Time passed in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, it was the final day of the Lord Competition's first stage.
At six in the morning, a solemn announcement echoed through the sky.
"The 40,410,086th Lord Competition. The first stage will soon conclude."
"All contestants, please prepare yourselves. The final trial will begin in one hour."
The announcement was like a bugle call, awakening the slumbering earth and stirring the fighting spirit and anxiety of the contestants. The entire regional chat channel erupted.
"It's finally starting! I've been waiting forever!"
"Haha! Just you wait, I'm going to dominate!"
"Boo hoo... can anyone help me? I'll be your loyal servant, I'll do anything!"
"Damn it, I'm not ready! This is unfair! There wasn't enough time."
...
For a time, the regional chat channel was in an uproar, the lords' emotions churning like a tumultuous sea, displaying all facets of human nature.
Those contestants who weren't prepared, or who were simply unlucky and lacked sufficient forces, were crying for help in the regional chat, hoping someone would come to their rescue.
Others, however, were fully prepared and just waiting for the right moment. They had spent many days in boredom, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the final trial.
Lin Yu was one of those who was long since prepared.
His territory had already expanded to 17.5 square kilometers, a full 7.5 square kilometers larger than the standard 10 for a starting continent.
Lin Yu had established two defensive lines: one in the 1 to 1.25-kilometer range from the World Tree, and another in the 2 to 2.4-kilometer range. These lines were densely packed with Pea Shooters and Timid Mushrooms, with Potato Mines planted in all the gaps.
Within one kilometer of the tree, he primarily grew Sunshine Sunflowers and Moonlight Mushrooms, which harvested a large amount of natural energy daily. He also sparsely dotted the area with a few Pea Shooters and Timid Mushrooms, just in case.
Meanwhile, countless sprites clung to the great trees of the forest, also producing vast amounts of natural energy each day while serving as the final line of defense.
Most of the natural energy they produced was stored within the World Tree, while a small portion diffused into the territory's air, nourishing all living things.
Within this one-kilometer radius of the World Tree were two other important structures: the Beast's Nest and Dave's Secret Garden.
Similarly, Lin Yu had placed Pea Shooters and Timid Mushrooms around them to ensure their safety.
Beyond the one-kilometer radius of the World Tree, Lin Yu no longer placed structures so densely. Instead, he arranged various resource buildings according to their maximum effective range.
Then, in the gaps between these resource buildings, he positioned Pea Shooters, Timid Mushrooms, and Potato Mines.
Combined with the herds of beasts that roamed the territory, it was safe to say the entire domain was armed to the teeth.
An ordinary person's territory wouldn't have enough room to fit all his Pea Shooters and Timid Mushrooms, even if they used every available inch of space.
If he couldn't pass the trial with a setup like this, then no one could.
-----------------
Time slipped by quietly as Lin Yu waited, watching the full gamut of human drama play out in the chat group.
Soon, 7:00 AM arrived. The sun broke through the darkness, painting the sky with the light of dawn as golden clouds formed a magnificent tableau.
A brilliant beam of light descended upon the starting continent of every contestant.
It seared an arcane pattern onto the ground at the continent's edge.
As more light poured in, the pattern grew progressively brighter.
In an instant, a Spatial Gate materialized above the pattern.
Immediately following, figure after figure—some strong, some terrifying, some mysterious—emerged from the Spatial Gate.
These figures were all Extraordinary Creatures, far more powerful than the wild beasts of the starting continents. They were born at level 10, were of at least Green quality, and each possessed its own unique skills, holding the potential to become heroes.
These were the beings in charge of the first stage's trial: level 20, Blue-quality Extraordinary Trial Creatures.
In the blink of an eye, more and more figures emerged. By the time the Teleportation Gate closed, there were a hundred of them in total.
This scene unfolded on every starting continent. Faced with these one hundred Trial Creatures, every lord gave them their undivided attention.
Lin Yu also had to face one hundred Trial Creatures, but unlike the others who were grimly prepared for battle, he was far more relaxed.
On Lin Yu's continent, the Teleportation Gate appeared at a distance of about 2.2 kilometers from the World Tree.
This was squarely within his defensive lines.
The moment a Half-beastman stepped out of the Teleportation Gate, every Pea Shooter within a four-hundred-meter radius opened fire. Before the creature could even react, it was blasted to smithereens.
Because the projectiles were fired from varying distances, they arrived at slightly different times. Every Half-beastman that emerged from the gate was struck by a staggering number of peas and reduced to a fine paste.
And so, while all the other lords waited nervously within their territories for the one hundred Trial Creatures to attack, Lin Yu had already annihilated every single Half-beastman that had teleported in.
'Uh... that was a bit too easy, wasn't it?'
Lin Yu sat speechlessly before his Territory Core. Through it, he had witnessed the "exceptionally arduous" battle. He felt absolutely nothing, not even a ripple of excitement. In fact, he was a little bored.
The regional chat had gone silent. Even the few who had been begging for help were now busy marshaling their forces for a last-ditch effort.
'I knew the first stage was supposed to be easy, but I never thought it'd be *this* easy!'
Lin Yu rested his face in his hands, sighing and muttering to himself.
For him, this trial, which was designed for ordinary people, was like a handsome young man planning a wild night out who accidentally stumbles into a gay bar and is completely overwhelmed by a crowd of burly, muscular men before he can even put up a fight.
Lin Yu pulled his consciousness back, deciding to head to the top of the World Tree to enjoy the view while waiting for the trial to end.
Just then, his system panel popped up automatically, displaying a line of text.
[Abnormality detected in contestant "Lin Yu's" territory size!]
[Reporting abnormality...]
...
[Inspection team is currently verifying...]
...
[Verification by inspection team complete. No illicit methods were found. No action will be taken.]
[You have a new message. View now?]
Lin Yu had been prepared for the system to report him. He didn't know who was organizing the competition, but it was obvious the system itself served to monitor the contestants.
He just hadn't expected the system to wait until the first trial to file the report. 'It seems no one really cares what contestants do during the first stage,' he thought. 'Only those who actually pass the trial warrant any attention.'
Therefore, Lin Yu wasn't the least bit worried when he saw the system report. His Territory Core was a starter benefit drawn from the Preparation Room, and his talent was awakened with an Awakening Crystal from that same Preparation Room. There was no way there could be a problem.
And sure enough, after the inspection team's verification, he received no punishment.
This also served as confirmation that everything Lin Yu had was compliant with the Lord Competition's rules. He no longer had to worry about being accused of cheating in the future.
After all, Lin Yu knew his own situation best—his Territory Core and talent were frankly ridiculous.
When no more system notifications appeared, Lin Yu opened his system inbox and began to read the new message.
[Congratulations! You have passed the first trial of the "Cosmic Lord Hegemony Contest for Intelligent Civilizations."]
[Do you wish to proceed to the second stage?]
[Do you wish to undertake the advanced trial?]
[Please be advised: Due to your territory being non-standard, upgrading your Territory Core will not double its area. It will only increase the area by one square kilometer.]