Chapter 109: The Gift of Thirteen (First Update)

The first round of the Genius Battle was nearing its end.

In one hundred world zones, the countdown from the Virtual Universe System echoed simultaneously.

Even the 99th world zone, long since cleared by Jiang Chen, was no exception.

One minute felt agonizingly long for many contestants, especially those hovering around the 1001st rank.

"I'm just a bit short! Only a dozen or so ranks away. If luck’s on my side and I take out a top player, I can break through! I have to hurry!"

"I can't afford to die now—my ranking is too precarious. One death, and I lose half my points, definitely dropping out of the top 1001! Stay calm, avoid fights, and just survive this minute!"

"I'm number 1002, just one spot away from advancing. Whoever has more points, I’ll pay handsomely to be killed by me! Great rewards once I’m out!"

Contestants either chose to play it safe, avoiding battles, or risked everything in a final push.

Some even tried to bribe others with hefty sums to be killed intentionally, but such attempts rarely succeeded.

Though the Virtual Universe System did not forbid such behavior, it offered no support or validation for these promises, making trust nearly impossible to earn.

Yet, a rare few did succeed.

At the final moment, within the hundred world zones, some contestants desperately evaded combat, others frantically sought enemies to fight, and some offered high stakes to buy points.

Regardless, as the countdown ended, all surviving contestants in every world zone were teleported away, and the point rankings were finalized.

At the same moment, the top 1001 players from each world zone—totaling 100,100 qualifiers—had their scores and ranks displayed on the Virtual Universe System’s official announcement list.

—

Virtual Universe, Black Dragon Mountain Island, Jiuxing Bay District.

Jiang Chen, Luo Feng, Hong, and Thor appeared together in Luo Feng’s home.

"You three all passed, especially Jiang Chen—you took first place and advanced straight to the Universe Finals!” Thor exclaimed as soon as they met.

"I'm just the unluckiest," Thor continued. "I ran into a terrifying opponent who killed me in three strikes. I was eliminated immediately!"

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but glance at Thor with sympathy.

From Thor’s words, it seemed he had once again encountered ‘Rong Jun,’ the same as in the original story, and was eliminated early.

Luo Feng and Hong also looked toward Thor.

After a brief pause, they realized, “So, except for Thor’s elimination, the three of us moved on to the next round?”

Since Thor was out early and watching from outside, he naturally paid close attention to the results of his companions who had come from Earth.

The moment the match ended, Thor already knew the rankings of the other three.

“I was first in the 99th world zone,” Jiang Chen said with a smile.

Of course, his ‘Uchiha Shisui’ avatar had also secured first place in the 52nd world zone, but there was no need to mention that.

Luo Feng spoke up, “I ranked 46th in the 1st world zone—not high enough for direct advancement.”

Hong smiled, “Looks like I’m the lowest, barely making it at 993rd. Almost got eliminated.”

“Master, there are a large number of call requests—627 so far,” said the AI on Hong’s shoulder suddenly. “There are also 2,874 emails.”

“Oh right, since you passed the preliminaries, plenty of factions must be trying to recruit you,” Thor said with curiosity, looking at Jiang Chen and Luo Feng. “You two haven’t received any calls or emails?”

“I blocked them, let Jarvis handle it. No need to report to me,” Jiang Chen replied calmly.

He didn’t want to waste time on trivial matters.

Making connections and seeking allies was important, but ever since apprenticing under the Phantom Spirit King, Jiang Chen had looked down on ordinary factions and strong figures in the universe.

Besides, just the title of ‘Core Genius of the Virtual Universe Company’ carried immense prestige, ranking even above some mid-tier cosmic rulers.

If they weren’t true ‘big shots,’ Jiang Chen had no reason to waste time on them.

Of course, forming alliances was out of the question, but business negotiations could still proceed.

Luo Feng agreed, “Same here. If anyone important wants to meet me, Babata will notify me.”

As they spoke, Jiang Chen’s thoughts suddenly shifted.

—

Elsewhere, in a quiet chamber within the Virtual Universe.

The ‘Uchiha Shisui’ avatar had just received an invitation to meet an immortal deity claiming to be from the ‘Qianwu Secret Realm.’

Upon seeing the giant clad in scale armor, his entire head wrapped in a heavy helmet, standing over eight meters tall, Jiang Chen vaguely guessed the man’s identity.

Sure enough, the armored giant spoke next: “I am here by the order of the ruler, overseeing this Genius Battle’s preliminaries for the Qianwu Universe Nation. You may call me ‘Lord Thirteen.’”

Order of the ruler?

Who else could it be?

In the Qianwu Universe Nation, the only one who could dispatch subordinates to manage the Genius Battle selection was none other than the so-called ‘Universe’s Biggest Debtor,’ Lord Qianwu…

Ah, pardon me—the ‘Ruler of Qianwu.’

Jokes aside, one must not underestimate the ruler’s power.

He was among humanity’s oldest cosmic sovereigns, existing longer than many universe lords themselves.

Such longevity was a testament to his strength.

Even the strongest universe lords or cosmic titans who reversed time and space to resurrect others could not bring back everyone.

Some fell under special circumstances that even time reversal could not undo.

If one lacked sufficient value, resurrection would not occur.

After all, resurrecting others through time reversal comes at a cost to the strength of the universe lord or supreme being.

To have endured multiple deaths and still be revived speaks volumes about the Qianwu ruler’s might.

Jiang Chen respectfully said, “Lord Thirteen.”

He did not know where ‘Thirteen’ ranked among immortals.

But knowing that he was the ruler’s trusted confidant warranted respect.

“I have two matters for you,” ‘Thirteen’ said bluntly.

“First, your strength in the preliminaries was impressive. Unless you make major mistakes, breaking into the top 1,000 in the overall universe ranking is easy, with even a chance to reach higher ranks. I ask you to strive for the best possible placement in the universe finals three years from now.”

Jiang Chen nodded silently.

Who would want to settle for a lower rank when entering the Primordial Secret Realm?

For all geniuses in the universe, the Genius Battle was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to soar.

‘Thirteen’ continued, “Second, is your cultivation style the ‘Ten Thousand Lines Flow’?”

Jiang Chen nodded, “Yes, ‘Ten Thousand Lines Flow.’ But it’s originally a technique for spiritual psychics. I’m a warrior, so I made some adjustments. It’s not as powerful as the original but suits me better.”

This was a half-truth.

Jiang Chen was indeed a spiritual psychic, so it made sense to cultivate such techniques.

But he modified the ‘Ten Thousand Lines Flow’ to fit the ‘Uchiha Shisui’ persona.

Upon the Phantom Spirit King’s reminder that each avatar with an independent identity needed unique combat methods and habits, Jiang Chen pondered how to achieve this.

He ultimately chose the simplest approach: to ‘copy’ a character from an anime’s role design, making the avatar behave exactly as ‘Uchiha Shisui.’

Of course, their strengths differed vastly—the highest limits of the Naruto world could never match the advanced warriors of the Devouring Star World.

But the combat style was emulated.

Combining fire-style swordsmanship, swift body techniques with multiple clones, and terrifying genjutsu.

Excluding the Susanoo which Jiang Chen couldn’t mimic, the other three combined fit perfectly with a style known in the Devouring Star World as the Illusionary Warrior Flow.

Jiang Chen’s avatar was set up as a genius of this Illusionary Warrior style.

However, early in the Genius Battle, there was no need to reveal the genjutsu.

Simply sword techniques plus spatial law-based illusions sufficed.

“The ‘Ten Thousand Lines Flow’ is a secret technique for spiritual psychics and poorly suited for warriors,” ‘Thirteen’ said.

“I’ve prepared a more suitable body technique for you, ‘Myriad Phantom Bodies.’ Like the ‘Ten Thousand Lines Flow,’ it focuses on the ‘phantom body’ aspect under spatial law. The applicable laws are the same, but its application details better fit warriors.”

“With your comprehension of spatial law, you should master the first level of ‘Myriad Phantom Bodies’ quickly. This technique will also enhance your combat strength somewhat.”

‘Myriad Phantom Bodies’?

Jiang Chen’s ‘Urso’ avatar had once seen this technique in the treasure trove of the ‘Death Secret Realm.’

It was not particularly valuable—only a few points were needed to acquire the first level.

The full set was worth a few thousand points, roughly on par with ‘Ten Thousand Lines Flow.’

A few thousand points was not insignificant, but for an immortal like ‘Thirteen,’ a high-ranking figure in Qianwu Universe, it was casual generosity.

Such a technique offered little help in understanding the laws themselves—after all, nothing compared to the system library’s in-depth knowledge.

But in applying the laws to combat, it proved immensely useful.

The system library gave Jiang Chen knowledge but not how to use it to improve his fighting power.

Creating a secret technique without sufficient foundation could never match those honed by generations of cosmic warriors.

Though not necessarily high in level, these techniques perfected their practical application.

Jiang Chen accepted the gift without hesitation, bowing respectfully. “Thank you, Lord Thirteen.”

He understood ‘Thirteen’s’ purpose: to help him perform better in the Genius Battle and secure a higher ranking.

In essence, it was a transaction.

And it did not conflict with Jiang Chen’s own goals.

If possible, Jiang Chen hoped his two avatars would claim first and second place, winning two slots in the Primordial Secret Realm.

With aligned goals, Jiang Chen naturally accepted the benefit.

Seeing Jiang Chen accept his gift, ‘Thirteen’ smiled satisfactorily, though hidden behind his helmet.

After a few encouraging words, ‘Thirteen’ left promptly.

Though he valued ‘Uchiha Shisui’ most in this Genius Battle, it did not mean other outstanding talents were unworthy of a visit.

The Qianwu Universe Nation had grown weak over many years. This was a rare chance to shine.

Anyone with even a slight hope of breaking into the universe’s top 1,000 would receive a visit from ‘Thirteen’ and some modest assistance to help secure more slots for Qianwu.

His dedication was why ‘Thirteen’ was highly valued by the Qianwu ruler.

—

Shortly after ‘Uchiha Shisui’s’ meeting with ‘Thirteen,’ Jiang Chen’s other avatar also received an invitation.

This time, however, ‘Thirteen’ brought no secret techniques or treasures.

But that did not mean the meeting lacked value.

‘Thirteen’ offered a targeted explanation of the Genius Battle rules, especially the restrictions on ‘technological items,’ helping Jiang Chen better understand how to leverage the rules to create advantageous conditions in future matches.

Admittedly, the Genius Battle rules imposed significant limits on Jiang Chen’s combat system, which relied heavily on external assistance.

But this was understandable.

Without restrictions on external power, the contest would simply be about who had more resources—no longer a Genius Battle, but a ‘Universe Background Battle.’

It would just be a competition of who had bigger backing and more favor within their faction.

Though limited, external power was not entirely forbidden.

After all, cultivation paths like Beast Tamers and Alchemists inherently required external aid.

Completely banning outside assistance would exclude these less mainstream paths from the competition.

The Virtual Universe Company would never do that.

Reasonable rules ensured fairness while including all types of geniuses—this was the purpose of the Genius Battle.

With ‘Thirteen’s’ explanation, Jiang Chen gained clearer ideas on how to use technological creations in the upcoming Universe Finals.

“However… relying solely on technological creations without using laws, and being limited to a maximum of three items, makes it difficult to defeat an opponent at the ‘Bolan’ level…”

Jiang Chen muttered worriedly, “Does that mean only my main body can enter the Primordial Secret Realm? The resource gap between the Primordial and the Original Secret Realms is huge…”

(The chapter ends)