World Area 17

On Red Flame Planet, inside Marquis Yuankun's great hall.

"Your disciple just finished registering for the Warrior Battle. When I saw your call invitation, I came straight to pay my respects, Teacher," Lin Yuan said respectfully.

"Lin Yuan, I'm not worried about you in this Warrior Battle. It's just that the ruler spoke with me a few days ago and asked about you." Marquis Yuankun's expression was complicated.

"I know your talent is extraordinary. In this universe, if you have talent and strength, you should show them. That way, you'll draw more attention and receive more resources."

"But always be wary of your surroundings. The more dazzling you are, the more likely you are to attract unwanted attention. Don't let yourself become blindly arrogant; stay cautious at all times."

"You must always maintain a heart of reverence for the universe." Marquis Yuankun looked at Lin Yuan.

"Your disciple will remember your teachings!" Lin Yuan bowed deeply.

"Go. Show them what you can do in the Peak Warrior Tournament."

Virtual Universe.

The gathering place for the Nine Flames Universe Kingdom's World Preliminary Tournament in the Peak Warrior Tournament.

More than a billion contestants had gathered on this continent.

A flash of light passed, and all the contestants from the Nine Flame Sacred Land were teleported here.

This group of elite disciples from the Nine Flame Sacred Land instantly drew the attention of those around them.

Lin Yuan looked around. People were everywhere, all kinds of humans he had never seen before.

"There are so many people. I'm getting a little nervous," the chubby Cohen said.

"With your level of strength, you're nervous?" Ling said beside him. "Hey, should we see who gets the most points? Which World Zone are you all in? I'm in the 9th World Zone."

"Sure, let's do it. I'm in the 66th World Zone," the chubby boy replied.

"Zone 1!" Resk boomed from beside them.

"What about you, Lin Yuan?" Ling asked.

"Me? I'm in World Area 17. You can compete among yourselves. Are you sure you want to include me?"

Lin Yuan's strength had grown rapidly over the years, but he had spent all that time focused on cultivating his understanding. He had long wanted to put his skills to the test. He planned to go all out from the very beginning.

Just then, Brian walked over from nearby.

He stopped in front of Lin Yuan, looked him in the eye, and said slowly, "The preliminary rounds don't mean much to either of us. I'm looking forward to fighting you again in the Peak Grand Finals. Make sure you give it everything you've got then."

"Deal," Lin Yuan replied.

The contestants on the continent were chatting in small groups, and the place was noisy.

"All contestants, please pay attention!"

A loud voice echoed across the entire continent.

"This World Preliminary Tournament will be divided into one hundred World Zones. You will soon be teleported en masse to your respective zones. Please check your weapons and equipment now. Once the tournament begins, you won't be able to make any adjustments."

Lin Yuan looked himself over.

He wore a black Tier 3 Force Battle Suit and a Force helmet. On his feet were combat boots that aided his footwork, and on his hand was a Space Ring. Both of his giant axes were stored inside.

Lin Yuan checked everything once more to make sure nothing was amiss.

"Mass teleportation will begin shortly. Countdown: 60...59...58..."

"Good luck, everyone! See you afterward," Ling said with a smile.

She held out her fist first, and the others bumped theirs against it.

"Good luck!" Lin Yuan said with a grin.

The countdown was nearly over.

"5...4...3...2...1! Teleport! The Preliminary Tournament begins!" The loud voice rang in everyone's ears.

The next moment, all the contestants on the continent were teleported away.

The Cosmic Humans' Peak Warrior Tournament had officially begun!

World Area 17.

Lin Yuan's vision gradually cleared. He found himself in a forest, surrounded by enormous trees that blocked his view in every direction.

"So this is World Area 17? A vast forest? The gravity is about a hundred times that of Red Flame Planet—not particularly strong." Lin Yuan looked around and thought to himself.

Lin Yuan stretched a little and quickly adapted to his surroundings.

Lin Yuan looked down at the Optical Computer on his wrist. Its screen automatically received messages from the organizers. It now displayed his personal information.

Contestant: Lin Yuan (Nine Flames Universe Kingdom)

Points: 0

Rank: None

World Zone: World Area 17

Time: The Preliminary Elimination Tournament will last 30 days. When time runs out, the tournament will end, and the winners will be decided according to their rankings by points.

Notes: World Area 17 was modeled after an Ancient Tower in the Wild Universe Kingdom. The tower is 9,999 kilometers tall and 400 kilometers in diameter. It has 100 floors, each simulating a different environment, such as cities, forests, deserts, labyrinths, and glaciers. There is only one passage between every two floors.

Inside the tower, the strength of all materials and substances is C9 Rank. The outer walls of the tower can reach D9-class strength. Contestants cannot leave the tower through the windows on each floor.

Points rules: Killing a contestant earns 1 point. You can also plunder half of the points held by your opponent.

Leaderboard rules: Contestants who die can still be ranked, but their points will be halved. If they have enough points remaining, they can still rank among the top 1,001.

A detailed leaderboard for the 17th World Zone is included below.

Lin Yuan quickly read through all the information. He took the Thousand Mountain Axe from his Space Ring, then pushed off hard with his feet and shot upward, clearing the towering trees until he reached a point above the forest.

At that moment, a man in a gray battle robe emerged above the forest not far away, looking around.

The gray-robed man spotted Lin Yuan and grinned. "Haha, you're the first!"

With that, the man raised his Battle Blade and charged straight at Lin Yuan, swinging with astonishing force.

But Lin Yuan suddenly vanished, leaving only an afterimage behind. In the blink of an eye, he had appeared behind the man.

He was simply too fast. The gray-robed man hadn't even realized what had happened and continued swinging at the afterimage.

"Pfft!"

Lin Yuan swung his axe. The gray-clad man's body split in two.

Lin Yuan raised his hand and glanced at the screen of his Optical Computer. The numbers had already changed.

Contestant: Lin Yuan (Nine Flames Universe Kingdom)

Points: 1

Rank: 207,489

Each World Zone had an average of over ten million contestants. Only a dozen seconds had passed since the Preliminary Tournament began, yet more than two hundred thousand people had already killed an opponent and earned points.

The Ancient Tower had 100 floors, with about a hundred thousand contestants on each floor. The tower was only 400 kilometers in diameter, meaning there was an average of one person per square kilometer. It was incredibly crowded.

Lin Yuan scanned the area from above the forest and confirmed that he was in an enclosed space.

"There's only one passage between every two floors. That has to be where the fighting is fiercest!"

Lin Yuan considered the options. He decided to look for the entrance to the passage on his floor first.