Chapter 254: The Genius Battle Begins from Another Perspective

After his consciousness connected to the Virtual Universe, Lu Qingshan and Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe quickly appeared before a luxurious palace on the mid-slope of Lei Ting Island.

"Zunzhe!"

The several guards before the palace gate were all Immortal Gods; upon seeing Lu Qingshan and Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe, they all bowed respectfully.

Zi Hu Zunzhe inside the mansion also quickly came out to welcome them: "Guiyi, Wanjie!"

Zi Hu Zunzhe wore a purple gauze robe, with purple down on her face, and every movement exuded boundless charm.

After exchanging greetings, Lu Qingshan and Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe quickly entered the mansion's living room at Zi Hu Zunzhe's invitation.

"Wanjie!"

Once both sides had taken their seats as host and guest, Zi Hu Zunzhe soon looked at Lu Qingshan, then said with a smile: "Actually, you still have a great connection with my Fox Clan; your master, Lei Huanwang, was the strongest of the Bernar Clan within my Fox Clan!"

"I have also heard my master Lei Huanwang mention your fame, Zi Hu, many times!"

Lu Qingshan said with a smile: "This time, I must also thank you, Zi Hu, for yielding the opportunity to host the Genius Battle to me!"

"Hahaha!"

After hearing Lu Qingshan's words, Zi Hu Zunzhe waved her hand to serve fine wine and delicacies to Lu Qingshan and Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe, while saying with a smile: "It is merely a small matter!"

"Actually, I still have some people serving under me, but over time, some of them went to the Outer Realm Battlefield, or due to other circumstances, gradually perished!"

"That is why I applied to the Company to host a few Genius Battles, so I could cultivate a new group of people!"

"Wanjie, you have just broken through not long ago, so naturally you need people to serve you more than I do; yielding this opportunity to you is only right!"

In fact, for Zi Hu Zunzhe, hosting the Genius Battle was not originally considered a big matter.

And Lu Qingshan originally possessed the strength of a Hei Fengwang before breaking through to Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe; after breaking through to become a Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe, as long as he cultivated in seclusion for a period, his strength would certainly not be much inferior to hers;

Moreover, Lu Qingshan was a disciple of Master Bingfeng Zhi and also possessed the ability of a clone; among the many Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe of the Human Race, this was extremely rare. Even the Cosmic Hegemons were willing to associate with Lu Qingshan, let alone her.

Therefore, when Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe merely mentioned the matter of the Genius Battle to her, Zi Hu Zunzhe immediately agreed.

"Regardless, I must still thank you, Zi Hu, for yielding this opportunity to me!"

Lu Qingshan quickly said with a smile: "Otherwise, I would have to wait for a period of time!"

"Actually, this is also the reason why our Human Race has suddenly produced several Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe this time!"

Zi Hu Zunzhe raised her cup to invite Lu Qingshan and Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe to drink together, while saying with a smile: "Especially within our Virtual Universe Company lineage, this time Tian Shi, Sovereign Beihai, and you, Wanjie, have appeared as three Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe in succession!"

"I have cultivated until now and lived for hundreds of billions of eras, yet I have never seen such a thing!"

"Hahaha!"

After hearing Zi Hu Zunzhe's words, Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe beside her also said with a smile: "I have cultivated for even longer than you, Zi Hu, and I too have never seen such a scene!"

"Our Human Race being able to produce so many Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe at once is absolutely due to the favor of the Original Universe's Source Will!"

Speaking to this point, Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe also raised her cup and invited: "Come, let us toast together for our Human Race!"

"To our Human Race!" Lu Qingshan and Zi Hu Zunzhe also raised their cups and said, then directly drained the fine wine in their cups in one gulp.

"Wanjie!"

After a period of hearty drinking, Zi Hu Zunzhe quickly spoke again: "Previously, the Giant Axe Martial Arena side has already held one Peak Genius Battle, so the next one will be hosted by our Virtual Universe Company side!"

"I recall there should still be over two thousand years remaining; at that time, you just need to have the Intelligent Life pay a little attention; the Company will also send internal notifications at that time!"

"What Zi Hu says is correct!"

Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe quickly said: "Wanjie, when you host this Genius Battle, perhaps some of your old friends from before will come to find you!"

"However, the Genius Battle and the Stronger Battle are grand events for our Human Race, and they concern the cultivation of the race's talented juniors, so it is best to follow the rules in all matters!"

"If you truly cannot refuse, let them go through the channels of the various branches and directly enter the End Times Secret Realm to obtain a Core Layer identity!"

"I understand!" Lu Qingshan quickly nodded and said.

Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe said these things to remind him not to engage in any rigging when hosting the Genius Battle.

However, Lu Qingshan himself had no such thoughts, so such a problem would naturally not arise.

Even for his own family's juniors, he would not take such a backdoor route, let alone others!

Thus, Lu Qingshan and Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe chatted freely in Zi Hu Zunzhe's mansion for several more days, during which they also discussed some interesting events occurring in the universe, before finally departing separately.

And after his consciousness returned to reality, Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe also quickly left Lu Qingshan's mansion.

After Guiyi Zifeng Zunzhe left, because he was about to host the Genius Battle, Lu Qingshan, who had originally planned to venture into the Cosmic Secret Realm, decided to wait a bit longer, and then began cultivating in seclusion again.

Thus, time continued to pass, and in the blink of an eye, several thousand years had passed.

On this day, while Lu Qingshan was cultivating in seclusion within Chaos City, the voice of the Intelligent Life Shenlan suddenly rang in his mind.

"Master!"

"The latest Peak Genius Battle has begun; this Genius Battle requires you to host it!"

"Now, the various Universe Kingdoms have selected their top one thousand Star-level geniuses within their respective Kingdoms; currently, they have each sent people to lead their teams and gather at the plaza provided by the Company."

"According to the Company's past rules, the Cosmic Zifeng Zunzhe responsible for hosting the Genius Battle usually goes to meet these geniuses before the Trial Tower challenge; do you think you should go over now?"

"Has time passed so quickly?"

After hearing the Intelligent Life Shenlan's words, Lu Qingshan also felt a slight sigh in his heart, then continued to ask: "Are there any particularly outstanding geniuses in this Genius Battle?"

As soon as Lu Qingshan finished speaking, a virtual screen instantly appeared before him, displaying more than ten figures of various appearances.

At the same time, the voice of the Intelligent Life Shenlan rang out again: "Replying to Master, no particularly eye-catching geniuses have appeared in this Genius Battle so far!"

"These dozen geniuses are the best performers in this Genius Battle; each has crossed the threshold of the Upper-Level Source Laws and possesses the strength to compete for the top ten!"

Lu Qingshan's gaze quickly swept over the more than ten figures on the virtual screen ahead, and he quickly understood their general information.

These geniuses, at this moment, showed strengths not much different from most Genius Battles; the more excellent among them would at most have the potential to cross into the Marquis level in the future, slightly inferior to Wu Ka, Qian Shui, and others who appeared in the original work.

"Enough!"

Lu Qingshan sighed silently, then thought inwardly: "I cannot expect a super genius to appear in the very first Genius Battle; ordinary is also fine!"

"If it were me back then, I would be at a great distance from these geniuses!"

Thinking of this, Lu Qingshan no longer felt conflicted in his heart, then quickly connected his consciousness to the Virtual Universe and rushed toward the competition plaza.

……

In a special dimension within the Virtual Universe.

At this moment, 1003 skyscrapers surrounded a central square, where flowers, grass, and trees were visible everywhere; besides this, hundreds of thousands of people had gathered in the square—geniuses from the major cosmic nations who had come to attend the Grand Finals of the Peak Genius Tournament.

Around the square, large restaurants were distributed.

There were a total of 99 restaurants; the super geniuses from the major cosmic nations could enter all restaurants except Restaurant No. 1.

Restaurant No. 1 was exclusively for the immortal leaders representing the major cosmic nations.

Given the nobility of immortal deities, they would naturally not dine in the same restaurant as these star-level geniuses.

Inside Restaurant No. 1 at this moment, hundreds of immortal leaders from the major cosmic nations had already gathered.

They were all powerful figures under the command of their respective universe lords, primarily active within their own universes, so they rarely encountered powerful figures from other universes.

Now, with hundreds of peers of similar strength and status gathered together, their conversations flowed freely.

Boom!

Another streak of light flew in, landing before the restaurant door, then walked inside.

"Theodore!"

"Theodore, I didn't expect you to lead the Yanfeng Universe this time!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, the surrounding immortal deities, each radiating powerful aura, warmly greeted him.

"Hmm!"

Theodore gave a slight nod, then quickly sat beside some immortal deities he was close to.

"Theodore, I heard your Yanfeng Universe didn't have any notable geniuses this time!"

"Yes! I heard your best genius this year is just average—hardly likely to break into the top thousand across the entire universe!"

Nearby friends began teasing him.

"Hmph!"

Hearing his friends' teasing, the Marquis Immortal Theodore was naturally not in a good mood.

He wanted to refute them, but Yanfeng Universe had indeed produced no standout geniuses in this year's Peak Genius Tournament.

In the end, Theodore could only say coldly: "The finals haven't even started yet—anything could happen. Maybe Yanfeng Universe will produce a dark horse this time!"

"Our universe did produce one exceptionally strong genius this year!"

Another Marquis Immortal smiled and said: "He has already crossed the threshold of Spatial Primordial Law—definitely making the top ten in the universal rankings, and even has a chance to compete for first place!"

"Is that the kid nicknamed 'Blood Blade'?"

Other immortals immediately became interested: "I've seen his sword technique—it's excellent, and his movement is refined. He must have been trained by a powerful master!"

"Correct!"

The immortal leader from the universe where the genius 'Blood Blade' came from quickly smiled and said: "'Blood Blade's' teacher is our Qingfeng Universe's 'Zitang Marquis.' Zitang Marquis was famed throughout the universe for his sword art. This 'Blood Blade' kid clearly inherited his true teachings—his strength is naturally impressive!"

"This kid is indeed impressive. If he can successfully break through to become an immortal, he might even reach the Marquis level and gain immortality!"

"Yes! This kid truly has such potential!"

"I wonder if anyone in this year's genius tournament will become a King Immortal?"

"King Immortal? I think it's unlikely!"

"Indeed! Crossing into the Marquis level is relatively easy, but crossing into the King level is vastly more difficult!"

"We've trained for such long ages and never reached the King level. These kids may be doing well now, but back then, who among us was any worse?"

"Reaching the King level is indeed extremely difficult—talent, opportunity, and comprehension are all indispensable!"

"In our Human Clan, only about a dozen King Immortals emerge per era. Though these kids are doing well, their level is only average compared to past genius tournaments—the probability of producing a King Immortal is simply too low!"

These leading immortals gathered together, discussing.

They were sent to lead their universes in the genius tournament finals precisely because they were trusted confidants of their universe lords—each possessed Marquis Peak strength, the pinnacle beneath King Immortal.

And as these immortals gathered to discuss…

"Haha, what are you all discussing so enthusiastically?"

A gentle voice instantly echoed in the ears of every immortal in Restaurant No. 1, causing all immortals to turn their heads.

At the restaurant's main entrance appeared a middle-aged man clad in purple-gold battle armor. His face was resolute, his gaze gentle, yet no one dared meet his eyes.

He stood there, his aura ethereal and insubstantial, as if he existed in an entirely different spacetime from the other immortals.

This man was Wan Jie Zunzhe, Lu Qingshan, the universe sovereign overseeing this year's genius tournament!

Boom!

The moment Lu Qingshan appeared, the hundreds of immortals around him all stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Sovereign!" Hundreds of immortal deities bowed in unison.

"No need for such formalities!"

Lu Qingshan waved his hand, signaling them to rise, then smiled and said: "On behalf of the Virtual Universe Corporation, I thank you all for your strong support in hosting this genius tournament!"

"Sovereign, you are too humble!"

"These are duties we should fulfill!"

Each immortal replied respectfully.

"Hmm!"

Lu Qingshan nodded slightly, then continued: "Continue your discussions. I'll summon those kids shortly."

With that, Lu Qingshan turned and left.

Only after Lu Qingshan departed did the immortals in the restaurant resume their conversations.

"It's Wan Jie Zunzhe."

"I heard this year's tournament was supposed to be overseen by Zi Hu Zunzhe—why has it suddenly changed to Wan Jie Zunzhe?"

"Who knows? Maybe Zihu Zunzhe and Wan Jie Zunzhe planned it together!"

"Speaking of it, Wan Jie Zunzhe hasn't been cultivating for long, only tens of millions of years!"

"That's right! I remember when Wan Jie Zunzhe was still a Hei Fengwang, he already earned the reputation of being invincible among Hei Fengwang on the Outer Domain battlefield—yet no one expected he would break through so soon!"

"I recall Bi Hai Zunzhe and Wan Jie Zunzhe broke through one after the other, right? Not long ago, I led a team to the Peak Powerhouse Battle, which was presided over by Bi Hai Zunzhe!"

"Yes! Bi Hai Zunzhe has presided over hundreds of Peak Powerhouse Battles for the Virtual Universe Corporation—yet now Wan Jie Zunzhe has begun presiding over the Peak Talent Battles too!"

"Speaking of it, our Human Clan's luck has been extraordinary lately—so many Venerable Realm cultivators have emerged: Meng Yue Zunzhe from the Giant Axe Combat Arena, Jiufeng Zunzhe from the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance, Tian Shi Princess, Bi Hai Zunzhe, and Wan Jie Zunzhe from the Virtual Universe Corporation!"

While these immortal spirits were sighing inwardly, Xietuo, the leading immortal of Yanfeng Cosmic Nation, felt even more profound regret.

For it was he who had led the team during the Cosmic Peak Talent Battle when Lu Qingshan and "Zi Mang" Luo and others participated.

At that time, Yanfeng Cosmic Nation's situation was very similar to this edition—Lu Qingshan's strength was easily top among the nation's thousand talents, yet he ultimately failed to enter the cosmic-wide top one thousand rankings.

Because of this, Xietuo had a distinct impression of Lu Qingshan.

But since Lu Qingshan failed to enter the cosmic-wide top one thousand, Xietuo was deeply disappointed and stopped paying attention afterward.

He had assumed Lu Qingshan would, like countless other talents he'd seen before, perish on the path to becoming an immortal spirit.

Yet he never expected that when he next heard Lu Qingshan's name from other Hei Fengwang of Yanfeng Cosmic Nation, Lu Qingshan had already become a Hei Fengwang like himself—and a disciple of Lei Huanwang.

But at the time, he didn't pay much attention, so he didn't attend the banquet celebrating Lu Qingshan's breakthrough into immortality.

Yet after that, Lu Qingshan's cultivation path seemed blessed by the Cosmic Source Will.

While other Hei Fengwang struggled to make even the slightest progress after eons of cultivation, Lu Qingshan kept advancing rapidly.

When he next heard Lu Qingshan's name, Lu Qingshan had already passed the Eighteenth Level of the Tongtian Bridge and become a true Hei Fengwang.

He attended Lu Qingshan's Hei Fengwang banquet, but with his own strength, he was utterly insignificant among the guests.

Soon after, Lu Qingshan earned the reputation of being invincible among Hei Fengwang on the Outer Domain battlefield, then broke through into the Venerable Realm.

As a witness to Lu Qingshan's transformation from an ordinary talent who couldn't even enter the cosmic-wide top one thousand in the Peak Talent Battle into a Venerable who now presides over the Talent Battles, Xietuo's sighs were inevitable!

(End of Chapter)