Devouring the Stars: The Lord of the Sky

Chapter 120: The Prelude to the Final Battle
Compared to the three months it took to travel there, returning to Guanghan Star was much faster.

After bidding farewell to the King of Tianshuang and leaving the Tianshuang Temple, the spaceship traveled through the dark universe for a while aboard an E9-class spaceship. After leaving the palace complex that stretched for millions of kilometers, the spaceship reappeared in a desolate starry sky.

Afterwards, Lu Jin put away the spaceship and took out two immortal crystals condensed by Zi Nishang from the external space.

They then tossed one of the stones onto a distant, lifeless planet, making it easier to return next time.

‘Shua——’

Soon, Zi Nishang appeared beside Lu Jin.

"Return to the Kingdom of God."

Lu Jin said.

With a slight nod, a strong aura of law emanated from Zi Ni Chang's body, followed by a dazzling light that instantly spread across the surrounding universe for several kilometers.

The dazzling light resembled a thick pillar of light, and deep within that pillar, a faintly visible, eight-colored palace could be seen.

'Whoosh—'

The next moment, Lu Jin and the other person were captured into the divine kingdom, and then the desolate starry sky returned to its original tranquility.

When Lu Jin arrived, Zi Nishang did not leave any location items with her own divine power imprint, such as immortal crystals, in the area near the Heavenly Frost Temple, so she could not be teleported over through the Divine Kingdom.

However, on his return, he carried Zi Ni Chang's Immortal Crystal, which allowed Zi Ni Chang to be teleported here through the Divine Kingdom.

The two then returned to the Divine Kingdom via teleportation, which meant they had returned to Guanghan Star.

After all, there is a fixed divine kingdom passage leading to Guanghan Star within the divine kingdom.

Ten days later, inside the Lingxiao Palace of the Great Luo Heaven, the Water Qilin clone, now in human form, finally completed the recognition of the Frost Pearl, a treasure of the soul type, as its master.

"Hmm? A top-tier treasure?"

After recognizing the Ice Pearl as its master, Lu Jin was taken aback by the feedback he received.

Lu Jin originally thought that the Frost Pearl was just an ordinary soul treasure, but he didn't expect it to be a top-level treasure.

It's important to know that the value of soul-type treasures is a grade higher than that of ordinary offensive and defensive treasures.

Top-tier soul treasures are no less valuable than ordinary treasures.

Moreover, Teacher Tian Shuang mentioned before that this Frost Pearl was a treasure he had used before.

Since it was used before, it goes without saying that it must now possess a higher-grade soul-type treasure.

Is someone of high status really this arrogant?

'Perhaps, Teacher Tian Shuang also has powerful connections?'

Lu Jin thought to himself.

For some reason, Lu Jin thought of the handsome, silver-haired, and aesthetically pleasing universe master from the original novel who belonged to the Virtual Universe Company.

Seven more months have passed. Earth time: July 18, 2071.

‘Shua——’

In the virtual universe, in the genius battle plane, on the central square surrounded by 1008 skyscrapers, Lu Jin's figure suddenly appeared.

Just now, Barn sent an email informing him that the trial phase was over and he could prepare for the final battle.

Using the screen on his wristband, Lu Jin opened the leaderboard for trial points.

No. 1 Lu Jin (Tian Shuang Universe Kingdom), Points: 700,000,000
No. 2 Luo Feng (Tian Shuang Universe Kingdom), Points: 167,537,0000
No. 3 Bolan (Noah's Universe), Points: 139,1177,0000
Seeing Luo Feng's name ranked second on the list, Lu Jin nodded with secret satisfaction.

It's worth noting that in the original story, Luo Feng perished on the first floor of the sixth trial tower.

But Luo Feng's current setback is on the first floor of the seventh trial tower.

Although it may seem like there's only one more trial tower, the difference is significant.

In terms of points, Luo Feng, who ranked second, killed 8976 Blood Mammoths on the first floor of the seventh trial tower.

Berlan, ranked third, killed 6134 woolly mammoths.

If he remembered correctly, Berlan's kill count seemed to be higher than in the original story.

Perhaps he felt the pressure and had a small outburst?

Of course, Lu Jin knew that although Luo Feng's ranking was higher than Bo Lan's, it did not mean that Luo Feng was stronger than Bo Lan.

After all, during the trial phase, mentalists who excel at group attacks have a significant advantage over martial artists and illusionists.

However, on the other hand, Luo Feng was probably not as good as Bo Lan when he was climbing the tower.

But at this point, it's hard to say who is stronger between the two.

Because Luo Feng's tower-climbing speed was also very fast, he left the trial space less than two months after the trial began.

Luo Feng's strength has improved faster than Bo Lan's, and now, after more than half a year, it's possible that Luo Feng's strength can catch up with Bo Lan's.

As for those ranked after Berlan, they only managed to reach the first level of the sixth trial tower at most, showing a precipitous gap compared to the top three.

"Brother, you are finally here!"

Suddenly, a joyful shout reached Lu Jin's ears.

Looking in the direction of the sound, Lu Jin saw Uka walking towards them with a smile on his face.

"Uka, who is your older brother?"

Lu Jin raised an eyebrow and asked.

"You!"

Uka said with certainty.

"When did I become your older brother?"

"The first day of the trial has begun!"

Uka said without hesitation.

His father said that when making friends, it's best to make friends with good character and strong talent.

Whether Lu Jin is a good person or not, Uka doesn't know for now, but his talent and strength are truly outstanding.

Just kidding. Throughout the countless years of human history, how many stellar-level geniuses have ever passed these seven trial towers in the Genius Battle?

Although Lu Jin did not clear all the trial towers, he did clear the seventh trial tower, which was the most difficult.

Whether or not you go to the first six trial towers, it won't affect Lu Jin's prestige in the slightest.

Let's hold onto this golden opportunity for now.

If he discovers through further contact that Lu Jin is also a good person, he will hold on to her tightly and never let go.

"Young man, I, Lu Jin, approve of your judgment!"

Lu Jin smiled and patted Uka on the shoulder.

"Tsk~ Fine, who told you to clear the seventh Trial Tower?"

Uka smacked his lips.

Although Lu Jin had put him on a show, his strength was undeniable, leaving Lu Jin speechless.

"Brother Jin~"

Just then, Luo Feng walked over.

"Second place in the trial, not bad."

Lu Jin said to Luo Feng.

Luo Feng laughed and said, "Hehe~, luck, luck."

"Damn, you two are both such good actors!"

Uka said with a dissatisfied look.

Luo Feng rolled his eyes: "Come on, if you were me, you'd probably be telling everyone you meet, 'How did you know I made it to the seventh trial tower?'"

"Impossible! I'm not that kind of person."

Uka firmly denied it.

Just kidding, I, Uka, am that kind of person. Uh... well, maybe. No, I'm absolutely certain. But right now, he failed to reach the seventh trial tower, so how can you judge me based on something that didn't happen?

That's outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!
"To heal my wounded heart, you two have to treat me to a meal!"

Uka said righteously.

"Your wish will be granted! Let's go to the restaurant, order whatever you like, don't hold back!"

Lu Jin waved his hand and, together with Luo Feng, carried Wu Ka towards a nearby restaurant.

"You make a free restaurant sound so generous; there's definitely a reason you were able to clear the seventh Trial Tower."

Uka couldn't help but complain.

Early the next morning.

The top 7300 geniuses in the trial points gathered in the central square.

Suddenly, an invisible aura enveloped the entire central square, causing everyone present to tremble.

Everyone looked up and saw a figure in a green robe with purple scales appear in mid-air.

"Sir!"

The 1008 immortal leaders from various cosmic nations bowed respectfully in unison.

"The trial is over. First of all, congratulations to the 1st to 100th place participants. You have obtained the qualification to enter the core layer of the Virtual Universe Company."

Now, anyone who is unwilling can speak up. My Virtual Universe Company will absolutely not force anyone.

The voice of the Nine Swords Venerable lingered in everyone's minds.

None of those standing here are fools; none of the top 100 geniuses in the rankings have uttered a sound.

"very good!"

The Nine Swords Venerable nodded in satisfaction and continued, "For the 7200 trial participants ranked 101st to 7300th, based on your performance in the trial space, the virtual universe system has automatically arranged arena battles for you."

The player who wins three consecutive matches will secure a spot; those who lose will be eliminated.

With 7200 people, half will be eliminated in a single battle, and after three consecutive battles, only 900 people will remain.

As soon as he finished speaking, the many geniuses present, who knew little about the virtual universe, were filled with doubt.

Is fairness guaranteed when a virtual universe system assigns opponents?
Perhaps sensing the doubts of the crowd, the Nine Swords Venerable slowly said, "The arrangement of the virtual universe system is absolutely optimal, without a doubt! Now, 7200 trial participants, go and engage in arena battles!"

‘Shua——’

The next moment, the central square trembled slightly, and apart from the top 100 geniuses, the remaining 7200 people were all teleported into the arena battle space.

"There are seats over there; you can watch the live stream there first."

The Nine Swords Venerable pointed to the distance.

Suddenly, 100 large chairs and some tables appeared in a corner of the central square, with drinks and food on the tables.

Soon, everyone took their seats.

At the same time, 3600 screens appeared in the sky above the central square.

On every screen, a battle about to begin is being broadcast live.

The first round of battles began, and in less than five minutes, 3600 people were eliminated.

Half an hour later, the second round began, and the number of screens above the central square was reduced to 1800.

Before long, half of the 3600 people fell again, leaving 1800 people to continue forward, and the screen shrank to 900.

Half an hour later, the third round began, and 900 geniuses were selected.

*Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*

Nine hundred figures appeared in the central square.

As for the other 6400 people, they have been kicked out of the Genius Battle plane after losing their eligibility to continue participating in the Genius Battle.

"congratulations!"

The ethereal voice entered the minds of a thousand people.

Nine Swords Venerable appeared in front of everyone and said, "You are the 1000 most outstanding people among the 1008 universe nations of the human race in this year's peak genius battle."

My Virtual Universe Company will dedicate itself to training you all. If anyone doesn't want to join Virtual Universe Company, they can say so now.

The central square was silent; no one uttered a sound.

"Very good! You should understand that competition exists forever in the universe, and there is competition everywhere."

It's impossible for any of you 1000 people to receive the same treatment or the same training resources.

Even my Virtual Universe Company wouldn't dare waste such precious resources.

Hereby I declare—

Among these 1000 people, the 101st to 1000th place will receive a bonus of 10 Hunyuan units, which will allow them to enter the Initial Universe for enlightenment and join the core of my Virtual Universe Company, the 'Apocalypse Secret Realm'.

Those ranked 11th to 100th will receive 100 Mixed Yuan Units to join the core of my Virtual Universe Company, 'Heaven and Earth Secret Realm'.

Those ranked 4th to 10th will receive 1000 Chaos Units to join the core of my Virtual Universe Company, 'Primordial Secret Realm'.

The 2nd and 3rd place winners will receive 1 Mixed Yuan Units and join the core of my Virtual Universe Company, 'Primal Secret Realm'.

The first-place winner will receive 100,000 Chaos Units and join the core of my Virtual Universe Company, 'Primal Secret Realm'.

At this point, Jiu Jian paused, then continued with a smile, "Under normal circumstances, the 'Primordial Secret Realm' only admits one person per session."

However, the level of your year's top genius competition is excellent, so after discussion, the highest level of Virtual Universe Company has granted you three spots to enter the 'Primal Secret Realm'.

The final battles will begin tomorrow to determine the final rankings.

The rules for the final battle have already been sent to each of you by the system. So, get some rest today.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Nine Swords Venerable disappeared.

Lu Jin raised an eyebrow in the crowd; reality had once again deviated from the original story's trajectory.

In the original work, although the quality of this year's Genius Battle was relatively high, there were only two spots available in the 'Primal Secret Realm'.

But thanks to the influence of his little butterfly, the number of spots for the 'Primitive Secret Realm' has directly reached three.

Furthermore, the prize money for first place has been increased from 1 Mixed Yuan Units to 10 Mixed Yuan Units.

This is normal, though. The purpose of Virtual Universe Company and Giant Axe Arena in holding the Genius Battle is to select geniuses and cultivate them.

Even Bolan, who ranked third in the Trial Tower, was far ahead of the previous champions, so the Virtual Universe Company naturally wouldn't be stingy with the 'Primal Secret Realm' slots.

As for the prize of 10 Mixed Yuan Units for the first place?

For Virtual Universe Company, this bonus is nothing.

After the Nine Swords Venerable departed, the immortal leaders from various cosmic nations began to discuss the matter.

"There are three spots in the Primal Secret Realm this year! This is probably the first time since the Peak Genius Battle began!"

"I originally thought that the spot for this year's Primal Secret Realm would definitely go to that little guy named 'Lu Jin', but I didn't expect there to be two more spots."

Is Virtual Universe Company generous, or stingy?

"Haha~, that's true. Three of them have over 10 billion trial points, and the remaining ones have at most over 1 billion. Although there are three spots, they have already been reserved."

"That's not entirely true. Having strong geniuses among our peers as role models is a good thing."

I dare say that even if this year's geniuses rank at the bottom, as long as they don't die, their future achievements will definitely be far greater than those of the bottom-ranked students in previous years.

No other reason, just one word: roll!

Geniuses are all proud and arrogant. With Luo Feng and Bo Lan as two big catfish, and Lu Jin as an even bigger catfish, most geniuses will fight tooth and nail to the death as long as they don't die.

Danger and opportunity are always intertwined. When many reckless people are drawn into a dangerous situation, those who ultimately survive will naturally have a higher minimum standard of achievement.

Of course, there are also costs associated with pushing things to the limit.

It is foreseeable that the mortality rate of this generation of geniuses will exceed the average level of the past by a considerable margin.

Bonus chapter for May (8)

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(End of this chapter)