Trial Tower

That firm, decisive answer left Qin Ming slightly stunned.

Even his closest family members had treated his goal as a joke or a bit of encouragement when he told them about it.

Yet the girl before him, who had only briefly crossed paths with him and had mostly been "angered" by him, had chosen to believe him without hesitation.

He watched the unshakable conviction in her eyes. A strange ripple stirred in his heart, but all he did was smile faintly and say nothing more.

Amid countless scrutinizing, contemptuous, and curious gazes, the Ganwu Universe Kingdom team entered Building 0989.

The building's interior was vast, divided into over a thousand private lounges. Its style was simple and imposing, decorated with the distinctive starry patterns of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom.

"Find yourselves a room and rest. The finals schedule and detailed rules will be sent to your virtual assistants shortly." Thirteen's booming voice echoed through the hall.

"Remember, you now represent the honor of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom. The talk outside can be pressure, but it can also be motivation. Use your fists and swords to shut up those noisy fools."

With that, he turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the depths of the hall, apparently to meet with the leaders from the other Universe Countries.

The hall fell silent for a moment, then murmurs began to spread.

"What's with all the arrogance? Just wait until we're in the arena. I'll teach those loudmouths a lesson!" said a burly genius, his body wreathed in lightning. His fists clenched with a crackle.

"Exactly. The Ganwu Universe Kingdom isn't to be trifled with!"

"We still have to be careful. Anyone who dares talk like that probably has something to back it up..."

Qin Ming didn't join the discussion. He headed straight for a lounge in the corner.

Ruoxi hesitated, then followed him and chose the room next door.

"Hey, Qin Ming." Just as he was about to close his door, Ruoxi called from beside him.

Qin Ming paused and looked at her.

"I... I meant what I said earlier." A faint, awkward blush crossed Ruoxi's face, but her gaze was especially serious.

"I feel like you're different from them. If you say you're going to take first place, then you really might. So... do your best."

After saying that, she seemed a little embarrassed. She quickly slipped into her room and shut the door.

Qin Ming stood by his doorway and shook his head with an amused smile. The illusionist he'd sent packing with a single sword strike, who'd been full of resentment toward him, certainly had an interesting personality.

He entered the quiet room. It had only the simplest furnishings: a bed, a meditation cushion, and a floor-to-ceiling window that could adjust the view outside.

He opened his virtual assistant. The detailed information for the finals had arrived.

"...The Peak Genius Tournament finals will be divided into two stages."

"Stage One: All 1,008,000 contestants will be transported to a specially created Trial Space.

The Trial Space contains seven Trial Towers, each with seven levels."

"Inside the Trial Towers, the Virtual Universe System simulates a variety of environments and enemies.

Killing enemies earns points. The higher the level you clear, the more points you earn.

In the end, the top 100 contestants by points will directly qualify to enter the Virtual Universe Company's Core Layer, without needing to participate in the subsequent arena battles."

"Contestants ranked 101st to 7,300th, a total of 7,200 people, will compete in grueling Reincarnation Battles to vie for the remaining 900 places."

"In the end, the top 1,000 geniuses will represent the 1008 Universe Countries of humanity in the final ranking matches, which will determine the final standings of this Genius Tournament."

Qin Ming quickly scanned the rules, his gaze settling on "Trial Space" and "seven Trial Towers."

According to the original story, Luo Feng would shock all the higher-ups at this stage with his astonishing performance in the Trial Towers.

"The Trial Towers, huh..." A sharp glint flashed in Qin Ming's eyes.

This would test not only strength, but also willpower, endurance, and Law Comprehension.

For him, it was also the perfect stage to test what he and his Jin World clone had accumulated over the years.

Qin Ming sat cross-legged on the cushion, making no attempt at the so-called nervous preparation.

His state of mind was already as still as a placid well. He simply examined himself in silence, adjusting his condition to its peak.

Time passed. The million geniuses from the 1008 Universe Countries arrived one after another. The atmosphere on the virtual continent grew increasingly tense, as if invisible sparks were filling the air.

"Everyone, please get ready."

A pleasant voice echoed throughout the entire plane. The geniuses in the 1008 buildings had been waiting for this moment.

"The Human Peak Genius Tournament finals..."

"Stage One, the Trial Space, begins!"

"All contestants, prepare for transport!"

Qin Ming rose and calmly looked at the pillar of light that had suddenly appeared in his quiet room.

The light engulfed him.

The next moment, he and the other 1,007,999 geniuses vanished from their respective buildings.

A cold, hard surface pressed beneath his feet. Qin Ming looked around and found himself standing on a massive meteorite suspended in the vast starry sky.

The meteorite was roughly rectangular and nearly a hundred kilometers long. The faint light of distant stars cast deep shadows across it.

Farther away were ordinary, lifeless planets scattered across the black canvas of space.

"The Virtual Universe really went all out," Qin Ming murmured.

More than a million Trial Spaces this realistic were running at once, all to screen geniuses. Such power was awe-inspiring.

Seven towering giants stood upon the meteorite like swords piercing the starry sky, each occupying a different position.

Each tower stood more than ten kilometers tall, with a base several kilometers across. They radiated an ancient, heavy aura. These were the Trial Towers.

He looked down at his wrist. The familiar screen on his arm guard lit up.

Contestant: Qin Ming (Ganwu Universe Kingdom)

Points: 0

Rank: None

Trial Space: No. 9527103

The detailed point rules for the seven Trial Towers were listed below:

In the first Trial Tower, each level was worth a maximum of 10,000 points; clearing all seven levels earned 70,000.

In the second, each level was worth 100,000; clearing all seven earned 700,000.

In the third, each level was worth 1,000,000; clearing all seven earned 7,000,000.

In the seventh, each level was worth a staggering 10 billion points. Clearing all seven would earn a terrifying 70 billion!

Note: Once you die, the trial ends.

Ways to clear each level:

1. Kill all targets on the level to earn the maximum points and proceed directly to the next level.

2. If you survive for ten days without killing all the targets, you will still be transported to the next level to continue the trial.

Once all contestants have died, the trial ends and the final rankings are determined.

Qin Ming's gaze fell on the final sentence. The corner of his mouth curved into a faint smile.

"The trial only ends when every contestant has died?" he repeated softly.

"That means... the Virtual Universe Company believes it's impossible for anyone to truly clear all seven Trial Towers."