Already Protecting Them

Ling Xuan emerged from the Trial Tower space, and the many geniuses from various human races and universe kingdoms gathered around immediately turned their gazes toward him.

Ling Xuan scanned the area, quickly locked onto the location of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom team, and walked over.

"Is this Yanmo?"

"He looks so plain, not a single unique feature!" a youth from the Black Ape race sighed.

"Damn it, what kind of aesthetic is that? You don't think he's handsome?"

"Too little muscle, he looks too thin." The Black Ape youth flexed his own robust biceps, which were larger than his companion's head, and said, "See that? That's what's handsome; that's what has a masculine aura."

"Ling Xuan, congratulations." Leng Yanqiu stepped forward to offer her well-wishes, followed by Ren Yaoli and Feng Lishuang, both of whom nodded to him in greeting.

"Many thanks." Ling Xuan nodded politely in response. He had a strong impression of the three women; they were rumored to be the three most beautiful flowers of this genius competition, all possessing formidable talent and strength. Their names were Leng Yanqiu, Ren Yaoli, and Feng Lishuang.

Others also smiled and congratulated Ling Xuan.

As the person who ranked first in the entire universe and cleared the Trial Tower, he earned nothing but respect from them, and not a single person felt the urge to compete with him.

Since a few others had yet to emerge, Ling Xuan did not leave immediately but joined the others in watching the ongoing matches.

Just as he thought to check on Cao Benqi's progress, he discovered that the man's points were already equal to his own.

Cao Benqi walked over from the distance with a cold, gloomy expression, looking extremely displeased.

The surrounding geniuses retreated one after another, not daring to provoke him.

Of course, there were some who lacked the sense to read the room and proactively stepped forward to offer greetings, only to be shoved aside with a wave of his hand, not even receiving a glance in response.

"I don't know what method you used to pass, but in reality, you wouldn't last a single exchange against me. In the upcoming matches, I won't show any mercy."

Ling Xuan mimicked the way Cao Benqi had ignored other contestants earlier and turned his face away, striking up a conversation with Leng Yanqiu beside him.

Leng Yanqiu had always admired Ling Xuan, and she had watched every second of his battle earlier.

Now that Ling Xuan had secured first place in the Trial Tower, her interest in him grew even stronger.

The two began to chat enthusiastically.

"Do you dare ignore me?" Cao Benqi was furious; never in his life had anyone dared to treat him this way.

Yet Ling Xuan dared, continuing to chat with Leng Yanqiu as if he weren't there.

"Fine, fine, fine!" Having been humiliated, Cao Benqi left with a dark face, muttering, "Just you wait."

Ren Yaoli then chimed in, "Ling Xuan, are you really not going to pay any attention to that Cao Benqi?"

Ling Xuan shook his head. "I just can't stand his attitude. What is there to be so arrogant about? One must remember that there is always someone better, and a mountain beyond a mountain."

"I couldn't tell; when you first arrived, you and Cao Benqi were at each other's throats. I thought you were just as arrogant and dismissive as he was," Leng Yanqiu laughed.

"It seems I am not," Ling Xuan laughed.

The group continued to watch the matches of the remaining three contestants.

Although these three dark horses had been training in secret for a long time, they had exhausted their potential by now, and their battles had reached their limits. Within a few days, they were eliminated one after another.

They didn't make everyone wait as long as Luo Feng had.

At this moment, the Immortals from the various universe kingdoms sent telepathic messages, instructing them to assemble.

"Ling Xuan, see you later." Leng Yanqiu and the others bid farewell to Ling Xuan in unison.

Feng Lishuang gave a faint nod of acknowledgment, while Ren Yaoli blinked her large eyes.

After spending this time together, they felt Ling Xuan was increasingly easy to get along with. As a super genius who appeared once every ten million epochs and could clear the Trial Tower, he was surprisingly approachable.

"See you later." Ling Xuan also smiled and said goodbye.

Returning to the Ganwu Universe Kingdom team, Blood Sword Marquis first dismissed the others, then kept the five people who had made it into the top 7,300 and were in contention for the final spots.

Among them was Ling Xuan, who ranked first in the Trial Tower, a member of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom royal family who had made it into the top 100, and three other geniuses ranked around the thousands.

"The qualification battle tomorrow will depend on your performance."

"Understood!"

"I'm not worried about Ling Xuan and Tuoba Hun. Tuoba, try your best to secure a higher ranking and aim to stabilize your position in the top 100.

You are a Spirit Reader, which gave you an advantage in the Trial Tower, but actual combat is different. You must remain steady."

"Yes, my lord," Tuoba Hun replied respectfully.

"Ling Xuan, you must be careful. The secret technique you used in the Trial Tower to deceive the Zerg Mother Empress might not necessarily deceive Cao Benqi. As observers, we might not be able to directly perceive the spatial fluctuations when you merge into the void, but as your opponent in a direct confrontation, he will likely feel it more deeply. You must be cautious," Blood Sword Marquis warned Ling Xuan.

The subtlety of the Great Void Art was beyond their perception; they could only guess the level of the secret technique Ling Xuan had acquired based on experience.

Such a clever technique that allowed a Star Level genius to merge into the void could not be overly profound, or Ling Xuan would never have been able to master it.

Cao Benqi's mastery of the laws was far superior to Ling Xuan's, so he might actually find a way to counter it.

"Don't worry, my lord, I won't be careless." Ling Xuan did not argue; it was better to keep a low profile and reap the rewards.

"Good." Blood Sword Marquis nodded with satisfaction. He admired Ling Xuan greatly for being calm and composed. Looking at that Cao Benqi next door, his tail had been in the air for a long time, and he walked around looking down his nose at everyone.

Early the next morning.

The 7,300 geniuses, including Ling Xuan, gathered at Giant Axe Plaza. Suddenly, an invisible aura enveloped the entire plaza, causing all 7,300 elite human geniuses to involuntarily feel a sense of submission. Everyone looked up, only to see a familiar figure appearing in mid-air.

Beiyan Venerable remained as cold and unyielding as a stubborn rock, his gaze deep and heavy, while the entire space around him was firmly under his control.

"Venerable!"

One thousand powerful Immortals bowed respectfully in perfect unison.

This caused the 7,300 elite geniuses to feel a jolt in their hearts.

"The trial has ended. First, I congratulate the trial-takers ranked 1st to 100th; you have earned the qualification to enter the core layer of the Giant Axe Martial Arena! Now, if anyone is unwilling, you may speak up. The Giant Axe Martial Arena will never force anyone." Beiyan Venerable's voice remained as cold and rigid as ever, echoing in everyone's ears and minds like a muffled drumbeat.

Silence!

No one made a sound.

"Good, it seems you have finally learned to respect the Giant Axe Martial Arena." Beiyan Venerable nodded with satisfaction. "For the 7,200 trial-takers ranked 101st to 7,300th, the Virtual Universe system has automatically arranged arena battles for you based on your performance in the Trial Space. Those who achieve three consecutive wins will earn a spot; those who lose will be eliminated."

With 7,200 people, half would be eliminated in a single round of battles. After three consecutive rounds, only 900 would remain.

As soon as these words were spoken, many of the elite geniuses below felt a sense of doubt.

"Three consecutive wins to earn a spot? If two strong competitors run into each other, doesn't that mean one of them must be eliminated?"

"The arrangements of the Virtual Universe system are absolutely optimal; there is no need to doubt them!" Beiyan Venerable said slowly. "Now, 7,200 trial-takers, go and begin your arena battles!"

Boom~~~~

The Giant Axe Plaza trembled slightly, and the crowd of elite geniuses was suddenly teleported away, leaving only the top 100 human elite geniuses behind.

The remaining one hundred human elite geniuses looked around at those left beside them, as if trying to scout information on their opponents.

"Ling Xuan, I won't lose to you later." Ren Yaoli said playfully.

"You almost fell out of the top one hundred, and now you're already talking about challenging the first place? You really are bold, aren't you?" Leng Yanqiu remarked.

"Yanqiu, are you already protecting him?" Ren Yaoli put her hands on her hips, her willow-leaf eyebrows arched in dissatisfaction that her best friend was favoring a boy over her.

"What do you mean protecting him? I'm just stating the truth." Leng Yanqiu's pretty face flushed red as she hurriedly explained.

Beside them, Feng Lishuang also looked at Ling Xuan with a fierce fighting spirit.

"I hope we get to face each other." Ling Xuan shrugged.

Given that they were all at the level of the top ten, it was highly likely that the Virtual Universe would not group them together.

As for Cao Benqi, he watched all of this with a cold eye. After being humiliated by Ling Xuan yesterday, he wouldn't take the initiative to approach him today.

"I hope the Virtual Universe system lets you run into me soon, so I can eliminate you early." Cao Benqi said coldly.

"Do you think the Virtual Universe system is as stupid as you?" Ling Xuan retorted without hesitation.

"Are you looking for death?"

"It is you who is looking for death."

PS: Although these chapters seem a bit dull and similar to the original plot, I've mentioned the three heroines a few times—that's not too much, right?

Seeking votes, seeking follow-up reads, seeking favorites, seeking investments, and seeking comments.