The Divine Tree Tongtian Bridge stretched endlessly to the horizon, shrouded in misty white fog with waves crashing below.
As soon as Ender entered the Tongtian Bridge, Little Dawn's pleasant voice echoed in his mind, "Master, a message from the Virtual Universe Company has been received."
Long ago, he had set the Virtual Universe Company as a top priority target. Whenever he received information from the Virtual Universe Company, as long as he wasn't Cultivating or fighting, Little Dawn would notify him immediately.
"Oh?" Ender was a little curious, "What's the content?"
"Master, it's about the points reward rules," Little Dawn replied.
"Points reward?" Ender was slightly stunned, then remembered that there were points rewards for challenging the Tongtian Bridge.
Points were the internal currency of the Virtual Universe Company. Many treasures that couldn't be bought outside could only be exchanged with points within the Virtual Universe Company. It could be said that no one ever had too many points.
"Tell me about it," Ender had almost forgotten the points reward rules.
"There are many ways to redeem points…"
Little Dawn said, "In Primal Chaos City, Master, you have one way to earn points, and that is to 'challenge the Tongtian Bridge'."
"Pass the first floor of the Tongtian Bridge, reward 100 points."
"Pass the second floor, reward 200 points."
"Pass the third floor, reward 400 points."
"It's the same for subsequent levels. For each floor of the Tongtian Bridge passed, you will receive double the points reward of the previous floor."
Upon hearing this, Ender quickly calculated that just passing the tenth floor of the Tongtian Bridge would yield over 100,000 points, and passing the 20th floor would grant millions of points.
"Passing the 20th floor of the Tongtian Bridge alone gives millions of points."
He thought carefully, "No wonder the Lord of Ganwu, who was relatively poor in the original work, could bestow upon me a Secret Realm worth 1,000 points. It turns out that the 'poverty' of such a Rank expert is only relative to others of his Rank; compared to me, he's still incredibly wealthy!"
"The message also states that Master is a newcomer who has just entered Primal Chaos City. For young Geniuses, the Virtual Universe Company has a special reward rule—as long as you challenge the Tongtian Bridge within 30 years in Primal Chaos City, the points reward will be ten times the normal amount."
"That is to say, within these 30 years, if Master passes the first floor, the reward will be 1,000 points; if he passes the second floor, he will be rewarded an additional 2,000 points… and so on!"
"This ten-fold reward is only available to newcomers entering Primal Chaos City for the first time. In the future, Master won't have such a good deal when he enters Primal Chaos City again."
Ender nodded slightly. Newbie benefits, he understood!
It's just like fishing...
...
At the end of the first floor of the Divine Tree Tongtian Bridge.
"Choose your opponent. You can choose a Warrior, a Spiritual Master Controller, or a Spiritual Master Illusionist. Choose any opponent. Defeat your opponent, and you will pass the first floor of the Tongtian Bridge."
In front, there was a huge cloud of mist, and a voice came from within the mist.
Stepping on the Wind Piercer, Ender said, "Controller."
Whoosh!
A mass of black liquid immediately flew out from the mist. This black liquid began to condense in mid-air, forming a mysterious figure wearing a black mask.
This mysterious figure also stepped on the Wind Piercer, with the Green Vine Pillar strapped to his back. A pair of cold, eerie eyes beneath the black mask stared at Ender, and he spoke, "Battle start!"
At this moment, the cloud of mist spoke, "Defeat him, and you can enter the second floor of the Tongtian Bridge."
"It's also the Green Vine Pillar. Let me see if you can withstand my attack."
Thinking this, Ender's Divine Thought moved, and nine streaks of azure light flew out from the Green Vine Pillar on his back, shooting towards the mysterious figure!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
At the same time, the mysterious figure opposite also controlled the Green Vine Pillar, sending out three streaks of azure light, but unlike Ender's, they moved as one.
The mysterious figure's three streaks of azure light acted as a single entity, continuously resisting the attacks of the nine streaks of azure light.
Clang, clang, clang...
The crisp sound of metal colliding continuously echoed. The mysterious figure's seemingly unified azure light continuously crumbled, being utterly defeated by the nine perfectly coordinated streaks of azure light!
Manipulating the nine streaks of azure light with his Divine Thought, Ender still had the leisure to observe his opponent, appearing quite relaxed.
"Kill!"
The mysterious figure let out a low roar, driving the Green Vine Pillar with all his might. The three streaks of azure light, which had originally seemed as one, burst into brilliant light!
Bluish-green threads shot out from the three Azure Wood Thorns, intertwining and weaving together. Before, they merely seemed as one, but now they became a completely unified entity, forming a gigantic Azure Wood Thorn!
Seeing this, Ender's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "This Move is good!"
His Divine Thought moved, and the nine streaks of azure light danced up and down, bluish-green threads intertwining and weaving, then instantly merging into one, forming a glowing bluish-green long spear!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The gigantic Azure Wood Thorn was imposing, its sound piercing the air as it shot towards him!
And the bluish-green long spear, like a Dragon, its light trailing, was like a laser, invincible!
Instantly, the gigantic Azure Wood Thorn and the bluish-green long spear collided!
Boom!
The bluish-green long spear was unstoppable, defeating the gigantic Azure Wood Thorn the moment they touched. The latter disintegrated into 27 tiny vines that floated down.
Pfft!
A flash of bluish-green light passed through, and the mysterious figure's body was pierced through. There was a huge hole in his chest, as if it had been scorched, with no blood flowing!
"You win!"
The mysterious figure glanced at Ender, then transformed back into a mass of black liquid and merged into the cloud of mist.
"A good Move," Ender sighed lightly, "But the Law Artistic Conception is far inferior."
Whoosh!
The mist dispersed, revealing the bridge surface of the Tongtian Bridge's second floor ahead.
Stepping on the Wind Piercer, Ender flew towards the end of the Tongtian Bridge's second floor.
...
Tongtian Bridge space, Central Square of the island.
"He passed!"
"Ender passed the first floor of the Tongtian Bridge!"
"Incredible!"
Watching Ender on the light screen, having passed the first floor of the Tongtian Bridge, over five hundred Geniuses were filled with shock!
With Guardian Bevin's prior endorsement, they weren't too surprised that Ender could pass the first floor of the Tongtian Bridge.
What truly shocked them was how easily he passed the first floor of the Tongtian Bridge, so easily that they found it hard to believe!
"You guys, do you think Ender might be able to pass the second floor?"
"Perhaps it's truly possible."
"Yes, when he challenged the first floor of the Tongtian Bridge, he seemed very relaxed."
One after another, Geniuses were guessing. Compared to before, quite a few of them now favored Ender to pass the second floor of the Tongtian Bridge.
The reason, after all, was that Ender was too outstanding; his Law Artistic Conception far surpassed theirs!
If he were only slightly stronger than them, perhaps these Geniuses would be unconvinced and harbor thoughts of surpassing and replacing him.
But when his level of excellence was too strong, so strong that it was difficult for them to surpass, they wouldn't feel unconvinced.
...
At the end of the second floor of the Tongtian Bridge, there was still a cloud of mist, and a voice came from within, "Choose your opponent: Warrior, Controller, Illusionist..."
Ender, stepping on the Wind Piercer, said, "Controller!"
A mass of black liquid flowed out from the mist, then this black liquid transformed into a mysterious figure wearing a mask. The mysterious figure was clad in black battle attire, stepping on the Wind Piercer, with the Green Vine Pillar strapped to his back, and said coldly, "It won't be easy to pass the second floor!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!
Nine streaks of azure light flew out from the Green Vine Pillar on the mysterious figure's back!
"Die!"
With a cold shout from the mysterious figure, bluish-green threads shot out from the Azure Wood Thorns at the center of the nine streaks of azure light, intertwining and weaving the nine Azure Wood Thorns, transforming them into a single entity!
The nine streaks of light, now unified, formed a brilliantly glowing bluish-green greatsword, which shot towards Ender with immense force, heavy as a thousand pounds!
"So decisive!"
Looking at the bluish-green greatsword, Ender felt as if he saw an Artistic Conception he had comprehended a few days ago while meditating on the Primal Chaos Tablet!
Swoosh!
Two intertwining, spinning vines extended and grew from the Green Vine Pillar on Ender's back, quickly coiling into an azure shield in front of him!
The bluish-green greatsword, with its immense force, struck the vine shield at high speed!
Clang!
A crisp metallic clang echoed. The bluish-green greatsword's attack was blocked, its surrounding brilliant bluish-green light shattered, and specks of light danced!
"What! Endless Vine!"
Seeing this, the mysterious figure's tone was shocked.
Behind the azure vine shield, Ender's voice rang out, "That's right, it's the Endless Vine that can pass the second floor of the Tongtian Bridge!"
"Hmph!"
The mysterious figure snorted coldly, "Being able to use Endless Vine is indeed strong, but you may not be able to pass this second floor guarded by me!"
"Divide!"
With a command, the frustrated bluish-green greatsword disintegrated, turning into nine streaks of light that scattered, attempting to bypass the vine shield.
"Useless effort!"
Ender chuckled. The azure vines coiled and extended around him. "Clang, clang, clang" sounds continuously rang out as the nine streaks of azure light attacked, all being blocked by the extending vines.
Clang, clang, clang...!
The nine streaks of azure light attacked separately, then recombined into a bluish-green greatsword, continuously attacking, but unable to break through the Endless Vine's defense.
"I can't break your defense!"
Seeing that continuous attacks were ineffective, the mysterious figure said coldly, "But you, relying on the Endless Vine's defense, also can't defeat me!"
Indeed, just as the mysterious figure said, relying solely on defense without offense would not lead to victory.
Ender's voice came from within the azure vines, "That's not necessarily true!"
As soon as his voice fell, the azure vines began to Move, continuously pressing towards the mysterious figure.
"This is...!"
The mysterious figure spoke in surprise, then understood Ender's intention and quickly urged the nine streaks of azure light to attack!
Clang, clang, clang...!
Even though the nine streaks of azure light sometimes separated and sometimes combined, and their attack power far surpassed that of the mysterious figure on the first floor of the Tongtian Bridge, they ultimately could not stop the approach of the azure vines.
"No!"
In despair, the mysterious figure was forced into a dead end. His escape space was sealed, and he could no longer dodge.
Swoosh!
An azure vine extended, wrapping around the mysterious figure's calf, then quickly spiraled upward, soon binding him tightly.
"Ah!"
With a scream, and the sound of bones "creaking" and shattering, the mysterious figure was crushed to death by the azure vines!
Soon, a mass of black liquid flowed out from the azure vines, returning to the mist ahead.
Then the mist dispersed, and the third floor of the Tongtian Bridge was within reach!
At this point, Ender had passed the second floor of the Tongtian Bridge.
...
Tongtian Bridge space, Central Square of the island.
"He passed the second floor!"
"He really passed!"
"He passed the second floor, but I wonder if he can pass the third floor."
The Geniuses watched Ender on the light screen, winning with the unreasonable defense and entanglement methods of the Endless Vine, somewhat at a loss for words.
Now they understood that he already had the strength to pass the second floor of the Tongtian Bridge three years ago. Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover, nor measure the sea with a dipper!
It turns out that in the early stages, as long as the comprehension of lower-Rank Laws is deep enough, it is not necessarily worse than higher-Rank Laws—this is true!
"This young fellow Ender uses the Endless Vine well, especially in terms of defense," Guardian Bevin thought to himself, "However, he has no hope of passing the third floor relying solely on the Endless Vine's defense!"
"Haha!" Seeing Ender pass the second floor of the Tongtian Bridge, Manle burst into laughter, "I lost to the Endless Vine's defense, which could defeat the mysterious figure during the Pinnacle Genius Battle, so my loss wasn't unjust!"
...
Ten minutes later.
Primal Chaos City, in a peculiar building.
A man with flowing red hair, dressed in azure battle attire, and with a few scales on his face, looked at the light screen in front of him with some curiosity, "Tongtian Bridge third floor, a draw?"
The red-haired man shook his head, "How could Guardian Bevin write such a strange evaluation? If it's a failure, it's a failure, not a draw."
According to the rules, when the young ones from each Pinnacle Genius Battle challenge the Tongtian Bridge, if a powerful being pays attention to a certain young one, then the Guardian needs to inform the powerful being who is paying attention.
And this red-haired man was precisely the powerful being who was paying attention to Ender.
Speaking of his attention to Ender, it was an accident. Towards the end of the Trial Tower preliminary selection of this Pinnacle Genius Battle, there was a rumor that Venerable Ancestral Tree intended to bring a young one from the Virtual Universe Company to the Huge Axe Dojo.
This message immediately caught the red-haired man's attention. He really wanted to know what kind of young one could make Venerable Ancestral Tree want to take him to the Huge Axe Dojo.
Later, whether it was because the Virtual Universe Company valued that young one too much, or because Venerable Ancestral Tree had no intention of taking him away.
By the end of the Pinnacle Genius Battle, that young one remained in the Virtual Universe Company and entered the best Primal Secret Realm within the Core Region.
"A draw." The red-haired man was a little curious, "Let me see what kind of draw it is?"
...
Virtual Universe, Tongtian Bridge space, Central Square of the island.
Whoosh!
A flash of white light, and the red-haired man arrived here.
Seeing the red-haired man arrive, Guardian Bevin respectfully bowed, "King Green Vine!"
And some Geniuses who hadn't left yet, seeing that even the Guardian bowed to the red-haired man, naturally dared not neglect and quickly followed suit.
"Send me the footage of that young fellow Ender challenging the Tongtian Bridge," King Green Vine waved his hand slightly, then said, "I want to see what kind of draw it is."
"Yes," Guardian Bevin respectfully replied, then opened the light screen.
On the light screen, the battle footage of Ender and the mysterious figure on the third floor of the Divine Tree Tongtian Bridge appeared. Two figures, both using Endless Vine to protect their bodies, continuously collided.
"So that's how it is..." King Green Vine chuckled softly, "Both sides used Endless Vine for defense, and because their Law Artistic Conception and techniques were similar, it was difficult to defeat the opponent."
"Good talent. This young fellow's Law Artistic Conception has already reached the third floor of the Tongtian Bridge," King Green Vine thought to himself, "And he's from my Divine Tree Primal Chaos Tablet lineage, so he could indeed be my Disciple."
"Unfortunately, he's from the Virtual Universe Company, so it might not be appropriate for me to proactively take him as a Disciple."
"Hmm, I can give him some help. When he passes the third floor of the Tongtian Bridge, he'll probably come to thank me, and then I can test him further..."