Chapter 540 - 334: Distributing Experience

Chapter 540: Chapter 334: Distributing Experience

"Hahaha, Li Wen! My man! A job damn well done!"

Ares’s voice boomed like a great bell, making the eardrums of those standing near him ring.

His massive, fan-like hand came down hard on Li Wen’s shoulder with an unapologetic slap, letting out a dull thud.

"Third on the overall leaderboard! And you even snagged the title ’God of Slaughter’! Now, in all of Alka, who doesn’t know our Source Net branch has produced another true dragon? Awesome! Hahaha!"

Ares’s eyes were filled with undisguised admiration and a clear sense of shared pride.

Isabel walked up to Li Wen, her clear eyes gazing at him. For a fleeting moment, a hint of bashfulness over the "Recommendation" token seemed to flash in their depths.

But it was instantly overtaken by a smile of pure joy for his achievement.

Her voice was clear and melodious. "Congratulations, Li Wen. Topping the charts in World No. 13 and placing third overall—you’ve more than earned it." Her praise was sincere.

Sensing his friends’ genuine feelings, Li Wen smiled and nodded at them.

"Congratulations to you two as well. From the looks of you, advancing was a breeze."

"Of course!" Ares puffed out his chest, an air of justified pride on his face. "In the world I was in, there weren’t many who could even take three of my punches!"

"Ugh! Don’t even start! Easy my ass!" Raymond, who was standing beside them, slapped his thigh with a loud, frustrated smack. His face was a mask of frustration, resentment, and bitterness.

"It was easy for you guys! I barely squeezed into the top one hundred of my world! I’ve never been so humiliated!"

"Hm?" Nearby, Naraku, who had a somewhat effeminate air about him, raised his slender eyebrows in surprise.

"Raymond, with your strength, you’re considered a top contender in our branch. Which world was so treacherous that even you nearly capsized?"

"Treacherous? It was beyond treacherous!" Raymond said, his voice thick with lingering fear and unshakeable humiliation. He was so vehement he was practically spitting.

"I had the absolute worst damn luck imaginable! I was assigned to the same world as Blood Slaughter Barton!

You guys weren’t there. You have no idea what a monster he is! How terrifying!"

He gasped for breath, looking around at the others who had gathered, the terror still lingering in his eyes.

’I figured, hey, we’re all members of the Source Net,’ he thought. ’We’re bound to run into each other, so there should be some professional courtesy, right?

’I was thinking maybe we could make a deal, team up to clear the board to be more efficient...’ His voice trembled as he continued aloud, "...but guess what happened?"

"I had just moved closer, and then I saw a flash of blood-red light! With no warning, it just exploded right in front of my eyes!"

He subconsciously touched his chest, all the color draining from his face.

"By the time I came to... I was already in the spectator space. I didn’t even see how he attacked! What move he used! I didn’t see a single thing! Just a flash of light! One flash! And I was gone!"

Raymond’s voice carried the hoarseness of a survivor and a profound sense of helplessness.

"One move! Just one fucking move! Me, Raymond, a proud Late-stage Saint Realm expert, considered somebody in the Source Net branch, and in front of Blood Slaughter Barton, I was like a paper doll.

No, worse than a paper doll! He didn’t even raise an eyelid. It was like he was swatting an annoying fly.

No courtesy, no mercy! He’s just... a soulless killing machine! A complete and utter monster!"

Raymond was overcome with lingering dread.

Even Isabel, who was always cool and self-possessed, had a flicker of gravity in her moon-white eyes.

The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

Blood Slaughter Barton!

The weight that name carried within the Alka branch of the Source Net was absolute—a terrifying legend built upon the corpses of countless powerhouses of the same rank.

His title, "Hundred-Man Slayer," was earned through actual slaughter.

Everyone present knew Raymond’s strength; he was by no means weak.

Yet a man like Raymond hadn’t even earned a serious glance from Barton before being instantly eliminated.

This wasn’t a gap in power; it was an absolute curbstomp, a chasm of despair.

The smile on Ares’s face completely vanished, his expression growing unprecedentedly stern and grave.

Naraku also dropped his usual flippant expression, his gaze turning sharp as a knife.

Even Li Wen’s eyes revealed a hint of solemnity.

’If I don’t upgrade my Martial Daoist class, I’ll be no match for Blood Slaughter Barton either.’

The upcoming second stage—an indiscriminate, no-rules, true battle royale.

That would be the true slaughterhouse.

And there, monsters like Blood Slaughter Barton would not be the only ones.

Demon Hand Hua Sha, and other equally terrifying opponents who had yet to reveal their full strength...

A heavy pressure silently descended upon the small, newly reunited group from the Source Net branch.

Everyone’s gaze involuntarily turned once more to the leaderboard hanging high above, emitting its cold light.

The name at the very top seemed particularly glaring, and particularly heavy.

The real challenge had only just begun.

...

Li Wen and the others chatted for a few more moments before a surge of white light appeared, and everyone was soon teleported away again.

When the white light faded, the bustling assembly plaza had been replaced by Ares’s magnificent and solemn palace within the Virtual Cosmos.

The figures of Li Wen, Ares, Isabel, Naraku, and Raymond appeared. ℯ𝐥.𝒄ℴ𝓶

"We’re back." Ares let out a long breath, his tense nerves relaxing slightly as he looked around at the familiar surroundings.

With this final group being teleported out, the first stage of the Alka District qualifiers for the Cosmic Peak Genius Battle came to a complete close.