On the other side, Huang Wuye stepped through the portal and found himself in a vast plane.
The plane was arranged in tiers, each one smaller than the one below it. At a glance, there seemed to be more than twenty levels.
Huang Wuye was on the very bottom level, which covered the largest area.
He stepped across the dark brown earth and sensed the oppressive air. Huang Wuye furrowed his brow.
"Looks like I'd better get this over with quickly. Staying here for three whole years would be the death of me."
The environment wasn't exactly pleasant. It didn't affect him much, but it was still uncomfortable.
Huang Wuye decided to put in more effort and finish the trial quickly, abandoning his original plan to stay for the full three years.
As he searched for prey, a rough roar sounded from above, and his eyes lit up.
Before long, a demon wolf covered in scales appeared before him. Then a second, a third...
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of giant scale-covered wolves surrounded him completely.
The information on the demon wolves flashed through his mind. They belonged to a fairly well-known demon race called the Golden Shield Wolf Clan.
The Golden Shield Wolf Clan had a unique racial talent: they could raise a row of golden shields for defense. Their defenses were exceptionally strong, making them nearly unbeatable among their peers, which had earned them quite a reputation.
But the one facing the Golden Shield Wolf Clan now was Huang Wuye. They might be impressive among their peers, but only by ordinary standards.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Huang Wuye barely moved the spear in his hand before hundreds of spear rays shot forth.
Each ray was as thin as a finger. Before the Golden Shield Wolf Clan could react, they pierced through the raised golden shields and left a narrow hole in each wolf's forehead.
Huang Wuye never broke stride. With a slight movement, he had already vanished from where he stood, leaving hundreds of corpses drifting through the silent space, their wounds glowing faintly red.
He raised a hand and summoned his points panel. Hundreds of points had already been added, putting him in third place.
"Hmm, looks like someone got ahead of me. I can't afford to fall behind!"
Huang Wuye studied the rankings, a little surprised. It seemed the others had some skill, too. Still, he didn't take it to heart. The game had only just begun.
He moved with a single step, crossing hundreds or even thousands of miles. At that speed, it wouldn't take long to explore the entire first level.
Along the way, he encountered all kinds of strange creatures: demons, mechanical lifeforms, and swarms of insects.
But none could withstand his spear. Even these ninth-level Universe-Level creatures were no match for a single strike from Huang Wuye.
The creatures on this first level were nothing special to most of the Universe-Level geniuses. They could all deal with them, given enough effort.
After all, there were no exceptionally powerful members of special races here. Still, some geniuses had no way to deal with creatures that fought in packs.
One after another, contestants were eliminated. The gap between geniuses was enormous, and those who were eliminated could only leave in dejection.
More than a month passed in the blink of an eye. Huang Wuye, caught up in the slaughter, hadn't noticed the passage of time. He only came to his senses after every last prey on the first level had been hunted down.
Huang Wuye didn't linger. He headed straight for the second level. As soon as he arrived, he frowned. The gravity here was twice as strong as on the first level.
If that were all, it wouldn't be a problem. But if the next dozen or so levels were the same, things would get difficult.
The increased gravity would greatly affect combat. Fighting would take more stamina and consume more energy, naturally slowing the pace of the slaughter.
Outside, Venerable Nanke frowned. A little fellow had already reached the second level. That was pretty quick; his comprehension of space laws must be decent.
But the little fellow had probably felt the surprise I'd prepared for them by now! A smile curled his lips as he turned his gaze toward him.
In the Immortal area, countless Immortals were discussing the geniuses they favored and comparing them with one another.
Marquis Fire Spirit looked especially pleased. A faint smile lifted his lips, and he was clearly in high spirits.
"Wumeng, you'd better get the good wine ready. I can hardly wait. You're not going to try to fob me off with some cheap stuff, are you?"
"Hmph! It's only one dinner. I can afford it. Don't get too smug—you're not getting out of this, either."
Marquis Wu Meng, a Manka Star Person, was in a foul mood. He'd miscalculated, and there was no helping it. This little fellow named Huang Wuye was far too capable. He was even more outrageous than those few who'd been famous for a long time.
Judging by his hair color, could he be one of the freaks from the Desolate God Clan itself? That was something you didn't see every day.
As time passed, the Universe-Level Warrior Tournament finals gradually took shape.
Several geniuses made a deep impression on the Immortals watching.
They were Wu Tu and the young woman Wu Yu, both from Manka Planet in the Wild Savage Universe Kingdom; Gasotu, the Phantom Demon of the Howling God Clan, from the Pengu Universe Kingdom; Yu Lan, the God of Slaughter, from the Tian Chen Universe Country; Blade Thirteen, the Blade Maniac, from the Night Fiend Universe Country; Emma of the Mengluo Wing Race; Ye Wuhen, the Light Speaker, from the Meteor Universe Kingdom; Huang Hu, the Wine Maniac; Huang Xue, the Water Immortal; and Huang Wuye, the Phantom Spear.
These ten geniuses held the top ten spots on the finals leaderboard by an overwhelming margin, with a huge gap between them and the contestant in eleventh place.
Nearly three years passed in the blink of an eye. The ten geniuses had become household names across the 1,008 Universe Countries, more famous than any celebrity.
In a world where strength reigned supreme, geniuses were the brightest stars.
At that moment, Huang Wuye was on the twelfth level of the Trial Space. This level lay at the very center of the space. It wasn't large, spanning only a million miles.
Huang Wuye's white robe was spotless. Before him stood a gigantic beast. Its four thick limbs were covered in scales, and a golden horn pointed straight toward the sky. Scales covered its entire body, and its twin wings seemed to split the heavens, leaving cracks in the air as it flew. Its teeth were sharp, its body enormous—like a small mountain range.
It was a Golden Horned Beast, and a ninth-level Domain Lord, at that.
The scales covering its body were shattered, and round wounds, like nails driven into its flesh, pocked its body.
Its aura erupted as attack after attack shot toward Huang Wuye. But with the slightest shift of his feet, he dodged them all.
Only the enormous scars in the ground showed how perilous the fight had been. Huang Wuye looked at the massive creature and tightened his grip on his spear.
He used the Horizon at Hand secret art, appearing instantly in front of the Golden Horned Beast. Then he unleashed Prairie Fire—Endless Life, striking the beast's enormous body.
The Golden Horned Beast's massive body shuddered. Huang Wuye drifted slowly down from the air. Behind him, the beast's body broke apart, then turned into sparks that rose toward the sky like stars on a dark night, becoming a bed for the world's falling stars.
"Attention, contestants. The Universe-Level Warrior Tournament has now concluded. Please exit the Trial Space in an orderly fashion."
A voice sounded in Huang Wuye's ear.
Before you continue