Chapter Summaries

After the arena finals, Li Qi studied the secret arts Qian Wu Ruler had awarded him and focused on cultivating Twisted Eye to strengthen his will and soul defense. He completed it after two and a half years, made progress with Endless Vine, and the Universe Peak Genius Battle finals began.

• Li Qi discovered that Twisted Eye's first level involved constructing a bizarre eye and enduring pain that tempered the will, while Myriad Threads Flow was complete.
• Li Qi concluded that Qian Wu Ruler had given him Twisted Eye to address weaknesses in his will and soul defense, and he chose to focus on it during his three years of rest.
• Li Qi began cultivating Twisted Eye in the Virtual Universe, struggling with intense soul pain before gradually learning to endure it and increase his progress.
• After two and a half years, Li Qi completed Twisted Eye and his soul form transformed into an eye outlined by countless lines.
• Li Qi failed to comprehend space laws through Myriad Threads Flow but improved in the origin laws of wood and mastered Endless Vine in the Virtual Universe.
• The Universe Peak Genius Battle finals began.

Li Qi said farewell to his family and joined the Qian Wu Universe Country’s thousand geniuses for the Universe Peak Genius Battle finals. Led by Commander Kou Ji, the team arrived at their assigned building, where geniuses from other universe countries recognized Li Qi as a possible top-ten contender.

• Li Qi promised Eighteen one million Qianwu Coins if he reached the universe’s top thousand, then left his family on Molten Island.
• Li Qi arrived at the Qian Wu Continent gathering place and reunited with Lanca and other selected geniuses.
• Commander Kou Ji introduced himself as the team leader, singled out Li Qi as their only likely top-thousand contender, and warned the others that the competition would be fierce.
• Commander Kou Ji led the thousand Qian Wu geniuses to a Virtual Universe plane and brought them to Building 0435.
• Geniuses from other universe countries watched the Qian Wu team and discussed Li Qi’s strength and chances of reaching the top ten.

The Qian Wu Universe Country geniuses received their room assignments as other universe countries’ contestants discussed Li Qi’s chances in the competition. Li Qi suspected the Qian Wu Ruler considered first place beyond his reach because a particular super genius was expected to win, and he decided to seek information in the plaza.

• Bao Yan and Mad Axe discussed how other countries’ geniuses focused on Li Qi, and Mad Axe said their respect reflected Li Qi’s strength.
• Military Lord Kou Ji distributed room number plates, giving Li Qi number 1, Mad Axe number 4, Bao Yan number 194, and Lanca number 626.
• Military Lord Kou Ji joined other immortal deities at Restaurant No. 1, where they discussed Li Qi, Fei, and the powerful genius from Liyu Universe Country.
• Li Qi considered the Qian Wu Ruler’s belief that he could compete for second place but not first, then decided to ask other geniuses about the presumed frontrunner.

Li Qi learned that Illusion God Kedi, the legendary genius from the original work, was competing in the same Universe Peak Genius Battle, giving him a clearer anchor for the era he was in. He left with Lanca to find a restaurant, still uncertain about the timeline but aware that the Flame God Clan would defect in the future.

• Li Qi noticed that the Human Race had only 1004 Universe Countries and wondered what era he had entered.
• Li Qi and Lanca arrived at the central plaza, where other geniuses discussed Li Qi's strength and Lanca stayed by his side.
• Li Qi and Lanca saw Fei, a renowned illusionist from Nine Flame Universe Country, and Feng Yan Nuno of the Flame God Clan.
• Lanca told Li Qi that Illusion God Kedi of Liyu Universe Country was the battle's undisputed top genius, and Li Qi recognized Kedi from the original work.
• Li Qi said he was confident he could compete for second place, then went with Lanca to find a restaurant while considering what Kedi's presence revealed about the timeline.

Venerable Gulen arrived at Restaurant No. 1 and then summoned the million geniuses to the central plaza to announce the finals of the Universe Peak Genius Battle. Li Qi learned that the contestants would face a brutal trial, with only 1,000 advancing as core members of the Virtual Universe Company.

• The undying leaders discussed Kedi's talent and how difficult it was to become a Venerable.
• Venerable Gulen entered Restaurant No. 1, thanked the Universe Countries for supporting the Genius Battle, and said he would gather the contestants.
• Li Qi and Lanca heard the summons and joined the other geniuses in the central plaza, where they realized the finals had begun.
• Venerable Gulen explained that each contestant would enter a Trial Space with seven Trial Towers and earn points by progressing until death or expulsion.
• Venerable Gulen announced that ranks 1 through 100 would advance directly, ranks 101 through 7300 would compete for 900 places, and everyone else would be eliminated.

Li Qi entered the Trial Tower preliminaries and quickly cleared all seven floors of the first tower, earning 70,000 points. He left the tower near the top of the leaderboard, ready to face the increasingly powerful trials ahead.

• All 1,004,000 young geniuses were teleported to their trial spaces, and Li Qi appeared on a meteorite holding seven Trial Towers.
• Li Qi read the rules, learned that participants could advance by clearing each floor or surviving for ten days, and prepared to enter the first tower.
• Li Qi entered the first floor and used his Azure Vine Pillar to kill all 10,000 Blood-Haired Mammoths.
• Li Qi swiftly cleared the next six floors, defeating their Nine-Headed Pythons, Tuo Luo Race Warriors, Flying Hou, mechanical race puppets, Cang, and insect race nest.
• Li Qi earned 70,000 points and temporarily ranked near the top of the leaderboard as he prepared to face the stronger towers.

Li Qi surged to first place on the points leaderboard, exciting the people of the Qian Wu Universe Country and earning congratulations from the Molten Sector Lord and the Azure Wood Sector Lord. By the end of the chapter, Kedi had overtaken him, and Kou Ji accepted that Li Qi was no longer in first place.

• The immortals watched the rankings and praised Li Qi for temporarily taking first place ahead of Kedi.
• People across the Qian Wu Universe Country, especially in the Molten Starfield, celebrated Li Qi’s leading rank while other starfields felt disappointed.
• The Molten Sector Lord congratulated Li Qi’s mentor, the Azure Wood Sector Lord, as they shared a celebratory drink.
• The immortals discussed surprising contestants and the disadvantages soul-attack specialists faced against trial opponents resistant to soul attacks.
• Kou Ji saw that Kedi had overtaken Li Qi and acknowledged Kedi’s exceptional killing speed.

Li Qi used the Azure Vine Pillar’s Endless Vine technique to destroy an Insect Race Mother Nest and kill its Mother Queen, passing the seventh level of the fifth Trial Tower. He continued deeper into the trials while eliminated contestants discussed how difficult the towers were.

• Bao Yan and Lanca compared how they had been eliminated in the third Trial Tower, where most contestants were eliminated.
• Several days later, Mad Axe was eliminated after reaching the first level of the fourth Trial Tower and asked how far Li Qi had advanced.
• On the seventh level of the fifth Trial Tower, Li Qi faced 3,000 Green Mantises and an Insect Race Mother Nest.
• Li Qi activated Endless Vine, and its azure vines pierced through the Green Mantises while he evaded a group that pursued him.
• The vines burst through the Mother Nest, struck the Mother Queen, and killed her, allowing Li Qi to pass the seventh level of the fifth Trial Tower.

Li Qi’s display of the Azure Vine Pillar’s Endless Vine impressed the geniuses and Immortals, who judged his Wood Origin Law comprehension exceptional but regretted that he had not studied a higher law. Attention then shifted to Kedi, who entered the seventh Trial Tower and revealed overwhelming strength against its Blood-Haired Mammoths.

• Li Qi used Endless Vine to destroy the insect race mother empress and entered the sixth Trial Tower, astonishing the observers with his Wood Origin Law comprehension.
• Marshal Kou Ji and other Immortals discussed Li Qi’s prospects, attributing his focus on the Wood Law and Azure Vine Pillar to his World Master mentor.
• Bao Yan, Mad Axe, and Lanca praised Li Qi before Lanca spotted Kedi entering the seventh Trial Tower.
• Kedi cleared the sixth tower’s seventh floor and began fighting the Blood-Haired Mammoths on the first floor of the seventh tower.
• Kedi filled the battlefield with thousands of afterimages and pierced the mammoths’ vital points with sword strikes that manipulated time and space.

Kedi used his mastery of space and time to clear the first two levels of the seventh Trial Tower before the Tuo Luo Race warriors injured and eliminated him on the third. His performance drew widespread attention, and a veiled exchange of messages began in the Virtual Universe.

• Kedi used phantoms and afterimages to kill all 10,000 Blood-Haired Mammoths, clear the first level, and take the top spot in points.
• Kedi killed the Nine-Headed Pythons by striking their main heads and cleared the second level of the seventh Trial Tower.
• Kedi fought the Tuo Luo Race warriors, but their tough bodies forced him to make repeated attacks, leaving him injured and eliminated after he killed 324.
• The eliminated geniuses and Immortal gods praised Kedi’s achievement, while Fei gave up on challenging him for first place and Nuno vowed to catch up in the future.
• A voice in a palace on Thunder Island praised Kedi’s combined use of space and time laws.
• In the Virtual Universe, one person posted a request to buy materials, logged off, and was followed by another person who posted a message in a different virtual game.

After Kedi was eliminated from the Trial Tower, Li Qi entered the fifth level of the sixth tower and fought the Machine Race puppets. He killed forty-two before being eliminated, then returned to the central plaza as the other geniuses and undying gods assessed his performance.

• A white Sky Wolf reported Kedi’s achievements to the Demon Race leader, who ordered Kedi placed first on the Kill List; the Insect Race and Machine Race received similar news.
• Li Qi checked the leaderboard, noted Kedi’s elimination, and chose to attempt the fifth level of the sixth Trial Tower despite his weak movement technique.
• Li Qi fought one hundred Machine Race puppets in the experimental base, evading their attacks and destroying them one by one.
• After killing forty-two puppets, Li Qi was struck by an iron fist and railgun blast, then killed by a charging puppet and eliminated.
• Li Qi returned to the central plaza and accepted that his movement technique had cost him the trial, while the undying gods praised his results at less than a hundred years old.

The Qian Wu Ruler learned that Ancestor Tree Venerable had taken an interest in Li Qi, while the Virtual Universe Company's leaders debated whether Li Qi deserved a Primordial Secret Realm slot. To prevent the Giant Axe Battle Arena from taking him, they increased the number of slots from one to two, leaving Venerable Gulen puzzled by the decision.

• Marquis Rongdian confirmed with the Molten Sector Lord and Azure Wood Sector Lord that Li Qi's special ability was Origin of Life and that he had never focused on cultivating the laws of space.
• The Qian Wu Ruler told Marquis Rongdian that Li Qi had completed his second trial task and would become his nominal disciple after the Peak Genius Battle.
• The Qian Wu Ruler revealed that Ancestor Tree Venerable had taken an interest in Li Qi.
• The Virtual Universe Company's nine high-ranking members agreed to increase the Primordial Secret Realm slots from one to two so the Giant Axe Battle Arena could not take Li Qi.
• Venerable Gulen received notice of the extra slot and wondered why the company had changed its decision.

After the Trial Tower preliminaries ended, Li Qi learned that he would compete for second place against the illusionist Fei, while the eliminated Qian Wu geniuses were assigned to the Qian Wu Secret Realm. The qualification battles began, leaving Li Qi among the top hundred as he faced the formidable Kedi.

• Military Lord Kou Ji congratulated the Qian Wu geniuses who advanced and told the eliminated participants they would enter the Qian Wu Secret Realm.
• Military Lord Kou Ji advised Li Qi to fight for second place and warned him that illusionist Fei was his main opponent.
• Lanca gathered fellow eliminated geniuses to drink as they prepared to begin training in the Qian Wu Secret Realm.
• Venerable Gulen announced that the top hundred would become Virtual Universe Company core members and started the three-round arena battles for the remaining 7,200 geniuses.
• After the other contestants were teleported away, Li Qi spotted Kedi among the top hundred, and Kedi recognized Li Qi.

Li Qi watched the arena battles as the remaining geniuses fought for entry into the Virtual Universe Company’s core layer, while Fei continued to dominate his opponents. Venerable Gulen announced the rewards and secret realms for the thousand successful candidates, including two Primordial Secret Realm slots for their cohort.

• Nuno challenged Li Qi, who dismissed him and said Nuno would understand when they met.
• The arena rounds eliminated thousands of geniuses, while Fei defeated his opponents with soul attacks and Li Qi judged his strength.
• After the final round, the thousand successful geniuses gathered in the central plaza and Venerable Gulen congratulated them.
• Venerable Gulen announced rewards and secret realm placements based on rank, including two Primordial Secret Realm slots for the cohort.

Ancestor Tree Venerable’s casual interest in Li Qi led the Virtual Universe Company to announce two Primordial Secret Realm slots for the Peak Genius Battle. The finals rules excluded 800 contestants from direct competition, leaving many disgruntled as the chapter ended with immortal deities reminding them of their low standing.

• Ancestor Tree Venerable learned that the Virtual Universe Company had added a second Primordial Secret Realm slot, a decision prompted by a misunderstanding about his interest in Li Qi.
• Venerable Gulen announced the secret realms and said the arena finals would begin the next day.
• The immortal deities debated who would claim the second Primordial Secret Realm slot, with Li Qi and Fei seen as leading possibilities.
• Li Qi read the finals rules: 200 selected geniuses would fight for 100 Heaven and Earth Secret Realm places, then the top 20 would compete for Primal Secret Realm places, and first and second would enter the Primordial Secret Realm.
• The 800 geniuses assigned to the Apocalypse Secret Region protested being excluded from the finals, but the immortal deities rebuked them and explained their status.

Li Qi defeated Minoer to enter the top 100 and qualify for the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. Venerable Gulen announced the twenty geniuses selected for the next round, including Li Qi, who hoped to face Hokuri.

• Venerable Gulen opened the decisive battles and sent two hundred geniuses into one hundred arenas to compete for the top 100.
• Li Qi used his Azure Wood Thorns to overwhelm Minoer and kill him, winning his place in the top 100 and access to the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm.
• Li Qi considered how battle speed would affect later matchups and worried that a slow victory could put him against Kedi.
• Venerable Gulen announced the twenty geniuses selected for the next round, including Kedi, Li Qi, and Fei.
• Li Qi hoped that Hokuri would survive long enough to become his opponent.

Li Qi defeated Philip in the twenty-to-ten matches and entered the Primal Secret Region as one of the top ten. Venerable Gulen announced that the ten winners would next compete for the top five, with matchups determined by their victory times.

• The twenty contestants were teleported into ten arenas, where Chen Yi faced Kedi, Philip faced Li Qi, and Hokuri faced Fei.
• Li Qi sent his Endless Vine after Philip, driving him into a corner and sealing off his escape routes.
• Philip charged at the vines with his twin shields, but Li Qi wrapped him in the Endless Vine and killed him.
• Li Qi won his match and entered the Primal Secret Region, while Kedi and Fei also won their battles.
• Venerable Gulen congratulated the ten victors and announced that the fastest winner would face the slowest in the next round.

Li Qi defeated Nuno in the opening round of the top-five round robin, using the Endless Vine and a soul attack to overcome Nuno’s time-based phantoms. Fei watched the fight and realized Li Qi’s soul techniques could pose a serious threat to her.

• Venerable Gulun announced that the top five would compete in a round robin, with each victory earning one point.
• Kedi, Li Qi, Fei, Man Le, and Nuno were confirmed as the top five, and the first round paired Li Qi against Nuno while Fei had a bye.
• Nuno attacked Li Qi with time-based phantom bodies, but Li Qi split the Endless Vine into azure streaks and identified Nuno’s true body.
• Li Qi struck Nuno with the Soul-Piercing Needle, then bound him with the Endless Vine and crushed him to death.
• Fei watched Li Qi’s victory and worried that his strong will and soul techniques would make him difficult to face.

Li Qi faced Fei in the third round of the Peak Genius Battle, overcoming her Soul-Confounding Art and defeating her. His victory secured him second place before the final round against Kedi.

• Li Qi defeated Man Le in the second round, while Fei killed Nuno with her soul attacks.
• Li Qi entered his third-round match against Fei as most of the undying gods favored him to win.
• Fei ensnared Li Qi in an illusion of a woman offering marriage and family, but the word “family” reminded him of his real purpose.
• Li Qi summoned the Twisted Eye within the illusion and broke free from Fei’s Soul-Confounding Art.
• Li Qi defended against Fei’s attack and killed her with the nine streams of azure light from the Azure Vine Pillar.

The Peak Genius Battle ended with Kedi and Li Qi claiming the two Primordial Secret Realm slots, while Fei placed third and entered the Primal Secret Region. Venerable Gulen announced the results and the geniuses’ next steps at the Virtual Universe Company.

• Immortal beings discussed Li Qi’s victory over Fei, and Kedi defeated Nuno with one sword strike.
• Kedi overwhelmed Fei with thousands of real and illusory figures and killed her, while Man Le defeated Nuno after dragging their battle to the arena’s limit.
• In the final round, Li Qi defended against Kedi with Endless Vine and a shield, but Kedi killed him with his fifth sword strike.
• The round-robin results placed Kedi and Li Qi in the Primordial Secret Realm and Fei in the Primal Secret Region.
• Venerable Gulen announced the four tiers of selected geniuses and said they would be taken to the Virtual Universe Company’s Universal Headquarters before traveling to the Initial Universe.