"Hahaha, Brother Fenglin, this Qin Ming looks like no ordinary person!" someone beside him laughed.
"His points are still skyrocketing. That means he's still hunting at full intensity.
Everyone who's survived this long is tough as nails, yet he's still racking up points so efficiently. His strength definitely can't be underestimated. At this rate, qualifying through the preliminaries is a sure thing."
"Of course," Fenglin Yizhen said, straightening his back. A long-lost sense of pride welled up inside him.
Whatever Qin Ming's background, right now he represented the dignity of the Windfall Empire. This unexpected surprise was enough to let Fenglin hold his head high in this circle, at least for a while.
At that same moment, organizations and individuals across the Windfall Empire who were following the Genius Tournament all erupted over the same name.
"Look! Someone's made it into the top ten thousand! He's from our Windfall Empire!"
"Qin Ming... It's Qin Ming! He's in the Eighth World Sector, and his ranking is still climbing!"
"Find out! Immediately! Which family does this Qin Ming belong to? Which faction?"
Countless people across the empire could barely contain their excitement.
There was no other reason: the Windfall Empire's results in the last few Genius Tournaments had been dismal. For several consecutive tournaments, no one had broken into the top ten thousand. That long silence and disappointment had weighed on the hearts of every imperial citizen.
Now, at last, that barrier had been broken!
It felt much like Qin Ming's memories of the national soccer team finally making it to the World Cup again after enduring a long slump.
It was the wild joy of long-suppressed hopes finally being answered, the catharsis of humiliation being washed away, and a flood of collective pride bursting forth in an instant.
"We... Someone from our Windfall Empire made it into the top ten thousand!"
Some people raised their arms and shouted. Others hugged the companions beside them tightly, while still others were so overcome with emotion that they wept for joy.
Aboard a particularly luxurious spacecraft above the barrier over the Eleventh World Sector, the emperor of the Kaluo Empire and his senior ministers were following the tournament.
"Your Majesty! Look! Someone from the Windfall Empire has made it into the top ten thousand!" A sharp-eyed minister pointed at the rankings, his voice filled with excitement.
"Oh?" The emperor raised an eyebrow and tapped the screen beside him.
A light screen unfolded and quickly locked onto the live rankings of the Eighth World Sector.
When he saw the name, the emperor's pupils contracted slightly. "There really is one... Qin Ming? I think I've heard that name before.
That old fellow Shanhai—isn't he always bragging to me that his clan has an exceptional junior named Qin Ming?"
"Your Majesty, could this be him?" asked a trusted aide softly.
"There are countless people with the same name in the universe," the emperor said after a brief pause.
"And you should all know how difficult it is to break into the top ten thousand in a World Sector.
Look, his ranking has already climbed into the three thousands, and his points are still rising... At this rate, he's almost certain to qualify for the preliminaries.
Even if that old fellow Shanhai returned to Star Level, he might not be able to achieve this."
"Your Majesty, why not ask Qin Shanhai directly?"
"Hmm, good idea."
Almost at the same time, Qin Shanhai, still basking in his joy, received a private call request from the emperor of the Kaluo Empire.
When the virtual image connected, Qin Shanhai asked respectfully, "Your Majesty? What can I do for you?"
"Shanhai," the emperor said with a smile in his voice.
"That talented junior you often tell me about—is his name Qin Ming?"
Qin Shanhai understood at once. So the emperor was calling to confirm the news.
He straightened his back, a proud smile spreading across his face. "Your Majesty, that's right. The Qin Ming who made it into the top ten thousand is my descendant."
"Hahaha! Excellent, excellent!" The emperor of the Kaluo Empire laughed heartily, his voice full of praise.
"Shanhai, you've rendered a great service to the empire! Once the preliminaries are over, I'll reward you handsomely!"
The call ended.
"Old Ancestor, was that... His Majesty the emperor of the Kaluo Empire?" Qin Ming's father, Qin Feng, asked from beside him, his voice slightly tense.
"That's right." Qin Shanhai stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming.
"Your Qin Ming has become the darling of the empire.
Once the preliminaries are over, offers from every faction will probably come pouring in. I expect... even the imperial family of the Windfall Empire will personally bestow a reward."
Inside the spacecraft's private room, everyone from the Qin Family felt proud to be associated with him. After all, Qin Ming was their younger brother, older brother, or child.
Qin Ming, in the Eighth World Sector, had no idea of the commotion he'd caused beyond it.
Even if he had known, he would only have smiled calmly. He'd foreseen this outcome the moment he decided to enter the tournament.
The top ten thousand?
That was only the beginning.
According to the Genius Tournament's rules, the top 1001 in each World Sector qualified for the preliminaries. They would then have to compete in arena matches for the final nine hundred advancement spots.
Along with the first-place contestant from each World Sector, who advanced directly, a thousand contestants would ultimately represent the Ganwu Universe Kingdom in the showdown against all the other high-level universe countries.
Qin Ming had no intention of taking part in those lengthy arena matches. With that time, he'd be better off having his Jin World clone gain a little more insight into the laws.
His goal was clear and simple: to claim first place in the Eighth World Sector.
"You're the person with the most points in this city?" Qin Ming asked, looking at the woman before him, whose beauty seemed almost unreal.
She wore a fitted, pale-purple battle suit that accentuated her slender, perfect figure. Her long silver hair cascaded to her waist like a river of stars, and her eyes were a rare pair of different colors—her left eye like amethyst, her right like a blue diamond.
Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent. A faint mental force field seemed to surround her, making anyone who looked at her feel their heart and mind stir.
"Qin Ming, right? I've heard of you." The woman's lips curved upward. Her voice was ethereal and melodious, yet carried a bewitching rhythm.
"These past few days, you seem to have been hunting only powerful opponents."
"Yes." Qin Ming nodded calmly.
"Then you've made the wrong choice coming after me." Her eyes shifted, and a flicker of flowing light seemed to swirl in her mismatched irises. Her smile grew even more alluring.
Qin Ming's mind wavered slightly.
In that instant, the woman moved!
"Lose yourself in my illusion."
Her voice drifted like smoke. Her figure blurred like mist, and a sharp sword ray silently thrust toward Qin Ming's throat, moving so fast that only a trail of afterimages remained.
"Hmm?"
Qin Ming stayed where he was and blinked, looking a little confused.
"Did you just... use an illusion technique? I thought you were only trying to seduce me."
His tone was casual, as if he truly hadn't felt a thing.
Qin Ming wasn't putting on an act. His soul was fundamentally at World Lord Level; a mere Star Level illusion couldn't affect him.
The woman's pupils contracted sharply.
"Next time, try making your illusion a little more convincing."
Before the words had even left his mouth—
A flash of sword light.
The woman's figure froze. Her headless body fell to the ground, and her consciousness dissipated in the Eighth World Sector.
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