Pre-battle Mobilization

Time flew by amid this fulfilling period of adjustment. On the official website of the Virtual Universe Company, the registration numbers for each universe kingdom were jumping wildly like astronomical figures. As an established universe kingdom with vast territory and geniuses as numerous as clouds, the Noah Universe Kingdom easily saw its registration count break through the hundreds of billions, and it was still climbing. Almost every Star-level genius in the entire human race who had even a shred of confidence had flooded into this grand event, held once every ten thousand years.

Qin Zhao occasionally checked the official website, his gaze growing sharper as he watched the soaring numbers. Pressure certainly existed, but what he felt more was an eagerness, an impatience to clash with these geniuses.

The one-month registration period passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Qin Zhao received an official email from the Virtual Universe Company.

"Master, the Virtual Universe Company has sent the detailed rules for the first phase of the Genius Battle!" his auxiliary light computer, Dabai, reminded him promptly.

Qin Zhao connected his consciousness and quickly read through it.

The email clearly explained the rules of the first phase—the "Preliminary Elimination."

All registered participants would be assigned to their respective universe kingdom's world sector based on the nationality (universe kingdom) they filled in during registration. For example, all registrants from the Noah Universe Kingdom would enter the "Noah World Sector." Across the entire human race, all 1,008 universe kingdoms would proceed simultaneously.

The Preliminary Elimination would take place within each universe kingdom's world sector. Everyone would fight each other, killing others to accumulate points. The higher the points, the higher the ranking. At the same time, each world sector would display the latest rankings in real time.

The Preliminary Elimination would last a full year!

In the end, the top 1,001 from each universe kingdom's world sector would qualify for the next phase.

"The rules haven't changed!" Qin Zhao mused. "I just wonder if there will be any opponents worth fighting in this Peak Genius Battle."

Although the elimination rate was suffocatingly high, Qin Zhao wasn't too worried. After all, the early preliminaries could never weed out true geniuses. The only thing that concerned him was whether the geniuses in this competition would be genius enough. As everyone knew, geniuses could serve as benchmarks for one another, but if the geniuses selected by the Genius Battle were merely mediocre, that would mean an inherent deficiency in the level of competition.

At the same time Qin Zhao received the Virtual Universe Company's email about the Preliminary Elimination rules, another email, stamped with the emblem of the Noah Holy Land and exuding an aura of authority, also arrived in his virtual universe mailbox.

"Master, the Noah Holy Land has issued an urgent summons, requiring all Star-level geniuses in the Virtual Universe Company's Noah Secret Realm and those directly under the Noah Holy Land to log into the virtual universe immediately and assemble at Noah Sacred Mountain!" Dabai's voice carried a note of seriousness.

"Finally here." Qin Zhao's eyes flickered. He had anticipated this kind of mobilization meeting. As one of the long-established and powerful universe kingdoms in human territory, the Noah Universe Kingdom would never remain silent about an event that concerned national prestige and future potential.

He connected his consciousness to the virtual universe.

In the virtual universe, the vast realm exclusive to the Noah Universe Kingdom—Noah Sacred Mountain.

This was a towering mountain suspended in an endless sea of stars. Its body was so massive it was beyond estimation, seemingly forged from some dark-gold divine metal, with vast law patterns flowing across its surface, exuding an ancient, boundless aura. At the mountain's peak, a giant plaza capable of holding stars was already packed with people.

Countless young figures appeared on the plaza, numbering in the millions at a glance! These were Star-level elites from the Noah Secret Realm or from the various star fields and secret realms under its jurisdiction, trained directly or indirectly by the Holy Land. Each of them had an extraordinary aura, sharp eyes, and the pride and confidence unique to geniuses. At this moment, everyone stood silently, their gazes burning as they looked toward the front of the plaza.

Qin Zhao's figure also appeared among the crowd, positioned relatively forward in the area designated for members of the Noah Secret Realm. He could feel countless eyes on him—curiosity, scrutiny, fighting spirit, and even awe. Clearly, his undefeated first-place record in the Noah Secret Realm's Peak Ranking Battle had already spread, making him one of the most watched seeded contestants from the Noah Universe Kingdom in this Genius Battle.

At the very front of the plaza, dozens of thrones floated, each radiating terrifying pressure. Seated on these thrones were towering figures, surrounded by laws—some blazing like scorching stars, others deep like abyssal black holes, others ethereal like drifting wind... The mere unconscious aura they emitted made the billions of geniuses below feel their souls tremble, as if facing insurmountable sacred mountains.

These were the pillar-level powerhouses of the Noah Universe Kingdom! Marquis-level Immortals! Among them, a few exuded a pressure only slightly inferior to Qin Zhao's teacher, King Lanchen, clearly being King-level great beings!

And at the very center of all the thrones, on the highest and most magnificent one, sat not a physical entity, but a hazy, shifting light that seemed to contain the birth and death of universes, the rotation of time and space. Its exact form was unclear, and even specific energy fluctuations were imperceptible, but the mere fact that it sat there made it the absolute core of the entire Noah Sacred Mountain, and even the entire virtual realm.

Everyone's gaze, including those of the Marquis and King-level Immortals, was directed at that light with utmost reverence. The supreme ruler of the Noah Universe Kingdom—the Noah Kingdom Lord! A Universe Venerable who had transcended immortality! Even though only a wisp of his consciousness avatar had descended, its power was unfathomable.

The entire plaza was silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

After a moment of stillness, the hazy light on the central throne emitted a voice that was calm yet seemed to ring directly in everyone's soul, carrying no trace of aggression but an undeniable authority:

"The grand event, held once every five thousand years, has begun."

The voice echoed across the vast plaza and resonated in the hearts of billions of geniuses.

"You are the most outstanding Star-level elites of this generation from the Noah Universe Kingdom, bearing the hopes and glory of our nation."

"The Peak Genius Battle hosted by the Virtual Universe Company is both an opportunity and a battlefield. Billions of geniuses vie for supremacy; only the strongest can reach the summit and make their name known across the universe."

"I, and the Noah Universe Kingdom, place great expectations upon you."

There was no impassioned rallying cry, no lengthy admonition. The Noah Kingdom Lord's voice was as calm as water, yet it carried a strange magic that made the hearts of all the geniuses below beat faster involuntarily, a surge of hot blood rushing through their chests. To be personally summoned and entrusted with such expectations by the Noah Kingdom Lord—what an honor!

"The Preliminary Elimination is merely the beginning. I hope that of the one thousand qualifying spots from the Noah Universe Kingdom, you... can claim more than half."

More than half! That meant at least five hundred spots! This meant the Noah Kingdom Lord expected them, the direct elites, to crush the other geniuses from countless star systems and ordinary forces across the universe kingdom!

"Do not disappoint the nation, and do not... betray your own potential."

With those words, the hazy light rippled slightly, said no more, and the next moment vanished like a phantom from the throne. The Noah Kingdom Lord had descended only to state his stance and to place the highest importance and pressure upon these geniuses.