Chapter 574 - 349: Breakthrough! Breakthrough!

Chapter 574: Chapter 349: Breakthrough! Breakthrough!

On the broader cosmic stage, they were just two names with decent rankings among the thousand finalists, hardly capable of even making a respectable splash.

Barton, at least, was briefly mentioned by a handful of veteran viewers, thanks to his fearsome reputation and his first-place finish in the division.

Meanwhile, Li Wen, who was ranked second in the division, was completely overshadowed by the dazzling brilliance of figures like Ling Xuzi, going entirely unnoticed.

Just as the clamor and fervent debate across the entire cosmos reached a crescendo.

The Alka Empire’s contestants for the finals had been teleported en masse to a staging area in the core region of the Virtual Cosmos, a space that felt like an endless Star Sea.

The thousand elites chosen from the Alka Empire’s division were now seated in neat rows on hovering chairs that gleamed with a metallic luster.

Solemnity, tension, anticipation, belligerence... A mixture of emotions silently filled the space.

Li Wen and Barton were positioned not far from each other. Both had their eyes closed, engaged in Focusing Spirit and honing their condition to its absolute peak.

At the front of the chamber stood two figures, radiating an aura of immortality.

They were none other than the two immortal masters of the Alka Empire—Flame Ashes and Ice Soul.

Like two silent mountain peaks, their calm gazes swept over the thousand prodigies below, ultimately lingering for a moment longer on Li Wen and Barton.

The entire chamber was exceptionally quiet, so much so that you could hear a pin drop.

Flame Ashes and Ice Soul seemed to be waiting for something, their eyes fixed on the empty space between them.

In the silence, the half-hour wait felt exceptionally long.

HUMMM!

At last, without any warning, the space began to ripple like the surface of water.

A terrifying pressure, far mightier than that of Flame Ashes and Ice Soul combined, spread out, holding nothing back.

THUMP! THUMP!

Below, the hearts of the thousand prodigies, regardless of their power level, felt as if they were being squeezed by a giant, invisible hand.

Their hearts began to pound uncontrollably, and a primal sense of awe welled up from the depths of their very souls.

Although the rules of this virtual space standardized everyone’s physical strength to the same level, this pressure originated from a higher plane of existence and the very essence of the soul. It made one thing crystal clear to them.

The newcomer was an existence beyond that of an ordinary immortal!

At the center of the ripples, a figure solidified from illusion to reality, appearing clearly before the crowd.

It was an elderly man clad in simple, jet-black robes.

His face was lean and ascetic, his hair and beard snow-white and impeccably groomed.

What was most striking were his eyes. They were not ordinary pupils, but two slowly swirling cosmic nebulae that seemed to hold the birth and death of countless stars.

His frame was not large, yet he gave the impression of a titan holding up the sky, single-handedly supporting a corner of the cosmos.

Simply by standing there, he seemed to become the very center of the chamber, the measure of all things.

Flame Ashes and Ice Soul immediately bowed slightly, their posture one of utmost reverence as they spoke in unison: "We welcome you, Lord Chen!"

The elder—Chen—cast a serene gaze over the thousand prodigies, who were now silent as stone. His nebula-like eyes seemed to pierce through all falsehood.

His voice was not loud, yet it resonated clearly in the depths of every person’s soul, carrying a power that soothed all restlessness:

"I am Chen. I will be leading you to the cosmic finals."

His voice, tinged with an authority that permitted no doubt, echoed through the chamber:

"I expect all of you... to work as one and fight with everything you have! Bring glory to our Alka Empire on the ultimate stage of all humanity!"

The moment his voice faded, a gentle yet irresistible spatial force instantly enveloped everyone present.

In the next instant, all one thousand contestants from the Alka Empire’s division, along with the three immortal beings, vanished from the staging area.

The clash between the most brilliant prodigies of the human cosmos was about to begin!