"This is your exclusive helmet." Mishuk withdrew an exquisite helmet from a spatial folding bag, resembling a motorcycle crash helmet, its surface dotted with numerous points of light that reflected a cold metallic sheen.

Ye Chen paused, asking, "What is this?"

Mishuk smiled, "This is the exclusive helmet of the Hall of Geniuses. Through binding with the virtual world, it allows access to the Hall of Geniuses' virtual domain. No matter where you are, you can enter the Hall through the virtual world."

Ye Chen reached out and took it; it felt somewhat heavy. Upon closer inspection, he noticed subtle differences from traditional virtual helmets, and the metal composition seemed unusually sturdy.

"When you have time, return to the Hall of Geniuses once. Every month, the Hall issues resources to you, which you can collect. If uncollected, they accumulate."

"Most geniuses dislike being constrained and prefer to roam freely, so many like you wander outside, yet they can still access the Hall of Geniuses via the virtual world."

Ye Chen nodded slightly.

At that moment, the waiter brought the dishes, arranging plates of dragon meat and phoenix liver on the dining table, emitting an alluring aroma. Xiao Hei and Bai Long, among others, looked on with surging appetites, their mouths watering.

A thought suddenly sparked in Ye Chen's mind, "I wonder if my friends here can enter the Hall of Geniuses?"

Mishuk paused, glancing at Bai Long and the others, his brow furrowing slightly. "That's hard to say. To enter the Hall of Geniuses, one must be a genius!"

"To enter the Third-Grade Hall of Geniuses, one must have an amplification power reaching 500,000 times!"

"To enter the Second-Grade Hall of Geniuses, one must have an amplification power reaching 2,000,000 times!"

"To enter the First-Grade Hall of Geniuses, one must have an amplification power reaching 6,000,000 times!"

"To enter the Supreme-Grade Hall of Geniuses, one must have an amplification power reaching 10,000,000 times!"

Ye Chen was momentarily stunned, then frowned. He hadn't realized that entering this Hall of Geniuses would be so arduous!

If he hadn't possessed the Heaven-Defying Secret Manuals—the Bloodline Mystery Codex and the Heavenly Dao Scripture—even relying solely on the Nine Palaces Mystery Manual might not have brought him this far.

From this, one could imagine what kind of monstrous prodigies gathered in the Hall of Geniuses!

"This is the token for the Second-Grade Hall of Geniuses." Mishuk flipped his palm and tossed a token to Ye Chen. "With this token, your status is revered throughout the Blazing God Empire. When you go to any Marquisate border, they are obligated to initiate space jumps for you free of charge, and all services are discounted by ninety percent!"

Ye Chen accepted it, glanced at it, and put it away.

This Genius Token was effective across the entire Blazing God Empire, but not in other empires. However, this authority was only comparable to nobility; it lacked the power of the Sky Witch Token, which could strip a City Lord of their post.

Yet, the Sky Witch Token was only usable within the Sky Witch Marquisates. If taken to other territories, it offered little use; people might show some apprehension, but the practical discounts and benefits were entirely absent, severely diminishing its value.

"In the future, if you need anything, you can contact me through the virtual world. My virtual world ID is inside your virtual helmet," Mishuk said with a smile.

Ye Chen nodded. After some pleasantries, they bid farewell once they finished eating. Ye Chen then restocked provisions and hurried towards the space jump point, continuing his journey through spatial leaps...

"Boss, this Hall of Geniuses seems incredibly formidable, doesn't it?"

"Tsk tsk, needing 500,000 times amplification just to enter the lowest tier? Amplifying one's own strength by 500,000 times? A normal Earthling struggles to utilize even 200% of their strength—that’s only double—let alone 500,000 times!"

"Remember, Bruce Lee, through muscle bursts to amplify strength, could only achieve 300% or 400%! The cost was massive muscle depletion, draining life force."

"Scientific evidence suggests that in moments of extreme crisis, humans can perform superhuman feats. In a European country, an elderly woman whose grandson was crushed by a car lifted the entire vehicle with one hand; once the adrenaline faded, her own life force was completely spent."

"A secret manual that grants a mere tenfold amplification can drive people mad."

"Let alone 500,000 times!"

Xiao Hei, Kaba, and the others murmured amongst themselves, feeling deeply shocked—shocked both by the strict requirements of the Hall of Geniuses and by Ye Chen's own strength.

"Little Chen Chen..." Bai Long approached with a broad, knowing smile. "How many times can you amplify your power?"

Ye Chen shot him a sidelong glance. "We aren't that close; don't crowd me."

Bai Long's expression turned wistful. "Don't be so cold-hearted! It's rare we meet; I've missed you terribly."

"Where is my saber?"

"W-what are you doing..."

After some lighthearted banter, Ye Chen and his group finished eating and retired to rest. Since the Ancient World had virtual connectivity, Ye Chen purchased numerous virtual devices and installed them within the Relic Space. Because the Relic was sealed, direct signal reception was poor, so they established a signal tower inside.

These preparations were made when leaving Dragonflame City, and with the authority of the Sky Witch Token, the setup was accomplished swiftly.

During this period, Bai Long, Mo Feng, and the others wouldn't be idle; they could train in the virtual world. Given their current power levels, they should be able to challenge up to the ninth floor of the War God Tower—the peak of the demigod tier!

However, continuous challenging was excellent for honing combat techniques.

Skills were sharpened through repeated fighting.

The ancestors of the past, lacking secret manuals, were able to create their own techniques; thus, combat remained the fundamental source, the wellspring from which all techniques originated.

Ye Chen returned to his private resting chamber, leaning back on a sofa, examining the Genius Helmet. He noted an embedded identification chip—this chip granted access to a private virtual space within the Hall of Geniuses; only helmets with this chip could enter the designated virtual scenarios.

It functioned much like a mobile phone's SIM card.

Ye Chen donned the helmet, and his consciousness was immediately linked to a virtual expanse. He stood atop a majestic peak, gazing over the world, surrounded by swirling, faint, ephemeral mists.

"Welcome. Do you wish to enter the Virtual Game Zone, the Arena Zone, or the Hall of Geniuses Zone?" a sweet virtual service voice echoed in Ye Chen's ear.

"Hall of Geniuses Zone!" Ye Chen commanded without hesitation.

Whoosh!

Light flashed before him, dissolving the surrounding mist, replaced by an intense white glare. After a moment, the light subsided, revealing a towering, magnificent mountain peak whose summit Ye Chen, even with his current strength, could not fully see—it soared manifold higher than Mount Everest, its crown perpetually veiled in swirling clouds.

However, Ye Chen observed that many long swords were embedded upside down into the mountainside, forming a path like stone steps.

"A Sword Ladder?" Ye Chen paused momentarily, then proceeded, his steps light as a swallow, sprinting rapidly upward, tapping gently upon the sword pommels.

Before long, Ye Chen reached the summit.

Before the Sword Ladder on the peak stood a massive stone gate, miles wide, intricately carved with coiled divine dragons and dancing phoenixes, their forms so vivid they exuded a palpable aura of sharp fierceness.

Ye Chen felt his very cells stir within him.

He strode towards the interior of the gate. Beyond lay a vast plaza, ringed by multi-tiered structures whose tops disappeared into the distance.

Ye Chen walked toward the center of the plaza.

The plaza housed numerous fountains; their water plumes sprang up like umbrellas, refracting light into a dazzling, magnificent spectrum. The ground was paved with white jade, etched with figures: some sat cross-legged, eyes closed in cultivation; others stood inverted on their heads, feet pointing skyward, engaged in physical training.

Ye Chen's arrival drew several gazes.

"A newcomer has arrived."

"Tsk tsk, every newcomer gets 10 Divine Points, enough to exchange for one viewing of the Heavenly Dao Stele."

The surrounding people looked at Ye Chen, their eyes shining brightly.

Ye Chen remained composed, his brow furrowed slightly, feeling a strange sensation akin to entering a wolf den. He walked calmly toward his designated building; upon entry, a notification had informed him his quarters were Building 18, Unit 6, Apartment 602!

"Friend." A voice sounded from behind Ye Chen.

Ye Chen turned to see a blue-skinned youth approaching. He was nearly twenty feet tall, possessed a hooked nose, pointed ears like an elf, and a tail trailing behind him, reminiscent of primitive man, his eyes a pale gold.

"Greetings, I am Huangpu Tian, from the Blue Sky Civilization!" The youth extended a hand in a friendly gesture.

Ye Chen lightly clasped and released it. "Spirit Civilization, Ye Chen."

Huangpu Tian regarded Ye Chen for a moment, then smiled, "Brother Ye, you are new here, correct?"

Ye Chen nodded slightly.

Huangpu Tian laughed, "Let me show you around."

Ye Chen did not refuse, accompanying him on a stroll across the plaza.

Huangpu Tian observed Ye Chen and remarked, "Brother Ye, the competition in the Hall of Geniuses is fierce. Since you were selected to join, your strength must be considerable."

Ye Chen nodded slightly. "Passable."

Huangpu Tian smiled, unsurprised by Ye Chen's reserved demeanor; few true geniuses bothered with excessive modesty, finding it overly affected.

"I trust the Helmsman introduced you to the Hall of Geniuses upon your arrival. This place gathers people from countless civilizations." Huangpu Tian continued with a smile, "Brother Ye, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can seek me out. I find you quite agreeable, and I will certainly assist if I can."

Ye Chen returned a slight smile. "Very well."

After parting ways, Ye Chen headed directly to his allocated room. The interior was decorated with extreme luxury, exquisite and noble, yet devoid of any nouveau riche vulgarity; instead, it conveyed a sense of perfect artifice.

The arrangement of the room alone suggested that the technology of the Ancient Continent far surpassed that of Earth.

Ye Chen reclined on the bed and began querying the virtual intelligence for information.

Ye Chen stated, "How many members are in the Second-Grade Hall of Geniuses in total?"

The intelligent system responded, "The entire Second-Grade Hall of Geniuses comprises 2,802 members, selected from countless individuals across the entire Blazing God Empire."

Ye Chen pondered for a moment. Just then, an email notification arrived. He casually clicked it open; the subject line contained only two characters: Challenge!