When the Wind Rises

Three months later--

Lord Shen's voice, carrying a hint of excitement, rang out in the mind of Lu Yan'an: "Kid, log into the Virtual Universe quickly! Huge suspended banners have appeared on every continent and island in the Virtual Universe!"

"That grand event has truly arrived, and you will finally be able to compete on the same stage as the most elite geniuses in the universe!"

A faint smile and surging battle intent appeared on Lu Yan'an's face, his heart pounding: "Connect to the Virtual Universe Network."

Black Dragon Mountain Island.

At this moment, it was night on Black Dragon Mountain Island. A massive black banner appeared in the sky, its edges radiating light. On this pitch-black surface, characters glowed with a dazzling white brilliance.

"Humanity of the Universe--Peak Genius Tournament!"

"Held for the first time!"

"From now on, once every ten thousand years! Selecting geniuses!"

"This tournament is co-hosted by the Virtual Universe Company and all the universe kingdoms!"

"Are you a genius? Can't find an opponent at your level? Then join the 'Peak Genius Tournament'. Here, you will face fierce battles against countless geniuses from all the universe kingdoms across the entire universe!"

"For details, please browse the official website via the virtual assistant in the 'Virtual Universe Network'."

This massive banner was over a million miles in length and width, visible to everyone. In an instant, the entire Virtual Universe was set ablaze!

"The Peak Genius Tournament! Just hearing the name makes my blood boil!"

"It's going to be held every ten thousand years from now on? This, this, the Virtual Universe Company is truly making a grand gesture!"

"Geniuses slaughtering each other? Hahaha, just thinking about it makes me impatient! I'm going to sign up!"

"Battles between countless geniuses from all the universe kingdoms! I'm so looking forward to it!"

"A grand event hosted by the Virtual Universe Company; the rewards must be terrifyingly high! The Virtual Universe Company has always been generous with resources, I just wonder which lucky ones will get them."

"Hurry and check the official website."

In the Virtual Universe, every continent representing a "universe kingdom" and every island representing a "medium-level civilization" had these massive banners appear in their skies, each one promoting the news that the "Humanity of the Universe--Peak Genius Tournament" was about to begin.

The Peak Genius Tournament was open to all star-level humans across the many universe kingdoms of the entire human race. As long as you were a star-level human, you could participate!

It could be called a grand festival for the entire human race! This tournament was a platform that allowed all star-level geniuses to compete on the same stage. As long as you were a true genius, you could shine with your own brilliance on such a platform!

The territory of the human race was vast and boundless; rarely did anything affect all 1008 universe kingdoms. However, the news of this tournament caused a sensation across every single one the moment it spread! Countless geniuses spontaneously looked up at that suspended banner. This was the first time the Virtual Universe Company had promoted an event with such intensity!

Duel Space.

In the middle of a desert, Lu Yan'an stood in white robes, wearing memory alloy gauntlets on his fists. He hovered in the air, gazing at the youth in black combat gear ahead, his battle intent burning.

"Fight!"

He let out a low shout. He completely abandoned his methods as an illusionist and charged forward as a martial artist.

"Boom!"

The figure opposite him erupted with dazzling golden light. A massive amount of blue rays formed a low-pressure zone, and a black bolt of lightning moved through it like a fish in water, rapidly rushing toward the white-robed Lu Yan'an.

"Boom!" Blue currents immediately permeated the surface of the black-clad youth's body, and at the same time, the long spear on his back appeared in his hand!

With a "hum" sound, the spear thrust toward the enemy. The speed of the spear easily broke the sound barrier, creating sonic booms as it moved!

"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"

The sounds of impact rang out repeatedly.

The collisions between the gauntlets and the spear sparked wildly, but it was clear that the spear tip was blocked by Lu Yan'an's gauntlets every time. In an instant, he was completely suppressed by Lu Yan'an!

Seeing this, the black-clad youth tapped his toes and immediately retreated to create distance.

Lu Yan'an didn't give him a chance. A sharp fist intent surged from his body as he pressed forward, denying the black-clad martial artist any opportunity to distance himself!

Realizing he couldn't shake off Lu Yan'an's attacks, the black-clad martial artist had no choice but to gather his strength on the spot and thrust his spear!

"Qianlieyu!"

The edge was slightly revealed, carrying a chilling coldness. The spear tip and Lu Yan'an's gauntlets clashed again. With a loud explosion, a wave of fist intent crushed through.

"Satisfying..."

A look of satisfaction appeared on Lu Yan's face:

"The quality of opponents in this Duel Space is getting higher and higher. It seems this universe genius tournament has flushed out all those guys who were quietly training in the shadows..."

Lu Yan'an was very pleased with the quality of his opponents lately. In just a short time, he had already encountered several martial artists who possessed domains! This was something that had never happened before!

"Don't worry, the opponents in the genius tournament will satisfy you. This tournament is truly worthy of being a carnival for all humans across the universe kingdoms! It's truly insane! Tsk tsk, all star-level fighters competing on the same stage—how exciting!" Lord Shen's voice echoed in his mind.

It was very satisfied with Lu Yan'an's state. Ever since the news of the tournament broke, this kid had maintained his peak condition. Even an immortal like Lord Shen felt the training intensity was too high! Sometimes, Lord Shen even wanted to tell Lu Yan'an not to push himself so hard, as his strength was essentially the ceiling for all star-level fighters in the universe. However, every time it saw Lu Yan'an's determined gaze, those words would get stuck in its throat.

"You really have a chance to compete for a spot in the core layer of the Virtual Universe Company, and I believe there is no star-level fighter stronger than you!" Lord Shen said with admiration. It felt happy whenever it thought of Lu Yan'an's state, not to mention that Lu Yan'an was trained by its own hand. Thinking about it, it felt wonderful.

At this moment.

"Kid Lu, there is a call request from Tian Chen," Lord Shen said.

"Hm? Lord Tian Chen?" Lu Yan'an was somewhat surprised. He had been training desperately all this time, and ever since Lord Tian Chen handed him the S-grade bloodline evolution agent, he had been busy with his own affairs, so they rarely contacted each other.

Virtual Universe, Black Dragon Mountain island, Haoyue Courtyard.

Many of the small, luxury residences here were built either against inland lakes or nestled among low-lying hills and ridges, with each house designed according to the owner's preferences.

With the financial support of Lord Shen, Lu Yan'an had purchased a large plot of land bordering the island lake. The Qingbo Manwu shimmered under the night sky, appearing exceptionally deep and serene.

Lu Yan'an and Tian Chen stood by the edge of the inland lake.

"Time flies so fast. You, Lu Yan'an, are about to participate in this Genius Tournament! You must seize this opportunity well. If you miss this time, there won't be another chance like this for at least ten thousand years..."

Lord Tian Chen rambled on, expressing his expectations for Lu Yan'an. Although most of it was just chatter, Lu Yan'an was still deeply moved. Since stepping into the universe, very few people had cared about him, even if it was just a simple greeting.

"In the end, just keep winning! Carry my expectations and the reward..." Lord Tian Chen said, accidentally letting his inner thoughts slip out.

"Ahem, in short, perform well!" He felt a bit awkward, but his encouragement remained sincere.

"Thank you for your encouragement, my Lord. I will ensure you receive the highest reward, and I also thank you for your trust in me!" Lu Yan'an chuckled, though he still thanked Tian Chen earnestly. He understood that this betting contract held no downsides for him; even if he failed to meet any requirements, Lu Yan'an would still be able to join the Virtual Universe Company.

However, if he only reached the baseline requirement of qualifying through the selection rounds, the fact that he would enjoy "internal member" benefits as an "external member" meant that the resources would likely have to come out of Tian Chen's own pocket. Over the past six months, he had inquired about countless pieces of information from the outside world. The Virtual Universe Company had never had any so-called "betting agreements." This was Tian Chen recognizing Lu Yan'an's talent and investing in him!

"You kid, work hard! Try your best to climb higher, hahaha, this is good for you and good for me!" Tian Chen then patted Lu Yan'an on the shoulder.

The two looked at each other and smiled; everything was understood without a word.