Chapter 3166: Merit List Released! He's Going to the Heavens! Various...

An astonishing roll of honor was proclaimed across the virtual network!

It could only have been upon the virtual network.

To expand the sphere of this roll's influence to its absolute zenith, one could only rely on the network of the virtual universe.

This was a feat that even the Hall of All Stars was incapable of achieving.

Those in the outside world had long been awaiting the manifestation of this list.

Be they the meritorious souls of the allied forces, or those beyond the three great domains who sat waiting for tidings.

Upon learning of this news, every last one of them instantly flooded into the virtual network.

A colossal scroll spanned across the void of the virtual universe, ensuring that every single soul who entered could behold it.

This was utterly astounding!

Even the Genius Hegemony War of yesteryear had not received such treatment.

When the masses cast their eyes upon this scroll, they were entirely stupefied.

The very first name was far too beyond expectation!

Wang! Teng!!!

How could this name possibly appear in the first position?

Faces cloaked in bewilderment, everyone looked at one another, plunged into a state of sheer disbelief.

It was too incredible!

Many could not help but rub their eyes, even suspecting that they had misread it.

Or perhaps, was this roll merely for martial warriors below the World Master level?

Yet...

As they gazed down at the dense swarm of names below, and at those occupying the second and third places.

The final sliver of wishful thinking in their hearts shattered completely.

Second Place: True God Blazing Phoenix!

Third Place: True God Candle Dragon!

...

Evidently, this was no list for those below the World Master level, but an all-encompassing roll of every martial warrior.

And Wang Teng stood atop them all, ranked first!!!

Crash!!!!!

In an instant, a cataclysmic uproar erupted within the virtual universe, as though a monstrous tidal wave had been unleashed.

The entire virtual universe boiled with fervor!

The ripples of its reach were incredibly vast, encompassing almost every sector where the Virtual Universe Company was distributed.

This great war was of tremendous consequence; nearly the entire universe had been watching it.

Had they failed to successfully reclaim the three great domains, the aftermath would have been simply unimaginable, and other domains would bound to be entangled.

Thus, even those great factions had been profoundly anxious over the matter.

Fortunately, the outcome was favorable; the Allied Forces of the Bright Universe had finally reclaimed the three great domains, driving away the Dark Apparitions.

Now, they had even published the roll of honor.

It was just that this particular list was a tiny bit too shocking.

"Holy crap! Wang Teng! The one ranked first is actually Wang Teng, not a True God level existence!"

"No, who on earth is this Wang Teng?"

"My god, you don't even know who Wang Teng is?"

"That name sounds so familiar, as if I've heard it somewhere before."

"He's that Domain Master level prodigy who repeatedly performed miraculous feats upon the battlefield."

"It's actually him!!!"

"This isn't right, Wang Teng is a mere Domain Master level martial warrior, by what right does he rank ahead of True God level existences?"

"What's even more ridiculous is that he's first; is this a rank a Domain Master level martial warrior can possibly attain?"

"What the devil, what is going on here?"

...

An explosive din of discussion permeated the virtual universe, spreading further and wider, as though every single soul was debating the matter.

Some were initially not very well-acquainted with Wang Teng.

Yet now, the name Wang Teng forced its way into their minds in a simple, brutal fashion.

And it left an exceptionally deep impression.

It was impossible for it not to be deep.

That was the first place, surpassing even True God level existences; it was simply too preposterous.

In a war of such scale that convulsed three great domains, how could a Domain Master level martial warrior achieve such heights?

The crowd felt astonished, yet they were filled with doubt and curiosity.

Generally speaking, a list of this nature could absolutely never be erroneous.

The crowd was not foolish either; no matter how deeply incredulous they were, they would not go so far as to question the validity of this roll.

Thus, what remained was mostly doubt and curiosity!

They desperately desired to know exactly how Wang Teng had pulled it off.

...

Simultaneously, those who were intimately familiar with Wang Teng had also beheld this scroll by now.

Not a single one of these people failed to fall into silence.

Especially those geniuses.

When they witnessed Wang Teng's ranking, that sense of shock was simply indescribable.

Likewise geniuses, why was Wang Teng so incomparably excellent?

This chasm was not something that a tiny bit could describe.

"He... he is about to ascend to the heavens!!!"

Amidst the members of the Stellar Society, Yue Qiqiao murmured with boundless emotion.

No one could comprehend her exceedingly complex state of mind.

It could be said that she had watched Wang Teng rise all the way from the Interstellar Academy.

Back during the Genius Hegemony War, she knew this fellow Wang Teng defied the heavens, a creature that could be called a monstrous freak.

Later, when she entered the Starlight Academy, that conviction only deepened—she had not misjudged him.

It was worth every risk she took in joining Wang Teng’s newly formed Star Assembly, becoming his right hand and left arm without hesitation.

This was the path she had chosen for herself.

Rather than join the established academies founded by veteran students, becoming a mere pawn under their command, waiting decades just to rise above obscurity,

she had instead aligned with Wang Teng—a prodigy whose potential defied reason—and offered her strength to fuel his ascent.

It was also a way to carve out a future of greater freedom, one brimming with untapped possibility.

Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix!

But she never imagined this wasn’t merely a chicken’s head—it was clearly the head of a dragon!

Wang Teng’s potential, his growth, far surpassed anything she had dared to foresee, transcending even the laws of nature.

In an impossibly short time, he had reached heights she had never dared dream of.

Should she feel joy?

Perhaps.

Earlier, when she saw Wang Teng emerge as a force in this battle that threatened the survival of three great realms, she had already been overwhelmed with surprise.

Now, that shock had multiplied infinitely, shaking her heart, stirring her soul.

She felt lightheaded.

A little dizzy.

“Sister Xiaoyue, are you alright?”

Wei De, standing beside her, couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m fine,”

Yue Qiqiao replied, shaking her head, drawing in a deep breath to steady herself. “I’m just… utterly stunned.”

“Hahaha!”

Wei De burst into laughter. “Right? It’s truly mind-blowing! Our boss is awesome!”

He was beyond excited.

His old boss had already been incredible—but who could have guessed he’d become even more extraordinary?

There seemed no limit to his power.

“This guy…”

Yu Yunxian, Lu Tian, Wu Yan, Bai Chuanliu, Bolai Te, Reynolds, and others were all jolted awake, their expressions twisting into complex shadows.

They realized, with dawning horror, that they might never catch up to Wang Teng.

Such feats, such merits—they would need to reach the level of Immortal Sealed Lords before they could even begin to match him.

It was too absurd.

Why did Wang Teng keep creating miracles?

Yes—miracles.

What else could explain these achievements and rankings if not divine intervention?

The man was merely a Domain Master-level warrior!

“Terrifying.”

Bai Chuanliu’s lips twitched involuntarily, the words slipping from his mouth like a curse.

He didn’t know how else to describe Wang Teng anymore—only those two words sufficed.

Now, whenever he thought about facing Wang Teng in combat, darkness swallowed his vision, filled with dread.

Compete against that freak?

No thanks—he had no desire to seek pain.

“…”

The geniuses present fell silent, their faces tightening as muscles twitched.

“You’re backing down too fast, aren’t you?” Reynolds sneered. “At least you’re supposed to be a genius of the Bai Clan. Is this all you’ve got?”

“Are you not afraid?” Bai Chuanliu shot him a sideways glance.

“…” Reynolds opened his mouth, then closed it again, unable to respond.

Deep down, he *was* afraid.

Who wanted to face a monster as an opponent?

Once defeated, now the man had grown even more terrifying.

Each victory, each record, carved itself into his soul, leaving behind creeping fear.

He refused to admit it—refused to acknowledge that he feared Wang Teng.

But if forced to fight him again, he knew he lacked the confidence, the courage.

So he couldn’t even answer Bai Chuanliu.

“Pfft!”

Bai Chuanliu snorted at his expression.

Admitting inferiority wasn’t shameful.

But refusing to admit it while avoiding confrontation altogether—that was the stupidest thing one could do.

Only inviting mockery.

“Damn!”

Reynolds’ face turned green.

He’d meant to mock Bai Chuanliu, yet now he was the one being crushed.

Did this guy have to admit defeat so openly?

His own half-hearted attempts paled in comparison, making him look weak and pretentious.

Indeed, there was no pain without comparison.

Damn it—all because of Bai Chuanliu!

Wu Yan, Lu Tian, Bolai Te, and the others glanced at Reynolds, shaking their heads slightly.

This guy still hadn’t faced reality.

Even they—now terrified—dared not challenge Wang Teng.

That guy... just how terrifying has he grown now?!

Yue Qiqiao glanced around, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

These geniuses—now completely subdued by Wang Teng!

They were all prodigies from powerful factions, never truly willing to admit defeat.

Joining the Star Assembly was merely because they saw Wang Teng’s potential and chose to grow alongside him.

But now, his strength and combat skills had utterly conquered these geniuses.

This kind of submission was absolute—one that extinguished any thought of rivalry.

It had conquered their hearts from within and without.

Every prodigy carried the heart of a warrior, not easily subdued.

For once subdued, that warrior's spirit would be tainted, affecting their future path in martial cultivation.

Yet Wang Teng had conquered them with overwhelming force, giving them no chance to resist.

Just thinking about it made Yue Qiqiao want to laugh.

She could understand the suffering of these geniuses, but she couldn’t empathize.

Because she didn’t need to rival Wang Teng.

Her ranking in the Genius War had always been low—she was never destined to be his opponent.

So there was nothing to fight for.

From the beginning, she had defined her role as support—supporting Wang Teng, so the stronger he became, the better she fared.

Now, seeing these geniuses conquered by Wang Teng, she felt nothing but joy for him.

"...Oh, damn!"

In the virtual universe, inside a private building belonging to the Universe First Bank, Nancy stared at the merit rankings floating in the void. She leapt up from the luxurious sofa, unable to restrain herself from cursing.

"First place!"

"Exceeding the merits of true gods? How can this be so absurd?!"

Her eyes widened, disbelief flooding her mind. She kept reading it over and over, still struggling to believe.

How could such an abnormal person exist?

He shouldn't belong to their generation.

Nancy closed her eyes in pain, her beautiful face seeming to wear a mask of agony.

"No, I have to find a way to contact that guy. His potential is too astonishing to ignore."

Then, she suddenly snapped her eyes open, a strange gleam flashing in her pupils—almost like light.

Anyone who knew her well would recognize that look—the gaze of a predator spotting prey and wealth.

"Now that the merit list is released, the coalition leadership should allow him to communicate with the outside world."

Nancy had some knowledge of the higher-ups’ movements. She knew Wang Teng had likely been sealed off. If she didn’t act now, she wouldn’t know when she’d get another chance.

"How long will he be locked down?"

She muttered to herself, then immediately grabbed her communicator to send a message to Wang Teng.

"First?! He’s actually first?! How is this possible?!"

Inside a building belonging to the Avian Clan in the virtual universe, Alvis, Tabitha, and other Avian geniuses also saw the astonishing merit ranking. They froze instantly, as if struck by lightning.

Though they already knew Wang Teng was extraordinary, they hadn’t expected him to be this monstrous.

First place!

His merit value surpassed even that of true gods—this was pure fantasy.

"Huff..."

After a moment of silence, Alvis finally exhaled slowly, his gaze complex as he turned toward Tabitha.

"Tabitha, thank goodness you joined the Star Assembly he founded. This will be your greatest opportunity!"

Tabitha remained silent, but Alvis’s words stirred ripples in her heart, spreading outward.

"Opportunity, huh?"

Before joining the Star Assembly, she had only seen Wang Teng’s potential, wanting to compete with him and grow together.

But now?

Competition was out of the question. Just being able to follow behind him would be enough.

His growth might even accelerate theirs.

Wang Teng had undoubtedly become the leader of their generation’s prodigies.

This was what they called opportunity.

The closer one stayed to Wang Teng, the more benefits they would gain in the future.

Such things had happened before in the cosmos—just not on this scale.

And those geniuses who had followed the leader? As long as they survived, they’d at least reach the Immortal level.

"But..."

"I want more!"

Tabitha’s bright eyes flashed with a piercing white light as she whispered to herself.

Immortal level was only the beginning.

As a prodigy of the Avian Clan, she aimed higher.

If she could reach that level… even within the Avian Clan, she would hold immense power.

Perhaps even become the Avian Clan’s… ancestor!!

"The elders asked us to invite Wang Teng back for a visit when we’re free. When do you think we should invite him?"

Tabitha suddenly asked.

"Better sooner than later," Alvis snapped back to reality, replying immediately.

(End of chapter)