From the Metropolis to the Strongest in the Cosmos

"Celestial Blue Stone?" A thought struck Li Yang when he heard what Mute said.

He knew of this treasure. Although it was a type of stone, it formed inside the body of a creature called a Celestial Blue Star Beast.

Celestial Blue Star Beasts fed on the magma within a planet's core and were extremely rare.

And the Celestial Blue Stones that grew inside these beasts had one incredibly powerful function: to forcefully lock onto a sliver of one's life force!

For example, if you encountered an attack that could kill you instantly, having a Celestial Blue Stone would prevent you from dying immediately.

This kind of treasure was even effective for World Masters!

Armor could block attacks, but if you faced an attack that exceeded the armor's defense, you would still be killed instantly.

The function of a Celestial Blue Stone made it even more valuable than precious armor!

It was an extremely powerful life-saving treasure!

And within the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall, there were no Celestial Blue Stones available for exchange.

Treasures like the Fire Spirit Pearl and Celestial Blue Stone, which were both incredibly rare and immensely useful, were basically exchanged the moment they appeared.

Looking at Mute, Li Yang asked directly, "So Ba Xu is willing to put up a Celestial Blue Stone?"

"Yes, Li Yang."

Mute nodded. "That Ba Xu is also from an Emperor's family."

He was also from an Emperor's family, and he and Ba Xu couldn't stand the sight of each other.

Hearing this, Li Yang stood up immediately.

"What's wrong, Li Yang?" Mute asked, confused by Li Yang's action.

Li Yang said calmly, "What else is there to do? I'm going to get that Celestial Blue Stone, of course."

Obviously, Li Yang had his heart set on the Celestial Blue Stone.

"Get the Celestial Blue Stone?" Mute froze when he heard Li Yang's words, and a look of utter shock appeared on his face.

"Li Yang, you can pass the eighth step of the Path of Deities now?"

Only if Li Yang passed the eighth step would he win their bet, and only then would Ba Xu hand over the Celestial Blue Stone.

Could Li Yang really do it now?

He found it hard to believe, but seeing how confident Li Yang was, he had no choice but to.

"You'll see," Li Yang said with a small smile.

According to his plan, he was going to test his strength in the next few days anyway to see if he could pass the eighth step of the Path of Deities.

"Huh? Li Yang, Mute, what are you two doing?"

Just then, a curious voice called out from a distance. Looking over, they saw a young man from the Dragon-man Race. It was Long Zhan, who had placed third in the genius selection and was now ranked fifth.

Long Zhan's residence in the Lianyun Mountain Range was very close to Li Yang's.

Mute, still in shock, heard Long Zhan's question and quickly replied, "Long Zhan, Li Yang is about to enter the spatial dimension of the Path of Deities' steps to test his strength. He wants to pass the eighth step."

"What? The eighth step of the Path of Deities?" Long Zhan's expression changed slightly upon hearing Mute's words.

A year ago, Lan Yu had only just passed the eighth step of the Path of Deities. And Li Yang was going to attempt it now?

If it were anyone else attempting it, he wouldn't think much of it, but Li Yang was different.

Because Li Yang rarely went to test his strength on the Path of Deities' steps. When he did, it basically meant he was certain to pass.

"Li Yang, are you confident you can pass?" Long Zhan stared at Li Yang and couldn't help but ask.

'Just one year... That's impossible, isn't it?'

No matter how fast his progress was, it couldn't be *that* fast.

Before, it had taken Li Yang five years to go from the fifth step to the seventh. And now he was going from the seventh to the eighth in just one year?

He, Long Zhan, was still only at the third step of the Path of Deities.

"You'll know once you watch," Li Yang said with a smile, still not giving a direct answer.

With a thought, Li Yang's consciousness entered the spatial dimension of the Path of Deities' steps.

As Long Zhan and Mute learned of Li Yang's plan, news that he was testing his strength spread instantly.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

People kept entering the space for the Path of Deities' steps. Among them were Dilunxi, Huo Lie, and others.

They all looked at Li Yang, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Li Yang is going to attempt the eighth step of the Path of Deities?"

"Impossible. A year ago, he only lasted about forty seconds on the eighth step. To pass it, he'd need at least a few years."

"Li Yang wouldn't try it if he wasn't confident."

"If he passes, then Li Yang is truly heaven-defying."

"Right, Lan Yu only just passed the eighth step a year ago, and it was an extremely difficult, narrow pass for him."

All the geniuses were looking at Li Yang, especially Dilunxi, whose expression kept shifting.

"Just one year? Absolutely impossible!"

Dilunxi clenched his fists, staring intently at Li Yang.

Paying no mind to the crowd, Li Yang looked at the massive steps before him and walked straight forward.

Under everyone's gaze, Li Yang's figure vanished.

He appeared inside the space of the eighth step.

Inside the space, a massive, four-legged creature with three horns on its head stared at Li Yang with crimson eyes, looking as if it might pounce at any moment.

"I'm back in this space again."

Li Yang looked at the massive, four-legged creature with a smile on his face.

A year ago, he had been stopped in this space. And a year ago, the incredibly brilliant Lan Yu had only just managed to pass this very step.

"Li Yang, Longevity Realm. Commence battle?" A familiar, mechanical voice rang out.

"Commence!" Li Yang said directly as the Hexagram Spear appeared in his hand.

"Let's see just how much I've improved this past year."

A glint appeared in Li Yang's eyes.

"ROAR!"

The massive, four-legged creature charged forward, its clawed hoof like a great mountain aiming to kick Li Yang to pieces.

RUMBLE!

Black light flashed in the surroundings, making the power of that clawed hoof even more terrifying!

This was the Dark Law!

Facing the attack from the massive, four-legged creature, Li Yang thrust his Hexagram Spear forward, upon which the Fire Element Law, Space Law, and Thunder Law flashed.

The light from the spear shot out, emitting an incredibly frightening ripple of power.

The two of them used almost no technique; Li Yang didn't even dodge. The two attacks simply clashed head-on.

"THUD!"

An incredibly muffled thud rang out. Li Yang didn't move an inch, but the massive, four-legged creature stumbled back a step. The black aura shrouding its clawed hoof dissipated slightly. Looking closely, one could see a small gash on it.

Seeing this, a smile touched the corner of Li Yang's mouth.

"Haha, looks like I'm a little stronger."

God knows how fast his progress had been this past year!

He had been given free access to the Fire Nether Divine Beast's Inheritance Tower, allowing his Space Law and Thunder Law to advance rapidly! But the most frightening was his Fire Element Law!

Seven—no, it should be eight—Fire Spirit Pearls contained the insights of every different Emperor-level expert from the Fire Nether Divine Beast clan. All of this... had allowed Li Yang's progress in the Fire Element Law to reach a terrifying level in just one year!

All in all, his strength had increased several times over in the past year!

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