37: Chapter 37 Geniuses Abound Here!

Central Region, Imperial Capital.

Towering skyscrapers pierced the clouds, their glass curtain walls stained amber by the twilight...

The subway roared past beneath the elevated bridge, its wind swirling the fallen sycamore leaves by the roadside...

On the distant river surface, a cruise ship slowly glided by, trailing a long ribbon of light that shattered the water into thousands of shimmering silver scales...

This was the Imperial Capital, the most prosperous city in the Dragon Country!

Feeling a bit hungry, Chu Ran walked into a restaurant, only to discover that even a random waiter responsible for taking orders was actually a Third Turn Professional!

Chu Ran was somewhat shocked and struck up a casual conversation with her.

She was from a small city in the Eastern Region; her talent wasn't enough to participate in the Martial Examination, but unwilling to stay in a small town, she chose to come to the Central Region to make her way...

"I was also deeply shaken by the prosperity of the Imperial Capital when I first stepped foot here."

She pointed at the neon lights outside: "In our Eastern Region, an area that large with dozens of cities only has three Martial Academies in total. But here in the Central Region, the Imperial Capital alone has three, and they are all among the top ten in the Dragon Country..."

"I have a distant cousin who had extremely high cultivation talent since he was a child. He was number one in the city during his Martial Examination year and entered Tiandu Martial Academy, ranked eleventh in the Dragon Country, which is in Tiandu City right next to the Imperial Capital."

"But after coming to the Central Region, he became the bottom of the academy by the second year. Later, he didn't even get the qualification to participate in the Genius Battle. After graduation, he joined a martial arts gym in Tiandu as an assistant coach..."

"He wasn't even a coach, just an assistant..."

The woman's tone revealed a sense of regret.

"I just find it quite laughable. Perhaps this is just the fate of us little people. The descendants of the Great Clans already have their paths paved for them at birth. A casual flick of their fingers reaches a realm that people at the bottom like us can't touch in a lifetime..."

"If you ask me, poor people shouldn't take the path of Martial Arts. My distant cousin's monthly salary now isn't even half of mine... If nothing else, in a prosperous place like the Imperial Capital in the Central Region, it's much easier for an ordinary person to find a living than in the Eastern Region..."

This woman was in her thirties and had worked here for over a decade, finally becoming the deputy manager of this high-end restaurant located in a prime district. It was normal for her monthly salary to be high...

"Oh look at me, I can't control myself once I start talking. Sorry for the trouble."

"It's fine, I also come from a small place. Hearing you talk feels very familiar," Chu Ran smiled.

"Please enjoy your meal, I won't disturb you further." The woman tactfully left.

Guests who could afford to dine here would mostly speak softly with a smile even if they were truly dissatisfied. Having worked for many years, she had long mastered these unspoken rules. Seeing the guest begin his meal, she tactfully departed...

Chu Ran fiddled with the cutlery in front of him, speared a piece of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth.

This Imperial Capital... was truly extraordinary.

The food served in the restaurant was actually high-quality demonic beast meat...

A faint spiritual energy burst in Chu Ran's mouth. After eating, he felt a warm sensation throughout his body...

Everyone eats this kind of thing; no wonder the people in the Central Region are stronger than the next...

However, while the food was delicious, the price was not so pleasant. Even an ordinary person in the Imperial Capital probably couldn't afford to eat this more than a few times a year...

Just two plates of beast steaks and a glass of fresh fruit juice swiped away five figures of dragon country coins from Chu Ran...

This was so typical of the Imperial Capital... this city where even the air was permeated with the scent of money...

It was delicious, just expensive.

But that wasn't a flaw of the ingredients...

Reflecting on what that woman just said, it could truly be called heartfelt words.

A genius who finally squeezed out of a small city only to find that the Central Region has no shortage of geniuses—it really could cause one's mentality to explode...

In the various Martial Academies, Seventh Turns were everywhere, Sixth Turns were as common as dogs, and their combat power was more heaven-defying than the last...

Those who could truly become geniuses within the academies were all Professionals at the peak of the Seventh Turn or even those who had entered the Eighth Revolution...

Equipment, magical treasures, top-tier cultivation techniques...

You think that as long as you work hard killing demons you can become stronger, but the joke is that the attributes you gain from leveling up fifty times aren't as high as a single piece of equipment someone else bought for tens of millions...

Three sets of blessings stacked together are enough to match a lifetime of your cultivation...

Element-control Professionals suffered even more. While you were struggling to practice the Fireball Technique, the geniuses from the Great Clans were already using Spirit Seeds, Soul Seeds, and Heaven Seeds flames several levels higher than yours...

Compared to ordinary flames, their attributes were increased by several to dozens of times, and they even had multiple secondary effects...

How could you compete with them?

Wasn't the Northern Region, which was similar to the Eastern Region, the same...

Of the nearly ten thousand people who come out of the Northern Region's Martial Examination every year, how many can gain a firm foothold in the Central Region?

More likely, they would struggle just like that woman's distant relative...

And the Northern Region was even more backward than the Eastern Region. The Northern Region didn't even have a single decent Martial Academy, while the Eastern Region at least had three...

Chu Ran sighed softly and prepared to head to his next destination...

Even if the Central Region's geniuses were too strong for him to take first place, Chu Ran felt there was no harm in this trip. At least he could see the world...

To see just how strong the top genius Professionals of the Dragon Country could be, and if they were truly unreachable.

...

Dragon Country Genius Battle.

The competition had now entered the white-hot mid-to-late stage.

Of the hundreds of thousands of Professionals who qualified to sign up, only a few hundred were left after elimination.

But the closer it got to the finals, the higher the popularity of the competition. Now, in any part of the Dragon Country, one could see the full live broadcast of the Genius Battle!

As the host location for this year's Genius Battle...

Imperial Capital Martial Academy was now a sea of people, with heart-wrenching screams and shouts rising and falling.

But most of the shouting wasn't for the Professionals currently dueling, but for the person sitting on the judges' bench.

He looked to be only in his twenties. His deep eyes and high bridge of his nose made him stand out exceptionally even in a crowd.

But besides his handsome face, he also possessed strength enough to make anyone bow their head!

The number one person of Imperial Capital Martial Academy!

To be the undisputed number one in the Imperial Capital Martial Academy, where competition was the fiercest in the Dragon Country, meant his strength had reached an incredibly terrifying level...

Chu Clan, Chu Tianxiong.

A family with prominent influence in a single city is called a small noble house, while one with prominent influence in a whole region is called a large noble house.

But a Clan implied having immense influence throughout the entire nation. The Chu Clan was the strongest branch among the Clans!

The shadow of the Chu Clan could be found in various industries across multiple countries in the world. They were a true Great Clan!

As the strongest of the younger generation of the Chu Clan, and also the leader of all geniuses in the Dragon Country, Chu Tianxiong was the undisputed seeded contestant for this Genius Battle, without exception!

Chu Ran arrived at the competition scene with his invitation letter.

His seat was in the front row with a wide view, allowing him to see every detail in the arena.

He heard the names being shouted in unison by the frenzied girls around him, and a look of speechlessness immediately appeared on his face...

Chu Tianxiong was not the protagonist of this match...

Chu Ran looked toward the arena.

The information of the two participants now appeared on the large screen.

[Imperial Capital Zhou Family, Zhou Ming.]

Another name caught Chu Ran's attention...

[Northern Region Tianmeng City, Lu Jingkong.]

...