Chapter 472 - 308: Be Annihilated Here
Everyone was dying of curiosity. Who was this monstrous talent who had performed such a heaven-defying miracle?
What unknown Strong Race did he hail from?
What kind of heaven-defying Cultivation Technique did he practice?
Everyone waited in anxious silence, their gazes glued to the sealed doors of the Heaven-Reaching Tower, while also watching the other points of light on the screen that represented those still being tested.
They were waiting—waiting for the second batch of tests to conclude, waiting for that name to be revealed.
Time trickled by, every second feeling exceptionally long.
「Twenty minutes later.」
The last point of light on the screen finally flickered out, signaling the end of the second batch of tests.
The massive light screen outside the tower refreshed in an instant!
A clear, eye-catching ranking list appeared before everyone.
On the first line of the rankings, a name was seared into everyone’s vision like a brand:
First Place: Li Wen (Blue Star Human Race) — Layers Cleared: Eighth Layer (Early Section)
Clear! Unambiguous! Irrefutable!
"Li... Li Wen..." someone subconsciously muttered the name.
"Blue Star Human Race... It really is him!"
"Eighth Layer... Early Section... He really did it!"
After a brief silence, a frenzy of even more feverish gasps and discussions erupted.
In that instant, all speculation and doubt were shattered by this ironclad fact!
"No—!!! Impossible!!!" Pato Ironscale let out a gut-wrenching, beast-like roar.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the glaring name and the number of layers cleared on the screen. It was as if his spine had been ripped out; he staggered backward, his face a mask of utter breakdown and madness.
"Lowly bloodline... Blue Star Human Race... bone age of forty... Eighth Layer... Fake! It’s all fake! This crystal screen is broken! It has to be broken!!"
He couldn’t accept it. The ’trash’ he believed couldn’t even pass the 3rd Layer was now standing at a pinnacle everyone had to look up to.
This was worse than death; it had utterly destroyed all his pride and convictions.
Keynes Huiyao’s body also trembled violently. The Star Core in his silver eyes dimmed completely, replaced by a deep bitterness and an indescribable sense of defeat.
He looked at that name, then at his own—ranked second, having cleared only the 5th Layer—and a self-deprecating smirk touched his lips.
The so-called third-rank bloodline of the Holy Radiance Race, the so-called ’Rookie King’—in the face of that name, it all became a complete joke.
For the first time, he realized with such clarity how laughable the superiority of one’s bloodline was in the face of a true genius.
He remained silent, but his clenched fists and slightly trembling shoulders betrayed the immense turmoil within him.
The other trainees also cast gazes of awe, curiosity, and admiration toward the name at the very top of the list.
The two words, ’Li Wen,’ were deeply seared into their hearts like stars.
Just then, a deep HUM— rang out.
The great doors of the Heaven-Reaching Tower, tightly shut and covered in esoteric runes, finally began to slowly swing inward under everyone’s watchful eyes.
Everyone outside the tower, whether they were trainees or the instructor Blood Blade, instantly focused their gazes on the slowly opening doors.
They were searching, waiting.
Waiting for the figure who had created the miracle—Li Wen!
...
Under everyone’s intense gaze, Li Wen’s figure finally stepped out from the entrance of the Heaven-Reaching Tower.
His figure wasn’t particularly tall, but at this moment, it was as if he was glowing with a golden light, captivating the attention of everyone outside the tower.
Whether they were new members from his batch or older members who had rushed over after hearing the news, everyone stared at Li Wen without blinking.
’A bone age of 40, yet his combat power is approaching that of a Star Lord? What kind of monster is this?!’
’Either one of those facts would be shocking enough on its own, but now both apply to a single person.’
’What’s even more outrageous is that they apply to a member of the ninth-rank Blue Star Human Race!’
This shocking revelation plunged the entire plaza into a deathly silence.
This silence did not affect the second batch of members emerging from the Heaven-Reaching Tower.
They too were incredibly curious. Who among their batch was the monster who had reached the eighth layer?
Lorne Meck was one of them.
He was still walking alongside Li Wen, and at this moment, a curious Lorne Meck was speaking to him:
"Li Wen, you saw it too, right?"
Li Wen: "Saw what?"
Lorne Meck: "Someone made it to the eighth layer! The eighth layer of the Heaven-Reaching Tower! It was all over the light screen!"
Li Wen: "..."
Seeing Li Wen’s silence, a hint of surprise flashed across Lorne Meck’s face. "You didn’t see it? How could you miss all that commotion and the rankings?"
Li Wen hesitated. "Uh... I know."
Lorne Meck: "You know, and you’re this calm? That’s the eighth layer of the Heaven-Reaching Tower! The Heaven-Reaching Tower... do you know why it’s called that? It’s because when you can reach the upper layers, you can truly ’reach the heavens’! It means you have the potential to become a High Tier Star Lord, or even reach a higher realm! In the countless eons since this base was founded, you can count the number of trainees who’ve reached the eighth layer on one hand!"
The two of them talked as they followed the crowd down the steps.
When Lorne Meck finally stepped off the last stair, he subconsciously glanced back at the massive light screen still hanging high above, displaying the final rankings.
His gaze instantly locked onto the glaring name and race identifier at the top of the list: Li Wen (Blue Star Human Race) - Heaven-Reaching Tower, Eighth Layer, Early Section.
Instantly, it was as if Lorne had been hit by a Body-Fixing Skill. He froze in place, dumbfounded, his mouth slightly agape and his eyes wide as saucers.
Several long seconds passed before he whipped his head around, pointed a trembling finger at the calm Li Wen beside him, and stammered out, his voice cracking: