Among the one hundred projected world zones, the Black Dragon Mountain Empire naturally paid the closest attention to how their own participants were performing.
Very soon, changes appeared on the rankings of Zone Thirty One and Zone Thirty Nine.
Two unfamiliar names surged upward almost simultaneously.
Hong.
Thunder God.
The moment their names entered the top one hundred, the entire Black Dragon Mountain Empire erupted.
"Unbelievable. Who are Hong and Thunder God? They are already in the top one hundred. Hong just climbed again, fifty-first place. That is insane."
"Thunder God is terrifying. He is like a harvesting machine. Look, he just wiped out hundreds more in one strike and jumped to fifty-eighth place."
"Who are these two? There is no record of them in the Black Dragon Mountain genius archives at all."
"Hong and Thunder God, keep going."
Across the empire, countless citizens were swept into a frenzy.
For generation after generation, in every cycle of the Genius Battle, the Black Dragon Mountain Empire had always been among the weakest performers. Their presence was little more than symbolic.
The only exception had been the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor himself.
Long ago, during his own participation in the Qianwu Universe Nation Genius Battle, he had placed ninth hundred eighty-eighth. Relying on sheer will and perseverance, he later joined a greater power and eventually advanced to the rank of Marquis Immortal.
Only then was the Black Dragon Mountain Empire founded.
Since that era, not a single citizen had ever broken into the top one hundred.
Now, two appeared at once.
The emotional impact was overwhelming. It was like watching an underdog finally stand on a world stage after countless failures. Pride, disbelief, and excitement surged together, while intelligence agencies across multiple factions immediately began digging into Hong and Thunder God's backgrounds.
Inside the Black Dragon Mountain Sacred Grounds.
The emperor sat upon his throne, surrounded by ministers, Hargreave, and several World Lords. All of them stared at the rankings in stunned silence.
"Hong and Thunder God are our citizens?" one minister said in disbelief. "How did they remain completely unknown until now? There is almost no information about them."
Those capable of entering the top one hundred were monsters among monsters.
And their battle performances were terrifying.
Thunder God fought with overwhelming dominance. Fourth-layer domain, combined with blade intent, cutting through entire regions as if nothing could stop him.
Hong, on the other hand, stood motionless at the center of the battlefield. Anyone who dared approach or challenge him was taken out with a single spear thrust.
Even the strongest opponents rarely lasted more than a few exchanges.
It was obvious that Hong had not yet revealed his true strength.
Calling him abnormal was not an exaggeration.
The Black Dragon Mountain Emperor's eyes gleamed.
Originally, the empire's greatest hope this time had been Rowan, followed by Nabini.
Nabini was Hargreave's disciple, a rare genius who had crossed into comprehension of the Water Origin Law. The expectation had been that he would restore the empire's dignity through sheer talent.
But now, not only Rowan, but Hong and Thunder God had emerged as well.
It was astonishing.
Hargreave stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Your Majesty, Hong and Thunder God appear to be sworn brothers with Rowan. Hong is the eldest. He has comprehended the Light Domain and already reached the fifth layer during the World Within a World. He also possesses a second-rank universe-level Devilvine."
"Thunder God also performed exceptionally in the World Within a World. Fourth-layer domain, blade intent, and terrifying combat instincts. Blade intent is notoriously difficult to comprehend, even more so than laws themselves, yet he succeeded."
"They also have a fourth brother, Luo Feng. His spiritual power far exceeds others at the same level. His combat strength is solid rather than overwhelming, but he is still far stronger than ordinary geniuses."
Hargreave explained the entire group in detail.
Even he had not anticipated Hong and Thunder God performing at this level.
Still, in his heart, he believed Nabini remained superior. After all, comprehension of an Origin Law stood on an entirely different tier.
At that moment, Brolin stepped forward.
"Father, all four of them originate from the same planet, Earth. They received an Immortal inheritance there and are currently trained by an intelligent system left behind. They have already become disciples of that Immortal."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
A native planet producing multiple top-tier geniuses suddenly made sense.
An Immortal inheritance.
No wonder.
The Black Dragon Mountain Emperor's expression shifted.
"Who is this Immortal?"
Even so, he was not easily convinced.
Inheritance alone could not explain everything.
Artifacts and resources could elevate cultivation speed, but comprehension of laws, blade intent, and superior spiritual power depended on innate understanding.
These feats could not be bought.
There had to be more behind it.
The emperor felt a strong urge to personally investigate Earth.
In the end, he restrained himself.
This matter would wait until the Genius Battle concluded.
He turned his gaze toward the projection.
What kind of performance would Rowan deliver?
Fifteen days passed in the blink of an eye.
In each world zone, the original population of over eight billion had been reduced to fewer than seven hundred thousand.
Only true elites remained.
In a city that had long since been reduced to ruins, Rowan walked casually through the shattered streets.
Broken glass reflected his figure, calm and unhurried, as if danger did not exist.
Those reflections also revealed hidden challengers lurking in shadows, watching him closely.
"It's already been twenty days," Rowan muttered. "This is getting tedious."
He sensed every presence around him with spiritual perception.
Over the past twenty days, he had moved casually, eliminating anyone foolish enough to attack him.
Yet his ranking still sat at six hundred seven thousand ninety-eight, near the bottom.
Rowan was not worried.
He was waiting.
Once the slaughter reached its peak, the survivors would all carry massive point totals. Killing just a few would send his ranking soaring.
Luo Feng was doing the same in another world zone, his points rising rapidly.
Their zones lacked truly terrifying opponents.
As long as they did not cross paths with the top monsters, advancing would be easy.
"I'm done wasting time," Rowan said quietly. "There is no challenge left."
In Zone One, only Magic Hammer and Windwheel were worth his attention.
Both were already in the top one hundred, their locations clearly visible.
Rowan selected Magic Hammer without hesitation.
Rank two hundred ninety-eight.
Killing him would grant enough points to enter the top one hundred.
Or better yet.
Why not aim higher?
Who exactly was ranked first?
In the original timeline, Luo Feng defeated Magic Hammer and Windwheel to advance, but the identities of the top three had remained unclear.
Rowan smiled faintly.
Killing first place would likely push him straight into the top fifty.
With that thought, he stepped onto his Flying Shuttle and shot into the sky.
Seventy-two flying blades split from his control, infused with terrifying spiritual force, slicing downward.
Seventy-two hidden challengers who had been preparing to ambush him never even realized what happened.
Light flashed.
Their bodies were pierced instantly.
In moments, Rowan gained hundreds of thousands of points and climbed into the five hundred thousand range.
He continued forward at full speed.
Anyone who attacked him was cut down.
Out of one hundred eighty-nine encounters, only one hundred resulted in direct kills. The rest barely survived, missing limbs or severely injured.
Rowan did not pursue them.
They already knew they would not survive a second strike.
His target was ahead.
Eight hundred kilometers remained.
The closer he got, the emptier the land became.
Within one hundred kilometers, only four participants remained.
As Rowan passed through a dense forest, a terrifying beam of energy suddenly tore through the clouds and shot straight at him.
The Flying Shuttle transformed instantly into a Mountain Shield.
The blast was blocked, but the shield shattered and reverted into blade fragments.
Rowan hovered in midair.
A man clad in advanced tech armor rose from below, a massive laser cannon resting on his shoulder. His gaze held nothing but disdain.
"A nobody from the lower ranks dares come here," he said coldly. "Ranked over five hundred thousand."
He clearly had no interest in continuing the attack.
Rowan narrowed his eyes.
Data appeared.
Niklaras race.
Mid-tier human bloodline.
Technology-integrated combatant.
Rank twenty-seven.
Points: 152,409,657.
"Interesting," Rowan said.
It was his first time encountering a true technology warrior.
Their kind fused advanced weaponry directly with their bodies, becoming living weapons.
Often called pseudo-mechanical beings.
Very few ever reached Immortal rank through technology alone.
"You are not actually thinking of fighting me, are you?" the man said, his voice metallic and emotionless.
"Why not?" Rowan replied calmly.
At that moment, three more figures approached and stopped in the air, spaced apart, wary of one another.
"No one has moved in days," said a pale-skinned youth with white hair and a massive scythe slung over his shoulder. "If we are going to wait, at least let this newcomer make things interesting."
They were all waiting for the top-ranked participant.
No one dared act rashly.
The standoff continued.