On the spectator platform, a dead silence fell first, followed by a resounding roar of clamor!
"Dual Laws! It's actually dual Laws!"
"Stepping across the threshold of two great Laws—Water and Metal—at the same time! I've only ever seen talent like this in the All-Universe Human Peak Genius Battle held once every five thousand years, and only the top ten or twenty prodigies could ever comprehend dual Laws at the Stellar rank!"
"Hong Lie, the champion of the previous Peak Genius Battle, only swept all before him because he crossed the threshold of the Metal and Space Laws while also mastering a God-grade secret art. And this Zhonghuang Taiyi not only possesses dual Laws, but his combat techniques are unmatched. If he's willing to polish himself at the Stellar rank for seven or eight hundred years and wait for the next Peak Genius Battle to begin, his chances of taking first place aren't small at all!"
"Hard to say. Unless someone's strength clearly eclipses every prodigy of the same generation, nobody can be certain of taking first place. Laws naturally generate and counter one another. If one's luck is bad and their affinity is countered, entering the top ten is already quite good, let alone first place."
"Even the top ten is incredible! That's the overall ranking across more than a thousand cosmic nations! Once you enter the top ten, you can join the core echelons of mankind's most powerful factions, like the Supreme Virtual Company, the Universe Mercenary Alliance, or the Civilization Pioneer Army—a single leap into the heavens!"
Amid the boiling clamor of discussion, Mo Jia gazed at Huang Tian in the arena, waves of emotion churning within him. *I originally planned to find a chance to win him over and invest in him, making him my right-hand man in the future to help expand the business territory of Paradise Company, or even help me contend for the throne... But now, that won't work.*
If Huang Tian were merely a Stellar-rank martial artist who had stepped across the threshold of the Law of Water, he would basically be able to achieve the World Lord rank in the future. If a World Lord stood on his side, Mo Jia's chances of successfully competing for the throne against hundreds of brothers would be vastly greater!
Unfortunately, Huang Tian had crossed the threshold of two great Laws: Water and Metal. With talent like this, so long as he didn't perish prematurely, he could basically achieve the Eternal rank, and as a powerhouse among Eternal Gods at that. Whenever he wished, he could carve out an empire like the Divine Light Empire!
A prodigy of this caliber was not someone Mo Jia was qualified to recruit. Even his father—a dignified late-stage World Lord powerhouse and the reigning emperor of the Divine Light Empire—fell short.
After pondering for a couple of seconds, he still sent an email to his father, explaining the matter of "Zhonghuang Taiyi" in detail, reminding him to befriend the youth as much as possible, while also reporting it up to the Old Ancestor for a final decision.
As Mo Jia's mind churned with unrest, Jiangdu and Luomuer on the other side of the spectator area were even more shaken beyond words. They exchanged stunned glances, and Jiangdu opened his mouth, taking a long time before he finally forced out a sentence: "Is he... truly from our Galactic Empire?"
His tone was filled with disbelief.
The Galactic Empire was simply too minuscule—merely the size of a single galaxy. To civilizations on native planets, this was vast and boundless; a hundred thousand or even a million years might pass without them ever leaving their galaxy.
Yet to the immense territory of mankind, the Galactic Empire was far too tiny, lesser even than a single grain of sand on a beach. And yet, from such a puny territory, a genius who ranked among the peak of the entire human race had actually emerged?
It was so absurd that it defied belief.
Hearing this, Luomuer could only let out a faint, complex sigh.
Meanwhile, Shaye, who had been cleaved in two by Huang Tian's war saber, was filled with utter shock. "Where on earth did this Zhonghuang Taiyi spring from? To actually comprehend two Laws... Even in the Yuanzhong Secret Realm, only that monstrous freak Kaluopeng could compare, right?"
The Yuanzhong Secret Realm absorbed virtually all the top geniuses of the entire Yuanzhong Cosmic Nation. Even so, over several million years, it had not nurtured a single genius who comprehended dual Laws. The sole exception, Kaluopeng, was a nominal disciple newly taken in by the Lord of Yuanzhong just over a century ago!
Without Kaluopeng, this Zhonghuang Taiyi could directly declare himself the strongest prodigy in the entire Yuanzhong Cosmic Nation!
"A figure like this..." Barely suppressing the shock in his heart, Shaye quickly mass-mailed his many friends in the Yuanzhong Secret Realm, as well as his teachers who were Gods and World Lords.
Aside from Shaye, all the spectators who witnessed this battle excitedly forwarded the video recording of today's fight to their friends and family. In an extraordinarily short span of time, the name "Zhonghuang Taiyi" swept across the entire Galactic Empire, the Divine Light Empire, and even the Yuanzhong Cosmic Nation like a hurricane, shaking countless martial artists to the core.
Even...
*Whoosh!*
In the Yuanzhong Secret Realm, atop a floating mountain thirty million kilometers high, the Lord of Yuanzhong, revered by countless beings, sat at the peak draped in vast starlight.
He cast his gaze toward the Saint Martial Arena in the Virtual Universe, seeing Huang Tian waiting for the system to match him with a new opponent, as well as the wildly multiplying spectators. A trace of interest showed in his eyes.
To a towering existence such as him, so-called geniuses were hardly worth mentioning. Even prodigies of Kaluopeng's or Zhonghuang Taiyi's caliber did not concern him much.
After all, while Kaluopeng and Zhonghuang Taiyi could achieve the Eternal rank, it would be difficult for them to ascend to his current realm; they offered no assistance to him.
Only when a whim struck him would he accept one as a disciple, just as he had done with Kaluopeng in the past. And now, he felt a similar touch of interest toward this Zhonghuang Taiyi.
"Kaluopeng!" he called out. His ethereal voice echoed across hundreds of millions of kilometers, falling into the ears of a bare-chested burly man standing in a storm canyon.
"Teacher!" Hearing the voice of the Lord of Yuanzhong, Kaluopeng immediately bowed his head with utmost respect and stood at attention.
The Lord of Yuanzhong was concise. "Go to the Saint Martial Arena and spar with that Zhonghuang Taiyi to test the fruits of your cultivation over these past several decades."
Kaluopeng was surprised. *Zhonghuang Taiyi? Who is that?*
He had never heard the name before, but since it was his teacher's instruction, he naturally dared not disobey. He immediately replied, "This disciple understands."
"Go."
Once the voice faded, Kaluopeng raised his head, pushed off with his feet, and roared out of the canyon shrouded in storms and thunder. Finding a secluded patch of mountain woods, he sat down and projected his consciousness into the Virtual Universe. He happened to receive the emails sent by Shaye and others and opened them at once.
"So that's how it is... He stepped across the threshold of both Water and Metal Laws?"
He understood instantly, then transported himself to the Saint Martial Arena without hesitation. The moment he entered, he saw that Zhonghuang Taiyi was still marked as "Matching," and he immediately sent a battle invitation. Just two seconds later, the other party accepted.
Thus—
"Zhonghuang Taiyi (early Stellar rank / Special-Class Elite) vs. Kaluopeng (peak Stellar rank / Special-Class Elite)!"
This battle announcement instantly stirred a massive sensation across the Saint Martial Arena. Tens of billions of martial artists flooded onto the spectator platforms to watch.
"So a prodigy who comprehends two Laws at the Stellar rank is classified as a Special-Class Elite! Aside from the Peak Genius Battles, this is the very first time I've ever seen a duel between prodigies of this caliber!"
"Does anyone know who this Kaluopeng is, or where he comes from? How come I've never heard his name?"
"No idea, haven't heard of him either."
"Ahem, I know a little something. He should be a genius recruited into the Yuanzhong Secret Realm. Word is he even took an Eternal God as his teacher, and his strength is terrifying."
"Hah, you don't know shit! The teacher he took isn't an Eternal God, but a far greater existence!"
"Greater than a God... *Hiss*, could it be?"
"That's right, that very one! This Kaluopeng is that existence's nominal disciple. Rumor has it that if he breaks into the top three of the next Peak Genius Battle, or attains the Eternal rank in the future, he can become a direct disciple!"
"Good grief, what incredible fortune this guy has..."
Amid the countless murmurs, the scene below the spectator platform shifted, revealing a snow mountain range stretching tens of thousands of li.
Myriad peaks pierced the clouds, frozen beneath perpetual ice and snow. Between sheer precipices thousands of meters high, the mountain wind howled, and snowflakes as large as woven mats fluttered down from the vast heavens.
And at the summit of this snowy expanse, two figures stood facing each other from a distance.
Huang Tian gripped his war saber, his robes whipping loudly in the gale. Kaluopeng was bare-chested, nine meters tall, his muscles knotted like coils of iron, his right hand clutching a massive battle-axe.
"Zhonghuang Taiyi?"
Kaluopeng cast his eyes down at him. Without another word, he bounded upward with a thunderous roar!
Despite his colossal nine-meter-tall frame, he crossed several kilometers in a single instant!
His speed was so immense that snowflakes didn't even have time to be knocked aside; they hung suspended for a fraction of a second before the trailing air blast shattered them into a blizzard of fine jade!
Gales howled!
Hurricanes surged around him, their momentum like thousands of invisible dragons roaring in unison, sweeping up the snow across a hundred li to forge a snowstorm that linked heaven and earth!
The world turned into a blinding white expanse. Eyes could not see, ears could not hear, save for the roaring din like ten thousand galloping steeds reverberating among the mountains!
"Die!"
With a ferocious shout, Kaluopeng gripped the axe with both hands and chopped downward ruthlessly, rings of white vapor cones bursting from the axe blade!
"Law of Wind?" Huang Tian's brows lifted slightly. Taking a casual step, he shifted a hundred meters away.
*Rumble!*
The giant axe cleaved into the snowy peak. The mountain split open with an earth-shattering roar, and a mighty shockwave swept wildly in all directions, sending countless tons of snow tumbling down in an avalanche.
Seeing his strike miss, Kaluopeng immediately leaped in pursuit, his muscles bulging as both hands swung the giant axe in an arc through the air.
This strike was faster, fiercer, and heavier than the last!
Huang Tian's expression remained tranquil as he pushed his blade from its sheath!
*Clang!*
A crisp ringing pierced the wind and snow, soaring straight into the clouds!
As the saber drew, a streak of white-gold radiance erupted from the scabbard, brilliant as a white Great Sun, illuminating heaven and earth in an even purer, silvery brilliance!
*Clang!*
Saber and axe collided, shockwaves dispersing outwards, shaving the tops off numerous snowy peaks and sending the dancing snowflakes spinning wildly.
Both figures flew backward at the same time, yet in virtually the same instant, both shot forward once more!
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The incessant clashes of weapons rang like thunder through the snow-clad mountains!
Every clash produced tremendous aftershocks. Hundreds of concussive rings tore through the mountain range, unleashing a tempest that swept across hundreds of li!
The earth trembled, snowy peaks collapsed, and glaciers disintegrated!
Kaluopeng fought with mounting ferocity. Drawing upon the Law of Wind, his speed was breathtaking, which lent his strikes immense weight. Sweeping wide and fierce, every axe blow was more savage than the last!
Yet Huang Tian met hardness with hardness and speed with speed, refusing to yield an inch.
After thousands of ferocious collisions, Kaluopeng began to feel a chill of shock: *As expected of the Metal Law—truly unyielding and razor-sharp! If we keep clashing like this, it'll be difficult to decide a victor anytime soon... Teacher is watching me; I must end this quickly!*
With this thought, he stomped against empty air, vaulting thousands of meters into the sky. Then, he raised his giant axe high!
Atop the axe, lightning suddenly blazed!
The instant the lightning flared, the curtain of snow transformed into a vast thundercloud, blanketing the sky across a hundred li in black clouds!
The heavens shifted violently!
The thunderclouds hung heavy as an ocean, where electric serpents danced wild and thunder dragons roared!
Myriad bolts of lightning darted through the cloud banks with deafening rumbles, their clamor drowning out even the roaring avalanches below. Purple lightning bathed heaven and earth, tinting the pure white snow with violet hues.
Standing amid the thunderclouds, Kaluopeng brought his axe down in a vertical cleave!
Instantly, heaven and earth went dead silent.
Myriad arcs of lightning and electric serpents coalesced into a thunderstorm pillar over a hundred meters thick, crashing down toward Huang Tian with apocalyptic fury!
"So it's the dual Laws of Wind and Thunder..."
Huang Tian raised his head, watching the pillar of thunderstorm light plunging down from the ninth heaven, a touch of appreciation on his face. "Not bad."
Two understated words, yet amidst the deafening roar of lightning that filled the heavens, they rang out clearly into Kaluopeng's ears, making his heart leap into his throat.
Then, he watched as Huang Tian drew his blade and slashed upward toward the heavens!
From one side of the blade soared sky-scorching flames; from the other radiated a chilling, frosty cold.
Fire and water blended and converged within this single strike, abruptly condensing into a translucent, dazzling lotus of water and fire.
That lotus was over a hundred meters wide, its petals layered in the tens of thousands. Every petal was woven from intertwining flames and water currents. The lotus rotated gently atop the tip of the blade, and with every fraction of a rotation, its petals grew a fraction more radiant.
Rising against the thunderstorm pillar, the lotus of water and fire soared upward. When the violent pillar of lightning slammed into the lotus, it dissolved silently, failing to stir even the slightest ripple.
And after annihilating the thunderstorm pillar, the lotus appeared all the more vividly breathtaking, its brilliance shining even brighter as it trembled gently and drifted toward Kaluopeng—seemingly slow, yet deceptively swift.
Sensing the terrifying power contained within the lotus, Kaluopeng was overcome with horror. *Metal, Water, Fire—three Laws! And his fusion of Water and Fire is far deeper than my Wind and Thunder! How can this be?! Absolutely impossible! I am the man who will take first place in the All-Universe Peak Genius Battle—how could I possibly fall here?!*
His eyes bulged to splitting. Letting out a ferocious roar, he swung his giant axe in another cleave, wind and thunder surging wildly to meet the lotus.
Yet all struggle proved futile. Annihilating the rolling tempest of wind and thunder, the lotus drew closer and closer, glowing ever more radiant.
Finally, beneath his gaze of bitter despair, the lotus of water and fire drifted right before him.
And then—
The lotus illuminated the world, scattering boundless brilliance!
Tens of thousands of petals trembled in unison, pouring forth limitless light. Like fine rain, like gentle breeze, they enveloped Kaluopeng. That brilliance appeared tender, yet in an instant, it pierced his skin, flesh, sinews, and bones, dissolving his blood and marrow.
In a mere breath, his colossal body dissolved within that dazzling brilliance into countless fine specks of light, scattering with the wind and vanishing entirely.
Yet the ripples of the lotus of water and fire continued to surge outward!
Wherever they passed, the thunderclouds across a hundred li dissolved into nothingness in an instant. The Great Sun emerged once more, its rays pouring down to bathe the pure white snow in shimmering gold.
Across hundreds of li, the drifting snow was swept clean at once!
Those snowflakes that had danced across the sky for who knew how many ages were completely purified and melted away. The mountains stood in sharp relief, the sky an azure blue, the earth vast and boundless.
Between heaven and earth, all was crystal clear.
Chapter 272