The Ancestor's Attention

What did it mean that Jiang Yao had a Fourfold Domain?

It meant the entire balance of competition within the clan would have to be rewritten.

Duomeng realized this almost immediately. Jiang Yao had once been merely a promising prospect with great potential, perhaps someone who might one day rival Yanchen's achievements. But everyone had thought this Genius Tournament wasn't his time.

After all, even Yanchen had needed a full 800 years to raise his Domain to the Eighth Layer before beginning to comprehend the laws. That was already exceptionally fast.

Even among universe-level powerhouses, some had no Domain at all. That showed just how difficult it was to comprehend and advance one's Domain.

Even for a genius who had a Domain while still at the stellar level, a single era of lifespan seemed far too short to raise it to the higher levels. Usually, by the time geniuses like Duomeng reached the Eighth Layer of their Domain, they were already universe-level.

Still reeling from the blow, Duomeng hurriedly asked how the others were progressing with their Domains.

"Didn't I tell you last time? Domain Second Layer. You think I could reach the Third Layer in just two years? Do you think I'm Jiang Yao?"

Prose and Kuman both had Domain Second Layer. Over the years, Prose had advanced from the First Layer to the Second, while Kuman had already been at the Second Layer back when he was at the Yanhe Branch. But a dozen years clearly wasn't nearly enough time to reach the Third Layer.

Gaichen, who had also come from the Yanhe Branch, had Third-Stage Domain. He was only a little over a thousand years old, making him the youngest among those present apart from Jiang Yao and Kuman. Even among the clan's stellar-level cultivators with Domains, he was one of the youngest. Reaching the Third Layer of his Domain at that age was something any genius in the clan could be proud of.

But beside Jiang Yao, he naturally paled in comparison.

Hearing the other three's answers, Duomeng breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had returned from some absurd world to reality. It turned out the world wasn't absurd; only one person was.

Seeing that Gaichen and Duomeng seemed unsettled, Jiang Yao quickly changed the subject. "Duomeng, you're well-informed. What are the rules for this selection battle?"

Duomeng sighed. "There's nothing complicated about the rules. It's just a series of matches. But one thing's certain: according to the eight Origin Laws, the Elder Council has prepared eight Fifth-Order Psionic Weapons and eight Fifth-Order Force Weapons as rewards."

Prose exclaimed in surprise, "That's sixteen Fifth-Order weapons in total? It doesn't sound like the competition will be all that fierce."

Stellar-level geniuses with Domains weren't exactly common, so offering sixteen Fifth-Order weapons as rewards was incredibly generous.

Duomeng snorted. "The competition in the other attributes really isn't that fierce. Someone with a Fourth- or even Third-Stage Domain can contend for first place. But the competition for us with the water attribute is intense. You've heard of Bancha, right? That old geezer's over nine thousand years old, and he's stubbornly refusing to break through to the universe level. His Domain has already reached the Seventh Layer. Who can beat him?"

Everyone nodded. The Lingtong Race's only Immortal God had comprehended the Origin Law of Water, so the clan had the most geniuses and powerhouses with water-attributed Domains who comprehended the Origin Law of Water.

But no one took Duomeng's sour remarks seriously.

So what if Bancha was over nine thousand years old? To universe-level, Domain Lord, and World Lord powerhouses, he was still a young genius. Every Genius Tournament had stellar-level cultivators in their eight or nine thousands who achieved impressive results. For them, breaking through to the universe level was only a matter of deciding to do it.

Besides, reaching the Seventh Layer of one's Domain before turning ten thousand was already a sign of good talent. The higher one advanced their Domain, the harder it became. Most universe-level cultivators could train for a hundred thousand years and still fail to reach that level.

"But, heh." Duomeng looked at Jiang Yao. "Your fire attribute has some fierce competition too. There's a fellow named Feinan whose Domain is the Burning Domain, and he's already cultivated it to the Fifth Layer. His teacher is none other than the Clan Leader. He's always been so arrogant that he even looks down on Bancha.

"But at least he's finally met his match. It's a pity you haven't restored that powerful Bloodline Divine Ability of yours. Otherwise, you might really have been able to teach him a lesson."

Gaichen, who had been silent for a long time, seemed to have sorted through his complicated emotions. His expression returned to normal, and he joined the conversation. "For Spirit Readers of the Lingtong Race, everyone has a Bloodline Divine Ability. In practice, the level of one's Domain largely determines how much strength one can bring to bear.

"Why hold such a large-scale selection tournament? Someone with a weak Domain will have a hard time taking first place. After all, the will contained in a Bloodline Divine Ability can't be simulated in the Virtual Universe. What's the point of having stellar-level cultivators with Domain First Layer, Domain Second Layer, or even no Domain at all take part in a tournament like this?"

Prose didn't seem offended. He agreed. "I looked into it, and it seems there's never been a selection tournament like this before. The clan already knows who has the strongest Domain and who has the best secret techniques. There's no need for a tournament to decide who should receive the most support, is there? Talents like Jiang Yao never needed to compete for rewards in a selection tournament before."

Jiang Yao was curious too. Holding such a conspicuous event struck him as strange.

Duomeng fell silent for a moment, then lowered his voice mysteriously. "My teacher really did tell me this: there's a good chance the Ancestor will come watch this selection battle in person."

"The Ancestor is coming?"

"I've never even seen the Ancestor."

"I looked into it. Apparently, the Ancestor usually only appears to watch during the Preliminary Elimination Tournament of the Peak Genius Tournament."

None of them had known this selection battle might draw an Immortal God as a spectator. The distance between stellar-level cultivators and Immortal Gods was simply too vast.

Duomeng continued, "You've all heard about the Youyuan Secret Realm slots, right?"

"I have. I heard the Ancestor earned merit on the Outer-Region Battlefield, and the Xuanshang Universe Country granted eight slots in the Youyuan Secret Realm."

"I heard there were three slots."

Jiang Yao said nothing, merely puzzled. What kind of merit had the Ancestor earned on the Outer-Region Battlefield to receive a reward from the Xuanshang Universe Country? If he remembered correctly, the Outer-Region Battlefield wasn't divided according to Universe Countries, was it? Wasn't it a battlefield for entire races?

"My teacher told me that in this selection battle, the prizes and the competition for first place are all just a pretext. The real goal is to get every branch to work hard at nurturing geniuses and send their most outstanding ones to the Main Sect. They want every stellar-level genius to display as much of their ability and potential as possible.

"After all, Fifth-Order weapons are priceless to us, even to the various branches. But to the Ancestor, they're just a drop in the ocean.

"So winning first place really does earn you a prize, but the most valuable prize isn't a Fifth-Order weapon. It's the Ancestor's attention.

"If the secret-realm slots are real, the Ancestor may not choose people based on strength alone. He'll consider their potential, comprehension, and other talents. This selection battle is only the first assessment. The Genius Tournament three hundred years from now will be the second.

"That's why the Ancestor hasn't set a target for this Genius Tournament. Unlike in the past, he hasn't demanded a ranking in the top ten thousand or top one thousand of a World Zone. It's because he isn't selecting people based solely on strength. Even if you get the best results in the Genius Tournament, the Ancestor may not choose you."

The miniature Bajie on Jiang Yao's shoulder sent him a mental message. "That kid makes a pretty good point. Even if this Immortal God of your Lingtong Race doesn't have any slots in the Youyuan Secret Realm, he probably has other treasures of similar value."

At this point, Duomeng looked deeply at Jiang Yao. "So most people have been dazzled by those few Fifth-Order weapons, but the Ancestor's favor is the true priceless treasure.

"Jiang Yao, even if you don't get the Fifth-Order Psionic Weapon for the Fire Domain, as long as you show everyone your Fourfold Domain, you'll undoubtedly be the biggest winner.

"To put it bluntly, this selection tournament is just a showcase. It isn't about competing for first place. It's about showing the Ancestor, as clearly as possible, why you're worth nurturing."