Top Fifty

At the same moment, within a secret realm somewhere in the Ganwu Universe Kingdom.

Inside a cultivation chamber condensed from crystal and mental power, a silver-haired woman with heterochromatic eyes jolted awake.

Her face first went pale, then flushed with a mix of shame and irritation, as violet and blue light churned violently in her gaze.

"Damn it... how dare he call my illusion technique a beauty trap..."

She bit her lower lip, her slender fingers clenching tightly at her robes.

"Windfall Empire, Qin Ming, is it... I've memorized you."

Eighth World Sector.

Standing beside the woman's corpse, Qin Ming steadied his mind before lowering his gaze to the screen on his wrist.

The data had already refreshed.

Contestant: Qin Ming (Windfall Empire)

Points: 9,527,103

Rank: 87

"Good grief... this woman really was the top of this city." Qin Ming's heart trembled slightly.

"An illusionist's efficiency at harvesting points is terrifying. I only took half her points, and it still surged by over nine million."

His eyes swept across the gradually quieting streets around him.

"As expected, if you want to climb the rankings fast, you have to go after these 'top-ranked' prey. There's no need to stay in this city any longer."

The next moment, his figure flickered, transforming into a streak of light as he shot toward the next city with a high-point target.

At this moment, the uproar in the virtual universe was no longer confined to a corner of the Windfall Empire.

Across the entire Ganwu Universe Kingdom, anyone paying attention to the ranking changes in the Genius Battle had noticed the name Qin Ming, surging upward at an astonishing speed.

From thousands of places, he had leaped straight into the top hundred!

A spike of nearly ten million points, completed almost in an instant.

This could only mean one thing: in an extremely short time, he had killed a top-tier powerhouse with nearly twenty million points!

"Eighty-seventh... Qin Ming? Which faction is he from? I've never heard of him before!"

"His points jumped by over nine million all at once... my god, what kind of monster did he take down?"

"Investigate! Find out immediately where this Qin Ming came from!"

Gasps and discussions spread like wildfire across the major virtual communities and intelligence networks of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom. Even aboard the ships hovering above the world sectors, uncontrollable commotion erupted.

After all, the higher the rank, the more terrifying the strength behind it!

In every world sector, those firmly in the top three were almost all monster-level geniuses who had already stepped through the threshold of the fundamental laws.

Of course, not only the top three possessed such strength; many experts might have chosen to lie low in the early stages.

"This Qin Ming, charging to rank 87, must at least have strength at the 'eighth or ninth level of the domain,' or even... a super genius who has touched the edge of the fundamental laws!" analyzed an experienced observer.

"Windfall Empire? That remote star region actually produced a genius who broke into the top hundred?"

"I checked past records. Windfall Empire hasn't even had anyone in the top ten thousand for several tournaments. And now a dark horse appears out of nowhere..."

"Gather all intelligence on Qin Ming immediately! Look at his point curve—for the first twenty-plus days, he was almost completely inactive, ranked tens of millions. He only started sprinting in the last few days.

What does that mean? It means he had a clear goal from the start: only hunt the top experts who survived to the later stages!"

"Such strong confidence... but he does have the capital to back it up."

For a time, the name Qin Ming, accompanied by all kinds of speculation and amazement, spread rapidly among countless observers across the Ganwu Universe Kingdom.

Qin Ming stepped into the next city. After a brief inquiry, he learned the name of its strongest fighter: the Reaper, a terrifying existence who had mastered one of the nine great divine weapons of the spiritual psion, the Yan God Weapon.

The Yan God Weapon was said to make one invincible among their peers at the star level if they could grasp its first layer—a testament to its sheer power.

"Are you the Reaper?" Qin Ming's gaze fell on the dark-golden staff strapped to the man's back, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He was no stranger to this weapon. In the future, Luo Feng would rise to fame wielding it.

Anyone who could control the Yan God Weapon at the star level and survive until the end of the preliminaries was undoubtedly a peerless genius who had truly touched the threshold of the Gold Law.

"So you're the hunter from another city. What a pity..." The Reaper's voice was calm and flat, yet brimming with absolute confidence.

"Your road ends here."

The moment the words fell!

"WOOOOOM!!!!!"

The dark-golden staff on his back suddenly trembled, and nine dazzling beams of golden light burst forth, transforming into nine golden swords as thin as cicada wings, their surfaces flowing with intricate secret patterns.

The small sword suddenly dispersed in midair, the secret patterns on its blade glowing like living things, golden threads weaving and linking together, instantly forming a sword formation diagram that blurred the line between illusion and reality, brimming with lethal intent.

Hazy, shifting, sharpness concealed within.

The first layer of the Yan God Weapon—Phantom Sword Style!

"Go!"

The Reaper barked.

A golden phantom sword transformed into a golden rainbow that tore through the sky, air screaming in its wake, space itself trembling and warping!

The sharpness, the ferocity, the unstoppable momentum of Gold Essence—all of it was laid bare in this single strike!

Fast! Fierce! Absolute!

This blow had undoubtedly touched the threshold of the Gold Law, leaving almost no one at the stellar level able to face it head-on.

Facing this world-destroying golden rainbow, Qin Ming did not retreat a single step.

His right hand grasped empty air, and an ordinary-looking long sword quietly materialized.

The blade had no gleam, but the moment he raised it, the surrounding air seemed to freeze solid.

Just as the golden rainbow was about to swallow him!

Qin Ming struck.

A sword beam, condensed to its utmost, as if cutting through time itself, thrust straight out to meet that devastating golden rainbow!

Clang!!!

The sword tip and the sharpest point of the golden rainbow collided with perfect precision!

Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

Then!

Crack!

A crisp shattering sound rang out.

That phantom sword, carrying a sliver of law power, began to shatter inch by inch from the point of impact!

Golden light exploded like a tragic rain of stars, scattering in all directions.

The Reaper's pupils abruptly contracted, his face a mask of disbelief: "No... impossible..."

Before the words faded.

Qin Ming's figure had already pierced through the shower of golden fragments, his sword edge silently extending, lightly tapping the Reaper's brow.

"The first layer of Phantom Sword Style can control nine phantom swords. You barely managed one—too weak!"

The Reaper opened his mouth, then his body crashed to the ground.

The plaza fell back into dead silence.

Qin Ming sheathed his sword, lowering his gaze to the screen on his wrist.

Contestant: Qin Ming (Windfall Empire)

Points: 2,026,0217

Rank: 49

His points had surged again, his rank charging fiercely into the top fifty.

Then he raised his head, sweeping his gaze across the hidden watchers scattered throughout the city.

"...Go now! Even the Reaper lost! This is nothing we can handle!"

"What the hell? This guy actually killed a genius wielding a Yan God Weapon."

"A monster, a true monster!!!"

Muffled cries of shock came from the shadows, figures fleeing in panic, no one daring to linger any longer.