Keeping a low profile starts with taking first place in the zone

"Third Brother, you saw that announcement, right? It's the Genius Battle!" Lei and Hong had learned about the Genius Battle from Chen Ao long ago and had been looking forward to it ever since.

Now that the Genius Battle had finally arrived, how could they not be excited?

"First Brother, Second Brother, let's show the whole universe what the three of us can do!"

Luo Feng and his two sworn brothers were brimming with fighting spirit. Spurred on by Chen Ao, these three men who refused to lose had trained even harder over the past two years. They were far stronger than they had been in the original story.

That was especially true of Luo Feng. Having obtained the Nine Tribulations Secret Manual ahead of time, his aptitude had tripled, making his current strength even more outrageous.

In the original story, Luo Feng had struggled to use even the Yan Shen Armament's first level, the Phantom Sword Style, at this point. Now, however, he could just barely use the second style, the Sky Piercing Style.

Chen Ao was delighted to see Luo Feng's strength improve. In fact, he had actively helped Luo Feng grow stronger.

The stronger Luo Feng became, the happier Chen Ao was.

Luo Feng is a monster, while I'm just a minor talent. Everyone, go pay attention to Luo Feng. If any aliens want to assassinate someone, go after him too. He's the father of the universe, after all. I'm just a little guy with a cheat. I can't handle all those ordeals.

Luo Feng had come to see him twice during that time, and Chen Ao had easily defeated him on both occasions, while also giving him a few pointers on his understanding of Space Law.

Perhaps Luo Feng could cross the threshold of Space Law ahead of schedule even without the Mosha Clan.

That made Luo Feng all the more grateful to Chen Ao.

"Senior, will you be participating in this Genius Battle?" Luo Feng asked.

"Brother, come see the universe's geniuses with us!" Hong urged him as well.

Chen Ao looked at the three of them. "I signed up ages ago!"

Uh!

The three were speechless.

But something was off. Given Chen Ao's usual approach, shouldn't he have been lying low on Earth?

Little did they know that Chen Ao didn't like hiding away at all.

But the universe was too dangerous.

It wasn't Earth, where he could rise to the top just by killing monsters and leveling up.

He had no choice.

At the very least, if he had faced the things Luo Feng had encountered, they would have been enough to kill him ten times over.

"Really? Brother, you really signed up? Which zone were you assigned to?"

Lei quickly searched for him, but couldn't find any information on Chen Ao.

"Brother, there's no information on you!"

"I registered somewhere else and used a different name!" Chen Ao said. Using his real name would still have been a little dangerous.

Although this world didn't have any curses to speak of, it was better to play it safe.

It would also keep him from stealing Luo Feng's thunder. He just wanted to join the Virtual Universe Company quietly, then either become a powerful expert or die of old age in the Primal Universe.

That was the first step of his plan: enter the Primal Secret Region without drawing any attention.

"Brother, why would you do that?" The three were puzzled.

"If too many people from an ordinary planet qualify, that would be far too unusual!" Chen Ao looked at Hong.

The three nodded. That did seem true. From what they knew, geniuses easily attracted attention.

"Hehe, Brother, can you at least tell us which zone you're in? Third Brother is in Zone 1, First Brother is in Zone 72, and I'm in Zone 88!"

Chen Ao checked his own Genius Battle information. Zone 88.

"Sure, there's no need to hide that. I'm in Zone 33!" Chen Ao said.

Hearing that it was Zone 33, the three said nothing more. There were ninety-nine zones in total. It would have been strange if any of the four of them had ended up in the same one.

"Go on, and do your best out there. Luo Feng, you must work hard to get a higher ranking. You're Earth's future. The stronger you become, the better off Earth will be!"

An astonishing fighting spirit blazed in Luo Feng's eyes. "Senior, don't worry. I'll give it my all!"

Even without Chen Ao saying so, Luo Feng would have fought with everything he had.

Seeing Luo Feng so fired up, and remembering that his current strength was enough to rival Rong Jun's, Chen Ao felt deeply gratified.

Soon, registration closed, and all four of them entered the Battle Space.

"A sword, a suit of armor, and, yes, the most important thing-a mask!" Chen Ao put on the mask first, then donned his armor, and finally picked up a sword that felt comfortable in his hand.

Beep: teleportation commencing.

Chen Ao's consciousness flickered, and then he arrived in a city filled with mountain peaks.

Rocks and trees surrounded the city. Its buildings were very simple, without the slightest modern touch, looking more like something from a tribal era.

He was just about to take a look at the scenery when someone suddenly lunged out from his left, thrusting a spear straight at him.

"Trying to fight dirty?"

The spear wielder heard only those words. A smug smile was just about to curl his lips when, in the next instant, his consciousness returned to reality.

Even after exiting the Virtual Universe, the spear-wielding man was still utterly bewildered.

Wasn't my sneak attack supposed to succeed? How did I get wiped out instead?

"Damn it, someone must have been watching me all along and attacked as soon as I made my move. Damn it, damn it! I was the mantis stalking the cicada!"

The man was filled with regret. He shouldn't have attacked so recklessly and given someone else an opening.

He would definitely be more careful next time.

Yes, definitely next time!

Meanwhile, in Zone 88, many people were staring at Chen Ao in horror.

Only those some distance away from Chen Ao had seen what happened. The instant that man thrust his spear, violent energy fluctuations had erupted in the surroundings.

Not only the spear wielder, but a whole crowd of people within a hundred meters of Chen Ao had been sliced apart by something in an instant.

Quite a few women vomited at the sight.

"This damned Virtual Universe! Why couldn't they make it like a game, where people just disappear when they die? Why does it have to be so realistic?"

"That's horrible, just horrible! All those people, torn to pieces!"

"How did that guy do it? Was it some special secret technique? Or is he a Domain Lord?"

"We're all ninth-level Stellar warriors. How can he ignore gravity and fly straight into the sky?"

Although they had domains too, those could only increase their strength a little. There was no way they could stand still and instantly dismember everyone within a hundred meters.

A man was about to question the person beside him, but by the time he came to his senses, that fellow had already fled several hundred meters away.

"You idiot, hurry up and run! That guy's coming!"

Huh?

The intensely curious man instinctively tried to flee, but before he could even move his legs, he felt a chill sweep through his body.

"Curiosity... killed me..."

Chen Ao looked at the fellow who had died with his eyes still wide open, feeling rather speechless. Had this guy really come to compete in the Genius Battle?

Could there be war correspondents in the Genius Battle? Did I kill the wrong person?

Whatever. I'll just sweep through everyone in my path. The arena matches attract too much attention. I'll quietly take first place in this zone, then go straight to the finals!

Both Luo Feng and Rong Jun had attracted attention because of the arena matches, while the people who had originally placed first in their World Zones seemed to have vanished without a trace.

Of course, Chen Ao would love to be one of those who vanished.

"Keeping a low profile starts with taking first place in the zone!"