Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 157: The Last 5

As the days passed after the Trial Tower opened, the battles continued in the millions of trial spaces.

On the official website of the Virtual Universe Company, the changes in the rankings captivated the hearts of countless people across 1008 universe nations. Every moment, geniuses were eliminated, and every moment, new names surged to the top. But for the people of the Qianwu Universe Nation, the most captivating figures were undoubtedly three—Rong Jun, Luo Feng, and Lin Yun.

Rong Jun consistently ranked in the top twenty. His fighting style was fierce and domineering, clearing each level with overwhelming force. Virtual Universe Company produced a promotional video for him, and the name of the Wild Man Rong Jun spread throughout the entire Qianwu Universe Kingdom.

Luo Feng, on the other hand, evoked a rollercoaster of emotions in countless people.

From being at the very bottom of the rankings at the beginning, to his steady rise, and now breaking into the top 1,000, Luo Feng's ranking has skyrocketed like a rocket. Those who once angrily criticized him have fallen silent, while those who have always supported him have gone wild.

"Madman Luo Feng! Madman Luo Feng!" On the streets of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, countless young people held up virtual screens and shouted excitedly.

"I told you, he would definitely make a strong comeback later on!"

"Go! Break into the top 100!"

However, among the list of geniuses in the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, there is one person who has been overlooked by most people—Lin Yun.

His ranking wasn't as dazzling as Rong Jun's from the start, nor did he experience a dramatic reversal from the bottom to the top like Luo Feng. He consistently hovered around the top 10,000, unassuming and unassuming, like a deep pool of water, making it impossible for people to see through him.

But the Thirteenth Master noticed him.

"This Lin Yun..." The giant in the scale armor robe frowned slightly as he looked at the screen in front of him. He opened Lin Yun's live stream and saw that Lin Yun was fighting fiercely against ten star beasts named "Cang" on the sixth floor of the fourth trial tower. Purple lightning flashed on the blade, and his movements were as fast as lightning. Every strike he made accurately hit the star beasts' vital points.

"His mastery of the Law of Lightning is exceptional; he alternates between the three profound mysteries with perfect coordination," said an immortal beside the Thirteenth Lord. "Moreover, he stays on each level for a full ten days, never acting rashly. Such a composed character is truly rare."

"He is composed, but his strength seems to have reached its limit." Another immortal shook his head. "With the strength he has shown so far, breaking into the top 1,000 is no problem, but the top 100 will probably be difficult. Rong Jun and Luo Feng are both stronger than him."

The Thirteenth Lord remained silent, his eyes fixed on the screen. He observed Lin Yun's effortless mastery of the battle; though he employed only the Law of Thunder, each profound technique was used with perfect precision, without the slightest unnecessary movement.

"What is he hiding?" the Thirteenth Master whispered.

"What?"

"It's nothing." The Thirteenth Master didn't explain, but his intuition told him that this young man named Lin Yun was far more complex than he appeared.

The seventh floor of the fourth trial tower, the Zerg mother hive.

Lin Yun stood at the entrance and took a deep breath. He had spent ten days on each of the first three trial towers, for a total of two hundred and ten days. His Law of Lightning had been constantly improving in actual combat. The fusion of Lightning Speed ​​and Lightning Explosion, and Lightning Speed ​​and Lightning Resonance, was already ninety-nine percent complete, with only the last bit remaining for complete fusion. The feeling of that slight harmony between Lightning Explosion and Lightning Resonance was becoming increasingly apparent!

"The fourth building, seventh floor." Lin Yun stepped inside.

The Zerg hive was several times stronger than the previous three trial towers. The Zerg warriors were comparable in strength to geniuses at the Hengxing level who had stepped into the threshold of the Laws realm, and their numbers were overwhelming. Lin Yun unleashed his Lightning Domain at full power, purple lightning enveloping the space within a hundred meters around him. His figure weaved through the swarm of Zerg, lightning flashing on his battle blade, each strike claiming the lives of several Zerg.

But he still only uses the Law of Thunder.

After ten days, the mother nest was destroyed. Lin Yun was teleported out of the fourth trial tower, and his points increased again.

"The fifth trial tower." Lin Yun looked at the taller tower in the distance, a hint of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes.

Just as Lin Yun entered the fifth trial tower, the battle in Thor's trial space was coming to an end.

Thor stood at the entrance to the first level of the fifth trial tower, covered in blood and his armor riddled with cracks. His lightning magic was nearing completion, but before the fifth trial tower, he felt unprecedented pressure.

"First level: 10000 blood-haired mammoths, their strength comparable to a celestial-level genius who has stepped into the threshold of the Law realm." Thor looked down at the screen, grinned, and said, "Let's go!"

He charged into the battlefield.

The blood-haired mammoths were as large as mountains, each exuding a terrifying aura. Their attacks contained the power of the fundamental laws of earth, heavy as mountains and unstoppable. Although Thor's laws of lightning were ferocious, they gradually became powerless in the face of their sheer numbers.

On the fifth day, Thor was trampled by the giant hoof of a blood-haired mammoth, and his body turned into light and dissipated.

"Participant: Thor (Qianwu Universe Kingdom), eliminated. Final ranking: 4023."

Thor was teleported back to the central square. Standing there, he looked at the eliminated geniuses around him and gave a bitter smile.

"The fifth one on the first floor, still no good." He shook his head.

In Hong's trial space, the battle was also coming to an end.

Hong's mastery of the Law of Light was nearing completion, and his marksmanship was incredibly fast. On the first level of the fifth trial tower, he used his speed of light to weave through the swarm of blood-haired mammoths, reaping his targets shot by shot.

On the sixth day, however, he was attacked by three blood-haired mammoths at the same time. Unable to dodge, he was struck and turned into points of light and disappeared.

"Participant: Hong (Qianwu Universe Kingdom), eliminated. Final ranking: 5201."

Hong was teleported back to the central square, where he saw Thor already waiting.

"Big brother, you're dead too?" Thor asked.

"Yes, the fifth one, first floor." Hong nodded. "And you?"

"Same here." Thor sighed. "The difficulty of the fifth trial tower has increased too much. Every single one of the blood-haired mammoths on the first level has the strength to step into the threshold of the Laws. It's already quite good that the two of us made it to the first level of the fifth one."

"Hmm." Hong looked at the leaderboard. "I wonder how far Lin Yun and Luo Feng can go."

"Those two freaks are definitely farther away than us," Thor grinned.

The fifth trial tower became the final destination for the vast majority of geniuses.

Over 90% of the geniuses are eliminated in the third and fourth trial towers, and those who can enter the fifth trial tower are extremely rare. As for the sixth and seventh towers, only the most outstanding geniuses can reach them.

Time passed day by day.

Luo Feng's ranking kept rising. He went from the bottom tens of thousands to the top 1,000, and then from the top 1,000 to the top 500. He spent ten days in each level, taking each step steadily and surely.

"Luo Feng has entered the fifth trial tower!" someone exclaimed in the central square.

"His ranking is skyrocketing! He's broken into the top 100!"

"My God, he's still rising!"

The Thirteenth Lord sat in a huge chair, looking at the rankings on the screen, a slight smile playing on his lips. He clicked on Luo Feng's live stream and saw Luo Feng engaged in a fierce battle with the metallic lifeform in the fifth Trial Tower. The golden sword rainbow of the Divine Weapon drew sharp arcs in the air, each attack precise and deadly.

"His movement technique is the 'Myriad Flows', and his mastery of it is quite high," the Thirteenth Master said softly. "During the selection within the Universe Kingdom, he didn't reveal a trace of the fundamental laws of space. But now, he can utilize the 'Myriad Flows' to this extent. This Luo Feng has been hiding his abilities very well."

The immortals around him nodded in agreement.

"Interesting, very interesting."

"I wonder which immortal or realm lord nurtured this outstanding disciple."

"Thirteen, your Qianwu Universe Kingdom has produced two outstanding geniuses this time. Rong Jun and Luo Feng both have the strength to break into the top ten."

The Thirteenth Lord nodded slightly, then his gaze fell on Lin Yun's ranking.

Lin Yun's ranking was also rising, but not as dramatically as Luo Feng's. He remained consistently within the top 10,000, and his ranking improved slowly as the number of eliminated players increased.

"This Lin Yun has also entered the fifth trial tower," said one of the immortals.

"Hmm." The Thirteenth Master clicked on Lin Yun's live stream and saw that Lin Yun was fighting fiercely with 1000 metallic lifeforms, the "Thoraga Warriors," on the third floor of the fifth trial tower. His swordsmanship still only used the Law of Thunder, but each strike carried an indescribable charm.

"His lightning law seems to have reached a critical point," the Thirteenth Master said thoughtfully.

Time continued to pass.

Rong Jun was eliminated by the Zerg hive on the seventh floor of the fifth trial tower, ultimately ranking 13th. When he was teleported back to the central square, his expression was calm, but a trace of resentment flashed in his eyes.

"13th place." Rong Jun clenched his fist. "Still not enough."

He looked at the leaderboard and found that Luo Feng and Lin Yun were still in the trial space.

"These two guys..." Rong Jun murmured.

Luo Feng continued forward. He passed all seven levels of the fifth Trial Tower. He passed the first level of the sixth Trial Tower. His ranking rose from 42nd to 18th, and then from 18th to 9th.

"Luo Feng has entered the sixth trial tower!" A commotion erupted in the central square.

"The sixth Trial Tower! Only the most outstanding geniuses can enter it!"

"Finally, someone from our Qianwu Universe Kingdom has entered the sixth Trial Tower!"

The Thirteenth Prince sat in his chair, arms crossed, eyes glued to the screen. A flicker of excitement crossed his eyes.

"Good! Good! Good!" he said three times in a row.

Lin Yun, too, is making steady progress.

His ranking remained consistently behind Luo Feng's, but the gap wasn't significant. While Luo Feng entered the sixth trial tower, Lin Yun was engaged in a fierce battle with the Zerg mother nest on the seventh floor of the fifth trial tower. Ten days later, he passed the fifth trial tower and entered the sixth.

"Lin Yun has also entered the sixth trial tower!" someone exclaimed.

"Two people from the Qianwu Universe Kingdom have entered the sixth Trial Tower!"

"My God, what's going on?"

The Thirteenth Lord clicked on Lin Yun's live stream, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He noticed that Lin Yun was still handling 10000 blood-haired mammoths with ease on the first level of the sixth trial tower. His application of the Law of Lightning had reached a whole new level, with the three profound techniques of lightning speed, lightning explosion, and lightning resonance working together seamlessly.

"His lightning law has already reached a minor level of mastery," the Thirteenth Master said softly.

"Minor Completion? You can cultivate the Law of Thunder to minor completion at the Hengxing level?" the immortal beside him exclaimed in surprise.

"Not just that." The Thirteenth Master shook his head. "I can sense that his strength is far more than that. He's still hiding it."

The screens in the central square went out one by one.

The number of people remaining in the trial space is dwindling. From over a million at the beginning, to a few thousand, then a few hundred, a few dozen, and finally only a handful are left.

The latest promotional video for Virtual Universe has been released on the company's official website.

"Of those who have survived this year's Genius Battle, five remain alive in the trial space!"

"They are—"

"Berlan, the 'Grim Reaper' from the Noah Universe Kingdom!"

"Lin Yun, the 'Thunder Blade' from the Qianwu Universe Kingdom!"

"Luo Feng, the 'madman' from the Qianwu Universe Kingdom!"

"Blood Edge" Candita from the Nine Flames Universe Kingdom!

"The 'Sword of Life' Yi Feng from the Ancient Wheel Universe Kingdom!"

In the promotional video, images of the five individuals appear in sequence.

Death God Berlan, forever clad in white, forever wielding a blood-red sword. From the very beginning, he was in the lead, unstoppable, his points far ahead. He had already passed the sixth trial tower and was now aiming for the seventh.

Lei Dao Lin Yun, dressed in black, wields a battle sword, purple lightning flashing on its blade. From the very beginning, he has been steady and methodical, spending the full ten days on each level, never rushing ahead. His ranking isn't the highest, but every step he takes is extremely solid. The promotional video calls him "the most composed genius," and his fighting style is concise and sharp, without a single superfluous movement.

The madman Luo Feng, riding the Dark Cloud Shuttle, his golden sword rainbow, wielded by his divine weapon, drew sharp arcs through the air. He had risen from the bottom to create the biggest comeback in this year's Genius Battle. His eyes were cold, carrying a chilling killing intent; he truly lived up to his name, "Madman."

Bloodblade Candita, a burly and savage young man, appears to be a martial artist, but is actually a powerful psychic controller wielding one of the nine divine weapons of the controller, the "Bloodblade Divine Weapon." He rose from the bottom to the top.

Yi Feng, the Sword of Life, is a small, thin fellow who is an astonishing martial artist. His swordsmanship embodies the brilliance of life, and he always carries a hint of shyness on his face.

"This year's Genius Battle is definitely among the top-tier in the history of Genius Battles!"

"Now, only these five exceptional geniuses remain! The day they are removed from the trial space will be the day the trial ends!"

"Let us offer our blessings, and wish these five exceptional talents even greater surprises!"

The release of the promotional video caused a sensation throughout the entire Qianwu Universe Kingdom.

"Two people! Two people from our Qianwu Universe Kingdom have made it into the final five!" People cheered wildly throughout the streets and alleys of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire.

"Lin Yun! Luo Feng! They both belong to our Black Dragon Mountain Empire!"

"My God, our Black Dragon Mountain Empire has actually produced two such geniuses!"

The emperor of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire immediately announced a grand victory banquet, and the entire empire was plunged into a frenzy of celebration.

For the first time, the names of Lin Yun and Luo Feng became known to the people of the entire Qianwu Universe Kingdom.

The sixth trial tower.

Luo Feng stood at the entrance to the fourth floor, his body covered in wounds. His Demon Slayer avatar was cultivating frantically in reality, his understanding of the laws of space constantly improving, but the difficulty of the sixth trial tower far exceeded his expectations.

"The sixth level, fourth floor: 1000 metallic lifeforms, the 'Thoraga Warriors,' each possessing strength approaching the minor completion stage." Luo Feng took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The battle was exceptionally fierce. Luo Feng unleashed the full power of the second level of his Divine Weapon, "Sky Piercing Strike," with golden sword rainbows weaving through the air, but he still felt strained. The metallic lifeforms possessed extremely strong defenses, and since they lacked souls, they could not be countered with mental attacks.

On the seventh day, Luo Feng was struck by a Tuoluo warrior, and his body turned into specks of light and dissipated.

"Participant: Luo Feng (Qianwu Universe Kingdom), eliminated. Final ranking: 3rd."

When Luo Feng was teleported back to the central square, more than a million eliminated geniuses had already gathered there. As soon as he appeared, countless gazes were cast his way.

"A madman! A madman is coming!"

"That's Luo Feng? Ranked 3rd overall! That's incredible!"

"The Ganwu Universe Kingdom took second and third place? Good heavens!"

Luo Feng walked calmly toward the area of ​​the Qianwu Universe Kingdom. He saw Hong and Lei Shen, who were waiting for him.

"Third place, 3rd!" Thor patted him on the shoulder excitedly. "That's amazing!"

"Where is Lin Yun?" Luo Feng asked.

"Still inside." Hong pointed to the screen. "He's already passed the sixth trial tower and is on the seventh. Berlan was just eliminated on the first level of the seventh tower."

Luo Feng looked up at the screen.

In the first level of the seventh trial tower, Berlan faced 10000 blood-haired mammoths whose strength was comparable to the top 100 in the overall rankings. Despite his best efforts, he only made it to the seventh day. His white robes were stained with blood, his blood sword was broken, and he was eventually overwhelmed by the mammoth horde, turning into specks of light and dissipating.

"Death God Berlan, eliminated. Overall ranking: 1st."

A collective sigh filled the central square.

"Even Death God Berlan fell on the first floor of the seventh tower..."

"The difficulty of the seventh trial tower is simply insane."

"Now only Lin Yun is left!"

All eyes were focused on the only screen that was still lit.

Lin Yun stood at the entrance to the first level of the seventh trial tower and took a deep breath. He was completely unharmed—he had spent ten days on each level of the sixth trial tower, steadily passing all seven levels.

"The seventh building, first floor," Lin Yun said softly, stepping inside.

The space shifted, and a vast grassland appeared before him. In the distance, ten thousand blood-haired mammoths charged towards him, the earth trembling beneath their hooves. Each blood-haired mammoth exuded a terrifying aura—their strength was comparable to that of the top one hundred geniuses in the entire world.

Lin Yun drew his battle sword, purple lightning flashing on the blade.

He still only uses the Law of Thunder.

In the central square, everyone's eyes were focused on the screen. The Thirteenth Prince stood in front of the screen, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on it.

"Can he get through?" someone asked in a low voice.

"Even Berlan failed, can he succeed?"

"I don't know, but he's the last one."

Lin Yun's figure weaved through the mammoth herd, his battle blade crackling with lightning. The speed of lightning made his blade as fast as lightning, the burst of lightning amplified the power of his attacks, and the resonant field of lightning suppressed the movements of every mammoth.

But wounds began to appear on his body.

The Blood-Haired Mammoth's attacks were too dense; even with his incredible speed, he couldn't completely evade them. Blood seeped from his wounds, staining his armor crimson, but his eyes remained calm.

"He's injured!" someone exclaimed in the central square.

In the central square, everyone held their breath.