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

Chapter 306 The Spirit Clan's Scheme, The Gap of Time

Meanwhile, deep within the primordial ancestral court of the Spirit Clan's territory.

This sacred land, shrouded in endless pure energy, is the core inheritance site of the Spirit Race. Even ordinary experts at the Transcendent Realm level would find it difficult to enter its outer area without special permission.

At this moment, in a pure white hall floating above a sea of ​​light in the core area of ​​the ancestral temple, the atmosphere was unusually solemn.

"My lord, I have something to report."

In the center of the hall, beneath the throne shrouded in mist, a spirit deity dressed in a pale gold robe, his face enveloped in a soft halo, bowed slightly, his tone solemn.

He is "Inspector" Iser, responsible for monitoring the movements of the new generation of geniuses from various races within the Pan-Spirit Alliance, and directly reports to "Radiant Lord" who is in charge of this year's Genius Battle.

On the throne, the figure of the Radiant Lord was shrouded in a hazy radiance that seemed to be composed of countless tiny feathers of light, and only his slender and upright outline could be vaguely discerned.

He didn't speak, but simply gestured for Iser to continue.

"It's about Lin Yi, the human genius who was exceptionally included in the list."

Iser dared not delay and quickly reported, "In the latest seed rankings released by the Starry Sea Observer team, he is ranked sixteenth, but the accompanying evaluation and analysis need to be taken seriously."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed, and a light screen unfolded in front of the throne, displaying the prediction list and a detailed analysis page about Lin Yi.

The line marked "Suspected to have reached the threshold of life and death but not fully integrated" and the comment "May have some hidden aspects" were specially highlighted.

The Radiant Lord's gaze swept across the light screen, his calm and unwavering voice echoing in the hall: "Star Sea Observers... what have they discovered?"

Iser organized his thoughts: “Your Majesty is wise. Although the Star Observers are a loose organization, their entry threshold is the Transcendent Realm level, and their members are spread across the high-ranking members of various races. They exchange information with each other. Since their emergence 300,000 epochs ago, their analyses, though occasionally biased, are rarely unfounded.”

“Our intelligence nodes on the Human Origin Star only provided some fragmented information that is difficult to verify. Lin Yi has very few public activities in the Star Origin Zone and almost always stays in seclusion. But their special mention that Lin Yi may be hiding something is probably not unfounded.”

He paused, then said, "Combined with his talent of merging with time and space at the age of three hundred, and the decision of the two human lords to make an exception and put him on the list, I boldly speculate that this person may have already passed the hurdle of merging the rules of life and death, and may even be more than the fifth level."

"His so-called stagnation is very likely a strategic concealment."

"Hidden?" The Radiant Lord's voice was unreadable. "For the Genius Battle?"

"Yes, not all."

Iser had clearly given this matter considerable thought. “If it’s merely a matter of winning the title of genius, hiding some of one’s strength to surprise someone at a crucial moment is indeed a common strategy. But I believe that the higher-ups of the human race behind him may want more than that.”

"Thousands of secret realms," Lord Radiant said slowly.

“Exactly!” Isel affirmed. “If Lin Yi has truly concealed his strength, and concealed it to a great extent, he may very well have a chance. Once he obtains this position, given the current situation, the human race will certainly use it as leverage to seek more support from our race, or in exchange for other benefits.”

"Although it's really nothing, I just don't know if Lord Henghuan will care about such trivial matters."

The hall was quiet for a moment, with only the faint sound of the surrounding sea of ​​light flowing.

After a moment, the Radiant Lord asked.

"To what extent do you think he might have hidden himself?"

Iser took a deep breath and stated his judgment.

"Given his exceptional talent based on the rules of spacetime, coupled with the full allocation of resources from the human race's register, and a period of seclusion that could last for more than seven hundred years, his subordinates believe that he has at least solidified the fifth level of the realm, and there is even a high probability that he has already stepped into the sixth level of the realm."

"If he has enough talent and opportunity, it is not impossible for him to touch the seventh level of the realm."

"Sevenfold."

The radiant feathers surrounding the Radiant Lord seemed to ripple slightly for a moment. "Star Core level, with spacetime as its foundation and encompassing life and death, even an ordinary eighth-level domain might not be able to secure a victory if one truly reaches the seventh level."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Iser quickly replied, "This is precisely what I was worried about."

"As originally planned, our side will be represented by Liu Guang, who ranked fourth in the Battle of the Sacred Tree. His sixth domain has reached perfection, which is enough to suppress the geniuses of other races in the Pan-Spirit Alliance and ensure that we do not lose the first honor."

"But if Lin Yi truly possesses the strength of the sixth or even seventh level, given the profound mysteries of the spacetime rules, Liu Guang is probably no match for him."

Then, he raised his head and said, “Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to adjust the selection of the warriors and have Edith, who ranked first in the Battle of the Sacred Tree, take the field.”

"reason."

Iser immediately said, "Telan, who ranked second in the Battle of the Sacred Tree, has comprehended the eighth level of the spatial rules, but his victory is not guaranteed."

"As for Edith, although she is also at the eighth level of the domain, she has not only comprehended the rules of spacetime, but also cultivated the rules of light and darkness. Even if Lin Yi can reach the seventh level of the domain, he will have little chance of winning. We can ensure that there is no chance of failure."

Make sure to be foolproof.

These five words often carry immense weight in the decision-making of the Spirit Race.

In particular, it involves the Pan-Spirit Alliance's overt symbols of authority and key positions that may affect subsequent strategic planning.

The radiance surrounding the Radiant Lord slowly swirled, and after a moment, his deep voice rang out.

“Iser, your concerns are not without merit. Although the human race has not made any rash moves in recent years, its accumulated strength and upward momentum should not be underestimated. I agree to your request.”

But then he changed the subject slightly: "However, what you said is not the real reason why I agreed to let Edith fight."

Iser was taken aback: "Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."

"The real reason is," Lord Radiance said slowly, "that the top-secret intelligence I obtained a month ago indicates that this trip to the myriad secret realms is likely to be unlike any other. The other two races have been plotting this long-brewing war for a long time."

Iser's heart skipped a beat: "Your Excellency means..."

"Their number one genius at the Star Core level." The voice of the Radiant Lord revealed a hint of coldness. "According to reliable sources, they have all fused and piled up the rules to the ninth level."

“Ninefold?” Isel was taken aback.

Star Core Level, Nine Realms.

This has already reached the theoretical limit of the star core level.

Even if there are traces of external forces forcing it, its combat power will be terrifying beyond imagination.

At the star core level, the advantage of having an additional domain is often overwhelming, let alone the qualitative change from eight to nine domains.

It should be understood that the power of the Nine Realms, which have comprehended all five basic rules, is comparable to the combined power of advanced fusion rules such as life and death, light and darkness. Therefore, the Nine Realms are equivalent to having one more advanced fusion rule than the Eight Realms.

This is almost a crushing defeat.

"What are they trying to do?" Iser's voice was hoarse.

"What are we doing? Naturally, we want to use our absolute strength to kill as many Star Core level geniuses as possible from our Pan-Spirit Alliance in the myriad secret realms, especially the core seeds of our Spirit Race. This way, we can not only obtain the Source Essence, but also gain an advantage for them in the conventional wars that will be waged in the source energy-poor areas later."

As he spoke, Lord Radiant sneered, "I was wondering why the other two races suddenly proposed to expand the scale of the war. This alone is enough to show that there must be a conspiracy involved. It's just a pity that we haven't found out any specific information yet."

Iserton frowned immediately.

This is an open conspiracy, using the rules of exploring secret realms to carry out killing and weakening.

"Since the other side has been plotting this all along, and Edith's information has probably already been leaked, there's not much point in hiding it anymore. Order Edith to sign up for the war."

"Yes!" Iser's spirits lifted, and he bowed to accept the order.

"Furthermore," Lord Radiance pondered for a moment, and a ray of light flew from his hand, landing in front of Iser and transforming into a pure crystal that appeared simple and unadorned, yet seemed to contain an infinite ocean of light within.

"Give this to Edith. It is one of the fragments of the Holy Source Crystal Core. Although only a portion of its power remains, it is enough to help her push her domain to the ninth level before entering the Myriad Secret Realms."

"Tell her that if she encounters any of the other two races' ninth-level prodigies in the secret realm, she must kill them."

Iser solemnly accepted the crystal with both hands, which emanated a warmth that made his soul tremble, and he was deeply shocked.

Holy Source Crystal Core!

That was one of the oldest sacred objects of the Spirit Race. Even if it was just a fragment, its value was enough to tempt the Eternal God.

This time, Your Majesty has truly spared no expense.

“Your subordinate understands, and will personally convey this item and Your Majesty’s decree to Edith,” Isel said solemnly.

"Go."

The Radiant Lord waved his hand, his figure gradually fading away in the radiance. "As long as Edith can break through the ninth level of the realm, with her strength in the fusion of spacetime and light and darkness, she will be able to deal with whatever the other two races have prepared."

Iser bowed deeply, then transformed into a streak of light and swiftly departed from the Temple of Light.
-
Origin Star, Star Origin District, Lin Yi Manor.

Inside the private high-level training room, the last wisp of chaotic spacetime fluctuation slowly subsided.

Lin Yi's figure emerged clearly from a gradually dissipating distorted light and shadow. He exhaled a breath of turbid air, his breath long and restrained. The rule-like meaning that occasionally flowed from his body was more harmonious and profound than it had been a few months ago.

He has just completed a live-fire simulation exercise of a new type of composite combat technique, "Instantaneous Return to Nothingness".

This combat technique, derived from the "Nirvana Return to Nothingness Finger," is a trump card prepared for truly powerful enemies. It has consumed most of his time and energy over the past hundred years, and it has finally taken initial shape.

Afterwards, Lin Yi walked out of the cultivation room, where the gentle yet highly concentrated source energy automatically nourished his slightly tired body.

With a slight thought, the illusory image of a palace gown quietly appeared, and he gracefully bowed.

"Owner."

"Ah."

Lin Yi walked to the window of the living area, gazing at the pale golden energy flowing outside the manor, and casually asked, "Xuanji, what's the current trend on the virtual network regarding the Genius Battle?"

Xuanji's light and shadow rippled slightly as she quickly organized the information: "Master, the current focus of public opinion is mainly on the seed ranking predictions released by the Star Sea Observer team. The comments regarding your ranking of sixteenth, and the implication in the evaluation that you may be hiding your strength, have sparked widespread and ongoing controversy."

She brought up several light screens, displaying selected summaries of comments:

"Many supporters within the human race believe this assessment is fair and look forward to your remarkable achievement; while skeptics think the 'hidden' explanation is far-fetched and is merely a pretext for potential failure." "Opinion from most other races is largely sarcastic, believing that the Stargazer is over-interpreting and emphasizing that the hard gap in rule levels cannot be compensated for by hiding."

"It is worth noting that the Starry Sea Observer team itself has not responded further."

"Overall, your popularity remains high due to the controversy, but public opinion is generally cautious or negative about your chances of breaking into the top five. The official Spirit Clan and mainstream media are currently focusing on promoting their sixth-level genius, 'Liu Guang,' and have not directly responded to related speculations."

Lin Yi listened quietly, without much surprise on his face.

He had also heard of the Starry Sea Observer team.

Over the past few hundred years, he has exchanged a massive amount of basic rule insights and auxiliary resources in the Star Core-level training camp, especially the special courses and treasures for the major basic rules of water, fire, earth, and wood. Although he tried to disperse and use different channels each time, the number of times and the time spent inevitably left traces.

However, if one were to completely abandon the resources of the Star Core-level training camp in order to conceal one's strength, that would be putting the cart before the horse and utterly foolish.

Therefore, it is perfectly normal for an organization that makes a living by exchanging intelligence and whose members are spread across the upper echelons of various ethnic groups to catch some of the news.

Moreover, he never expected to be able to completely deceive everyone.

The core purpose of concealing one's strength is not to keep it a complete secret, but rather to create a "time difference" and a "difference in certainty".

As long as we don't reveal our talents too early and make the Eldar wary, and prevent the Eldar from making "extreme maneuvers" before the match, it's fine.

For example, by using forbidden methods that require a long preparation time or come at a great cost, a monster that is completely beyond the norm can be created temporarily.

After all, the Pan-Spirit Alliance Genius Battle has evolved to the point where it has long surpassed a simple contest of geniuses.

In Lin Yi's view, it is more like the top-level sports event that attracted global attention in the Blue Star era.

Even if no players from their own race participate, it doesn't stop millions of viewers from being enthusiastic, discussing, analyzing, betting, and arguing.

The underlying issues of racial honor, resource allocation, and political maneuvering are incredibly complex.

Where there are grand events, there are bound to be underhanded tactics.

In the Blue Star era, some countries would come up with elaborate schemes like "asthma teams" in order to win gold medals in sports such as swimming.

As for the Spirit Race, this supreme race that has ruled the Pan-Spirit Alliance for countless years and whose foundation is unfathomable, in the snippets of conversation among my senior brothers and sisters, the means they might take to maintain their absolute advantage and resolve potential threats are probably even more extreme than those of some countries in the Blue Star era.

Lin Yi's concealment was precisely to guard against this.

To prevent the Eldar from prematurely implementing unconventional pre-match enhancements.

As long as his true threat level is uncertain, the Eldar will be more inclined to make decisions based on "convention" and "cost considerations".

Now, there is less than a year until the official start of the competition.

Even if the Stargazers' speculations caught the attention of the Eldar higher-ups, even if they decided to change the chosen contestant or even provide additional resources, it would be too late.

In a year, the improvement that can be achieved is extremely limited.

Even if you throw away a massive amount of precious resources, the limit is probably that you can forcefully push your cultivation level up by one small realm.

Besides
Lin Yi's thoughts shifted, and he asked, "Xuanji, how long is it expected that the latest batch of Enlightenment Crystals transported through the secret channels of the Human Race Merchant Guild will arrive at the clone's location?"

"Reporting to Master," Xuanji quickly checked the logistics information. "Due to the large volume of this shipment, and the need to apply for additional access to the Divine Kingdom teleportation channel and undergo security checks to enter the core area of ​​the Origin Starfield, the process is more complicated than usual."

"According to the latest feedback, the cargo has passed through the Seventh Starfield transit station and is expected to arrive in 173 standard days, which is about half a year in the home planet time."

"Six months." Lin Yi nodded slightly, thinking to himself, "It's a month earlier than my planned entry time into the Rift of Time. There's plenty of time."

"Enlightenment Crystal" is a unique "supply" that he created over the past few hundred years by combining the characteristics of his clones with the remains of the Blood Crystal Stone.

He discovered that the empty shells of the Enlightenment Crystals, which had been purified by the Tree of Life Corporation and had had their energy completely absorbed, still retained a very subtle inert structure inside.

The clone attempted to infuse its daily accumulated "spiritual energy" into it and was able to successfully seal it away.

Although each empty shell can only be compressed and stored for a maximum of one year, it is enough.

After all, the amount of blood crystals he had used up was in the hundreds of millions.

These empty shells, imbued with spiritual energy, are almost indistinguishable from Enlightenment Crystals in terms of appearance and residual energy fluctuations.

Therefore, every so often, the clone would mix a batch of Enlightenment Crystals into the Enlightenment Crystals normally supplied to Irelia and others for cultivation, and transport them to Origin Star through the reliable channels of the Human Merchant Guild.

To outsiders and even those around him, this was simply Lin Yi's usual practice of using purified blood crystals to aid his cultivation.

No one knew that those seemingly ordinary crystals contained a "cheat code" that could directly enhance the efficiency of understanding rules.

It was precisely because of the regular replenishment of "Enlightenment Crystals" by his clones, coupled with the various rare and precious enlightenment treasures he could exchange in the resource database, that Lin Yi was able to maintain an astonishing cultivation speed.

Otherwise, relying solely on the spiritual energy naturally accumulated by oneself and one's clones, achieving the goal would likely take several times longer.

"A Gap in Time."

Lin Yi silently recited the name of this special cultivation place that he had spent a considerable amount of registration contribution points to reserve.

Together with the "Enlightenment Crystal" that will be delivered at that time, as well as other treasures he exchanged for by using up all his roster points, he will be able to make a final push before the top 100 ranking competition of the Pan-Spirit Alliance geniuses.

"Xuanji." Lin Yi snapped out of his thoughts and ordered, "In my capacity, formally submit the registration application to the Pan-Spirit Alliance Genius Battle Organizing Committee."

"Yes, Master. Registration information has been completed and is being submitted successfully. You have received your competition number: AL-7942-331."

Xuanji operated swiftly.

"Very good." Lin Yi nodded and continued to instruct, "In addition, in the name of the leader of the Dongfeng Mercenary Group, issue a mandatory mission notice in all channels within the group: all official members who meet the requirements must register to participate in the preliminary selection of this year's Genius Battle. Set this mission as the highest priority."

He paused slightly, then added, "The announcement states that a special reward system will be established within the group. Depending on the round a member ultimately advances in the Genius Battle, they will receive different amounts of contribution points, star crystals, and cultivation resources."

"Those who break into the top million of the human race will receive extra rewards; those who break into the top 100,000 will receive special training; and those who can break into the top 10,000 will receive my personal guidance in their cultivation for a hundred years."

This order serves as both an incentive and a test of the mercenary group's overall strength.

After hundreds of years of accumulation, the Dongfeng Mercenary Group is no longer the small team that once lived in a remote corner.

The abundant supply of purified Enlightenment Crystals, the rotation of training slots on Origin Star, and the universal enlightenment resources that Lin Yi selected from the Star Core-level training camps suitable for team use have all led to significant improvements in the strength of the core team members.

People like Liu Yuan, Elizabeth, and Zhang Zhen, who were among the first to follow him and had cultivated for a long time on the Origin Star, have now all reached the Star Core level of perfection and have a high level of understanding of the rules.

For example, Liu Yuan's overall understanding of the rules has reached nearly 63% according to the last report.

This data might not be outstanding at the top level of the human race, but at the level of the Eternal Stillness Ring Cosmos, it is enough to compete for the top ten of the Star Core level, or even challenge for a higher ranking.

Lin Yi had high expectations for them.

This is not only to bring glory to the mercenary group, but also to show the entire Pan-Spirit Alliance that the Silver Blue Civilization has cultivated not only a genius like Lin Yi, but also a well-organized backbone force.

"The notice has been drafted and published on all members' personal devices and the local public channel," Xuanji replied.

Lin Yi smiled slightly upon hearing this. He could imagine how Chen Yu would enthusiastically mobilize his combat team members, how Andrei would calmly review the registration process, and how Zhou Yuxuan would begin analyzing the distribution of potential opponents in the preliminary selection.
"Xuanji, retrieve the list of some of the key applicants that we know so far, especially those familiar faces from the Human Race Star Core-level Training Camp," Lin Yi instructed.

The light screen unfolded, and a series of names and information scrolled through the screen:
"Long Ge Xing Tong (Spirit Race) has registered, Ling Xuan (Human Race) has registered, Bai Feng (Human Race) has registered, Hera (Holy Radiance Race) has registered, You Lan Ying Ge (Spirit Race) has registered."

The list is very long, encompassing almost all the well-known Star Core-level geniuses within the Pan-Spirit Alliance.

Lin Yi not only saw that all his fellow trainees had registered, but also many human geniuses he had interacted with in the training camp. It was foreseeable that this would be a fierce competition that brought together the best of contemporary talent in the Star Sea.

"I wonder if the true number one of the Spirit Race will come," Lin Yi thought to himself.

If the Stargazers' speculations truly garner sufficient attention from the Eldar, the likelihood of them sending their true number one to the arena will greatly increase.

Lin Yi was not afraid; on the contrary, he was somewhat looking forward to it.

Fighting against truly top-tier peers with all one's might is the best way to test one's own path and hone one's skills.

He concealed his strength to avoid the unfair "forbidden enhancement" before the competition, rather than having a fair and square duel with a normal Spirit Race genius on the arena.

"Xuanji, close the information." Lin Yi waved his hand to dispel the light screen.

He walked to the window, stood with his hands behind his back, and his gaze seemed to pierce through the energy barrier of the manor, turning towards the eternally brilliant starry sky of the Origin Star.

The clamor on the virtual network, the public opinion battles between different races, and the names on the list of opponents gradually settled down, turning into turbulent undercurrents beneath the calm surface of his heart.

Eight hundred years of silence, the accumulation of countless resources, the combined efforts of the clone and the main body, and the silent accumulation of spiritual energy and enlightenment crystals—all of this will soon witness a concentrated explosion and verification.

He doesn't like to be high-profile, but sometimes, for certain positions, you have to fight for them.

In order to gain more attention and resources for the Silver Blue Civilization within the human race, for the future development of the Dongfeng Mercenary Group, and to fulfill his expectations for his senior sister, the two nominated lords, and even the countless people who are watching him.

"Battle of the Geniuses"

Lin Yi repeated the word in a low voice, a slight smile curving his lips.

Then let everyone see what kind of sharpness this "fallen genius," whom you have been discussing, speculating about, and questioning for hundreds of years, truly holds.

He turned and walked towards the cultivation room.

Every second of the final preparation time is precious.

Meanwhile, throughout the Pan-Spirit Alliance, as the registration deadline approached, an increasingly heated atmosphere was spreading.

Countless races, regardless of strength or whether they have any participants, have turned their attention to this grand event that is about to begin.

In bars, academies, fleets, and virtual communities, everyone is talking about potential dark horses, debating rankings, and predicting the ultimate winner.

(End of this chapter)