Chapter 50: Chapter 50: All Eyes on Him, One Core Taken
With a simple gesture, Zhongli Wu silenced Li Qi. There was no flash of light, no visible energy; it was as if nothing had happened. But Li Qi suddenly found herself mute. Her mouth opened and closed in a frenzy, but no sound came out, as though her vocal cords had lost the ability to vibrate.
Realizing she was unable to speak, Li Qi first looked confused, but her expression quickly turned to one of terror. She grabbed her throat, her eyes wide with disbelief, as she desperately tried to make a sound. When that failed, she even resorted to shoving her fingers down her throat, gagging and retching violently.
Yet no matter what she did, it was all in vain. Zhongli Wu had effectively "muted" her.
The fear in her eyes intensified, and she began tearing at her hair, feeling as though the entire world had conspired against her these past two days.
"Enough... it's time to stop this tantrum. I've spoiled you," Cain's voice broke the tension as he appeared behind her. He gently placed his hand on her head, and a soft, warm light emanated from it. Li Qi immediately calmed down and soon fell into a deep sleep.
If anyone had truly benefited from favoritism, it had been Li Qi all along. The only reason she hadn't been removed from the judging panel outright was due to Cain's influence.
Cain had brought her into the Eastern Academy when she was very young and had always treated her like a daughter. As such, no one on the panel had pushed her out, despite her disruptive behavior.
"My apologies, everyone," Cain said with a slight bow, though no one responded. Thus ended the drama Li Qi had caused during the test, with her being quietly removed from the stage.
Cain sighed softly. Despite all her efforts, Li Qi had achieved none of her goals, only making a fool of herself. What she didn't realize was that her antics today had shifted the high-ranking superhumans' view of her from indifference to outright disdain.
Cain had put her to sleep as an act of mercy. If she had been forced to witness Liam's inevitable victory and exit from the secret realm, she might have been driven mad enough to collapse.
Meanwhile, Liam's battle was nearing its conclusion.
There were no surprises or reversals of fortune—just the inevitable outcome of overwhelming strength. The fight between Liam and the thirty-eight students was ending with a landslide victory.
In the end, beneath the pitch-black sky, Liam stood tall while Ryan lay defeated at his feet. All around them, the other students lay scattered, incapacitated and unable to fight.
Ryan's massive body had undergone further evolution during the battle, growing to nearly three meters in height, resembling a giant from myth. But now, he was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling like a bellows. He was utterly spent, lying in a "T" shape on the ground.
Despite his severe injuries, Ryan was the last to fall. Among the thirty-plus students, he had fought the fiercest battle, inflicting the few wounds Liam had sustained.
His combat skills far surpassed those of the other students, clearly honed in countless street fights.
Liam looked down at the injured warrior and finally spoke:
"You're strong, so I couldn't hold back. I had to fight with the intent to finish you off."
Ryan, still panting heavily, laughed between gasps:
"Hahaha! You won, I lost. You're standing, I'm lying down. And you're calling me strong? Makes me feel pretty pathetic, hahaha!"
His booming laughter turned into a coughing fit, blood spewing from his mouth, but he didn't seem to care. He laughed openly, even at the cost of more pain.
In life, Ryan could be calculating and shrewd, but to him, battle was pure and honest.
"From the day I first met you, I wondered if I could beat you. Now I know I can't," Ryan admitted. "But I've got a question for you."
"Why the hell do you always try to shake my hand when we meet?"
"That," Liam replied with a smile, "is a secret."
Ryan chuckled again, then reached into his wristband, pulling out all his Divine Cores and tossing them to Liam.
"Take them. You've already won. You wanted to pull off the ultimate heist and give the judges a show. I have to say, it's a bold move."
"Also, I'm going to sleep now..."
"And I'm not dead! I'm really just tired and need some rest!"
With that, Ryan closed his eyes, his body shrinking back to its normal size as he drifted into unconsciousness.
With Ryan's defeat, the test was over.
Liam watched as Ryan and the other students were transported out of the secret realm. Then, he crouched down and quietly observed the glowing scene before him.
There, at his feet, lay all the Divine Cores that had been collected by the 126 students in this test. Every last one of them.
Countless points of light merged into a shimmering, multi-colored carpet, a testament to Liam's triumph.
Liam sat in the center of this luminous display, catching his breath as he surveyed the glowing orbs around him. These were the treasures that countless geniuses had fought tooth and nail for over the years, now piled up like a small mountain before him.
After a while, he stood up and stretched, feeling the exhaustion from the past 36 hours. This was the first time he had worked so hard on something since arriving in this world—36 hours without sleep, without gaming, all for some test rankings. It was absurd.
And then, under the watchful eyes of all the students and judges, Liam did something no one expected.
He bent down and picked up the smallest Divine Core from the pile, one no bigger than a fingernail.
Then, leaving the mountain of Divine Cores behind, he walked out of the secret realm!
Liam had promised the other students he wouldn't take their Cores, and he kept his word. The small piece he chose was part of the Divine Core he had earned by defeating the sandman earlier in the test.
As he walked, he kicked the Divine Cores out of his way as if they were nothing more than trash.
Finally, Liam stepped out of the secret realm and returned to the real world. His body wavered slightly as he crossed the threshold.
Immediately, over a hundred pairs of eyes turned to him, everyone staring in silence.
Liam glanced around, ignoring the stares. He walked straight to Sophia, holding the small, pale yellow crystal in his hand. He tapped it lightly on the table.
"I'm first," he declared.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone