Ruoxi

At this moment, the crowd naturally began to separate, those familiar with each other clustering together.

Some were fellow disciples or clan members who already knew each other in reality, while others had come to know one another through battle in the preliminaries and round-robin tournament, now exchanging words and reminiscing, the air thick with the unique tension and restlessness before a great battle.

Only one spot stood out as especially "quiet."

Qin Ming stood alone to the side, and across from him, only one silver-haired woman, Ruoxi, remained rooted in place with a face ashen as iron, neither walking away nor speaking, simply staring at Qin Ming with her heterochromatic eyes as if trying to bore two holes through him with her gaze.

Occasionally, curious or amused glances were cast their way, but no one stepped forward to disturb this peculiar "standoff between two."

"Wooooom!!!"

An intangible, terrifying pressure suddenly descended, enveloping the entire Floating Island plaza.

A thousand proud, peerless geniuses instantly turned pale, their bodies trembling involuntarily, a primal reverence surging from the depths of their souls.

Heavy footsteps rang out.

A giant, clad in a dark cyan scale armor battle robe and a ferocious war helm, strode forward slowly.

He stood over eight meters tall, like a moving mountain, and the mere aura naturally emanating from him struck like a tide of corpses and a sea of blood, carrying a suffocating stench of death and gore, as if the Grim Reaper had returned from an ancient battlefield.

"The thousand geniuses of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom."

The giant's voice boomed, like thunder rolling across the plaza, his eyes hidden beneath the shadow of his helm sweeping over the crowd, bringing boundless pressure.

"By order of the Kingdom Lord, I am leading this expedition."

"You may address me as 'Lord Thirteen.' Understood?"

"Understood!" The thousand answered in unison, though their voices still sounded somewhat uneven under the overwhelming pressure.

Yet one crisp voice stood out distinctly: "Thirteenth Uncle!"

The giant's gaze shifted, landing on Ruoxi, and the cold, hard face beneath the helm actually softened with rare tenderness: "Little Ruoxi."

His voice dropped slightly.

"How has Big Brother been lately?"

"Still in seclusion," Ruoxi replied, then shot a glance at Qin Ming beside her, unable to hide a trace of smugness.

Qin Ming ignored her gaze, his expression still calm.

The smugness on Ruoxi's face instantly froze, and her complexion darkened again.

This scene naturally caught Thirteen's eye, and a flicker of surprise arose in his heart.

His code name was "Thirteen," and the "Big Brother" he referred to was naturally the leader of their guard, "One."

Ruoxi was the only child of "One."

One must understand—the higher the life level, the harder it was to produce offspring.

They were all followers and personal guards of the Ganwu Kingdom Lord, and to hold such a position, one had to be a top-tier powerhouse among the Undying.

He himself was an Undying Marquis, and not an ordinary one at that.

And his big brother, "One," was an Undying King!

Logically, at their level, reproduction was nearly impossible.

Yet Big Brother had still paid an unimaginable price to have Ruoxi as his daughter.

This was also why Big Brother had been in seclusion for decades—the cost was simply too great.

It could be said that Ruoxi had grown up hardly ever truly spending time with her father, instead being raised by these uncles and aunts of hers.

They doted on her immensely, and in decades, this was the first time they had seen the little girl so "fixated" on a man, even sulking over it.

"Qin Ming, huh?"

Thirteen's gaze lingered on Qin Ming for a moment.

"His talent is passable... barely worthy of Xiao Xi."

This was not arrogance.

Which of those who achieved Undying status were not peerless geniuses who had endured countless trials?

Though Qin Ming was currently dazzling at the Star level, with even a chance to break into the top thousand of the Genius Tournament, so what?

Over the ages, tens of thousands of geniuses had entered the Virtual Universe Company, yet only a handful had survived to become Undying.

Moreover, he was not just any ordinary Undying.

In his view, Qin Ming's current performance only qualified him to be "remembered" by Ruoxi.

Of course, if he knew that Qin Ming truly possessed the strength to contend for first place in the entire universe finals, his attitude would be completely different.

The first-place winner of the Peak Genius Tournament finals in every cycle, as long as they did not fall midway, would almost certainly achieve Undying status, and with high probability, become an Undying King!

That was a pinnacle existence truly standing at the upper echelons of the human race, one that even he, "Thirteen," would have to treat with caution.

But for now, he naturally had no way of knowing.

"Alright, follow me!"

Thirteen withdrew his thoughts. He would not show favoritism or suppression just because Ruoxi had a special "interest" in Qin Ming.

At his level of cultivation, he had long seen through many things and let nature take its course.

He only needed to complete the task assigned by the Kingdom Lord—to lead these one thousand geniuses to the finals venue.

The light of the teleportation faded, and Qin Ming, along with the other one thousand geniuses, appeared under the guidance of the scaled-armor giant "Thirteen" in a vast plane newly opened up by the Virtual Universe.

Before them lay an endless continent, the sky high and distant, with towering buildings of various styles visible in the distance.

"Ganwu Universe Kingdom team. Ahead are 1008 towers. Your kingdom's team has been assigned to number 0989." A middle-aged man in white robes, his expression respectful, appeared instantly nearby and reported to Thirteen with a bow.

"Mm." Thirteen responded in a low voice, then led the thousand geniuses behind him flying toward the designated area.

They landed on a wide plaza, which connected to exclusive pathways leading to each tower.

Just as they were heading toward tower 0989, teams from other universe kingdoms began arriving through other pathways, and faint, noisy discussions drifted over.

"Look, that's 0989, the Ganwu Universe Kingdom team."

"Heh, I heard that this time, they don't even have a single one who can reliably make it into the top thousand?"

"So weak."

"In this Genius Tournament, isn't Ganwu Universe Kingdom going to end up at the bottom again?"

These voices, not deliberately lowered, clearly reached the ears of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom geniuses.

Most of the team's faces turned grim, anger and unwillingness rising in their eyes.

Everyone standing here was a top-tier genius, proud and aloof, having fought through countless battles to stand out—how could they endure such contempt?

"Qin Ming, did you hear that?" Ruoxi had somehow appeared beside Qin Ming again, lowering her voice with a hint of indignation.

"They all underestimate our Ganwu Universe Kingdom too much. I believe you can definitely break into the top thousand!"

Qin Ming glanced at her, saw the earnest trust on her face, and found it somewhat amusing, so he replied half-jokingly, "The top thousand? My goal is first place in the finals."

He expected her to roll her eyes or tease him in return.

But to his surprise, Ruoxi's mismatched eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and she nodded firmly without hesitation: "Mm! I believe you!"