Chapter 113: The Gathering of Geniuses (Fifth Update)

“Lord Thirteen.”

Jiang Chen bowed respectfully.

“Your strength is inscrutable to me, and to everyone else as well.”

‘Thirteen’ looked at Jiang Chen, his voice grave: “However, regardless of whether you have any hidden cards, use them in the upcoming finals. Don’t hold back! Breaking into the top one thousand in the universe’s overall ranking, or even higher, is an opportunity that even I would envy. You must not miss it!”

“Yes, sir,” Jiang Chen replied with respect.

“Uchiha Shishui, Rong Jun!”

‘Thirteen’ named two more individuals.

Jiang Chen’s ‘Shishui clone’ and Rong Jun stepped forward. “Lord Thirteen.”

“You two, among this batch from the Qianwu Universe Nation, besides Jiang Chen, are the only ones I am confident will not be eliminated and can even fight for the top rankings! The Sovereign has high expectations for you both. Do not disappoint him, understand?”

‘Thirteen’ fixed his burning gaze on ‘Shishui clone’ and Rong Jun.

Through his helmet, Jiang Chen could feel that gaze piercing him like fire.

“Yes, sir,” both replied respectfully.

“As for the others, Luo Feng has some hope of breaking into the top one thousand, but the rest have little chance!”

“Of course, in previous genius battles, some who didn’t shine early suddenly exploded later! If someone can perform like that, I look forward to it!”

‘Thirteen’ swept his eyes over the talents, taking in their reactions. Then, with a wave of his hand, he said sternly: “Everyone, follow me!”

The group proceeded majestically to the teleportation point, shifting through space-time into a vast continent within an independent dimension.

—

“The Qianwu Universe Nation team, ahead are 1,008 towers. You are assigned to Tower No. 825.”

At the teleport point, a middle-aged man in a white robe bowed respectfully to ‘Thirteen.’

“Hmm.” Thirteen nodded slightly and led 1,001 geniuses flying forward.

Ahead was a beautiful plaza, surrounded by 1,008 towers encircling it.

On the plaza, geniuses from various universe nations gathered in small groups, chatting.

Upon seeing the Qianwu Universe Nation team arrive, many began to whisper among themselves.

Though their voices were low, the keen ears of these geniuses soon discerned the names ‘Jiang Chen,’ ‘Uchiha Shishui,’ and ‘Rong Jun’ from the murmurs.

All discussions about Qianwu Universe Nation focused solely on these three names, seemingly ignoring the others altogether.

One by one, the proud geniuses felt deeply discontented but dared not stir trouble in such a public setting.

After distributing room number tags, ‘Thirteen’ announced the dismissal and left without further ado.

Jiang Chen chose not to rest in his room but wandered the plaza casually with Luo Feng, discussing information on various talents.

“That man and woman over there are siblings from the ‘Augus Planet,’ both strong with top ten potential. From the preliminary rounds’ video, the sister, Qianshui, is slightly stronger than her brother Jiangmo, mastering two fundamental laws.”

“That one with the horned helmet is Long Yun from the Lanting Universe Nation, a formidable opponent for you. Just relying on the Earth Law alone, he’s capable of breaking into the top ten. His grasp of Earth Law is profound, so his understanding of Space Law must be impressive. Without arena restrictions, you could defeat him, but under arena rules, your chances of winning are slimmer.”

“That winged girl over there has crossed thresholds in ‘Light’ and ‘Time’ fundamental laws. Her attack methods are very peculiar, and she has top ten, even top five potential.”

“Finally, that person in white with a blood-red long sword on his back is the only one among the other 1,007 universe nations whom you have no chance against. His insight into Space Law surpasses even our Uchiha Shishui’s.”

Jiang Chen shared evaluations of contestants with Luo Feng, slipping in hints to imply that the ‘Uchiha Shishui’ identity was unrelated to himself.

That identity was a deliberate facade Jiang Chen put forward as a decoy to attract alien hostility and firepower.

Regarding the powerful talents from various universe nations, the team leader of Qianwu Universe Nation, the immortal ‘Thirteen,’ naturally provided some information, although it was not comprehensive.

Instead, Jiang Chen, through his business dealings, had established ties with many major forces within Qianwu Universe Nation and obtained more complete data from them.

—

Of course, no single faction possessed more data than the official Qianwu Universe Nation.

But combined, the information from various factions and powerful individuals was even more detailed than what ‘Thirteen’ had provided.

Jiang Chen’s assessments were partly based on original descriptions but mostly derived from observing their performances during the preliminary rounds.

Luo Feng stared at Boran in the distance.

Upon hearing Jiang Chen say he had no chance against this opponent, Luo Feng was naturally unwilling to accept it.

Yet, he understood that Jiang Chen knew his own strength well; since he made such a judgment, his odds against Boran were indeed slim.

Suddenly remembering something, Luo Feng asked, “Achen, from what you’re saying, Boran is stronger than Uchiha Shishui?”

“Only in Space Law,” Jiang Chen shook his head. “Boran has the advantage in Space Law, while Uchiha Shishui excels in Flame Law. Moreover, Uchiha Shishui faced no strong opponents in preliminaries and might be hiding some trump cards. Who would win if they fought? It’s hard to say.”

Jiang Chen, as if suffering a split personality, treated his clone as a stranger in speech.

But inwardly, he didn’t feel threatened by Boran.

Even if the ‘Uchiha Shishui’ clone used only a fraction of their power without employing their strongest combat methods.

“Do you think the champion will come from those two?” Luo Feng asked curiously.

“Perhaps there are other talents with hidden trump cards who might suddenly explode,” Jiang Chen shrugged, then smiled confidently. “But no matter who it is or what they hide, I will be the champion of this genius battle!”

“Hmm?” Luo Feng widened his eyes, unable to comprehend such confidence.

Jiang Chen’s performance in the first stage, first round preliminaries had indeed been phenomenal.

But in later matches, suitable environments for Jiang Chen to ‘mass-produce troops’ might not be available.

With only three pieces of technological equipment allowed, and strict limits on materials and parts, Luo Feng couldn’t fathom why Jiang Chen was so sure of taking first place.

Jiang Chen kept his secret, smiling as he said, “You’ll see in time. I have a weapon that’s almost cheating. It might not work well elsewhere, but as long as the final ranking is decided by arena battles, I’ll be invincible.”

He spoke halfway.

If Jiang Chen’s strength were insufficient, he would have been killed long ago.

Having grown up together, Luo Feng was used to Jiang Chen’s temperament. Seeing him act mysterious, he just shrugged and didn’t press further.

Luo Feng knew that the more he asked, the more Jiang Chen would delight in teasing him, but in the end, reveal nothing.

—

Around the plaza were many restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues for geniuses from 1,008 universe nations to rest and enjoy themselves.

Among these venues, only Restaurant No. 1 was closed to the geniuses.

It was reserved for the immortals leading each universe nation to gather.

‘Thirteen’ arrived relatively late, and hundreds of immortals were already inside drinking and chatting.

Seeing ‘Thirteen’ enter, they all greeted him warmly.

“Thirteen, you’re here.”

“Qianwu Universe Nation has great luck this time! Several top talents emerged at once; they’re bound to make a big splash!”

“Indeed, ‘Uchiha Shishui’ and ‘Rong Jun’ both have the strength to break into the top ten. If your Qianwu Universe Nation shines this time, you owe us a treat!”

“That ‘Jiang Chen’ is interesting too, a genius focusing on technology. It’s been years since we saw such a unique character. The last to break into the core of the Big Five using external forces was from Jinlan Universe Nation—the alchemist named Yufeng. I wonder if Jiang Chen’s talent surpasses Yufeng’s.”

“I heard Jiang Chen runs a big business and controls advanced technology. Though the genius battle’s rules are restrictive, judging by his exposed tech level, if used cleverly, he still has a chance at a good result.”

“Including Jiang Chen, Qianwu Universe Nation has three hopefuls to break the top ten this time!”

One immortal after another jested, praising Thirteen’s luck.

—

“Hmph, our Qianwu Universe Nation hasn’t had good results in over a hundred generations. It’s about time we exploded,” Thirteen said with a sly tone, then called to a waiter, “Bring the wine. I’ll treat everyone!”

“A hundred generations of silence for such an explosion—you’ve made a killing!” teased an immortal. “If you don’t want to, how about swapping teams between our two universe nations?”

“Hmph, Sephra, everyone else has the right to say I’m lucky—except you!” Thirteen snorted, retorting, “Your Noah Universe Nation’s Boran is unbelievably strong! His talent in Space Law alone is rare beyond countless millennia among our combined 1,008 human universe nations!”

“Boran is indeed formidable. To have such deep insight into Space Law at the stellar level—after endless eons, he might even challenge the ‘Space Sovereign’ rank,” an immortal said, and the entire restaurant fell silent.

The word ‘Sovereign’ was a tremendous provocation to these lofty immortals.

Many instinctively protested.

Yet some showed thoughtful expressions, seemingly agreeing.

“How about this? Let’s bet on who will get first place,” an immortal suddenly interrupted the dispute. “Only a few candidates are qualified. I’ll be the bookmaker. Everyone picks their favorite and bets. Maximum bet is ten thousand Hun Yuan units—just for fun.”

Ten thousand Hun Yuan units was a huge sum for many immortals.

But for these team leaders of universe nations, it was merely a game.

They were powerful and held high positions, their wealth incomparable to ordinary immortals.

“I’m betting on Boran.”

“I think Jiang Chen might be hiding a powerful card. I bet on Jiang Chen.”

“I’m picking Long Yun from Lanting Universe Nation!”

One by one, the immortals placed their bets.

The most popular was undoubtedly Boran. Others like Uchiha Shishui, Rong Jun, Wuka, Ai Chen, and Qianshui also attracted several bets, forming a second tier of favorites.

As for Jiang Chen and other talents, some chose them, but only in single digits—not popular picks. Most were skeptical.

“Thirteen, you’re last. Who do you choose?”

After hesitation, Thirteen said, “I bet on Jiang Chen! He’s the only one I can’t read this time. I think he might surprise me!”

“All bets are in, the book is closed! Odds are even for all, and the winner buys the drinks!” The bookmaker smiled as he recorded the choices.

Suddenly—

“Hahaha, such excitement! Am I late?”

A loud voice echoed through the restaurant.

All the immortals involuntarily turned their heads.

A handsome man in a blue robe with purple scales on his forehead smiled warmly, standing at the entrance.

To the naked eye, he was just standing there.

But sensing his aura, the space around him felt like a void, as if no one were present.

One by one, the immortals stood respectfully: “Greetings, Nine Swords Sovereign!”

“This time, our Virtual Universe Company is hosting the genius battle. Thank you all universe nations for your strong support. On behalf of the company, I express my gratitude,” the Nine Swords Sovereign said with a smile.

“That is our duty,” the immortals responded.

Though powerful figures in their respective universes, they dared not show arrogance before a ‘Universe Sovereign’ of such stature.

“Hmm,” the Nine Swords Sovereign nodded slightly. “All teams are here. Continue your discussions; I will go gather those youngsters.”

With that, he turned and left.

(The End of this chapter)