Rowan glanced at the figure standing before them and felt an immediate sense of familiarity.
An old acquaintance.
It was the Nine Swords Venerable.
His arrival signaled one thing only. The rules of the upcoming arena battles were about to be announced.
Floating above the plaza, the Nine Swords Venerable addressed the gathered geniuses with a calm yet commanding voice.
"All participants who passed the preliminary trials will now enter the Virtual Universe Company's Peak Genius Battle. The next phase consists of large-scale arena melee battles. The duration is five days. Each day, two hundred matches will be held, with one hundred participants per match."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"In each match," he continued, "only the final ten survivors will advance. Ninety percent will be eliminated at this stage. The remaining ten thousand will proceed to the one-on-one elimination phase."
"The one-on-one elimination round will follow a knockout format. Victory advances you forward. Defeat removes you. After four consecutive victories, six hundred and twenty-five participants will pass this stage."
The crowd erupted.
"That's brutal. Ninety percent eliminated in one go, and in group battles too. There's nowhere to hide."
"I'm finished. In chaotic arena fights like this, I have no advantage at all."
"Damn it. The order will be completely scrambled. No chance to team up anymore."
Waves of anxious discussion spread among the participants.
During the preliminary rounds, many factions had relied on teamwork, hunting opponents together and exploiting advantages to accumulate points.
As a result, among the one thousand and one who advanced from each world region, quite a few had made it through by opportunistic methods.
That advantage was now gone.
Two hundred random groupings every day. Once the battle began, there would be no coordination, no communication, only brutal combat.
Ten slots.
One hundred participants.
No one would waste even a second.
From this point onward, shortcuts would no longer work.
True talent would be exposed without mercy.
The Nine Swords Venerable raised his hand again.
"There is one more stage. The Reincarnation Battle."
"After the arena melee, nine thousand three hundred and seventy-five participants will enter the Reincarnation phase. They will fight one-on-one matches. Each victory earns one point. After ranking is finalized, the top two hundred and seventy-five will advance."
"Combined with the six hundred and twenty-five from the elimination phase, this will complete the one thousand slots allotted to each universe nation for the final selection."
Silence fell.
Everyone understood.
What awaited them was not a competition.
It was a slaughter.
At the same time, immortals from over ten thousand universe nations arrived to observe the battles.
Unlike the earlier world projections, the arena battles allowed direct live viewing.
Tickets were exorbitantly priced.
They sold out instantly.
Countless spectators flooded in, eager to cheer for their chosen talents.
Due to Rowan's status and connections within the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, along with Nabini, over two million tickets were allocated.
Rowan kept only one hundred.
The rest he handed to Browning, who passed them on to his father.
Soon, the contestants were separated and assigned match numbers.
"Third brother, what's your number?" Hong asked as he approached.
"Seven hundred ninety-eight. First match tomorrow," Rowan replied.
They compared assignments.
Hong was first match today, number eighty-nine.
The Thunder God was tomorrow, tenth match, number nine hundred seventy-one.
Rowan noted the schedule quietly.
"So I'm up today," Hong said with a relaxed smile, utterly unbothered by the looming battle.
His mind was calm as still water.
Rowan was inwardly surprised.
Hong's mental state had become astonishingly solid. The Illusion Heart Secret Art had clearly transformed him.
Today would be interesting.
With one hundred tickets available, Rowan brought everyone along and entered the audience stands reserved for participants.
Third row.
Perfect visibility.
The best seats in the arena.
Hong brought Beast and Glacier along, hoping to broaden their horizons and let them witness the true scale of the Virtual Universe's genius battles.
The Thunder God brought his daughter.
He had long been married, but circumstances had strained his relationship with her. Only after venturing into the universe had the distance between them slowly dissolved.
The remaining tickets were distributed among the five major powers, who selected their elites to observe.
The audience roared with excitement.
Spectators from countless universe nations filled the stands, cheering for their own.
The seating was carefully divided by nation, preventing unnecessary conflicts.
The Black Dragon Mountain Empire occupied its own section, as did all others.
It was impossible for chaos like that of sports riots to occur here.
"So this is the peak genius battle," Isabella murmured, eyes wide. "It's incredible."
Though she had reached peak Planetary Level and begun stepping into the universe, most of the beings she had met were administrative staff from Canglan Star.
Their appearances were largely similar to humans.
Here, she saw the vast diversity of humanity across the cosmos.
The noise alone was intoxicating.
Venina remained composed on the surface, though her excitement was unmistakable.
Browning had seen grand scenes before, yet still cheered passionately for the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.
In the previous genius battles, the empire had never even broken into the top ten thousand.
For countless years, it had remained at the bottom of its universe nation.
This time was different.
With Rowan and Nabini, hope finally existed.
Nabini was scheduled for the fourth match.
Due to Rowan's arrival and the advancement of Hong and the Thunder God, the roster had been completely reshuffled.
Nothing followed the original trajectory anymore.
In Hong's first match, Rowan noticed something unexpected.
Phantom Demon Galessi was also assigned to the same arena.
The battle was about to begin.
The massive screen above the arena displayed the names of the one hundred participants.
Galessi's name stood out immediately.
"He's a nightmare illusionist," Rowan thought.
Beside him, the Thunder God inhaled sharply.
"Galessi? How did big brother run into him?"
"You know him?" Rowan asked.
"Of course. He ranked first in World Region Seven. Anyone who faced him died with just a glance. Entire matches ended without resistance. No one dared challenge him. Instead, he hunted everyone else."
"A mental illusionist like him is a nightmare for warriors."
Even with his own strong mental fortitude, the Thunder God was unsure he could survive a direct confrontation.
Rowan fell silent.
Beast and Glacier looked anxious.
But Rowan said nothing.
The countdown ended.
Hong, Galessi, and the other ninety-eight contestants were teleported into the arena.
The moment they appeared, tension filled the air.
Many recognized Galessi instantly and stayed far away.
Some even closed their eyes entirely, fearing accidental eye contact.
The battle began.
Participants charged at one another.
Domains erupted.
Brilliant lights collided.
Weapons clashed.
Explosions thundered.
The arena became a storm of color and destruction.
Yet at the center stood Galessi.
Untouched.
Unchallenged.
Among the hundred participants, twenty-five were mental cultivators.
Even they avoided him.
Galessi watched calmly, as though observing a performance.
Arrogance radiated from him.
Standing alone at the center, guaranteed a top ten finish without lifting a finger.
Some despised his smugness.
But no one dared act.
Immortals from every universe nation observed from above.
The Black Dragon Mountain Emperor watched intently.
With Rowan and Nabini, this battle could finally change their long-standing humiliation.
"Hong! Hong!"
"Fight for the Black Dragon Mountain Empire!"
Two and a half million voices roared in unison.
The sound shook the arena.
Isabella and Venina joined in, swept up by the fervor.
On the battlefield, Hong moved.
No longer stationary as he had been in the preliminaries.
Silver spear in hand, he surged forward like a silver dragon.
Enemies fell before him.
Among the hundred, Hong now clearly ranked within the top five.
A massive warrior wielding twin shields charged him, blades flashing.
Pressure crashed down like a mountain.
Yet Hong remained composed.
The spear trembled.
Its tip spun violently.
"Illusion Technique: Demon Spear."
He thrust.
A ripple spread outward.
For a split second, the attacker's eyes went blank.
Energy faltered.
The silver spear pierced through his skull.
Instant death.
Now fewer than fifty remained.
All were elites.
Seventy percent possessed domains.
As domains clashed, the arena visibly shrank.
Mental cultivators struggled.
Death accelerated.
Only the truly strong survived.
As space compressed, some were forced closer to Galessi.
Eighteen remained.
One mental cultivator launched a concealed needle-like weapon toward Galessi while distracting others with flying blades.
For a moment, success seemed assured.
Galessi drew two short blades.
A flash.
The hidden weapon was deflected.
The next instant, a wave of mental power swept outward.
The attacker froze.
His brain shattered.
Dead instantly.
One glance.
One life.
Phantom Demon Galessi had finally made his move.
In stories, he seemed merely dangerous.
In reality, he was terrifying.