The 'Madman' Three Years Later

Time continued to flow. Even a great being who completely controlled the fundamental laws of time might be able to 'pause time' or even 'reverse time' for a short period. But the universe itself possesses an instinct for automatic correction and restoration to normalcy; no matter how powerful a being, they cannot forcibly distort the operation of such a vast cosmos.

The Reincarnation Battle broadcasts, like a TV series, played continuously.

After all, with over nine thousand participants, some special circumstances were bound to arise, causing the battle duration to be slightly delayed by a few days.

Huaxia Calendar, March 2nd, 2069, the final day of the Reincarnation Battle.

...

On the Floating Island of the Ganwu Continent in the Virtual Universe, inside an elegant reception room of that tall building.

An elder in a plain white robe stood there, bowing slightly and saying, "Blade God Marquis." Beside him stood a formidable man in golden combat armor. His face was covered in golden scales, and on his forehead was a slightly curved, scimitar-like golden horn. His entire being was like a golden combat blade capable of cleaving the heavens and splitting the earth!

Even in the Virtual Universe, the pressure contained within his consciousness was enough to make the consciousness of a Universe-level expert collapse. If Luo Feng were to see this person, he would surely exclaim, "He looks so much like Baikaluo, just with golden scales instead of blue!"

"Is this the Luo Feng you spoke of?" the man in golden combat armor asked, looking at the screen.

The screen was broadcasting an upcoming duel.

"Indeed! Today is the final day of the Reincarnation Battle, and this particular battle should be the most spectacular of the last day," the elder in the plain white robe smiled.

"Oh? You're introducing him, does that mean... this young fellow is qualified to contend for a spot in the top 1000 of the overall cosmic rankings?" the man in golden combat armor retorted.

"Blade God Marquis, you'll see for yourself," the white-robed elder said.

On the screen.

Luo Feng, clad in dark gray combat attire and carrying a dark golden long staff on his back, instantly engaged in battle with a short youth opposite him, who wielded two combat blades.

"Boom!" The short youth charged forward like lightning, instantly closing the distance to Luo Feng. However, with a "Whoosh!", the stern-faced Luo Feng, stepping on his Duntiansuo, which was wreathed in golden energy, instantly transformed into a streak of golden light, easily evading the attack.

"Go!"

Boom!

A golden illusory sword appeared in mid-air, its speed soaring amidst the spreading golden energy, instantly striking towards the short youth. The short youth roared, his body erupting with green energy. He unleashed his two combat blades, as if his entire being had instantly transformed into a surging tide to meet the golden sword-rainbow.

"Swoosh!" The golden sword-rainbow, just as it approached, executed a nearly perfect S-shaped trajectory, grazing the edge of the opponent's combat blade and directly severing his head.

Luo Feng, victorious!

...

In the reception room.

"How was that?" the elder in the plain white robe smiled.

"Hmm, impressive, truly impressive." The golden armored man nodded repeatedly. "This young man has grasped the essence of a 'Mental-Force Controller'! He uses the Fifth-tier mental-force weapon Duntiansuo with such ease and perfection, and his instantaneous burst of speed when dodging is incredibly fast, yet he makes it look effortless."

"As for the Yan Shen Organization weapon, infused with the insights of the fundamental laws of gold, it is supremely potent and unyielding. Normally, it can barely change direction! Yet, he managed to make the Yan Shen Organization weapon execute such a complex S-shaped trajectory with ease over a very short distance. The first stage, 'Illusory Sword Form,' has already reached mastery!"

"His fundamentals are excellent," the golden armored man nodded repeatedly, then frowned. "However, with this strength, I estimate he'll only reach somewhere between 3000th and 5000th in the overall cosmic rankings this time."

1008 Cosmic Nations, a million peerless geniuses gathered.

It's too difficult to break into the top thousand.

"Haha... take a look at this then." The white-robed elder pointed at the screen, quickly bringing up the scene of Luo Feng's and Rongjun's battle from back then.

"Rongjun? I've heard of him, supposedly the most outstanding talent from your Ganwu Universe Nation." The golden armored man watched, and only after finishing did he murmur, "This Rongjun is indeed strong, but with his current strength, he has no hope of taking first place. He might have a chance at the top ten of the overall cosmic rankings."

"No hope at all?" The white-robed elder was greatly astonished.

"Indeed, there's a super genius in this current batch," the golden armored man couldn't help but sigh. "He's even more formidable than the first-place winners of previous genius battles. His comprehension of spatial laws surpasses that of most Realm Lords."

"Oh?" The white-robed elder was greatly astonished.

"As for Luo Feng, I know why you wanted me to see this video," the golden armored man sighed. "He truly surprises me. When he fought Rongjun... his flying and dodging were clearly strenuous, and his control was crude, purely relying on mental force to forcibly control direction. But in the Reincarnation Battle broadcast I just saw, his control over the Duntiansuo is already flawless. His manipulation of the Yan Shen Organization weapon... his progress is also astonishing! His comprehension of laws must have improved significantly."

"By the way, how long did your Ganwu Universe Nation's internal selection, the Reincarnation Battle, last?" the golden armored man asked.

"Less than three years," the white-robed elder replied.

"Less than three years?" The golden armored man couldn't help but say, "Did this Luo Feng hide his strength when he fought Rongjun?"

"No, he fought 9374 Reincarnation Battles, and his progress was incredibly evident in each one!" The white-robed elder exclaimed. "Before the Reincarnation Battle, he was, at best, among the top ten in our Ganwu Universe Nation. Yet, in less than three years, now perhaps only Rongjun can surpass him. Many Immortals in our Ganwu Secret Realm are paying attention to him; his speed of progress... is truly astonishing."

"Furthermore, his opponents in the Reincarnation Battle weren't particularly strong, so they couldn't force him to display his full power. I even suspect... his true strength is greater than what he's shown!" the white-robed elder said. "And there's still a considerable amount of time until the final peak showdown, so he can continue to improve."

"Hmm."

The golden armored man grinned. "If he continues to improve, he might have a chance to break into the top 1000 during the peak showdown of geniuses from the 1008 Cosmic Nations, but it will still be very difficult."

...

While the two Immortal beings from the Ganwu Secret Realm and the Virtual Universe Company discussed Luo Feng, Luo Feng himself arrived at the preparation hall of Martial Arena No. 00001.

In the preparation hall.

"That's Luo Feng!"

"How did this Luo Feng improve so quickly?"

"Even the teachers in the Secret Realm say that Luo Feng can now rank second among the geniuses of our Cosmic Nation."

When the black-haired youth in dark gray combat attire appeared in the preparation hall, it immediately sparked a flurry of hushed discussions. Over the nearly three years of the Reincarnation Battle, Luo Feng had attracted the attention of many powerful individuals with his astonishing speed of progress.

"Madman!" A deep, powerful voice rang out.

Luo Feng turned his head to see Rongjun, the 'savage' who seemed as tall as a story, his hair still disheveled and his large feet bare.

"Savage!" Luo Feng called back.

"Hahaha..." The savage youth burst into laughter, and a smile also appeared on Luo Feng's face. Previously, they had always addressed each other by name; this sudden use of nicknames... was also a form of joking.

"Luo Feng, your progress is truly immense. You haven't slacked off at all these past three years," the savage youth said, admiring Luo Feng.

No matter how brilliant a genius, high talent alone isn't enough; without effort, they will still be eliminated. Luo Feng's immense progress... it's easy to imagine how hard he must have pushed himself in secret.

"I wouldn't dare slack off," Luo Feng shook his head. "With you ahead of me, how could I dare to relax?"

"Everyone! Please enter the Martial Arena!"

The organizer from the Virtual Universe Company called out, and immediately, 1000 genius experts walked along the passage into the Martial Arena.

Today, there were no spectators in the Martial Arena.

The 1000 peerless geniuses from various star systems of the Ganwu Universe Nation stood there, looking at a giant in front of them! The giant standing before the thousand most outstanding geniuses of the Cosmic Nation was over eight meters tall. The savage Rongjun looked like a small child next to him. This giant wore scaled combat robes and a combat helmet, exuding a bloody aura. His eyes... seemed to cast the gaze of death upon the group of geniuses.

Holding their breath.

Sweat beaded on the foreheads of all 1000 geniuses.

"In the Virtual Universe, is consciousness alone this terrifying?" Luo Feng also couldn't control his body's tension, and cold sweat naturally seeped from his forehead. Under this pressure, the cold sweat was already a conditioned reflex of his body.

"Congratulations!"

A cold voice echoed through the Martial Arena. "You 1000 are the most outstanding individuals selected from our Ganwu Universe Nation. You all have the right to represent our Cosmic Nation and compete against the geniuses from many other Cosmic Nations! However... this peak showdown will be far more challenging than any battles you've faced before!"

"Among the 1008 Cosmic Nations, some have territories even vaster and far more star systems than our Ganwu Universe Nation!"

"Because the circumstances of each Cosmic Nation differ, their internal selection times also vary."

"Therefore!"

"The peak showdown of all human geniuses across the cosmos... will truly begin in a year and a half. This year and a half is your opportunity to improve yourselves!"

...

Luo Feng returned to the Nine Star Bay Community on Heilong Mountain Island.

"It's over!"

"The Reincarnation Battle is over," Luo Feng mused.

"The Reincarnation Battle is over, but your training isn't," the fist-sized little devil on his shoulder exclaimed. "Luo Feng, your Yan Shen Organization weapon can currently only deploy 5 golden illusory swords simultaneously when you're pushing yourself, and even that is a struggle. In fact, deploying three golden illusory swords yields the greatest power!"

A person might barely be able to wield a 100-jin blade. But if they wield a 30-jin blade, their attack power is actually strongest.

The same principle applies.

Controlling 5 golden illusory swords would make each one clumsy.

"Understood," Luo Feng nodded, then smiled.

Recalling these past three years, indeed, his progress had astonished many.

In fact, when he first participated in the 'preliminary selection,' his Golden Horned Beast had only reached the Universe-level for just over two years. This meant that the 'Fivefold Domain' and 'entry into the fundamental laws of gold' were achievements from between 2064 and 2066. Now, with nearly three years passed, it was not surprising that his accomplishments were significant.

"My second clone is also close to successful gestation," Luo Feng anticipated, looking forward to the birth of his second clone, the 'Demon Killer Clan clone'.