Under Xichen's escort, the moment the geniuses opened their eyes, they found themselves in a vast plaza.
It was already packed with countless Universe Level geniuses, all gathered in distinct groups of a thousand, chatting among themselves.
After giving a brief order, Marquis Xichen headed off to one side. His task was complete, and the youngsters would be taken care of by designated personnel from here on.
As for him, he went to catch up with some old friends. Before he could even get close, a voice rang out from afar.
"Xichen, you're late! Looking at the youngsters from your Meteor Universe Kingdom, it seems you'll be buying the drinks!"
The speaker was also a Marquis Immortal. Several figures stood beside him. As the saying went, dragons did not consort with snakes; these men were all powerful Immortals from ancient Universe Countries, each a Marquis Immortal.
"Wumeng, don't talk as if your own hands are clean. Doesn't your Manka Planet have a few promising youngsters, too? If anyone's buying, you can't get out of it!"
Xichen spoke to the giant, sounding quite familiar with him. They belonged to the same one of humanity's ten peak bloodlines and had crossed paths often. They were old friends.
"Haha, buying drinks is no problem! But I see a few youngsters from your own people among them. That's rare! Our Manka Star Clan has a few here, too. Why don't we see whose are better?"
The giant, Wumeng, looked over the Meteor Universe Kingdom's lineup. As if he had noticed something, he spoke up at once.
Xichen wasn't about to back down. Remembering the information he had received, he readily agreed.
"Fine. Whoever loses buys everyone drinks."
Meanwhile, after Marquis Xichen left, Huang Wuye and the others used the number cards they had already received to find rooms where they could rest. Then they settled into a quiet corner of the restaurant in the virtual space.
As time passed and the geniuses chatted, several names came up repeatedly. They were all favorites to win.
In the distance, a thin man about two meters thirty or forty tall, cloaked head to toe in black, was discussing someone with the people beside him. "That's 'Phantom Demon' Gasotu, a member of the Howling God Clan. He dominated the Strongest Battle in the Pengu Universe Kingdom.
"They say he never made a move from beginning to end. He only had to look at his opponents, and they all fell into illusions and died."
Huang Wuye and the other three followed his gaze. The man they saw was quiet, with no trace of his aura showing. He looked utterly ordinary and wore a sunny smile.
Perhaps sensing their scrutiny, he glanced their way and smiled faintly. His strength and perception seemed impressive.
"That's not all! I heard a royal member of the Manka Star Clan is competing for the Wild Savage Universe Kingdom this year. This year's lineup is said to be the strongest ever."
Someone else in the group spoke up. Following his gaze, they saw a young man in silver, radiating an imposing aura and carrying himself with confidence.
"Neither of those two is the strongest. That would be God of Slaughter and Blade Maniac.
"Their Law Comprehension is nearly on par with some of the weaker Universe Level geniuses in the Virtual Universe Company's Primordial Region.
"It's all but certain those two will join the Virtual Universe Company."
Huang Wuye, who had been lost in thought, stirred. If that was true, then these two were quite something.
The members of the Virtual Universe Company's Primordial Region generally had Law Comprehension on the fifth or sixth level of the Heavenly Bridge. The top ones had probably reached the seventh.
By his estimate, his own Law Comprehension was about on par with theirs. It seemed these two would be formidable rivals.
As they drank, Huang Wuye and the other three listened to rumors coming from every direction.
Tales of one genius after another reached their ears, serving as entertainment. There were truly so many outstanding young talents here.
Every genius who had made it here was extraordinary, each with their own special qualities. Still, only a few young men could truly stir their interest and catch their attention.
Time passed in the blink of an eye. More and more Universe Level geniuses arrived, found places to gather, and chatted excitedly, letting their youthful spirits run wild.
At last, personnel from every Universe Country had arrived. Under the guidance of the Virtual Universe Company's staff, all the contestants gathered in a vast plaza.
There were 1,008 Universe Countries, each with a thousand contestants. Over a million people stood packed together, not making a sound.
Space suddenly rippled, and a towering divine figure appeared. An overwhelming pressure poured from him.
The man stood a thousand zhang tall, with scales covering his arms. He was unmistakably a Universe Venerable.
"You may call me Venerable Nanke. I will oversee the finals of this year's Universe-Level Warrior Tournament.
"You are the strongest Universe Level fighters from 1,008 Universe Countries. I will say this only once.
"We will accept only a thousand of you: the top thousand.
"You have only one chance. You are not Star Level children. Every one of you should have experienced blood and fire."
He paused, then continued:
"Next, I will announce the format of this trial."
He beckoned, and a miniature, multi-layered plane appeared in the air.
"This is a world formed from multiple overlapping planes. Shortly, I will release tens of thousands of races into it, including the Monster Race, the Machine Race, and the Zerg.
"They will range from Universe Level Nine to World Lord Level Nine. Each Universe Level Nine opponent is worth one point, Domain Lord Level One is worth ten, Domain Lord Level Two is worth twenty...
"World Lord Level One is worth a thousand points, and so on.
"You may choose your weapons and armor freely. Each of you will be sent separately into one of the planes. Your opponents will be the countless members of the Alien Race within.
"Your final ranking will be based on your points when you die in battle.
"So go and slaughter them! Show us everything you've got, without holding back!
"You have only one chance!"
As Venerable Nanke's final words rang out, all the Universe Level geniuses erupted into excitement.
Huang Wuye was surprised, too. This was somewhat different from the trial he knew.
It seemed Venerable Nanke was rather fond of violence. After all, most of the geniuses selected in this batch would eventually become his subordinates, and he was the one who decided how they would be tested.
This trial showed that Venerable Nanke was no stay-at-home. But that had nothing to do with the four of them.
In fact, this approach suited him even better. After all, he had fought these strange creatures far more often than he had fought people.
He had battled them countless times in the Slaughter Space.
As Huang Wuye's thoughts wandered, one genius after another entered the teleportation passage and stepped into the Multi-Trial Plane.
The finals of the Universe-Level Warrior Tournament, which had drawn so many people, were nearing their end.
The winner would soon be revealed, and countless people eagerly awaited the answer to who would become the star of this grand event.
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