Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the Virtual Universe, at the Noah Universe Kingdom's designated gathering plane.
A thousand young figures stood solemnly in formation. They were the thousand geniuses representing the Noah Universe Kingdom in the finals of this year's Universe Peak Genius Battle. Qin Zhao stood at the front of the group, alongside Leiluo, Shuiyuan, and the other World Zone champions. After three years of secluded cultivation, especially after successfully analyzing his first Space Essence, his aura had grown increasingly reserved and profound. He did not stand out among the crowd, yet possessed a steady bearing that was impossible to ignore.
The atmosphere in the plaza was still serious, but there was less anxiety and more fighting spirit than at Noah Sacred Mountain when the preliminaries had ended three years ago. After all, they had withstood the pressure and fulfilled the Kingdom Lord's targets, securing more than six hundred spots in the finals—far exceeding their quota—and restoring the Noah Universe Kingdom's reputation.
Space rippled, and a towering figure appeared out of nowhere. He wore the same signature dark red battle armor and had the same stern, dignified features—King Yanlong had arrived.
Yet unlike last time, when his fury had erupted like a volcano and his pressure had been suffocating, King Yanlong, though still imposing, now had a faint trace of warmth between his brows, and even the hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. His gaze swept over the thousand alert, energetic geniuses below. It lingered briefly on Qin Zhao and the others at the front, and he gave a slight nod.
"Good." King Yanlong spoke. His voice was still booming, but no longer crashed like thunder. Instead, it carried a steady strength. "You have not slacked off during these three