Astral Pet Store (WN)

It was more of a telepathic message than a voice.

Everybody felt the ineffable power of that voice. Their hearts started to race. Was that Lord Supreme?

Shua!

They suddenly disappeared from the continent. They found themselves standing in front of a splendid balcony when they reappeared.

Many figures who couldn't be seen clearly were standing on the balcony like deities; their casual glances were very shocking, giving off a great pressure.

"The screening is over. Congratulations on making it to the top hundred, everybody," a man rose from the balcony and announced indifferently. He was the one who had uttered the telepathic voice; the deep-space continent was also his creation.

The contestants were surprised to hear that, puzzled and more or less disappointed.

They had thought that Lord Supreme had created the continent. There would have been a chance to catch his eye with their performances.

"It's over…"

Fang Hanxue and the others found it rather hard to believe what they had heard. However, they soon realized that they had indeed made it.

They managed to advance to the top hundred!

The top hundred of the Golden Star Zone!

Their families would be glorified for thousands of years when they returned to Silvy!

Many of them blushed, shaking with excitement; they knew they couldn't have done it without Su Ping's protection!

They had seen much stronger geniuses stronger than them be eliminated while being under his wing.

Some of those geniuses were even stronger than Linghu Jian and Dragon Emperor, but they were still knocked out!

Only the monsters as strong as Su Jin'er could have been lucky enough to survive Su Ping's attacks.

Given the circumstances, it would have been almost impossible for them to advance on their own.

Apart from Fang Hanxue and the others, the top geniuses were feeling a bit let down since the creator of the continent wasn't Lord Supreme; they were confident of their advancement, so they weren't particularly delighted. A lot of them actually felt bad, because all the participants of their galaxies had been knocked out.

"According to tradition, everybody will compete for the top genius title of the twelve star zones!

"The top hundred players of each star zone are qualified to participate.

"All of you are all qualified to fight on behalf of this star zone. You will challenge other star zones to decide who is the best genius in the universe!

"The schedule is rather tight due to special circumstances, and the screening this year isn't as strict as before, but it doesn't matter! The geniuses who have the hope of becoming the champion or being in the top ten will never be eliminated here anyway.

"Next, you will compete for the championship and the top ten of our star zone. Those with high rankings will be rewarded by Lord Supreme. I hope you'll try your best."

Everybody was surprised by what they heard. Then, their eyes glowed.

Fang Hanxue, Shirley, and the others were also thrilled.

They were to compete for the top genius of the universe?

It was exhilarating. They were definitely too weak to contend for the championship, but they were at least qualified to participate!

The top genius in the universe could very likely emerge among the contestants who would compete with them!

"Rewarded by Lord Supreme?"

The top geniuses were attracted to the Ascendant's announcement. Their eyes glittered; they had to fight for the championship in order to get Lord Supreme's prizes.

Su Ping was similarly tempted. Lord Supreme could compare to the Superior Gods in the Demigod Burial, and was stronger than Joanna's original self. His prizes would definitely benefit their cultivation a lot.

The Ascendant State expert announced, "Bring the divine mountain here!"

The void shook right after, and the deep-space continent disappeared; a crack appeared in a place above its former position, and an ancient aura radiated through it.

A giant mountain slowly descended; it was quite a splendid sight. Su Ping could sense how extraordinary it was, understanding something new after merely giving it a quick glance.

Two Ascendant State experts flew out from a place nearby, as if they were the ones carrying the mountain.

"This is the Heavenly Path Mountain!"

The Ascendant State expert looked at them and added, "In three days, the one who climbs to the highest part of the mountain will become the champion. The rest of you will be ranked according to your altitude!"

Everybody was stunned. They were to climb for the championship?

"Contestants have always fought in pairs to decide the champion. However, time is limited this year; wait until the finals if you want to fight. This Heavenly Path Mountain is Lord Supreme's treasure. He prepared it for you; it can precisely measure your combat ability.

"Apart from ranking you, the mountain will bring you great benefits too; the higher you climb, the more you will get. You will find out later.

"Now, start climbing. You have three federal days!"

The Ascendant State expert stood there with hands behind his back.

All the geniuses were stunned, not expecting that the championship would be sorted out differently.

"We're going to climb right now?"

"We just finished fighting. We haven't rested yet."

"They're not giving us any time to catch our breath. Biding our time was right; we didn't fight so we're still fresh."

The top geniuses who had watched things happen without joining the fights felt relieved.

The top geniuses who fought against Su Ping, Su Jin'er and the others were all frowns, but none of them said a thing. They were indeed tired, but they had treasures that could replenish their energy.

"I have to climb this mountain? Boring. I was hoping I could teach those guys a lesson!" said the young man with a divine constitution in the crowd, raising his eyebrows.

Those around him looked his way, lost for words. The guy was truly a maniac.

"Humph!"

The top geniuses snorted. This guy is too arrogant; he has no respect for us at all.

"Brother Su, thank you for your protection; the King Han family will forever remember your favor. You're always welcome to visit the Heavenly King Planet," said a young man as he approached Su Ping; he was one of the guys who had been protected by the latter.

Fang Hanxue and the others gathered around him too and expressed their gratitude.

Not only they; their families would also remember Su Ping's favor.

Su Ping looked at them. He had more than twenty people in his team close to the end, and only fifteen remained; about eight of them had been eliminated. Wu Linchuan had even fewer members left; he had lost a lot of companions in the final bloody battles, which caused the number of participants to meet the overall quota.

"Okay." Su Ping nodded at them. Those geniuses were mostly backed by big families that governed a solar system; he would have a lot of customers if they went to his store to train their pets.

Linghu Jian also went to see him. He sincerely said in a low voice, "Thank you."

Even though he had a chance of making it to the top hundred in normal circumstances, luck was one of the key factors and a lot of contestants as strong as him had been eliminated.

Dragon Emperor walked close and said solemnly, "I owe you a favor."

"I'll remember you," said the Thousand Leaves Holy Lady with a smile.

Su Ping replied, "You have to rely on yourselves in the final part of the journey. Keep it up. I hope that we all rise to the top."

"Well…"

Everybody felt awkward after hearing that, not knowing what to say.

The others glanced at him and rolled their eyes. He wants all of us to rise to the top? Does he think the championship is in the bag?

"Job well done."

Ciro's voice echoed in Su Ping's head at that moment. He said, "This isn't a good time. I'll hand out your rewards after the Heavenly Path Mountain trial is over. By the way, climbing the Heavenly Path Mountain can be quite inspirational; don't waste the opportunity. Try to make it to the top five or even the top three."

Ciro was very satisfied after seeing Su Ping's performance on the continent; taking him as a disciple even crossed his mind.

He only dropped the thought after learning that Su Ping had refused other Ascendant State experts since he had a master.

It was highly unlikely that Su Ping would make it to the top ten, or even the top five for that matter; the top three was a long shot, but it would bring honor to Silvy if it were possible.

"Sure," Su Ping replied in his head.

The Ascendant State expert then waved his hand and said, "Go."

Everybody felt that they were weightless. The scenery with the balcony and the Ascendant State experts before them was replaced by the Heavenly Path Mountain after their relocation.

"The air of laws is very strong here…"

All the geniuses had glittering eyes. Very soon, someone made a move towards the Heavenly Path Mountain.

The others followed suit; there were five ladders embedded in the mountain's steep incline.

"Odd. The space here is closed; it can't be torn apart."

"I can't feel the deeper spaces here, nor can I fly, even though gravity is normal."

"A no-fly law must have been established by a Star Lord or an Ascendant. It's inviolable, unless you have a better understanding of the law, or you're able to destroy it!"

The geniuses looked around. Just like a sharp sword, the Heavenly Path Mountain was desolate; nothing but moss and vines could be seen. It was just a normal mountain in the eyes of normal people, while all the geniuses had noticed its unusual traits.

"Brother Su, I'll be taking my leave."

The nearby Wu Linchuan smiled at Su Ping; both top geniuses had been temporary allies. The former saw how strong Su Ping was, and thought highly of him.

Su Ping nodded in silence.

Very soon, a lot of people rushed to the ladders.

"Don't fight!"

"Get the hell out of here! It's mine!"

Fierce battles burst out right next to the ladders; six of the dozen men who launched attacks were top geniuses; they merged with their pets and forced others to retreat.

"Who do you think you are, trying to compete with me?" A young man with Ascendant potential kicked another man again and laughed.

He then grabbed a ladder and quickly made his way upward.

However, he soon started to shake and slowed down.

Some of the others laid their hands on the ladders too and climbed, but they were also behaving in a weird manner.

"There are indeed obstacles. Why are they fighting? You can climb sooner or later. That Ascendant expert mentioned that this isn't about fighting," said a young man who also had Ascendant potential.

The other top geniuses who didn't fight were casually walking to the ladders, as if they had guessed something.

"It is said that the Heavenly Path Mountain is a treasure found wandering in deeper spaces until it was retrieved. It must have been contaminated by evil things in the deeper spaces. However, Lord Supreme would have surely wiped out any evil influence before giving it to us."

Su Jin'er's telepathic voice echoed in Su Ping's head. He looked back at the girl.

"The lingering thoughts may be both inspirational and dangerous. Take care of yourself." Su Jin'er smiled at Su Ping, showing her white teeth.

Su Ping nodded. Just as he thought, the girl acted as if she were Joanna's clone.

He looked around at the geniuses who had Ascendant potential; many of them had to be just like Su Jin'er.

Those people had to be there to secure a spot in the top ten; they wanted access to the Divine Sea Mysterious Realm.

It seemed that the mysterious realm was tempting even to Ascendant experts.

Su Ping didn't stop; he also walked over to the Heavenly Path Mountain.

What happened to the climbers made the other geniuses stop fighting; it was useless to get a headstart since strength was what really mattered; they would be surpassed sooner or later.

The geniuses who were vomiting blood on the ground wallowed in regret.

Su Ping reached one of the ladders; nobody competed with him. He grabbed one of the handles; it felt cold, as if it was made of deep sea iron.

Su Ping climbed one step after the other. He didn't rush it.

He wanted to try his luck since he could understand something new.

After all, his power of laws could still improve significantly. He had already mastered a hundred laws, but he hadn't grasped them well; at least not as well as the other top geniuses would grasp a single law.

…

Su Ping felt that his head was a lot clearer when managed to grab the tenth handle. A mist floated in front of his eyes; he could easily tell that they were condensed primitive laws.

He quickly captured the laws.

Once his mind made contact, the laws melted, turning into a tremendous amount of information flooding into his head. He instantly realized that they were shallow laws of the water class.

He had already grasped the water class laws, that was why the improvement was negligible. However, Su Ping was quite shocked by the discovery. If any normal Fate State cultivator were there, wouldn't they have been able to grasp those laws and rise to the Star State?

Su Ping's eyes glittered; he looked at the top of the mountain and felt the urge to reach the top.

The next moment, Su Ping continued his climb. Once he reached the twelfth handle, Su Ping sensed that the air was particularly cold. Blades of ice were shooting from the mist around him too.