit Realm was already teeming with people. Countless figures from various star systems converged in the public square, forming a boundless ocean.
Chen Du glanced around at the people waiting to enter the arena, each with a different aura: some were as steady as a mountain, some as sharp as a knife, and some were unfathomable.
However, the vast majority of them are only at the fourth or Fifth Tier level, and occasionally a few Ninth Tier auras flash by, which will attract a lot of attention from the surroundings.
He hasn't seen any above the Tenth Tier yet.
"You have entered the waiting area for the first round of the Cosmic Genius Battle Youth Group elimination round. You will soon be teleported to your respective star system arena. We wish all participants the best of luck."
A flash of white light, Chen Du's figure disappeared from the square.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a vast wilderness.
Above us was an unfamiliar starry sky, with three stars of different colors hanging in the heavens, illuminating the earth.
The ground beneath my feet was as hard as iron, and in the distance stretched mountains and dried-up riverbeds.
The concentration of spiritual energy in the air was extremely high, yet it possessed an indescribable ferocity, as if it might explode at any moment.
At the same time, a cold, mechanical voice resounded throughout the world, reaching the ears of every contestant.
"Welcome to the first round of the 87th Cosmic Genius Battle Youth Group Elimination Tournament. Number of participants in this arena: 100 million. Advancement requirement: Obtain Heart of the Starry Sky. This is Arena 23, with a total of 100 Heart of the Starry Sky to be distributed. Those who obtain a Heart of the Starry Sky will advance to the next round; those who do not will be eliminated."
"Furthermore, this arena features ninety-nine Law Stone Tablets. Each tablet contains fragments of the laws of heaven and earth, which can aid in comprehension. The tablets are distributed throughout the arena on a first-come, first-served basis. Defeating other participants allows you to seize their Heart of the Starry Sky. Death results in elimination, with no penalty."
"The match begins."
The moment the last two words were uttered, the entire wilderness seemed to be set ablaze.
Countless auras erupted simultaneously, rushing out from all directions into the distance.
Some rushed straight for the nearest Law Stele, while others concealed their presence, lurking like hunters, ready to ambush those who seized the Heart of the Starry Sky.
One hundred million people are vying for one hundred Heart of the Starry Sky, with an advancement rate of only one in a million.
Chen Du stood still, his Spiritual Power spreading out like a tide, instantly covering an area of hundreds of miles in radius.
The locations of the hundred Heart of the Starry Sky clearly appeared in his mind.
The nearest one is about fifty miles to his due north.
The ninety-nine law-enacting stone tablets are scattered across this vast land like stars, with the farthest one being thousands of miles away.
Chen Du did not attempt to seize the Heart of the Starry Sky.
With a one in a million chance of advancing, and a hundred million people vying for one hundred orbs of light, this kind of competition doesn't mean much to him.
You can snatch it anytime. It's not too late to take the Heart of the Starry Sky after he finishes studying the stone tablet.
He closed his eyes, spread his Spiritual Power, and instantly locked onto the nearest stone tablet.
The energy fluctuations were most intense about two hundred miles directly to his east.
He leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of light and disappearing.
The stone tablet stands in the wilderness, over a hundred feet tall, entirely black, its surface covered with dense, ancient patterns, emitting a faint glow.
A crowd had gathered around the stone tablet. Some sat cross-legged in front of it, meditating with their eyes closed, while others stood at a distance watching. Still others hid in the shadows, their intentions unknown.
Chen Du landed in front of the monument, ignoring the gazes around him, and sat down cross-legged, placing his palms on the surface of the monument.
The moment he made contact, a vast power of rules surged into his sea of consciousness.
Fragments of laws contained within the monument surged forth like a tide, complex, broken, and unsystematic.
But for Chen Du, these things were like a torn book. Others could only piece together fragments, but with his Divine Revelation Reading ability, he could reassemble the fragments piece by piece.
More importantly, as he began to comprehend the laws contained within the stone tablet, he suddenly realized something.
The so-called laws and the Divine Status he comprehended in the Celestial Master Realm are essentially the same kind of power.
Divine Status is a realm of authority, a fundamental control over certain rules.
Laws are also rules, and they are also control.
They have different names and different approaches, but they are essentially the same thing.
He closed his eyes and immersed himself in the massive simulation.
The other contestants around him sneered, frowned, and quietly moved closer to him as they watched this guy sit down to meditate as soon as he arrived.
In the Celestial Master Realm, what he comprehended was the [Celestial Master] Divine Status, the unity of the Dao and the rank.
In the Red Sun Immortal Realm, he condensed the [Cangming Abyss] Divine Foundation, the foundation of the Golden-Nature Fruition.
In this Azure High Martial World, these are collectively referred to as "laws."
Different names, different approaches, but at their core they are all about the same thing: understanding some fundamental rule and mastering some kind of power that transcends the mundane.
He calculated that he currently possessed three laws.
Firstly, the [Celestial Master] Divine Status combines the [Grand Heavenly Master of Taiyi Xuanhuang] position with the [Orthodox Unity Pure Source Celestial Master Seat], which governs the Dao Resonance and the power to suppress the Dao, and can suppress all laws and govern all paths.
Secondly, the [Cangming Abyss] Divine Foundation governs the power of the abyss and the sea eye, capable of trapping enemies, strangling them, and containing all laws within the abyss.
Thirdly, the Spirit Martial Realm Divine Status grants control over the power of a realm, allowing one to mobilize its resources for their own use. Although not something he comprehended himself, it has long been integrated with his soul.
Three laws, three completely different forces of rule, each with its own strengths, complementing each other.
As Chen Du pondered, he silently reviewed the laws he already possessed within his sea of consciousness.
According to the division of the Azure High Martial World, laws are also divided into different grades, with the lowest grade being the first level.
The [Lingwu] Divine Status he currently possesses is at most a lower-level fourth-grade law.
[Cangming Abyss] has a slightly stronger Divine Foundation, at the lower level three.
The combined position of [Taiyi Xuanhuang Grand Heavenly Master] and [Zhengyi Qingyuan Celestial Master] is only the second lowest rank.
In other words, the stronger the world is, the stronger the laws it can give rise to.
A world like the Spirit Martial Realm can only produce beings of this Divine Status.
Understanding something doesn't mean you've truly grasped its meaning.
He spent sixty years in the Celestial Master Realm comprehending the Heavenly Master Divine Seal before he could hone his Grand Heavenly Master Position Rank to that level.
However, within the legal system of the Azure High Martial World, it is far from being considered a complete understanding.
The upper limit of this world is the Seventeenth Tier, and he can only be considered to have barely touched the edge of the laws at present. There is still a long way to go.
But Chen Du was not discouraged. On the contrary, a long-lost excitement welled up in his heart.
The hierarchical classification of rules means that he has a clear reference and a very progressive goal; every step forward is a qualitative leap.
The fragments of laws contained within this stone tablet are the steps he takes to ascend.
He closed his eyes and focused all his attention on the surface of the monument.
Within his sea of consciousness, those fragmented rules spun rapidly, pieced together, and recombined under the drive of his enlightenment, and blurry lines began to outline a certain complete contour.
The other contestants were still watching; some were eager to make a move, while others were wary of the aura he had displayed when he attacked and dared not step forward.
But Chen Du couldn't care less about them anymore. His consciousness was immersed in the depths of the laws of that stone tablet, thirstily absorbing every fragment of the rules.
As for the Heart of the Starry Sky, as for advancement, as for those 100 million competitors.
He'll calculate it slowly after he's finished deciphering this stone tablet.