The Only Opponent

Sitting in his chair, Luo Feng poured himself a cup of tea, the liquid gurgling into the mug. Yet, his mind was still filled with numerous thoughts: "Babata was right. My current strength is indeed far inferior to some super geniuses! Breaking into the top thousand in the cosmic rankings will be incredibly difficult!"

"My movement technique, psychic weapon control, combat experience, willpower, and mindset might be decent, but compared to the universe's most elite geniuses, they aren't top-tier."

"Some powerful experts, like my teacher, or that 'Luo,' eventually create their own secret techniques in the later stages."

"Of course, no matter what I do, I have to take it one step at a time. I must first learn the secret techniques created by my predecessors, and then slowly create my own. And right now... I'm only just beginning."

"Among a flock of sheep, even if I become the strongest, I'd still just be a slightly more formidable sheep!"

"But among a pride of lions, even if I'm not the strongest, I'd still be a fierce lion."

"If I'm going to enter, I'll enter the core of the Virtual Universe Company!"

"I am weak."

"But that's mainly because my cultivation time has been too short. This genius battle will last a long time, so I still have time to improve!"

Luo Feng pondered, his brows furrowed. The core of the 'Virtual Universe Company,' a super giant among cosmic humanity, recruits a thousand super geniuses every ten thousand years. Over generations, this has led to millions of peerless geniuses residing there. Furthermore, countless years of accumulation mean that the number of 'Immortal Beings' there far surpasses that of the Ganwu Universe Nation!

That place!

That is the most dazzling and peak power!

"If I'm going to fight, I'll fight against the strongest group of geniuses!"

"My cultivation time is short, but as time goes on, I will catch up to them."

"Effort!"

"Effort!"

"My first goal now is to secure one of the thousand spots within the Ganwu Universe Nation." Luo Feng made his decision, not saying much more to Babata.

From childhood, Luo Feng had never admitted defeat.

Even when facing the incredibly powerful, seemingly invincible 'Golden Horned Beast,' Luo Feng never bowed his head.

If...

His younger brother, Luo Hua, enjoyed battling in the cosmic financial market, constantly striving and fighting to seize wealth.

Then Luo Feng loved pursuing the pinnacle of life, continuously breaking through his limits, improving himself again and again, and defeating opponent after opponent! Difficulties, setbacks, competition, opponents—he wasn't afraid. What he feared was a lack of challenges... If one day he truly stood at the absolute peak with no opponents, he would probably be very lonely.

It's lonely at the top.

Luo Feng had tasted that feeling on Earth, and he didn't like the sensation of loneliness.

"Charge!"

"Let's see how far I, Luo Feng, can go!" A light shone in Luo Feng's eyes, a light of intense yearning for the path of a powerhouse.

...

The arena group battle lasted for five days. After it concluded, the ten thousand participants who passed were given a day of rest. During this time, the organizer, the 'Virtual Universe Company,' would notify each participant of the details for the upcoming arena decisive battle.

...

On the evening of July 22nd, 2066, Huaxia Time, in the living room of Luo Feng's home in the Nine Star Bay Community on Black Dragon Mountain Island within the Virtual Universe, Luo Feng, Hong, Lei Shen, and over a dozen others gathered.

"How are the arena decisive battles divided?"

"Brother-in-law, who are you fighting in your first match?"

"900 spots, ten thousand people competing, how will they compete?"

A group of people began to discuss.

"Quiet." Luo Feng pointed to the air in front of them, and immediately a large screen appeared above the dining table. The screen displayed a list covered in dense text. "This is the arena decisive battle list for the ten thousand participants."

"Oh?"

"The font is too small."

The whole family rushed closer to look.

"Enlarge." Luo Feng pointed to a corner of the screen, and a section of the list continuously magnified, revealing Luo Feng's name.

"Brother, you're fighting Saiwaluo first? After winning that match, you'll fight the winner of the adjacent group again?" Luo Hua observed carefully.

"Mm!"

Luo Feng nodded, looking at the group around him, which included his brother-in-law Xu Gang and others, Hong's children and their families, Lei Shen's daughter, and of course, Luo Feng's own family. It was indeed a lively gathering.

"The process for this arena decisive battle is very simple."

"One-on-one, the winner advances, and the loser is sent to the 'defeated group'."

"These ten thousand people are paired up, forming 5,000 pairs. After the first battle, 5,000 winners will emerge, and the 5,000 losers will be sent to the defeated group."

"The 5,000 winners will then be paired up again. After the second battle, 2,500 winners will remain."

"Continue!"

"After the third battle, 1,250 winners will remain."

"After the fourth battle, 625 winners will remain! These 625 winners, after four battles, will secure 625 of the 900 spots." Luo Feng explained.

The rules were simple.

Paired up one-on-one, only four battles were needed to narrow it down to 625 people!

"I say, brother-in-law, if 625 of the 900 spots are taken, aren't there still 275 spots left?" Xu Gang asked, puzzled. Luo Hua chuckled beside him, "Xu Gang, didn't you notice my brother said earlier... those who lose are sent to the 'defeated group'? I'm guessing those 275 spots are for the defeated group."

Lei Shen laughed beside them, "Exactly, Luo Hua is smart. You see, while pairing up and determining winners is quick, there's a big loophole: it's possible for two super powerhouses to face each other, and one of them must be eliminated. This makes it easy to miss out on 'geniuses'."

"Mm."

Luo Feng nodded. "That's why there's a 'defeated group.' Out of 10,000 people, 625 are winners, which means the defeated group will have 9,375 people."

"These 9,375 people will undergo a brutal and lengthy round-robin battle to select the final 275 spots," Luo Feng stated.

"Brutal round-robin battle?"

"How brutal?"

"Lengthy? How much time will that take?"

The group all looked at Luo Feng.

"The round-robin battle means that each of the 9,375 individuals in the defeated group will fight one-on-one against the other 9,374 participants! In other words, every single one of the 9,375 people in the defeated group will have to fight 9,374 matches! A win earns one point, while a loss or a mutual kill results in zero points! The final ranking will be based on these points. The top 275 will secure the remaining 275 spots!" Luo Feng explained.

"Heavens!" Xu Gang's eyes widened.

"Wow!" Xiaohai exclaimed, "9,374 battles? How long will that take?"

"Yeah, how much time will that consume? Fighting over nine thousand battles like that will definitely take a very, very long time." Everyone sighed. One must remember that in life-and-death battles, if they continue relentlessly, one's mental energy and spirit will be exhausted, and their strength will begin to decline.

So, even if each life-and-death battle was short, it would be impossible to fight many in a single day.

"The Virtual Universe Company announced that in the round-robin battle, each person will fight 10 matches per day. It will likely last for nearly three years," Luo Feng said. "The entire genius battle... the longest part of this Ganwu Universe Nation regional selection battle is this round-robin battle."

"Nearly three years?"

"That's quite long."

...

The arena decisive battle was fast-paced; each battle eliminated half the participants. Only four consecutive victories were needed to secure a spot!

Late at night, on the rooftop of Luo Feng's residence in Nine Star Bay.

Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen sat around a circular table.

"Third Brother, your situation isn't looking good," Hong said gravely.

"Among these ten thousand participants, only 521 have stepped into the threshold of laws. These four rounds of arena decisive battles are only meant to select 625 people... Logically, all 521 of these individuals should secure a spot," Lei Shen muttered. "But how did the Virtual Universe Company group them? They even made law-comprehending geniuses face each other?"

Indeed.

Although judging from the arena group battle recordings, only 521 people had crossed the threshold of laws. If the Virtual Universe Company had arranged it well... they could have ensured these 521 people didn't meet each other, allowing all of them to get a spot.

However...

The Virtual Universe Company didn't do that. Most of the law-comprehending powerhouses didn't have to face other law-comprehending powerhouses for four consecutive battles, but a small number, nearly a hundred, would clash with each other!

For example, Luo Feng himself!

According to the battle assignments, Luo Feng was confident in his first, second, and third battles! But for the fourth battle... based on the list, Luo Feng could deduce that as long as that law-comprehending genius didn't stumble midway, his opponent in the fourth battle would be someone who had also stepped into the threshold of laws!

His name was Rongjun, and his nickname was 'Savage'.

'Savage' Rongjun!

The super powerhouse who once overwhelmed Second Brother Lei Shen, a monstrous figure who swept through the arena group battle.

"According to this grouping, nearly a hundred law-comprehending powerhouses will meet in the final fourth battle," Hong nodded. "And these hundred people are among the fiercest performers in the arena group battle."

Whether it was 'Savage' Rongjun or 'Madman' Luo Feng, both had demonstrated an unstoppable, sweeping dominance in their respective arena group battles.

"In terms of strength,"

"These hundred people should be considered among the top-tier of law-comprehending powerhouses," Hong said gravely. "Now, the Virtual Universe Company making them clash is clearly to thoroughly test them. And the losers... still have a chance to participate in the round-robin battle. There will be fewer than 50 law-comprehending powerhouses entering the round-robin battle, while there are 275 spots available for the defeated group. Even if these law-comprehending powerhouses lose their fourth battle, they can still secure a spot through the round-robin battle."

"From the Virtual Universe Company's perspective, it's likely to test this group of people."

"The top-tier head-to-head clashes and the 9,374 battles of the round-robin all serve as training," Hong stated.

Luo Feng and Lei Shen both nodded slightly.

It made sense.

The Virtual Universe Company organized this to select the most elite geniuses, so it was normal to challenge the best performers.

"Third Brother," Hong looked at Luo Feng seriously. "You won't have any problems with the first to third battles. Your only opponent now is... 'Savage' Rongjun, whom you'll encounter in the fourth battle. I've witnessed his strength firsthand; he is incredibly, incredibly formidable. Much stronger than Puxijin in your group."

"I fought him once, and I was done in one move," Lei Shen quickly added. "He's very strong, especially his heavy, cleaving strike."

"I know," Luo Feng nodded.

If he wanted to secure a spot early, he had to defeat that Savage. And he had watched Savage's arena group battle live in the Martial Arena... he was indeed unbelievably strong.

"Who told you to perform so ferociously, Third Brother?" Lei Shen chuckled. "Because you performed too strongly, slaughtering other geniuses in the group battle as if they were dogs, the Virtual Universe Company values you and has arranged Savage for you. They want you strong ones to clash!"