Preliminary Selection and Grading Trial

Yanhe Planet lay in the region of the Yanhe Star System's second spiral arm, close to the system's core.

The planet had a radius of around 80,000 kilometers, and its gravity was naturally beyond belief. Only lifeforms above Planetary Level could survive there, and one had to reach Stellar Level to fly free of the ground.

After half a month of travel, Jiang Yao and more than a hundred other youths finally arrived at the Lingtong Race's capital on Yanhe Planet.

Prose, the burly man escorting them, seemed determined to keep up his stern front. He looked solemnly at the energetic youths.

"Spirit Readers to the left, martial artists to the right!"

Before long, as he looked at the Spirit Reader group, which made up about half of their total number, his expression softened a little.

The sixty-odd youths on the left all looked proud, while the fifty-odd youths on the right looked unhappy, and some were openly resentful.

Jiang Yao naturally stood with the Spirit Readers on the left.

Generally speaking, human bloodlines whose adults could naturally reach Apprentice Level belonged to the seventh or eighth tier. Bloodlines like that of Earth Humans, whose members might not reach Apprentice Level even as adults, belonged to the ninth or tenth tier.

As a peak seventh-tier human bloodline in the universe, the Lingtong Race didn't have especially outstanding physical gifts compared with other seventh- and eighth-tier bloodlines. Their strength lay in their Spiritual Force.

Of course, both "unremarkable" physical gifts and "outstanding" Spiritual Force were general traits of the population.

They weren't absolute when it came to individuals.

So there was no shortage among the Lingtong Race of people with superior physical gifts or greater talent for cultivating Origin Energy.

But from his schooling, Jiang Yao knew that the Lingtong Race did indeed favor Spirit Readers and devoted more resources to cultivating them.

This was common knowledge in the Lingtong Race's general education. Everyone knew it.

But the youths present were all young prodigies. Many had left their peers far behind on their home planets, and they had only recently broken through to Planetary Level, leaving them caught up in the excitement. Now that they had suddenly been divided into two groups, the martial artist prodigies were reminded of the clan's unequal treatment, so it was only natural that their faces darkened.

By rights, the gap between Spirit Readers and martial artists had narrowed considerably by Planetary Level, and there shouldn't normally have been any difference in how they were trained or how many resources they received.

But after combining what he'd learned from general education with what Prose and the others had said aboard the ship, Jiang Yao could make a rough judgment: among the Lingtong Race, Spirit Reader talent seemed closely tied to cultivating the higher realms that came afterward.

Judging by the numbers, more than half of those at Planetary Level were Spirit Readers. That was enough to show that the Lingtong Race had a special edge in this area.

The middle-aged woman took the fifty-odd youths following the martial artist path, while Prose led the group of Spirit Readers, including Jiang Yao. The two groups parted ways after disembarking at Yanhe's spaceport.

Jiang Yao and the other youths followed Prose in a vehicle to a building. Under Yanhe Planet's crushing gravity, even those at Planetary Level were about as capable as ordinary people on Earth. Without a vehicle, they'd likely collapse from exhaustion just walking.

"This is the Starry Sky Building, right?"

"It's not as magnificent as I imagined."

Prose scoffed at the chattering youths. "This is where you'll live, train, and study for the next twenty years. Don't underestimate it. The interesting things are underground. There's one thing you need to remember here: as the future of the Yanhe Lingtong Race, you must look up at the stars, but you must also keep your feet on the ground."

Jiang Yao followed Prose through the door. As he took in the building's remarkably high-tech interior and listened to Prose's introduction, he mulled things over.

The Lingtong Race had hundreds of planets in the Yanhe Star System where they trained their young. Every year, dozens, and sometimes over a hundred, Spirit Reader prodigies under the age of twenty-five reached Planetary Level.

The Starry Sky Building, where these prodigies lived, trained, and studied, had a permanent population of several thousand, including quite a few teachers.

But the space taken up by living quarters wasn't large. Most of the building was devoted to training and study, not to mention the vast underground areas.

Of course, on Yanhe Planet, there was also Base No. 3, the counterpart to the Starry Sky Building, which was dedicated to training martial artists.

As Prose casually explained things, he led everyone into an elevator. It plunged downward at tremendous speed, clearly heading underground.

Two white metal doors, fitted together seamlessly, swung open to reveal the spacious area beyond.

"Prose, you're back much sooner this time. Trial Ground No. 1 is ready."

Several Lingtong people, all with their eyes closed as well, came out to greet them. The leader was a blond young man who warmly greeted Prose as soon as he saw him.

Prose looked surprised. "Kuman, it's been ages. Weren't you training in seclusion on Sailun Planet? I didn't expect you to be in charge of this preliminary trial."

Kuman gave a chuckle. "The old man's been breathing down my neck. Besides, word came from the Kasolo Empire. The Main Sect agreed to give us a few more slots. We're heading to the Main Sect in twenty years. As far as I know, you're on the list too."

Prose was startled. No wonder Kuman's being so friendly today. He's a renowned prodigy in the clan, the Old Patriarch's favorite, and always so proud. That explained it.

Prose smiled wryly. "This is the Peak Genius Tournament. The Patriarch certainly thinks highly of me."

Kuman smiled. "It's not as if you have to pass the Preliminary Elimination Tournament. There are still three hundred years to go. The Main Sect has always kept a tight hold on the slots for comprehending its teachings. We're just taking advantage of the Peak Genius Tournament to get a little something out of the Main Sect. A bargain's a bargain."

"And..." Kuman's lips curled into a proud, confident smile. "Word is that our ancestor sent down an edict. Even if no one passes the Preliminary Elimination Tournament this time, those ranked near the top when it ends will still be rewarded. And anyone who passes will receive an even greater reward!"

Prose was shocked. The ancestor Kuman referred to was clearly neither the Patriarch of the Lingtong Race in the Yanhe Lineage nor the Clan Leader of the Lingtong Race's Main Sect in the mid-level civilization, the Kasolo Empire. Only that legendary figure who had remained on the Outer-Region Battlefield deserved to be called their ancestor.

"That's true. I've been a little discouraged. Even if I don't do well in this Peak Genius Tournament, I can treat it as experience for the Peak Warrior Tournament 2,800 years from now. You only get to take part once in your lifetime."

Prose had his own pride. But his temperament and worldly wisdom made him good at hiding his sharp edge. And it paid to be modest, at least to a degree, around Kuman, a prodigy who always thought himself above everyone else.

But now that Kuman had said this much, there was no point in pretending anymore.

Who could keep their blood from boiling at an event like the Peak Genius Tournament, a grand occasion spanning every corner of Human Race's territory?

The youths around Jiang Yao also began whispering excitedly.

"Lord Prose means the Universe Peak Genius Tournament? The one I'm thinking of?"

"How many Peak Genius Tournaments are there?"

"I just checked the Virtual Universe. The next Peak Genius Tournament starts in 327 years, and the Peak Warrior Tournament comes 2,827 years from now. Just hearing those five words gives me goosebumps."

"I'm so jealous that Lord Prose can compete in the Peak Genius Tournament!"

"Damn, we're so unlucky. We were born at the wrong time!"

"Exactly. There are only three hundred years left... If we miss this one, we might not make the next one. The Peak Warrior Tournament is coming up too. Reaching Universe Level feels impossible."

"How can we be too late? Just train hard. Is reaching Stellar Level within three hundred years really so difficult?"

"Easy for you to say. Even if we reach Stellar Level within three hundred years, what results could we get by entering the tournament as brand-new Stellar Levels?"

None of the hot-blooded young prodigies believed they would fail to reach Stellar Level.

Though everyone had learned about the two grand events of Human Race in their Apprentice Level general education, knowing about them was one thing. They had seemed so far away that they were little more than exciting stories.

Now that they had reached Planetary Level and had lifespans of a thousand years, the Genius Tournament three hundred years away felt as if it had come within reach. They could truly imagine taking part.

Jiang Yao didn't join in, but even with a mental age of over forty, he couldn't suppress his excitement. Listening to the Messenger, who looked like a little pig inside the Taihuan Token, grumble, he drifted into a reverie.

The Piglet had long since recovered from the shock of being stranded in another Source World. Flapping his wings, he exclaimed, "One thousand and eight Universe Countries—that's one thousand and eight star regions...

"Tsk, tsk. Holding a competition across such a vast area, and one where no one's life is in danger, at that. I have to say, though your world is pitifully weak, this Virtual Universe is pretty interesting."

The Taihuan Token Envoy had been immersed in the Virtual Universe for the past half month, and had gained a considerable understanding of Human Race and the Primal Universe.

Jiang Yao sent his Spiritual Force into the Taihuan Token and snorted. "This isn't the time to praise the Virtual Universe. I have to compete in this Peak Genius Tournament. Don't you have the noble inheritance of Divine Lord Taihuan? You've been dragging your feet for days. You haven't shown me a single thing."

Jiang Yao knew the rules of Swallowed Star all too well. In this world, which belonged to the geniuses, falling behind even a little meant missing out on countless resources.

After watching him for a while, Jiang Yao had decided that this so-called Taihuan Token Envoy wasn't very reliable. He no longer expected the stupid pig to produce a Supreme Treasure like the Nine Tribulations Secret Manual, or to possess a Starry Sky Behemoth or a Special Lifeform. Naturally, he didn't expect to achieve the dazzling results Luo Feng had in the Peak Genius Tournament, either.

But even if he couldn't enter the Primordial Secret Realm, the End-of-the-World Secret Realm would do. And if he couldn't enter the End-of-the-World Secret Realm, a Universe Country training ground like Ganwu Dojo would be fine too.

In short, on the ladder to greatness that was the Peak Genius Tournament, where geniuses could rise to prominence in a single leap, Jiang Yao had to shine enough to attract powerful people and forces. Only then would resources be directed his way, making the path to becoming strong much smoother.

According to the Taihuan Token Envoy, however, this world was a Source World distinct from Tianhuang Ancient Continent, with a very different structure and set of laws. Naturally, the paths of cultivation were different too.

Most of the inheritance originally prepared inside the Taihuan Token couldn't be used directly. Even what could be used needed extensive modification. It had to be adapted to the circumstances.

Of course, no matter how different the Source Worlds were, everyone was a child of Hunyuan Space. In the end, their paths all led to the same destination, and the higher their realms, the more common ground they shared.

The Taihuan Token Envoy had enough perspective to keep things from becoming a complete mess.

At the question from Jiang Yao, his token's master, the Piglet put on a wounded expression. "Soon, soon. I've got a lead. Stop rushing me."

"Hmph. Don't think I don't know that you've been pretending to meditate with your eyes closed and modify secret techniques, when you've actually been playing games in the Virtual Universe this whole time!"

Jiang Yao had to put a little pressure on this rather lazy Messenger.

Hearing that, the Piglet stopped flapping his wings and suddenly became solemn. "Don't slander an innocent man. I've nearly finished my research. I'm just working through the final details. This is going to be used on you, after all. As the Taihuan Token Envoy, I'm responsible for my master's life. How could I treat it lightly? I have to be careful. Very careful.

"Besides, your trial is about to begin. Even if I gave you the secret technique now, you wouldn't have time to practice it. Don't worry. You'll be here for twenty years, won't you? At the final selection twenty years from now, you'll surely amaze everyone!"

Jiang Yao ended his dissatisfied prodding of the Messenger and turned his attention back to the outside world.

Prose had finished exchanging pleasantries with Kuman. He turned and solemnly surveyed the youths before him. "The Preliminary Selection and Grading Trial is about to begin. It will determine the resources you receive for your training from now on.

"You were all among the best on your respective planets. But here, your past achievements mean nothing. Whether you're a genius or a mediocrity will only be decided starting today!"