Chapter 117: The Virtual Universe Corporation’s Arrogance! (Third Update)

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The next morning.

The 7,300 geniuses from various cosmic nations who had passed the first round of the grand finals were gathered in the plaza.

Suddenly, an invisible aura descended. Everyone instinctively looked up, spotting the familiar figure in mid-air.

"Venerable."

All 7,300 geniuses bowed in unison.

"The first round of trials has concluded. First, I congratulate the top one hundred geniuses; you have directly earned the opportunity to join our Virtual Universe Company. Of course, if anyone is unwilling, you may speak up now. Our Virtual Universe Company will never force anyone to join."

The voice of Venerable Nine-Sword was ethereal, echoing directly into the consciousness of every individual.

No one spoke.

No one would let go of the chance to join one of the five giants and become a "core genius."

Even the most arrogant genius understood one thing: the growth of a genius requires vast resources.

Becoming a core genius of the five giants was the best shortcut to accelerate one’s own growth. In fact, the more monstrously talented a genius was, the more they needed such an opportunity.

If left in the outside world without proper cultivation resources, even the most monstrous genius could eventually fade away. At the very least, throughout the endless ages of the past, this pattern had never once failed.

"Good."

Venerable Nine-Sword nodded with satisfaction and continued, "As for the 7,200 geniuses ranked from 101st to 7,300th, the virtual universe system has automatically arranged your battle order based on your performance in the trial space. You will fight in pairs; the loser is eliminated, and the winner advances to the next round. By winning three consecutive matches, you will secure a spot."

With 7,200 geniuses fighting in pairs, 3,600 would be eliminated in the first round, and 1,800 in the second. After eliminating another 900 in the third round, the remaining 900 would become part of the top 1,000 geniuses in the universe, joining the Virtual Universe Company.

The rules were simple, yet brutal, leaving no room for error.

"What if two powerhouses meet? Doesn't that mean one of them must be eliminated?" someone asked.

Venerable Nine-Sword replied, "The arrangement by the virtual universe system is undoubtedly the optimal one; there is no need for doubt. If you are dissatisfied, you may choose to withdraw. Now, all 7,200 participants, proceed to the arena battles."

As soon as he finished speaking, 7,200 of the 7,300 geniuses in the plaza were instantly teleported away, leaving only those who had secured a spot in the top hundred during the first round.

"There are seats over there. You may watch the live broadcast of the arena battles or take a rest."

Venerable Nine-Sword gestured toward a corner of the plaza.

The previously empty ground suddenly filled with numerous tables and chairs, stocked with drinks and food. Meanwhile, the Venerable himself walked toward the side of the plaza where the 1,008 immortal leaders were stationed.

Jiang Chen followed the crowd and found a place to sit. The "four" geniuses from the Ganwu Universe Kingdom sat together by tacit agreement.

"Jiang Chen, after the genius competition ends, I want to challenge you in the virtual universe. No restrictions on the battlefield environment, and no restrictions on the materials you use for your technological weapons," Rong Jun said, his gaze burning as he looked at Jiang Chen.

Rong Jun had learned of Jiang Chen’s performance in the first round’s trial space through other channels and believed that in an arena setting, he could never defeat Jiang Chen. However, the proud Rong Jun hoped to "prove himself" in another way. By removing the environmental restrictions, he could gain an advantage in their duel, but at the same time, by removing the material restrictions, he would compensate Jiang Chen. For a genius as proud as Rong Jun, he disdained gaining any advantage through technicalities.

Jiang Chen glanced at Rong Jun and said noncommittally, "After the genius competition ends, if you still have the confidence to challenge me, we shall see then."

Battles in the trial space were not allowed to be recorded. Rong Jun only knew of Jiang Chen’s fighting style through hearsay; he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, so his judgment might be flawed. Once he witnessed the lethality of the "antimatter bomb" in the arena, it was hard to say whether he would still have the courage to challenge him. Even the strongest-willed person might lose interest in a battle that was certain to be a defeat and offered no room for improvement.

Luo Feng sat to the side, calm and composed, with no intention of challenging Jiang Chen. The two had fought countless times, but no matter how they fought, as long as there were no strict restrictions on the mechanical units Jiang Chen carried, Luo Feng didn't even get a chance to strike before being instantly killed, leaving him with no real combat experience. No matter how much Luo Feng enjoyed fighting, he had no interest in such meaningless, time-wasting combat.

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While chatting, the group simultaneously kept an eye on the live battles on the giant screens. For these geniuses, multitasking was the most basic of skills.

As "Thirteen" had said, the first round’s "trial space" was not friendly to certain types of contestants, such as illusionists. These geniuses hadn't made the top one hundred, but that did not mean their strength was inferior. Almost every genius was observing the participants in the arena battles. They were very likely to be their future opponents.

Among the 7,200 participating geniuses, one particularly dazzling individual attracted almost everyone's attention.

"That 'Phantom Demon' Jialexi... you can't even see a trace of his attacks. Every time, he just stands there, and the opponent simply dies."

"Indeed, one cannot even tell if it's an illusion or a direct soul attack. His combat style is completely unfathomable."

"Opponents who use illusions and soul attacks are the most annoying..."

The geniuses discussed among themselves, and quite a few subconsciously glanced at "Uchiha Shisui."

He was also an illusionist!

After observing his performance in the first round's trial space and the seventh trial tower, most geniuses could see that "Uchiha Shisui" was a rare "Illusionary Warrior." This school of thought was incredibly rare in the universe. But once they rose to prominence, they were terrifying existences, even more so than pure illusionists. While illusionists had strange methods, they were limited to the soul. "Illusionary Warriors," however, might not necessarily surpass illusionists in pure illusions, but they were strong in both matter and soul, with no weaknesses. Having no weaknesses meant they were difficult to counter; one could only rely on raw strength. If one had a weakness in any area, they could be quickly crushed.

The arena battles progressed rapidly. Each round concluded in just a few minutes. Even with the intervals between rounds, the three rounds took only a little over an hour in total. 7,200 geniuses were quickly eliminated until only 900 remained.

The 100 geniuses gathered together. Venerable Nine-Sword flew back into the sky, looked down at the geniuses, and said, "Congratulations. You are the top 1,000 geniuses out of the entire human race's 1,008 universe kingdoms in this genius competition. Our Virtual Universe Company will fully cultivate you to ensure your talents are realized. Of course, if anyone is unwilling to join the Virtual Universe Company, you may speak up now."

Throughout the rounds of elimination and selection, Venerable Nine-Sword had repeated this question, emphasizing that the "Virtual Universe Company will not force anyone to join." However, no fool would actually give up such a life-changing opportunity; the entire plaza remained silent.

"Very well."

Venerable Nine-Sword nodded and continued, "Although you all have the status of core geniuses of our Virtual Universe Company, you must understand a truth: resources in the universe are limited, and competition is eternal. It is impossible for the 1,000 of you to receive identical treatment. Even our Virtual Universe Company cannot waste resources by giving everyone the best treatment."

"I shall announce the following," Venerable Nine-Sword said. "Among you 1,000, those ranked 101st to 1,000th will each receive a prize of 10 mixed-element units and a slot to enter the Primordial Universe for enlightenment, and may enter the 'Endless World Secret Realm,' a core secret realm of our Virtual Universe Company."

"Ranked 11th to 100th will each receive 100 mixed-element units, a slot for Primordial Universe enlightenment, and may enter the 'Heaven and Earth Secret Realm'."

"Ranked 3rd to 10th will each receive 1,000 mixed-element units, a slot for Primordial Universe enlightenment, and may enter the 'Primordial Beginning Secret Realm'."

"As for the 1st and 2nd place, they will receive 10,000 mixed-element units, a slot for Primordial Universe enlightenment, and may enter the 'Original Secret Realm'."

"Regarding these four major secret realms, the treatment for geniuses in each differs greatly; you will understand the specifics in the future, so I will not elaborate here."

"The slots for the Original Secret Realm are the most precious. Normally, each genius competition only accepts one genius into the Original Secret Realm. However, the quality of this year's geniuses is very high, so after deliberation by the higher-ups of the Virtual Universe Company, it was decided to grant two slots for the Original Secret Realm."

As he spoke, Venerable Nine-Sword looked at Bolan with a hint of sympathy. Originally, this extra slot existed because of Bolan. During the preliminary rounds, the higher-ups believed Bolan would certainly take first place, and the extra slot was meant for others to compete over. But they hadn't expected two more monsters to emerge in the grand finals.

One was "Uchiha Shisui," an Illusionary Warrior whose illusions were even more powerful than those of the "Phantom Demon" Jialexi, coupled with spatial laws that were not much inferior to Bolan’s. In the judgment of Venerable Nine-Sword, if the two were to clash, the win rate would be at least nine-to-one.

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Uchiha Shisui nine, Bolan one.

And the other, Jiang Chen, also from the Ganwu Universe Kingdom, was a complete monster! Relying on his own mastery of technology, he could use B-grade materials to create terrifying weapons capable of killing Domain Lords, and these were wide-area weapons that could cover dozens of kilometers! In an arena setting, none of these Star-level geniuses could compete with him. Unless Jiang Chen was foolish enough to abandon his technological weapons during the arena battles, he was undoubtedly the undisputed first place.

With Jiang Chen and Uchiha Shisui, the possibility of Bolan entering the Original Secret Realm had become very slim. The extra slot the Virtual Universe Company had created specifically for Bolan was now likely to result in him dropping to the Primordial Beginning Secret Realm. Who could he even complain to?

—

In the plaza, the geniuses were filled with confusion. Except for a very few, most did not understand the distinctions between the "Endless World," "Heaven and Earth," "Primordial Beginning," and "Original" secret realms. But from the words of Venerable Nine-Sword and the rewards for the rankings, it was clear that the "Original Secret Realm" was the best.

"The rules for the final battle have been transmitted to you. Today's matches are over; the ranking battles will officially begin tomorrow."

After leaving these words, Venerable Nine-Sword vanished. The geniuses quickly checked their wrist monitors to examine the competition rules. Upon reading them, an uproar ensued.

The rules stated: Based on the performance of the 900 geniuses in the previous three rounds of arena battles, the virtual universe system would select the best 100 to face off against the top 100 geniuses from the trial space. The 100 winners would qualify for the "Heaven and Earth Secret Realm." Then, the virtual universe system would select 20 from those 100 winners to determine the 10 spots for the "Primordial Beginning Secret Realm." Finally, the top two would be determined from the top ten to enter the "Original Secret Realm." Those not selected by the system would be relegated to the "Endless World" or "Heaven and Earth" secret realms.

The rules also included the list of matchups between those selected from the first round and the top 100 geniuses.

"This is too arbitrary!"

"We aren't even given the right to compete in the finals?"

"If I were inferior and lost the match, I would have nothing to say. But to be denied the right to compete and have it judged by the virtual universe system... I disagree!"

The geniuses exploded in protest. However, only seven or eight hundred participated in the protest. Those who had placed in the top 100 in the first round, and those selected by the system to challenge them, remained silent. People prioritize their own interests; these geniuses might have different personalities, but none were fools, and they understood what was most beneficial for them.

"Shut up!"

"What do you think you are doing?!"

The immortals immediately scolded them, "Are the decisions made by the higher-ups of the Virtual Universe Company something you little ones can change?!"

Venerable Nine-Sword returned, releasing a powerful pressure that forced the protesting geniuses to the ground, rendering them unable to utter a sound.

"If you have objections to the rules, you may choose not to join the Virtual Universe Company. Our Virtual Universe Company will not force anyone! But if you choose to participate, you must abide by our rules!"

The voice of Venerable Nine-Sword echoed through the heavens and earth. This response left the many geniuses pale. There was no explanation for their protests, only the cold dismissal: "If you disagree, you may choose not to join." The attitude was incredibly forceful and overbearing.