That day, four figures were drinking in Huang Wuye's temporary residence in the Meteor Sacred Land. They were Huang Wuye and his two companions, along with Ye Wuhen.
There was nothing strange about Ye Wuhen being here as a genius under the Meteor Universe Kingdom.
Just then, four emails arrived at once.
"Boss, you've got mail."
All four of them received an email at the same time, and each sent a sliver of consciousness into the Virtual Universe.
Huang Wuye opened his email. It was from the Virtual Universe Company.
"Welcome to the selection tournament for the 'Cosmic Humans—Universe-Level Warrior Tournament.'
"More than 6.6 billion Universe Level warriors have registered for this selection tournament in the Meteor Universe Kingdom alone—over 1.1 billion more than in the previous tournament..."
"We guarantee that every aspect of the Universe-Level Warrior Tournament will be conducted with absolute fairness.
"All participants will have the same physical attributes, and may choose their appearance freely!
"You may choose any Origin Force weapon or telekinetic weapon, regardless of its grade...
"The Meteor Universe Kingdom has more than 6.6 billion participants.
"The Meteor Universe Kingdom's competition is divided into the 'Preliminary Elimination' and the 'Arena Finals.'
"After the Preliminary Elimination, the more than 6.6 billion participants will be reduced to just 100,100..."
The email explained the competition in detail and included several attachments related to the tournament.
"I didn't expect there to be so many people. The Meteor Universe Kingdom alone has 6.6 billion Universe Level participants. And these are Universe Level warriors, not Star Level ones.
"The other thousand-plus Universe Countries might have fewer, but surely not by much. Looks like there'll be plenty of action."
After reading the email, Huang Wuye felt eager to get started. The other three felt the same. None of them thought they were any worse than the others.
The Universe-Level Warrior Tournament was a celebration for the entire universe. On this day, countless people rushed about, looking forward to the grand event.
In the Meteor Sacred Land, countless Universe Level geniuses stood ready to go. Huang Wuye and the others were among them.
"Your Highness, these ten youngsters are the top ten in our sacred land. I hope you'll look after them."
Marquis Fire Spirit brought over ten Universe Level geniuses, each surrounded by the fluctuations of a different law, and introduced them to Huang Wuye.
Huang Wuye nodded. These ten young men looked pretty good, and they were all part of his own faction. If the opportunity arose, he could certainly look after them.
Just then, Huang Hu and the others came over too. Huang Hu was as he always was, never without a drink in hand. He spoke in a deep, resonant voice.
"Like the Genius Battle, the preliminaries are divided into a hundred World Zones. I'm in the Sixth World Zone. What about you?"
"Though there are still a hundred World Zones, each one is a hundred times larger than those in the Star Level Genius Battle. The planets' gravity is also over a thousand times stronger. Otherwise, how could they withstand battles between so many Universe Level warriors?"
"I'm in the Nineteenth World Zone," Huang Xue said.
"I'm in the Thirty-Second World Zone."
"I'm in the Eighty-Third World Zone. Looks like we've all been separated. That's fine—we can each try to take first place and save time in the arena matches."
Huang Wuye looked around. They had all been assigned to different zones, but with their strength, they should have no trouble in the Meteor Universe Kingdom.
Then they all entered the Virtual Universe. As soon as Huang Wuye arrived, he found himself in an unfamiliar place, and a voice sounded beside his ear.
"Everyone, please take note. This Preliminary Elimination will be divided into one hundred 'World Zones.' You will soon be transported as a group to your assigned World Zones.
"Please check your equipment now. Once the preliminaries begin, you will no longer be able to request weapons."
Huang Wuye checked himself. He wore a white robe and carried a silver spear.
"Good. This will do."
"10, 9... 3, 2, 1."
As the countdown ended, the scene shifted, and Huang Wuye found himself in a vast, snowy world.
As far as the eye could see, glaciers stretched for thousands of miles, and snow drifted across the land. A chill swept over him, bringing a hint of cold even to his body.
"Looks like the weather will be another obstacle. This really is different from Star Level."
Feeling his frail body, Huang Wuye was a little surprised, but that was all.
Just as Huang Wuye was enjoying a snowy landscape he had only ever seen in books, a sudden attack came at him.
The attacker was a man in dark green armor. The war blade in his hand radiated a bone-chilling cold, and his figure was like a dream's reflection, striking Huang Wuye without a sound.
But, strangely, the moment his figure touched Huang Wuye, he shattered like a bubble and vanished in an instant, nothing more than a phantom.
"What a buzzkill. Never mind, I'd better get down to business."
Huang Wuye sighed, instantly losing interest. He checked his points: one.
As for how the man in dark green armor had died, it was because of a new secret technique he had added to his Spear Canon: Void Shadow Dream.
In an instant, Huang Wuye had shifted through the air at incredible speed, thrusting his spear countless times. Before the man in dark green armor could react, he had already been killed.
After making up his mind, Huang Wuye didn't linger. He used Horizon at Hand and disappeared from the spot.
A flash of white drifted across the snowy ground, almost imperceptible. Only a streak of crimson light remained, hinting that he had ever been there.
And so, a phantom appeared in this snowy world. He slipped through the cracks between spaces, and whenever he stopped, another figure vanished without a trace.
As the word spread, news of a peerless warrior in the Eighty-Third World Zone began to circulate: Phantom.
Like a ghost, he took lives without a sound. As time passed, word of him spread farther and farther.
Those who weren't strong enough fled the area, while confident geniuses headed toward it, hoping to witness this prodigy's skill for themselves.
After all, geniuses were always confident.
Of course, some geniuses planned to gather enough points first before heading over.
That day, Huang Wuye encountered an interesting opponent.
He was a member of the Long-Arm Race, and his weapon was the famous Yan Shen Armament.
Huang Wuye recognized the weapon as soon as he saw the genius, so he didn't kill him right away.
After all, he had long heard of the Yan Shen Armament's reputation, and now he wanted to see its power for himself.
"Phantom, you're strong, but I'm stronger. Now let's see how many of my moves you can withstand."
The Long-Arm man, Yutu, had clearly misunderstood. He smiled confidently, then sent the Yan Shen Armament attacking.
Nine golden blades formed a mysterious pattern and shot toward Huang Wuye.
Huang Wuye instantly lost interest. This man's Yan Shen Armament wasn't even as good as Huang Hu's; he could barely control it.
Huang Wuye flicked his spear. A streak of red light shattered the incoming Yan Shen Armament, then carried on and took out the Long-Arm man, who was still stunned.
"Looks like I won't find any interesting opponents for now. I might as well try out my Origin of Gold law."
Huang Wuye decided to hone his Origin of Gold law and incorporate it into his Spear Canon.
Over the years, his Night Emperor Clone had made rapid progress comprehending the Origin of Gold law. His main body simply hadn't had the chance to incorporate it into the Spear Canon.
Now, with so many opponents around, he could use them to hone his spear technique.
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