Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 4 A Stage for Geniuses, A Sanctuary for Family and Friends
With the overall framework in place, all that remains are the implementation details.

Lin Yi was rapidly constructing a way to disguise himself in his mind.

"At present, I only retain the soul, will, and insights of the Star Swirl level, but these are all intangible and formless. As long as I do not actively show any abnormality, even if an eternal god retrospectively checks and retrieves 'surveillance data,' they will not be able to discover my secret."

"Based on this, as long as we refer to the memoirs of those cosmic geniuses we have seen and have a reasonable explanation framework for all the extraordinary events, we will not arouse the suspicion of that god in the direction of the abnormal."

"After all, with the eternal life of gods, they have seen far too many geniuses. As long as they don't stand out like a two-headed ant, who would bother to scrutinize a slightly stronger ant?"

Lin Yi sat at his neatly tidied desk, his right index finger unconsciously tapping the surface, making a "tap tap tap" sound.

"Combat experience should be disguised as innate combat instinct and rapid learning and improvement in actual combat."

"Understanding the Abyss Beasts must be disguised as keen observation and the ability to quickly summarize patterns."

"Cultivation speed and understanding of rules must be disguised as astonishing comprehension and unwavering will."

"Every step should be like a miracle that happens naturally under immense pressure, like a genius's effort!"

As for the extent to which talent is displayed

Thinking of this, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel a touch of self-mockery.

What scale is considered within the normal range?

Actually, there are readily available references for this.

That is the "Pan-Spirit Alliance Genius Battle," which is hosted by the Spirit Clan every year and attended by all affiliated cultural stars at the core level.

The prodigious geniuses that have emerged from among them are the best examples to learn from.

The Pan-Spirit Alliance Genius Battle is held once every 5000 years, and Lin Yi has experienced two of them since he entered the universe.

He was a newcomer to the universe and only at the second level of the Star Core stage. In order not to waste the registration fee, he did not register to participate in the first session.

However, for the purpose of broadening my horizons, I still watched the live broadcast on the virtual network, and I was deeply shocked by the monstrous level of power that the Star Core level could achieve.

All of the top 1000 finalists have acquired a domain!

The ultimate winner even demonstrated a fusion of six rules in the final battle.

What is this concept?
A domain is a symbol of a star field, representing complete mastery of a certain cosmic rule.

In other words, all the geniuses from various races who made it into the top 1000 of the Genius Battle have reached the Star Domain level in their understanding of the rules.

The top-ranked Spirit Race genius is even comparable to a sixth-tier Star Domain level expert!
Of course, that was a competition among the geniuses of all races in the entire Pan-Spirit Alliance. More than 600 of the top 1000 spots were occupied by the Spirit Race, the pinnacle race in the universe. The Human Race only got a little over 40 spots, and only 2 people made it into the top 100.

So after watching the game, Lin Yi didn't feel much, except for a few sighs.

The difference is too great to compare.

On the contrary, the first place winner in the Purple Gold Star Alliance Regional Tournament, who demonstrated a rule comprehension comparable to the fourth level of the Star Core level at the ninth level, made him yearn for it.

Therefore, when he participated in the second session, he confidently paid the fee and registered.

At that time, he was already a ninth-level Star Core, and with the guidance of Lei Lina, he improved his swordsmanship and mastered two killing moves with the power of Star Vortex.

Not long ago, he fought two opponents alone in a mission and even killed one of them, who was of the same level.

This gave him immense confidence.

The final result wasn't too bad.

They won 8 out of 10 games and lost 2 in the regional qualifiers, successfully advancing to the Purple Star League regional knockout stage.

However, they only won one match in the knockout stage, lost the second, and were eliminated in the second round, failing to even qualify for the third round of the regional finals.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly. Although he had made a profit from the competition and even earned back ten times the registration fee, it had also made him personally feel the gap between them.

The final champion that year was still the Spirit Race. Although they were slightly weaker than the previous year, their Star Core-level comprehension of the rules was still comparable to a fifth-tier Star Domain. Lin Yi used these truly geniuses and prodigies as a reference to arrive at a relatively reliable standard.

That means he falls into the category of being extraordinary but not outrageous, spanning two major stages. Therefore, what he needs to pay most attention to in the initial stage is to hide himself and gradually and reasonably reveal his abilities.

One cannot leapfrog three major levels from the outset and demonstrate a Star-level understanding of the rules.

As long as his growth is traceable and does not show any incongruity of being prescient.

Then, seven days later, when the illusory projection of the divine kingdom covers the earth, and when the roars of the abyss beasts tear apart the illusion of peace, he will be able to embark on that blood-stained path of assessment as a naturally born "ignorant genius".

Only in this way can he withstand the scrutiny that may fall upon him in the future.

After a moment of deep thought, Lin Yi began to rapidly develop a plan for the "Rise of a Genius".

He then carefully examined the details until he was sure that there were no flaws in any of the steps, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"You must protect your family and friends, strive for the top, and carefully hide your biggest secret under the dazzling light."

"Preparation begins now."

Thinking this, Lin Yi returned to the bedside, picked up his old phone, opened the contacts, and looked at the names that were slowly coming to life, blending with distant memories. A smile finally appeared on his previously serious face.
-
On a hot summer day, sunlight filters through the gaps in the sycamore leaves, casting shimmering spots of light on the concrete ground of the old residential area.

The days after the college entrance examination were like a slow-motion video, filled with a sense of languor and relief.

Lin Yi perfectly played the role of a "prospective college student," like a drop of water, reintegrating into this brief and fragile tranquil pond.

Wearing an apron, he helped his mother, Zhou Jinghua, wash vegetables by the sink. The water gurgled, and his mother's nagging voice echoed in the small kitchen.

"The cucumbers at the Dongtou vegetable market are two cents cheaper than at the supermarket, but they look a bit uglier. Sigh, the price of eggs is making me anxious."

Lin Yi nodded in agreement, his eyes focused intently on rinsing the vegetable leaves, as if it were the most important thing in the world.

On the afternoon dinner table, stir-fried vegetables steamed, and the father, Lin Ruiming, sipped a glass of bulk liquor.

The atmosphere was warm and peaceful.

Lin Yi ate a few mouthfuls of rice, then, as if suddenly remembering something, looked up and asked hesitantly, "Dad, Mom, you mentioned before that you wanted to hold a graduation banquet?"

The mother, Zhou Jinghua, immediately put down her chopsticks, her face showing undisguised anticipation and a hint of caution.

"Yes, Xiao Yi. Getting into Qing Teng University is a great honor that will bring glory to the family!"

"Although we're a bit strapped for cash, your dad and I thought we should at least treat our relatives and friends to a meal, make it lively, and let everyone be happy, and celebrate for you too."

Xiao Yi is Lin Yi's nickname. His parents hoped that everything he did would be easy, so they chose this homonym for him.

The father nodded in agreement, his wrinkled eyes gleaming with a simple pride, and echoed his sentiments:
“Yes, we should celebrate! Our family hasn’t had such a joyous occasion in years, and according to custom, we should celebrate. Your cousin only went to an ordinary university, and we still celebrated.”

Lin Yi remained silent for a few seconds, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the rim of the bowl, as if he were engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

In Helu City, or rather in Jiangsu Province, it is customary not to accept monetary gifts at graduation banquets; it is purely an expense. Therefore, Lin Yi was unwilling to increase the burden on his family.

But at this moment, after a moment of contemplation, Lin Yi raised his head and a smile of finally understanding appeared on his face.

"Hmm, I've been thinking about it, and Mom and Dad are right. This is a joyous occasion, so it's good to celebrate and let everyone get together."

He paused, as if he were carefully considering it.

"How about we set the time for next Saturday noon? It's the weekend, so everyone should be free then."

"As for the location, I think the newly opened 'Hongfulou' outside our community has a good reputation. The portions are large and affordable, the environment is bright and clean, and it's close to home, so it's convenient for everyone to come and go."

The time he reported pointed precisely to the moment the apocalypse would arrive!
The location, "Hung Fook Lou," was a stage he carefully selected after meticulously sorting through his memories.

(End of this chapter)