From the Metropolis to the Strongest in the Cosmos

”I understand.”

Having learned Li Yang’s ranking, Tianluo said no more. With a flicker, he vanished.

He reappeared in a virtual palace district.

A palace door opened, and a young man emerged from within.

The young man had a single horn and purple skin, but his height and features were otherwise similar to an Earthling’s.

”Tianluo, what a rare guest! To what do I owe the pleasure?” The young man laughed heartily upon seeing Young Master Tianluo.

He showed little reverence for Tianluo, for his family was also a Divine Clan.

This was Lentz, the most powerful Law Realm genius in the Golden Moon Empire. He had even been accepted as a disciple by the Golden Moon Deity, granting him a position of immense reverence.

The Golden Moon Deity did not meddle in worldly affairs, leaving the family to be run by its administrators. If Lentz failed to break through to the Divine Realm in the future, it was highly probable that he would become the ruler of the Golden Moon Empire.

His status was, needless to say, exceptionally noble.

Of course, he was still a cut below Tianluo. He was a genius, yes, but his Talent was inferior to Tianluo’s, not quite enough to be recruited into the Yangyuan Empire.

Tianluo looked at Lentz and said calmly, ”Lentz, I’ve come to ask for your help with something.”

”Oh? What is it? If it’s within my power, I’ll certainly help,” Lentz said with a smile.

He was quite interested in having Tianluo owe him one.

Tianluo’s expression was serene. ”Your Golden Moon Empire is responsible for the talent selection across more than a thousand galaxies. I need to enter this competition, and I want you to make sure I’m teleported to the same location as Li Yang of the Milky Way Galaxy.”

The Golden Moon Empire was overseeing the talent selection for the Milky Way Galaxy and numerous others. The second stage consisted of combat between the geniuses, who were all randomly teleported.

However, it was also something that could be easily manipulated.

With Lentz’s influence, getting Tianluo into the competition and teleporting him to the same spot as Li Yang would be a simple task.

Over a hundred million people were competing. Everyone’s attention would be on the top-ranked geniuses. Who would notice what was happening inside one particular battle space?

That’s right. Tianluo intended to eliminate Li Yang directly, leaving him without a shred of hope.

He had let Li Yang escape once already. He couldn’t afford a single shred of carelessness this time.

Once Li Yang actually made it into the Yangyuan Empire’s territory, Tianluo would be powerless to do anything to him.

”Oh? Tianluo, do you have a grudge against this Li Yang fellow?”

Lentz asked, but Tianluo didn’t reply.

Seeing his silence, Lentz thought for a moment before asking, ”What’s this Li Yang’s background?”

The task wasn’t difficult for him, but it would certainly make him a sworn enemy of Li Yang.

”A year ago, Li Yang’s home was a Planet Zero. He’s the only Law Realm genius from that entire planet,” Tianluo stated calmly.

”A Planet Zero?”

Lentz burst out laughing at the words.

A Planet Zero... a place of utterly insignificant power. In the eyes of a Divine Clan like theirs, its inhabitants were less than ants.

”Alright, consider it done,” Lentz said with a smile.

He was just some guy from a Planet Zero; Lentz couldn’t care less. In exchange for simply dealing with Li Yang, he would have Tianluo in his debt. This was a fantastic bargain.

He had hesitated for a moment, thinking Li Yang might have some powerful backing.

But now, the thought of refusal didn’t even cross his mind.

”Tianluo, I’ll go take care of this. I’ll notify you once it’s arranged.”

Lentz added with a smile, ”However, Tianluo, after you kill Li Yang, don’t make a scene and take up one of the spots in this selection.”

With Tianluo’s power, he could effortlessly slaughter his way through all the geniuses of the Milky Way Galaxy. Not a single one of them would be his match.

If he wanted to, Tianluo could easily claim first place in the talent selection for the thousand-plus galaxies under the Golden Moon Empire.

His interference was, of course, a violation of the rules. If Tianluo were to stand out, achieve a high rank, and attract the attention of others, it would undoubtedly cause trouble.

”Don’t worry.”

Tianluo said calmly, ”After I kill Li Yang, I’ll eliminate myself from the competition. No one will ever notice.”

As long as he didn’t rank near the top, no one would have any idea that he, Tianluo, had even been inside the selection’s battle space.

As they spoke and Lentz went off to make the arrangements, Tianluo’s eyes narrowed to slits.

’Li Yang... trying to make a name for yourself in the talent selection?’

A cold sneer touched his lips.

’The Dragon Scale Insects on the planets around Earth are all mine. I will give you no chance to rise! For the next twenty years, you can just sit tight on Earth. If you’re a bug, you’ll crawl. If you’re a dragon, you’ll stay coiled! Just wait for the protection period from the Human Race Saint Hall’s branch to expire!’

That treasure belonged to him, Tianluo. He would give a weak little planet like Earth absolutely no chance to defy him!

...

「Three days passed in a flash.」

It was now time for the second stage of the Golden Moon Empire’s talent selection.

”Li Yang, you can do it!” Zhou Yao said, pumping her fist to encourage him.

Li Guohai, Zhao Rou, and the others did the same. On Earth, Shao Jie and the many other King Level experts also watched Li Yang, their eyes filled with anticipation.

The fate of Earth rested entirely on this talent selection.

”Don’t worry,” Li Yang said with a smile. He stood with Shen Xuan, waiting to enter the battle space.

According to Soul Ink, with his current ability to last two minutes against an Early Longevity Realm expert, he should be able to rank in the top ten among the thousand-plus galaxies under the Golden Moon Empire’s rule.

VMMMM...

A ripple of energy flashed, and their figures vanished.

This time, Li Yang found himself in an immense, open field.

The second stage was a free-for-all where the geniuses would fight amongst themselves. Those who distinguished themselves would naturally advance.

’I need to be careful. The competition lasts for ten days, so I have plenty of time. I can’t afford to fail because I get impatient.’

Li Yang took a deep breath, preparing to explore his surroundings slowly and hunt the other geniuses.

Even with his great strength, he could still be eliminated if he was ganged up on.

Li Yang was being extremely cautious to avoid such a scenario.

But after taking only a few steps, the color drained from Li Yang’s face.

Not far away, a young man was walking toward him with a smile. But that smile made Li Yang’s heart plummet.

”Tianluo!”

Tianluo, the peerless genius from the Yuanlan Clan who possessed the power of the Mid-Longevity Realm, had actually appeared in this selection space—and right in front of him, no less.

He knew what had happened without even having to think.

”Tianluo, so this is Li Yang? He doesn’t look all that special. How did he manage to get on your bad side?”

Beside Tianluo stood another young man. It was none other than Lentz, the very same genius from the Golden Moon Empire who was a candidate to become its future ruler. His eyes were filled with curiosity as he spoke.

He, too, was in the Law Realm and would be participating in the talent selection on the Yangyuan Star Continent. His advancement was a certainty, however. This time, he had come with Tianluo purely out of curiosity to see what was so special about this Li Yang.

He was just some Law Realm cultivator from a Planet Zero. Lentz couldn’t care less if Li Yang saw him and came to resent him for it.

”You talk too much,” Tianluo said dismissively in response to Lentz’s question.

He turned to Li Yang, a faint smile playing on his lips. ”Li Yang, we meet again.”