Chapter 550 - 338: The Third Stage

Chapter 550: Chapter 338: The Third Stage

To ensure fairness, a revival round was created.

Li Wen paid little attention to the revival round’s progress.

To him, they were merely stepping stones on his path to the top. His sights were already set on the final ranking battles.

Time slipped by quietly as he cultivated and sought insights into the Time Law. Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

When the dust settled on the revival round, another thousand geniuses who had clawed their way back from the brutal elimination rounds earned the right to advance.

This brought the total number of contestants entering the third stage—the final arena that would determine the ultimate rankings of the Alka District—to two thousand.

...

After a brief three-day interval, the rest period was over.

The format was completely different from the massive brawls of the first two stages.

The third stage would adopt the purest format, the one that tested an individual’s absolute strength the most: one-on-one arena battles.

The Source Net officials had officially designated these precious three days as a period of information warfare.

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.

With two thousand geniuses, any one of them could be the next opponent.

Gaining insight into an opponent’s signature moves, habits, and even weaknesses beforehand would undoubtedly provide a massive tactical advantage.

Instantly, traffic to the exclusive database that the Virtual Cosmos’s Source Net had opened for the contestants surged. Countless battle recordings were played and analyzed on repeat.

Li Wen was no exception.

He spent a significant amount of time reviewing the past battle footage and detailed files of the Star Lords at the top of the leaderboards.

However, he focused mainly on Blood Slaughter Barton and Demon Hand.

Based on the second stage, only these two in the entire Alka District posed a threat to him.

There was Barton’s bloody saber light, so fast it surpassed the limits of vision, imbued with a terrifying killing intent and the Law of Destruction.

And Demon Hand’s demonic art, a fusion of the origin of destruction with the uncanny Space Law.

Both were ultimate challenges he needed to repeatedly study to find a counter-strategy.

...

Inside a private virtual analysis space.

An immensely burly man with muscles knotted like granite sat bolt upright.

He was none other than "the Monolith" Oleg, ranked fifth on the overall leaderboard.

On the light screen, the image of Barton’s bloody saber light—which had instantly killed seven or eight Saint Realm geniuses—had just faded.

The footage of Demon Hand’s art, which tore through space and ignored all defenses, also froze on the screen.

A deep sense of dread filled Oleg’s eyes.

"I can’t match their power head-on..." his deep voice echoed in the space, laced with a hint of resignation.

Next, he pulled up footage of the third person—Li Wen.

In the video, Li Wen faced Carlos, ranked twelfth overall and as imposing as a golden-armored god of war.

With just an intimidating gaze, a single step forward, and a light tap of his finger, time seemed to freeze. Carlos’s prized golden armor shattered like paper.

The entire process was fluid and effortless, taking only a few seconds.

Oleg watched the fight between Li Wen and Carlos over and over, focusing on the bizarre "time-freeze" effect.

He also noted the instantaneous burst of mid-stage Tier One Star Lord combat power, far exceeding Li Wen’s apparent cultivation level.

He tried to simulate how he would react to that time-freezing finger strike.

But he discovered that even with his prized Defense Law and body of rock, he would be helpless; his movements would be severely slowed, and his defenses would be instantly pierced.

’Too fast... Too strange... His Time Law, combined with that mysterious burst of power, gives an opponent no chance to react or unleash their full strength.’

Finally, Oleg slumped back in his chair and shook his head grimly, having reached a conclusion:

’I’m no match for Li Wen. If we meet, I’ll lose. No doubt about it.’

...

In another space, one steeped in an aura of shadows,

Saphis Yingge’s handsome yet sinister face appeared even more twisted in the flickering light of the screen.

The video playing on a loop before him was the one of Li Wen effortlessly one-shotting Carlos in the second stage.

Every time he saw Li Wen’s calm yet impossibly powerful expression, every time he saw the subtitles showing the Lain Empire audience cheering for Li Wen, the flames of jealousy in Saphis’s eyes burned hotter, threatening to incinerate his sanity.

’Why? How can a peasant from some backwater empire climb to third place? Why does he get Isabel’s favor, while I...’

Saphis’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

But he was, after all, a genius of the Yingge Clan and a Star Lord Level expert.

His extreme jealousy didn’t drive him completely mad. Instead, upon reaching a critical point, it transformed into bone-chilling calculation.

He forced himself to calm down, replaying Li Wen’s battle recording over and over, frame by frame.

He paid special attention to the subtle energy fluctuations, posture, and Primordial Spirit rhythm whenever Li Wen used his "Time Gap" skill, an application of the Time Law.

’The Time Law... it’s strong, but not unbeatable!’ A sharp glint flashed in Saphis’s eyes, like a viper that had spotted its prey in the dark.

’He relies on accelerating and freezing time to create an absolute speed advantage and openings in his opponent’s defense... But activating any Law takes time, no matter how brief!’

’My Secret Technique excels at creating high-frequency, oscillating shadow blades that flicker between the real and the illusory.’

He shot to his feet, hands tracing patterns in the air as he simulated the release of his clan’s secret technique: the Void Shadow Blade.

Subtle, formless glints of light, each containing high-frequency spatial-cutting power, danced at his fingertips.

’Yes! That’s it!’ A near-pathological grin spread across Saphis’s face. ’The instant he activates ’Time Gap,’ space produces specific folded ripples...’

’I just need to predict it and, either right before or as he’s activating it, blanket that area with a large number of chaotic, high-frequency, space-vibrating blade lights!’

’I don’t need to attack him directly. I just need to disrupt the spatial stability of that area and the perfect execution of his Time Law!’

’As long as I can make his ’Time Gap’ lag, shift, or even backfire... even a 0.01-second opening is all the chance I need!’

He ran through the tactic again and again in his mind, the gloom in his eyes replaced by a fanatical battle lust and the thrill of impending vengeance.

’Li Wen... Just you wait. In front of everyone, I will shatter that ridiculous ’God of Slaughter’ title of yours!’

...

In the blink of an eye, the three-day preparation period came to an end.

Within the Virtual Cosmos, inside a vast and solemn, pure white space.

The two thousand top geniuses of the Alka District, culled from trillions of applicants, were simultaneously teleported here.

They each appeared on a floating silver seat, temporarily separated from one another by an invisible barrier.

The entire space was filled with an invisible pressure and a palpable will to fight.

Two thousand pairs of eyes scanned the area like searchlights.

The vast majority of them, as if by unspoken agreement, focused on a few figures.

Blood Slaughter Barton, wreathed in a faint, bloody aura—he was the undisputed center of attention.

Demon Hand, with his sinister air and hands tucked into his sleeves—he was the next.

And then there was Li Wen, his expression placid and his eyes as deep as an old well, who had already earned the moniker ’God of Slaughter’.

As third on the overall leaderboard, he also bore the weight of countless gazes filled with scrutiny, apprehension, and challenge.

Whispers filled the space as contestants discussed their observations and speculated about their upcoming opponents.

Just then, space warped slightly, and two vast, majestic auras—so powerful they seemed connected to the very origin of the universe—suddenly descended!

The once-boisterous space fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Almost in unison, the two thousand geniuses seated in their chairs rose to their feet, as if pulled by an invisible force.

Awe was written on every face.

Because appearing before them now were the highest authorities of the Alka District—

Flame Ashes, with his purple, fire-like hair and an aura as scorching as a star’s core!

And Ice Soul, with her silver, frost-like hair and a presence so cold it could freeze time and space!

Two Immortal Level beings!

Flame Ashes’ gaze swept across the crowd like a physical flame, while Ice Soul brought a bone-chilling stillness.

Flame Ashes spoke first, his voice resonant and encouraging:

"To have made it this far means you are among the most outstanding geniuses our Alka Empire has seen in the last millennium. Your talent and effort are worthy of respect."

Ice Soul’s clear, cold voice followed, adding:

"The upcoming third stage will be the arena where you forge your own legend, or witness the legend of another. Give it your all, and leave no regrets."