Ranking

Outside World No. 1, aboard a luxurious spaceship, a group of young men who were clearly from powerful factions drank fine wine and ate delicacies as they watched the competition.

Most of these noble young masters were core descendants of immortal factions, and their leader was even a member of the Purple Chen Universe Nation's imperial family.

"Haha, first place belongs to someone from a star region directly under our Purple Chen Universe Nation." A gorgeously dressed man raised his wine cup and laughed loudly.

"Of course, of course. Your Highness, your universe nation has countless geniuses. Taking first place is only natural." A man wearing unusual ornaments replied with a smile.

"Guka, your family is doing quite well. Three of your people made it into the top thousand, and one is even in the top hundred." The lavishly dressed imperial descendant looked toward a young man, his tone approving.

"Thank you for the praise, Your Highness. How could our family compare to a universe nation?" Guka hurriedly answered modestly, though inwardly, he was secretly pleased.

On another luxurious spaceship in World No. 1.

More than ten Immortal gods sat here, watching the battle while chatting about some of the universe nation's current major events.

"Myriad Blades Marquis, how much longer will the Yunyan Secret Realm remain open?" An Immortal military lord seated at the end asked the marquis-level Immortal in the main seat about the Yunyan Secret Realm.

"As far as I know, the Universe Mercenary Alliance has already begun taking over. It will probably remain open to the public for around two more eras. Anyone who wants to go should hurry." Myriad Blades Marquis answered from the main seat.

"We truly have the Nation Lord to thank for clearing out the dangerous creatures inside and allowing us to explore a low-risk secret realm like the Yunyan Secret Realm." A marquis-level Immortal seated below sighed.

"Exactly. The Nation Lord is truly kind-hearted. So many World Lords made fortunes in the Yunyan Secret Realm. I only went three times, yet it was enough for me to trade for a full set of equipment." Another marquis-level Immortal chimed in.

"Silver Wing Marquis, your family has done well this time. The youngster from your family in World No. 89 is actually in first place now." After glancing at the message he had just received, Myriad Blades Marquis spoke to the winged Immortal god seated to his right.

At that moment, Silver Wing Marquis was also reading the message sent by his subordinates. His face was full of gratification as he replied, "I just received the news as well. Mu Ji truly is impressive. Our family has finally produced a genius this time."

World District No. 66. Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhou Yuan continued to wander the world at will.

As time passed, the strength of the alien races doubled each day. The aliens were now equivalent to sixteen times the strength of an ordinary peak ninth-stage Universe Level warrior, yet they still could not withstand a single blow from Zhou Yuan.

During that time, Zhou Yuan also encountered quite a few contestants hunting alien races.

Most of the time, he chose to ignore them and simply swept past. Yet there were always some fools who either wanted to steal his points or test his strength, and they repeatedly challenged him.

Zhou Yuan never showed mercy to such people. With a casual slash, there were only a handful among all the contestants he had encountered who could block his blade and survive.

Gradually, the title "God of Blades" spread throughout World No. 66. Whenever Zhou Yuan was mentioned, the contestants showed expressions of awe. No one dared provoke him lightly.

After five days, Zhou Yuan's points had reached 706821, and his ranking had risen to sixth place.

At this point, only 38431 people remained in World No. 66, with the elimination rate exceeding 95%.

More and more contestants began forming teams, coordinating with one another to hunt alien races and avoid being surrounded.

Naturally, sufficiently confident experts had no need to form teams. After all, for true experts, the speed at which they earned points depended on how quickly they encountered alien races.

With his overwhelming strength, Zhou Yuan naturally would not join a team. Alone with a single blade, he swept through everything in his path.

"Have you gathered the information on this Zhou Yuan from World No. 66?" On a luxurious spaceship in World District No. 1, Illusory Dream Marquis, who was responsible for gathering intelligence for the Purple Chen Universe Nation, asked the World Lord below him. "The Earth Origin Law he has displayed so far has already been comprehended to a deep level. He has a chance of reaching the finals."

"My lord, Zhou Yuan was born on Soka Star in the Gulf Stream Galaxy, directly under our universe nation. During the previous Genius Battle, he was only Planet Level. He comprehended a domain at Stellar Level, then broke through to Universe Level. Records show that after becoming Universe Level, he entered the Yunyan Secret Realm.

"After leaving the secret realm, he lived on Nanyun Star for a time. The records list him as a fifth-stage Domain Lord, and he had already reached the level of gaining recognition from the Earth Origin Law." A World Lord level expert bowed before Dream Fantasy Marquis as he answered.

"Afterward, he entered the Yunyan Secret Realm again, but there is no record of him coming out. Before he entered the Yunyan Secret Realm afterward, it had already been taken over by the Universe Mercenary Alliance. Permission is required to retrieve data from the Universe Mercenary Alliance."

"There's no need. Retrieving data is not within the same system; it would require the Nation Lord's approval. The Virtual Universe would not make a mistake. He must be Universe Level. The aura of a fifth-stage Domain Lord was probably concealed with a treasure." Dream Fantasy Marquis waved his hand, a trace of admiration flashing through his eyes. "To gain recognition from the Earth Origin Law at Universe Level—he is absolutely a genius. List him as a seeded contestant and keep a close eye on him!"

"And keep an eye on this Wu Di from World No. 37 as well." Dream Fantasy Marquis pointed at the contestant ranked second in World No. 37 in the intelligence report.

Zhou Yuan did not know that he had already been listed as a key target of attention by the Purple Chen Universe Nation. At this moment, he was still immersed in the rhythm of hunting alien races, his figure darting through the ruined world like a hunting hawk as he searched for his next prey.

He pushed off the ground and soared into the air, easily clearing a towering mountain range. Ahead, a large number of alien races had suddenly appeared, besieging a team of more than a hundred people.

Excitement flashed through Zhou Yuan's eyes as he gripped the Breaking Mountain Blade in his hand.

"Perfect. I'll take care of all of you at once!" Before his words had even faded, Zhou Yuan had already shot into the alien horde below the mountain like lightning.

"Whoosh—" Zhou Yuan fiercely swung the Breaking Mountain Blade. A yellowish-brown blade aura dozens of meters long instantly erupted, sweeping across the battlefield like a raging tide.

More than a dozen Demon Bull Monsters charging at the front did not even have time to scream before the blade aura cleaved them in two, scattering black blood across the ground.

Immediately afterward, Zhou Yuan turned his wrist. The Breaking Mountain Blade whirled like a windmill, endlessly unleashing countless flashes of blade light that spread in every direction.

The blade auras crisscrossed the battlefield. Every one of them contained the power of the Earth Origin Law. When they struck the alien races, they either split them directly in half or shattered their bones and sinews.

Zhou Yuan's figure weaved through the alien horde, evading every attack from the Demon Bull Monsters. Every slash he made was incomparably precise, nearly every strike fatal.

In less than a minute, tens of thousands of alien races had all fallen into pools of blood. The once-noisy battlefield instantly turned deathly silent, leaving only the thick stench of blood hanging in the air.

Of the more than one hundred contestants who had been trapped, only a dozen or so remained. Covered in wounds and dressed in tattered clothes, they stood rooted to the spot in lingering shock. Looking at Zhou Yuan, who seemed like an asura before them, their eyes were filled with awe and fear.