The sheer presence of them was enough to tear the heavens apart!

As a sovereign and a major figure in the Hun Realm, even Zhou Zhongyong's imposing aura could not fully contain such a multitude of talents. The collision of so many geniuses together—what spectacular fireworks would ignite? What fierce battles would unfold? Without a doubt, in this clash of geniuses, those who were stronger, those favored by greater fortune, would vanquish the weaker, less fortunate talents, ascending to yet another level.

Stronger geniuses would be forged in such an intense confrontation.

“There are two assessments in total, each worth fifty points. The first assessment tests your adaptability—your ability to thrive in various environments without being extinguished. This is the key to a genius's growth. If one can be easily extinguished, they cannot be called a genius. Central Heaven Dynasty has no need for such fragile individuals. The second test assesses combat prowess.”

“Regarding adaptability, you will be presented with five distinct environments, and scores will be allocated relatively across them.”

“These five environments correspond, respectively, to Little Hongmeng, the oceans of Central Heaven Dynasty, the mountains of Central Heaven Dynasty, the flames of Central Heaven Dynasty, and the lightning of Central Heaven Dynasty.”

“Let me briefly explain the first environment, Little Hongmeng. It is a weakened version of the Hongmeng Era. At the very beginning of this epoch, it was Hongmeng. After the separation of Heaven and Earth, it became the Primordial Desolation, then the Ancient Era, followed by the Middle Ages, leading up to the present day—this is the developmental history of this epoch. Little Hongmeng simulates the Hongmeng Era, albeit weakened by a factor of ten million. However, do not assume that a billion-fold reduction in scale makes it simple; in the true Hongmeng Era, only supremely powerful beings could survive. Even reduced by one hundred million times, the difficulty for you will be exceptionally severe.”

“The subsequent four environments test your adaptation to Central Heaven Dynasty itself.”

“Our seas, our mountains, our flames, and our lightning are all in their normal states.”

“However, the mountains and rivers, the oceans, the flames, and the lightning of Central Heaven Dynasty are utterly different from what you know. Danger lurks everywhere. In Central Heaven Dynasty, one cannot venture out freely unless they have reached the Hun Realm. You must remain within designated areas or be accompanied by a Hun Realm cultivator, otherwise, you risk being killed by the mountains, oceans, flames, or lightning.”

Hearing Zhou Zhongyong say this, the twelve hundred geniuses present were struck speechless.

Every one of them had experienced mountains, rivers, oceans, flames, and lightning, yet they had never imagined that these elements could slay cultivators in the Great Dao Realm.

Central Heaven Dynasty was truly unique.

It inspired longing, and… anticipation.

“In my hand, I hold the Environmental Palace, an artifact bestowed by Central Heaven Dynasty.” He cradled a tiny palace in his palm, minuscule, no larger than his hand, yet exquisitely crafted. Zhou Zhongyong cast it out, and the palace swelled with the wind, rapidly expanding in the void above their heads until it became immeasurably vast.

“Your five environmental tests will be completed within this space,” Zhou Zhongyong announced.

The twelve hundred geniuses, immense in stature, entered the palace in sequence.

What a broad hall it was! Upon entering, they realized its sheer immensity. The Banner Dragon Pillars must have been thousands of feet long, and the hall itself stretched perhaps a hundred thousand zhang. From the outside, there was no indication of such vastness within. Then, the void shifted: “The environment of Little Hongmeng begins.”

In an instant, the palace vanished.

It disappeared completely, instantly.

Then came the surging essence of the Primordial Hongmeng, the aura of Shi (Beginning), the essence of Hong (Torrent), and the breath of Huang (Desolation).

Primordial Desolation—these four characters were often used together.

But in truth, each carried a distinct meaning.

Yuan (Origin) was the most primal existence between heaven and earth; nothing outside of that initial state could be called Yuan. Every creature of Yuan was overwhelmingly powerful, devoid of order, morality, or ethics. Under this aura, monstrous beasts derived from Yuan appeared—many without heads, feet, mouths, or noses, yet possessed of formidable strength.

Shi (Beginning) was not necessarily the absolute first; any era where new ancient beings continually emerged could be called Shi. The beginning of all things was Shi. With the advent of Shi, more bizarre and strange monsters appeared: the thousand-mile-long Shiyin (Corroding Shade), beasts capable of swallowing everything, devouring stars, and other utterly vicious creatures.

Indeed, whether Yuan or Shi, these monsters could all be called—Divinities—in later ages!

Hong (Torrent) referred to the aura of the various air currents and water flows of that time, the currents of the Ancient Era. The air currents then could easily shatter the mountain ranges of later ages, or even those mountains a thousand or ten thousand times stronger than the current ones. A single drop of water back then could easily transform into a great ocean today, possessing the weight of a current-day sea.

Huang (Desolation) was the essence of the primeval earth and its mountains. The ancient earth and its ranges constantly erupted with terrifying magma and lava; nowhere was safe. Moreover, various monsters roamed upon them. And one must not forget Huang itself—the earth and mountains of Desolation possessed a powerful gravitational pull.

The essence of Yuan! The aura of Shi! The breath of Hong! The pressure of Huang!

They all manifested one by one.

And they began to solidify, seemingly transforming into the complete Primordial Desolation. Of course, this was weakened by a factor of ten million, perhaps even less than one in a hundred million at the start. Yet, this vast power still posed a threat.

Everyone immediately deployed their weapons or spells to defend. It was clear that this phase was purely defensive.

As soon as the Primordial Desolation emerged, Lu Yuan sensed something was wrong. The Primordial Desolation seemed to exert an astonishing suppression upon him. The massive force pressed down, making it nearly impossible for him to stand, as if the world itself was rejecting him. What was happening? Lu Yuan swept his gaze around and saw that everyone else appeared relatively at ease. Wait, if everyone else was relaxed, why was he struggling so much? His strength ranked easily within the top few dozen among the twelve hundred geniuses; this was impossible! Lu Yuan looked closer and noticed that not only he, but Yue Nv Xiaoqing was also frowning, Shi Feixian, who wielded the Abyss-Devouring Sword, looked genuinely pained, her beautiful brow furrowed slightly. And Gu Qiushui, at the eighth level of the Great Dao Realm, also seemed to be struggling slightly. Over at Liu Guo from the Ancient Tomb Kingdom, he was visibly sweating profusely.

Why were so many in pain, while others seemed largely unaffected?

It certainly wasn't due to a lack of strength.

In terms of power, Gu Qiushui, being at the eighth level of the Great Dao Realm, should rank near the top; it was impossible for him to show distress so early.

Furthermore, Lu Yuan noticed something else: all these suffering individuals were sword users.

This was bad. There was no time to think. Lu Yuan found the suppression he endured to be the most severe; the four auras of Yuan, Shi, Hong, and Huang surged toward him in a relentless tide. He immediately turned, drew his sword, and unleashed a torrent of sword strikes to fend off this wave of assault. His swordsmanship was godlike, but immediately, an even vaster and more terrifying breath of the Primordial Desolation lunged at him with killing intent.

Boom!

With a crack, Lu Yuan was knocked out of the Primordial Desolation region and plummeted heavily downward.

In the first round of the Little Hongmeng environment test, Lu Yuan was the first to be eliminated, ranking 1,200th—last place.

What was going on! Lu Yuan stabilized himself with his sword! What in the world was happening!

“It seems Brother Zhou was right; your attainment in the Way of the Sword has indeed reached an astonishing level.” A voice sounded behind Lu Yuan. Startled, Lu Yuan spun around to see a slender, refined middle-aged man in purple robes standing behind him, hands clasped behind his back. This man’s spiritual power was immense, subtly hinting at a figure in the Hun Realm.

Lu Yuan was shocked. “May I ask, Senior?”

“My name is Zhuo Lingyun.” The purple-robed, refined man stood with his hands behind his back. Seeing that Lu Yuan showed no recognition, he added, “Judging by your expression, Zhou Qingxuan didn't mention my name to you.”

Someone recognized by Martial Ancestor Zhou? Lu Yuan wondered. He was unaware that Nalan De was blocking him, and that Zhuo Lingyun had sent a message to Zhou Qingxuan, as the two were long-time friends.

“Never mind. It seems Zhou Qingxuan genuinely failed to introduce me. I am an old friend of Brother Zhou, and furthermore, Shen Yu this time is my disciple,” Zhuo Lingyun explained. “And you are wondering why you were expelled from the Little Hongmeng universe so early, when your strength suggests you shouldn't have been.”

Lu Yuan nodded; this was precisely the source of his confusion.

“It is simple. Because the previous epoch was the Epoch of the Sword,” Zhuo Lingyun stated, his hands behind his back. “That previous epoch eventually collapsed, and this current epoch was born. Any new epoch will involuntarily suppress the previous one. The Primordial Desolation of this epoch imposes a particularly severe constraint on the Sword.”

“The higher your attainment in the Sword Dao, the more you are suppressed by the Primordial Desolation of this epoch,” Zhuo Lingyun continued. “Your cultivation in the Sword Dao must be extremely high, otherwise, you wouldn't be suppressed so severely.”

“Sword King level or Sword Emperor level?” Zhuo Lingyun looked at Lu Yuan.

“Sword Emperor level,” Lu Yuan replied.

“A Sword Emperor! Truly a peerless genius of remarkable talent.” Zhuo Lingyun clapped his hands in admiration. “No wonder Brother Zhou personally came out of seclusion to cultivate you; otherwise, with his background, it would be difficult for him to leave and mentor others. Since you are at the Sword Emperor level, you naturally suffered infinite suppression in the first trial. If you were Sword Saint level, you might not have lasted even this long; you would have been rejected even faster.”

“Precisely because of this epoch’s suppression against the previous Epoch of the Sword, even a civilization built on the sword has not taken shape in this era.”

A civilization of the sword had not even existed?!

Lu Yuan instinctively gripped the sword in his hand.