Chapter 1331: Gathering of Geniuses! The Ruler

The virtual universe, Star Torch Empire competition zone's gathering point for prodigies.

This was a vast, boundless starlit plaza, its ground formed from countless beams of starlight.

It looked like a real universe—each step caused ripples to spread outward.

At this moment, hundreds of prodigies had already gathered on the plaza.

Most of them were from the Star Torch Sacred Land and knew each other well.

They clustered in small groups, chatting, making the entire plaza abuzz with energy.

Swish—

When Xu Jingming's figure appeared at the plaza's teleportation point, the previously noisy scene fell instantly silent.

Countless gazes snapped toward him, as if trying to pierce through him.

Xu Jingming stood tall, his black combat suit contouring his perfect physique.

In his deep eyes, lightning flickered; merely standing there, he exuded an invisible pressure.

"It's Xu Jingming!"

"Number one in Zone 65—his score is seven times that of the second-place!"

"Is he the one who instantly killed Lei Kuang with a single strike?"

"I heard he's also the top rank in the Abyss Arena, codename 'Blood Killer'!"

"......"

Whispered voices rose and fell among the crowd.

After over a month of buzz, Xu Jingming's identity was no longer a secret.

Everyone knew just how terrifying the power of this prodigy from a primitive civilization universe truly was.

Even the Emperor of the Star Torch Empire had personally come to recruit him.

After a brief silence, someone soon stepped forward to greet him.

"Lei Di! Remember me? I'm Steve, the second-place finisher you killed."

A young man in purple battle armor, with strange markings on his forehead, walked forward with a warm smile.

Steve, one of the top three among the Star Torch Sacred Land's Starlight Rank prodigies.

Had it not been for Xu Jingming, he would have been number one in Zone 65.

Yet before Xu Jingming, he lowered himself completely.

Because he knew Xu Jingming, who had reached the Abyss King Rank, was utterly beyond their comparison.

"Hello." Xu Jingming gave a slight nod.

Those who represented the Star Torch Empire were all its most outstanding prodigies.

He was naturally willing to befriend them.

With Steve as the first, soon came a second, a third...

"Lei Di, I'm..."

"Hearing of you isn't the same as meeting you—Lei Di, you're truly extraordinary!"

"Haha, no wonder you're an Abyss King—your aura alone sets you apart!"

"......"

In an instant, Xu Jingming was surrounded by a crowd.

These were prodigies who ruled the top of their own star systems, yet now they all treated him with great enthusiasm.

As time passed, more and more people filled the starlit plaza.

When the thousand representatives of the Star Torch Empire had all arrived,

Suddenly,

The entire starlit plaza's light dimmed abruptly!

An indescribable, terrifying pressure descended from above, as if the weight of the entire universe pressed upon their shoulders.

"This is..."

Xu Jingming, who had been speaking with Steve, narrowed his pupils and looked up at the sky.

There, in the once-brilliant starry sky, a pitch-black spatial rift slowly opened.

From within the rift, a figure stepped forward slowly.

It was a towering man nearly five meters tall, clad entirely in dark purple armor.

The armor shimmered with a chilling, eerie glow, as if it could swallow all light.

Most striking of all, his right hand was not flesh and blood—but a grotesque, black blade!

Black mist coiled around the blade; merely glancing at it caused soul-deep pain.

"My Lord Mo Ren!"

"It's My Lord Mo Ren himself!"

"Good heavens, he actually came in person!"

"......"

A chorus of gasps erupted around them; the prodigies on the plaza wore expressions of shock.

Xu Jingming, unfamiliar with him, looked utterly confused.

Many other prodigies on the plaza shared his confusion.

They mostly came from intermediate civilization universes.

"Xu Brother, you don't know?"

Seeing Xu Jingming's confusion, Steve swallowed hard, his voice trembling:

"This is the Second Strongest Ruler of the Star Torch Empire, after the Emperor himself—the Lord Demon Blade!"

"It is said he is infinitely close to the level of the Undying Ruler, a top-tier existence among all human races in the universe!"

"Undying Ruler?" Xu Jingming's face showed confusion.

This was the first time he had heard this title.

"It is a being stronger than an ordinary Ruler."

Steve explained, his eyes filled with reverence: "Legend says the Undying Ruler has touched the universe's primordial source, nearly immortal and indestructible."

"Even if their physical body is annihilated and their soul shattered, as long as a trace of their imprint remains in the universe, they can be reborn and return!"

Hearing this, Xu Jingming's heart was swept by a storm of shock.

The Immortal Deities already possessed infinite lifespans.

He never imagined Rulers above Immortals could be so terrifying!

Immortal and indestructible?

This had surpassed the boundaries of his understanding of life.

After the shock, Xu Jingming asked curiously, "Is the Ruler hierarchy different from the Immortal one?"

He had assumed the Ruler and Immortal ranks were identical, divided from Level One to Level Nine.

Now it seemed they were not the same.

"Different."

Steve shook his head. "The Ruler rank is divided into only three levels: First Catastrophe, Undying, and Supreme."

"In every high-level cosmic empire, the vast majority of emperors are Undying Rulers—including our own Star Torch Emperor."

"As for the Supreme Rulers, their numbers are extremely rare—among all emperors, fewer than a hundred exist."

"I see."

Xu Jingming suddenly remembered Betto, who had tried to capture him: "What about Betto? What level of Ruler is he?"

"Betto? He's merely a First Catastrophe Ruler."

"Not even close to the Emperor himself—he's countless times weaker than Lord Demon Blade."

Steve explained patiently.

"No wonder when the Star Torch Emperor descended,"

"Betto didn't dare make a sound—he fled in disgrace."

As he learned the truth, Xu Jingming felt a pang of reflection.

Indeed, there was still a significant gap between low-level and high-level cosmic empires.

In the Noah Empire, the highest rank was merely Immortal Peak.

These Holy Land students naturally knew nothing about the Ruler ranks.

Yet Steve, from the Star Torch Holy Land, could easily explain the Ruler hierarchy.

"The Ruler ranks are too distant for us. If we can even reach the Immortal rank in our lifetimes, we'll have given everything we have."

Saying this, Steve shook his head: "Look at this square—it gathers a thousand prodigies from the entire Star Torch Empire."

"Yet in reality, not even one may become an Immortal, let alone a Ruler."

He had clear self-awareness.

The Starlight Stage prodigy tournament is held once every five thousand years.

But how often does an Immortal Deity appear?

The last time the Star Torch Empire produced an Immortal was twenty thousand years ago!

This alone proves how difficult it is to break through to the Immortal rank.

But Xu Jingming said nothing.

With the Deep Blue System, as long as he had Source Points, no rank would be an obstacle before him...