After the Noah Kingdom Lord left, the tense atmosphere in the plaza eased somewhat, but the weight of his expectations remained in everyone's hearts.
At that moment, a King-level Immortal seated on a throne to the left slowly rose. He wore dark red battle armor, had an ancient, weathered face, and a flame-shaped marking on his forehead. His gaze swept over the hundreds of millions of geniuses below, and his voice boomed like thunder.
"I am King Yanlong! By order of the kingdom lord, I will preside over this gathering!"
"I command you to remember the kingdom lord's words! The glory of Noah must be defended by your own hands!"
His gaze seemed almost tangible as it slowly passed over the group at the very front of the crowd, which included Qin Zhao.
"You are the finest of your generation in the Noah Secret Realm, the core of the kingdom lord's hopes!" King Yanlong's voice rang with unquestionable authority. "You especially, Qin Zhao!"
In an instant, nearly everyone's attention turned to Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao remained calm and bowed slightly. "I'm here, sir."
"Lanchen's disciple, first place in the Noah Secret Realm's Peak Ranking Battle!" King Yanlong's voice resounded in every direction. "The kingdom lord and all of us have witnessed your talent and strength. Your goal should be more than simply passing the Preliminary Elimination—not even the thousand qualifying spots should be your limit!"
"Your goal is the Peak Final Battle! To break into the top ten in the entire universe! And perhaps... to rank even higher! Win even greater glory for the Noah Universe Country! Can you do it?"
In that moment, the pressure descended like a mountain. This was a public expectation from the highest echelons of the Noah Universe Country, practically setting him up to burn. If his final result proved disappointing, then... But Qin Zhao showed no sign of backing down. He met King Yanlong's blazing gaze, straightened his back, and spoke in a clear, firm voice that echoed across the plaza.
"I will give it everything I have. I won't let down the kingdom lord or any of the lords here, and I will bring glory to the Noah Secret Realm!"
He didn't boast that he would achieve a specific rank, but his promise to give it everything and bring glory to the Noah Secret Realm made his resolve and confidence clear.
"Good!" King Yanlong nodded, a satisfied look crossing his face.
Then he turned to the other geniuses standing at the front and offered each of them encouragement—and pressure. Some were Mental Master Controllers or Illusionists; others were members of special human races with exceptionally powerful physiques. Every one of them had crossed the threshold of the laws, and they were the trump cards of the Noah Universe Country in this Genius Tournament.
Finally, King Yanlong swept his hand through the air. His voice carried across the entire plaza. "The rules have been laid out, and the expectations are clear! Now, make your own preparations! Remember, you represent not only yourselves, but also your families, your factions, and the Noah Universe Country that raised you!"
"Now, you are dismissed! I wish you all the best. May you shine on the stage of the Genius Tournament!"
Boom!
Hundreds of millions of geniuses answered in unison. Their voices swept across the entire mountain plaza like a tsunami, their battle spirit soaring to the heavens!
The next moment, countless figures began to dissolve into streams of light as they exited the Virtual Universe.
Before leaving, Qin Zhao could clearly feel the competitive gazes coming from every direction, especially those of the other geniuses who had also been entrusted with great expectations. He knew that formidable opponents awaited him not only in the universe-wide final battle; even the competition within the Noah Universe Country itself would be fierce.
As his consciousness returned to reality, King Lanchen was standing before him in the Cultivation Plane. Qin Zhao had no idea when he had arrived.
"Feeling the pressure?" King Lanchen asked with a smile.
Qin Zhao took a deep breath, his fighting spirit surging. "Pressure is motivation, too. Teacher, I'm ready."
"Good." King Lanchen nodded. "Remember, your strengths are the depth of your Law Comprehension and the uniqueness of the secret techniques you created yourself. The Preliminary Elimination is a free-for-all. Efficiently hunting down opponents is the key. With your Hundred Line Flow movement technique and your mastery of the Black Stone Prison, you should be able to sweep through the Star Level competitors."
King Lanchen didn't even bring up whether his disciple could pass the preliminaries. The advice he gave him was all about how to hunt down opponents efficiently. Clearly, King Lanchen and the other high-ranking figures in the Noah Secret Realm had absolute confidence in Qin Zhao's strength!
"Understood, Master."
"Go. Get yourself into the right state. I'll see you in the Virtual Universe."
Qin Zhao nodded firmly, sat cross-legged, and began his final meditation, bringing his body, mind, and spirit to the perfect peak.
His consciousness seemed to sink into his Internal World. He saw his Earth God Clone radiating a mighty, profound power and sensed the ever-present pathways in space that he could use to move through with Teleportation. He also saw the figures on his system panel, each representing his strength and achievements. There wasn't enough time left to make much more progress. All he could do now was master every bit of strength he already possessed!
Outside, discussion of the Peak Genius Battle was raging. Every major platform on the Virtual Universe Network had been flooded with related topics. Countless people were analyzing, predicting, and waiting in anticipation.
After the oath-taking ceremony at Noah Sacred Mountain, enthusiasm for the Genius Tournament spread throughout the Noah Universe Country and reached a fever pitch. Analysis and prediction posts about the various geniuses appeared one after another on the Virtual Universe Network, while betting odds offered by the major factions shifted by the minute. The whole place was abuzz.
As a genius personally singled out by King Yanlong and entrusted with the hopes of the Noah Secret Realm and even the entire universe country, Qin Zhao had become one of the main focuses of public discussion. Countless people watched him, openly or in secret, their anticipation, scrutiny, and doubts all intertwined.
Yet Qin Zhao, at the eye of the storm, was deep in meditation in King Lanchen's Cultivation Plane. The commotion outside couldn't shake his rock-solid will. He brought himself to a state of perfect balance. His mind, Origin Force, Law Comprehension, and physical strength were all like taut bowstrings, poised for a world-shaking strike.
Amid the anticipation of countless spectators and the anxious wait, the time for the preliminary round finally arrived.
The Virtual Universe, on the Assembly Continent created specifically for the Noah Universe Country's preliminary round.
It was a boundless expanse of land, stretching farther than the eye could see. At that moment, it was packed with people, with more than a trillion Star Level geniuses from the Noah Universe Country gathered there. What did a trillion people gathered in one place even look like?
Like grains of sand along a vast river. Wherever the eye fell, there were figures of every shape and size: rock giants dozens of meters tall; tiny lives barely half a meter high, with piercing eyes; members of the Winged Human Race with wings growing from their backs; and warriors of Monster Race bloodlines covered in scales... Countless races and a jumble of auras filled the land, yet every one of them radiated the energy fluctuations of a Star Level peak and the confidence and drive of those unwilling to be outdone.
Qin Zhao stood in the crowd, unremarkable among the rest. He wore the second-tier Origin Force Battle Suit issued as standard by the Virtual Universe System, a standard-issue suit with no special bonuses. Beneath his helmet, his calm gaze swept over the terrifying "sea of people" around him. Even he couldn't help feeling a slight tremor in his heart at the overwhelming aura created by this gathering of a trillion geniuses. This was a true contest among countless geniuses. Not a single person here was mediocre; every one of them had absolute confidence in themself.
"Everyone, listen up!" A cool, authoritative voice seemed to descend from the heavens, reaching every genius on the Assembly Continent and instantly drowning out the noisy chatter.
"This Preliminary Elimination for the Noah Universe Country will be divided into one hundred 'World Zones.' Each of you has already received the number of your assigned World Zone."
"Everyone will be transported together shortly to your assigned World Zone. Please make one final check of your equipment. Once the preliminary round begins, you will no longer be able to request any weapons or supplies."
Before you continue