Swallowing the Stars: Starting with the Battle of Geniuses

tread.

While some were still marveling at the scene of the Heavenly Ladder, many more had already stepped onto the stone steps.

"call."

Luo Feng watched as the crowd began to climb the Heavenly Ladder and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Luo Feng arrived at the Heavenly Path in a disheveled state, looking like a refugee. It was clear that he had not had a comfortable time during the first stage of the trial.

The blood-stained chessboard in his hand is the best proof.

Fortunately, he eventually overcame all obstacles and arrived here thanks to his exceptional strength.

With a thought, Luo Feng was completely transformed. Looking at the bronze gate at the end of the Heavenly Ladder, his eyes were filled with a sharp, razor-like edge.

A figure suddenly flashed through his mind, and the sharp, cold killing intent quietly transformed into boiling fighting spirit, causing the corners of his mouth to curl up slightly.

"Hunzhen, finally I can compete against you on the same stage again!"

"Last time, we had to go back to the Battle of the Ultimate Geniuses!"

Even Luo Feng never imagined that the person he had only glimpsed briefly in the virtual universe countless years ago would become the goal he would pursue throughout his life.

Having experienced countless adventures, battles, and trials, Luo Feng's heart had become as firm as steel, unmoved by external things.

But at this moment, he still couldn't help but feel his heart surging with emotion.

It felt like returning to my impetuous youth, when I was still young and easily agitated, and felt my blood boiling with excitement at the prospect of fighting against equally matched opponents.

After calming himself down, Luo Feng didn't rush to climb the Heavenly Ladder. Instead, he carefully reviewed the rule information sent out by the Heavenly Ladder.

"The Ladder to Heaven can only be open for a maximum of 100,000 years."

"The Heavenly Ladder is both a legacy and a test."

"At each step, the Heavenly Ladder will deduce and perfect a method perfectly suited to the inheritor. Only when the inheritor has fully mastered the method deduced by the Heavenly Ladder and passed the verification can they step onto the next step."

"One hundred steps, one thousand steps, three thousand steps, and ten thousand steps each constitute a stage. Upon completing each stage, the inheritor can choose an additional reward. Reaching one hundred thousand steps will automatically grant entry into the final stage of the Hunyuan Heavenly Road."

"At the same time, inheritors who have not reached the fourth stage or the ten thousandth level must undergo a single-elimination test every once in a while."

"Below one hundred steps, one must fight the person closest to the step once every ten years; the loser withdraws."

"Below the thousand steps, a battle must be fought once every hundred years, and the loser withdraws."

"Below the three thousand steps, a battle must be fought once every thousand years, and the loser withdraws."

"Below the ten thousand steps, a battle must be fought once every ten thousand years, and the loser withdraws."

"Above 10,000 steps, there's no need for combat or elimination."

These are all the rules of the Heavenly Ladder.

"As Master Zuoshanke once said, the rewards for each stage of the Heavenly Ladder of Inquiry are divided into three types, and the level of reward increases in a step-like manner."

"One option is to directly choose a secret treasure that enhances your strength. Another option is to choose a secret technique inheritance. And the last option is to completely exchange the reward for the previous 'deduction calculation power' to further deduce a method that is more suitable for yourself."

"If your goal is to reach the top of the Heavenly Ladder, then choosing the last type of reward is the best option, as it maximizes the upper limit of the Heavenly Ladder's capabilities. Conversely, if you are not destined to reach the top, for example, if a thousand steps are the limit you can reach within 100,000 years, then choosing the computing power reward would be a complete waste."

"Only the most outstanding and confident geniuses, who are aiming for the Godhood, will choose computing power rewards all the way."

"According to Teacher Zuoshanke's analysis, if one chooses all computing power rewards and can completely consume three computing power rewards to break through the three thousand steps, if one does not perish, one will basically become a God King."

"Those who can fully utilize the computing power rewards four times to break through the ten thousandth level will surely become a peak God-King!"

"Then, I'll set my sights on ten thousand steps!"

Luo Feng's gaze was firm.

If you don't have the ability to break through to the fourth stage, it's like wasting your chance to choose a reward.

But he is also aiming for the top, and he is also confident of reaching the peak!

"Hey! Look at that guy!"

Just as Luo Feng was about to begin climbing the Heavenly Ladder, a cry of surprise suddenly came from within the Heavenly Ladder, followed by a series of other cries of surprise.

Luo Feng raised an eyebrow slightly.

Those who can step onto the Heavenly Ladder of Inquiry are all true geniuses; what could possibly have caused them such a stir?

"I'm afraid... only that perverted guy could be it?"

A strange smile involuntarily crept onto Luo Feng's lips.

Looking in the direction of the sound, a familiar figure was strolling leisurely up the ladder, seemingly encountering no obstacles as he stepped over one step after another.

"This guy, even in the Origin Continent, a place that gathers geniuses from all three thousand-dimensional universes, is still so astonishing!"

Luo Feng watched Hunzhen's retreating figure and chuckled softly, "But that's precisely what gives them the motivation to catch up!"

With a thought, Luo Feng followed suit and stepped onto the Heavenly Ladder of Inquiry.

At the same time, a wicked thought couldn't help but flash through his mind: "Hmm, we can't be the only ones in the three thousand-dimensional universe who get frightened by this guy; we should also show the people of the Origin Continent the awe-inspiring power of a little spacetime deity!"

At this moment, Hunzhen, who was immersed in the ability to deduce the Heavenly Ladder, was unaware that Luo Feng had been inexplicably tainted with his original, wicked sense of humor.

Ten thousand years, ten thousand steps of the Heavenly Ladder, at first glance it should be an average of passing one step per year.

In reality, the further you go, the more difficult it becomes to pass the test.

Even so, reaching the first stage limit of one hundred steps so soon after starting is still quite astonishing.

When Hunzhen was at the hundredth step, the fastest progressing genius below was still on the first step.

Such a gap is already a difference between different dimensions.

Except for a very few people with iron will, they will all be more or less shaken.

Hunzhen had no time to spare for anything else.

He initially thought that the first few stages of the Heavenly Ladder were comparable to Saint-level beings and wouldn't bring him any benefits, but after actually experiencing them, he realized that he was completely wrong.

He thought that the so-called method of helping to deduce was to tailor some secret techniques that he no longer needed. In fact, the Heavenly Ladder of Inquiry was like an extremely intelligent life form that completely understood his needs and began to make targeted deductions based on his previous doubts about the Principle of Strings.

However, he quickly realized that the Heavenly Ladder was not intelligent.

"Its essence... is computing power!"

How can a program without intelligence tailor-make secret techniques for its inheritors?

The one who truly deduces the method is actually the inheritor himself!

The Great Source grants different levels of computing power to the inheritors based on the tiers they reach. Through the combined power of the Hunyuan Heavenly Stele and the inheritors, suitable results are naturally deduced!

The reason why other prodigies obtain secret techniques on the Heavenly Ladder is that no prodigy has ever reached the level of being able to study the power of reason at the level of a god within a single Great Evolutionary Era.

They also need to enhance their mastery of secret arts in order to reach the level of God-King, and then the peak level of God-King.

By mastering the secret techniques most suitable for themselves, their mastery of these techniques will naturally and rapidly improve, and they will naturally begin to understand the principles of the world that are most suitable for them to build within their own bodies in the future!

After all, the essence of the Great Source is the world rules of the Origin Continent. It does not possess intelligence, nor can it possess intelligence, but it is a vast database containing all the principles of the world.

However, even geniuses of the level of Changsheng Tianzun, before Hunzhen, had not been able to fully utilize this database and computing power.

In addition, the effect of Hunzhen simulation inheritance can be said to have made the best use of the calculation power.

However, the Law of Strings is ultimately a world law that transcends the ordinary. Even if all the computing power in the first few stages is used up, the gains for Hunzhen are only meager.

Therefore, he did not linger too long in the early stages where the computing power level was lower, and quickly climbed the steps with great speed.

His speed only slowed down slightly after he reached the third floor.

From here on, we can finally somewhat satisfy Hunzhen's needs.

His understanding of the Principles of Strings began to advance by leaps and bounds with the computing power provided by Da Yuan.

As expected of the computing power accumulated over a Great Evolutionary Era on the Origin Continent, it has become equivalent to his cultivation over several Small Evolutionary Eras in just a few years.

And this is not the ultimate goal.

However, the computing power of the third stage is already sufficient for Hunzhen at present.

There was still plenty of time, so he decided not to be too ambitious and to take each step steadily. He would distinguish his level of understanding of the Law of Strings by the subtle differences in computing power limits between each step, and thoroughly grasp every insight before moving forward.

He slowed down completely.

If before it was like climbing one step a day on average, now it's like climbing one step a month.

Gradually, it became a climb of one level every two months, then one level every three months...

Finally, it achieved the goal of climbing one level per year.

The inheritors climbing below couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as they watched the monster above them finally begin to slow down.

Now, in just over a century, apart from Hunzhen, the fastest-progressing group has only recently broken through the first stage.

Even though Hunzhen slowed down, he was already heading towards the bottleneck of the fourth stage.

At this moment, Luo Feng and Lai Sha, who are related to Hunzhen, are temporarily relegated to the lower echelons and have not yet broken through the bottleneck of the first stage.

But whether it was Luo Feng or Lysa, even though Hunzhen's back was already too far away to see clearly, they still remained calm and composed.

Many decades and centuries have passed, and finally, the first millennium of the Heavenly Ladder has arrived.

After numerous battles and eliminations, less than one-tenth of the geniuses remain on the Heavenly Ladder of Inquiry.

Below level 100, there was no one left.

A thousand years have passed, and some of the original top talents have been eliminated, while Lysa, who was originally in the middle or lower ranks, has caught up and, after Hunzhen, was the first to break through the bottleneck of the three thousand level.

On the other hand, Luo Feng has fallen from the middle to the end.

He remained on the six hundred-plus steps, just above a few people in the rankings.

However, another thousand years have passed, and after ten battles, Luo Feng, though still at the bottom, has never been eliminated.

The latest novel is first published here!

In the blink of an eye... ten thousand years have passed.

As if the discrepancy had been completely brought under control, when the time of ten thousand years arrived, Hunzhen, whose speed had been slowing down, finally stepped onto the ten thousandth step.

Suddenly, Hunzhen had a vague realization that his control over the principles of strings had finally reached the level of the Eternal Life Celestial Venerable.

Contrary to what the Celestial Venerable of Immortality thought, when he clashed with the Celestial Venerable of Immortality before, in terms of control over his own principles alone, he was actually far inferior to the Celestial Venerable of Immortality who had experienced the Heavenly Ladder of Inquiry and a long period of cultivation.

If the Celestial Venerable of Longevity's control over the principles of Yin and Yang and life and death is 80%, then the original Hunzhen's control over the principles of strings was probably less than 10%.

It was purely the overwhelming power of the principle of strings over the principle of yin and yang and the principle of life and death that enabled Hunzhen to fight on equal footing with the Celestial Venerable of Longevity, and ultimately win.

Now, in terms of mastery of reason alone, he has reached a level comparable to that of the Celestial Venerable of Immortality.

Hunzhen did not continue forward, but suddenly stopped and looked down.

The closest to him is still Lysa, but she has only reached six thousand steps. As the difficulty gradually increases, it may take tens of thousands of years to truly reach the fourth stage.

Apart from that, the remaining people were all very close to each other, with only a dozen or so steps separating the people next to each other.

Look further down...

After accumulating knowledge for tens of thousands of years, and with a cultivation time far shorter than others, Luo Feng finally unleashed his full potential.

Hunzhen could see very clearly that although Luo Feng had only just broken through the three thousandth level, his progress would become faster and faster after that, and he was very likely to surpass Lysa.

As for him personally...

"The accumulation is already sufficient."

"From now on... let's charge all the way to the top!"

Hunzhen smiled slightly, turned around, and even though he had only been on the 10,000th step for a few minutes, he had already stepped straight onto the 10,001st step.

Unlike normal cultivation, which often takes millions of epochs, the Heavenly Ladder of Asking the Way deduces the most suitable method for the inheritor based on computing power. The inheritor does not need to actively spend brainpower to innovate; they only need to thoroughly understand it and they will naturally comprehend it.

Greater emphasis is placed on the talent and comprehension of the inheritor.

The more talented a person is, the faster they climb the ladder of success.

With his genuine talent and simulation abilities, if he were truly aiming for the top, he could probably reach the summit within a year.

The reason for staying for so long was entirely to better explore the limits of computational power and maximize the understanding of the Law of Strings.

Next, by proceeding step by step, he will naturally bring the principle of string to perfection.

So... he didn't linger any longer.

Level 100, Level 1000, Level 10000, Level 20000...

Hunzhen would stay on each step for a maximum of one day.

To everyone's astonishment, Hunzhen reached the summit at an unimaginable speed.

tread.

Hunzhen landed gently in front of the bronze gate, and naturally placed his palm on the door.

The next moment, his figure had already disappeared from the Heavenly Ladder.

He saw an ancient, jade-colored stone tablet standing in a place filled with a bluish mist.

The moment Hunzhen touched the jade-colored stone tablet, a wisp of pure Hunyuan Qi immediately entered Hunzhen's body.

That is the highest level of energy in this world, the best accelerant.

He had already met the conditions for a breakthrough in his pure and true state, and he seized this fleeting moment of inspiration.

Thus, without any pause or obstruction, the chaotic space completed its evolution into the internal universe.

In an instant, the world in Hunzhen's eyes underwent a dramatic transformation.

In that simulated world, the simulation abilities that had been suppressed were now unrestrained.

In the simulation, he is also able to perform simulations!

Thus, through endless inheritance, his power and insights began to expand exponentially.

It is an infinite nesting, and at the same time, a unification on an infinitely extended timeline.

Countless images flashed through Hunzhen's mind.

Finally, we returned to that initial... desolate Black Jade Star.

Countless deaths, countless reincarnations, countless memories emerge.

That was something Hunzhen experienced when he first broke through to the True God realm in the simulation. His consciousness was attached to the simulated person, and he actively controlled the state of the simulation.

And now, it's just a matter of time before all the consciousness that was lacking in the simulation returns.

"So, all the simulated humans were actually myself?"

Those memories across countless times and spaces seem illusory, yet so real, making it difficult to distinguish between them.

But... there's no longer any need to distinguish between what's real and what's illusory.

Hunzhen has long since forged an indestructible mind and will not be misled by this nihilism.

For the characters in a novel, is the world in the novel an illusion?

"This is the perfect Law of the Strings..."

The laws of transcendence.

Hunzhen gently clenched his fist.

Under the exponentially expanding power, he had long since far exceeded the limits of the divine lord, and the limits of the supreme.

He suddenly tore open the space filled with misty air.

In the blink of an eye, Hunzhen arrived at an island in a boundless starry river.

Standing on the island and looking down, he quickly found the source world that symbolized the origin continent among the countless stars.

From the perspective of a higher-dimensional world, Hunzhen immediately noticed the powerful fortune of the Luohe Realm, which far surpassed that of other realms.

Hunzhen's lips twitched slightly, a rare occurrence: "That Lysa, is she getting revenge for me teasing her so many times? She actually fooled me this once... What weakest realm? It's clearly the strongest realm!"

Splash!

As Ryza was internally complaining about her transformation from a cute maid to a cunning queen, Konjin suddenly heard the sound of rippling water nearby.

His gaze shifted to the elegant wooden dwellings on the island.

Namuju is situated on the edge of the island, and at first glance it seems as if it is about to fall off the edge of the island, but in fact it is extremely stable.

An old man with his hairy legs crossed, dangling naturally over the edge of the island, casually passing his long fishing rod under his armpits, fishing directly at the Milky Way.

The sound of water was coming from the fishing line on the fishing rod.

The old man noticed Hunzhen's gaze, turned around, and smiled, "You've come."

Hunzhen paused for a moment, then smiled at Yuan Sa: "I shouldn't have come."

As Hunzhen said this, he shook his head and chuckled, but still walked towards Yuan step by step, leaving clear footprints on the sandy ground of the island.

(The End)