"Mmm," Mickey nodded, choking back a sound. "It’s the secret manuals left by my father. There are only two sets: one for close combat and one for body strengthening. Once I master them completely, I can enter the Blazing Dragon Hall."

Ye Chen nodded, couldn't help but sigh, pondered for a moment, and said, "I have a few secret manuals here of other types, specifically for Self-Destruction, Willpower, and Body Tempering. You can layer these onto your own manuals after you learn them."

Mickey’s eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "Really?"

Ye Chen nodded, gently rubbed the top of the boy's head, flipped his palm, and selected several Peak God-level secret manuals he had previously reviewed from the Demon God Palace’s treasury. Such manuals were not uncommon in the treasury; there were even many God-Emperor level manuals, but the knowledge they contained was too rich, making them impossible to cultivate with his current state of mind.

"Practice these three well," Ye Chen said, offering the three manuals glowing brightly that hovered in his palm to Mickey. "If anyone bullies you in the future, come find me. I’m in Villa number 18 on the mountainside."

Mickey nodded emphatically. "I definitely will. But these manuals... are you really giving them to me?"

Ye Chen smiled, flicked his wrist, tossed them into the boy's arms, then stood up, waved his hand, and walked down the mountain path, quickly disappearing from sight.

Mickey stood frozen, clutching the manuals in his hands, staring blankly at Ye Chen's retreating back. After a moment, he tightened his grip on the manuals, squeezing them hard.

...

Returning to his residence, as he approached the villa, Ye Chen pulled open the Rune Space and gave an order. Little Mo and the other servants inside the Rune Spaceship immediately filed out, standing at the villa entrance. They stared, dumbfounded, at the magnificent, imposing, and extraordinary villa before them.

"This is the Supreme Genius Hall!!"

"This villa is so exquisitely beautiful!"

"Wow..."

The servants erupted in cheers.

Ye Chen closed the Rune Space and led the way toward the villa. He stopped before the smart recognition door at the entrance courtyard, pressing the blue button located in the center of the white metal box hanging above it. The entire white metal box immediately flipped open with a click, revealing a strange, dark-gold eyeball within.

A red beam radiated from the eyeball and imprinted itself onto Ye Chen's eyes.

"DNE identification (match), iris identification (match), bone structure identification (match)..." The smart prompt sounded. "All matches confirmed. Esteemed Mr. Ye Chen, please present your Genius Medal!"

Ye Chen flipped his palm, took out his Genius Medal, and presented it to the red light. The light scanned it briefly, and the entire courtyard gate swung open, revealing a small manor layout: neatly trimmed lawn, vibrant flowers, and a small path leading directly to the villa entrance.

Ye Chen led the way inside, immediately greeted by a welcoming party of servants. The leader was a middle-aged man in a black suit, his hair slicked back, sporting a goatee, who approached Ye Chen like a butler and respectfully said, "Esteemed Master, we have been awaiting your arrival for some time. I am 007, the butler here. How may I serve you?"

Ye Chen nodded slightly, casually pointed to Little Mo and the other servants behind him, and instructed, "They are here to work. I leave their arrangement to you. Also, please prepare towels and hot water, and clean up the cultivation chamber. Do not disturb me unless I summon you."

The middle-aged man bowed respectfully. "Yes! Master, please come in. Hot water has already been prepared for your wash-down."

Ye Chen waved his hand and walked directly into the villa. The lobby was decorated with opulent luxury, exquisitely beautiful, revealing meticulous attention to detail. He went straight to the bathing area where a metal tub waited. Using the 'Hundred Flowers Starlight Water' body wash provided, he scrubbed his body. This 'Hundred Flowers Starlight Water' was a high-grade body wash, valued at 100 Pseudo-God Stones per bottle—equivalent to the price of a low-tier Pseudo-God Weapon.

Its effects were remarkable: not only did it smooth the skin and provide dust resistance, but it also cleansed the dirt from the pores, applied a protective film, and vitalized the skin's circulation, as its primary components were refined from hundreds of precious medicinal herbs, making it an item used by the upper echelon in the ancient world.

If an ordinary person on Earth used it just a few times, it could instantly strengthen their body, causing their physical constitution to surge past one hundred levels!

After a quick rinse, Ye Chen, guided by two beautiful serving girls, arrived at the cultivation chamber. This chamber was incredibly spacious and contained a separate, high-intensity gravity room where the gravity could be adjusted at will, reaching up to 1000 times that of the outside environment!

This offered ten times the effect of a standard Gravity Disc.

Ye Chen dismissed the two maids, closed the door, and immediately put on the virtual helmet to enter the virtual world and contemplate the Heavenly Dao Stele.

Time flowed...

A day passed. Ye Chen had performed contemplations over sixty times, consuming over 600 God Points in a single day. At this rate of consumption, not just the Supreme Genius Hall, but perhaps even those in the Blazing Dragon Hall would hesitate to be so extravagant.

After more than sixty contemplations, Ye Chen’s state of mind rose sharply, already brushing against the barrier of the third tier of the Saint Realm, needing only one catalyst to break through. In terms of Law comprehension, he had advanced from 289 star maps to the 295 star map level.

If this speed of progress were known externally, it would undoubtedly shock the world. At this pace, he could decipher the Heavenly Dao Stele and comprehend the power of Laws in under three years!

Early morning.

Among the dense foliage of the mountain peak, amidst the emerald leaves, morning dew slid down from the treetops, carried by the breeze. Due to the wind, the droplets traced graceful arcs in the air before splashing onto the decaying leaves and soil below.

The mountain peak, shrouded in a thin layer of white mist, felt refreshingly crisp. The gentle mountain wind carried the calls of unknown birds and beasts.

Ye Chen washed up and headed to the Floating Island Cluster. These islands floated around the Supreme Genius Mountain Peak, suspended in the sky surrounding it, orbiting the peak as the central point. These floating mountains varied in size and served as venues for recreation and real battle arenas!

Currently, on the island designated for Real Arena Battle No. 1, the island hung suspended in the void, spanning a diameter of nearly a thousand kilometers. The edges of the island were entwined with vines, branches spreading out, and black rock covered in moss, bearing the marks of ages.

In the center of the island was a plaza-like fighting stage. Surrounding this stage hovered numerous cloud-like floating seats. On the platform now, a bustling crowd was gathered; seventy or eighty figures were seated on the clouds—men and women, old and young, from different civilizations, with varying builds and appearances.

"Did you hear? That fellow Nandu is going to have a real arena battle with the newcomer!"

"You mean the kid who killed Purple Lightning in the First-Class Genius Hall?"

"This person is supposedly from the Spiritual Civilization, while Nandu is from the Epic Civilization. Both civilizations possess formidable talents, especially the Spiritual Civilization. I wonder how many stages this kid has unlocked."

"At his Demigod strength, he could unlock at most the second stage, which is still trash compared to Nandu. Remember, Nandu is someone with the potential to enter the Blazing Dragon Hall. Elder Xue mentioned last time that Nandu would leap the dragon gate and become a member of the Blazing Dragon Hall in less than 200 years!"

"It is said that the last time Nandu fought, 600 years ago, his secret manual amplitude exploded to 60 million times. I wonder how much progress he's made in the last 600 years?"

Many people murmured amongst themselves. They were all Supreme Geniuses with vast networks. The battle Ye Chen and Nandu agreed upon yesterday had already spread like wildfire, causing a huge stir, and almost all members had arrived to watch.

Watching the event live yielded far greater rewards than reviewing the recording later.

Furthermore, since Nandu was a top-tier powerhouse in the Supreme Genius Hall, watching his fight allowed others, first, to gauge his strength, and second, to gain some insight.

In the Supreme Genius Hall, most battles took place in the Virtual Genius Arena. Real Arena Battles were rare because fighting in them meant exposing many trump cards; otherwise, one careless move could lead to fatal consequences.

The sun rose from the distant horizon, painting the sky with a pale yellow, driving away the morning mist, and bathing the entire fighting platform in warm sunlight.

Whoosh!

A sound of tearing through the air suddenly rang out. A majestic figure streaked rapidly across the distant horizon, landing in the center of the fighting platform. As the light subsided, the figure was revealed—it was none other than Nandu, who had agreed to fight Ye Chen.

He was currently clad in crimson robes, exuding an air of noble elegance. Tall and slender, he stood proudly in the center of the arena, his condescending gaze sweeping across the surrounding platform. Facing the scrutiny of seventy or eighty Supreme Geniuses, his expression was calm and composed, showing no reaction whatsoever.

"Hmm?" Upon appearing, Nandu immediately noticed that the platform was empty. He frowned, his expression turning somewhat grim. "That brat, perhaps he intends to flee before the battle? He dares to let me appear before him, damn it!"

After Nandu arrived, the murmur of discussion in the crowd quieted down slightly.

About three minutes later, with just one minute left until 8 o'clock, a figure approached leisurely from the distance, enveloped in a faint mist, resembling an immortal from a celestial civilization, his black hair flying in the wind as he landed upon the stage.

Nandu’s eyes narrowed, a sharp, cold glint flashing within them as he stared at Ye Chen and sneered, "I thought you weren't showing up."

Ye Chen turned his head slightly, his eyes indifferent. "How could I not come before I've crushed you?"

The howling wind seemed to take on a suffocating quality.

The spectators nearby were momentarily stunned by Ye Chen's words, unable to believe this person was so audacious. Having only been in the Supreme Genius Hall for two days, he dared to be so arrogant here, completely disregarding Nandu—it was utterly presumptuous and outrageous!

"This kid... really deserves a beating!"

"No wonder Princess Seven issued an order to deal with him!"

"Too arrogant!"

"If Nandu spares his life, I’ll definitely deal with this kid later."

"Thinks killing Purple Lightning makes him qualified to look down on the Supreme Genius Hall!"

The eyes of everyone watching revealed a hint of coldness as they condescendingly looked down upon Ye Chen, like emperors who controlled the world, surveying the common populace.

"Heh..." Nandu let out a cold laugh, clenching his fists until the veins on the back of his hands bulged. "That depends entirely on whether you have the ability to do so."

Eight o'clock struck precisely.

Dong...

The metal clock suspended above the platform chimed. The entire platform was instantly enveloped by an invisible barrier. Within this barrier, both Ye Chen and Nandu instantly lost the ability to sense their Spatial Folding Bags.

"Choose weapons!" A cold voice echoed from the metal clock.