Venerable

The genius team from Ganwu Universe Country followed Marquis Cangming into Building 0623. From the outside, the building did not look large, but the interior was spacious enough to accommodate thousands of people.

"I have numbered tags here from 1 to 1000. Each of you will take a tag and use it to enter your respective rooms. That is where you will rest and reside!"

Marquis Cangming said coldly, then waved his large hand. The numbered tags drifted down, landing in front of each person.

Lu Yan'an grabbed his tag and saw the number "1" on it. He then looked at the tag held by Illusion Dream beside him, which, as expected, was "2". It seemed the numbers were assigned based on the strength displayed during the Ganwu Universe Country Genius Tournament qualifiers; the stronger the strength, the smaller the number!

One thousand genius experts from Ganwu Universe Country grabbed their tags and saw their respective numbers.

"You are free to disperse!"

"You may sleep and rest in your rooms, or go to the plaza to socialize with geniuses from other universe countries," Marquis Cangming stated bluntly. "When it gets dark, the organizers from the Virtual Universe Company will summon all of you. No matter where you are in this plane of space, you will be able to hear the notification."

After speaking, he strode out, leaving the one thousand geniuses to move about freely.

Once Marquis Cangming left, the one thousand geniuses on the scene gradually began to relax, forming small groups of three or five, chatting or heading off to find their rooms.

The central plaza surrounded by 1,008 buildings was massive and designed with great ingenuity; even if a million people were in the plaza, it would not feel crowded at all. Furthermore, flowers, plants, and small ornamental animals could be seen everywhere around the plaza.

Large restaurants were also scattered randomly across the plaza.

There were 99 restaurants in total, and while geniuses from any universe country could enter any of the other restaurants, Restaurant No. 1 was strictly off-limits.

Marquis Cangming teleported directly in front of the entrance to the No. 1 plaza restaurant.

The waiter at the door bowed politely and pushed the door open: "My lord, please enter!"

Marquis Cangming remained expressionless and walked quickly into the restaurant. The first floor of the restaurant had over a thousand seats, and at this moment, there were already over a hundred eternal undying beings present.

"Cangming is here?"

"Long time no see!"

Some emitted an aura of slaughter, others were more violent than stars, and some were so cold they could freeze the soul... various heart-palpitating auras were faintly radiating. These great beings sat casually, yet they seemed to form their own worlds, as if the surrounding space were under their control.

These beings were all sent by the lords of their respective universe countries! Perhaps because it was the first Genius Tournament, every undying sent was the strongest beneath their respective universe country's lord, serving to demonstrate each country's respect for the Virtual Universe Company!

For example, Marquis Cangming, as the top divine general under Lord Ganwu, possessed immense strength! He was among the most elite of the marquis-level undying, capable of barely reaching the level of a king. Yet, looking at the auras of every undying present, none were weaker than Marquis Cangming, and quite a few were even stronger!

"Cangming, I heard that two genius illusionists appeared in your Ganwu Universe Country? And not only are they illusionists, but they have both gained entry into the origin laws?"

"One in the Origin Law of Wind, one in the Origin Law of Light. Hahahaha, the young people today are truly impressive; they are stronger than I was back then!"

An undying dressed in white robes with an elegant temperament said to Marquis Cangming. Judging by his aura, he was stronger than the vast majority of those present.

"King Lieyu is too kind; they cannot compare to you! Besides, the Zhouguang Universe Country alone has two geniuses who have comprehended supreme laws; that is already top-ten material!" The usually cold Marquis Cangming changed his demeanor, answering with a smile and respect.

King Lieyu was the most powerful undying in the Zhouguang Universe Country. His strength was that of a peak king-level undying, a powerful being who had even mastered the divine skill of Space Lockdown! In terms of pure strength, he could easily crush all the other undying in this restaurant!

"Hahaha, illusionists are different from other geniuses. Even the two little ones in our universe country might not be able to withstand an illusionist's techniques."

"Exactly, Cangming, your universe country is truly lucky. Who doesn't know the one-on-one capability of an illusionist?" an undying below chimed in.

"If they really make it into the core layer of the Virtual Universe Company, you'll have to treat us!"

"These two are indeed excellent seeds!"

The group of undying beings discussed among themselves.

Everyone was waiting for the finals!

Central Plaza.

This plaza was larger than a city on Earth, but since the bodies of these peerless geniuses were all at the "Star Level 9," they could see a hundred kilometers away at a glance.

Lu Yan'an and Illusion Dream were together in the plaza, socializing and gathering intelligence.

"1,008 universe countries, geniuses like clouds. Just the ones I know of who have comprehended supreme laws are already a handful, and many more are still hiding their strength. Looking at the surface data from the qualifiers is meaningless!"

Illusion Dream shrugged and said to Lu Yan'an beside him.

"Are there any contestants with overwhelming strength?" Lu Yan'an asked curiously. His channels were not broad; aside from the data on Ganwu Universe Country geniuses sent by the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, his knowledge of other universe countries was basically zero!

"As far as I know, there aren't any. The most talented Star Level individuals are just those who have comprehended supreme laws!" Illusion Dream shook his head and added.

Lu Yan'an fell silent upon hearing this. It seems everyone is just observing during this first Genius Tournament! he thought helplessly.

"Forget it, don't think too much about it. I'll take you to meet some friends; they are some interesting guys I met during the Reincarnation Battle..." Illusion Dream suggested, and without caring whether Lu Yan'an wanted to or not, he began dragging him around...

At dusk.

Lu Yan'an, who was resting in Room 1 of Building 0623, suddenly felt a voice invade his consciousness: "All participants of the 1,008 universe countries, assemble at the central plaza."

In an instant—

One million geniuses either flew in from the sky, emerged from the residential buildings, or converged toward the center from the edges of the central plaza. Even with a mental state as strong as Lu Yan'an's, he found himself flying out of his room to assemble, unable to resist despite his consciousness remaining clear!

In just a moment!

A large, orderly square formation composed of one million geniuses stood on the central plaza. And then...

"What is going on?"

"What happened?"

"Huh, why am I here? I was just in the dining hall!"

Over a million geniuses woke up from their unconscious state in an instant, their hearts filled with immense shock, their faces etched with astonishment.

At this moment, standing in front of the phalanx were 1,008 immortal beings, the representatives leading the various universe countries. Their expressions were solemn, and the natural pressure of immortals permeated the air.

Suddenly—

The entire phalanx of over a million people fell silent; not a single person dared to make a sound.

"Welcome to the Peak Genius Tournament hosted by our Virtual Universe Company."

A gentle voice reached everyone's ears, the exact same voice that had caused them to lose consciousness and gather in the central plaza earlier.

Everyone looked over in shock.

In the previously empty space in front of them, a man wearing a plain robe with horns on his head appeared. Time seemed to be distorted around his body; many geniuses felt dizzy shortly after looking directly at him, a self-protective reaction triggered by their brains! He floated in the air, yet upon closer inspection, he seemed not to belong to this time or this place!

This was a great powerhouse above the immortal level, the Time Venerable who had fully comprehended the origin laws of time. He was a great existence on the same level as the lords of each universe country!

The Time Venerable, immortal through time, indestructible through ten thousand kalpas, was an expert at manipulating time! He was so powerful that he could even cause time to flow backward in certain parts of the universe!

Venerable Plain Robe smiled and said, "There are 1,008 universe countries, and each country has over a million geniuses. We, the Virtual Universe Company, intend to select the top one thousand among you to be absorbed into the core of our Virtual Universe Company." He stood alone in the void, looking down at the million geniuses below, his voice remaining quite gentle.

"The rules are as follows."

"Tomorrow, all of you will enter a 'Trial Space' separately. We, the Virtual Universe Company, have prepared over a million Trial Spaces for you, one for each person."

"There are seven Trial Towers in the Trial Space! Each Trial Tower has seven levels!"

"Start by clearing the first Trial Tower. Once you finish the seven levels of the first, move on to the second... keep going until you die or are kicked out of the Trial Space!"

"Your points will be calculated based on your performance in the Trial Space."

"The top 1 to 100 will not need further screening; they will be directly absorbed as core members of our Virtual Universe Company, taking up 100 spots."

"The 101st to 7,300th—these 7,200 people will eventually compete in arena battles to fight for the remaining 900 spots."

"As for those ranked after 7,300... all will be eliminated!"

The words of Venerable Plain Robe left the million geniuses below stunned!

There were so many people this time, yet only 7,300 could enter the arena battles. This meant that the Trial Space alone would eliminate over a million people!