"Don't worry, Ancestor." Qin Ming smiled faintly. He understood these rules inside and out.
"Kaluo, Windfall, and Ganwu are the three powers directly above us. As long as we observe the proper etiquette with them, that will be enough. As for the other forces..."
His tone was unhurried. "Give them all the same reply: I'm in seclusion to prepare for the upcoming finals and won't be receiving guests for now. They'll understand."
In this world, where strength reigned supreme, a super-genius who had taken first place in a World Zone during the Peak Genius Tournament and had a limitless future enjoyed this kind of "privilege."
Rather than waste his energy on social maneuvering, it was better to make his position clear. True powerhouses cared only about how far you could ultimately go, not how smooth you were in social dealings for the moment.
Qin Ming enjoyed a rare stretch of peaceful living.
Several months later, the emperor of the Kaluo Empire personally visited Lanfeng Planet, accompanied by an envoy from the royal family of the Windfall Empire.
The rewards they brought were so generous that the entire Qin Family could hardly believe it.
The emperor of the Windfall Empire issued an official decree, permanently granting the entire Liusha Star Sector, currently controlled by the Qin Family, to the family—or, more accurately, to Qin Ming.
This meant the Qin Family had leapt from being mere "administrators" of the star sector to becoming its true and lawful "lords." Their status and authority would undergo a fundamental change.
What surprised Qin Ming, however, was that neither the Kaluo Emperor nor the Windfall envoy made any mention of recruiting him, having him join in name only, or demanding his future allegiance after announcing the rewards. They soon took their leave after offering the usual words of encouragement and congratulations.
It seemed unreasonable, but after a moment's thought, Qin Ming understood why.
The upper echelons of the Windfall Empire knew full well that a monstrous genius capable of taking first place in the Peak Genius Tournament of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom could never be bound by a mere mid-level universe country.
In the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, the truly exceptional geniuses were almost always absorbed into higher-level powers such as the Ganwu Dojo, or into giants like the Virtual Universe Company and the Giant Axe Dojo.
People climbed toward higher places, and water flowed downhill. This was an unshakable truth of the universe.
Rather than make an offer that was sure to be rejected—and might even breed resentment—it was better to generously offer a tangible reward and establish goodwill.
When Qin Ming rose to prominence in the future, that early show of generosity and respect might bring an unexpected return.
"Pretty clever." Qin Ming watched the departing ship, understanding.
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Virtual Universe, the central arena of the Ganwu Dojo.
The one thousand strongest geniuses, who had fought their way through countless competitors in the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, gathered there.
They came from different star sectors and different humanoid races, but without exception, they represented the very pinnacle of Star Level combat strength in the Ganwu Universe Kingdom.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the towering figure atop the platform before them.
He was an Immortal Expert of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom.
He simply stood there without moving, having suppressed even the slightest trace of deliberate pressure.
Yet the fundamental difference in their life levels had already become an invisible tide, leaving most of the geniuses below pale-faced, their battle suits soaked with cold sweat.
It was a reverence rising from the depths of their souls, impossible to suppress.
Only Qin Ming, standing at the very front, remained calm, his gaze untroubled.
The Immortal Expert's gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on Qin Ming. His icy lips seemed to curve into the faintest hint of a smile.
"You're not bad."
Those simple words struck every genius like a heavy hammer.
Receiving the personal approval of an Immortal being was itself an unmatched honor.
Then that icy voice rang through the entire arena once more.
"Congratulations."
"You thousand were selected from countless star systems in the Ganwu Universe Kingdom as the very best. You have earned the right to represent our Universe Country and compete alongside the geniuses of every other Universe Country!"
"But the final showdown will be far more difficult than any battle you've faced before!"
"1,008 Universe Countries!
Among them are vast nations with territories more expansive than ours and far more star systems than our Ganwu Universe Kingdom!"
"Because the internal selections in each Universe Country take place at different times, the final all-universe genius showdown will officially begin one year from now.
This year is your last chance to improve—and your most important one!"
His gaze, cold as ice, slowly swept over every face below—some eager, some nervous, some defiant. His voice held not a trace of emotion.
"Make good use of this year. I'll tell you the truth..."
"Except for Qin Ming, not one of you currently has what it takes to make the top thousand in the finals."
As his words fell, the Immortal Expert's figure vanished without a sound, leaving behind a thousand geniuses with churning emotions.
Almost at the same time, countless heated, sharp gazes—some filled with resentment, others with scrutiny—locked onto Qin Ming.
Everyone who had made it here was an arrogant, peerless genius who believed themselves second to none.
Yet that Immortal Expert had bluntly declared that, except for Qin Ming, none of them could make the top thousand in the finals!
None of them dared to argue with an Immortal.
And Qin Ming had only taken first place in the Eighth World Sector. There were ninety-nine other first-place finishers here, and many of them were unconvinced.
After all, some believed they hadn't fought for first place because they wanted to hone themselves in the arena battles.
Others were convinced they had kept their trump cards hidden and that their true strength was every bit as great.
In their eyes, those who had taken first place in the initial selections were all mediocre talents who didn't dare test themselves.
"Qin Ming!"
A clear, melodious female voice rang out not far from his side, carrying a hint of complicated emotion.
However, Qin Ming didn't even turn to see who had called him.
The Immortal's seemingly casual "assessment" before he left had been like a ladle of cold water tossed into a pan of hot oil, instantly igniting every genius's competitive spirit and fighting spirit.
Staying here now would be no different from making himself a target, inviting endless challenges and probing.
He had no interest in wasting time on this kind of petty rivalry.
With a thought, his figure abruptly transformed into a streak of light and vanished before everyone's eyes. He logged off, leaving the Virtual Universe.
"That jerk!"
The woman who had called out to him stomped her foot in frustration. Her delicate face was filled with vexation and a faint, hard-to-detect embarrassment.
If Qin Ming had so much as glanced at her, he would have recognized her as the first-place finisher in the city where he had judged her illusion techniques to be "practiced like a beauty trap" before sending her off with a single sword strike. She was the silver-haired, heterochromatic-eyed illusion genius.
Of course, if Qin Ming had seen her, he would have been even more surprised.
After all, she couldn't even withstand one sword strike from him, and her illusion techniques were pitifully weak.
If even she could make the top thousand in the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, then it really had no one left.
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