Secret Realm

In Building 0623, in a huge room.

Marquis Cangming was addressing the group.

"Tomorrow's Qualification Battle will depend on how you perform."

"Understood!"

"You two may leave. Ming Feng and Lu Yan'an, stay behind." Marquis Cangming waved a hand and spoke to the four of them. The other two young men immediately left respectfully, leaving only Lu Yan'an and Ming Feng.

Once the other two had left the room, he turned his gaze to the pair.

"Fifteenth and fifth. On the surface, you both look very strong." Marquis Cangming nodded and praised them in a rather gentle tone.

"But! Don't let a little glory go to your heads. The trials alone don't prove much... The actual finals will be contests between the participants, so you must be especially careful!"

"Of the top five in the trials, aside from Ming Feng, the other four geniuses all made it to the Seventh Trial Tower. The one who ranked first, in particular..." Marquis Cangming paused to gather his thoughts. "That fellow made it to the second level of the Seventh Trial Tower. Judging solely by his mastery of the Law of Space, he may even surpass Ming Feng! His understanding of space is far beyond that of most World Lords!"

Lu Yan'an's brow eased slightly. He had expected as much. Reaching the second level of the Seventh Trial Tower was an even better result than Bolan's, so naturally, the winner's understanding of the superior laws should surpass his own.

Moreover, compared with the benchmark for the Virtual Universe Company's Core Members—the Tongtian Mountain—its foot, halfway point, and summit each had three Gatekeepers. An Illusionist, a Warrior, and a Mental Master Controller worked together to attack, complementing one another. Such a challenge was relatively fair to everyone. The Trial Towers, however, were different: they favored Mental Master Controllers most, Warriors next, and Illusionists least.

"So you must pay close attention to the Virtual Universe's arrangements this time. Otherwise, one careless mistake, and you might become someone else's stepping stone."

"Of course!"

"The trials also reflect each person's strength to some extent. Illusionists are the ones most disadvantaged in the Trial Towers, but the others aren't blind. They can still tell something from your performance!"

Marquis Cangming explained at length while Lu Yan'an and Ming Feng listened in silence.

"Based on the many of us undying beings watching your broadcasts and making our judgments... Lu Yan'an, your strength should put you in the top ten. Most of those whose Trial Tower results surpassed yours probably can't match your true strength!"

"But you also need to account for things like how fighting styles counter one another, so your final ranking is up to you." Lu Yan'an listened without a word, but he didn't care in the slightest what Marquis Cangming thought. He had held back countless cards, planning to surprise Illusion Dream in the final showdown!

"And you, Ming Feng." Marquis Cangming's expression grew gentler as he looked at Illusion Dream. "There's no need to say much about your strength. You're good enough to take first place in the finals. But the little fellow who ranked first in the Trial Tower still poses a real threat to you!"

"Although that kid fell at the second level, he is a Warrior, after all. Fighting one against ten thousand, isolated and without any extra means of unleashing his power, he was bound to fail. And his mastery of the Law of Space is even better than yours. Above all, don't let him get close. Use illusions to keep him in check—that gives you the best chance of winning!" Marquis Cangming advised him at length.

Illusion Dream bowed. "I understand. Thank you for your advice, my lord!"

"All right!"

"Get some rest, you two. You've both secured a spot, so tomorrow's events don't concern you. Prepare for the final battles."

"Although a thousand people can enter the Core Layer, the benefits differ greatly. There are ranks even within the Core Layer," Marquis Cangming added.

That day, the million geniuses who had been eliminated were all transported away. Only five people remained in Building 0623—the undying leader and the four selected geniuses.

The next morning.

The 7,300 geniuses, including Lu Yan'an and Illusion Dream, gathered at Central Plaza. Suddenly, an invisible aura enveloped the entire plaza, filling all 7,300 human geniuses with an instinctive sense of closeness and submission. Everyone looked up, and saw a familiar figure appear in midair.

He still wore the same plain-colored robe, his head's angular ridges prominent, a gentle smile on his face. His gaze swept over the 7,300 geniuses below, and he nodded with some satisfaction.

"Venerable!"

The 1,008 powerful undying beings bowed in unison.

The 7,300 talented human elites all felt their hearts skip a beat.

"The preliminary trials are over. First, congratulations to the participants ranked first through hundredth. You have earned the right to enter the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer! If anyone is unwilling, speak up now. The Virtual Universe Company will never force anyone." Venerable Plain Robe's ethereal voice echoed in everyone's ears and minds.

Silence!

No one spoke.

"Good." Venerable Plain Robe smiled with satisfaction. "The 7,200 participants ranked 101st through 7,300th will be assigned arena matches by the Virtual Universe System based on your performances in the Trial Space. Anyone who wins three consecutive matches will earn a spot. Anyone who loses will be eliminated."

Of the 7,200 people, one match would eliminate half. After three consecutive rounds, only 900 would remain.

His words left many of the geniuses below confused.

The Venerable seemed to notice their puzzled expressions and smiled.

"The Virtual Universe System's arrangements are the best possible. There's no need to doubt them! Now, the 7,200 participants, go take part in your arena matches!"

"Boom!" The Central Plaza shuddered slightly. Of the crowd of talented elites, 7,200 people were suddenly transported away, leaving only a hundred human geniuses behind.

"There are seats over there. You can watch the broadcasts from there for now." Venerable Plain Robe pointed into the distance. A hundred spacious chairs and several tables appeared in one corner of the Central Plaza. The tables were laid with drinks and food, while the Venerable himself sat somewhere in the area reserved for the 1,008 powerful undying beings.

The hundred geniuses quickly took their seats. Lu Yan'an and Illusion Dream chose adjacent ones. After all, they came from the same Universe Country, and the two of them felt an inexplicable fondness for one another.

"Look, 3,600 screens."

"It's starting."

The battles began almost simultaneously across all 3,600 screens! The arena matches for the 900 spots had officially begun!

Winners advanced; losers were eliminated. It was all merciless!

One peerless genius after another fell!

In less than five minutes, 3,600 people had been eliminated.

Those eliminated were naturally unwilling to accept it. They had made it this far and were only a little short. But from the outside, that little difference was an insurmountable chasm, one no one could cross!

Half an hour later, the second round began.

Of the 3,600 geniuses, half fell once again, while the other half continued onward.

Another half hour passed. After everyone had rested and prepared, the third round began...

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Nine hundred figures suddenly appeared in Central Plaza. Most of these 900 human geniuses looked thrilled. They had made it through three consecutive rounds of elimination; out of 7,200, they were the 900 who had succeeded.

Being in a Universe Country and being in the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer were completely different!

Lu Yan'an and the other hundred rose and joined the group. The thousand geniuses gathered together. Many of them who were considered, or considered themselves, strong enough to rank in the top ten or top twenty watched the others.

"Congratulations!"

The Venerable's ethereal voice entered the minds of the thousand. He suddenly appeared before the crowd, yet no one had noticed him arrive.

"This is the first Genius Tournament held by the Virtual Universe Company. You are the thousand best from the 1,008 Universe Countries of the entire Cosmic Human race. The Virtual Universe Company will do everything it can to cultivate you. If anyone doesn't wish to join the Virtual Universe Company, speak up now."

Silence. No one said a word.

"Excellent."

"However, you should understand that competition never ends in the universe. It exists everywhere. The thousand of you... cannot all receive the same treatment and cultivation resources. Even the Virtual Universe Company cannot afford to waste precious resources like that." Venerable Plain Robe smiled. "Allow me to announce the results."

"Among you thousand, those ranked 101st through 1,000th will receive a bonus of 10 Hunyuan Units, be allowed to study in the Initial Universe, and join the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer—the Endless Secret Realm."

"Those ranked 11th through 100th will receive a bonus of 100 Hunyuan Units, be allowed to study in the Initial Universe, and join the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer—the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm."

"Those ranked second through tenth will receive a bonus of 1,000 Hunyuan Units, be allowed to study in the Initial Universe, and join the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer—the Primordial Secret Realm."

"The person ranked first will receive a bonus of 10,000 Hunyuan Units, be allowed to study in the Initial Universe, and join the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer—the Original Secret Realm."

"Only the strongest geniuses can receive the Virtual Universe Company's best cultivation. So keep striving, everyone!"

Silence.

Most of the thousand peerless geniuses were confused about what the four Secret Realms—the Endless Secret Realm, Heaven and Earth Secret Realm, Primordial Secret Realm, and Original Secret Realm—actually meant. But everyone could tell that the fewer the spots in a Secret Realm, the more resources it offered. So aiming for the Original Secret Realm was always the right choice!