Swallowing the starry sky, my clones can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 60 The Battle of Geniuses Begins

Huaxia, Kyoto Base City.

A dark red triangular fighter jet hovered in the sky above the Red Wall Residential Area, the very heart of the base city.

Wow!

The aircraft door opened, and Shen Mu, dressed in a blue battle armor, stepped out into the air, without any other guards by his side.

Many guards, including the immortal god Hantian, stayed in the spaceship, hidden in outer space, leaving space for Shen Mu, Luo Feng, and their families.

Mr. and Mrs. Shen Gang, along with Tang Yongqing, were waiting early in the green park in the center of the residential area.

"Dad, Mom!"

Shen Mu's figure flashed, as if he appeared out of thin air in front of his parents.

Chen Wen looked at Shen Mu with slightly red eyes: "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Shen Gang didn't say much, but patted Shen Mu on the shoulder: "Go keep Xiao Qing company."

Tang Yongqing stood quietly to the side, a serene smile on her face, her pupils reflecting Shen Mu's image, nothing else.

"I'm back, Yongqing."

……

Shen Mu did not deliberately hide the news of his return to Earth, and with the end of the year approaching, many old friends came to visit him.

Shen Mu only met a few of them, such as Chu Qiang, who had taken good care of him during the training camp.

Now Chu Qiang has also advanced to the planetary level, and is being groomed by Jia Yi as his successor. The two talked a lot, mostly about the current development of Earth.

Thor did not return from space until five days after Shen Mu returned to Earth.

That night, a bonfire crackled and burned beside Beidaihe.

Shen Mu, Luo Feng, and Lei Shen were having a barbecue around the campfire.

"The three of us can go home, but our eldest brother won't be coming back. He's wandering the universe with that Time Lord, and he's not even in the Qianwu Universe." Thor sighed.

More than three years ago, Shen Mu and Luo Feng went to the Qianwu Secret Realm to cultivate, and Lei Shen also received guidance from the Zhenli Realm Lord.

After Shen Mu became a disciple of the Qianwu Kingdom's ruler, the Zhenli Realm Lord directly accepted Lei Shen as his personal disciple, and began to wholeheartedly cultivate and teach him, resulting in rapid progress.

Hong also had his own destiny. After the three brothers went their separate ways, Hong began to train in various star-level secret realms in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, joined the Three Axe Mountain organization, and naturally gained the favor of Luo, the Lord of the Time Realm.

"I've heard of the Lord of Time Realm. It's said that his mastery of the laws is close to that of a Marquis-level expert. It should be good for you to follow him, Brother," Luo Feng said.

"That's true. Now that my elder brother has reached the eighth level of the Domain, he can even faintly sense the fluctuations of the laws. He's much stronger than me."

Thor helplessly touched his bald head. Under the full guidance of the Lord of Zhenli Realm, he had barely broken through to the sixth level of the realm.

To perceive the fluctuations of the laws and touch the threshold of the laws, one must be at least at the eighth or ninth level of the realm.

"Second brother is not weak either. With the start of this genius battle, all four of us brothers should be able to get through the preliminary rounds," Shen Mu said.

The preliminary rounds of the Genius Battle will select the top 10 star-level geniuses from the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, with the weakest being at the fifth or sixth level of the Domain.

As for going any further, to have any hope of passing the arena battle stage, one would need to be at least at the seventh level of the Domain.

In the original course of fate, Hong was destined to lose at this very step. He broke through to the seventh level of the Domain in the battle, but ultimately lost.

If luck isn't too bad, there's a good chance of passing the arena battle stage at the seventh level of the Domain.

To represent the Qianwu Universe Kingdom in the all-universe stage of the competition, one must at least be at the ninth level of the realm, able to sense the fluctuations of the laws and begin to explore the mysteries of the laws.

"Teacher Zhenli requires me to pass the ring competition and enter the three-year cycle battle stage... The pressure is immense."

Thor complained with a bitter face, but his eyes were clear and bright, and he never showed the slightest fear.

They chatted until late at night, the campfire died down, and the three brothers went home, returning to their own lives.

……

Before we knew it, it was March 9th.

Shen Mu, unusually, did not continue cultivating to comprehend the fundamental laws of space, but instead took a day to spend with his family.

"Honey, how's the tea beverage research going at your Kyushu Company?"

On the sofa, Shen Mu embraced Tang Yongqing and casually asked a question.

After Shen Mu became the nominal disciple of the Qianwu Kingdom's ruler, although the news was not deliberately publicized, the major immortal forces within the Qianwu Universe all knew about it through rumors.

Upon learning this news, the Black Dragon Mountain royal family directly contacted the Silver Blue Empire's royal family for negotiations. The entire Silver Blue Empire now belongs to Shen Mu and is managed by the Kyushu Company.

Just like in the original story, Kyushu Corporation was established. Xu Xin was in charge of the business department, Luo Hua was in charge of the investment department, Tang Yongqing was in charge of the research and development department, and Shen Gang, the father, was in charge of the military department.

Shen Mu and Luo Feng didn't expect Kyushu Company to be of any help to them; they just wanted to find something for their relatives to do so that they could realize their life's value.

"Currently, there are three types: Grade A tea drinks are at the same level as Purple Light Dew, Grade B tea drinks are at the same level as Azure Wave Marrow, and Grade C tea drinks are helpful for cultivation at the Eternal Star level."

Tang Yongqing was very happy to see Shen Mu showing concern for her career for the first time.

"The tea beverage sector has great potential. If we leverage the popularity of the Genius Battle to generate buzz, we might be able to make Kyushu Company a subsidiary of Virtual Universe Company and enter the core of the Ministry of Commerce."

Just as Shen Mu finished speaking, the intelligent light brain on his arm suddenly lit up, and then Babata's figure appeared.

"Amu, huge floating notices have appeared on every continent and island in the virtual universe!"

"The battle of humanity's pinnacle geniuses in the universe has begun!"

Babata's face was filled with excitement; he had already envisioned Shen Mu's stunning performance that would amaze the entire universe.

Boss, did you see that?!

Your personal disciple will be the most outstanding star-level genius in the entire human race!

A faint glimmer seemed to flicker in Shen Mu's eyes.

"Connect to the virtual universe network!"

……

Virtual universe, Heilongshan Island.

A massive black banner, spanning over a million miles in length and width, appeared in mid-air, filling the sky.

On this entirely black notice board, there were characters that emitted a dazzling white light.

"Universe Humanity - Battle of Ultimate Geniuses!"

"A once-in-a-millennium event, about to begin! Hosted by Virtual Universe Corporation, in conjunction with all the nations of the universe!"

"...For more details, please visit the official website of 'Virtual Universe Network' through the virtual assistant."

At the same time.

In the virtual universe, each continent represents a "Cosmic Nation," and each island represents a "Cosmic Intermediate Civilization."

Above them, huge floating notices appeared, each announcing the upcoming "Universe Humanity - Battle of the Ultimate Geniuses".

Within just one or two minutes of the announcement appearing, it instantly went viral across the entire virtual universe network, with almost every communication platform discussing it.

"The battle of the ultimate geniuses is about to begin? Hahaha, this is going to be crazy again."

"This is a grand gathering for the entire human race."

"I've heard that the top 1,000 geniuses in the entire universe receive an astonishingly huge reward!"

"This ultimate genius battle is held twice every ten thousand years. Once is hosted by the Virtual Universe Company, and once by the Giant Axe Arena! This time it's hosted by the Virtual Universe Company, and the rewards are absolutely top-notch!"

Heilongshan Island, Didu Bay, Guangyuanxing Residential Area.

Beside the tranquil water, Shen Mu, Luo Feng, Hong, and the four brothers, Lei Shen, stood side by side.

"Brothers, the battle of geniuses has begun!"

Shen Mu's voice was filled with excitement. For the first time in his life, he was facing a genius of the same level as a challenger.

Luo Feng's pupils transformed into golden vertical pupils as he stared at the enormous ranking list: "If Senior Brother is first, then I'll take second place!"

A faint smile appeared on Hong's face. His posture remained unchanged, but his aura became sharp, as if he had transformed into a spear that tore through the night.

Compared to Shen Mu and Luo Feng, Hong's goal was not so ambitious. As long as he could enter the top 1000 of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom and represent the Qianwu Universe Kingdom in the All-Universe Competition, he would consider it a success.

Thor's goal is more pragmatic: as long as he can make it into the Three-Year Cycle War, he will consider it a success.

Similar scenes unfolded in every corner of the virtual universe, with countless geniuses sharpening their swords, hoping to prove themselves at this grand event.

[PS: Just so you know, it'll be available soon, but the exact date hasn't been set yet; it'll be either at the end of the month or the beginning of the next.]

By the way, let me respond to the controversy surrounding the apprenticeship of the ruler of the Qianwu Kingdom. There's not much to say about it; I just didn't want to overshadow the protagonist.

The Qianwu Universe Kingdom did not have any powerful kings, as stated in the original work. Even a Demon Hand King who barely achieved the title of king could rank among the top three in the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, meaning there was at most only one powerful king.

If you want to become an apprentice, there's no one else besides the ruler of the Qianwu Kingdom. You either have to wait for the genius to become an apprentice of the Nine Swords Venerable, or you have to become an apprentice after entering the Virtual Universe Company and forcibly suppress your abilities for several years.

The protagonist became a disciple of the Venerable One before the battle, receiving years of training from him and gaining access to the essence of spatial laws, which gave him a chance to win against Bolan. The author simply didn't want to suppress the protagonist.

I don't understand why so many of my good friends want to join the Virtual Universe Company and then become apprentices. Why do we have to suppress them?

Some people say that if you become a disciple of the Qianwu, you can no longer become a disciple of the Lord of the Universe. I can only say, my good brother, are you serious?

In the original story, Luo Feng only became a disciple of the Chaos City Lord because the True Yan King couldn't guide him. That's correct. But the question is, can the Qianwu Kingdom Lord teach the protagonist everything?

Here, let's first explain why the True King of the Original Works couldn't guide Luo Feng: it's because Luo Feng began cultivating the Golden Void Fusion Law.

If it were just about the laws of space, Zhenyanwang could easily have guided Luo Feng before he mastered the three ultimate techniques of teleportation, sealing, and strangulation. After all, Zhenyanwang was only one step away from comprehending the complete laws of space.

The same applies to the protagonist; regardless of whether they choose the fusion of water and air or other paths in the future, corresponding cosmic lords will extend olive branches. It's that simple a reason, nothing complicated.

(End of this chapter)