Three months later—
Lord Shen's slightly excited voice rang out in Lu Yan'an's mind. "Kid Lu, log into the Virtual Universe! A gigantic floating notice has appeared above every continent and island in the Virtual Universe!"
"The grand event has really arrived. Now you can compete on the same stage as the universe's top geniuses!"
A faint smile appeared on Lu Yan'an's face, along with a surging fighting spirit. His heart raced. "Connect me to the Virtual Universe Network."
Black Dragon Mountain Island.
It was nighttime on Black Dragon Mountain Island. A gigantic black notice appeared overhead, its edges glowing. The entire notice was black, and its surface was covered with characters shining with dazzling white light.
"Cosmic Humans—Peak Genius Tournament!"
"Held for the first time!"
"From now on, once every ten thousand years! Geniuses will be selected!"
"This Genius Tournament is jointly hosted by the Virtual Universe Company and all the Universe Countries!"
"Are you a genius? Can you find no equal among those of the same level and rank? Then join the 'Peak Genius Tournament'! Here, billions of geniuses from countless Universe Countries across the universe will battle!"
"For details, enter the official 'Virtual Universe Network' website through your virtual assistant."
The enormous notice stretched over a million miles in both length and width. Everyone could see it clearly. In an instant, the entire Virtual Universe erupted into a frenzy!
"The Peak Genius Tournament! Just hearing the name gets my blood pumping!"
"Once every ten thousand years from now on? T-this is a huge undertaking by the Virtual Universe Company!"
"A battle between geniuses? Hahaha, just thinking about it makes me impatient! I'm signing up!"
"Billions of geniuses from all the Universe Countries, fighting each other! I can't wait!"
"A grand event hosted by the Virtual Universe Company! The rewards must be incredible! The company has always been generous with its resources. I wonder which lucky ones will get their hands on them."
"Hurry and check the official website!"
In the Virtual Universe, a gigantic notice appeared above every continent representing a "Universe Country" and every island representing a "Universe Intermediate Civilization." Each one promoted the upcoming "Cosmic Humans—Peak Genius Tournament."
The Peak Genius Selection Battle was open to Star Level humans from all the many Universe Countries of humanity. Any Star Level human could take part!
It could be called a grand event for the entire Human Race! The Genius Tournament was also a platform where all Star Level geniuses could compete on the same stage. If you were a true genius, you could shine in your own way on such a platform!
The Human Race's territory was vast and boundless. Few events could reach all 1,008 Universe Countries, but as soon as news of the Genius Tournament spread, it shook every one of them! Countless geniuses turned their eyes toward the floating notices of their own accord. It was the first time the Virtual Universe Company had promoted a Genius Tournament on such a scale!
Duel Space.
In a desert, Lu Yan'an stood floating in the air, dressed in white. He wore a pair of memory-alloy gauntlets over his fists and gazed at the young man in black battle armor before him, his fighting spirit ablaze.
"Fight!"
He gave a low shout. Completely abandoning his Illusionist techniques, he charged forward as a warrior.
"Boom!"
The black-armored young man erupted with dazzling golden light. Countless blue rays formed a low-pressure zone, and a black bolt of lightning shot through it with ease, racing toward Lu Yan'an in white.
"Boom!" Blue currents immediately spread over the black-armored young man's body, and the long spear on his back appeared in his hand as if from nowhere!
With a hum, the spear thrust toward his opponent. Its speed easily broke the sound barrier, and the thrusts and withdrawals produced sonic booms!
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"
The impacts rang out again and again.
The gauntlets clashed with the spear, sending sparks flying with every blow. But the spearpoint was blocked by Lu Yan'an's gauntlets each time. For a moment, the young man was completely suppressed by Lu Yan'an!
Seeing this, the black-clad young man lightly tapped his toes and immediately retreated, opening up some distance.
Lu Yan'an gave him no chance at all. A fierce fist intent surged from his body as he closed in, refusing to let the black-clad warrior create any distance!
Unable to escape Lu Yan'an's attacks, the black-clad warrior could only plant his feet and gather his strength before thrusting his spear!
"Thousand-Rain Flurry!"
The spearhead's sharp edge glimmered, radiating a bone-chilling cold. It clashed once more with Lu Yan'an's gauntlets. An explosive crack rang out, and a fist intent swept through.
"That was satisfying..."
A satisfied expression appeared on Lu Yan'an's face.
"The quality of the opponents in Duel Space keeps getting better. Looks like the news of the Genius Tournament has brought all those guys who used to quietly build up their strength out of hiding..."
Lu Yan'an was very pleased with the quality of his opponents lately. In a short time, he had already encountered several warriors with domains! That had never happened before!
"Don't worry. You'll be satisfied with your opponents in the Genius Tournament. This tournament really is a celebration for all humanity across the Universe Countries! It's crazy! All those Star Level fighters competing on the same stage—thrilling!" Lord Shen's voice rang out in his mind.
It was very pleased with Lu Yan'an's condition. Ever since news of the Genius Tournament broke, he had kept himself in peak form. His training intensity was so high that even Lord Shen, an undying, thought it was too much! Sometimes, Lord Shen even wanted to tell Lu Yan'an to ease up. After all, given his strength, he was practically at the ceiling for all Star Level fighters in the universe. But whenever it saw Lu Yan'an's determined gaze, it couldn't bring itself to say much.
"You really have a chance at one of the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer spots, and I believe there won't be any Star Level fighter stronger than you!" Lord Shen exclaimed admiringly. It was delighted whenever it thought about Lu Yan'an's condition. And Lu Yan'an was someone it had personally trained, too. Just thinking about it made Lord Shen feel overjoyed.
Just then,
"Kid Lu, Tian Chen is requesting a call," Lord Shen said.
"Hm? Lord Tian Chen?" Lu Yan'an was a little surprised. He had been training relentlessly all this time, while Lord Tian Chen had been busy with his own affairs ever since handing him the S-Grade Bloodline Evolution Agent. They rarely spoke.
Virtual Universe, Black Dragon Mountain Island, Haoyue Courtyard.
Many small, luxurious homes stood beside inland lakes or low, protruding mountain ridges and hills. Each household had built its home to suit its own tastes.
With Lord Shen's financial help, Lu Yan'an had bought a large plot of land beside an island lake. At night, the rippling surface of Qingbo Manwu shimmered, lending the place a particularly mysterious air.
Lu Yan'an and Tian Chen stood beside the inland lake.
"Time really flies. You're about to take part in the Genius Tournament, Lu Yan'an! Make sure you seize this opportunity. If you miss it, there won't be another like it for at least ten thousand years..."
Lord Tian Chen went on and on about his hopes for Lu Yan'an. Most of it was pointless chatter, but Lu Yan'an was still deeply moved. Since entering the universe, few people had cared about him—not even with so much as a simple greeting.
"Finally, do your best to win! Carry my hopes—and the reward..." Lord Tian Chen said, accidentally letting his true thoughts slip out.
"Ahem, ahem. Anyway, do your best!" He was a little embarrassed, but encouraged Lu Yan'an with genuine sincerity.
"Thank you for your encouragement, sir. I'll win the top reward for you. And thank you for believing in me!" Lu Yan'an couldn't help smiling, but he still sincerely thanked Tian Chen. He understood that the wager Tian Chen had made with him had no downside for him at all. Even if he failed to meet every requirement, Lu Yan'an could still join the Virtual Universe Company.
But if he only met the minimum requirement of qualifying through the selection round, then for him to receive "internal member" benefits as an "external member," Tian Chen would probably have to pay for the resources himself. Over the past six months, Lu Yan'an had asked people outside for countless details. The Virtual Universe Company had never had any such thing as a "wagering agreement." Tian Chen had made this investment because he believed in Lu Yan'an's talent!
"Just keep working hard, kid! Climb as high as you can. Hahaha, it'll be good for both of us!" Tian Chen patted Lu Yan'an on the shoulder.
They exchanged smiles. No words were needed.
Before you continue