High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 526: Chapter 327: The Preliminaries Begin

Meanwhile.

News of the Cosmic Peak Genius Battle, like a wildfire, instantly ignited countless corners of human territory.

Within the Moluo Empire’s territory, on the Meck family’s main star—Iron Meteor Star.

On the immense training grounds, hundreds of young clan members stood at attention. Their auras were sharp and potent, and all were under two hundred years of age.

They wore uniform dark silver battle armor, their gazes like torches, all fixed on the high platform.

There, the current patriarch of the Meck family—a Tier Nine Star Lord whose aura was as deep as an abyssal sea—was delivering his final exhortation.

”...The Cosmic Peak Genius Battle, held once every millennium, gathers the most brilliant rising stars from across all human territory! This is a battlefield to make your name known, a stairway to the supreme Great Dao!”

The patriarch’s deep voice, amplified by a force field, boomed across the grounds, carrying an undeniable authority.

”The Meck family was founded through battle! In this war, there is no need for hesitation, no need to hold back! Unleash the bloodlust and ferocity you honed on the Starfall Battlefield!”

In the crowd, Lorne Meck stood tall, his gaze resolute.

More than a year of the family’s dedicated cultivation and life-or-death tempering had stripped him of his immaturity.

His aura was a mix of iron-blooded grit and steady composure, and his cultivation had impressively reached the Saint Realm.

He clenched his fists and thought, ’Brother Li Wen... I won’t be left too far behind! I, Lorne Meck, am coming for this ultimate arena!’

”Objective!” the patriarch’s voice thundered. ”Fight your way into the top one million of the Alka Empire Sector! Lorne Meck!”

”Here!” Lorne stepped forward, his voice shaking the surroundings.

”You represent our clan’s highest hopes—charge into the top one hundred thousand of the Alka Empire Sector! Or even higher!”

The patriarch stared at him, his eyes burning. ”Make the Star Sea remember the name Meck!”

”Yes! I will not fail the family’s trust!” Lorne’s voice was resolute, his will to fight soaring to the heavens.

Below the platform, all the young clan members roared in unison, the sound waves rolling and surging toward the sky.

...

The sanctuary of the Holy Radiance Race—the core of the Radiant Star Domain, inside the Hall of Holy Radiance.

A gentle yet majestic holy light enveloped the magnificent hall.

Dozens of geniuses from the Holy Radiance Race, including Keynes Huiyao—who had once been unbearably arrogant at Trial Base No. 7—now stood with their heads bowed respectfully.

Pure power of light flowed through their bodies, but their expressions held a more or less ineffably complex look.

High upon the Holy Light Throne sat the patriarch of the Holy Radiance Race. The light around him was restrained, yet it radiated an immortal pressure that could make one’s heart palpitate.

His voice was gentle, yet it carried a sense of detachment, as if looking down upon all living things.

”Children, the Cosmic Peak Genius Battle has begun. This is a fine opportunity for our race to display its glory and befriend the heroes from all sides.”

Keynes Huiyao raised his head slightly, a flash of unwillingness in his eyes.

He was no longer that arrogant ”Light of Holy Radiance.” His experiences at Trial Base No. 7, especially witnessing Li Wen’s rise and hitting his own bottleneck in the Heaven-Reaching Tower, had made him deeply understand the vastness and cruelty of the universe.

His past boasts and ambitions now seemed pale and powerless.

”Remember to uphold the glory of Holy Radiance and display the bearing of our race.” The patriarch’s words continued, but they made Keynes’s heart sink slowly.

”In this battle, enemies are as numerous as trees in a forest. This is especially true in the Alka Empire Sector, which has gathered monstrosities from every world. My expectation for you is...”

The patriarch paused. His gaze swept over those below, resting on Keynes for a moment before he said calmly:

”...to strive to have everyone enter the top one million of the Alka Empire Sector rankings. If you can achieve that, you will not have disgraced the name of Holy Radiance.”

’Top one million...’ Bitterness churned within Keynes. This was a ranking he once would have sneered at, yet now it had become the clan’s highest expectation for the geniuses of his generation.

The immense disparity caused him to bite his lip, his nails digging deep into his palm.

He bowed along with the other clan members to accept the command, his voice low. ”We will obey the patriarch’s order.”

...

The Iron Scale Tribe of the Scale Race—on the edge of a resource Star Domain, at the Lava Arena.

A scorching heat permeated the air, which was thick with the smell of sulfur.

Pato Ironscale stood among a group of young clansmen, all of them covered in scales and radiating a feral aura.

They were on the edge of the massive Lava Arena, listening to the hoarse yet resounding roar of the tribe’s Great Elder.

”Pups of the Scale Race! The Cosmic Peak Genius Battle! This is our chance to prove to the entire universe the bloodlust of us Scale Race warriors!”

The Great Elder waved his scar-covered arms, lava churning beneath his feet. ”Don’t mind those high-and-mighty nobles from the imperial stars, and don’t mind those bullshit Law monstrosities!”

”Remember, you are warriors of the Iron Scale! Fight to the last moment! Shed every last drop of your blood, and make your opponents remember your courage!”

Pato Ironscale hung his head, his former defiance and untamable pride long gone.

The trials at Trial Base No. 7, and especially the recent news that Li Wen had joined the inner circle of the Source Net, had made him fully recognize the gap between them.

It was a height so staggering that just looking up at it made him dizzy.

Challenge Li Wen? Prove the superiority of the Scale Race? Right now, those were just extravagant and unattainable hopes.

”What is our goal?!” the Great Elder roared.

”Survive! Fight! Let the name of the Scale Race shine on the battlefield!” the clan’s geniuses responded in unison, their blood boiling with excitement.

Pato also yelled along mechanically, but in his heart, there was only one humble yet incredibly realistic goal:

’The first stage of the Alka Empire preliminaries... At the very least... at least win one match. And if I lose, I have to at least make it look good, so the tribe can see I tried...’

Faced with such a cruel comparison, his former pride had been reduced to a mere struggle for survival.

...

In an unknown, mysterious Star Domain, within a void secret realm where the Power of Law raged violently.

There was no noisy mobilization here, only the clash of the most primal forces and a chilling killing intent.