A Stage for Geniuses, a Sanctuary for Loved Ones

With the broad framework in place, what remained were the implementation details.

Lin Yi rapidly constructed his method of disguise within his mind.

"The only thing I have retained is that sliver of Soul Origin, but it is fundamentally of the same source as my own. Besides, according to the information I gathered on the Virtual Network in my past life, I have never heard of any means that can directly inspect one's Soul Origin."

"Therefore, while information on methods beyond an Eternal Divinity is scarce on the Virtual Network and remains inconclusive, as for an Eternal Divinity, as long as I do not actively display any abnormalities, even if a deity were to perform a retrospective check or pull up surveillance, they would be unable to discover my secret."

"Based on this, as long as I frequently reference the memoirs of those Cosmic Geniuses I have seen and provide a reasonable explanatory framework for all my extraordinary feats, I will not cause that deity to suspect me of being an anomaly."

"After all, with the eternal life of a deity, they have seen far too many geniuses. As long as I don't stand out like a Two-headed Ant, who would bother to scrutinize a slightly stronger ant?"

Lin Yi sat before his neatly tidied desk, his right index finger tapping the desktop unconsciously, producing a rhythmic "tap, tap, tap" sound.

"Combat experience must be disguised as innate combat intuition and rapid learning through actual combat."

"Knowledge of Abyssal Beasts must be disguised as keen observation and the ability to quickly summarize patterns."

"Cultivation speed and Rule Comprehension must be disguised as astonishing aptitude and a tenacious will."

"Every step must appear as a miracle that naturally occurs when a genius is under immense pressure."

"As for the scale of my talent display..."

At this thought, a trace of self-mockery welled up in Lin Yi's heart.

What kind of scale could be considered the normal range?

Actually, there was a ready-made reference.

That would be the Pan-Spirit Alliance Genius Battle, hosted by the Spirit Race and participated in by all affiliated civilizations at the Star Core level.

The monstrous geniuses that emerged from it were the best objects for reference.

The Pan-Spirit Alliance Genius Battle is held every 5,000 years, and Lin Yi had experienced two sessions since stepping into the universe.

In the first session, he had only just entered the universe and was at the Star Core second rank. Adhering to the principle of not wanting to waste the registration fee, he did not sign up.

However, for the purpose of broadening his horizons, he watched the live stream on the Virtual Network. At that time, he was deeply shocked by the monstrous level that could be reached at the Star Core level.

Everyone who entered the top 1,000 in the finals possessed a domain.

The eventual winner even displayed a domain of six-fold rule fusion during the Decisive Battle.

What kind of concept was that?

A domain is the hallmark of the Star Domain level; it represents the complete mastery of a certain cosmic rule.

In other words, those geniuses from various races who entered the top 1,000 had all reached the Star Domain level in terms of rule comprehension.

The Spirit Race genius who took first place was even comparable to a Star Domain level sixth rank.

Of course, that was a competition among the geniuses of all races in the entire Pan-Spirit Alliance. More than 600 of the top 1,000 spots were occupied by the Spirit Race, a peak cosmic race. The Human Race only obtained about 40 spots, and only two people entered the top 100.

So, after watching the competition, Lin Yi didn't feel much other than a sigh.

The gap was too large to compare.

Instead, it was the first-place winner of the Purple Gold Star Alliance Zonal Competition, who displayed rule comprehension comparable to a Star Vortex level fourth rank while at the Star Core ninth rank, that made him yearn for such heights.

Therefore, when he experienced the second session, he signed up with full confidence after paying the fee.

At that time, he was already at the Star Core ninth rank, and having received guidance from Relina, he had improved his blade technique and mastered two killing moves with power reaching the Star Vortex level.

Not long before that, he had even fought two opponents at once during a mission and killed one of them who was at the same rank.

This gave him immense confidence.

The final result was not too bad.

In the zonal preliminary rounds, he won 8 out of 10 matches and successfully entered the Purple Gold Star Alliance Zonal Competition knockout stage.

However, he only won one match in the knockout stage, lost the second, and ended his journey after two rounds, failing to even qualify for the third round of the zonal finals.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly. Although he had broken even on that registration fee and even earned ten times the amount, it also made him personally feel the gap.

The final champion of that session was still from the Spirit Race. Although they were slightly worse than the previous session, their Star Core level rule comprehension was still comparable to a Star Domain level fifth rank.

By referencing these true monstrous geniuses, Lin Yi derived a relatively reliable reference standard.

That is, spanning two major stages is considered monstrous but not outrageous. Therefore, what he needed to pay most attention to was the initial stage; he had to be careful to hide himself and display his abilities in a reasonable, step-by-step manner.

He could not cross three major levels right from the start and display something like Star Vortex level rule comprehension.

As long as his growth had a traceable path and did not show any sense of dissonance like precognition.

Then, seven days later, when the illusory Divine Kingdom Projection shrouded the earth and the roar of the Abyssal Beasts tore through the illusion of peace, he would be able to step onto that blood-stained path of assessment as a natural "ignorant genius."

Only in this way could he withstand the gaze that might be cast down to scrutinize him in the future.

Lin Yi pondered intently for a moment, and a plan regarding his "rise as a genius" began to take shape rapidly.

He then carefully scrutinized the details again, and only after ensuring that there were no flaws in any part of the plan did he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"I must protect my family and friends, charge toward the peak, and even more carefully hide my greatest secret beneath a dazzling light."

"Preparation begins now."

Thinking this, Lin Yi returned to the head of his bed, picked up his old mobile phone, opened the contact list, and looked at the names that were merging with his distant memories and slowly becoming vivid. A smile finally appeared on his previously serious face.

The summer sun was scorching, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the plane tree leaves, casting flickering spots of light onto the concrete ground of the old residential complex.

The days after the Gaokao felt as if they had been pressed on a slow-motion button, with the air filled with an aura of laziness and relief.

Lin Yi played the role of a "prospective university student" perfectly, like a drop of water reintegrating into this brief and fragile pond of tranquility.

He wore an apron, helping his Mom, Zhou Jinghua, wash vegetables by the sink. The water splashed, and his mother's nagging voice echoed in the cramped kitchen:

"The cucumbers at the east end market are two cents cheaper than at the supermarket, even if they look a bit uglier. Sigh, the price of eggs is making people panic..."

Lin Yi responded with "uh-huhs," his eyes focused on rinsing the vegetable leaves as if it were the most important thing in the world.

At the dining table in the afternoon, the stir-fried seasonal vegetables were steaming, and his Dad, Lin Ruiming, was sipping the loose-leaf white liquor in his glass.

The atmosphere was warm and peaceful.

Lin Yi shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice, then, as if suddenly remembering something, he looked up, his tone carrying a hint of hesitation, "Dad, Mom... you mentioned before that you wanted to hold a Graduation Banquet?"

His Mom, Zhou Jinghua, immediately put down her chopsticks, her face showing undisguised anticipation and a trace of caution.

"That's right, Xiao Yi. Getting into Qingteng University is a great joyous occasion that brings honor to our ancestors!"

"Although... things are a bit tight at home, your dad and I were thinking that we should at least treat our relatives and friends to a meal, have a lively time, let everyone be happy, and celebrate for you."

Xiao Yi was Lin Yi's nickname; at the time, his parents hoped everything would come easily to him, so they chose this homophonic name.

His father also nodded from the side, his wrinkled eyes filled with simple pride, and he chimed in repeatedly:

"Right, we should hold it! It's been so many years since our family had such a big happy event, and according to custom, it should be held. Your cousin only got into an ordinary university, and they held one too."

Lin Yi was silent for a few seconds, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of his bowl as if he were undergoing an intense internal struggle.

In Helu City, or rather, in Su Province, the custom was that such Graduation Banquets generally did not accept gift money; it was a pure expense, which was why Lin Yi had previously been unwilling to increase the burden on his family.

But at this moment, after a moment of contemplation, Lin Yi looked up, a smile of someone who had finally figured things out appearing on his face.

"Hmm... I've thought about it, and you're right, Mom and Dad. This is a happy occasion, and it really should be lively; it's good to have everyone gather together."

He paused, as if carefully deliberating.

"How about... we set the time for next Saturday at noon? It's the weekend, so everyone should be free."

"As for the location... I see that the newly opened Hongfu Tower outside our complex has a good reputation. The portions are large and affordable, the environment is bright and clean, and it's close to home, making it convenient for everyone to come and go."

The time point he proposed pointed precisely to the moment the apocalypse would descend!

The location, Hongfu Tower, was a stage he had carefully selected after meticulously combing through his memories.