From the Metropolis to the Strongest in the Cosmos

Chapter 219: Chapter 219: Countdown

After Mixed Void and Lan Yu appeared, the other participants began to be teleported out one after another.

High above the massive area, a sliver of the Yangyuan Emperor’s consciousness descended to observe the selection trials of Jin Xu and the other geniuses from his empire.

Ten thousand geniuses were all within the Yangyuan Empire’s domain, so the Yangyuan Emperor could watch them easily.

"Haha, Yangyuan, your Yangyuan Empire is at the bottom of the barrel this time. Why did you even bother showing up?" another consciousness bantered just as the Yangyuan Emperor’s own arrived.

The Yangyuan Emperor said indifferently, "It’s just one genius selection. It doesn’t prove anything."

"Yes, it doesn’t prove anything."

That consciousness chuckled and said, "Let me take a look at the situation with your top few geniuses from the Yangyuan Empire this time. Hmm, this Jin Xu is on the fifth stage, Lamochi is on the fourth... and this Li Yang, who’s ranked third... huh, he’s still on the first stage. Heh, Yangyuan, this battle will be over in an hour and a half at the latest. Surely this Li Yang isn’t trying to use this short amount of time to improve himself, is he?"

The Yangyuan Emperor ignored the other consciousness. He, too, had seen Li Yang in the battle space and frowned slightly.

In the first stage’s battle space, Li Yang wasn’t fighting at all. Instead, he was constantly dodging the virtual opponents without attacking them. It was unclear what he was doing.

The five years on the Stairway to the Path of Deities had already given everyone ample time to improve and enhance their strength. The time for the subsequent matches was very short, making it basically impossible to make any further progress.

’Stalling for time? Trying to improve his strength? Doesn’t Li Yang know that stalling is useless? He’s just making a fool of himself.’

The Yangyuan Emperor frowned, realizing that Li Yang was apparently still trying to use this brief period to improve his strength.

Finishing later didn’t mean you were more powerful.

Just look at the most powerful ones like Mixed Void and Lan Yu—they both finished in a very short time.

This ranking selection would be over in an hour and a half at the latest. How much could one’s strength possibly improve? Everyone else was quickly killing the virtual opponents. Could it be that Li Yang had just hit a bottleneck in his cultivation? The probability was just too small.

In this selection, the later one finished, the more of a joke they would become to everyone else.

Because the powerful participants had already finished, the only ones left were the weak, just slowly dragging things out.

...

On Earth, Li Guohai, Zhao Rou, Zhou Yao, and the others were all watching Li Yang’s ranking.

The second round of the battle space selection had been broadcast live, but this third round was not.

It was a joke to even think about it. With thirty million battle spaces, how could it possibly be broadcast live?

So, they could only see the rankings.

"Mom, Dad is still on the first stage, ranked over twenty million," Xiaodong said, pouting.

"Xiaodong, your father has reached a bottleneck. He must be trying to achieve a breakthrough during the selection," Zhou Yao said with a smile, stroking Xiaodong’s head.

Li Guohai and Zhao Rou were also talking amongst themselves.

"I wonder if Yangyang can break through."

"Yangyang said that even if he doesn’t, he still has a very good chance of entering the Human Race’s Eternal Saint Hall."

Li Yang’s family knew about the situation with his strength.

...

While his family understood Li Yang, the Milky Way Galaxy, including the entire Golden Moon Empire, had fallen silent.

"Li Yang is ranked over twenty million."

"How is that possible? He was third in the Yangyuan Star Continent! Even across the Human Race’s Three Thousand Star Continent, his overall rank should be in the top ten thousand."

"What is Li Yang doing? So many people have already finished their battles, but he’s still dawdling on the first stage."

The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

Before, they had been expecting Li Yang to have a sudden burst of power, but now, Li Yang was practically dead last!

...

In the imperial palace of the Golden Moon Empire, the Emperor and his ministers had also fallen silent, their expressions grim.

"Your Majesty, the final result isn’t certain yet. Li Yang is still on the first stage; he must have his own plans," one minister said.

"That’s right, Li Yang definitely has his own plans!"

"His strength speaks for itself. Passing the sixth stage and entering the top ten thousand in the overall ranking is a certainty."

"Remember when Jun Mo provoked Li Yang? Didn’t everyone think Li Yang was going to be eliminated? But then he erupted with such incredible power."

Everyone chimed in, clearly trying to think on the bright side.

Inside the great hall, both Lunba Wu and Lentz were present.

As Lentz stared at the ranking of over three million, some of the panic that had long plagued him actually began to fade.

Ever since Li Yang had placed third in the Yangyuan Star Continent, Lentz had been living in constant panic, terrified that the upper echelons of the Golden Moon Empire would find out what he had done to Li Yang.

’Li Yang is ranked so far back?’ Lentz couldn’t help but think.

’Could his strength be fake?’

The more he thought about it, the more Lentz believed it was possible!

’Yes, it’s very possible. Before, on the Stairway to the Path of Deities, Li Yang only reached the 1501st step. With that kind of potential, there’s no way he could have killed Jun Mo instantly. During the second selection round, after he killed Jun Mo, he didn’t make another move and just stayed on the sidelines. Could it be because he used some special method to suddenly boost his strength?’

If he was really that powerful, why did Li Yang only climb to the 1501st step in the first selection round? It was just too strange.

In reality, Lentz knew his line of thinking was a bit of a stretch, but right now, he was like a drowning man who had just spotted a life-saving straw and couldn’t help but grasp at it.

What if Li Yang really didn’t have that kind of strength? What if his true level was only the 1501st step? And what if his instant-kill of Jun Mo was truly achieved through some special method?

Although his mental gymnastics were a bit unrealistic, the possibility did exist!

Now that Li Yang’s rank had fallen to this point, if the upper echelons of the Golden Moon Empire were to find out that he had once tried to eliminate Li Yang, the consequences would be unimaginable!

A genius specially cultivated by the Yangyuan Empire, a genius that even their ancestor, Golden Moon, had to treat with caution—and Lentz was his sworn enemy.

In that situation, would he ever have a chance to control the entire Golden Moon Empire in the future?

Forget about controlling it; he might even face severe punishment!

But, if Li Yang’s strength wasn’t as great as everyone imagined, if it was all a facade, if that slim possibility proved to be true...

Lentz’s state of mind was like that of a desperate man who owed someone five million, using his last two dollars to buy a lottery ticket, hoping for a miraculous comeback.

If Li Yang wasn’t that strong, wouldn’t the Yangyuan Empire erupt in curses? Wouldn’t the Yangyuan Emperor be furious and refuse to accept Li Yang into the Yangyuan Empire...

If all that happened, wouldn’t all his worries disappear?

’I’m right. Li Yang is a fraud; this is the rank he deserves! The second round in the battle space only lasted an instant, but in this third selection, he has to fight continuously. That Secret Technique for boosting his strength must be useless now. Soon, Li Yang will probably even be eliminated.’