At the summit of Central God Mountain.
After defeating Lothar's projection, Lin Yi didn't look as triumphant and haughty as the outside world imagined he would.
He simply stood where he was, feeling the power of the rules within him slowly settle and the blood stirred by the intense battle gradually cool.
The astronomical figure on the leaderboard had stopped changing.
51100 million.
First place.
He had done it.
But the expected joy and excitement never came.
Instead, he felt a long-familiar weariness, followed by a sense of emptiness.
Eight hundred years in hiding. Eight hundred years of arduous cultivation. Eight hundred years of patience.
Everything had led to this battle, to this moment when he announced to the Star Sea, "I'm here."
And now, the moment had passed.
The goal was achieved.
What came next?
Lin Yi gave a slight shake of his head, casting off those inexplicable thoughts.
It wasn't time to think about what came next. The Genius Tournament had only just begun. There were Secret Realms, team leaders, and conflicts between races. There was still so much to do.
But at least for this moment, here on the summit of God Mountain, during the time before the competition ended, he could stop for a while.
Lin Yi looked around.
Clouds churned below him. In the distance, the other contestants' lights flitted across the vast continent like fireflies, chasing and fighting one another.
But none of it had anything to do with him anymore.
Besides, he doubted any contestant would be foolish enough to come over and get themselves killed.
Lin Yi walked to a huge, wind-smoothed boulder at the edge of the platform and leaned back against it.
He settled into a reasonably comfortable position, stretched out his legs, placed his hands behind his head, and