Chapter 575 - 350: The Finals Begin

Chapter 575: Chapter 350: The Finals Begin

The slight dizziness from the spatial displacement hadn’t fully faded, but Li Wen and the others were already on solid ground.

The sight that greeted them instantly captivated them.

This wasn’t the majestic altar they had imagined, but the beginnings of a grand arena beyond all imagination.

Its vastness was as if the sea of stars had been condensed into a single domain.

The circular stands were precisely divided into ten thousand separate sections.

Each section was neatly arranged with exactly one thousand seats.

The matrix of ten million seats silently spoke of the vastness of human territory in the cosmos and the terrifying number of geniuses it contained.

The guide who had brought them did not linger.

His eyes swept over the thousand contestants from the Alka Empire as his voice rang in their minds, "Find your designated seats and await the start of the finals."

As he finished speaking, he took a single step.

He and the two Immortals, Flame Ashes and Ice Soul, who flanked him respectfully, instantly vanished from sight.

Their destination was the central area, surrounded by the ten thousand contestant sections.

A massive, ancient, and majestic structure floated in the void.

Li Wen and the others didn’t dare to delay. They quickly found the numbered seats displayed on their light screens and sat down.

The Alka Empire’s section was clearly not in a central location, but rather toward the edge, a reflection of the empire’s actual standing in the human cosmos.

Their arrival didn’t attract much attention.

Throughout the vast space, pillars of light descended one after another.

The seats in each section were filled by geniuses from various high-level empires.

An intangible tension and anticipation filled the air.

But most gazes were focused on the central altar or on familiar faces.

Only a few gazes came from neighboring sections, carrying undisguised scrutiny and curiosity.

The empires corresponding to these sections were neighbors to Alka in reality, their strength having been evenly matched for ages.

In past tournaments, they were all in the same boat, with a minuscule chance of making it into the cosmic top one thousand.

However, this year, the Alka District had defied all expectations.

It had simultaneously produced two monstrous talents—"Bloodslaughter" Barton and "Slayer God" Li Wen—who were widely believed to have a great chance of breaking into the top one thousand, or even higher.

How could this not make their neighbors take notice?

"Look, the people from Alka are here."

"Which one is Barton? I heard he’s a ruthless character reeking of killing intent."

"The one next to him with black hair, black eyes, and a reserved aura... that must be Li Wen, right?"

"Tsk, looks like Alka might actually make a comeback this time."

...

Subtle psychic fluctuations passed secretly between the nearby sections, carrying envy and a barely perceptible trace of wariness.

Li Wen was long accustomed to being the focus of such gazes.

His mind was calm, and he paid no heed to the discussions around him.

After settling down, his gaze went straight to the distant section belonging to the Celestial Vault Divine Country.

Thanks to the powerful perception of his Primordial Spirit and his transformed body from his recent breakthrough,

Li Wen could clearly see the front row of the Celestial Vault Divine Country’s section, even from dozens of miles away.

His gaze instantly locked onto a young man in white robes.

The young man’s posture was as straight as a pine, and he leaned back casually in the foremost seat, his eyes half-closed, as if he were far removed from the surrounding clamor.

An indescribable, ethereal aura of the Dao swirled around him.

Space itself seemed to grow docile around him, automatically creating an invisible domain just for him.

This was the undisputed number one favorite of this Cosmic Peak genius tournament—Ling Xuzi!

At this moment, Ling Xuzi seemed oblivious to everything around him, be it the awestruck gazes of the geniuses from his own Divine Country behind him, or the countless probing psychic senses from other imperial sections.

He was as calm as a bottomless ancient well. Only the starlight that flashed for an instant when he occasionally opened his eyes revealed the terrifying power contained within him.

That transcendent calm was a silent declaration in itself: the teeming masses were not worthy of his notice.

Li Wen’s gaze swept over the other figures seated in the front rows of their respective imperial sections.

These were the peak opponents he would have to fight with all his might now that he had stepped onto the cosmic stage.

After a quick scan, Li Wen withdrew his gaze. He looked inward, composing himself and adjusting his condition to its absolute peak.

With his current realm as a Tier Two Primordial Spirit Star Lord and his mastery of the Time Law at the level of a Tier One Star Lord,

the only ones who could truly pose a fatal threat to him were the dozen or so individuals at the very top of the rankings.

Not long after Li Wen withdrew his gaze, the atmosphere of the entire circular space changed abruptly.

In front of all ten thousand contestant sections, massive holographic screens rose up silently and simultaneously.

The screens were not static; they began to rapidly cycle through blood-pumping, soul-stirring battle scenes.

Directly below the footage, the names of different high-level imperial districts were clearly marked, along with the name and imperial affiliation of the person featured.

The first to appear before everyone’s eyes were the most talked-about prodigies of this tournament.

Ling Xuzi, in robes whiter than snow, took a single step. Hundreds of incredibly solid clones, their auras nearly identical to his own, instantly filled the space, swarming and annihilating a group of powerful attackers. His application of the Space Law had reached the Transformation Realm.

Time Shadow’s silver hair danced as he lightly tapped his long spear. Ripples of time spread out, and a distant Tier One Star Lord Level opponent’s movements instantly slowed. The opponent’s body then silently disintegrated into dust, as if erased directly by the river of time.

Illusory looked back with a smile. As her gaze swept over them, several geniuses who met her eyes instantly went vacant. The light of their Primordial Spirits flickered out like candles in the wind. The eerie Illusion Skill Law sent a chill down one’s spine.