From the Metropolis to the Strongest in the Cosmos

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: The Youngest Genius

All ten thousand geniuses entered the Virtual World, and Li Yang found himself once again in that vast area.

When he had arrived three days ago, there were only a handful of geniuses here. Now, the place was teeming with them, a dense crowd stretching as far as the eye could see.

The Human Race’s Three Thousand Star Continent had each selected ten thousand geniuses. That meant thirty million geniuses in total!

What did it even mean for thirty million people to be gathered in one place?

And here, even the lowest-ranked among them would be considered a peerless genius anywhere else, someone with the potential to become a Deity.

The geniuses all around were murmuring amongst themselves, their gazes drawn primarily to the absolute top-tier prodigies.

"Look, over there is Yun Rou, the top genius from Juelun Star Continent. She’s strong enough to kill an expert at the Peak of Longevity Realm and is ranked in the top twenty across the Three Thousand Star Continent."

Li Yang glanced to the side. A girl in turquoise armor stood there. She had a pure, adorable face, like that of a naive young maiden, but she was, in fact, an exceptionally powerful and peerless genius.

"That’s Mute from Kui Lang Star Continent. He can also kill an expert at the Peak of Longevity Realm and is ranked in the top twenty of the Three Thousand Star Continent. What’s more, he’s a member of the ruling family of Kui Lang Star Continent and was even accepted as Emperor Kui Lang’s personal disciple."

’Emperor Kui Lang’s disciple?’

Hearing the crowd’s murmurs, Li Yang’s gaze shifted to a burly young man with bare arms.

’Emperor Kui Lang rules an entire Star Continent. His power must be on par with Yangyuan Emperor!’

As far as Li Yang knew, Yangyuan Emperor hadn’t taken on any disciples.

"That’s Dilunxi. He’s only twenty-two, but his power is in no way inferior to Yun Rou’s or Mute’s."

Li Yang’s gaze shifted to a young man who looked even younger than himself.

Dilunxi. The youngest of all the geniuses present, even younger than Li Yang, but his power was absolutely terrifying.

"Li Yang, rumor has it that Dilunxi isn’t from any major power. He only started cultivating as a teenager and reached his current level in less than a decade," Jin Xu murmured to Li Yang just then.

’Less than a decade?’

Li Yang was startled by this.

’I’ve been cultivating for eight years now,’ he thought, shocked. ’Dilunxi’s been at it for about the same amount of time. But I have my Sky-Fierce Flood Dragon and Thunder Star Beast avatars—two extremely high-level life forms! That’s the only reason my progress has been so astonishing!’

’If Dilunxi achieved this all on his own, his natural Talent is truly off the charts.’

’Of course, it’s also possible that Dilunxi had his own great stroke of fortune, just like me.’

’They can all instantly kill an expert at the Peak of Longevity Realm!’

Li Yang marveled to himself. Geniuses he would normally never have the chance to meet were now appearing one after another.

’However, if I master the third form of the Hexagram Spear, I’ll have that kind of power too.’

’The third form of the Hexagram Spear makes one invincible within the Longevity Realm! Instantly killing an expert at the peak of that realm would be a simple matter!’

’There are two possible outcomes for me,’ Li Yang thought. ’If I don’t master the third form of the Hexagram Spear, I’ll rank at the very bottom of these top three thousand geniuses. But if I do, my power will skyrocket, and I’ll be among the frontrunners.’

’There’s no time left; I don’t have a chance to master it now. If I end up at the bottom, so be it. I haven’t been cultivating for that long, and I’m still constantly improving. Even if I fall behind the other geniuses for now, I can definitely catch up later.’

The competition was about to begin. He was out of time.

He had been anxious just a moment ago, but now, Li Yang’s mindset suddenly relaxed.

"Li Yang, look over there..." Jin Xu suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts.

Li Yang looked, and he wasn’t the only one. All eyes in the vicinity turned in the same direction.

There stood a dashingly handsome young man whose skin had a faint blue tint.

But upon seeing this young man, everyone’s eyes filled with deep wariness.

"It’s Lan Yu, the top genius of Yuenuo Star Continent!"

"Lan Yu is a shoo-in for the top three in the overall rankings!"

"He’s too strong. The two thousand five hundredth step! I gave it my all and only made it to the two thousand two hundredth."

According to the rankings on the Path to Deities across the Human Race’s Three Thousand Star Continent, Lan Yu was ranked number two overall!

The Path to Deities was also a major indicator of one’s true strength.

Reaching the 2,500th step meant one’s power had surely reached the level of a Star Lord!

"Look over there!"

Suddenly, someone else cried out in alarm.

After Lan Yu’s appearance, another young man in white armor materialized on the opposite side.

This young man had a build similar to an Earthling’s, with red mystic markings on his face. His features were plain, the kind that would be completely unnoticeable in a crowd.

And yet, the sight of this young man inspired even greater fear in the crowd.

Mixed Void. On the Path to Deities, he had reached the 2,600th step, ranking first in the entire Human Race’s Three Thousand Star Continent! He defeated every opponent instantly, never needing a second move. Many powerful figures believed he even had the strength to kill a Star Lord!

Barring any surprises, Mixed Void was the overwhelming favorite to take first place in this selection.

Two peerless geniuses, Lan Yu and Mixed Void, appeared one by one, and the eyes of nearly every genius present were fixed on them.

"The power of a Star Lord!"

"Reaching the 2,500th step on the Path to Deities means your comprehension of the Laws is at least enough to contend with a Star Lord! What’s the real difference in power between those two?"

"Based on their progress on the Path to Deities, Mixed Void is a little stronger than Lan Yu, so his actual combat power is probably slightly higher, too."

"Two such peerless geniuses... Not a single one has appeared in the last thousand tournaments held by the Human Race’s Eternal Saint Hall! A genius like that might not appear for a hundred million years, and now two have shown up at the same time!"

The crowd of geniuses broke into a flurry of discussion.

They felt wariness and reverence. For geniuses like Yun Rou, Mute, and Dilunxi, they could still process it, feeling only a degree of caution. But when it came to Lan Yu and Mixed Void, there was only awe. They couldn’t even entertain the thought of trying to catch up.

Who knew how long it took for even one such genius to appear in the Human Race’s Eternal Saint Hall selection tournament, let alone two at the same time.

"Lan Yu... Mixed Void..." Yun Rou, the top prodigy from Juelun Star Continent, stared at the two of them. Her pure, seemingly naive expression gave no hint as to what she was truly thinking.

Mute, the bare-armed genius from Kui Lang Star Continent, also stared at the pair, his eyes glinting with fighting spirit.

’Two true geniuses. Now things are getting interesting. None of the so-called geniuses around me can even put up a fight!’

The young prodigy, Dilunxi, was watching as well.

’Lan Yu and Mixed Void? So-called peerless geniuses that appear once in a hundred million years? They’ve just been cultivating longer than I have, that’s all.’

A glint flashed in the twenty-two-year-old Dilunxi’s eyes, a hint of disdain deep within them. ’Give me the same amount of time, and I’ll surpass you with ease!’

’I’ve only been cultivating for a decade, yet I’m already in the top twenty among the countless Law Realm geniuses across the entire Human Race’s Three Thousand Star Continent!’

’Give me time, and I will surpass them all.’ This was his absolute, unshakeable confidence.