Swallowing the Stars: Starting with the Battle of Geniuses.

Chapter 2 Goal Setting

Upon seeing the text that began with "the beginning of the third year" in the simulation record, Honjin gasped in shock!

He had always thought he had simply transmigrated to a sci-fi world where interstellar civilization was thriving, but after seeing the words "Virtual Universe Company," he finally realized something was wrong.

He had actually transmigrated into the world of the science fiction novel Swallowing the Star!

Even with the possibility of a force with the same name existing, Hunzhen had a strong premonition that he was 90% certain of this conjecture!

Or rather, he wanted to believe!

The simulated record is still scrolling.

Overjoyed, after entering the virtual universe and carefully confirming, you are finally convinced that this is the world of Swallowing the Stars.

You notice that the battleground in the virtual universe is incredibly lively, as if a grand event is about to unfold, or a magnificent celebration is about to begin.

[A month later, a virtual ranking list appeared in the virtual universe, signaling the start of the Cosmic Genius Battle. You were just getting excited when you suddenly remembered that you only had the combat strength of a fourth-level apprentice, not even meeting the entry requirements... The excitement was for them; you got nothing.]

[In the sixth year, the first warrior among your peers finally reached the seventh rank. Your superior, your "mentor," was overjoyed, informing you that there was another realm above the ninth rank of warriors. He announced that anyone who broke through to the seventh rank within a year would receive the best training and might even rise directly to the same level as him. At this time, however, you remained at the fourth rank.]

Your superiors have finally realized that your talent is not outstanding, and that your previous performance was just a flash in the pan. As a result, your resources have been significantly reduced.

In the seventh year, you finally broke through to the fifth rank. Amidst the disdain of your colleagues, you were transferred away from Night City to become a mid-level officer in the Outer City. On the surface, you seemed somewhat disappointed, but inside you were secretly delighted—you had finally gotten your chance to escape.

In the eighth year, after much planning and believing you were safe, you removed the chip and began your escape. But the moment you stepped out of the city, you encountered your mentor, who gave you a cold smile.

[You died. In your dying moments, you realized that even with access to the virtual universe, your skills and connections would likely never allow you to silently remove the chip right under the company's nose.]

[This simulation has ended]

Please select the inheritance direction.

[1. Material Inheritance (Cultivation Breakthrough to Apprentice Level 5)]

[2. Soul Inheritance (Your swordsmanship is now at its most advanced, your movement is incredibly precise, your combat experience has slightly improved, and you have gained some other knowledge and experience.)]

3. Forgo the profits from this simulation.

"His cultivation has broken through to the fifth level!?"

"Perfect swordsmanship, exquisite movement!?"

How to choose?

Hunzhen was initially shocked by the enormous gains, but soon he shook his head, realizing that he actually had no choice.

Breaking through from the second to the third tier in the short term wouldn't attract the company's attention. Even if someone notices something amiss, it can be explained as killing a colleague, plundering resources, and gaining some insights.

But if he breaks through from the third to the fifth level in just two days, the chip will definitely upload the abnormal information, and then everyone will know that there is a problem with him!

The most likely outcome is that the mentor who directly supervises them will take action against him for a non-existent opportunity, and even if his "innocence" is later discovered, he will probably be dead by then.

He had no choice to inherit material wealth until he was free from the company's surveillance.

However, choosing the latter does not necessarily mean a huge loss.

"With this improved level of mastery and stronger control over power, the efficiency of further physical evolution will naturally be much higher!"

"Choose option two!"

Countless insights flooded my mind.

In an instant, it felt as if several years had passed, during which he had fought and battled with hundreds of different people, and gained insights from years of solitary cultivation.

Without a doubt, this was the simulation in which he had accumulated the most experience, and compared to the previous second, it was like undergoing a transformation.

The sharpness in his eyes seemed to materialize, capable of cutting through hard steel.

But the next second, he blinked and returned to his calm and composed state.

There was no sign of instability in its foundation; it had already achieved complete control.

"My martial arts skills today are entirely due to my diligent training. How could my foundation be weak?"

With his mind focused, a slight smile appeared on his lips: "So, it turns out my talent is still quite good?"

In the original work, Luo Feng perfected his movement technique and touched the realm of intent in less than a year after he entered the martial arts world. Of course, touching the realm of intent does not mean completely entering this realm. According to the original description, when Luo Feng entered the War God Preparatory Camp, his sword technique had reached the second level of "basic, specialized, perfect, and intent".

Hunzhen didn't intend to compare himself to the protagonist, but compared to the members of the Fire Hammer Squad that Luo Feng initially joined, Hunzhen considered himself to be quite remarkable.

He pondered to himself, in the early days on Earth, those who could become martial artists were all considered geniuses, and he, who was considered a genius among martial artists, could hardly be considered bad, right?

Hunzhen had absolutely no awareness of being the one who was worse off than himself.

Earthlings, whose initial soul aptitude was not yet apparent, were rated as having a ninth-grade bloodline. Even if the Balian aliens were not the worst tenth-grade bloodline, they were at most an eighth-grade bloodline.

The original owner and his sister were originally slave merchants who were sold to a company to work as assassins. In fact, their talents were already considered outstanding among their clans.

However, among his surviving colleagues, his talent is undoubtedly among the worst.

Hunzhen was not discouraged at all. In fact, as he gained several years of combat experience, a different kind of thought arose in his mind.

He had always harbored doubts about the company's motives.

The fact that their superiors were overjoyed when their colleagues broke through to the seventh rank shows that the company must have something else in mind for these assassins.

The latest novel is first published here!

There's not much to say about issuing the mission, but the requirement to kill one colleague per month is really puzzling.

It was less of an assessment and more like... raising a venomous insect.

They had absolutely no idea about the company's purpose or size.

It was as if a dark fog was constantly enveloping him, and the thought that his life and fortune were completely in the company's hands sent chills down his spine.

However, if you want to know the truth behind it all, this level of strength is obviously not enough.

If you get involved recklessly, you might lose your life without even seeing a glimpse of the company's plans.

Now, an opportunity to overturn the table has presented itself.

In the battle of the ultimate geniuses, if one can emerge victorious, no amount of trickery or conspiracy will be able to withstand the test.

A small company is just a pond; it can never trap a dragon about to take flight.

Within three years, by the time the Genius Battle arrived, Hunzhen had reached the ninth level of the Hengxing realm and the ninth level of the Domain realm. This was the limit that Hunzhen had set for himself.

Hunzhen knew very well that in this cosmic-scale world, the gap between geniuses and ordinary people was greater than the gap between humans and microorganisms.

A moment of genius can sometimes outweigh a century of mediocrity.

Over three years and thousands of simulations, he was by no means without a chance of winning.

However, if we become complacent, victory is by no means guaranteed.

He had realized that continuing to use the simulation system in the original way would not be able to maximize his potential.

If it were in his own best interest, he should have quietly devoted himself to self-cultivation after being transferred away from the company's center of power.

However, the simulated self chose to try to break free from the cage, ultimately ending in death.

Besides, the time spent in this simulation was clearly dozens of times longer than before, but in comparison, it's uncertain whether the benefits of soul inheritance will be ten times greater.

Fortunately, the imminent threat has been averted, and he now has a relatively peaceful period to test, explore, and understand the rules of the simulation system.

(End of this chapter)