"Is the Genius Tournament about to begin...?"
Atop a snowy mountain, Yu Duan opened his eyes. His gaze was clear and pure, his bearing dignified yet lively.
"This is what a true Heart of Innocence is. A mind like a child's, free of fixed patterns and unaffected by the inertia and limitations of thought. No wonder it can improve one's comprehension."
Yu Duan could clearly feel the changes within himself. In particular, after he had fully mastered the Heart of Innocence and could enter a state of Unity of Heaven and Man at will, he was vastly different from before.
Children knew nothing, yet were curious about everything. Their thoughts were pure, and they viewed things in unconventional ways, often surprising adults and even inspiring them.
That was how one's state of mind affected one's comprehension.
But the more people experienced and learned, and the more principles they mastered, the more they tended to lose the nature they had possessed as children.
Only after progressing from the simple to the complex, then returning from the complex to the simple, could they let their natural instincts rise once more and reclaim the unblemished liveliness and clarity they had once possessed.
Only then could they achieve a true Heart of Innocence, rather than merely a child's ignorance and curiosity.
"Tianran, sign me up for the Genius Tournament."
As Yu Duan finished speaking, the optical computer on his right arm lit up. The little elf Tianran saluted. "Yes, Master!"
The news that registration for the Peak Genius Tournament had begun flooded every social platform on the Virtual Universe Network almost the instant it was announced.
As a grand event held once every five thousand years, it was never short of spectators. After all, watching the excitement was instinctive for social creatures.
"Ahhh, I wish the Genius Tournament could be delayed by three hundred years! By then, I'll definitely have reached Star Level!"
"I heard that the peerless geniuses who make it into the top thousand across the universe will receive astonishing rewards!"
"Place your bets, place your bets! Guess who'll take first place in this Star Level Genius Tournament!"
In just a few minutes, more than 7.9 billion Star Level contestants had registered across the roughly twenty thousand star regions under the Beiming Universe Kingdom.
And the number of applicants was still climbing at an astonishing rate.
To make sure that people who were focused on cultivation wouldn't miss the news and lose their chance to register, the tournament kept registration open for a full month.
Even those who paid no attention to the outside world could usually hear about it from family and friends within a month.
Every Star Level contestant in the Cosmic Humans who considered themselves talented was now sharpening their weapons, hoping to shine at the coming event, catch the eye of a powerful expert, and be taken on as a disciple.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Registration for the Peak Genius Tournament closed, and Yu Duan received an email from the Virtual Universe Company.
About 1.16 trillion Star Level geniuses had registered to compete within the territories under the Beiming Universe Kingdom alone.
"This time, more than 1.1 trillion people registered for the Genius Tournament. That's even more than last time."
Ku Mixiu, standing beside Yu Duan, had also seen the email on the virtual screen and remarked with a sigh.
"Who was the highest-ranked contestant from our kingdom in the last tournament?" Yu Duan asked.
"A girl named Ersivike. Her comprehension of the Wood Origin Law was pretty good. Among Fighters, she ranked 967th in the Trial Tower."
"She ended up fourth in the secret realm ranked lowest among those in the Core Layer of the Giant Axe Dojo. By the standards of recent tournaments, that was a relatively poor result."
The Beiming Universe Kingdom wasn't among the very strongest of the 1,008 Universe Countries. But in terms of territory and scale, it still ranked among the top hundred great kingdoms. At least one genius had made the top thousand in almost every tournament.
On average, a genius capable of breaking into the top hundred appeared every hundred thousand years or so.
As for making the top ten—or taking first place—that was much rarer.
The last time a genius from the Beiming Universe Kingdom had won the Genius Tournament was more than four thousand tournaments ago.
"I wonder if this tournament will produce a heaven-defying genius who appears only once in ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand eras."
Yu Duan thought of Bolan, who would compete in the same generation as Luo Feng in the future. He had no idea how many years remained until Luo Feng's time.
After all, the Cosmic Humans had no universal calendar, and Yu Duan had yet to encounter any of the figures mentioned in the original story.
"With Your Highness's talent, you're every bit as good as the geniuses who appear once in ten thousand eras," Ku Mixiu said, offering a compliment.
In truth, judging by his mastery of the Laws, if Yu Duan's mastery of the Law of Time were converted to an equivalent level of mastery over the Law of Space, he would still have a long way to go before reaching the Hundred Illusion Bodies.
But a genius on Bolan's level could wield more than a thousand Phantom Bodies.
Still, considering the difference in age, Yu Duan was every bit as impressive as Bolan. Ku Mixiu's words weren't empty flattery.
"Master, the Beiming Sacred Land has issued an order. All Star Level students are to log in to the Virtual Universe and assemble immediately!"
Tianran suddenly popped into view, projecting a red-flashing screen above her head. It displayed an official notice from the Beiming Sacred Land.
The Virtual Universe, the Beiming Sea.
Endless starlight surged and gathered into a vast, seemingly illusory platform more than ten thousand kilometers in diameter.
Over a hundred million young figures knelt on the star-lit platform. At the very front stood Yu Duan, Yalunsi, and several hundred other prodigies who had crossed the threshold of a Source Law.
Before them stood a series of towering figures: the twenty-four super experts under the Lord of the Kingdom, the weakest of whom was at Peak Marquis.
These powerful experts stood respectfully beside a figure shrouded in hazy white mist.
The figure stood motionless, yet an intangible chill spread from him, as if it could freeze space itself.
"The qualifiers are about to begin..."
A cold, resonant voice rang out, its speaker's gender impossible to discern.
"You are the elite of this Universe Country and its future pillars. The Sacred Land has nurtured you for decades, centuries, even millennia! So you should be stronger than the geniuses outside!"
"There are 101,000 qualifying spots this time. I hope you will claim sixty percent of them!"
As the cold voice rang out, the vast star system, which had been in constant motion, froze. It was as if it had become a river of ice among the stars.
"Go. Do not disappoint me!"
"Yes, Lord of the Kingdom!"
In an instant, almost all of the hundred million figures were teleported away. Only five remained: Yu Duan, Yalunsi, Pengnuolai, Delisi, and Teng De.
The assembly was over, and the Beiming Kingdom Lord had no reason to linger.
The twenty-four Divine Generals under the Lord of the Kingdom had addressed Yu Duan and the others.
At their head stood the First Divine General, a man with dragon horns on his head and his body clad in crimson battle armor.
"The great Lord of the Kingdom and Lord Qinghuan expect you to take first place in the Genius Tournament, Yu Duan."
The First Divine General spoke in a booming voice, so forceful it almost seemed explosive.
Yu Duan quickly bowed. "This junior will do everything in his power and do his best not to disappoint the Lord of the Kingdom and his teacher."
In terms of mastery of the Laws, Yu Duan was still a step behind Yalunsi.
There wasn't enough time left to make up the difference through sheer effort. Unless he had a genuine sudden enlightenment, he had no chance of beating Yalunsi.
The First Divine General smiled. "Don't worry. Yalunsi won't be a threat to you."
With that, the First Divine General turned his gaze to Yalunsi and Pengnuolai.
"You two may not have a chance at a higher ranking. I hope you're prepared for that and won't act rashly."
Feeling the immense pressure in his gaze, Yalunsi and Pengnuolai were confused, but didn't dare ask why. They could only lower their heads and say, "Yes, my lord!"
Finally, the First Divine General turned to Delisi, who had crossed the threshold of both the Fire and Earth Laws, and Teng De, who had mastered the first level of the God-Splitting Weapon.
"Delisi, the Sacred Land expects you to climb as high as you can, ideally into the top hundred!"
"As for you, Teng De, by last tournament's standards, your strength would put you somewhere between three thousandth and five thousandth place. Keep your composure and treat this as a trial."
Delisi and Teng De immediately bowed and acknowledged the orders.
At last, the First Divine General nodded, swept his hand outward, and said in a deep voice, "Set out!"
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