The Nine Flame Kingdom Lord

Virtual Universe, Nine Flame Sacred Land.

Inside a luxurious restaurant with elegant decor.

"Time really flies. The Peak Warrior Tournament starts in another year." As the chubby Cohen spoke, he picked up an enormous piece of roast meat from his plate and took a bite.

"And in a month, the Nine Flame Kingdom Lord will personally visit our Holy Land."

"Hmph, we'll battle the geniuses of the entire universe!"

Resk, seated beside him, was built like a wall. He pinched the tiny-looking wineglass between two enormous fingers and downed it in one gulp.

"Yeah, time is running out. If I had another thousand years, I think I could pass the C-Rank Assessment too."

The dignified blue-haired girl sitting across from Cohen sounded regretful. Then she looked at the figure beside her and said, "I'm so jealous. You get the chance to receive personal guidance from the Kingdom Lord."

Lin Yuan smiled at the three of them but said nothing. He poured himself a glass of wine and took a slow sip.

Over the past two hundred years, Lin Yuan had occasionally shared a drink with the chubby Cohen.

Resk often challenged Lin Yuan to spar in the Arena. Even after getting thrashed again and again, he never seemed to tire of it. Lin Yuan admired his persistence. Though he was a little simple-minded, he wasn't a bad person, and over time, Lin Yuan had come to consider him a friend.

Ling, currently ranked fourth among the Holy Land's Universe Level students, had already known Cohen. After the last Ranking Tournament, the group had gone out to eat together, and they had gradually grown closer.

Brian had also been invited to this meal, but he had politely declined. Cohen had immediately spat out, "That Brian sure acts like a big shot!"

The group rarely saw Brian around the Holy Land. No wonder—he was a genius whose family had a King-level Immortal personally guiding him. He barely even attended the Holy Land's regular classes.

"Oh, right. I heard this from my family's ancestor." Cohen suddenly set down his food, his expression turning serious.

"That remote Nanhu Universe Kingdom hasn't had a single genius place in the top thousand in either the Genius Battle or the Warrior Battle for the past few eras. But this time, a tremendously talented genius has emerged."

"Oh? Just how strong is this genius?" Ling immediately perked up.

"I heard this genius has an exceptional talent for the Law of Time Origin and deep insights into it. At Star Level, he had already touched upon a trace of the Law Essence," Cohen said.

"According to my ancestor, his insights into the Law of Time Origin are even a notch deeper than Brian's insights into the Law of Space Origin!"

"That impressive? I've only managed to grasp a trace of the Law of Space Origin," Ling said.

"You're still stronger than me. With your abilities, you should have no problem making the top hundred. Barry too. As for me, I'll just have to hope for a little luck." Cohen sounded a bit dejected.

"Deeper insights than Brian?" Lin Yuan mused.

"In the few years since I gained the Storm Ruins Spirit Clone, my insights into the Law of Space Origin have steadily improved. They're now at the level Brian had reached when I first took part in the Ranking Tournament."

Lin Yuan could now summon over a hundred Phantom Bodies. In terms of movement, he had already mastered Hundred Shadow Steps.

But his depth of understanding was certainly still behind Brian's current level, let alone that of the genius from the Nanhu Universe Kingdom.

"Still, there's a year left before the Warrior Battle, and it'll last about four or five years. I've still got time to improve!"

At that moment, Lin Yuan spoke up, breaking the slightly gloomy mood. "Don't dwell on it. Let's stay optimistic. The four of us can definitely make the top thousand in the universe. And once we enter the Core Layer, we'll still have a chance to climb higher."

"Worrying won't help. We just need to give our all in our cultivation."

The three nodded in agreement.

After a few more drinks, they each logged off and left the Virtual Universe.

Lin Yuan, however, went alone to a quiet manor in the Holy Land.

The gate opened automatically, and Lin Yuan stepped inside.

"Master!" Lin Yuan bowed respectfully.

"You're here." Moke, his mentor, wore his usual stern expression.

"As we discussed, go ahead and demonstrate it here in my Cultivation Ground."

"Yes, sir. Sorry for the trouble, and thank you for guiding me." With that, Lin Yuan took out the Burning Universe Flame Wild Axe.

The Burning Universe Flame Wild Axe had nine layers: "Star Fire," "Scorching Flow," "Burning Sky," "Long Rainbow Rending Sky," "Space Compression," "Flame World," "One Axe Slashes Heaven and Earth," "Ash Extinguishing Void," and "Immortal Can Also Be Defeated."

Lin Yuan had yet to fully master the fourth layer, "Long Rainbow Rending Sky." He decided to have Mentor Moke explain the intricacies of the Law of Fire Origin contained in the move. After that, he would ask the Kingdom Lord about the problems he faced with the Law of Space Origin.

Lin Yuan hadn't been able to decide which move to ask the Nine Flame Kingdom Lord about. After thinking it over, he figured he might as well ask about the strongest move he had a chance of mastering in the near future.

Lin Yuan gripped the giant axe with both hands. His gaze calm, he took a deep breath.

"Ha!"

Flames engulfed Lin Yuan's body. He suddenly exerted his strength and swung forward at tremendous speed. In an instant, his figure had appeared in the distance, leaving behind a streak of light that lingered for several seconds before slowly fading away.

"Mm, good. You're already very proficient in using the Law of Fire Origin, but you're still some way from mastering this move completely. Watch closely..."

Mentor Moke carefully explained the intricacies of the Law of Fire Origin behind Lin Yuan's "Long Rainbow Rending Sky." Lin Yuan committed every part of Moke's explanation and demonstration to memory.

A month later.

On the vast plaza of the Nine Flame Sacred Land, a hundred thousand Universe Level students stood waiting in silence.

More than a dozen Immortals, including Marquis Yuankun and Moke, stood respectfully beside them.

The entire plaza was utterly quiet. No one dared to speak out of turn.

Suddenly, a figure in a red robe appeared high above the plaza.

Lin Yuan looked up. The man appeared to be a dignified middle-aged man with two horns growing from his head and handsome features. His gaze was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into the soul.

The red-robed figure hovered above the plaza, yet seemed to exist in a different spacetime from everyone present.

Boom!

The Universe Level students on the plaza fell to their knees, while the Immortals beside them all bowed.

"Kingdom Lord!" the dozen or so Immortals said, bowing.

"Over the long years, you have nurtured many geniuses for the Nine Flame Universe Kingdom. Thank you for all your hard work," the red-robed man said in a dignified voice.

"It's our duty, Kingdom Lord," the Immortals replied respectfully.

The red-robed man nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the Universe Level students kneeling below. "Raise your heads."

The students raised their heads and gazed up at the figure in the air.

"You are the future of the Nine Flame Universe Kingdom, and the future of the Human Race."

It was the same opening line he gave to the geniuses of every generation.

"This time, the Nine Flame Universe Kingdom has a hundred thousand slots in the Peak Warrior Tournament. I hope you can claim seventy thousand of them!"

The Nine Flame Kingdom Lord's deep voice echoed throughout the Nine Flame Sacred Land.