Chapter 175: Slaughtering Through Everything (Second Update)

Qin Ming and the others were all teleported to a massive plaza.

Just a plaza.

Here, over eight hundred billion contestants had gathered.

Over eight hundred billion people in a single plaza.

How large was this plaza?

It was probably no smaller than Earth, right?

Everywhere one looked—front, back, left, and right—there were people, yet it did not feel crowded at all.

Casting one's gaze across the expanse, there were giants over ten meters tall, as well as tiny figures less than a meter in height. These were all members of the human race, which encompassed numerous different bloodlines. The strongest human bloodlines could reach the Domain Lord level upon reaching adulthood, though such individuals were extremely rare.

Across the vast universe, ordinary people still constituted the majority, forming the mainstream.

"If this were placed on Earth, would it burst the planet apart?" Thunder God said, unable to keep from grinning. "I didn't feel much before, but now that I see this boundless sea of people, I really don't have a shred of confidence left in my heart!"

"When matters reach your doorstep, remain calm!" Hong said. "Your mindset right now is far from good!"

"Big Brother, aren't I just complaining a little?" Thunder God laughed. "Having survived the Great Nirvana period, how could a mere competition shake my state of mind? I was merely expressing some emotion!"

Hong nodded.

At that moment, a majestic voice resounded from high above, echoing directly overhead and transmitting into the ears of every single contestant.

"Attention contestants, the confirmation emails have already made it clear. This preliminary round is divided into one hundred competition zones, which have already been established. You will be teleported to your respective zones in five minutes. Now, make good use of your time to check your equipment. Once you are teleported in, you will no longer be able to request weapons or gear!"

Weapons and equipment could be requested and obtained at will; as long as you could imagine them, they would appear. However, their maximum power output was capped at the Tier 2 limit.

You could request as many as you liked.

Although all contestants were at the Star Traveler level, there were still distinctions between lower and higher tiers. However, the Zenith Genius Tournament primarily tested comprehension and potential. Once teleported into the competition zone, everyone would be assigned identical physical bodies, possessing the physical fitness and spiritual willpower of the ninth-tier Star Traveler level.

Every contestant's body would be completely identical, with no differences whatsoever.

Victory would depend entirely on domains, laws, secret techniques, and the like.

Qin Ming conducted an inspection: a Tier 2 force-field battle suit, a battle helmet on his head, battle boots on his feet, and a spatial ring on his hand, inside of which were stored a shield, the Sky-Slicing Saber, as well as fresh water and food.

As long as items did not exceed Tier 2, they could be requested, though their use was restricted to the competition zone. Once outside the zone, they would be reclaimed.

Soon, a countdown began.

"Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, keep it up! We all have to push through this first hurdle!" Hong clenched his fists.

"Haha, don't you worry, Big Brother!"

"Good luck!"

"Let's meet again in the arena matches!"

With mutual expressions of farewell, the four of them were teleported away.

Across this vast plaza—or rather, a continent would be a more fitting description—over eight hundred billion people were simultaneously teleported into one hundred virtual world combat zones.

In each world combat zone, there were over 8.2 billion people.

At the same time, live broadcasts were being aired accordingly.

In particular, the ranking screens corresponding to every single world were being closely watched by all factions throughout the Ganwu Universe Nation. This was a grand cosmic event and also a battle for honor.

Especially certain universe nations, which fervently hoped their domestic youths could break through the rankings. If that happened, their empire could make a name for itself across the world and become known to outsiders.

The Black Dragon Mountain Sacred Land, the Three Axes Mountain, the imperial families, and even the Lord of Ganwu himself were all watching. Their ultimate desire was to discover promising talents from among the crowd to bolster their own factions.

For cosmic lifeforms endowed with long lifespans, taking some time to watch such a grand event was also a form of entertainment.

Even the people of Earth were watching.

In the Eighty-Eighth Competition Zone, Qin Ming appeared inside a room furnished with various everyday items, though they were very ordinary.

After a brief glance around, his gaze shifted to his left arm.

On his wrist was a large wrist-guard screen, displaying various information regarding the tournament and, naturally, his own status.

Contestant: Qin Ming (Affiliation: Black Dragon Mountain Empire).
Points: 0.
Ranking: None.
World Zone: Eighty-Eighth World Zone.

Below that were even more detailed rules, which Qin Ming read through one by one.

Only by understanding the rules could one act effectively.

"The preliminary trials will last for thirty days and will end when the time is up. Final rankings will be determined based on points, ensuring fairness and impartiality!"

"This competition zone is a continent formed by replicating the geography of the real-world 'Sirius', belonging to the Ganwu Universe Nation. This continent is further divided into ninety-eight cities. Wildernesses, mountains, rivers, canyons, forests, and deserts are all present; the only thing absent is an ocean. The land area is eighteen million square kilometers!"

"The hardness of all objects here has reached the B9 grade, which is the Tier 2 peak, making them difficult to destroy. Understandable, given that without sufficient durability, a battle involving billions of people would reduce everything to a complete mess!"

"As for the method of obtaining points? Killing one person grants one point; if the victim has points, you also gain half of theirs. If you are killed, half of your points are deducted, and you can still be ranked based on the remaining points."

"The qualification quota for each world zone is one thousand and one. As long as your final score falls within this ranking, you can advance to the next round!"

"Final reminder: Cherish your life and earn points!"

Qin Ming now understood.

In short, killing people earned points, and final rankings would be determined by points to decide the top one thousand and one contestants. Even if one were killed prematurely and kicked out of the preliminary trials with half of their points deducted, as long as their remaining score placed them within the top one thousand and one, they would still advance.

There was one final point: the first-place contestant in each competition zone could directly enter the Zenith Finals without having to go through the second round of arena matches in the sub-divisions.

"The rules are not bad!"

Qin Ming smiled.

He carefully sensed his surroundings; the gravity here was roughly thirty thousand times that of Earth, which was terrifyingly high. He also tested the table, teacups, and other items in the living room, finding them all exceptionally sturdy.

At this moment, the entire city was dead silent. Evidently, everyone was just like him, taking the time to familiarize themselves with the rules.

Few people would act rashly.

Yet the very next moment, the tranquil atmosphere was shattered!

Boom...

A loud explosion erupted in the distance. Glass shattered, walls burst open, and human figures went flying in all directions. Immediately afterward, the entire city quickly grew turbulent, filled with all sorts of chaotic noises.

Qin Ming glanced out the window, remaining entirely unhurried.

Just as he was about to sit down and pour a cup of tea, he abruptly whipped his head around to face the bedroom door.

Bang...

The door burst apart as a figure instantly charged inside. The intruder raised a battle saber just as he reached Qin Ming, only to freeze completely in place.

"I didn't even see you draw your saber!"

The young powerhouse uttered these words in resentment before a thin line of blood split open across his neck, and his head tumbled to the floor.

"If you had seen it, I would be far too mediocre!"

Qin Ming sat down, retrieved a tea set from his spatial ring, poured a cup, and sipped it slowly.

There was no real necessity to fight during the early stages.

Killing someone yielded only a single point, which was a waste of time.

Meanwhile, the huge screen in this competition zone showed the rankings shifting rapidly.

Back on Earth!

"Why isn't Big Brother's ranking showing up? Was he killed?" On the massive projection screen displaying the rankings of the Eighty-Eighth Zone, Lulu still couldn't find Qin Ming's name.

"It's only just begun, how could your eldest brother have died in battle?" Qin Yichen said with black lines across his forehead. "Your brother is steady; he certainly won't fight for supremacy in the early stages. Look further down the list!"

"Got it!" Lulu scrolled through, ultimately locating Qin Ming's name, and couldn't help grinning. "Dad, Big Brother is really pathetic; he's dropped all the way to thirty-six billionth place, with just one single point!"

"One point at thirty-six billionth place is already quite good. That means well over half of the people have already been killed!" Qin Yichen wasn't worried at all. "It's only just started, and half of them are already dead. This elimination process is truly scalp-tingling! Good thing I didn't participate, otherwise I'd definitely be among this wave!"

"Check your mom's ranking!" Qin Yichen's expression turned peculiar.

"My mom?" Lulu couldn't help shaking her head. She had self-awareness and hadn't participated, but her mother had unexpectedly signed up. "Ninety-ninth world zone...!"

"No need to check!" Luo Xia walked out from her room, her face pale, and muttered, "Today's youngsters are truly ruthless; without a word, they bring down a blade right at your head."

"Heeheehee, Mom, were you killed in one strike?" Lulu covered her mouth.

"That's a given!" Qin Yichen curled his lips. "You wouldn't even dare kill wild beasts out in the wilderness, yet you wanted to participate in the Genius Tournament. Didn't you weigh your own capabilities? How does it feel to be killed once?"

"Blech...!" Luo Xia retched dryly, her complexion growing even uglier as she flopped down into a seat, grabbed a teacup, and drained it in one gulp. "My neck was severed, but I didn't die instantly. When my head fell off, I—I even saw my own neck spurting blood!"

"You wouldn't let me participate, yet you went yourself. How about it? Got a thrill out of it?" Qin Yichen said, exasperated. "You're definitely going to have trouble sleeping for ten days to a half month."

"I've lived a plain and ordinary life for most of my life; wasn't it just too uneventful? So on an impulse, I wanted to seek some excitement. If by any chance I could have squeezed into the rankings, it would have been the pride of a lifetime!" Luo Xia sighed and said, "Sigh, I certainly found excitement, but this kind of excitement...!"

She shivered, her face turning even whiter. "I never want this again. The feeling of death is truly terrifying. Only after dying once do you realize that a peaceful and ordinary life is the real truth, and everything else is fake. What sense of novelty? What excitement? None of them compare to being safe and sound!"

"You've comprehended a great life philosophy; that's wonderful!" Qin Yichen laughed. "Let's live our days in peace, and not add trouble to our children—that's enough! If we could have a grandson or granddaughter by our sides, that would be even better!"

Lulu wrinkled her nose.

In the Eighty-Eighth World Combat Zone.

Qin Ming had successively killed eight powerhouses who had broken in. Only then did he pick up his saber and slowly walk outside.

"With ninety-eight cities, how am I supposed to find Second Brother?" He couldn't help feeling a headache coming on. "Should I slaughter my way through all of them?"

"Well, that's worth a try!"