The Mind Stone could restore mental energy in an extremely short amount of time.
Unfortunately, the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor was a Marquis-level Immortal who comprehended both the Laws of Time and Fire, and was also a powerful mental cultivator.
The Mind Stone emitted a strange and unique energy fluctuation. Rowan did not dare take the risk.
Right now, he was still nothing more than an unknown junior. If the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor discovered the existence of the Mind Stone, he would without hesitation kill Rowan and seize the treasure.
Even Bolan would not matter in the face of such a supreme artifact. A daughter meant nothing compared to a treasure of that level.
So Rowan could only endure it.
Meanwhile, Babata had already purchased a large quantity of mental recovery potions through the Virtual Universe.
Rowan was now extremely wealthy. Money was no longer a limitation when it came to equipping himself.
By nightfall, his mental energy had recovered significantly. Before the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor even arrived to guide him, Rowan had already resumed cultivation on his own.
In the days that followed, Rowan remained almost constantly within the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.
All of his focus was devoted to mastering the Starflare Riftblade.
It had to be said, the Starflare Riftblade was truly difficult to cultivate. Even though Rowan's mental strength far surpassed Luo Feng's, it still took him a full three months to perfectly control every single blade fragment.
At this moment, on a dead star within the Black Dragon Mountain Starfield, a planet more than three times the size of Earth, Rowan hovered above the surface.
He stood atop the Skyshuttle Disc, clad in black and crimson armor formed from Devilvine, holding the Starflare Riftblade in his hand.
The instant Rowan opened his eyes, his body shot forward at terrifying speed. The Starflare Riftblade in his grasp suddenly split apart.
The Laws of Time and Fire fused into the weapon as countless blade fragments burst free, glowing with a deep purple-black radiance.
"Flame-Time Scatter!"
With Rowan's roar, the blades erupted forward like a cosmic shotgun blast.
In an instant, it was as if a torrential storm descended, or a catastrophic flood surged forth, completely annihilating everything within a thousand-meter radius.
Every single blade carried unimaginable destructive power. Mountains and land ahead were obliterated as though struck by a terrifying nuclear bombardment.
Deafening explosions overlapped endlessly.
The entire world trembled.
When the shockwaves finally dissipated and Rowan looked ahead once more, a colossal crater stretching tens of kilometers lay before him.
The surroundings were reduced to utter ruin.
Even though Rowan had known the attack would be devastating, witnessing it firsthand still made him inhale sharply.
This power was absurdly strong.
The Starflare Riftblade differed fundamentally from the Divine Armament. Though both were psychic weapons, their combat styles were worlds apart.
The Divine Armament specialized in focused, single-target destruction. Techniques like Phantom Sword and Heaven-Piercing Strike concentrated all power into one point.
The Starflare Riftblade, however, excelled in large-scale annihilation.
With Flame-Time Scatter, all one hundred eighty thousand five hundred blades infused with Fire and Time Laws erupted simultaneously. Even a thousand ninth-stage Stellar cultivators would be completely erased by this single move.
And that was not all.
Rowan clenched his fist.
The blades that had embedded themselves deep into the land suddenly surged upward from every direction, streaking back toward him at terrifying speed.
When they reached within a meter of Rowan's body, the Law energy dissipated instantly. In less than a breath, the fragments reassembled into the Starflare Riftblade.
The technique was powerful, but the mental energy consumption was immense.
Rowan estimated he could only unleash it around ten times at most with his current reserves.
While Rowan was calculating this, aboard the Black Dragon Mountain Imperial Warship behind him, Bolan's face glowed with pride.
The Second Prince beside her looked grim, veins faintly bulging.
Standing at the window, staring into the distance, the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor was barely containing his excitement.
Genius was not enough to describe this.
This was a monster.
In less than four months, Rowan had mastered the first form of the Starflare Riftblade.
"When I learned the first form, it took nearly ten years," the Emperor murmured, his eyes blazing.
This time, he had truly struck gold.
With Rowan's talent and the Starflare Riftblade, reaching the top hundred of the Ganwu Universe Nation was almost guaranteed.
Black Dragon Mountain's moment of glory was approaching.
Four years passed in the blink of an eye.
Within the Black Dragon Mountain castle, countless blade fragments circled Rowan's body, dense beyond counting.
At that moment, a message arrived from the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor.
The Virtual Universe Genius Battle had begun.
Rowan slowly opened his eyes. Purple flames flickered within his gaze.
It was finally here.
The Virtual Universe Genius Battle.
Without hesitation, Rowan contacted Hong, Thunder, and Luo Feng, informing them of the news.
The Black Dragon Mountain Emperor had waited far too long for this moment and immediately arranged the registration.
The Black Dragon Mountain Sanctuary announced the once-in-ten-thousand-years Genius Battle hosted by the Virtual Universe Company.
Anyone who believed themselves invincible among their peers was welcome to participate.
Prove your supremacy.
Win the title.
Gain the chance to directly enter the Virtual Universe Company.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
As the announcement spread, geniuses across countless universe nations and divine kingdoms stirred.
Every prodigy sharpened their blade, all for the chance to seize the title of strongest.
The entire universe boiled with excitement.
Those with inside knowledge began training their disciples with everything they had.
Every faction competed fiercely, desperate to shine on this grand stage.
At the Black Dragon Mountain Sanctuary port, Rowan boarded the Black Dragon Ship.
The vessel launched immediately, streaking across space before vanishing into the void.
Two thousand soldiers came to see him off, but Bolan stood at the forefront.
She did not accompany Rowan.
She had important matters to attend to, though she said nothing about them. Rowan did not press for answers.
He first returned toward Earth.
The journey would take over ten days, so Rowan instead detoured to Dragonhorn Star.
He asked his brothers and Luo Feng to gather there first. Registration would remain open for more than half a month.
On Dragonhorn Star.
The four brothers reunited at a restaurant.
"Big brother, second brother, fourth brother. It's been a long time."
The table was filled with fragrant delicacies. Rowan raised his glass.
Hong and Thunder laughed loudly, clinking glasses with him.
Luo Feng was visibly joyful. It was rare for all of them to be together like this.
Four years.
Four years ago, Rowan had left without warning. Only much later did he reveal that he was cultivating at the Black Dragon Mountain Sanctuary.
The news had shocked them all.
Learning that Rowan was personally guided by the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor ignited both envy and fierce competitiveness within them.
Over these four years, the brothers trained like madmen.
With ample funds, Hong and Thunder each purchased high-end intelligent systems. Though inferior to Babata, they provided immense assistance in analyzing techniques, refining cultivation, and planning adventures.
Hong, Thunder, and Luo Feng chose to venture into other regions.
They joined the Universe Mercenary Alliance, not for money, but to temper themselves through life and death.
Luo Feng, in particular, needed real combat to refine his Divine Armament.
The three formed a squad and quickly gained fame within the alliance.
They rejected all low-risk escort missions, choosing only the most dangerous tasks: unexplored territories, interstellar conflicts, and full-scale planetary wars.
In just four years, they completed forty-five high-risk missions.
Each one pushed them to the brink of death.
And each time, they survived.
Their growth was explosive.
"Everyone's improved a lot," Rowan said with a smile, draining his glass.
They all nodded.
They had even gained the favor of Immortal-level experts within the alliance.
Hong spoke next.
"Even if you hadn't told us, we already knew about the Genius Battle. An Immortal noticed our performance and personally guided us, recommending us to participate."
Rowan raised an eyebrow.
"Which Immortal?"
"Tianxu Immortal," Hong replied. "He noticed us back in the World Within a World and even wanted to take Thunder as his disciple, but Thunder refused."
Rowan was surprised.
Why would Thunder refuse an Immortal?
Thunder answered directly.
"He's a Marquis-level Immortal. His lightning comprehension was far inferior to the technique you gave me. The gap was enormous."
Rowan sighed wryly.
That made sense.
A Marquis-level secret technique could never compare to a King-level lightning inheritance.
Thunder would have been ruined under him.
"Still," Thunder added, "he took it well. Not only did he not get angry, he continued guiding us."
Rowan nodded.
It was an investment.
Finally, Rowan said, "The Genius Battle is a great opportunity. Since we're all participating, we should seize it."
They all agreed.
Babata then explained the scale of the competition.
"The Black Dragon Mountain Starfield belongs to the Ganwu Universe Nation. This battle will involve participants numbering in the hundreds of millions."
Thunder nearly spat his drink.
"Hundreds of millions of geniuses?"
Babata sighed.
"One starfield governs thousands of galaxies. Each galaxy has trillions of humans. Producing tens of thousands of geniuses is easy."
The brothers fell silent.
The true battle of geniuses had begun.