"I have committed no crime, so why should I apologize?" Ye Chen glanced at the crowd and suddenly roared, "What kind of nonsense are you all spewing here!"

Everyone was startled, the accumulated momentum instantly collapsed, and for a moment, they stared at each other, the atmosphere growing somewhat sluggish and awkward.

"You insolent brat!" From the sofa on the left, a burly man suddenly stood up, his fierce eyes blazing as he glared at Ye Chen, "How dare you disrespect your elders and shout so rudely? What kind of decorum is that? I shall discipline you first!" With that, he reached out with a massive hand and lunged towards Ye Chen.

A cold light flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. He stepped back one pace, clenched his fist, and as the incoming palm approached, he smashed out a ferocious punch.

Boom!

The fist connected with the burly man's palm, and a muffled thunderclap exploded in the entire room, making the eardrums of the many beautiful girls around ache, causing several to faint.

Ye Chen's black hair flew backward, his eyes chillingly focused on the burly man, his body not retreating in the slightest.

The burly man felt a wild, surging power unleash from the impact, pouring into his body. His entire frame was driven backward, forcing him to retreat three full steps before he could stabilize himself.

The entire venue fell instantly silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the burly man, then turned their gazes back to Ye Chen, disbelief flickering in their eyes. Based on sheer physical strength alone, this young man had overpowered a Deacon Elder at the peak God Spirit level?

Under the scrutiny of the crowd, two sharp beams of light suddenly shot from the eyes of the man in white, landing squarely on Ye Chen. He slowly said, "Good!"

The crowd snapped back to reality, unable to help but take a second, more intense look at Ye Chen, their eyes revealing a measure of shock as they turned toward the man in white.

Under everyone's gaze, the man in white, named Hua Zhan, slowly lowered the legs he had propped up on the table, stood up with magnificent bearing, looked down at Ye Chen, and nodded, "You truly possess some skill!"

Ye Chen retracted his fist, regarding him coldly, and remained silent.

"No wonder you could slay Zi Dian. With this physical might, you must have encountered some fortuitous encounter, something hidden about you. Your future is bright." The man in white smiled slightly, though the expression quickly turned icy, a chilling glint emerging in his eyes. "However, you won't see tomorrow!"

Ye Chen let out a cold laugh. "Are you intending to strike here and now?"

"Why not?" The man in white chuckled lightly, his demeanor casual yet infused with a chilling arrogance. "According to the authority granted to members of my Blazing Dragon Hall, if an ordinary genius dares to offend, one may execute first and report later! You have already offended my dignity; that is your crime!"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "Don't try to intimidate me. If I'm not mistaken, that authority only extends below the Second Grade Genius Hall. You can, at most, kill three members of the Third Grade Genius Hall. If you kill too many, you will also face severe punishment, losing your privileges! As for me, you are not qualified to kill me just because you wish to!"

A cold light flashed in the man in white's eyes as he fixed his gaze directly on Ye Chen. After a moment, he slowly withdrew his gaze, a subtle curve forming on his lips. "Good, very good! You certainly have courage. To be honest, I almost regret having to kill you. Perhaps in a few decades, you might even make it into the Blazing Dragon Hall. The progression time for us geniuses is beyond the comprehension of ordinary men. I think highly of you."

"However, killing you will be too simple..." A playful smile touched his eyes as he glanced at the eight peak God Spirit level Deacon Elders present. He smiled and said, "Esteemed Elders, who is willing to take the blame for me? I will reward you with a peak God Spirit level airship, plus a full peak-grade equipment set! When I break through to the God Spirit realm and achieve the rank of God Emperor in the future, I will certainly repay you handsomely!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the eight Deacon Elders present lit up, their expressions laced with excitement.

Given their status, killing a genius destined for promotion to the Supreme Grade Genius Hall would certainly invite severe repercussions. However, under the system of the Blazing Spirit Empire, it would not result in immediate execution. At most, they would be stripped of authority, thrown into the Celestial Prison, exiled to the frontier, and forced into hard labor for perhaps a hundred thousand years or more, to compensate for the loss of one genius.

Exchanging a hundred thousand years of hard labor for a peak God Spirit level airship and the future promise of recompense from one who might become a God Emperor—this was truly a deal too profitable to pass up.

"Brat, surrender!" The effeminate man looked at Ye Chen, a cruel arc twisting his lips. "This place was pre-arranged. Once you entered, the room was completely sealed; you cannot leave. Furthermore, with the eight of us combining our Domain Worlds, obliterating you would be as simple as crushing an ant!"

Ye Chen's expression turned icy. His gaze swept over the eight people present one by one, as if imprinting their faces into his memory, finally resting on the man in white. He spoke coldly, "If you truly have the ability, meet me in the Virtual Combat Arena three months from now!"

"What?" Everyone present was momentarily stunned.

The man in white paused slightly, then looked intently at Ye Chen, a flicker of interest in his expression. "You wish to challenge me?"

"Do you dare accept?" Ye Chen raised his head, looking down on him with disdain.

"A provocation?" The man in white chuckled, cold light shimmering in his eyes. "Very well! But I want our duel to be a live arena match!"

Ye Chen frowned, a hint of hesitation coloring his demeanor.

The man in white smiled, a devilish grin spreading across his face. "Back then, you humiliated Zi Dian in front of everyone, leading to his tragic defeat and death. Now, I shall avenge him and return the favor! If you refuse, you will not be walking out of this door today."

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then decisively said, "I agree!"

"Good!" The man in white’s smile held a sinister edge. "One more thing—I will only give you two months! The challenge will begin then. I don't know what little secret you have that requires setting the match for three months, but I am a man who loves to disrupt others' plans..."

Ye Chen frowned, remaining silent for a moment before agreeing, "I accept your terms!"

The eight Deacon Elders standing nearby grew anxious as the sure-fire transaction slipped away. The burly man quickly interjected, "Young Master Hua Zhan, if you allow this, what if he escapes?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Let's deal with him now!"

The others chimed in their agreement.

The man in white waved his hand dismissively. "Relax. During these two months, I will assign men to monitor him, ensuring he cannot leave the Genius Hall headquarters even for a moment! Moreover, even if he truly runs, I can request an Elder from the Samsara Divine Palace to divine his location. In this world, there is no one Hua Zhan marks for death who manages to live on!"

"This..." Everyone exchanged glances, left utterly speechless.

Ye Chen glanced at the eight men, his eyes flickering slightly, and said in a low voice, "Since that is settled, please open the door. I have no time to waste entertaining you here."

"You!" The burly man glared furiously at Ye Chen, wishing he could strangle him.

The man in white smiled faintly. "These are your final two months. Cherish them well."

Ye Chen glanced back at him without saying more, turned, and walked toward the automatically opening door. He exited directly, returned to the elevator, and soon left the Deacon Hall.

When he reached the main hall, the demure and beautiful girls behind the counter saw Ye Chen emerging from the elevator unharmed. They exchanged surprised glances, tinged with astonishment.

...

Returning to his villa residence, the other servants had already disposed of the older man's corpse and scrubbed the bloodstains from the walls clean.

When everyone saw Ye Chen return, they were all greatly startled, as if seeing a ghost, staring at him in shock, some wondering if they were still trapped in a dream.

Ye Chen ignored their astonishment and walked directly into his room, closing the door and throwing back a final statement: "Don't disturb me."

Inside the room.

Ye Chen took out his virtual helmet and entered the Genius Virtual Store to check on the Dragon Bone Grass he had reserved earlier. The system indicated two days remaining until delivery.

"Two months..." Ye Chen gazed out the window at the sky, murmuring to himself, quietly clenching his fist. His eyes turned cold and dark. He slowly closed them, his consciousness reaching out toward a distant location in the White Lotus Divine State.

In a nameless cave mansion, before the Heavenly Dao Mountain.

On the towering Heavenly Dao Mountain, seated cross-legged on the steps of the second level, was a figure—distinctly resembling Ye Chen. This figure sat motionless upon the stone steps, eyes closed, possessing an indescribable serenity. If one looked closely, they would notice that the pores of his body were subtly expanding and contracting, as if constantly adjusting his physical form to adapt to something.

After a while, this clone of Ye Chen opened his eyes. His gaze was calm as still water as he looked down at the several hundred steps before him. With a detached expression, he stood up and began ascending the stairs above. After climbing only three steps, he felt the pressure surge to an absolute limit.

"One step further..." Clone Ye Chen gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down him like rain, and forced his foot upward onto the next step.

Thud!

The moment his foot landed, the overwhelming pressure swept over him, blasting his entire body backward, sending him tumbling down to the ground below. He slammed heavily onto the metallic flagstones, the nauseating sound of cracking bones echoing loudly. Blood seeped out through his pores, soaking his clothing.

Clone Ye Chen clenched his fists, bit his lower lip until it trembled, and slowly struggled back up. A resolute light ignited in his eyes as he lifted his head to gaze at the Heavenly Dao Mountain that pierced the clouds.

Then, he began to walk, step by arduous step.

His gait carried infinite fatigue, as if he could collapse at any moment, yet he stood firm before the Heavenly Dao Mountain.

He took another step, challenging the climb once more—challenging this majestic Heavenly Dao Mountain!

...

While this clone was battling the Heavenly Dao Mountain, Ye Chen’s true body also opened his eyes. He donned the virtual helmet and used the system transfer function, arriving directly before the Heavenly Dao Stele.

"Do you wish to contemplate the Heavenly Dao Stele?" The system prompt sounded.

"Yes!"

Ye Chen was instantly transported before the Heavenly Dao Stele, arriving at the exact location where he had previously sought enlightenment, and continued his contemplation.