The Floating Proclamation

“Surely not,” Buluolin couldn't help but say. “Our entire Black Dragon Mountain Starfield has over eight thousand star systems, with billions of Star-level powerhouses. Is it really that difficult for a genius to emerge who can enter the top one million in the universe?” “Extremely difficult!” “Very difficult!” Hagelaifu nodded. “The Ganwu Universe Nation governs over thirteen thousand starfields, with nearly a thousand vassal states! Our Black Dragon Mountain Empire is merely one such vassal state under the Ganwu Universe Nation. In terms of the density of powerhouses, we are a step below the Ganwu Universe Nation's directly administered starfields.” “Even our Black Dragon Mountain Empire's top genius would struggle to rank among the top ten thousand in the Ganwu Universe Nation, let alone considering the thousands of universe nations across the entire human race of the universe,” Hagelaifu explained. “For instance, in the previous Genius Battle, not a single participant from our starfield made it into the top ten thousand of the Ganwu Universe Nation!” “Uh,” Buluolin’s eyes widened. “A disgrace! This is a disgrace to our Black Dragon Mountain Empire, and a disgrace to our sacred land!” Hagelaifu’s anger surged, and the surrounding temperature rapidly plummeted. The air around him froze, forming ice crystals. “Grandfather!” Buluolin shivered from the biting cold and quickly called out. Hagelaifu’s thoughts shifted, and the surrounding temperature returned to normal. “Just feeling humiliated, a belly full of fire.” “Alright, I still have to train that group of disciples. You should head back now,” Hagelaifu said. “Yes, Grandfather.” Buluolin dared not say more and left immediately. His original plan to ask his grandfather to send someone to deal with Luo Feng was now shelved. On March 9th, 2066, Huaxia Calendar, in the Virtual Universe, on Black Dragon Mountain Island. The continents and islands of the Virtual Universe also experienced day and night, with even a simulated Sun in the sky. At this moment, it was night, and many areas of Black Dragon Mountain Island were dotted with lights. Bars and other establishments glowed brightly, everything as it had always been. Suddenly— Above the night sky of Black Dragon Mountain Island, an incredibly massive black proclamation, its edges radiating light, appeared out of thin air. On this entirely black proclamation, characters glowed with dazzling white light. “Universe Human – Peak Genius Battle” “Once every ten thousand years!” “About to commence!” “Jointly organized by the Virtual Universe Company and all universe nations!” “Are you a genius? Can’t find an opponent at your level and tier? Then participate in the ‘Peak Genius Battle’! Here, countless geniuses from numerous universe nations across the entire cosmos will engage in fierce combat!” “For details, please access the official website of the ‘Virtual Universe Network’ via your virtual assistant.” This colossal proclamation, over a million li in length and width, suddenly appeared in the night sky. Even on Black Dragon Mountain Island, with its billions of inhabitants, everyone could clearly see it by looking up! “The Peak Genius Battle is starting? Wow, haha, this is going to be insane.” “Billions of geniuses from all universe nations battling it out?” “A grand event for the entire human race!” “I heard that those who rank in the top one thousand across the entire universe will receive astonishingly massive rewards.” “Indeed, since the Virtual Universe Company is organizing this one, the rewards are bound to be exceptionally high.” “The Peak Genius Battle is held twice every ten thousand years. One is organized by the Virtual Universe Company. The other is organized by the Giant Axe Martial Arena!” “Let’s quickly check the official website.” Throughout the Virtual Universe, above every continent representing a ‘universe nation’ and every island representing a ‘mid-tier universe state,’ massive proclamations appeared, each announcing the impending ‘Universe Human – Peak Genius Battle.’ In just one night, this news spread across all human universe nations. The speed of its dissemination highlighted the advanced nature of the Virtual Universe Network. Slaughter Space – Killing Arena. This was a vast desert, densely populated by thousands of black-clad figures. Each black-clad figure was Star-level Fifth-tier. Standing before these thousands of black-clad figures was a white-robed bald man, wielding a force battle blade, its edge faintly reflecting a cold gleam. “Kill!” “Kill!” Thousands of black-clad figures let out cold shouts, then charged forward like mad lightning bolts. The white-robed bald man walked forward with a slight smile, faint lightning crackling around him. As the first group of black-clad figures rushed in, his body suddenly flickered, and the battle blade in his hand moved! “Puff!” The blade was as swift as lightning! It instantly split open a black-clad figure’s head, sending blood and brains splattering! “Puff!” “Puff!” “Puff!”… The white-robed bald man’s steps seemed unhurried, yet each movement was strangely elusive. His battle blade, when still, was dormant, but once it struck, it was as fast as lightning, delivering a fatal blow! His footwork and blade swings formed a peculiar and profound rhythm, combining speed and slowness, cutting down numerous opponents of the same level and tier. “Whoosh—” A long whip lashed out, striking the white-robed bald man’s left arm, instantly causing it to explode, gushing blood. “Whoosh!” “Whoosh!” “Whoosh!” The other attackers immediately seized the opportunity to launch a chaotic, frenzied assault. The white-robed bald man died! The surrounding space subtly shimmered, and all the black-clad figures, including the corpses, bloodstains, and remains, vanished. The white-robed bald man reappeared. “Wu, I did pretty well, didn’t I?” Thunder God chuckled. “I killed over one hundred and ninety opponents of the same tier in one go.” “Fool! Fool! Fool!” “You’re utterly foolish! You managed to develop a domain on your own without my guidance, and now I’m training you with all my might. A genius like you should be making even greater progress!” A fist-sized, white-bearded old man roared from Thunder God’s shoulder. “And last time, you actually lost to Hong! I was disgraced! Hong has no teacher, but you have me, and you still lost!!!” “I almost won,” Thunder God quickly said. “You know, in all these years, I’ve never once beaten my Eldest Brother. Almost winning last time was pretty good.” “What do you mean ‘pretty good’? You need to demand more from yourself!” “Alright, now let’s talk about your movement technique and blade technique. From today’s assessment, you still have many issues with your movement. I can point out nine right away. First, the movement of the blade is also part of your movement technique, which you consistently fail to fully grasp. Second,…” The white-bearded old man proceeded to list a multitude of flaws. Thunder God listened attentively. After completing his training, Thunder God exited the Slaughter Space. As he stretched outside the Slaughter Space hall, preparing to summon his Pegasus from the sky, he immediately spotted the colossal proclamation in the sky. “Damn!” Thunder God’s eyes widened. “Such a massive proclamation?” Thunder God quickly read the contents of the proclamation. “Peak Genius Battle? Kid, you absolutely must participate. This is a rare opportunity,” the old man Wu roared. “Eldest Brother, Third Brother.” Thunder God immediately notified Luo Feng and Hong. On Earth’s Asian continent, at dawn. On a dilapidated highway, Luo Feng, clad in battle robes and carrying a dark golden staff on his back, stared coldly ahead. With a thought, he let out a low cry: “Illusory Sword Style!” Whoosh! Immediately, a string of golden light shot out from the dark golden staff on his back. Simultaneously, an inexplicably powerful and strange force descended and merged into the golden light. The string of golden light then hovered in mid-air—these were nine small golden swords, thin as cicada wings. At this moment, these nine palm-sized golden swords were spread out in formation, and their incredibly complex and strange golden secret patterns, aided by his compressed domain, allowed Luo Feng to laboriously manipulate the nine golden swords with his powerful consciousness. Golden threads permeated, connecting them all. In terms of complexity, it was thousands, even tens of thousands of times more intricate than the ‘Duntiansuo.’ “Condense!” Luo Feng gritted his teeth. The complex golden threads connecting the nine small golden swords, forming an abstruse combination, finally allowed a golden illusory sword to gradually take shape. “Boom!” The golden illusory sword collapsed, the golden threads snapped, and it dispersed back into nine small golden swords. “Return.” Luo Feng’s face was pale, and he sighed, shaking his head. The nine small golden swords swiftly flew back to the dark golden staff on his back, inserting themselves into the gaps along its length. “I didn’t expect the first stage of this ‘Yan Shen Weapon’ to be so difficult,” Luo Feng sighed inwardly, shaking his head. After a period of spiritual nurturing, the Yan Shen Weapon had become perfectly attuned to him, yet… the difficulty of wielding it was truly astonishing. Even practicing the first stage was this strenuous. Currently, his domain was Fifth-tier, and he had also stepped across the threshold of the cosmic gold origin law. At the same time, his will amplitude strength had reached 58. Of course, this will strength was actually the soul will strength of a Universe-level Sixth-tier Golden Horn Behemoth, which was why Luo Feng, a Star-level Seventh-tier mental power user, possessed such an abnormal will. Powerful will, Fifth-tier domain, and having initially stepped into the threshold of the cosmic gold origin law! Any one of these would be considered abnormal among Star-level practitioners. Yet, even with all this, he hadn't mastered the first stage. “Don’t rush, Luo Feng. Your domain, law comprehension, and will strength are sufficient to execute the first stage. However, you are still unfamiliar with it. You need to practice repeatedly until many of the controls become ‘second nature.’ That way, you won’t need to expend so much mental energy to manipulate them,” Babata said. “Understood,” Luo Feng nodded. “Luo Feng, Thunder God has a call request,” Babata said. “Hmm? Second Brother?” Luo Feng was a little surprised. Thunder God was being desperately trained by his intelligent lifeform and rarely contacted him. “Connect to the Virtual Universe Network.” In the western part of the Asian continent, in a wilderness. A ragged beggar sat cross-legged beneath a crooked-necked tree. Monsters frequently ran past, yet they ignored him, not attempting to devour him at all. “Roar~~” Monsters attacked each other, leaving trails of blood. But the beggar remained silently seated. “Let there be light, and there was light.” “Without it, there is darkness,” the beggar whispered. Whoosh. The beggar, who had been sitting there, suddenly vanished. The area around him became utterly black. Then, this absolute darkness vanished, and the beggar reappeared. “The universe… nature… the wisdom of the ancients is profound, but limited by their physical and mental capabilities, they couldn’t explore deeper,” the beggar smiled. “Last time, I was almost defeated by Second Brother. This time, I’ve finally stepped into the Sixth-tier domain.” “Hmm?” “Second Brother is looking for me again. Is he challenging me to a match?” The beggar’s ragged clothes instantly burned away, and a new set of clothes automatically extended from his body, transforming him into a serene-looking man—none other than Hong, the Eldest Brother among Earth’s Three Powerhouses. Both Luo Feng and Hong entered the Virtual Universe Network.