Elsewhere, Qin Zhao had just perfected the Black Stone Prison, bringing it to its complete form. Now he needed to test the secret technique in actual combat. This Peak Ranking Battle was undoubtedly the perfect test!
In the Noah Secret Realm's Virtual Universe, a vast battle plane had been created specifically for this "Peak Ranking Battle"—the Ten Thousand Battle Arena. There were no complicated terrains here, only countless enormous arenas suspended in the starry sky, symbols of the most direct and brutal clashes.
Countless Star Level geniuses were transported to their respective starting arenas, and battles erupted in an instant! Energy flashed in every direction, Origin Law fluctuations filled the air, and roars and clashing weapons rang without end. Everyone who made it into the Noah Secret Realm was a genius. Domain users were everywhere, and there was no shortage of those who had crossed the threshold of the Origin Laws. The battles reached a fever pitch from the very start.
Qin Zhao's first opponent was a young man from a powerful race in the Noah Universe Kingdom named Yan Sha. A seven-layer Flame Domain blazed around him, and as he swung the War Blade in his hand, fiery serpents roared forth. The heat was intense, and he had clearly achieved considerable mastery of the Law of Fire.
"Qin Zhao? I hear you're King Lanchen's new disciple." Yan Sha's gaze was sharp, tinged with scrutiny and defiance. "Let's see what makes a King's personal disciple so special!"
Before the words had left his mouth, Yan Sha shot forward in a streak of fire. His War Blade tore through the air with enough force to incinerate all things!
Qin Zhao remained calm. He didn't even draw a weapon. He simply watched his opponent rush toward him. Only when the flaming blade was about to strike did he slowly raise his right hand and press it toward Yan Sha.
"Black Stone Prison."
There was no earth-shattering spectacle, not even a violent burst of energy. A deep, dark-yellow domain that seemed to absorb light spread instantly from Qin Zhao's palm. It struck first despite starting later, engulfing Yan Sha as he charged!
"What?!" Yan Sha's vision darkened. It was as if he had fallen from the bright arena into the depths of Wu Jian Hell!
The blazing Flame Domain around him dimmed and shrank as if someone had doused it with ice from ten thousand years past! An indescribable, terrifying gravity arose from nowhere. It pressed not only on his body but seemed to bear down directly on his soul! This gravity wasn't constant. It pulsed and shook in a bizarre rhythm that made him feel as if his heart might burst!
Worse still, his thoughts began to slow. The space around him seemed to warp, and countless illusions took root in his mind—the fear of failing in his cultivation, his clan's disappointment, his opponent's taunts... Every negative emotion was magnified without limit! The Origin Force within him instantly fell into disarray. His vaunted Flame Law now flickered like a candle in the wind, impossible to summon!
He struggled desperately, roaring as he swung his War Blade. But the blade's light traveled only a few meters before the omnipresent, crushing fluctuations and spatial distortions ground it to pieces! He felt like an insect trapped in amber, barely able to move a finger. Under the alternating blows of crushing pressure and endless illusions, his consciousness quickly sank.
To the spectators, it looked as though the arrogant, overbearing Yan Sha had fallen into a swamp the moment he charged into the dark-yellow area that had suddenly appeared before Qin Zhao. His movements slowed and stiffened, and the ferocity on his face quickly turned to terror and twisted out of shape.
Then he froze in place as if bound by a spell, his eyes unfocused. Two or three seconds later, he slumped to the ground with a thud, his body turning into light as he was teleported away. He had lost, without a trace of suspense. He hadn't even made Qin Zhao move a step, let alone force him to reveal any other technique.
[Qin Zhao, Victory! Points +1]
The system's cold notification rang out.
Qin Zhao's expression didn't change. He lowered his hand, and the chilling dark-yellow domain quietly vanished. He had acted as though he'd done nothing more than a trivial task.
The battles continued. One, two, seven... There were a full million Star Level geniuses in the Noah Secret Realm. Even with the head-to-head format, it would take a full seven rounds to determine the top ten thousand!
Qin Zhao's opponents kept changing—and growing stronger. Some were masters of the Law of Wind, skilled in strange footwork; others were Earth-style geniuses with astonishing defenses, or Spirit Readers who controlled Telepathic Weapons that appeared and vanished unpredictably. There were even powerful geniuses who had grasped a trace of the Origin Law.
Yet no matter who his opponent was or what technique they used, Qin Zhao responded the same way: raise his hand, press down, "Black Stone Prison."
There wasn't a single exception.
Before the perfected Black Stone Prison, speed, defense, offense, and illusions all seemed feeble. The speed the Law of Wind geniuses took pride in was useless against the distorted gravity and stagnant space. The sturdy defenses of Earth-style geniuses were shaken apart from within by the Pulse of the Earth. The Spirit Readers' all-pervading Telepathic Weapons sank into the Black Stone Prison like they'd fallen into a bottomless swamp. Their connection to their owners was severely disrupted, leaving them with less than a tenth of their power!
Even opponents who had grasped a trace of the Origin Law might manage to hold on for a moment at the start of the Black Stone Prison. But the constant Soul Assault, the endless illusions, and the double weakening of body and soul soon shattered their composure and exposed countless openings. In the end, they could not escape defeat.
Qin Zhao swept through his opponents in an almost coldly mechanical fashion. He didn't need to use the Ten Thousand Line Flow footwork or the Shockwave attack, and he rarely used a weapon. This single technique, the Black Stone Prison, was enough to leave every opponent in despair.
His fight footage—if anyone with higher-level access checked it—looked extremely "boring." Usually, an opponent would charge at him full of confidence, only to be enveloped by a dark-yellow domain that appeared without warning and lose after a few futile struggles. Yet that very "boredom" revealed an overwhelming disparity in strength that chilled the heart!
"W-what kind of secret technique is that? It's ridiculous!"
"How can a Star Level warrior wield such a terrifying Domain Type technique? Even a Domain Lord's domain might not be any better, right?"
"It attacks both body and soul? It can even distort space? How are you supposed to fight that?"
"Is he Qin Zhao, King Lanchen's new disciple? The one who's crossed the threshold of two Origin Laws? He really lives up to his reputation!"
"I heard he created that technique himself... Created it himself?! You've got to be kidding!"
Qin Zhao's name, together with his inescapable Black Stone Prison, swept through the entire ranking battle like a hurricane. He became the nightmare no contestant wanted to face. His points rose at a steady yet terrifying pace, and his ranking shot upward like a rocket.
One thousandth, five hundredth, one hundredth, fiftieth...
His opponents grew stronger and stronger. Many were already famous in the secret realm and considered top geniuses with a shot at the top ten. Yet before Qin Zhao's Black Stone Prison, their pride and trump cards melted away like snow beneath the sun.
At last, on the afternoon of the third day of the ranking battle, Qin Zhao faced his final match on the road to first place. His opponent was a young man named Xuan Shang, also the personal disciple of a Marquis Rank Immortal. He had long since grasped the Origin Law of Water beyond the threshold of the Origin Laws, and was a strong contender for the championship.
Xuan Shang's face was stern. A deep-blue domain, like the depths of the ocean, surrounded him. As the waters flowed and turned, they seemed capable of dissolving any attack. He watched Qin Zhao with a grave expression. "Qin Zhao, your Black Stone Prison is powerful, but I won't be trapped so easily like the others. Water's yielding nature can contain all things and dissolve all force!"
Qin Zhao remained calm. "Please."
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