A powerhouse like Savage Rong Jun was the kind of opponent who deserved serious attention.
Back on Earth, Thunder God had once sent Rowan detailed combat data on other geniuses.
Rowan had not even glanced at it.
He had simply said there was no need.
That response had infuriated Babata, who scolded him endlessly for being arrogant.
Yet now, watching Rong Jun display such terrifying strength in the arena, Babata expected Rowan to finally show some concern.
Instead, Rowan remained exactly the same, leaning close to the woman beside him, laughing and chatting intimately, completely ignoring the ongoing slaughter in the arena.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Babata snapped, flying straight up to Rowan's face. "Do you seriously not care about those monsters?"
Fuming, Babata opened her mouth and viciously bit down on Rowan's shoulder.
Unfortunately for her, she was a data lifeform.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not leave even the faintest mark.
"I like fighting when neither side truly knows the other's strength," Rowan replied casually. "That uncertainty is thrilling. Knowing everything in advance removes the excitement. That's not my style."
He grabbed Babata in one hand and made up the excuse without blinking.
"I believe you my foot," Babata rolled her eyes. She did not believe a single word, but there was nothing she could do except let him continue acting however he pleased.
The first day of arena matches ended quickly.
Everyone was given time to rest.
Back on Earth, Hong and Thunder God did not relax at all.
The next phase would be a brutal one on one elimination.
They used every moment to continue training. Even the smallest improvement could mean survival.
The next day.
A new round of arena battles began.
This time, Death God Beran appeared in the third match.
His terrifying strength left a deep impression on everyone who watched.
Armed with a massive scythe, he cut down every opponent with ruthless efficiency. His enemies did not last even a single exchange.
His power was overwhelming.
Even Hong and Thunder God felt their hearts tighten as they watched.
"With just the Wind Law, he completely suppresses everyone," Thunder God said grimly. "This level of strength is downright abnormal."
For the first time, his usual grin was gone.
He knew with absolute certainty that if he faced Death God Beran, he would lose without question.
Hong understood the same.
Even with endless illusion techniques, at best he could delay defeat. Victory was impossible.
Just by watching, both of them began simulating battles against Beran in their minds.
Every outcome ended the same way.
Loss.
A victory chance of less than one in a thousand.
"We're all at the stellar level," Luo Feng muttered, "yet his strength can kill third or even fourth stage Universe-level opponents."
The gap felt suffocating.
Rowan also watched Beran carefully, quietly evaluating whether he could defeat him.
At present, he could not be certain.
But that uncertainty excited him.
Both his Fire Law and Time Law had already crossed the threshold. Facing someone like Beran was exactly how he would test how strong he truly was.
After Beran's match concluded, the next arena battle began.
This time, it was Rowan's turn.
"Go, Rowan!"
"Third Brother, be careful!"
With words of encouragement echoing behind him, Rowan stepped onto the arena.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
He had encountered Thousandwater.
In the original rankings, Thousandwater was a top five contender, a powerful psychic and a favored champion.
Due to his unique species, his combat techniques were exceptionally strange.
Thousandwater stood nearly two meters tall, with green, wavy hair and pale skin. His appearance was close to human.
He wielded two massive sabers, each nearly one and a half meters long, with a shield strapped to his back.
His combat style was clear. Psychic weapons combined with close combat.
Balanced offense and defense.
A formidable opponent.
In the spectator stands, thunderous cheers erupted once more from the Qianwu Universe Nation.
"Rowan!"
"Come on, Rowan!"
The audience had already learned quite a bit about him.
Rowan represented their pride.
In the preliminary trials, he had nearly taken first place and almost killed the top contender.
Such strength naturally drew attention.
If the Qianwu Universe Nation produced yet another top ten thousand genius, it would be cause for celebration.
Future genius battles would certainly place them under greater scrutiny.
Within the Black Dragon Mountain Star Domain.
At the holy grounds, the Second Prince and the other royal heirs were all watching the arena.
Hargreave and the others were present as well.
The Black Dragon Mountain Emperor had already departed for the Qianwu Universe Nation.
"Damn that brat," the Second Prince snarled.
His expression was dark.
He never imagined Rowan would be this strong.
Advancing through the preliminaries and nearly taking first place.
The sense of crisis weighed heavily on him.
He had always believed the throne was his.
Yet his younger sister returned from the World of Realms with not only greater prestige, but a terrifyingly powerful partner.
Even worse, Rowan had comprehended Laws at the stellar level.
Such talent was unreachable.
If Rowan entered the top ten thousand, he would attract countless factions and almost certainly take a King-level Immortal as his master.
At that point, his status would skyrocket.
Even if Browning was weaker than him, with Rowan backing her, the entire Black Dragon Mountain Star Domain would inevitably fall into her hands.
Strength ruled everything.
His own master was merely a Domain Lord.
The gap was insurmountable.
The Seventh Prince, who had once favored Rowan, noticed the Second Prince's grim expression and guessed the reason.
He chuckled quietly, his interest in Rowan growing even stronger.
On the arena.
As the match was about to begin, countless eyes fixed on Rowan.
At Venerable Nine Swords' command, the battle started instantly.
Domains erupted.
In the blink of an eye, countless Domains collided, flooding the arena with dazzling light.
Multicolored Domains clashed violently as geniuses slaughtered each other within their boundaries.
Blood and destruction filled the field.
Rowan stepped onto his Skyshuttle, weaving through the chaos with ease.
"Ninefold Domain. Scorch the Heavens."
He chose the most direct method.
His Domain expanded instantly to a kilometer in radius.
Though the temperature dropped slightly due to its size, it still burned at over seven hundred thousand degrees.
Several contestants who failed to escape were reduced to ash in seconds.
Rowan moved like a living sun.
Where he passed, everything burned.
Many contestants stared in disbelief at his method of combat.
At that moment, two Domain users who wielded Water Domains exchanged glances and charged at him together.
Rowan was too dangerous to ignore.
One wielded a seventh level Domain.
The other wielded an eighth.
They merged their Domains and slammed them against Rowan's inferno.
Water and fire collided.
The explosion was terrifying.
Steam and shockwaves tore through space as the arena trembled.
Spectators gasped.
"That Rowan is insane. Charging straight into the crowd. Doesn't he know this invites everyone to gang up on him?"
"Two Water Domain experts against one. He has no chance."
"This is reckless. No strategy at all."
Even the Qianwu Universe Nation spectators grew anxious.
Thunder God stared, stunned. "What is he doing? This is suicidal."
Hong narrowed his eyes.
He understood Rowan's thinking, but said nothing.
"Kill him!"
The two Water Domain users pushed with all their strength.
A third contestant joined them, a warrior who had nearly been burned moments earlier.
This man wielded an extremely rare bow.
He drew the string.
The arrowhead glowed with dark green venom.
When released, the arrow split mid-flight into dozens.
They flew faster than lasers.
Even the overlapping Domains could not stop them.
As the arrows streaked toward Rowan, his eyes lit with surprise.
A bow user.
Rare indeed.
And arrows that ignored Domain suppression.
Just as they were about to strike, countless blades erupted from space.
They formed the Swordfish Array.
Faster than the arrows, the blades shredded them instantly.
Then, in the same motion, they pierced straight through the archer's skull.
Instant kill.
The two remaining experts froze.
That archer had been strong.
Yet Rowan erased him in one move.
Worse, even with both their Domains combined, they could barely suppress Rowan's inferno.
And Rowan himself looked calm.
Unbothered.
Unpressed.
He was clearly holding back.
Panic surged.
Before they could retreat, Rowan vanished.
The pressure on their Domains suddenly disappeared.
Their bodies lurched forward uncontrollably.
At that moment, Rowan compressed his Domain to half a meter around his body and shot forward like a cannonball.
The Swordfish Array flashed.
One head fell.
The other was obliterated by Rowan's punch.
In the blink of an eye, three elites were dead.
The crowd fell silent.
Then applause erupted.
Thunderous.
"He wasn't arrogant. He was just too strong."
"That composure. One versus three, absolute dominance."
"He definitely has top ten potential."
The Qianwu Universe Nation audience was completely conquered.
Before the cheers faded, Rowan was already moving again.
With the Swordfish Array and the Ninefold Domain combined, he was unstoppable.
Within moments, three more contestants fell.
The remaining geniuses retreated instinctively.
Rowan had become the storm no one dared to face.