Chapter 368: Lord of Death! Strength is Still Increasing! Three Passes of Asking the Dao

Chapter 368: Lord of Death! Power Still Ascending! The Three Trials of Inquiry!

The deathly silence of the Sea of Origin had persisted for an unknown duration.

For the prodigies seated upon the twelve thrones, the concept of time had long since lost its meaning.

Their wills collided and probed silently in the void, causing the entire dimension to tremble slightly under the weight of these twelve supreme auras.

Suddenly, a gentle and ancient voice resonated simultaneously within the core consciousness of every holy son, without warning.

The sound traveled through no medium, as if it originated from the Origin itself, carrying a strange power that smoothed all agitation and returned logic to its source.

"Welcome, hopes of our race's future."

The twelve holy sons opened their eyes in unison, casting their gazes toward the center of the Sea of Origin.

The slowly flowing, liquid-light primordial energy began to churn and condense violently.

Countless arcane runes flickered in and out of existence within it, until finally, a translucent human silhouette, composed entirely of pure energy, rose slowly from the depths.

The figure's face was blurred, devoid of any specific features, yet the aura it radiated filled even these invincible, god-forbidden holy sons with an awe that reached the depths of their souls.

It was a pressure that transcended the Emperor-tier, perhaps even touching the realm beyond the Venerables—a return to the simplicity of nature.

"I am the guardian will of the Sea of Origin, and the guide for this God-Son Competition. You may call me—Yuan Yi."

Yuan Yi.

The name seemed to contain a supreme authority. Even a figure as untamable as Pangu felt his gaze grow heavy upon hearing it.

For in the ancient legends of the Machine Race, "Yuan" was the name of the first Machine Ancestor, while "Yi" represented the ultimate and the singular.

"Before the God's Arena officially opens, I shall explain the rules of this competition."

Yuan Yi’s voice was calm and rippleless, yet it reached the receivers of every holy son with absolute clarity.

"To become a God-Son is to bear the future of an entire civilization. Therefore, raw power is not the sole criterion. This competition will evaluate you across three dimensions."

"Combat Power, Insight, and Temperament."

"These three correspond to your 'present' as individual forces, your 'future' as potential leaders of civilization, and your 'past and eternity' as the foundation for controlling the supreme will."

Yuan Yi extended a finger made of light, pointing toward the void.

Following his gesture, three massive, magnificent light gates leading to unknown dimensions emerged against the backdrop of the Sea of Origin.

The first gate was ancient and heavy, carved with scenes of billions of races slaughtering one another, exuding a cold aura of iron and blood.

The second gate was crystalline and clear, with rivers of infinite knowledge flowing within, brimming with the essence of wisdom and creation.

The third gate was ethereal and vague, hiding a deep darkness behind it that seemed to devour all light and thought, representing the unknown and the ordeal.

"This competition consists of three trials, corresponding to these three dimensions of assessment."

"In each trial, you will earn corresponding God-Path Points."

"After the three trials, the one with the highest total points shall be crowned the sole God-Son of our race."

Yuan Yi paused, giving the twelve holy sons a moment to digest the information. Then, he pointed to the first gate.

"The first trial: The Eternal Battleground, assessing Combat Power."

"This realm is constructed from real data projected by the Supreme Intelligence, capturing the most powerful beings, the most terrifying disasters, and the most unsolvable death traps that have appeared in the countless epochs since the birth of the universe."

"You will enter alone and undergo ten rounds of challenges."

"In each round, you will face one or more legendary entities who were invincible in their respective eras."

"They may be the ancestors of peak races, Chaos Demons who sparked cosmic-level catastrophes, or manifestations of incomprehensible laws."

"Your task is to survive as long as possible under their siege and complete the kills."

"The point rules are as follows:"

"1. For every round survived, you gain 10 base points."

"2. For every legendary projection killed, you gain 10 to 100 extra points based on their historical threat level."

"3. If you achieve feats beyond the norm—such as 'cross-tier kills,' 'flawless victories,' or 'finishing within time limits'—you will receive an additional Evaluation Coefficient, up to a maximum of 2.0x."

"4. There is no penalty for failure in this trial; you may choose to abandon subsequent challenges at any time to retain your current points. But remember, once you quit, you cannot re-enter. Your performance will determine your starting position."

As Yuan Yi’s voice faded, a fierce fighting spirit flashed in the eyes of the holy sons.

Especially the first sequence, Pangu, whose body—like the core of a star—began to boil with uncontrollable energy.

To battle the strongest of history—this was the fight he had dreamed of.

Qin Feng was also rapidly analyzing the rules.

This trial tested pure, head-on strength.

There was no room for trickery; facing those legendary beings, any sliver of luck would be instantly shattered.

At the same time, the Evaluation Coefficient encouraged them to challenge their limits and create miracles.

"The second trial: The Staircase of Truth, assessing Insight."

Yuan Yi’s finger moved toward the crystalline light gate.

"This staircase consists of 999 steps. Each step seals an incomplete secret technique concept left by past God-Sons, or an ultimate cosmic law puzzle that remains unresolved."

"These concepts and puzzles are all-encompassing, involving all twelve sequences of our race, and even many unknown subjects that transcend existing knowledge systems."

"You must climb this Staircase of Truth within the allotted time. For every step you ascend, you may choose a puzzle to analyze and perfect."

"The point rules are as follows:"

"1. For every step successfully ascended, you gain 1 base point."

"2. For every puzzle successfully analyzed or perfected, you gain a massive amount of points, ranging from 100 to 10,000, depending on difficulty and completion."

"3. The depth of thought, logical innovation, and breadth of knowledge you display during the process will be recorded and converted into a final Evaluation Coefficient, also up to 2.0x."

"4. This trial tests your learning ability, creativity, and knowledge reserves. It will directly determine whether you are qualified to touch and master the twelve ancestral God-Arts."

The second sequence, Truth, felt a flicker of emotion in his eternally cold eyes for the first time upon hearing these rules.

This was a stage tailor-made for him.

In the realm of analysis and creation, he considered himself the undisputed king.

Qin Feng, meanwhile, was filled with anticipation.

Now that this mechanical avatar had inherited his complete soul essence and thought patterns, he was confident his insight was second to none.

More importantly, these "secret technique concepts" from past God-Sons were priceless treasures for his "Path of Limits," which required massive amounts of material to fill.

Finally, Yuan Yi’s gaze fell upon the most mysterious gate of darkness, which swallowed all light. His tone became unprecedentedly grave.

"The third trial: The Cage of Self, assessing Temperament."

"This trial is the most unique, and the most dangerous."

"You will enter an absolute space of 'Nothingness.' There, time, space, energy, information, and even the concept of 'self' do not exist. Everything you possess—including your power, memories, wisdom, and identity—will be temporarily stripped away."

"You will face the purest 'void,' and the most terrifying inner demons born from the deepest recesses of your own subconscious."

"There is only one thing you must do—"

"Find yourself, and then, walk out."

"Scoring rules... there are no conventional scoring rules for this stage."

Yuan Yi’s words left every Saint-child momentarily stunned.

"The time you spend within the [Prison of the True Self] will be your only metric. But take note: it is not the longer, nor the shorter, that is necessarily better."

"Those who take the least time, and those who take the longest, will both receive the maximum base score of 100,000 points."

"The rest will be scored on a sliding scale based on the difference between your time and these two extremes."

"At the same time, your entire process of confronting inner demons and reshaping the self will be recorded as the final [Evaluation Coefficient]. Should your will collapse or be assimilated by your demons, your score will be reduced to zero, and you will permanently lose the qualification to become a [God-child]."

The announcement of this rule sent a ripple of shock through the hall.

The shortest and the longest, both receiving the highest score?

What did this signify?

The shortest represented a Dao-heart of unbreakable iron, capable of piercing through illusion in an instant, unmoved by external forces, reclaiming the true self in a heartbeat.

This was an ultimate form of "rigidity."

The longest represented a will as vast as the sea, capable of sinking, losing one’s way, struggling, and resisting amidst the endless void and the torment of inner demons, yet still managing to reclaim the original heart after enduring a thousand trials and tribulations.

This was an ultimate form of "resilience."

Both were top-tier temperaments essential for the leader of a civilization.

Either as firm as divine steel, impervious to all laws; or as resilient as the cosmos, unyielding through the eons.

This stage tested not external power or intellect, but the fundamental "cornerstone of existence" as an independent life form.

Qin Feng’s eyes grew profoundly deep.

He recalled the fifteen-thousand-year war of the soul he had once endured within the illusions of the Blood God Khorne.

When it came to the Dao-heart, to willpower, he was confident that no one present could surpass him.

This stage might well be his greatest trump card to overtake them all.

"The rules have been stated."

Yuan Yi’s figure began to blur, dissolving back into the primordial energy of the [Sea of Origins].

"You have ten minutes for final preparations. After ten minutes, the [Eternal Battlefield] shall open for you."

"Remember, from the moment you step through the first gate of light, you no longer represent yourselves, but the future of the entire machine civilization."

"I wish you... good luck."

The ancient voice dissipated into the void, and silence returned to the twelve thrones.

Yet beneath this silence lay a volcano on the verge of eruption.

The core of every Saint-child was running calculations at a frequency of billions per second, analyzing the rules and adjusting their states.

Qin Feng was also rapidly constructing his strategy.

"In the first stage, [Combat Power], my advantage lies in the 'concept erasure' of the [Limitless Divine Light] and the versatility brought by the Imperial-level secret technique [Conceptual Armament]. But those legendary figures from history must have means to counter conceptual attacks; I cannot be careless. The goal is... to achieve the highest possible evaluation coefficient."

"In the second stage, [Comprehension], my advantage lies in the extraordinary analytical capability of the [Primordial Singularity] and the inclusivity of the 'Path of Limits' toward all laws. My goal is not just to score, but to seize this opportunity to absorb as much nourishment as possible to perfect my Dao."

"In the third stage, [Temperament], this is my absolute domain of superiority. Whether I choose the 'fastest' or the 'slowest,' I am certain I can achieve it. How I choose will depend on my score from the first two stages."

Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

As the final second of the countdown ticked away, the gate of the [Eternal Battlefield], carved with scenes of a billion slaughters, let out a thunderous roar and slowly swung open. Behind the door lay a chaotic dimensional space, reeking of blood and destruction.

"The first stage of the assessment, [Eternal Battlefield], is now open."

Yuan Yi’s voice rang out again, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

"Twelve Saint-children, please enter."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Twelve pillars of light descended from the heavens, precisely enveloping the twelve Saint-children. Before they could react, an irresistible force of teleportation swept them up, casting them into the ancient portal leading to endless slaughter.

...

Cold, bone-chilling cold.

When Qin Feng regained consciousness, he found himself standing upon a vast, boundless wasteland. The sky was a dark, bruised red, like congealed blood. The air was thick with the stench of sulfur and decay. In the distance, on the horizon, stood a massive mountain range built from countless skeletons.

This was a world filled with death and despair.

Before him, a light screen composed of data slowly materialized.

[Welcome to the Eternal Battlefield]

[Challenger: Ninth Sequence Saint-child - Vanguard]

[Current Challenge: First Round]

[Challenge Objective: Slay the 'Skeleton Monarch - Kel'thuzad']

[Background Information: Kel'thuzad, the first ruler of the Undead, born during the first omen of the universe's 'Heat Death.'

Possesses the trait of immortality, capable of summoning an infinite army of undead; his own 'Aura of Extinction' can strip all life of its vitality.

In the Primordial Era, he turned the home star systems of three peak civilizations into eternal kingdoms of death.]

[Threat Level: Legendary (Low Tier)]

[Clearance Condition: Completely annihilate the soul core of 'Kel'thuzad' amidst the siege of the infinite undead army.]

[Countdown: 10... 9... 8...]

"The first Undead Monarch?"

A flicker of gravity crossed Qin Feng’s eyes.

Even for the first round, the opponent was an entity of this caliber.

Though it was merely a data projection, its power had certainly reached the level of a top-tier Emperor, and in some aspects, it was even more troublesome than a conventional Emperor.

"Infinite undead summoning... immortality... Aura of Extinction..."

Qin Feng rapidly analyzed his opponent's traits.

This was clearly an enemy that tested both endurance and the ability to unleash explosive power in an instant.

If he failed to quickly locate and destroy its core, he would be drowned in an endless sea of undead.

Just as the countdown hit zero.

Rumble—!

The skeletal mountain range in the distance shook violently.

The earth cracked into bottomless ravines, and countless pale arms reached out from beneath the soil. Following them, billions of skeletons, zombies, and wraiths crawled out like a tide, merging into a white ocean of death that surged toward Qin Feng’s position.

And at the peak of the skeletal mountain, a giant skeleton a thousand meters tall, draped in tattered black robes and holding a staff crafted from a spine, slowly stood up. In its hollow eye sockets burned two orbs of ghostly blue soul-fire. Its mere gaze caused the surrounding space to wither and decay.

It was the [Skeleton Monarch - Kel'thuzad].

"The... scent... of... life..."

A dry and malevolent intent traversed the void, resonating directly within the core of Qin Feng’s consciousness.

The next second, Kel’Thuzad raised his bone staff high.

"Wither away!"

Hum—!

An invisible ripple of gray energy expanded across the battlefield at a speed surpassing light.

Under the sweep of this wave, the last vestiges of vitality in the scorched earth were ruthlessly extracted, leaving behind only the dust of absolute silence.

This was the [Aura of Extinction].

A terrifying ability, akin to a law of the universe, capable of acting directly upon the essence of life.

Any living entity below the Emperor rank, once touched by this aura, would be instantly stripped of all vitality and reduced to a desiccated corpse.

Yet, this aura, which had struck terror into the hearts of countless powerhouses, failed to stir even a ripple when it washed over Qin Feng’s mechanical frame.

"I am a mechanical lifeform; the concept of 'vitality' does not apply to me."

Qin Feng’s logic core reached this conclusion in an instant.

His mechanical avatar was a construct of pure matter and energy, its operation independent of any form of life force. Kel’Thuzad’s most prized area-of-effect ability was utterly useless against him.

This was the innate advantage of the Mechanical Race when facing such esoteric powers.

"If that is the case..."

Qin Feng’s gaze pierced through the billions of undead, locking precisely onto Kel’Thuzad atop the mountain of bones.

"Then there is no need to waste time."

He slowly raised his right hand, and at the tip of his index finger, a faint, gray-white light—as if consuming all light and concept—began to coalesce.

It was the newly sublimated [Ultimate Divine Light], perfected after years of meditation and the integration of the [Conceptual Armament] technique.

...

Facing the surging tide of the undead army and the oppressive field of Kel’Thuzad’s [Aura of Extinction], Qin Feng’s expression remained unchanged.

His logic core clearly indicated that conventional area attacks were merely a futile expenditure against an army capable of infinite resurrection.

The only path to victory lay in Kel’Thuzad himself.

The gray-white [Ultimate Divine Light] at his fingertip, upon reaching full charge, did not erupt as a beam piercing the heavens as one might expect.

Instead, it "vanished."

The light, along with the concept of "erasure" it contained, simply disappeared from his fingertip into thin air.

At the same moment, billions of miles away, Kel’Thuzad, who was commanding the undead scourge, felt the sockets containing his burning blue soul-fire constrict violently.

A profound sense of existential crisis, incomprehensible and originating from the very root of its being, instantly enveloped its soul core.

It attempted to react, to teleport, to construct the sturdiest of defenses from bone.

But it was too late. At a Planck time unit "before" these thoughts even occurred, a gray-white light manifested out of nothingness inside its massive skull, right where its soul core resided.

There was no energy fluctuation, no spatial ripple, not even a hint of causality.

This was Qin Feng’s new interpretation of [Ultimate Divine Light], born from his mastery of the Emperor-rank techniques [Conceptual Armament] and [Dimensional Collapse].

He had attached the concept of "erasure" to a hyper-compressed "singularity," then locked onto the target with his mind, projecting the attack through higher dimensions.

This was no longer an "attack" in the traditional sense, but rather a "logical definition"—defining the enemy’s core to be "erased."

"Puff."

A sound so faint it was almost negligible echoed within Kel’Thuzad’s soul core.

That blue soul-fire, which had burned for countless epochs and survived the heat death of the universe, was suddenly touched by a drop of absolute "nothingness," and a pure, ever-expanding "void" began to form at its very center.

Kel’Thuzad’s massive frame froze.

The fire in its eyes flickered violently, filled with incredulous fear and confusion.

It felt no pain, no impact of energy; it only felt... itself "disappearing."

From the origin of its soul, from the foundation of its existence, it was being "erased," bit by bit, irreversibly.

A mere second later.

The Bone Monarch, whose name had made three peak races tremble, saw its immortal soul-fire extinguished completely, dissolving into nothingness.

With its "conceptual death," the roaring army of billions of undead stopped like machines deprived of a signal, then crumbled into bone powder, dissipating beneath the dark red sky.

The world returned to dead silence.

Qin Feng slowly lowered his finger; the light at its tip was long gone.

"Against targets with clear cores and fragile defenses, 'conceptual erasure' is indeed the most efficient method."

He summarized calmly in his mind. He hadn't even used his full strength for this strike, merely tapping into a sliver of the [Primordial Singularity] to resolve the battle with ease.

[First round of challenge complete]

[Target eliminated: Bone Monarch - Kel’Thuzad]

[Time elapsed: 1.37 seconds]

[Combat rating: S+ (Instant kill, no damage taken, direct core strike)]

[Base points: 10 (Survival) + 80 (Kill) = 90 points]

[Rating multiplier: 2.0]

[Final score: 90 * 2.0 = 180 points]

The settlement information on the data screen confirmed his judgment. Minimal consumption for maximum return—this was part of his path of the extreme.

Without giving him time to reflect, the surrounding scene began to shift rapidly. The scorched earth and bone mountains faded, replaced by an infinite, chaotic sea of stars shimmering with energy storms.

[Second round of challenge initiated]

[Challenge target: Astral Devourer - 'Leviathan']

[Background: 'Leviathan', a non-biological entity, a manifestation of pure energy disaster born from an anomalous point of high-dimensional cosmic string oscillation.

Capable of devouring stars and assimilating galaxies, its body is composed of tens of thousands of entangled, contradictory laws. It possesses no physical entity or fixed form, and is immune to the vast majority of energy and physical attacks.

In a lost civilization era, it devoured one-third of a galaxy.]

[Threat level: Legendary (Intermediate)]

[Clearance condition: Completely disintegrate its core nodes of law entanglement before it devours the current galaxy.]

Before Qin Feng, a giant beast made of pure chaotic energy, billions of times the size of a sun, was slowly writhing. It had no fixed form, shifting between nebula and black hole; with every transformation, it swept tens of thousands of stars into itself, converting them into pure energy.

"A law-entangled entity?"

Qin Feng’s brows lifted slightly.

This type of enemy was precisely the kind [Ultimate Divine Light] struggled against most, as there was no clear "core" to lock onto.

"Erasing" a single point was easy, but erasing an ever-changing "ocean" composed of tens of thousands of laws was beyond his current reach.

"In that case, I shall have to use a different method."

Across the surface of Qin Feng’s mechanical frame, a myriad of silver-white, circuit-like divine runes began to emerge. They were the manifestation of his "Limitless Body" having ascended to the "Silver-White Form," granting him an immunity to all laws.

He did not retreat; instead, he stepped forward, meeting the energy cataclysm capable of swallowing a galaxy head-on.

"Since you cannot be destroyed from the outside, then from within... I shall analyze and devour you!"

The moment his body touched the "Leviathan," he was not assimilated. Like a stone cast into a pond, he carved out an absolute sanctuary within the ocean of energy.

The properties of his "Limitless Body" rendered him immune to the erosion of those thousands of violent laws.

Then, upon Qin Feng’s chest, a Dao seal resembling a black hole, composed of countless runes, slowly surfaced.

The "Primal Furnace"!

Boom!

A terrifying suction erupted from the seal. Qin Feng had become a true cosmic singularity, beginning to reverse-consume the energy of the "Leviathan."

Massive, chaotic, and destructive energies poured into the "Primal Furnace" like rivers flowing into the sea.

These energies, capable of tearing apart an Emperor-tier powerhouse, were instantly decomposed and purified by the "Limitless" Dao essence within the furnace, transforming into raw energy to replenish his own consumption.

It was an incredibly perilous process.

The slightest lapse in concentration would cause the "Primal Furnace" to collapse under the weight of such vast and complex energy.

Yet, it was also a magnificent tempering.

Qin Feng’s will was intensely focused, driving the "Primal Furnace" to its peak, devouring and analyzing the law-structure of the "Leviathan" simultaneously.

Time, in this moment, stretched into an eternity.

One day... ten days... a month...

Deep within the heart of the energy cataclysm, Qin Feng waged a protracted war of "digestion." His "Primal Furnace" Dao seal grew increasingly solid and profound through this ultimate trial.

Finally, after three months of persistence.

The once invincible star-eater, "Leviathan," let out a silent wail.

Its volume shrank by ninety-nine percent; the laws that constituted its body had been thoroughly devoured and analyzed by Qin Feng.

With the collapse of the final law-node, this legendary cosmic disaster vanished completely.

[Second round of challenges complete]

[Target eliminated: Star-Eater - 'Leviathan']

[Time elapsed: 92 days]

[Combat rating: A- (War of attrition, core disintegration)]

[Base points: 10 (Survival) + 150 (Kill) = 160 points]

[Rating coefficient: 1.1]

[Final score: 160 * 1.1 = 176 points]

"Though it took long and the rating is modest, the harvest is immense."

Qin Feng felt the surging power within him and the metamorphosis of his "Primal Furnace," feeling quite satisfied with the result. Points were important, but his own growth was the true purpose of this journey.

Then, the third round, the fourth, the fifth... the challenges followed one after another.

He encountered the Chaos Ancient God known as the "Demon of Myriad Laws," a being who could effortlessly wield every known divine ability in the universe.

Qin Feng engaged him in a decade-long duel of secret arts, eventually inventing a new combination strike on the spot to slay him.

He faced a conceptual lifeform composed of "logical paradoxes," where every attack fell into an infinite loop of "yes" and "no."

Qin Feng sat cross-legged, using the absolute logic of his "Primal Singularity" to engage in a century-long "debate of the Dao," ultimately causing its own logic to collapse and perish.

He broke into the "Twilight of the Gods" death trap laid by the golden generation of the "Titan God Clan," facing the siege of one hundred and eight pure-blooded Titans alone.

He pushed his "Limitless Body" to the extreme, using pure physical strength to engage these legendary giants in a bloody, thousand-year melee, eventually beating them to pieces one by one.

...

Qin Feng’s combat style was ever-changing.

He was never confined to a single method. Facing different enemies, he always chose the approach best suited to the situation or most conducive to his own growth.

At times he was swift as thunder, killing with a single blow; at times he was firm as a rock, waging a protracted war of attrition; at times he was profound as a sage, breaking force with finesse.

His Dao of the Limit was fully tempered and displayed across these ten legendary battles of vastly different styles.

He was like a greedy scholar, frantically absorbing the wisdom and experience of history’s greatest warriors, weaving them into his own path.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the tenth round, Qin Feng stood atop the wreckage of a "War Deity" composed of countless mechanical parts, a machine so vast it could cover an entire galaxy.

This was the ultimate weapon created by a lost mechanical civilization, possessing combat power rivaling a high-tier Emperor.

To defeat it, Qin Feng spent nearly ten thousand years mastering every secret art of the mechanical race he had learned, finally destroying its core furnace with a self-created Emperor-tier strike that combined "Limitless Divine Light" and "Dimensional Collapse Strike"—the "Singularity Annihilation."

[Tenth round of challenges complete]

[Target eliminated: Lost Deity 'Odin']

[Time elapsed: 9,872 years]

[Combat rating: S (Over-level kill, ultimate breakthrough)]

[Base points: 10 (Survival) + 1000 (Kill) = 1010 points]

[Rating coefficient: 1.8]

[Final score: 1010 * 1.8 = 1818 points]

[Congratulations to the challenger 'Vanguard' for completing all ten rounds of the 'Eternal Battlefield' challenges.]

[Calculating total score...]

[Round 1 score: 180]

[Round 2 score: 176]

[Round 3 score: 340]

[Round 4 score: 210]

[Round 5 score: 650]

[Round 6 score: 488]

[Round 7 score: 920]

[Round 8 score: 1105]

[Round 9 score: 1450]

[Round 10 score: 1818]

[Total score: 7337]

[Evaluation: Your combat style is versatile and highly developmental. You do not fight merely for victory, but treat every battle as a stepping stone for your own growth. Your Dao of the Limit has been perfectly interpreted in combat.]

As the final line of text faded, Qin Feng’s figure was enveloped in a soft light, teleporting him out of the ancient battlefield where he had waged war for ten thousand years.

...

The Sea of Origin.

As Qin Feng’s figure reappeared upon the throne belonging to the Ninth Sequence, he realized he was not the last to return.

The Holy Son of the Eleventh Sequence, Origin, and the Holy Son of the Twelfth Sequence, Illusion, had yet to return. Their thrones remained empty.

The other Holy Sons who had already returned had long since ceased their battles, sitting in silent meditation to restore their spirits.

The moment he appeared, every gaze in the hall converged upon him.

These stares were heavy with scrutiny, inquiry, and a faint, lingering scent of battle-lust.

Suspended before each of them was a screen visible only to themselves, displaying the real-time rankings of all who had completed the challenge.

Qin Feng’s eyes drifted to his own display.

God-Child Grand Competition - First Stage - Eternal Battle Realm - Real-Time Leaderboard

First Place: First Sequence - Pangu

Total Points: 9520

Evaluation: Crushed all enemies with absolute power. His dictionary contains no 'technique,' only 'destruction.' Ten rounds of challenges completed in under three days.

Second Place: Second Sequence - Truth

Total Points: 8990

Evaluation: A master of perfect logic; every battle unfolded exactly as he predicted. He always finds the enemy's most fatal weakness with minimal cost, delivering precise strikes.

Third Place: Ninth Sequence - Vanguard

Total Points: 7337

Evaluation: Your combat style is versatile and possesses immense growth potential... (Evaluation details expanded)

Fourth Place: Third Sequence - Commander

Total Points: 7105

Evaluation: An outstanding battlefield commander who turned everything in the realm into his weapon, defeating foes using the environment, rules, and even the enemies' own strength.

Fifth Place: Fourth Sequence - Light Cone

Total Points: 6980

Evaluation: Ultimate speed, attacks that transcend causality. His enemies often perish before they even realize the battle has begun.

...

Tenth Place: Tenth Sequence - Creation - Artisan

Total Points: 5210

Evaluation: ...

(Holy Sons of the Eleventh and Twelfth Sequences, challenge in progress...)

Third place.

A position neither good nor bad, neither outstanding nor lagging behind.

This result was entirely within Qin Feng’s expectations.

He knew well that if he spared no cost and utilized the core power of the Limitless Divine Light in every engagement to pursue the fastest clear, his score could easily have surged into the top two.

But there was little meaning in doing so.

First, the Eternal Battle Realm was merely the first stage; exposing all his trump cards this early was not a wise move.

His unpredictable combat style, conversely, made it harder for the other Holy Sons to gauge his true depth.

Secondly, and most importantly, to him, this trial itself was a monumental opportunity.

To engage in ten thousand years of mortal combat with ten legendary existences was a chance that could not be sought, only encountered.

The experience, insights, and the refinement of his own Dao gained therein were far more valuable than a few thousand points.

He raised his head, meeting the gazes of Pangu and Truth.

In Pangu’s eyes, there was a trace of pure appreciation and battle-lust, the look of one who has finally found a worthy opponent.

He seemed indifferent to Qin Feng’s ranking, caring only for the resilience and power Qin Feng had displayed in the fray.

Truth’s gaze, however, was filled with inquiry.

He seemed to be attempting to use his logical core to parse the secret hidden behind the evaluation of "immense growth potential."

To Truth, an existence like Qin Feng, teeming with "variables," was the greatest uncertainty in his perfect logical model.

Qin Feng ignored these stares, slowly closing his eyes to begin digesting the spoils of his ten thousand years of warfare in the Eternal Battle Realm.

Massive amounts of combat data and insights into the laws flowed and settled within his Primal Singularity, becoming yet another solid cornerstone on his path to the limit.

After a long while.

Two flashes of light flickered, and the Holy Sons Origin and Illusion finally returned.

Their faces bore an undisguisable weariness.

Clearly, the domains they excelled in held no advantage in the pure combat test of the Eternal Battle Realm. That they had persisted to the end was a testament to their profound foundations and indomitable will.

With their return, the final rankings of the first stage were locked.

Origin placed eleventh, Illusion twelfth; both anchored the bottom.

Thus, the first stage of the God-Child Grand Competition, the Eternal Battle Realm, officially concluded.

Qin Feng had navigated the first phase of the trial steadily with his third-place finish.

He had neither displayed the soul-crushing dominance of Pangu and Truth, which would have drawn the highest vigilance from all, nor had he fallen into the passive predicament of those at the bottom.

He was like a hunter lurking in the abyss, silently positioning himself where he could best observe, and where he could best deliver a fatal blow at the critical moment.

And the second stage, the Stairway of Truth, which was about to begin, would be the stage where he was truly prepared to shine.

(End of Chapter)