The Reprimand of King Yanlong

Qin Zhao's figure appeared in a relatively forward position in the plaza, and a small area naturally cleared around him. Many geniuses looked at him with undisguised awe, curiosity, and even a hint of fear. The terrifying rumors about the "god" of World Zone 39 had long since spread among the survivors, especially his shocking score and his stance of crushing everything in his path, making it impossible for others not to take notice.

Soon, the members of the Noah Secret Realm who had passed the preliminary rounds began to gather and converse spontaneously. When the rough statistics were released, a stifling atmosphere quietly permeated the air.

"Our Noah Secret Realm... only about forty percent or so passed the preliminaries this time?" a young man in silver battle armor with a sharp aura said in a low voice. He was another renowned genius from the Noah Secret Realm named Leiluo, who had also taken first place in his respective world zone with an absolute advantage.

"Fewer than forty-five thousand people." A woman with a cold temperament and water flowing faintly around her body chimed in. Her name was Shuiyuan, and she was also a world zone first-place finisher. "The Lord of the Kingdom's original expectation was for us to occupy more than half of the one thousand qualifying spots for the Noah Universe Kingdom, which is at least five hundred people. Converting that to the preliminary qualifying quota, that should be at least fifty thousand people for the ratio to be normal."

This result left many proud secret realm geniuses feeling humiliated. They hailed from the Noah Secret Realm, enjoyed the best resources, and received guidance from Immortals, believing themselves far superior to the geniuses of the outside world.

However, the reality of the preliminaries dealt them a heavy blow. The number and quality of hidden geniuses in the vast universe outside were far higher than they had imagined! Many secret realm geniuses were either unlucky enough to encounter strong enemies early on or were careless in the brutal melee, ultimately being eliminated with regret.

"Hmph, those guys from the outside world aren't all trash, after all." Leiluo snorted coldly.

"Indeed, there are too many variables in the preliminaries. In a melee, although strength is not the only factor, it is the core one." Shuiyuan nodded slightly, though her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Qin Zhao, who stood alone not far away, seemingly isolated from the surrounding clamor. "Geniuses like Junior Brother Qin Zhao, who can basically sweep through a world zone, are ultimately few and far between!"

Mentioning Qin Zhao, the surrounding geniuses who had placed first in their world zones fell silent for a moment, looking at the black-robed figure with complex expressions. Clearly, the previous period of interaction had allowed almost all the first-place geniuses to hear of Qin Zhao's shocking battle record and his overwhelming, gap-widening score!

They were also first-place finishers, but they knew they couldn't achieve the kind of destructive, near-slaughtering clear-out that Qin Zhao had. That score of nearly 1.5 billion was like a massive mountain, pressing down on their peers until they could barely breathe.

Just then—

"Hum!!"

A terrifying pressure, vast as a star sea and majestic as a divine mountain, descended upon the entire plaza without warning!

In an instant, the million geniuses in the plaza—whether they were cheering, sighing, or chatting—all had their expressions change drastically. Their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably, as if a weight of ten thousand tons had suddenly been placed upon their backs! Their internal force stagnated, their souls shivered, and even their thoughts seemed to freeze! Those with weaker willpower felt their legs go soft, nearly collapsing to their knees!

Even top geniuses like Leiluo and Shuiyuan turned pale, cold sweat seeping from their foreheads as they desperately pushed their willpower to resist the pressure that felt like the heavens collapsing, barely managing to remain standing.

However, under this terrifying pressure that swept across the entire plaza, one person was an exception.

Qin Zhao frowned slightly, feeling this familiar pressure. It was more concrete than what he had felt at the mobilization meeting, clearly released with specific intent. This pressure was indeed powerful, enough to cause an ordinary Domain Lord to suffer a mental breakdown, but for Qin Zhao, whose willpower had already reached the peak of the Domain Lord level and even touched the threshold of the World Lord level, it felt like a gentle breeze. He only felt a slight heaviness; his posture remained as straight as a pine, his eyes calm and unruffled.

His performance, so different from the others, immediately caught the attention of the few geniuses nearby who could still manage to observe their surroundings. A flash of incredulous shock crossed the eyes of Leiluo, Shuiyuan, and the others.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort, like a thunderclap from the nine heavens, caused the eardrums of all the geniuses to buzz and their hearts to contract sharply. High above the plaza, the towering figure of King Yanlong appeared. He was still wearing his dark red battle armor, his face stoic, but his expression was now as cold as water. His eyes, like two burning suns, swept over the million geniuses below, carrying undisguised disappointment and majesty.

"You..." King Yanlong's voice boomed like a war drum, striking at everyone's heart. "Have disappointed the Lord of the Kingdom! You have brought shame upon my Noah Secret Realm!"

A single sentence caused the million geniuses below to tremble, and they lowered their heads in shame.

"One hundred thousand and one hundred preliminary spots!" King Yanlong's voice was like a great bell. "My Noah Holy Land poured all its efforts into training you, and the Lord of the Kingdom personally placed high hopes on you! And the result? You only occupied fewer than forty-five thousand spots! You didn't even meet the minimum expectations!"

The terrifying conscious pressure increased wave after wave with his words, causing many geniuses to turn pale and sway.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!" King Yanlong rebuked them mercilessly. "Usually, you look down on everyone, boasting of being geniuses, but when you reach the real battlefield, you are exposed by the geniuses of the outside world!"

The plaza was deathly silent, with only King Yanlong's angry voice echoing, along with that suffocating pressure.

After the reprimand, King Yanlong's tone shifted slightly, and the pressure receded just enough to allow everyone to catch their breath.

"However, the preliminaries are a done deal; regret is useless!" His gaze was sharp as a blade as he swept over them. "Next are the arena group battles and the Samsara Battle! This is your last chance to regain your dignity and prove that you are worthy of the training provided by the Noah Holy Land!"

"The Lord of the Kingdom has decreed!" King Yanlong's voice rose sharply. "Of the one thousand spots to represent the Noah Universe Kingdom in the Peak Final Battle, my Noah Holy Land must occupy at least six hundred! If you fail to do so..."

He did not finish, but his cold tone and the renewed intensity of his pressure made everyone understand the consequences of failure. It was far more than just a matter of personal loss of face.

Finally, King Yanlong's gaze landed heavily on those who had placed first in their world zones, led by Qin Zhao, Leiluo, and Shuiyuan.

"You, although you were lucky enough to take first place in your world zones, must not slack off in the slightest! The real challenge is in the Peak Final Battle! That is where the top monsters of all human universe kingdoms gather! If you think being first in the preliminaries is something to be proud of, you will only lose miserably in the finals! All of you, prepare yourselves well for the upcoming finals!"

"As for the rest of you, remember today's shame! After we disperse, prepare with all your might for the arena battles and the Samsara Battle! The glory of the Noah Universe Kingdom requires you to win it back with your strength!"

Having said this, King Yanlong said no more and waved his hand.

Boom!

Spatial fluctuations enveloped the entire plaza, and the figures of the million geniuses were instantly teleported away, each returning to their respective residences in the Virtual Universe to prepare for the upcoming arena battles.

The Noah Sacred Mountain plaza became empty once again. The performance of the Noah Holy Land in these preliminaries clearly failed to meet the expectations of the higher-ups, especially when compared to a genius like Qin Zhao who could sweep an entire world zone, making the other geniuses of the Noah Secret Realm seem like "all thunder and no rain."

A heavy pressure had already fallen upon the shoulders of all the geniuses who needed to prepare for the arena battles and the Samsara Battle.