First

Killing, advancing, killing again.

Qin Ming's figure darted through city after city in the Eighth World Sector. Wherever he went, the names near the top of the leaderboard vanished like an avalanche, becoming fuel for the numbers beside his own ranking.

His fighting style was simple and efficient. Whether they were geniuses who had mastered domains or those who had touched the laws, few could last three moves against him.

That seemingly ordinary longsword carried an indescribable weight and sense of destruction with every swing, as if it could sever the laws and domains themselves.

His ranking soared along with it.

Top thirty, top twenty, top ten...

Every jump in the rankings tugged at the nerves of countless spectators, both inside and outside the World Zone.

The name of the Windfall Empire, accompanied by the words "Qin Ming," rang out across every corner of the Ganwu Universe Kingdom with unprecedented frequency.

First came surprise and shock, then numbness, and finally awe.

This "dark horse" from a remote starfield was crushing every so-called seeded competitor with the most overwhelming force, charging toward the summit.

At last, on the final day of the preliminaries, Qin Ming's sword pierced straight through a burly man and his shield. The man had also touched the Origin Law. The numbers on Qin Ming's wrist screen made one last jump—the final one, and by far the most decisive.

Participant: Qin Ming (Windfall Empire)

Points: 2010, 2011, 1

Rank: 1

First in the Eighth World Sector.

The preliminaries had come to an end.

The teleportation light faded, and Qin Ming appeared above the island belonging to the Windfall Empire in the Virtual Universe.

Beneath him lay the familiar virtual streets, while his personal communications interface was being swept up in an unprecedented storm of messages.

"Beep!"

"Beep!"

"Beep!"

The alert tones came in a dense, unbroken torrent.

"Master, you have 1,008 call requests... Now it's 2,026, and the number is still rising rapidly." His intelligent assistant's voice rang clearly in his ear.

Qin Ming glanced at the frantically climbing number. Among the callers were top forces from across the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, as well as private contact markers belonging to powerful figures whose names he had only heard of.

"Block them all. I'll deal with them later," he said calmly.

"Set my communication status to 'deep seclusion.' Silence all incoming messages."

"Yes, master." The intelligent assistant immediately carried out his instructions.

Qin Ming did not linger. With a thought, his consciousness withdrew from the Virtual Universe like the ebbing tide.

Lanfeng Planet, the real world.

Qin Ming slowly opened his eyes in his private cultivation chamber.

As soon as he opened the chamber door, several figures hurried toward him.

"Dear!"

"Third Brother!"

"Little Brother!"

His father, Qin Feng; his mother, Lin Wan; his eldest sister, Qin Lan; his second brother, Qin Shou; his younger sister, Qin Xue; and, bringing up the rear, their Old Ancestor Qin Shanhai, who struggled to maintain a dignified expression despite the excitement in his eyes—all had gathered there.

"Old Ancestor, Dad, Mom, Eldest Sister, Second Brother, Little Sister." Qin Ming stopped before them, a genuine smile appearing on his face as he greeted them one by one.

Before he could finish, a small, soft figure shot into his arms like a cannonball.

"Third Brother! You're the best! First place! Number one in the whole universe!" Qin Xue wrapped her arms around his neck with all her might, burying her little face against his chest and rubbing against him. Her voice trembled with excitement, and her eyes shone with adoration.

At only six years old, little Qin Xue might not fully understand what "first in the World Zone" meant for the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, but she knew her third brother had done something incredible. Everyone was cheering for him.

Qin Ming smiled as he caught his sister securely and gently ruffled her soft hair.

"All right, Xiaoxue. You're squeezing the air right out of me."

"Third Brother, you're lying! I'm six years old now. I'm not a little kid anymore. How could I possibly squeeze you that hard?" Qin Xue scrunched up her adorable nose and protested.

"Xiaoxue, come down. Don't cling to your third brother." Their mother, Lin Wan, stepped forward, her tone reproachful, though her eyes had already grown slightly red.

She reached out, seemingly wanting to touch her son's cheek to make sure this wasn't a dream. Her fingertips stopped in midair, and in the end, she merely smoothed Qin Ming's already-neat collar.

A thousand words went unspoken, replaced by the tearful relief and pride in her eyes.

His father, Qin Feng, stood beside his wife. His usually stern face brimmed with smiles as he gave Qin Ming a hearty slap on the shoulder, hard enough to make him sway.

"That's my boy! Well done! You've brought honor to the whole Qin Family! Hahaha!"

Qin Lan and Qin Shou also came over.

His eldest sister, Qin Lan, studied her younger brother carefully, as if seeing him for the first time. At last, she let out a soft, rueful laugh.

"Honestly... I don't even know what to say. You've surprised us all."

His second brother, Qin Shou, hooked an arm around Qin Ming's neck. Though he was far weaker than his younger brother, he put on an older-brother's airs and grinned. "Not bad, Third Brother! You've really made a name for yourself now! You'd better look after your second brother when you're out and about!"

Old Ancestor Qin Shanhai stood a little behind the others, watching the warm, lively scene before him. At last, his dignified mouth curved into a rare smile, one filled with affection and pure delight.

He said nothing, but his slightly trembling beard and the bright gleam in his eyes spoke volumes.

At that moment, the little Lanfeng Planet was filled with the purest, warmest joy and family affection.

The clamor of the outside world, and the courting and scheming that would soon come flooding in, seemed shut out for now by this gentle warmth.

His family had cared for and looked after Qin Ming ever since he was young, before he had shown any talent. They had not waited for him to rise before offering their goodwill.

To Qin Ming, this unreserved bond of family meant more and felt more real than his ranking as first in the World Zone.

"By the way, Ming'er, you had it easy, going straight into 'seclusion.' You kept this old man busy," Qin Shanhai said, stroking his beard with a wry chuckle.

"In just this short while, my communications were nearly overwhelmed. Every person who contacted me was someone important—people I'd normally have to treat with the utmost respect.

"Needless to say, there was the Kaluo Emperor. The major sacred grounds and ancient families within the Windfall Empire have reached out, and even the Ganwu Universe Kingdom has sent messages asking about you."

He looked at Qin Ming, pride in his eyes, along with a hint of caution in the face of the overwhelming pressure. "They're all very curious about you."

"Old Ancestor, apart from the Kaluo Empire, the Windfall Empire, and the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, there's no need to respond to any other forces for now," Qin Ming said calmly.

"Wouldn't that... offend people?" Qin Shanhai asked, concerned.

Unlike a sharp-edged genius like Qin Ming, he had spent many years building connections in the Kaluo Empire and knew just how complicated social networks and the balance of power could be.

Still, he was only at the Universe Level. His perspective was limited.