The Madman and the Demon Hammer

Above the membrane of World District 82, among the many spaceships, one luxuriously decorated vessel had a private cabin where a fiery-figured, green-haired Dream-Shell Race maiden knelt, massaging a plump young man. "Young Master, look quickly! Someone from our Black Dragon Mountain Empire has broken into the top 1001!" the Dream-Shell Race maiden exclaimed. "Huh?" The plump young man, still lying down, casually tapped the screen beside him. A ranking list quickly appeared, and a glance made his eyes widen. "Damn, there really is one! Huh... this genius expert is actually named Luo Feng! The same name as a friend I met on Qiulong Star." This plump young man was none other than Gaosheng, whom Luo Feng had met on Qiulong Star years ago. "Interesting, very interesting. I should tell Luo Feng." Gaosheng immediately sent a communication request. After waiting for a moment, he frowned slightly. "Hmm, still no answer?" One minute, two minutes... "Strange, he's not answering my call." Gaosheng wondered. "Young Master, could it be that the one who broke into the top 1001 isn't Young Master Luo Feng?" the Dream-Shell Race maiden said with a smile. Gaosheng waved his hand dismissively. "What do you know? To break into the top 1001, they must be a genius among geniuses. And the Black Dragon Mountain Starfield is vast and boundless, with countless Star-level beings. Having the same name is perfectly normal."

...In another private cabin. Nuolanshan's cold eyes stared at the screen, which displayed Luo Feng's name. "Luo Feng?" Nuolanshan's brows furrowed. "This name..." The preliminaries weren't broadcast. The universe was simply too vast, with an incalculable population, making duplicate names very common. "I hope, I truly hope it's not the Luo Feng I know." Nuolanshan frowned, gazing at the name on the screen that had caused him so much trouble.

...In the luxurious and spacious hall of another spaceship, thousands of people were seated. This group comprised the true ruling class of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. The 'Cosmic Human Peak Genius Battle' was a grand event for all of humanity in the cosmos, open to all Cosmic Nations. Such a prestigious event, concerning the honor of the entire empire, naturally garnered the attention of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's Emperor. "Congratulations, Your Majesty." "Your Majesty, this is wonderful news!" The entire spacious hall suddenly erupted in excitement. The various dignitaries of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire immediately cheered. Those present at such an occasion, besides the empire's own nobility, Realm Lords, and Domain Lords, included emperors from over five hundred 'Cosmic Elementary Civilization Nations,' each holding a status far surpassing Nuolanshan's. "Hahaha..." The Emperor, clad in a dark black imperial robe, let out a hearty laugh that resonated powerfully throughout the hall. At the very front of the hall was a massive screen, displaying 'Black Dragon Mountain Empire Preliminary Qualifiers (Temporary): 1,' followed by Luo Feng's name. "Luo Feng, excellent!" The Emperor laughed heartily, declaring in a booming voice, "Our Black Dragon Mountain Empire won't be at the bottom this time, and Luo Feng's contributions are indispensable! He must be rewarded!" "Indeed, he must be rewarded." "This Luo Feng has rendered great service." "Your Majesty is wise." The group of nobles flattered the Emperor, their echoes like a tide, while the emperors from the elementary civilization empires were all incredibly enthusiastic. "Your Majesty, it's still early before the preliminaries conclude; we'll only know the final results then," a bald, seemingly refined elder whispered beside the Emperor. This elder had four peculiar small ears behind his main ones. To dare speak such a dampening remark during the Emperor's joy, this elder's status was naturally extremely high; he was one of the Realm Lords attending this banquet. "Hmm." The Emperor nodded slightly. "But even if Luo Feng fails later, he will still have rendered great service."

...Luo Feng was unaware that his temporary entry into the top 1001 had stirred immense pride and excitement among many, especially the citizens of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. This was akin to watching an international competition on Earth, where having a national athlete would naturally evoke immense excitement and pride, with everyone hoping for their country's representative to win. The 'Peak Genius Battle' was, moreover, one of the two greatest events for all of humanity in the cosmos, its influence among the populace even more astonishing. At this moment, billions of people across the Black Dragon Mountain Empire were anticipating and supporting Luo Feng.

...In a living room of a residential building within a large, bustling city in the First World District. Luo Feng, completely oblivious to the immense attention he was drawing from countless people in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, sat cross-legged in the living room, meditating and recovering. By now, the preliminaries had been ongoing for 18 days. In the past eight days, especially in this East City District, Luo Feng's nickname, 'The Madman,' had already struck fear into many genius experts. The Madman! In the city where Luo Feng currently resided, he was a super-expert capable of ranking among the top ten! Of course, every kill required caution and prudence. After a long period, Luo Feng would also feel mentally exhausted and would need to rest for a while. No matter what kind of opponent he faced, Luo Feng always tried to maintain his peak condition, just as a lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit! "The higher the rank, the harder it truly becomes to climb," Luo Feng opened his eyes, his gaze introverted, and looked down at the screen on his wrist. Participant: Luo Feng (Black Dragon Mountain Empire) Points: 3,129,302 Rank: 398 Experts ranked higher, to ensure they remained in the top 1000, would often engage in frenzied killing to accumulate points. Especially in battles between super-experts, a single fight could yield millions of points, leading to increasingly exaggerated point totals the higher one ranked! Luo Feng's points increased by about 900,000 from the ten-millionth rank to 997th. From 997th to 398th, his points increased by over two million. "Time to hunt." Luo Feng's gaze sharpened. He stood up directly, and at the same time, his psychic energy spread out like a storm, thoroughly probing the surrounding 800-meter radius. "Hmm? Three targets." Whoosh! Luo Feng leaped out from the balcony like a flash of lightning, arcing through the air outside the residential building. Then, a golden fish-like entity, vibrant and seemingly overjoyed, shot out, beginning its enthusiastic 'kiss' upon the targets. "It's the Madman!" "Run!" Amidst panicked roars, two of the experts were directly killed by Luo Feng. The only winged youth who managed to fly out of the residential building was also pursued for several kilometers by Luo Feng and killed.

...Night. This city had both day and night. The wind howled. Luo Feng walked silently, his combat saber and shield strapped to his back, along a street stained with dried blood and occasionally cracked in many places. Apart from some scattered corpses, the only living being on the street was Luo Feng. Squish! His combat boots stepped on rotten flesh. Luo Feng continued walking silently. Suddenly, he paused, his ears twitching slightly. He could faintly hear extremely subtle sounds from a distance, which finally brought a hint of excitement to his cold eyes. "Those who dare to come out at night are usually experts among experts! Killing super-experts is far more efficient!" Whoosh! Luo Feng transformed into an afterimage, swiftly approaching the direction of the sound. In just a moment, he arrived at a street intersection. "Hmm?" Luo Feng turned his head to look. Although it was night, the vision of a Ninth-tier Star-level expert was astonishing. He could still see thousands of meters away with a single glance. In daylight, without obstructions in his line of sight, seeing a hundred kilometers away was effortless. "That's—" On a distant street, a battle was taking place, or rather, a slaughter! Thump! A psychic, unable to dodge in time, was struck on the head by a black hammer. Their skull shattered instantly, killing them on the spot. "Hahaha..." A shrill, heart-pounding laugh rang out. The one wielding the black hammers was a lean human, three meters tall, with powerful legs and four thick, strong arms. Each of his four hands held a black hammer, and his face bore a single eye. This single eye was a vertical one. Seeing this person's appearance, Luo Feng's heart stirred at the distant street intersection. "An Angaro Race member, he's the Demon Hammer!" As one of the super-experts in this city, Luo Feng had gained some understanding of the city's most renowned experts during his recent period of killing. Since their actual names were unknown, they were all given nicknames. 'The Madman' was a newly risen expert, incredibly ferocious, killing anyone he encountered. Others killed selectively, and excessive killing would usually lead to depression and discomfort. But this Madman seemed to enjoy killing. His strength was considered sufficient to rank among the top ten in this city. 'The Demon Hammer' was an expert who had risen early, practically dominating the East City District of this city. He was previously considered the strongest expert in the East City District. However, after the Madman's rise, the Demon Hammer's title as 'strongest expert in the East City District' was called into question, as the Madman was also from the East City District. "Interesting." Excitement gleamed in Luo Feng's eyes as he walked directly towards 'The Demon Hammer' in the distance. The three-meter-tall Angaro Race member, wielding black hammers, after smashing one opponent to death, immediately strode towards the last remaining opponent. His steps were bizarre; each stride instantly covered a great distance, astonishingly fast. The last opponent, a handsome youth with crystal-clear skin, was fleeing in terror. "How could I run into the Demon Hammer, that devil? It's too late, it's too late!" Suddenly— "Hmm?" The Angaro Race expert, 'The Demon Hammer,' wielding four black hammers, abruptly stopped, his single eye fixed on what lay ahead. On the street ahead, shrouded in night, a figure silently emerged. Compared to the three-meter-tall, muscular Angaro Race expert, 'The Demon Hammer,' he appeared small, standing at nearly 1.8 meters tall, clad in a dark grey combat robe, with a combat saber and shield strapped to his back. He walked out step by step... yet this caused the Angaro Race expert, 'The Demon Hammer,' to abandon his pursuit of the last target. "Huh?" The handsome youth, fleeing in mid-air, was still somewhat bewildered. On the street. The Angaro Race genius, 'The Demon Hammer,' stared at Luo Feng with his single eye. Luo Feng also looked at his opponent ahead, a hint of excitement in his eyes. "The Madman?" The Demon Hammer's voice was cold and sharp. "The Demon Hammer?" Luo Feng, however, grinned, revealing an excited smile.