"Ling Xuan is here." Zhulong King sensed their arrival at once, a kind smile appearing on his aged face.
"Greetings, Ancestor." Manlong Marquis and Ling Xuan hurriedly bowed together, standing tall and respectful.
"Have a seat." Zhulong King waved casually, indicating they needn't stand on ceremony.
He had weathered countless changes over his endless years and witnessed the rise and fall of countless fortunes. To him, many formalities had long since faded like passing clouds and no longer mattered.
But Manlong Marquis and Ling Xuan didn't dare show the slightest carelessness. In their hearts, the man before them was the source of the Zhulong clan's bloodline and the very foundation of the entire clan's strength.
After the two cautiously took their seats, Zhulong King narrowed his eyes slightly and studied Ling Xuan with a piercing gaze. "I've heard about your talent for a long time. It's excellent, far surpassing mine at your age. When I was your age, I hadn't even reached Planetary Level."
As he spoke, Zhulong King sank into deep memories, his eyes filled with longing for the days gone by.
"Our achievements today are all thanks to our Ancestor's years of struggle and sacrifice," Manlong Marquis said sincerely.
Zhulong King hadn't been born with a Planetary Level bloodline. Moreover, humans had only just appeared back then, struggling to survive in the universe. Their circumstances had been countless times more difficult than they were now.
All his achievements had been earned step by step through brutal battles waged in blood and fire.
"When you get old, seeing a promising young fellow makes you reminisce about the past." Zhulong King sighed softly.
Zhulong King lifted his ancient wine cup. His gaze held both hope and concern as he looked at Ling Xuan. "Young man, don't get carried away."
"I hear this year's Genius Tournament has produced quite a remarkable contender, a super-genius said to appear only once every hundred million eras."
Ling Xuan paused at his words. His current Law Comprehension of fire and space could only match a genius like Bolan, who appeared once every ten thousand eras. Compared with a prodigy who appeared only once every hundred million eras, the gap was beyond measure.
As if he noticed the gravity in the young man's eyes, Zhulong King raised a hand and gently eased Ling Xuan's tension with a soothing force. "Still, there's no need to feel too much pressure. The Giant Axe Martial Arena has made an exception this time and granted an extra slot to enter the Giant Axe Secret Realm. You just need to hold on to a top-two finish." He stroked his crimson beard, his tone softening. "Your biggest weakness is that you haven't had enough time to cultivate. That fellow is older than your great-grandfather. There's no need to compare yourself with him."
"Ancestor, I won't give up easily!" Ling Xuan sprang to his feet. His Law Comprehension might not measure up to his opponent's yet, but there was still time before the finals, and he could catch up. Besides, his greatest strength didn't come from Law Comprehension—it came from his cheat.
"Confidence is a good thing." A trace of satisfaction flashed through Zhulong King's eyes. He pointed into the air, and the laws of space throughout the entire temple suddenly surged. Countless runes appeared on the walls. "You'll cultivate here for the next few days. I'll demonstrate the laws of space for you. I hope it'll help you comprehend them."
Before he had even finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and clapped his hands with a laugh. "But if you really can take first place, I'll swallow my pride and beg a supreme being from the Giant Axe Martial Arena to take you as his personal disciple!"
"You're the most talented of my descendants, and I hope you'll climb higher and go farther."
"Thank you, Ancestor!"
At that moment, he felt not only the promise of opportunity, but also the weight of the entire Zhulong clan's expectations.
"All right, make the most of your time and cultivate." Zhulong King dismissed the spatial barrier around Ling Xuan, then turned to Manlong Marquis. "Manlong, if you have nothing else to do, you can leave."
After Manlong Marquis bowed and left, the entire temple fell silent.
Zhulong King flicked a finger. The Void seemed to tear open beneath invisible claws, and twelve pitch-black chains shot out, trailing the aura of Chaos.
Dark-purple Mysterious Patterns flowed across the chains' surfaces. They twisted and transformed in midair, becoming twelve phantom Zhulongs wreathed in flickering azure flames, their claws and fangs bared as they coiled around Ling Xuan.
"This is my manifestation of the laws of space. Focus and comprehend it." Zhulong King swept his sleeve.
Ling Xuan immediately sat cross-legged and lowered his eyelids.
Crimson-gold flames surged around him, crackling as they clashed with the black Zhulong phantoms.
His consciousness pierced the vortex of laws like a sharp sword, trying to seize the inspiration that flashed by in an instant.
In the days that followed, Ling Xuan cultivated with the Void Mirror and Zhulong King's guidance. From time to time, Zhulong also secretly told him about the super-genius who appeared only once every hundred million eras.
Ling Xuan did have one advantage over his opponent: that person knew nothing about him, while Ling Xuan could learn details about his opponent through Zhulong Ancestor, whose connections reached far and wide.
Meanwhile, on Manlong Planet, in the Mangu Tribe—
"Hahaha, honey, I signed up!" A handsome but rather rough-mannered man danced around excitedly, showing off to his wife and daughters.
"Dad, what did you sign up for?" Ling Xue asked, puzzled.
"Why, the all-humanity Peak Genius Tournament, held once every five thousand years! I, Ling Tianhe, am a rare genius, so how could I miss an event like this? I'll fight my way into the finals alongside Xiao Xuan, and the two of us will make a great father-and-son story by competing on the same stage." Ling Tianhe grinned from ear to ear, as if he could already see himself battling experts from across the universe and making a name for himself throughout the cosmos.
"Dad, don't make trouble," Ling Yue advised helplessly. Her father's talent was clearly mediocre. He had only reached the ninth rank of Star Level in the past decade, thanks to the resources the clan had awarded her third brother.
If not for the Spirit Essence Crystal Core and Soul Nourishing Fruit that her third brother had brought back, her father wouldn't even have comprehended a domain. And now he wanted to enter some Genius Tournament? Wasn't he just going to make a fool of himself?
"What are you talking about?" Ling Tianhe blushed. "Your old man just wants to take part."
Ling Yue thought it over. He did have a point—but it would be awkward if the father and son really ran into each other.
What would her little brother do then?
He couldn't exactly beat up their father, could he?
But since she couldn't stop her father from entering the Genius Tournament, she could only leave it alone.
After all, if the time came, it would be the father and son who had the headache.
Time flew by, and at last the Genius Tournament began.
More than seven billion super-geniuses from the Ganwu Universe Kingdom gathered together.
"The preliminaries will be divided into a hundred World Zones. Which one are you in?" Zhulong King asked.
"The 77th World Zone."
"Go!"
The countdown rang out across heaven and earth. The clear tones of the Universal Language carried immense pressure, making the entire continent tremble. "Mass teleportation will begin shortly. Countdown: 60... 59... 58..."
When the final echo of "1" faded, more than seven billion beams of light flared at once, and the contestants' figures vanished like bubbles into the Void.
At the same instant, a hundred separate worlds took shape with a thunderous roar inside the Virtual Universe.
As the grandest contest of geniuses in human history, the tournament drew the attention of everyone from Immortal Experts to ordinary citizens. Countless pairs of eyes watched every move in every arena through virtual screens.
Ling Xuan appeared at the foot of a tall building, with a screen displaying his personal information before him. Having experienced similar teleportations before, he quickly regained his bearings. Nearby, the other contestants were still clutching their heads, unable to recover.
"Points are walking right into my hands." A cold smile curled Ling Xuan's lips. He swept the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear around, and crimson-gold flames ignited the entire area.
The Flame Domain, a hundred meters in diameter, suddenly contracted like a cage. The runes flowing along the weapon's shaft blazed with dazzling light.
As the spear swept across, a scorching blade arc brimming with destructive force tore through the air. Everywhere it passed, the atmosphere twisted into vortices.
Before the screams could even rise, 108 figures had been reduced to ash in the flames.
The virtual screen before Ling Xuan's eyes flashed wildly:
Contestant: Ling Xuan (Zhulong Empire)
Points: 108
Rank: 0001
World Zone: 77th World Zone
Time: The Preliminary Elimination Tournament will last 30 days. When time is up, the preliminaries will end, and the winners will be decided according to the points at that moment.
Note: The 77th World Zone is a continent modeled after the real-life Moduo Planet in the Ganwu Universe Kingdom. Its land area is more than 13 million square kilometers.
Buildings and ground within the zone are all b9-grade in hardness.
Scoring rules: Kill one contestant to earn 1 point and acquire 50% of their points; defeating a stronger opponent yields greater rewards.
Leaderboard rules: Dead contestants retain their ranking. If their score is high enough, they can still make the top 1001 even after losing 50% of their points upon death.
At that moment, the name "Ling Xuan" at the top of the leaderboard glowed a blinding red.
By entering the arena and instantly killing 108 opponents who were still dazed, he had become the first person to do so since the Genius Tournament began.
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