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

Chapter 318 Yongfeng's Decision, Shenghui's Submission of the Pillar

Immediately, an uproar erupted in the main council hall.

On the huge circular light screen, the real-time scene of the airport outside the ultimate arena was still playing. Lin Yi and his group had entered the depths of the passage, with Yong Yan following closely behind, their figures gradually disappearing from the camera's view.

But the people in the hall were too preoccupied to watch what happened next.

"Father," Yongqing asked hesitantly, "is he serving as Lin Yi's bodyguard?"

Yongfeng took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He sat back down, his gaze fixed on the spot where Yongyan had just stood on the screen, as if trying to discern some clue.

Musto was the first to recover. The elder, who was at the peak of the Yan Realm, had a solemn expression and said in a deep voice, "Judging from their positions, postures, and interactions, they are undoubtedly guards. The clan leader always lagged behind Lin Yi by half a step, and his eyes swept around with obvious vigilance. When staff members approached, he took the initiative to negotiate. These are all standard guard behaviors."

“But Father is an Eternal God!” Yongqing retorted subconsciously. “Even if Lin Yi is a genius of the Ninth Realm, does he need a god to protect him personally? There have been geniuses of the Ninth Realm in the history of our clan, but we have never heard of an Eternal God serving as a long-term personal bodyguard.”

Her words were met with nods of agreement from the other high-ranking family members around her.

Indeed, this is a very high standard.

Eternal deities are the backbone of a race, powerful beings capable of establishing their own divine kingdoms and obtaining eternal life.

Even among a powerful race like humanity, the number of eternal gods is limited.

Having such a being serve as a guard for a Star Core level being, even if that Star Core level being is a genius of the ninth level, seems far too extravagant.

Yongfeng did not answer directly; instead, he turned to Yongqing and asked a question.

"Little sister, why do you think Father would accept this mission? Or rather, what kind of guard mission would make an Eternal God who has just been resurrected and urgently needs clan merit to restore his divine kingdom willing to serve as a guard for a Star Core-level being?"

Yongqing was stumped by the question. She frowned and thought for a few seconds before hesitatingly asking, "Is the clan honor reward exceptionally generous? Or... is the person you're protecting exceptionally important?"

“Both reasons are valid,” Yongfeng nodded, “but not enough. If it were merely about the rich clan honors, Father could have taken on other, less risky missions. If it were simply about the importance of the person being protected, the clan wouldn’t easily allow an eternal god to do something so underutilized.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the family members present: "I think there must be something special about this mission that we don't know about."

The council chamber fell silent as everyone pondered Yongfeng's words.

Yongqing bit her lip, then suddenly realized something: "Big brother, you mean..."

“Not bad.” Yongfeng’s gaze returned to the light screen. “Lin Yi’s display of the Ninefold Spacetime Life and Death Domain in the preliminaries was already astonishing enough. But for the clan’s higher-ups to be willing to send an Eternal God as his bodyguard is far too high a level of commitment. Unless…”

He looked at Yongqing and said slowly, "Unless they know that Lin Yi's talent and potential are far greater than what they are showing now, high enough to warrant such a level of protection."

Yongqing gasped: "Brother, are you saying he has something else going on?"

Yongfeng nodded, his expression serious: "Very likely. Don't forget how much strength he hid before the competition started. For eight hundred years, from the fourth level of the realm to the ninth level, everyone thought he was stuck at a bottleneck, but then he suddenly erupted, shocking the entire starry sea. Who dares to say that someone like that has shown his full potential?"

Musto pondered and said, "That makes sense. If Lin Yi really has something to hide, then Father's mission to protect him is probably not just an opportunity, but also...the future."

He spoke the word "future" very softly, but everyone in the council chamber understood its meaning.

The implications of establishing contact with a future powerhouse who may reach the pinnacle of power for the currently troubled Yongyan family are self-evident.

Yongqing had the same thought, but then she suddenly thought of a problem and quickly said, "But brother, if Lin Yi's talent is really even higher than it is now, wouldn't he become a thorn in the side of the alien race? Wouldn't the task of protecting him be very dangerous?"

Her question echoed the sentiments of many people present.

The competition among the various races in the Star Sea is extremely brutal, and assassinations of rival geniuses are commonplace.

Lin Yi's display of the Ninefold Time-Space Life and Death Domain in the preliminary rounds was already remarkable enough; if it were not only that...
Upon hearing this, Yongfeng revealed a meaningful smile.

He turned to face Yongqing and said calmly, "Little sister, you are focused on cultivation and don't understand worldly matters very well, which is why you have such questions."

Yongqing frowned, unconvinced, and said, "Brother, although I am focused on cultivation, it's not like I don't understand these things."

Yongfeng waved his hand, signaling her to calm down. "Did you notice before? Father's identity as a bodyguard is almost completely exposed to everyone. This isn't a covert bodyguard; it's an overt bodyguard."

"Open hand?" Yongqing asked, puzzled.

“That’s right,” Yongfeng said. “The so-called open-label guards are those who display their guard strength in the open, telling everyone that we take this person very seriously and that anyone who tries to harm him will have to pay the price!”

Musto then chimed in, "Junior sister, you may not know this, but usually, guards of this caliber would employ more than one method. Besides the clan leader as the overt divine protector, there must be other measures in secret, and they would be no less stringent."

He emphasized, "Therefore, those races that are particularly at odds with our human race will immediately understand one thing when they see their patriarch by Lin Yi's side: they have basically no hope of success if they only send out god-level power."

"And to mobilize a higher level of power... a Lord? Surely we wouldn't send our own Lord to risk his life in the heart of the Pan-Spirit Alliance just to deal with a potential future Human Lord?"

“Senior Brother is right,” Yongfeng concluded. “Actually, the main purpose of this escort mission is to show the alien race our determination. After all, we are not afraid of being attacked once or twice, but we don’t want to be targeted. The fundamental solution is to directly extinguish the alien race’s thoughts.”

Yongqing suddenly realized: "I see. Does that mean this mission is actually very safe?"

“It’s much safer than I imagined.” Yongfeng nodded. “On the contrary, if Lin Yi’s guards were only average, and Father had taken on a mission to protect him in secret, then there would have been real danger.”

"Why?" Yongqing pressed.

Musto said in a deep voice, "Because of the temptation. If the alien races see that Lin Yi's guards are weak, they will easily be tempted. What if there are internal conflicts among the humans and they are really undefended? What if they succeed? As long as they succeed, they can eliminate a potential future enemy. Even if they suspect that there may be a hidden defense force, so what? The temptation to take a gamble is too great."

Yongfeng added, "In that situation, if Father had acted as a covert bodyguard, he might have faced a true battle against gods. Because once the alien race decides to attack, they will inevitably deploy forces capable of breaking through the open defenses. But now..."

He pointed to the light screen: "By laying our cards on the table, the alien races dare not act rashly. Because they know that once they make a move, they will not only be facing their father in the open, but also possibly more defenses hidden in the shadows. The risk is too great, and the chance of success is extremely low, so it's not worth it."

Yongqing nodded to indicate that he understood.

She pondered for a moment, then suddenly a thought popped into her head, and she subconsciously said, "Doesn't that mean we can use Lin Yi as bait to lure out some alien gods who are hostile to our human race, or even those who are lurking in our human territory?"

As soon as she said that, she saw her brother and senior brother looking at her with eyes that said, "Are you an idiot?"

Yongqing paused for a moment, then realized, "That's right. Anyone who makes this decision will not only have to bear the risk of the mission going wrong, but even if nothing goes wrong, they will still face the hostility of the future Lord. Why bother?"

She smiled somewhat awkwardly and quickly made amends, saying, "Father did indeed take on a good mission. He probably didn't tell us the specifics of the mission beforehand because he wasn't with Lin Yi yet and didn't want to let it slip. If the information were leaked in advance and caused problems with the protection plan, the responsibility would be considerable."

Yongfeng nodded, sighing, "That's right, it tells us there are only disadvantages and no advantages. Perhaps it's precisely because of my father's cautious nature that he was able to receive such a mission and have such an opportunity."

After speaking, Yongfeng sat back down in the main seat, his expression becoming serious.

His gaze swept over all the family members in the council hall, and his voice was clear and forceful: "Now that Father has accepted the mission to protect Lin Yi, Lin Yi will be connected to our Yongyan family in the future. Pass on my orders!"

All the family members in the council chamber sat up straight, listening intently.

"First, no one in the family shall offend the Dongfeng Mercenary Group, the Silver Blue Civilization, or related personnel without cause."

"Second, if you encounter any difficulties with people from the Dongfeng or Yinlan civilizations during the mission, you should offer assistance without violating the laws and clan rules."

"Third, closely monitor Lin Yi's information and prioritize relevant intelligence."

Yongfeng paused, then looked at Musto: "Elder, the family's connections in the mercenary alliance and the military system can be appropriately tilted towards Dongfeng. It doesn't need to be too obvious, but the other party should feel the goodwill."

Musto bowed: "Understood."

As for us.

Yongfeng's gaze swept over the family members present. "Watch the upcoming matches carefully. Since the clan has appointed Father as a guard, it means that Lin Yi's hidden strength will be revealed in this competition. This is not only an opportunity to watch the matches, but also an opportunity to learn about those who may have future interactions with our family."

Everyone responded in unison.

Yongqing turned her gaze back to the screen, which had now switched to the interior of the Ultimate Arena, where the ranking matches were about to begin. Looking at Lin Yi's figure on the screen, a complex mix of emotions welled up within her.

The fact that the father accepted this task meant that the family finally had a chance to escape their current predicament.

More importantly, it's about establishing connections with future leaders like Lin Yi.
"Lin Yi," Yongqing murmured the name, her eyes filled with curiosity, "Just how many secrets are you hiding?"
-
Inside the Ultimate Arena, in the spectator area.

Yongyan, Irelia, and four others sat on a small floating crystal platform.

The crystal platform is hexagonal and made entirely of translucent light blue crystals. It is suspended in mid-air above the main arena, providing an excellent spectator view.

The front row seats naturally belonged to Yongyan.

Behind him sat Irelia and Lin Yao side by side.

The two women, one calm and elegant, the other beautiful and lively, were both intently watching the competition below.

Next to them were Chen Yu, Zhou Yuxuan, and Kanlia.

Although they were also Star Core level geniuses, they remained quiet in this situation, afraid of disturbing Yongyan in front of them.

"Sister Ellie," Lin Yao suddenly spoke in a low voice, her voice tinged with worry, "Won't there be any problems conducting a real-world competition here? This isn't like a virtual network; what if she loses control?"

Her words made Chen Yu and the others behind her prick up their ears.

Indeed, no matter how intense the competition is in the virtual world, there will be no real danger to life.

But this is reality, the true ultimate battleground.

The aftershocks of a battle between a Star Core-level powerhouse are enough to destroy the surface of a planet. Without sufficiently strong protective measures, even the audience seats could be affected.

Irelia turned to look at Lin Yao, her emerald eyes filled with a gentle smile: "Don't worry. The Ultimate Arena is a divine artifact-level facility built by the Eldar at the cost of countless resources, mainly for hosting the final stage of the Pan-Eldar Alliance's Battle of the Strongest."

She pointed to the vast arena below, stretching as far as the eye could see: "The entire arena is presided over by the Lord of the Law of Life. Its internal space can be folded and expanded at will, and its defense mechanism is perfect to the extreme." "Let alone matches between Star Core level beings, even the strongest beings in the Star Domain level can fight here and instantly recover to their perfect state as soon as the match ends."

"Even a Star Domain level being can recover instantly?" Lin Yao was taken aback.

"Ah."

Irelia nodded. "I once saw a record of this in the Eldar's records. Three hundred epochs ago, two peak-level Star Domain experts fought a decisive battle here, both suffering severe injuries and damage to their essence. After the match, both of them instantly recovered completely, even their depleted essence was replenished."

Chen Yu couldn't help but interject, "Isn't that a bit too exaggerated? How many resources would that consume?"

“So the Ultimate Arena is never open under normal circumstances,” Irelia said. “It is only activated during the final stages of the Genius Battle, the final stages of the Strongest Battle, or certain particularly important inter-race exchange competitions. It is said that the resources consumed just to activate it are enough to cultivate several World-Transformation level beings.”

Zhou Yuxuan sighed, "The Spirit Clan's foundation is indeed terrifying."

Kanlia added softly, "But this is also for absolute safety. After all, those who can enter the final stage are the top geniuses of each race, and the loss of any one of them would be huge."

As everyone was talking, the competition field below began to change.

The once flat, silvery ground slowly sank, replaced by towering crystal pillars.

These crystal pillars have a square cross-section, and their surfaces are covered with pale blue energy patterns.

Each crystal pillar is covered by a hemispherical light shield, and a platform can be vaguely seen inside the shield.

The number of crystal pillars is exactly one thousand, corresponding to the one thousand participants in the ranking competition.

"Looks like this is the qualifying arena." Irelia gazed down. "I wonder what the rules will be this time."

As soon as he finished speaking, a murmur arose from the stands around the arena.

In the waiting area in the center of the arena, the figures of the thousand contestants flashed simultaneously. The next second, each of them appeared on a platform at the top of a crystal pillar, enveloped in a pale blue light shield.

Lin Yi was among them.

He stood on a crystal pillar and looked around.

The other crystal pillars around them were already filled with contestants, each sizing up the other.

Almost simultaneously, a huge golden Universal Language appeared in the air in the center of the arena.

Ranked Match Rules:

[I. The ranking in the competition is determined by the final height of the crystal pillar occupied; the higher the crystal pillar, the higher the ranking.]

[II. Each participant has three opportunities to initiate a challenge. After the crystal pillar's protective shield disappears, the participant can challenge any other participant on any other crystal pillar. Only one battle can take place on each crystal pillar at a time.]

[III. Being challenged does not consume a challenge opportunity. If the challenge is successful, the challenged player will be forcibly moved to the lowest unclaimed crystal pillar. The challenger's unclaimed crystal pillar does not consume a challenge opportunity.]

[IV. During the competition, if a player's vital signs drop to the near-death threshold, they will be automatically moved to the lowest currently unclaimed crystal pillar and fully restored to their current state, but will lose all challenge opportunities. If challenged at this time, they will automatically lose.]

[V. The competition concludes after half a standard day. The top 128 in terms of final column height advance to the finals.]

After the rules were displayed, the entire arena fell silent for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, a lively discussion broke out in the audience.

On the floating crystal platform, Chen Yu murmured, "These rules are quite interesting!"

“Indeed,” Zhou Yuxuan analyzed. “It tests not only strength, but also one’s self-awareness and competition strategy. The three challenge opportunities are very valuable. If used well, they can lead to advancement, but if used poorly, they may fall into a passive position.”

Kanlia said softly, "And it requires a high level of continuous combat ability. Even if you successfully challenge and occupy a higher crystal pillar, you might be challenged by someone else immediately. If you can't end the battle quickly and your energy is depleted..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.

Just then, at a certain viewing platform, a live broadcast was underway.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we can now see that the rules for the ranking competition have been announced," the host said. "This format, which determines rankings based on crystal pillar height and limits the number of challenges, is indeed very exciting. Your Excellency Yongyao, what are your thoughts on the rules for this year's ranking competition?"

The camera pans to the other side.

Yongyao nodded slightly. "It's a rather interesting set of rules. It not only tests your strength, but also your self-awareness of your strength, your strategy in the game, and it places high demands on your ability to fight continuously."

He paused for a moment and then explained, "Under these competition rules, if you use the wrong combat strategy, it's easy to end up challenging and being challenged multiple times, and as a result, you'll run out of challenge opportunities and only be able to choose from the remaining crystal pillars."

"For example, some competitors may be too aggressive and challenge too high a goal from the beginning. If they fail, they will not only waste the opportunity, but may also get injured and affect their subsequent performance. Other competitors may be too conservative. When they want to challenge later, they will find that the position they want has been taken by a stronger person who has fallen from a height."

The host then interjected, "So, Your Majesty Yongyao, what strategy do you think would be more reasonable?"

"It varies from person to person."

Yongyao smiled and said, "For those top geniuses whose strength is absolutely superior, such as Lin Yi and Edith, they can occupy the highest position from the beginning and use their deterrent power to avoid being challenged frequently."

"For players with above-average ability, it might be more suitable to first secure a position that matches their skill level, observe the situation, and wait for the right opportunity to challenge for a higher position."

"Thank you for your analysis, Your Majesty Yongyao." The host turned to the camera. "Now, let's see how the contestants choose!"

In the arena, Lin Yi stood on the crystal pillar, his mind racing as he considered the rules.

"Under this competition mechanism," he thought to himself, "if the wrong combat strategy is used, it is easy to end up with multiple challenges and being challenged, resulting in the use up of all challenge opportunities and only being able to choose from the remaining crystal pillars."

"Clearly, the mechanism of this competition is essentially designed to serve the countless secret realms to come. It selects players who know when to fight, how to fight, and in what situations they cannot fight. After all, the rules of the secret realms are unknown, so adaptability is extremely important."

As Lin Yi pondered this, he noticed that the surrounding crystal pillars were slowly moving and adjusting their height.

Some crystal pillars are rising, while others are sinking, exhibiting a dynamic change overall.

"However," Lin Yi said with a hint of helplessness, "it seems like my pillar isn't rising anymore? And isn't it a bit too low?"

It's not that it didn't rise, but rather that the speed was slow, and it kept declining in relative position.

A few minutes later, it had fallen to the lower-middle position.

At this moment, the tallest crystal pillar has risen to an awe-inspiring height, standing in the center of the arena, and is still slowly rising.

Lin Yi looked at the tallest crystal pillar, where a Saint Radiance Clan contestant stood.

And at the same time.

"Why is my pillar still rising? It's getting too high!" The Holy Radiance Clan contestant felt a little frustrated.

He looked up and around. Below him, the crystal pillars were densely packed, their height spiraling outwards and decreasing downwards.

The crystal pillar he was on was like a solitary peak, standing atop all the other crystal pillars.

"Obviously, under this competition mechanism, it's best to be on a pillar of similar strength to oneself. That way, one usually won't be challenged at the beginning, and there won't be any fighting. One can simply observe and wait for others to fight for a round or two and become unstable before attempting to challenge a higher pillar. But now..."

He smiled wryly as he looked at the second tallest crystal pillar next to him, where a Crystal Spirit Clan contestant stood.

The two looked at each other from dozens of meters apart, and both saw the same helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Troublesome," the Holy Radiance Clan contestant muttered to himself.

At this point, all the crystal pillars stopped moving.

Immediately afterwards, the pale blue light shield enveloping the crystal pillar began to flicker.

After flashing three times, the light shield disappeared silently.

Ranked matches, let's begin!
The Holy Radiance Clan contestant felt a chill run down his spine as he suddenly saw a figure appear before his crystal pillar.

It was Lin Yi.

The Holy Light Clan contestant was stunned.

He didn't expect Lin Yi to be so decisive, challenging for the highest position right at the start of the competition.

But on second thought, it seemed perfectly reasonable. With Lin Yi's strength, he really didn't need any strategy; simply occupying the highest point was the best strategy.

Lin Yi stood at the edge of the crystal pillar, calmly watching the Holy Radiance Clan contestants, a smile on his face.

There was no provocation, no arrogance in that smile, only pure calmness, as if to say: I want this position.

The Shenghui Clan contestant's mind raced.

challenge accepted?

What a joke! Three challenge opportunities are incredibly precious; using them on Lin Yi would be a complete waste.

With this in mind, the Holy Radiance Clan contestant made a decision.

He looked at Lin Yi, who smiled at him, and subconsciously returned the smile, muttering to himself:
"Giving up a pillar to Lin Yi is not beneath us."

Then, he transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the crystal pillar located in the upper-middle area that he had just chosen.

　By the way, today seems to be the last day to get the title for free. It might be a long time before you can become a member of the Human Council again.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)