The Fallen Genius

Upon reaching the seventh level, Ling Xuan was eliminated at the speed of light.

The difficulty of the Nine Universes Heavenly Bridge experiences a qualitative leap every three levels; without using the Zhetian Method, Ling Xuan was quickly killed.

Exiting the Nine Universes Heavenly Bridge, Ling Xuan walked over to Feng Lishuang and the other two. "It's your turn."

The three women nodded. As the one with the strongest raw power among them, Feng Lishuang entered the Heavenly Bridge first.

Bafen, the Universe Venerable in charge of mass-mailing, sent the video of Ling Xuan's performance on the sixth level to those super-beings who were keeping an eye on him.

"This guy, what kind of state is this? Do we humans also have an Innate Secret Technique?" A Universe Venerable watched with curiosity as Ling Xuan displayed this completely abnormal state in the video.

The Virtual Universe only records existing Innate Secret Techniques. If you possess a special life form and enter the Virtual Universe as that life form, the Virtual Universe will condense the corresponding Innate Secret Technique for you, allowing you to use it within the simulation.

However, if you enter as a human, the Virtual Universe cannot identify that you possess an Innate Secret Technique, and thus your talent cannot be manifested.

Yet, Ling Xuan's current state appeared as if he were using an Innate Secret Technique. Although it looked somewhat weak, it could produce miraculous effects when facing an evenly matched opponent.

However, an ancient Universe Venerable shook his head with a smile. "This is the unyielding will of ancient humans who fought against the heavens and the earth; it is merely stimulating some human potential."

"Huang Shen Venerable, how do you explain that?" asked a Venerable from the Wolfman race. Huang Shen Venerable is the Lord of the Huangman Universe Kingdom, an incredibly ancient figure, representing one of the earliest human universe kingdoms.

The core ethnic groups that make up this universe kingdom are the Huang Shen Clan and the Manka Star People, both of which possess peak human bloodlines.

He knew many more secrets.

Huang Shen Venerable explained with a smile: "You all know that this Ling Xuan is a descendant of Zhulong King, right?"

"Zhulong King was even older than me, a figure who was incredibly active even before humans established universe kingdoms. Back then, he and the Giant Axe Founder both came from an ancient tribe called the 'Yan Feng' tribe, known as the Seven Heroes of Yan Feng."

"At that time, the Original Ancestor himself was just rising to prominence and had not yet ascended to become a Universe Master."

"The Zhulong King of that era was also a high-spirited existence with immense talent, hailed as one of the strongest individuals with the highest hopes of becoming a Universe Venerable."

"Unfortunately, he fell during a conflict with an alien race while covering the retreat of the Chaos City Lord and others, who had not yet grown up. Even though the Original Ancestor later broke through to become a Universe Master and reversed time to resurrect him, he was thoroughly reduced to an ordinary person due to the loss of his opportunities and treasures. He remained trapped at the King level, spending countless epochs just to reach the limit of a King."

"As human powerhouses of that period, surrounded by powerful enemies, every human had to face endless war from the moment they were born. As long as one could hold a weapon, they had to be prepared to fight the enemy at any time."

"Every human of that era was incredibly bellicose and dared to fight to the death. Once they engaged an enemy, their ferocity would be completely ignited; the harder the battle, the more excited they became."

"This is the reason why humans were able to gain a foothold in the chaotic situation of the early universe where ten thousand races fought. Thus, there is an ancient proverb: Courage is the most beautiful anthem of human epic."

"As a descendant of Zhulong King, the Zhulong Clan, like my Huang Shen Clan and the Manka Star People, has a long heritage and maintains ancient traditions. Some clansmen can become braver as they fight, just like their ancestors, or even stimulate their potential to perform beyond their limits."

"Who would have thought that this seemingly unremarkable Zhulong Clan, with only a sixth-tier human bloodline, actually has such a history?"

"Hahaha, that is because the Zhulong did not restrict their reproduction. To improve their bloodline, they must have successive generations of powerhouses reach a certain realm before reproducing. Those clansmen who cannot reach this realm are deprived of the right to reproduce. Only by gathering the efforts of dozens of generations can the bloodline be stabilized," Huang Shen Venerable explained.

It was not just these super-beings who received news of Ling Xuan passing the sixth level of the Heavenly Bridge. Generally speaking, geniuses of the same batch would receive these emails to motivate each other to compete and improve their cultivation progress.

"Hahaha."

Just as Ling Xuan was watching his eldest wife navigate the Heavenly Bridge, a burst of untimely, wild laughter suddenly rang in his ears.

Without turning his head, Ling Xuan knew which bastard was shouting.

"Ling Xuan, you are nothing more than this." Cao Benqi suddenly felt all his previous frustration swept away, his mouth curling up even harder than a Dragon King's. "You couldn't even make it past the sixth level? Is this the first place of the Genius Tournament?"

"Hahaha." Cao Benqi laughed heartily.

"Dog Cao." Ling Xuan's unique form of address made Cao Benqi's laughter come to an abrupt halt.

"Gah~" The smiling Cao Benqi immediately darkened his face. "What did you call me? You, a piece of trash who only reached the 6th level of the Heavenly Bridge, what right do you have to talk to me like that?"

"Yes, yes, yes. I wonder which piece of trash was slapped by me until he self-destructed." Ling Xuan mercilessly brought up the most humiliating event in Cao Benqi's life.

"What did you say?" Cao Benqi was furious. His originally bright smile vanished, replaced by a gloomy expression.

"If you're not convinced, we can go into the Virtual Universe for a one-on-one," Ling Xuan provoked. In order to properly cultivate and verify his progress, he didn't go all out in the Heavenly Bridge, but that didn't mean his combat power was weak at this moment.

"Tch, in the 30 years in Chaos City, every minute and every second is precious. Why would I do such a boring thing with you? A mere piece of trash at the sixth level of the Heavenly Bridge, are you worthy of a one-on-one with me?" After leaving these words, Cao Benqi left directly.

He was arrogant, not stupid. In the past 3 years, he had challenged Ling Xuan in the Duel Arena within the Killing Space of the Virtual Universe countless times, and the final outcome was always a "narrow defeat."

And that was Ling Xuan at the Star Level three years ago, while he had already promoted to the Universe Level.

Facing Ling Xuan, who had now promoted to the Universe Level and whose strength had improved by leaps and bounds, how could he fall for the trap of fighting him again in the Virtual Universe? A real-world battle would be a different story.

But before coming to Chaos City, his teacher, the Yan Shen Kingdom Lord, had repeatedly warned him not to cause trouble in Chaos City. The wrath of the Chaos City Lord was something even he, a Universe Overlord, could not bear.

"Just wait. When we leave Chaos City to carry out the secret realm mission, I will make you look good. At that time, I will personally destroy you," Cao Benqi muttered to himself as he left the Virtual Universe, looking up at the sky.

"So, what was he here for just now?" Ling Xuan watched the departing Cao Benqi and turned to look at his two wives.

"Just here to make his presence felt, right?" Leng Yanqiu said dismissively. In her view, the Yan Shen's temperament was too poor; aside from his talent, he was worthless. Such a person might be able to forge ahead in favorable circumstances, but once he encountered setbacks, he would be utterly defeated.

Losing to Ling Xuan in the Genius Tournament had already dealt him a huge blow; otherwise, he wouldn't be like this now, constantly fixated on Ling Xuan.

Ling Xuan was different. One could tell from his combat videos that he was a man who became braver the more he fought, and the greater the pressure, the stronger his explosive power.

Most importantly, Ling Xuan never used his status or talent to suppress others. Even with those geniuses ranked lower, Ling Xuan could treat them equally, unlike Cao Benqi, who looked down on everyone else.

At this moment, Feng Lishuang also exited the Heavenly Bridge. It was Leng Yanqiu's turn, followed by Ren Yaoli.

The results of the three women were much as expected: they all just barely passed the first level and persisted for varying amounts of time on the second. Feng Lishuang, the martial artist, had the strongest resilience and lasted the longest.

Ren Yaoli, the illusionist, had the most dangerous encounter; she was knocked out almost as soon as the battle began.

"Let's go, let's head back and cultivate for a while to digest the insights gained from the Chaos Stele before we go out to hunt those Chaos Beasts."

The four of them blurred their figures, exited the Virtual Universe, and sat cross-legged side by side on the rooftop of their residence. The surroundings were perfectly still, with only a gentle breeze brushing past.

Above Chaos City, the projections of the laws of the Initial Universe flowed slowly, echoing and verifying the insights of the Chaos Stele within their consciousness. Occasionally, Ling Xuan would help them explain minor issues regarding their cultivation.

However, for major questions, they could only return to seek guidance from the powerful figures within their own races.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the ten thousand points belonging to the three women were also used to purchase the first two volumes of the Space-Time Essays.