Chapter Summaries

Zhou Hao told Hong, Thor, and Luo Feng that the Universe Peak Genius Battle would take place in a little over three years, prompting them to prepare for the competition. After Babata warned them about the immense strength of their rivals, the four committed to a punishing training schedule.

• Zhou Hao declined Man Luo's offer to become an internal member of the Virtual Universe Company so he could focus on the upcoming Genius Battle, and Man Luo offered to help him if needed.
• Zhou Hao explained that the Genius Battle was a universe-wide contest for Stellar-level geniuses, and that the Virtual Universe Company would hold it in a little over three years.
• Thor, Hong, and Luo Feng grew eager to compete, but Babata warned that Thor and Luo Feng were unlikely to rank highly in the Qianwu Universe Country while Zhou Hao might reach the top thousand.
• Zhou Hao encouraged his brothers not to be discouraged, and Hong and Thor reaffirmed their determination to compete while Luo Feng resolved to prove himself.
• Zhou Hao, Hong, Thor, and Luo Feng began an intense training period, practicing in the Killing Arena by day and reviewing their progress at night while setting aside an hour to absorb Wood Essence Crystals.

Zhou Hao and his brothers discussed whether to take the Novice Universe Mercenary Assessment and decided they could balance adventuring with cultivation. Zhou Hao then attended the Qian Wu Auction with Babata, where the auction host began the warm-up round.

• Hong and Thor worried about delaying their cultivation before the Genius Battle, while Babata argued that life-and-death adventures would help them improve.
• Zhou Hao proposed bringing Stellar level guards on the assessment and told the group he would attend the Qian Wu Auction.
• Babata agreed to accompany Zhou Hao and help identify valuable auction items.
• Zhou Hao traveled to the auction in Ganwu Continent, waited in line, and received seat Hnd76355.
• Barto appeared before the gathered attendees and announced the auction's warm-up round.

Zhou Hao attended a major auction, bought cultivation materials, and secured an Imperial God Weapon that suited his abilities. He passed on a later Life Fruit to save money in case a genetic clone appeared among the remaining items.

• Old Barto auctioned a newly discovered life planet from a cosmic secret realm for 1,500 Chaos Units to guest 2766.
• Babata recommended Lanke Fruit and Cosmic Life Leaves, and Zhou Hao bought both for his Cloud-Soaring Vine and cultivation.
• Zhou Hao ignored Babata's suggestions to buy other costly items and saved his funds for an Imperial God Weapon.
• After other bidders stopped at 2.871 trillion Cosmic Coins, Zhou Hao bid 2.9 trillion and won an Imperial God Weapon.
• Zhou Hao paid the auction fees and arranged delivery, then chose not to bid on Life Fruit so he could save money for a possible genetic clone.

After returning from the Qian Wu Auction, Zhou Hao told Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor about his purchases and the treasures he had seen. At the Gurun Nation Auction, his Iceberg Giant Beast clone found a Qian Yuan Ancestral Tree sapling section he could use to nurture a clone, but bidding continued to rise.

• Zhou Hao returned to Nine Star Bay after spending much of his money at the Qian Wu Auction.
• Babata told Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor that Zhou Hao had bought Lanke Fruit and Cosmic Life Leaves, and Zhou Hao explained their uses.
• Se Lie waited through the early stages of the Gurun Nation Auction without buying anything.
• The auction sold a drop of Kras Ancient Tree life essence for twelve thousand Chaos Units and then presented a rare cosmic treasure.
• The host introduced a dead section of a Qian Yuan Ancestral Tree sapling, and Zhou Hao realized it could become the first clone he could nurture.
• Bidding for the sapling section climbed past six trillion Cosmic Coins as Zhou Hao hoped the price would stop rising.

After winning a Qian Yuan Ancestral Tree sapling and receiving supplies for his friends, Zhou Hao prepared for the novice mercenary assessment while beginning to nurture the Imperial God Weapon. He and Hong, Luo Feng, and Thor registered as adventurers on Qiu Long Star and applied for the assessment.

• Zhou Hao won the Qian Yuan Ancestral Tree sapling for 9.2 trillion Cosmic Coins and arranged its slow, inexpensive shipment to the Qianwu Universe Country.
• Zhou Hao returned to Earth with Lanke Fruits and Cosmic Life Leaves, then distributed them among himself, Hong, Luo Feng, and Thor for their Cloud-Soaring Vines.
• Hong, Luo Feng, and Thor told Zhou Hao they planned to register for the novice mercenary assessment, and Babata warned Zhou Hao not to reach the Universe Level before the Peak Genius Battle.
• Zhou Hao examined the Imperial God Weapon, learned its seven layers, and began spiritually nurturing it so it would acknowledge him as its master.
• Zhou Hao traveled with Hong, Luo Feng, and Thor to Qiu Long Star, where they registered as adventurers and applied for the novice mercenary assessment.

Zhou Hao and his companions entered the Thunder World for their trainee mercenary assessment, where Zhou Hao demonstrated the overwhelming strength of a Law genius and collected the required Unicorn Iron Rhino horns. After reaching the World within a World and checking in, he received a trove of valuable rewards, leaving him ready to claim even more of Kabu World Lord’s hidden treasures.

• Zhou Hao, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor reviewed the assessment mission, traveled to Canglan Star, and entered the Thunder World with their guards.
• The group waited near Demon Moon Lake, where Zhou Hao killed a herd of more than fifty Unicorn Iron Rhinos after the Ninth Prince’s team handed over the horns and fled.
• Zhou Hao’s group collected the horns and traveled to Wind Thunder Canyon, where they safely gathered Wind Corner Stones from a cave as the canyon’s dangerous winds swept them up.
• A World within a World appeared, and Zhou Hao’s group entered it as powerful organizations and experts learned of the discovery.
• Zhou Hao checked in upon entering the World within a World and received a complete Space Secret Method inheritance, 200 Chaos Units, a Domain Lord Level Bloodline Potion, a D9 Mechanical Race Battle Suit, and other rewards.

Zhou Hao’s team joined Three Axe Mountain and began exchanging Thunder Stones for the Kabu World Lord’s treasures, while their Cloud-Soaring Vines grew stronger. When a thousand-man force sent by Ninth Prince Broly pursued them, Zhou Hao stayed behind and unleashed the Imperial God Weapon, killing them all.

• After mining 165,000 cubic meters of Cosmic Crystals, Zhou Hao asked Man Luo for support, and Man Luo arranged for the group to lead Three Axe Mountain’s forces.
• Zhou Hao’s team joined Three Axe Mountain, learned that treasures could be exchanged for Thunder Stones, and began mining and trading with the aid of Luo Feng’s detection device.
• Luo Feng and Hong exchanged for Life Fruits, raising all three of their Cloud-Soaring Vines to the Universe Level as the team accumulated more treasures.
• Ninth Prince Broly ordered Katuo to send a thousand cultivators to rob Zhou Hao’s team after they repeatedly visited the castle.
• When the thousand-man force caught up with them, Zhou Hao told the others to flee into the mountains and stayed behind with the Imperial God Weapon.
• Zhou Hao unleashed Silk Rain, and the Imperial God Weapon killed the thousand pursuing Stellar level ninth order warriors.

Zhou Hao used the Imperial God Weapon to annihilate over a thousand Stellar level guards, then joined Hong, Thor, and Luo Feng in raiding teams and collecting Thunder Stones. After the group exchanged their gains and sold the treasures, Zhou Hao’s Qian Yuan Ancestral Tree clone was born, revealing its powerful innate talents.

• Zhou Hao used the Imperial God Weapon’s first level to kill more than a thousand Stellar level ninth order experts, shocking his companions and Babata.
• Zhou Hao and his companions planned raids, while Ninth Prince Broly ordered his teams to grow larger and avoid pursuing the attackers.
• Over the following month and a half, Zhou Hao’s group raided increasingly large forces and gathered 13.28 million Thunder Stones, which they exchanged for twenty-seven treasures.
• Zhou Hao’s group sold their treasures for fifty-six Chaos Units and divided the proceeds before the World within a World ended.
• Two and a half years later, Zhou Hao’s Qian Yuan Ancestral Tree clone was born, displaying the innate talents Withered Wood Rejuvenation, Wild Growth, and Clone Technique.

After nurturing his Qian Yuan Ancestral Tree clone, Zhou Hao planned a less grueling cultivation schedule and reunited with Hong, Thor, and Luo Feng. On Lantern Festival, he practiced alone in a snowy Wilderness Zone and broke through to Ninefold Waves, the second level of the secret technique Thousand Waves.

• Zhou Hao relaxed on the castle rooftop and planned to divide his cultivation between his human identity, Iceberg Giant Beast, and Qian Yuan Ancestral Tree clone.
• Hong, Thor, and Luo Feng joined Zhou Hao for drinks, discussed their cultivation and the coming Genius Battle, and persuaded him to attend the Qian Wu Auction.
• At the auction, Zhou Hao obtained the Moshazhu Clan's incomplete skin through a check-in reward but decided to wait before choosing his next clone.
• On Lantern Festival, Zhou Hao stayed with his family before going alone to a Wilderness Zone and practicing saber techniques in the falling snow.
• Zhou Hao's snowbound epiphany let him break through to Ninefold Waves in the Time Origin Law secret technique Thousand Waves.

Zhou Hao sparred with Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor in the Virtual Universe Killing Arena, revealing how vast the gap between their strengths remained. After they returned to the main hall, the Universe Human Peak Genius Battle was announced, and all four looked forward to competing.

• Zhou Hao invited Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor to spar with him in the Killing Arena after they described their recent training.
• Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor attacked Zhou Hao together, but he defeated them using his Flame Domain and Heaven-Piercing Shuttle.
• Zhou Hao told them he had used less than half a percent of his strength and praised their progress, especially Luo Feng's Illusory Sword Form.
• The four heard that the Peak Genius Battle had begun accepting registrations and saw its proclamation appear across Black Dragon Mountain Island.
• Zhou Hao, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor felt eager to compete in the once-in-ten-thousand-years battle.

Zhou Hao and his companions registered for the Universe Peak Genius Battle and learned how the Ganwu Universe Nation selection would work. When the battle began, Zhou Hao and Thor discovered they had both been assigned to World Zone 88.

• Zhou Hao, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor registered for the Peak Genius Battle after learning its rewards and selection rules.
• The four received notice that more than 800 billion Ganwu Universe Nation contestants would compete for 1,000 places in the peak finals.
• Zhou Hao reflected on his mastery of the Space and Time Origin Laws and anticipated that his two split souls might meet in the competition.
• On Shuiquan Star, Zhou Hao's Iceberg Giant Beast split soul told Ban Xiao and the others that he aimed for the top 1,000 in the Ancient Wheel Universe Country.
• The Ganwu Nation Lord ordered his geniuses to claim at least half of the selection battle's 100,000 advancement slots.
• The selection battle began on May 16, 2066; Hong entered World Zone 72, Luo Feng entered Zone 1, and Zhou Hao and Thor entered Zone 88.

Zhou Hao entered World District 88 and began sweeping through its participants, quickly earning points while demonstrating overwhelming strength. By the second night, teams from several skyscrapers attacked him together, and he annihilated more than a hundred participants in an instant.

• Zhou Hao and his three companions were teleported to their assigned world districts after checking their equipment.
• Zhou Hao killed participants throughout his skyscraper and the surrounding streets, earning 31,872 points and rank 47,903 on the first day.
• Zhou Hao guarded a street plaza on the second day and eliminated teams that tried to leave the nearby buildings.
• More than a hundred participants charged Zhou Hao together at night, but his Peacock Spreading Feathers pierced them all as the Ganwu Royal Family faction's team watched in shock.

Zhou Hao climbed the World Zone 88 rankings by slaughtering contestants in City 7, then met Savage Rong Jun just before the preliminary round ended. The two super experts challenged each other, leaving their fight about to begin.

• Zhou Hao wiped out teams hiding in five high-rises and continued raising his points, drawing attention from contestants and factions across the Qianwu Universe Country.
• On the twelfth day, Zhou Hao had reached rank 231 and waited in City 7 for stronger contestants to challenge him.
• On the seventeenth day, Zhou Hao killed Thunderous Saber Xue Ya with his Flame Golden Rain and began hunting the experts who had gathered points in City 7.
• Zhou Hao rose into the top fifty by the twenty-fifth day, while Savage Rong Jun hunted powerful contestants in other cities and killed Thor.
• On the twenty-eighth day, Zhou Hao encountered Savage Rong Jun in City 7, and the two declared they would fight.

Zhou Hao defeated and killed Savage Rong Jun with the Imperial God Weapon, finishing the preliminaries ranked third in his world zone. After reuniting with Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor and receiving the Milky Way Galaxy from the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, Zhou Hao prepared for the arena tournament as it began on July 16.

• Zhou Hao used the Imperial God Weapon’s first form, Silk Rain, to overwhelm Savage Rong Jun, who died after acknowledging his defeat.
• Zhou Hao reached third place in the points rankings, shocking factions across Ganwu Nation and delighting the Black Dragon Mountain Empire’s officials.
• The preliminaries ended, and Zhou Hao, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor reunited with their families; Thor said Savage Rong Jun had eliminated him.
• During the month of rest, the Black Dragon Mountain Empire granted Zhou Hao the Milky Way Galaxy and provided information about competitors from the other World Districts.
• Zhou Hao, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor reviewed competitor videos, and the arena tournament officially began on July 16.

Zhou Hao, Luo Feng, and Hong competed in the arena matches, where Hong was eliminated and Zhou Hao and Luo Feng dominated their groups. In the Ancient Wheel Universe Country’s Group 178 battle, Zhou Hao’s soul clone revealed overwhelming Space Origin Law comprehension, stunning spectators and powerful onlookers.

• Hong survived until fifteen competitors remained but was killed by a stronger opponent, while Zhou Hao and Luo Feng crushed their opponents in their own free-for-all matches.
• Ban Xiao was eliminated early in his free-for-all arena battle.
• Five Ancient Wheel Nation royal geniuses surrounded Zhou Hao’s soul clone, Se Lie, at the start of Group 178’s battle.
• Zhou Hao unleashed more than a thousand afterimages and used Star River to kill the five attackers, shocking the other competitors and spectators.
• The Ice Star Empire’s citizens and spectators across the arena erupted in cheers, while Ancient Wheel Universe Country’s immortal powerhouses declared Zhou Hao a peerless genius.

After his arena victories, Zhou Hao urged Zhou Ying'er to leave Earth and explore the universe, equipping her with extensive resources and protection. Four years later, with the Peak Showdown Battle approaching, Zhou Hao reunited with Luo Feng and Thor and headed to the Virtual Universe to meet Hong.

• Zhou Hao's clone soul defeated his opponents in the Gurun Nation arena, while Luo Feng lost to Savage Rong Jun in the Qianwu Universe Country finals.
• After returning to Earth, Zhou Hao encouraged Zhou Ying'er to explore the universe, and she departed with Shen Hong, Zhang Yi, and Li Min, protected by resources, guards, and a sapling clone.
• Four years passed, and Zhou Hao watched Hope Martial Hall students undergo combat assessments before Luo Feng joined him and discussed their progress.
• Thor arrived and invited Zhou Hao and Luo Feng to drink in the Virtual Universe, where Hong was waiting.

Zhou Hao and Luo Feng joined the gathered geniuses for the next stage of the competition, while the Immortals discussed the exceptional contestants and learned that Zhou Hao wielded the Imperial God Weapon. The plaza fell silent when two striking contestants arrived, leaving their identities and the coming confrontations unresolved.

• Zhou Hao, Luo Feng, and Rong Jun gathered with the Qianwu Universe Country geniuses and met Lord Thirteen, who urged Zhou Hao and Rong Jun to do their best.
• Lord Thirteen led the thousand Qianwu geniuses to Tower 0825 on the plane where the contestants would reside.
• At Restaurant No. 1, Lord Thirteen told the Immortals that Zhou Hao had defeated Rong Jun and controlled the Imperial God Weapon, shocking them.
• In the central plaza, Rong Jun revealed Zhou Hao's weapon to Feng Lun, who compared it with Luo Feng's Yan Shen Soldier.
• A white-clothed youth carrying a blood-red sword and a handsome man carrying a blue battle saber entered the plaza, silencing the gathered geniuses.

Zhou Hao was named as Demon Lord Se Lie’s rival, then entered the Trial Space and raced through the first six Trial Towers faster than any other contestant. He began the seventh tower with a commanding lead in points while most geniuses were still in the first tower.

• Se Lie declared Zhou Hao his opponent in the finals, astonishing the other geniuses, while Bolan left without challenging him further.
• Luo Feng asked whether Se Lie knew Zhou Hao’s strength, and Zhou Hao speculated that a video of his preliminary battle with Rong Jun had reached him.
• Nine Swords Venerable summoned the contestants and explained that the top 100 in Trial Space points would enter the Virtual Universe Company’s core directly, while lower-ranked contestants faced further selection or elimination.
• Zhou Hao entered the Trial Towers and cleared the first five in minutes, using his Imperial God Weapon to destroy each floor’s enemies.
• Zhou Hao cleared the sixth tower in nearly six hours, including a prolonged battle against its seventh-floor Zerg Mother Nest, while Bolan and Se Lie had only reached the fourth tower.
• Zhou Hao entered the seventh tower as the other contestants saw him ranked first with 77-7777-0000 points.

Zhou Hao used the Imperial God Weapon’s second stage to clear the first floor of the seventh Trial Tower in five seconds, astonishing the geniuses and Immortals watching the Genius Battle. He easily passed the next five floors and arrived at the seventh floor, where the Insectoid Empress awaited.

• Wuka and Ai Chen checked the leaderboard and were stunned by Zhou Hao’s leading score, while other peerless geniuses reacted to his rapid progress through six Trial Towers.
• The Immortals watching Zhou Hao saw him clear the sixth Trial Tower and turn toward the seventh, breaking the previous tower-clearing speed record.
• Zhou Hao faced ten thousand Blood Fur Mammoths on the first floor of the seventh Trial Tower and unleashed the Imperial God Weapon’s second stage, killing them in one second.
• The Immortals and representatives of the five giants reacted in shock as Zhou Hao cleared the first floor in five seconds and then quickly passed the next five floors.
• Zhou Hao reached the seventh floor of the seventh Trial Tower, where he stood in the vast desert.

Zhou Hao faced the Insectoid Empress on the seventh floor of the seventh Trial Tower and survived its combined attacks long enough to kill it. He became the first Stellar-level genius in the human universe to clear every Trial Tower, and the Qianwu Universe Country granted the Milky Way Galaxy to him as a permanent fief.

• The Insectoid Empress sent nine thousand Green Mantises and one hundred Blood Mantises against Zhou Hao, whose Imperial God Weapon blades were disrupted by their soul and collective law attacks.
• Zhou Hao used the Imperial God Weapon Third Stage, forming an Arc Disk that absorbed the Green Mantises' golden pillar of light, though the impact nearly shattered him.
• As the Blood Mantises attacked again, Zhou Hao used the Arc Disk to destroy the Insectoid Empress before he died.
• Zhou Hao appeared in the central plaza, where Lord Thirteen congratulated him for clearing all seven Trial Towers and announced that the Milky Way Galaxy would become his permanent fief.
• Lord Thirteen advised Zhou Hao to wait until after the Genius Battle to choose among potential mentors, while the gathered immortals erupted in discussion.