First match, second match, third match... sixth match.
Just as Teacher Wala had expected, Feng Hui easily won six consecutive matches and made it through the seemingly bloody second round of arena battles.
The top one thousand who had cleared the Law Tower were given special consideration. They would not face one another in the brutal second round.
As a result, none of Feng Hui's opponents had been particularly strong, and he defeated them with ease.
Now that the second round of arena battles had ended, only the top ten thousand geniuses qualified to remain in the Eastern Domain Great World were left in the tournament square.
The Eastern Domain Tournament had made rather solemn arrangements for these ten thousand geniuses. At the very least, their lives would be guaranteed during the final showdown.
After all, they were the ten thousand most outstanding Cosmic Level geniuses in the Eastern Domain of the entire Eastern Emperor Holy Land Universe over the past ten thousand years. They had yet to receive proper training or inheritances, and letting them die at the same rate as in the second round would be a waste of talent.
Even a Holy Land Universe with immense resources could not afford to neglect its finest young talents. No matter how endlessly new geniuses sprang up like chives in a field, the best of them still needed proper protection.
The Green-Robed Woman rose slowly from the throne at the center of the Observation Stand and looked down at the ten thousand geniuses on the field.
Her indifferent voice, imbued with terrifying pressure, once again rang across the entire square.
"Good. This year's Eastern Domain Tournament has been quite interesting. A few promising geniuses have emerged."
"As the ten thousand most outstanding Cosmic Level geniuses in our Eastern Domain in the past ten thousand years, all of you are qualified to remain in the Eastern Domain Great World and receive training."
"But... my Dongdi Clan has limited resources. Of the ten thousand of you, only the best five hundred will receive focused training and enter Dongdi Tower to inherit its legacy."
"Survival of the fittest. The five hundred spots will likewise be decided through arena battles."
"Dismissed. Go and meditate in preparation. The final showdown will take place tomorrow."
The next day, the sun rose, its radiant golden light spilling over the tournament square.
More than ten thousand young Cosmic Level geniuses had already gathered on the square.
They came from different backgrounds and had encountered different opportunities. Some had extraordinary talent, some had stumbled upon fortunate opportunities, and some had found excellent teachers.
Yet without exception, every one of them had the heart of a strong warrior!
Some young faces brimmed with energy and confidence, while others, more seasoned, looked calm and profound.
All the geniuses had gathered here to prepare, eager to show their brightest selves in the battles to come.
Suddenly, a wave of pressure spread through the square. The atmosphere tightened, and every sound seemed to be suppressed by its force.
"In today's matches, no one will lose their life. Only your ranking is at stake. Before anyone suffers a fatal injury, they will be transported off the arena in time. Of course, that will also count as a loss."
"Very well. The final round begins."
At the start of this final round, none of the fights posed much of a challenge for Feng Hui.
The gap between him and the other geniuses was too great. He quickly won one match after another.
Even the young man who had reached the fifth level of the Law Tower and wielded the Thunder Great Axe fell to Feng Hui's Time-Space Kill secret technique.
Until... he faced White Dragon.
On the arena, a white-scaled Dragonman youth stood opposite a gold-scaled Dragonman youth.
They were evenly matched, their clash a pinnacle showdown between the new generation of Cosmic Level geniuses in the Eastern Domain who had yet to receive proper training or inheritances.
The battle also drew the attention of every powerhouse on the Observation Stand, including the Green-Robed Woman on the throne at its center.
White Dragon, his body covered in white scales, regarded Feng Hui impassively and spoke with solemnity.
"You're indeed strong. Your Law Comprehension surpasses mine, and your place at the top of the Law Tower rankings is well deserved."
"But unfortunately for you, you've run into me. I'll show you that Law Comprehension isn't everything. Real combat is nothing like what you experience inside the Law Tower. First place in the Eastern Domain Tournament is mine!"
"Is that so? What a coincidence—I think the same. I'm determined to take first place in the Eastern Domain Tournament!" Feng Hui replied just as firmly.
An intangible aura clashed fiercely between them. Both geniuses could feel the other's soaring fighting spirit.
"You're far stronger than any opponent I've faced so far. To show my respect for a formidable warrior like you, I'll use my full strength and defeat you outright." White Dragon's voice was low, but firm.
As soon as he finished speaking, Water-Blue Secret Patterns appeared faintly across his body. Water-blue currents flowed around him, shifting slowly as the surrounding space seemed to freeze.
A strange, suffocating pressure swept toward Feng Hui.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" White Dragon charged toward Feng Hui with great strides.
Every step shook the arena. It felt as if a mountain were bearing down on them. Then his figure blurred, and he was suddenly airborne.
He moved with lithe grace as he soared into the air, wisps of cloud curling around him. Like a god of war descending from the heavens, he gripped a long staff that shimmered with a deep blue light. Mysterious runes flowed across its surface, shining brilliantly as White Dragon's power surged through it.
Every swing seemed to stir the winds and clouds, making the surrounding space tremble. The staff's immense power seemed to suppress even the air, sending out visible ripples.
"Falling Galaxy!" White Dragon suddenly roared. He gathered all his strength at the tip of the staff and brought it down with the force of a thunderbolt, its passage through the air shrieking.
The strike seemed to contain the might of heaven and earth. The surrounding space compressed in an instant beneath an invisible force, and even the light twisted.
Feng Hui drew his War Blade to block, but he seemed powerless against White Dragon's unstoppable strike.
The moment blade and staff collided, a deafening roar erupted, as if metal were clashing throughout the world.
"Rumble!"
Feng Hui's expression changed at once. His War Blade trembled slightly under the impact of the Blue Long Staff.
The arena shook violently. Feng Hui staggered back several steps, each one making the ground tremble.
"That doesn't make sense. How can he be so strong?" Feng Hui could hardly believe it.
"Boom!"
White Dragon soared forward, and a wave of water-blue energy swept toward Feng Hui with the staff. Feng Hui, however, split into countless afterimages and dodged at high speed.
As they fought, Feng Hui began to understand.
"It's his Life Gene Level."
"White Dragon... his Law Comprehension is inferior to mine, but his Life Gene Level is far higher."
Feng Hui was at a loss.
His Dragonman Body, as a member of the Dongdi Clan with an upper-tier bloodline, had a Life Gene Level comparable to that of a Golden-Horned Beast from the Prime Universe—ten times that of an ordinary life-form.
Against other opponents, such as human geniuses from the Prime Universe or geniuses with ordinary Dongdi Clan bloodlines, this gave him a clear advantage.
But White Dragon... his Life Gene Level was probably dozens of times that of an ordinary life-form, far surpassing Feng Hui's.
That meant Feng Hui's Law Comprehension could be superior, yet his combat strength still fell short of White Dragon's. He was driven into a desperate retreat, dodging in every direction.
Feng Hui's Law Comprehension was indeed better than White Dragon's, but only by a narrow margin. They were on the same major level, having both reached the fifth level of the Law Tower.
As for secret techniques, Feng Hui had the Cosmic Scripture, but White Dragon's techniques were no less impressive.
And Life Gene Level was the foundation.
White Dragon was several times stronger than Feng Hui at the very foundation. How could Feng Hui possibly fight him?
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