Chapter 1308: Expectation! The Infinite Geniuses!

"The 5,000-year Cosmic Talent War! Finally beginning!"

"Hurry! Sign up quickly!"

"The battle of infinite geniuses from all human cosmic nations!"

"Our greatest human gathering is about to arrive!"

"......"

As the Eternal Star Alliance's promotional video played across the virtual universe.

Countless individuals discussed it, and countless Starlight-rank cultivators continuously clicked the registration button.

The number of participants was skyrocketing at a terrifying rate!

Not just Xu Jingming.

In the vast universe, countless star systems.

Billions of Starlight-rank humans eagerly awaited this Talent War.

Star Torch Empire.

Capital Star, Imperial Palace Hall.

The once-empty hall now knelt over a thousand people!

They were all prodigies of the Star Torch Sacred Ground.

Yet now, their gazes burned hotly toward the five-meter-tall figure atop the Wang Zuo.

Emperor of the Star Torch Empire! Sovereign-rank powerhouse!

These young Starlight-rankers were all immensely excited.

Even as Sacred Ground prodigies, this was their first time seeing the legendary founding emperor who had established the Star Torch Empire!

"You are my Star Torch Empire's finest disciples."

A voice like thunder echoed through the hall, resonating in the ears of the thousand prodigies:

"Whoever passes the second-stage arena match, I reward him with a star system!"

"If you achieve a high ranking in the arena match and reach the finals, I shall personally take you as my disciple!"

"Now, go prepare!"

"Remember, you represent not only yourselves, but the entire glory of the Star Torch Empire!"

As his words ended, the excited prodigies dispersed.

The Cosmic Talent War wasn't the only one offering rewards—the Eternal Star Alliance had prizes.

Their own cosmic nation would also offer massive rewards!

This was their chance! A chance to ascend to the heavens in a single step!

If their performance was good enough, they might even win a star system.

Granting their descendants eternal glory and protection for generations!

"Has the newly risen Sovereign 'Blood Kill' within our empire's territory been confirmed as his true identity?"

After the prodigies left, the voice of the Star Torch Emperor sounded again.

"Your Majesty, we have not yet confirmed it." A voice echoed from the void.

"Then don't investigate. When the Talent War begins, he will reveal himself."

The Star Torch Emperor ordered.

The Eternal Star Alliance grants rewards to empires that produce top-tier prodigies.

Such rewards could even stir the heart of a Sovereign-rank powerhouse like him.

This is the fundamental cultivation mechanism sustaining the entire human universe.

Otherwise, no cosmic nation would go to such lengths to establish Sacred Grounds.

Blood Kill's real identity doesn't matter.

His greatest fear was that Blood Kill wasn't from the Star Torch Empire.

If that were true, even if Blood Kill achieved a strong result in the Talent War, it would benefit him nothing.

"If he truly is from the Star Torch Empire, once his identity is confirmed, reward him with a star system."

His deep voice echoed through the palace.

Having become a Deep Abyss Sovereign in the Deep Abyss Arena,

Making it into the top ten thousand in this Talent War won't be a problem.

Label Star.

Beneath the canopy of the sky-shielding, life-giving tree that covered over half the planet.

There lay a emerald-green spring, five hundred meters in diameter.

Life Spring!

The spring nurtured by the Life-Giving Tree.

Just one hundred milliliters extracted from it was a Class S1 supreme healing potion.

At this moment, misty life energy swirled around the Life Spring like gauze.

Yue Ying's flawless, naked body was submerged in the faintly green waters.

Her long neck tilted slightly backward, silver hair spread across the surface like silk woven from moonlight.

Her slender waist flickered in and out of the ripples, her full breasts rising and falling gently with each breath.

The water reflected her frost-and-snow-like icy beauty.

Her gray eyes had fully turned silver, the sharp lines at their corners softened by life energy.

Yet they still radiated an innate arrogance.

The Genius Competition has begun registration.

My Life Domain has finally reached perfection, even touching the boundary of the Life Principle...

Yue Ying's crimson lips parted, her breath condensing into glistening ice flowers in the air.

She slowly rose to her feet, water droplets rolling down her defined waistline, silver hair stirring without wind, curling around her alluring curves.

"Xue Sha, I won't be defeated by you again."

Her clear whisper echoed around the Spring of Life, carrying an unprecedented resolve.

In the vast cosmos, on an unnamed planet.

A young man in blue robes held a long sword.

A casual swing of his blade could effortlessly slay Star-Class beasts living on the planet.

Sword qi sprayed forth, and within mere breaths, the dozen or so Star-Class beasts before him were wiped out.

"The Metal Principle and the Principle of Destruction have both entered the realm of Law."

"No one at Starlight Stage can match you."

"Go. Win the Genius Competition title. Let the world know of your existence."

An old man hovered in midair, his solemn voice ringing out.

"Yes, Master."

The young man in blue robes wore an expression of indifference.

As if the Genius Competition title were as easy to obtain as reaching into a pocket.

Sacred grounds of the Cosmic Nation, prodigies of races, lone warriors...

The Genius Competition registration began—such scenes unfolded across the cosmos.

Countless prodigies sharpened their claws, eager to prove themselves in the Genius Competition.

In the Virtual Universe, at the Noah Empire Academy, in the back garden of the Emerson Villa.

Xu Jingming sat there, accompanied by Emerson, Su Qingli, and Ling Shuang.

Opposite him was Zhou Yuanwu.

"Brother Zhou, are you entering the Genius Competition this time?"

Xu Jingming asked with a smile.

"Of course I'm entering!"

Zhou Yuanwu laughed heartily, "Even though I'm only Starlight Stage Three, in the Genius Competition, I'll be Starlight Stage Nine too!"

To ensure fairness in the competition, all participants' stages are uniformly adjusted to Starlight Stage Nine.

"That's true—gaining some competition experience isn't bad." Xu Jingming nodded slightly.

"I won't enter. I'll just watch your matches." Emerson murmured.

This Grand Priestess from Blue Star had successfully joined the Oracle Sanctum through her Eye of Fate.

In terms of power, the Oracle Sanctum may not rival the Eternal Star Alliance, but it is still an immensely vast force.

And Emerson herself was never skilled in combat—there was no need for her to participate.

"I'll go with Qingli just to see the sights—we probably won't even pass the first round of selection."

"I'll go with Su Qingli to check out the commotion—we probably won't even pass the first round of selections."

Both she and Su Qingli were only Starlight Stage One—they had no chance of achieving great results.

"By the way, Jingming, what stage are you at now?"

Zhou Yuanwu asked curiously.

Since arriving at the Empire Academy, he had often heard news of Xu Jingming.

But he still had no clear idea of what level the other had reached.

"Starlight Stage Nine." Xu Jingming did not conceal it.

"Starlight Ninth Stage," Xu Jingming did not conceal this.

Zhou Yuanwu's eyes widened; it took him a long moment to process it, then he exhaled two words:

Zhou Yuanwu glared, and after a long while, he finally reacted, spitting out two words:

Even though the Empire Academy's Yuan energy concentration is over two hundred times higher than Blue Star's,

according to his estimate, he would still need fifty to sixty years to reach Starlight Stage Nine.

That's assuming he encounters no bottlenecks.

If he hits a bottleneck, a century or more would be normal.

Yet Xu Jingming had reached this stage in just one and a half years.

What else could he be called but a monster?

"Thank goodness Blue Star has you—if not, even in the interstellar age, we'd only be enslaved."

Shocked, Zhou Yuanwu also felt a deep sense of awe.

Planets are not kind to one another.

Had anyone discovered Blue Star as an unclaimed planet back then,

Blue Star would surely have been sold off to someone else.

At that point, the lives of everyone on Blue Star would have hung on another's whim.

But now, because of Xu Jingming's existence,

Blue Star enjoys high-tier treatment, and even those of us who came with it have benefited.

Otherwise, I wouldn't believe a mere Starlight Stage Three like me could receive guidance from a Cosmic Stage expert.

Otherwise, he didn't believe a mere Starlight Stage Three cultivator like himself could receive guidance from a Cosmic Stage expert.

Xu Jingming smiled, just as he was about to speak, Eva's voice suddenly sounded in his mind:

"S-class—the resources we purchased from the Sacred Ground have arrived."

"Oh?"

Xu Jingming's eyes lit up.

He quickly told Zhou Yuanwu and the others, then left the Virtual Universe.