Attention

In the Virtual Universe, an absolute core plane that only beings at the Venerable level and above may set foot upon.

A massive ring-shaped hall, like the center of the cosmos.

Figures stood there, some towering like ancient mountains, others ethereal like starry clouds and mist, and still others with auras so restrained they resembled bottomless abysses.

The mere act of standing there caused the fundamental Laws of Space and Time in the surrounding area to resonate.

Gathered here at this moment were the hosts of this Genius Tournament from the Virtual Universe Company, the "Tianyu Venerable."

Along with dozens of Kingdom Lord avatars or will projections from the 1008 Universe Kingdoms, who had arrived upon hearing the news.

Their gazes pierced through all barriers, converging on a single image.

Qin Ming, on the seventh floor of the seventh Trial Tower.

"The seventh floor."

A Kingdom Lord surrounded by a cold stellar ring spoke slowly, his voice as calm as an ancient well, yet causing the void to tremble slightly.

"Since the establishment of the Trial Space, through endless epochs... finally, someone has stood here."

"Not just 'stood.'" Another female Kingdom Lord, her form shrouded in a hazy glow, added softly, a trace of amazement hard to conceal in her eyes.

"Breaking through six floors in a row, reaching the final checkpoint, his aura remains perfectly seamless, his life force fluctuations terrifyingly stable. Such a foundation, such control... unheard of."

"The key is whether he can break through this seventh floor." The "Tianyu Venerable," seated in the main position, his aura the most vast, as if encompassing the birth and destruction of myriad worlds, spoke calmly.

He wore an ancient robe, his features indistinct, only his eyes reflecting the birth and annihilation of countless star rivers.

"The Zerg Hive's infinite spawning is the most direct definition of the 'theoretical limit of the Star Level.'

To be able to break through it head-on means possessing the 'absolute possibility' to shatter the existing cognitive framework."

"That would be... an existence comparable to the level of 'Kedi.'" Tianyu Venerable's words caused the atmosphere in the hall to freeze.

The name "Kedi" represented a legend, and also a standard.

It was a peerless prodigy, rare even in human history, who had truly shaken Chaos City.

"Even the mastery of the Law of Space he has shown now already surpasses the category of geniuses that appear once every 'tens of thousands of epochs.'" An Immortal Kingdom Lord with dark golden skin and a single horn on his forehead evaluated in a deep voice.

"In my opinion, his potential is at least of the 'millions of epochs' caliber, with a high possibility... of growing to our level."

"Our level" referred to them, these Universe Kingdom Lords, existences at least beyond Immortal.

"Tsk, Ganwu, your luck..." Another Kingdom Lord looked toward the direction of Ganwu Kingdom Lord's avatar, his tone complex.

"I thought he was just a little guy with a chance to break into the top thousand, but I never expected... such a monster. Even if he doesn't pass the seventh floor, his talent is obvious to all. Ganwu, you've hit the jackpot this time, actually producing such a genius."

"Haha, luck, just luck." Ganwu Kingdom Lord's laughter echoed in the hall, carrying an undisguised delight and a hint of shock he himself hadn't fully digested.

"But, this disciple, I've already reserved him, everyone, don't try to snatch him away." He said half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"Ganwu, with your meager resources, can you really nurture such a genius?" Another Kingdom Lord immediately sneered, though his tone carried a hint of seriousness.

Those Immortal existences might not know, but which of these Universe Venerable-level beings wasn't aware of Ganwu Kingdom Lord's situation?

If there was debate over who was the richest among human Venerables, Ancestor Tree Venerable, Sky Erosion Palace Master, and others far surpassed them, their treasures unknown to anyone.

But if you asked who was the poorest among the Venerables, there was no dispute at all.

"Heh!" Ganwu Kingdom Lord gave an awkward laugh.

"I still have the resources to nurture Qin Ming alone."

Ganwu Kingdom Lord was well aware of the others' thoughts. In truth, regardless of whether Qin Ming passed the seventh floor, nearly all dozens of Kingdom Lords in the hall had already entertained the idea of taking him as a disciple.

Such talent, combined with a clean background, was worth any force or any powerhouse investing fully.

On the other hand, if Qin Ming really did pass... they might not even have the qualifications to "snatch" him.

A genius that appears once in ten million epochs, as long as they don't fall, will almost certainly become a Venerable, and not just any ordinary Venerable.

Once confirmed, the absolute controller of the Virtual Universe Company, Chaos City Lord, or even existences at the level of Giant Axe Founder, might personally intervene, even take him as a disciple.

"Let's set aside the matter of taking disciples for now." A Kingdom Lord with an aura as sharp as a blade blade interrupted.

"Let's see how he handles this first wave of the insect swarm."

"3000 of them, each comparable to the top ten strength of the finals... If he chooses to fight head-on, the consumption will inevitably be terrifying.

If he tries to harass and decapitate, under the siege of such a highly intelligent, highly coordinated insect sea, destroying the Hive core will be even more difficult."

All the supreme beings' gazes were locked firmly onto Qin Ming in the image.

At this moment, he faced not only the trial of the Trial Tower, but also the scrutiny of the very pinnacle of the human race, a small group of giants.

His performance would directly determine the top-tier resources, the level of protection, and the degree of expectation that the Virtual Universe Company, and even the five major forces, would pour into him in the future.

Would he stop at the category of "super genius," or... would he truly be worthy of being invested with the core hope of the race, an "epoch-level monster" that might lead an era?

The answer was about to be revealed.

In the image, Qin Ming moved.

He did not choose to seize the initiative, nor did he try to interrupt before the Zerg warriors fully surrounded him, nor did he display that dazzling movement technique.

In the moment before the oncoming tide of death was about to crash upon him, he instead took half a step back and calmly closed his eyes.

This scene caused many of the great powers in the circular hall to narrow their gazes.

Closing his eyes?

In this life-or-death, second-by-second crucible of the Zerg swarm tactics?

Just as the first wave of three thousand Zerg warriors—each exuding a heart-shaking aura, their forms twisted and grotesque—fully detached from the Mother Nest, surging forward like a black death-tide of Dotō, tearing through space with piercing shrieks and a reeking wind, madly drowning toward him—

Qin Ming opened his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, it seemed as if a microscopic cosmic singularity was spinning, collapsing, and being reborn.

Golden, cyan, and yellow law threads emerged, interwove, and resonated with unprecedented clarity and vitality.

And even more profound, a layer of intangible silver radiance—representing the supreme authority over space—acted like the most precise skeleton and meridian network, perfectly unifying, supporting, and amplifying the other three law powers!

He did not conjure thousands of clones.

He merely raised the seemingly ordinary longsword in his hand.

Then, forward, he thrust out a single, unremarkable strike.

This strike even appeared somewhat too slow, too simple.

Yet, the instant the sword tip pierced the air before him—