A vessel of the Middle Deity class docked before the Rune Ship, and from it emerged a figure, three zhang tall and powerfully built, who stopped in mid-air before the Rune Ship.

Ye Chen paused in thought, then instructed Xiao Hei, "Go out and see."

Xiao Hei managed a wry smile, resignedly opening the hatch and approaching the burly man. "Senior, is there something you require of my master?"

The massive man exuded a faint divine power, seeming to exist between the illusory and the real, wrapped in wisps of elemental law. It was as if the entire world revolved around him; where he stood was an isolated space unto itself.

"Greetings," the burly man said, bowing slightly to Xiao Hei with a gentle smile. "I am an officer from the Genius Hall of the Yan God Empire. We wish to discuss matters with you." Xiao Hei deliberated briefly. "I shall inform my master."

"Mmm," the burly man nodded slightly.

Xiao Hei turned and re-entered the Rune Ship.

"Boss," Xiao Hei reported to Ye Chen truthfully, "that gentleman wishes to speak with you. He claims to be an officer from the Genius Hall of the Yan God Empire."

"The Yan God Empire?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

The entire territory of the Tianwu Marquisate was but one of the domains under the Yan God Empire. In other words, the Yan God Empire contained thousands of powers equivalent to a figure like Teacher Tianwu, a True God!

"Discuss matters?" Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then commanded, "Very well!"

Xiao Hei nodded, stepped out of the Rune Ship, and returned to the imposing figure. "Senior, my master agrees. Please lead the way."

The burly man smiled faintly, turned, and re-entered his ship. That vessel then shot off into the distance like a streak of rainbow light.

The Rune Ship followed closely, soon arriving before a magnificent structure. This building spanned an area of about ten kilometers, making it the most towering edifice on the nearby streets, reaching nearly one hundred kilometers into the sky. Even Mount Everest on Earth would resemble a sapling before it.

A sign bearing the insignia of an inn was affixed to the building—it was a Six-Star Hotel of the Ancient Continent. On the Ancient Continent, a six-star establishment was something that even the entire treasury of a nation in Earth's peaceful era could scarcely afford to build. Five-star hotels on Earth looked like dingy shacks here, not even qualifying for a single star.

Whoosh~~

The two ships entered the hotel's anti-air defense zone. A system notification sounded within the ships. Ye Chen immediately produced the Tianwu Token. The smart system of the air defense immediately scanned and verified the token's authenticity, withdrawing all security checks for the ships.

The vessels pulled into the docking bay. Although the ships could be stored in dimensional space, the hotel arranged for staff to clean and maintain them when parked in the facility.

The docking bay was vast, housing numerous ships. All required a cleaning fee. Among them was a section reserved for VIP Divine Spirit Ships. Here, the cleaners were highly qualified personnel, rigorously vetted in all aspects, as they served ships of the divine caliber.

From the Middle Deity-class ship emerged three figures. In the center stood a commanding man with a head of fiery red curly hair and a full beard, projecting a wild aura. Beside him stood the burly man and another youth clad in white robes.

The burly man nodded to Ye Chen and his group before leading the way into the hotel.

Ye Chen and Xiao Hei followed behind.

Not long after entering, they requested a VIP private chamber located on the 600th floor, reaching it via elevator in just two minutes.

As Ye Chen and his party stepped in, they found the hotel lobby exceptionally clean and brightly lit. The doors stood open, yet the space, capable of accommodating tens of thousands, currently held only a few hundred people chatting casually on lounge sofas.

Arriving on the 600th floor, they were guided by a server to their private room. The commanding man handed the menus to the burly man and the youth in white beside him, simultaneously instructing the server to provide menus for Xiao Hei and the others.

The table in the room was spacious enough for several dozen people without feeling cramped.

Ye Chen did not look at his menu, but the gasps from Xiao Hei and the others nearby suggested the prices listed were outrageously expensive, surprising even those accustomed to Ye Chen's means.

He poured himself a cup of water and sipped it slowly.

Once the others had finished ordering, the commanding man dismissed the server and looked at Ye Chen, smiling gently. "Hello. I am a Helmsman from the Genius Hall. Let me introduce myself first: you may call me Misiuke!"

Ye Chen nodded. "I am Ye Chen, from the Spiritual Civilization."

"Spiritual Civilization…?" Misiuke paused slightly, then said nothing more, merely smiling. "We have sought you out to extend an invitation to join our Genius Hall! This is where all the geniuses of the entire Yan God Empire congregate. Here, you can achieve greater advancement and training!"

Ye Chen frowned and shook his head. "I have urgent matters requiring me to travel to the Bright Empire; I cannot linger here."

Misiuke looked taken aback. "To the Bright Empire? That is so far—it's a journey across empires. Why would you go there?"

Ye Chen preferred not to elaborate. "I am looking for someone."

Misiuke suddenly understood and chuckled. "That is easily managed. Seeing how you travel, I realize your time is tight. However, this poses no conflict with becoming a member of our Genius Hall."

"Oh?" Ye Chen showed a spark of interest.

Misiuke poured himself a cup of wine, tasted it, and sighed contentedly. "Our Yan God Empire is vast and boundless, comprising 1,008 Marquisates. The founding king of every Marquisate was a being who surpassed the God level!"

"Each Marquisate is immensely broad, containing tens of trillions of inhabitants! You can imagine how terrifying the total population of the Yan God Empire is. Yet, among such numbers, very few possess the qualifications to enter our Genius Hall!"

"Those in our Genius Hall either possess extraordinary innate talent, harbor unique secret arts, or have received heaven-defying secret manuals. In short, they are individuals capable of fighting above their level and defying fate!"

"If you cannot defy fate, you are not a genius."

He glanced at Ye Chen. "Here, we can provide people like you with the finest resources, the best environment, and the most perfect methods for training, accelerating your ascent!"

"Though I know that geniuses are often arrogant at heart,"

"the true path of cultivation is littered with too many fallen talents. I recall a battle long ago where a genius perished."

Ye Chen’s expression was calm; he was not overly surprised.

A genius falling? That was perfectly normal!

"That individual," Misiuke began slowly, "possessed the cultivation of a Demigod, yet with combat secret techniques, he could breach the Battle God Barrier and challenge true Gods! Merely at the Demigod realm, he showed such potential; if he had ascended to Pseudo-God, his potential would have been even greater!"

Ye Chen’s heart jolted. "A Demigod could fight a God-level expert?"

"Yes!" Misiuke affirmed with absolute certainty. He then sighed faintly. "However, even such a person ultimately falls, because they failed to secure a powerful backer. Moreover, this world is peculiar; some geniuses can challenge God-level experts above them, yet they themselves cannot break through to become Gods!"

"Because Divinity is a threshold!"

"When breaking through to Divinity, one's energy volume must reach the ten-million mark, and no amount of consumption will facilitate the breakthrough! To achieve Divinity, one must comprehend the Laws of Heaven and Earth! The stronger the comprehension of Laws, the greater the combat power!"

Misiuke noticed the slight gleam in Ye Chen’s eyes and smiled. "If you are willing, you can join our Genius Hall. Everyone here is a genius like you; it will be greatly beneficial to you."

Ye Chen remained silent, deep in thought.

Seeing Ye Chen’s reservations, Misiuke laughed reassuringly. "Rest assured, we grant great freedom in the Genius Hall; your movements will not be restricted. If you wish, I can transmit the Hall Regulations to you."

Ye Chen frowned slightly, contemplating internally.

Misiuke saw that Ye Chen was not entirely swayed. After a moment’s thought, a faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. "There is one more benefit: if you are willing to strive, you can obtain official positions, such as a General in the Imperial Military Department! This will make travel to other nations much more convenient, as you would be representing the Yan God Empire!"

Ye Chen’s eyes brightened. He nodded. "Done!"

"Are you certain?" Misiuke adopted a more formal posture.

Ye Chen showed no hesitation and nodded. "Certain!"

Misiuke’s smile carried a hint of success. He flipped his hand, tossing Ye Chen an object resembling a car key. "Everything is contained within this."

Ye Chen caught it reflexively and activated it. A stream of pure energy flowed into his palm, and a massive influx of information flooded his consciousness.

"Genius Hall!"

"Within the Yan God Empire, the Genius Hall is the place that gathers all national geniuses. It is divided into three tiers: First-Tier Genius Hall, Second-Tier Genius Hall, and Third-Tier Genius Hall, in addition to the Supreme-Tier Genius Hall!"

"You are currently placed in the Second-Tier Genius Hall."

Reading this, Ye Chen was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected the Hall to have so many ranks, and certainly hadn't expected that, despite his power—his secret manuals amplifying his strength ten thousandfold, allowing him to fight peak Pseudo-Gods—he would only qualify for the Second Tier!

What would the First Tier be like? Those capable of challenging Gods as Demigods? And the Supreme-Tier Hall—surely that was even more heaven-defying?

Thinking of this, a fierce, hot blood seemed to surge within Ye Chen, and he quickly continued reading.

"The duties required upon entering the Genius Hall are simple."

"In the Genius Hall, everything operates on 'Divine Points' as the basic currency. Divine Points can be used to purchase secret manuals or view the Heaven's Dao Stele!"

"Obtaining Divine Points is straightforward. Each month, one can accept a mission, which offers rich Divine Points upon completion. Additionally, one can accept Death-Grade Missions for greater earnings!"

"Furthermore, one can gain points through combat!"

"Geniuses can engage in duels within the combat arena, staking Divine Points as wagers."

Ye Chen gradually grasped the administrative structure of this Genius Hall as he read on.