Alex stood calmly at the center of the ruined valley.

Not a single scratch could be seen on his body.

Even his clothes remained perfectly intact, fluttering lightly under the chaotic energy currents spreading across the battlefield. His right hand still rested casually behind his back as if the entire battle had merely been a light warm up exercise.

The valley had already become unrecognizable.

Mountains were shattered.

The earth had collapsed into enormous craters.

Rivers of molten rock flowed through countless fractures spreading across the land like glowing scars.

Yet in the middle of all that destruction, Alex stood there looking almost bored.

Silence swallowed everything.

Not ordinary silence.

It was the kind of silence that appeared when people witnessed something completely beyond logic.

The remaining participants stared at him with stiff expressions.

Some were breathing heavily.

Some still held broken weapons.

Others looked like their souls had already left their bodies.

Nobody moved.

Nobody dared to speak first.

Because at that moment, they all finally understood something terrifying.

Alex had never taken them seriously from the very beginning.

The realization hit harder than any attack.

This entire time, while thousands of geniuses struggled desperately with everything they had, this shameless monster had been playing with them.

Alex slowly glanced around the battlefield.

His gaze swept across the remaining participants casually.

Every single person he looked at instinctively stiffened.

Not purely because of fear.

But because they finally understood the true gap between them.

Some gaps could be crossed through effort.

Some gaps could be crossed through talent.

But Alex felt like an entirely different species.

Then Alex raised his left hand casually.

Nine glowing seals slowly floated into the air.

Each seal radiated ancient energy and carried a powerful aura capable of shaking ordinary worlds apart.

The crowd became confused immediately.

Then the seals suddenly shot outward.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Nine streaks of light crossed the valley instantly before stopping in front of nine different participants.

The chosen geniuses froze.

Those nine were the ones who had lasted the longest during the battle royale.

The ones who adapted the fastest.

The ones who actually managed to force Alex to move slightly more seriously.

One of them was missing half his armor.

Another could barely stand upright anymore.

A female swordswoman stared blankly at the seal floating before her while blood still dripped from the corner of her lips.

Slowly, all nine accepted the seals.

Their expressions became complicated.

Because receiving recognition from Alex somehow felt both honorable and insulting at the same time.

Alex looked at everyone calmly.

For the first time since the tournament began, his usual shameless grin disappeared completely.

His expression became strangely calm.

"You all still have a very long way to go," he said slowly.

The valley remained silent.

Even the spectators outside the realm stopped speaking.

"But remember something clearly."

His voice was steady.

Calm.

Almost sage-like.

"No matter how talented you are, there will always be someone standing above you."

Those words spread across the entire realm through the transmission formations.

Countless people listening outside unconsciously became quiet.

"Do not become arrogant too early," Alex continued. "Your multiverses need you alive. Become stronger so you can actually protect them properly instead of dying foolishly because of your pride."

The participants listened silently.

Even some of the older powerhouses watching from outside nodded slightly.

Because despite Alex being shameless beyond belief, those words genuinely carried wisdom.

Talent often created arrogance.

Arrogance created carelessness.

And carelessness killed geniuses faster than enemies ever could.

For the first time since the tournament started, many people felt actual respect toward Alex.

Maybe beneath all the nonsense, robbery, shamelessness, trash talking, and emotional damage he caused every five minutes...

This young man truly possessed the heart of a powerhouse.

Even Alexander felt slightly emotional while watching him.

A proud smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Seems this little brat actually matured a little," he thought with pride.

Then Alex smirked.

Instantly, every participant felt their hearts sink.

That expression was extremely familiar by now.

Nothing good ever followed that smile.

"If one day," Alex continued lazily, "you become overconfident and think you’ve reached the pinnacle of talent..."

He slowly pointed toward himself.

"Just remember me."

His grin widened shamelessly.

"Alex Moriarty."

The atmosphere became dangerous immediately.

"I’ll always stand above you, looking down on you like the insects you are."

Silence.

Pure silence.

Then Alex vanished instantly.

The entire valley froze for two full seconds.

Then chaos exploded.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

"I HATE THIS BASTARD!"

"HE WAS MOCKING US AGAIN!"

"I SWEAR I’LL KILL HIM SOMEDAY!"

One genius smashed both fists into the ground furiously, creating a massive crater.

Another participant pointed toward the sky while roaring with bloodshot eyes.

"The moment I leave this realm, I’m entering secluded cultivation! Next time I see him, I’ll beat him so badly he’ll have to call me father!"

"DAMN YOU ALEX MORIARTY!"

"YOU RUINED MY DAO HEART!"

"I LOST THREE DIVINE ARTIFACTS TODAY!"

Outside the realm, countless spectators burst into laughter.

Entire cities watching the live broadcast became noisy again.

Even several Supreme beings failed to maintain their composure anymore.

One old Supreme laughed so hard he nearly spilled the divine tea in his hand.

Alexander slowly covered his face.

"...This little bastard."

The tournament officials also looked emotionally exhausted.

Normally, the first phase of the Grand Multiversal Tournament lasted two days.

Over a thousand geniuses would survive the opening stage before moving into one on one elimination rounds until the final ten remained.

But this year?

One shameless monster beat everyone together like an adult disciplining kindergarten children.

The organizers genuinely did not know whether to feel impressed or insulted.

The realm barrier slowly opened.

Alex walked out first while humming happily to himself.

His mood was excellent.

Today had been extremely profitable.

He had learned a lot.

Robbed a lot.

Bullied a lot.

Overall, it was a very productive day.

The moment he stepped outside, countless gazes landed on him immediately.

Some admired him.

Some feared him.

Some wanted to strangle him to death.

Alex ignored all of them calmly.

The tournament host quickly descended from the VIP platform before appearing in front of Alex with a professional smile.

"Mr. Moriarty," the host said politely, "how do you feel about becoming the number one participant in this Grand Multiversal Tournament?"

Alex thought seriously for a moment.

"It was pretty fun," he answered honestly.

Then he sighed slightly.

"Those geniuses had a lot of loot on them. It would’ve been even better if they carried more treasures."

The entire place became silent instantly.

Alex then turned toward the section where the Supreme beings sat.

He bowed respectfully.

"Thank you, Supremes," he said sincerely. "Thank you for spending so many years fattening them up with treasures for me."

Dead silence.

One Supreme instantly stood up with veins bulging across his forehead.

"LET ME GO!" he roared furiously. "I’LL FLATTEN THAT LITTLE BASTARD TODAY!"

Another Supreme hurriedly grabbed him.

"Calm down!"

"DON’T STOP ME!"

"You already lost the bet! Don’t embarrass yourself further!"

Alexander coughed lightly while trying not to laugh.

Then he looked toward another Supreme beside him.

"Hand over the Origin Energy," he said proudly.

The other Supreme looked like he wanted to cry.

With a long suffering sigh, he handed over a glowing crystal containing immense cosmic energy.

Alexander accepted it happily.

"Pleasure doing business."

The defeated Supreme almost coughed blood.

A moment later, Alexander vanished from his seat and appeared beside Alex.

"Let’s go," he said with obvious satisfaction. "The castle opens in three days anyway."

Alex nodded casually.

Both of them disappeared instantly.

Moments later, they appeared inside Alexander’s enormous castle.

Alexander immediately burst into loud laughter the moment they arrived.

"Well done, Alex!" he said proudly. "That was fantastic!"

He genuinely felt delighted.

Originally, he planned to send his granddaughter Aurora into the tournament.

But after witnessing Alex’s performance today, even he had to admit something honestly.

Aurora would never have achieved first place against monsters like that.

Alex sat casually on a chair.

"Master, it was honestly too easy," he admitted.

Alexander’s mouth twitched slightly.

Too easy?

That tournament contained thousands of top geniuses from countless multiverses.

Yet this shameless creature spoke like he had just finished morning exercise.

"And actually," Alex continued, "I don’t plan to enter the castle anymore."

Alexander paused.

Alex took out a glowing seal and handed it over.

"Give this to Aurora instead. Let her enter."

Alexander’s eyes widened immediately.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

Alexander stared at him silently for several moments.

The castle represented one of the greatest opportunities available to younger generations.

Yet Alex was giving it away casually.

Eventually, Alexander sighed softly.

"Very well."

Then his expression became more serious.

"But the Prime Sanctuary is dangerous beyond imagination. Even with your strength, you must remain cautious."

Alex nodded.

"I know."

"The Prime Sanctuary can strengthen your physical body greatly through essence tempering," Alexander explained patiently. "But the real opportunities there are far more terrifying."

Alex leaned slightly forward.

"Master, I wanted to ask something actually."

"Go ahead."

"The Prime Sanctuary... is it a world filled with universes and multiverses like lower realms? Or is it one endless plane?"

Alexander thought briefly before answering.

"As far as I know, it is a single endless plane."