The millions of Geniuses in the Central Square all saw the terrifying figure that seemed to distort Space.
In an instant, they felt an irresistible pressure assault them, their bodies becoming uncontrollable, unable to move an inch no matter how hard they tried.
However, because of this, they also clearly saw the terrifying figure, which turned out to be a man dressed in a dark red robe.
"Welcome, all of you, to the Pinnacle Genius Battle organized by the Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company."
The man in the dark red robe spoke in a gentle voice; though not loud, it clearly entered the mind of every Genius.
"Our human race has 1,468 Universe Countries, and each Universe Country has selected 1,000 Geniuses, bringing over a million Geniuses here."
The voice of the man in the dark red robe continued, "Presumably, when you signed up for this Pinnacle Genius Battle, you all learned that the top 1,000 Geniuses in the Universe-wide ranking receive generous treatment."
"Therefore, the Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company will select the strongest one thousand from among you and absorb them into the Core Region of the Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company."
"You millions will compete for these one thousand spots, and the rules are as follows."
"Tomorrow, all of you will enter a 'Trial Space' separately. the Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company has prepared over a million Trial Spaces for you, one for each person."
"Within the Trial Space, there is a Trial Tower, which is 99 stories high, with every nine stories forming a stage."
"You will start from the first floor of the Trial Tower, and each floor requires you to defeat three waves of targets to proceed to the next floor. If you die in battle, you will be kicked out of the Trial Space."
"Your points will be calculated based on your performance in the Trial Space."
"The 1st to 100th place in points will be directly absorbed by the Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company as core members without further screening, securing 100 spots."
"The 101st to 7300th place, these 7,200 people will then engage in arena battles to compete for 900 spots."
"As for those beyond 7300th place…"
The man in the dark red robe had a slight smile on his face, "All eliminated!"
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the millions of Geniuses below immediately became dazed.
They truly did not expect that out of the millions of Geniuses selected from various Universe Countries, only a mere 7,300 people would remain after just one Trial Space!
"Alright, you can go back and rest. The Trial Space selection will officially begin tomorrow. I wish you good luck."
The voice of the man in the dark red robe remained gentle. As soon as his words fell, he vanished without a trace.
At this moment, Luo Feng and the other Geniuses finally regained control of their bodies, returning to the building in shock and confusion to rest and await the opening of the Trial Space the next day.
…
The next day, early morning.
After receiving the broadcast reminder, Luo Feng simply bid farewell to the Geniuses he knew and was then teleported into the Trial Space.
It was a continent with a diameter of over ten thousand kilometers, upon which stood a majestic Trial Tower 99 stories high.
Luo Feng looked down, and a light screen appeared on his wrist, displaying information similar to the Ganwu Universe Country pre-selection.
"Contestant: Luo Feng (Ganwu Universe Country)
Points: 0
Ranking: None
Current Trial Space: No. 0271,0001.
The Trial Tower has 99 floors, and points will increase tenfold for every 9 floors cleared.
1st to 9th floor: Maximum of 100 points per floor, clearing all nine floors can yield a maximum of 900 points.
10th to 18th floor: Maximum of 1,000 points per floor, clearing all nine floors can yield a maximum of 9,000 points.
…
91st to 99th floor: Maximum of 1 trillion points per floor, clearing all nine floors can yield a maximum of 9 trillion points.
Note: Once dead, the trial ends.
There is only one way to pass each floor: all opponents on that floor must be killed to be teleported to the next floor.
If all targets are not killed after 10 days, all targets for that stage will appear on that floor.
When all contestants have died in battle, the trial ends, and the final ranking is determined.
Expand points ranking."
…
"What a crazy rule, the trial only ends when everyone dies…"
Luo Feng looked at the light screen and couldn't help but think to himself, "This means the Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company believes no one can clear all 99 floors of the Trial Tower."
"Every 9 floors is a stage, and the maximum points obtainable increase tenfold after each stage, so the difficulty is likely to increase significantly!"
"However…" Luo Feng's eyes lit up when he saw the time limit.
Compared to other Stellar Rank Geniuses, his Cultivation time was a weakness, but the Trial Tower had a time limit for each floor, giving him another chance to make up for that weakness.
"This Trial Tower Space is truly a good place."
Luo Feng smiled and flew directly towards the majestic Trial Tower's entrance.
As he entered the Trial Tower's entrance, the Space immediately changed, revealing a vast and boundless grassland.
Rumble…
In the distance, soil and grass flew, accompanied by a slight rise of dust.
Ten Stellar Rank Blood Fur Mammoths, covered in long black fur, roared continuously, charging towards Luo Feng with heavy steps.
Swish, swish, swish…
Luo Feng's figure did not change at all. Three Soaring Shuttles, transformed into golden swordfish, swayed their tails and turned into streaks of light, swimming towards the ten Stellar Rank Blood Fur Mammoths.
The golden swordfish were unstoppable, and in just a few seconds, they had slaughtered all ten Stellar Rank Blood Fur Mammoths.
"The opponents on this first floor are so weak."
Luo Feng secretly shook his head, "Even the most ordinary Stellar Rank could defeat them given some time."
Rumble…
Suddenly, an even more dense sound of running came from afar, revealing a hundred Stellar Rank Blood Fur Mammoths, roaring as they charged over.
"The number has directly increased tenfold, huh?"
Luo Feng mused, his body still unmoving, allowing the three golden swordfish to continue slaughtering the Blood Fur Mammoths.
In a short while, all the Stellar Rank Blood Fur Mammoths were killed.
Subsequently, as Luo Feng had expected, a thousand Stellar Rank Blood Fur Mammoths appeared, charging and roaring towards him.
Not long after, only one of the thousand Blood Fur Mammoths remained.
"The three waves of Blood Fur Mammoths had no difference in individual strength; their numbers simply increased tenfold with each wave."
Luo Feng toyed with the last Mammoth Elephant, while secretly thinking, "The increase in quantity also represents an increase in difficulty, it's just that the opponents on the first floor are too weak to truly demonstrate the difficulty…"
He felt that things couldn't be that simple. This Trial Tower had a full 99 floors; it was impossible for the three waves of enemies on each floor to only increase in quantity. There would most likely be an increase in quality as well.
Moreover, the first wave of Blood Fur Mammoths on this first floor felt like they were just there for him to familiarize himself with attack and evasion methods.
…
Time flowed by, and in a blink of an eye, eight days had passed.
While Luo Feng was still on the first floor.
The millions of Geniuses participating in the Trial Tower Space selection were all rapidly killing the targets on each floor, continuously climbing to higher levels of the Trial Tower.
And in the Central Square outside the Trial Space, the Immortal Leaders from the 1,468 Universe Countries of humanity were sitting in a corner of the square, watching the light screens in the sky.
The most prominent among them were 'Hui', the super Genius from Huoyi Universe Country, and Bolan, the super Genius from Noah Universe Country.
Their light screens were the largest and were positioned side by side in the center of all the light screens.
"Hui's points are in the lead."
"It's normal for him to be temporarily in the lead. After all, Hui is a Spiritual Master, while Bolan is a Warrior, who is at a disadvantage in Trial Tower combat."
"The Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company's Trial Tower is quite interesting; the opponents on each of the 99 floors are different."
"It is indeed more interesting. Some floors only have one enemy, but their strength gets stronger with each wave."
"Hui's Green Vine Pillar usage isn't good; he hasn't even used Endless Vine."
"He probably only knows the first form of Green Vine Pillar. Judging from his use of the Divine Weapon, his Space Law comprehension level is higher than his Wood Law."
The Immortals conversed in low voices, watching the two light screens in the center.
Because Luo Feng was a popular Genius in the top 1,000 of this Genius Battle, a live broadcast light screen also appeared in the sky.
"Kou Ji, that Genius Luo Feng from your Ganwu Universe Country is quite interesting."
"Indeed, everyone else is trying their best to clear the tower, but he's playing games on the first floor."
The two Immortals at Kou Ji's table found it amusing to see Luo Feng still dawdling on the first floor.
"I'm not too sure either. Maybe he has some special quirks."
Kou Ji didn't quite understand either and couldn't be bothered to care. "With his strength, as long as he doesn't mess around, getting into the top 1,000 in the Universe shouldn't be a problem."
"Indeed, he's a Spiritual Master and has comprehended Space Law, so the chances of him being eliminated are very small."
"He wants to Cultivate during the tower-clearing intervals? Even if he clears 60 floors, he would only be able to Cultivate for a little over a year. Is there any meaning to that?"
The three Immortals conversed in low voices; they highly acknowledged Luo Feng's strength.
However, they were puzzled, even somewhat confused, by Luo Feng's actions.
In the eyes of the three Immortals, a little over a year's time couldn't change anything. Comprehending Law was often a long-term accumulation, leading to only slight improvements.
But what they didn't know was that Luo Feng's Cultivation time was extremely short, and the time since he conceived his Mosha Clan Clone wasn't long. A little over a year was enough to bring about a significant improvement in his Space Law comprehension!
…
In the furthest corner, only two people sat at a table.
"Lion Bell, that little fellow named 'Rong Jun' from your Night Bright Universe Country has good talent."
Venerable Ye Ling, dressed in a dark red robe with light green skin, watched one of the light screens in the sky with interest while drinking wine.
In the light screen, the wild young man, with bare feet, moved with a strange, astonishing speed, wielding a combat knife to freely cut down his opponents, 'Tiger Armored Beetles'.
"This is the most outstanding Genius of my Night Bright Universe Country, naturally he is good."
Marquis Lion Bell laughed proudly, his golden mane on his neck shaking. "I think he has a chance to enter the Divine Tempering Secret Realm through this Genius Battle."
"Hmm, the possibility of entering the Divine Tempering Secret Realm is indeed very high."
Venerable Ye Ling nodded slightly, looking at Marquis Lion Bell with a mysterious smile, "However, I am more optimistic about his future achievements."
"His future achievements?" Marquis Lion Bell was somewhat surprised, not quite understanding why Venerable Ye Ling would say that.
"Yes." Venerable Ye Ling smiled and nodded, "I believe his future achievements will surpass Bolan's and be no less than Hui's."
"Are you serious?" Marquis Lion Bell's face showed surprise upon hearing this.
Bolan's Space Law talent was obvious to all. As long as he focused on comprehending Space Law in the future, instead of trying to Cultivate two higher Laws simultaneously, he had a certain chance of becoming a Universe Venerable in the future.
For Venerable Ye Ling to believe that Bolan, with such talent, would have weaker future achievements than Rong Jun, truly surprised Marquis Lion Bell.
"What, you don't believe me?" Venerable Ye Ling smiled, "How about we make a bet?"
"No!" Marquis Lion Bell immediately refused upon hearing about a bet.
Although he and his nominal Junior Brother, Venerable Ye Ling, did not have as deep a friendship as King Swift Thunder.
He knew that the other party was someone who wouldn't act without seeing a clear advantage. Since he dared to make this bet, it clearly meant he had over ninety percent chance of winning!
"Rong Jun's future achievements will surpass Bolan's…"
Marquis Lion Bell looked at the wild young man on the light screen, then his gaze fell on the white-robed Bolan on the central light screen, watching him display astonishing movement techniques, and his confusion grew stronger.
"He hasn't even gone to the Beginning Universe to comprehend the Chaos Tablet, yet he already shows a hint of the shadow of our human race's strongest, from the Huge Axe Primal Chaos Tablet."
Venerable Ye Ling's eyes gazed at the light screen, revealing a hint of pleasant surprise. "Presiding over this Pinnacle Genius Battle actually yielded such an unexpected gain."
"My first Personal Disciple finally has a successor. I just don't know what his Artifact Refining talent is like…"
Venerable Ye Ling had also Cultivated for a relatively long time, but he had not taken any Disciple for countless years, even when his teacher, Venerable Myriad Treasure, urged him.
Outsiders always thought he didn't take Disciples because he found it troublesome, but they didn't know he simply hadn't found a Disciple he approved of!
It wasn't just Venerable Ye Ling.
The Ender lineage was picky when it came to taking Disciples.
For example, Boya, who had been a Universe Master for countless years, could unleash close to fourth-tier combat power without using Burning Divine Power Secret Technique, thanks to the top-tier set treasure 'Apocalyptic Beast Visage Armor' lent to her by Ender.
Yet, for countless years, Boya had only taken one Disciple, and that was Venerable Battle Soul, who was even younger than Venerable Ninesword.
Venerable Myriad Treasure had taken several Disciples, but most were Official Disciples, with only two Personal Disciples.
It should be noted that even Phantom Blood Master, who was a Universe Master, had taken three Disciples during this period, showing how picky the two were.
Venerable Ye Ling was similar; it wasn't until today, witnessing Rong Jun's performance firsthand, that he gradually began to consider taking him as a Disciple.
For Venerable Ye Ling, who comprehended the Huge Axe Primal Chaos Tablet, Rong Jun was a good candidate to take as a Disciple.
…
Time flowed by, and in a blink of an eye, over a year had passed.
Through the continuous promotion by the Universe Artifact & Potion Refining Company, Luo Feng, Bolan, and Hui, who were still alive, became known to almost everyone in the human Universe.
And those in Ganwu Universe Country who had previously disparaged Luo Feng, believing he was always at the bottom of the points ranking and bringing shame to their Ganwu Universe Country, had now become his most loyal followers.
Ultimately, Luo Feng died in battle on the 64th floor of the Trial Tower, killed by the third wave's Demon race Royal Family's Sky Wolf, ranking third in points.
Before Luo Feng, Bolan died in battle on the 73rd floor of the Trial Tower, ranking second in points.
Hui, on the other hand, died in battle on the 74th floor, ranking first in points.
At this point, the Pinnacle Genius Battle Trial Space pre-selection ended, and the Genius teams from the 1,468 Universe Countries returned to the building to rest.
Upon returning to the building, Luo Feng received news from the Azurewood Empire that he had been granted territory in three star systems surrounding the Milky Way Galaxy, officially becoming the Milky Way Lord.