Chapter 339: Departure

"Redeem!"

Li Yang didn't hesitate, directly redeeming one mechanical life form at the Mid-World Realm and another five at the Early World Realm. In total, this cost him over one million contribution points.

"With these, I won't have to worry about Earth anymore." Li Yang breathed a small sigh of relief.

With these mechanical life forms present, Earth would essentially be safe from any crisis, unless a power backed by Deities intervened.

Next, Li Yang continued to redeem other treasures, including various cultivation manuals for different Laws. He even redeemed a large number of manuals for the Time Law.

In the end, Li Yang had spent over ten million of his one hundred million contribution points, leaving him with nearly ninety million.

'There's no rush to spend the remaining contribution points. I'll redeem more when I need something.' Li Yang decided not to redeem anything else.

Although the contribution points were meant to increase his strength and were useless sitting in his account, he couldn't possibly spend them all at once.

The training period for Human Race geniuses in the Eternal Saint Hall was one thousand years. It was better to redeem items as he needed them during this millennium.

If he tried to spend all his contribution points now on a large batch of treasures he had no immediate use for, it would be a complete waste.

Then, when he truly needed to redeem a treasure in the future, he wouldn't have any contribution points left.

After he finished redeeming, the person dispatched by the Saint Hall had yet to arrive.

"Master, a message has arrived from Mute. He would like to invite you to a gathering." Just then, Virtual Assistant No. 6 appeared and quickly reported.

"Mute?" Li Yang thought for a moment and went directly to the mountainside of the Blue Cloud Mountain Range.

Mute was not the only one on the mountainside; Lan Yu, Dilunxi, Long Zhan, and the others were there as well.

"Li Yang, you're here!" Mute called out eagerly upon seeing him.

Lan Yu, Dilunxi, and the others all turned to look at Li Yang, their gazes complicated.

After he passed the twelfth step, they knew for certain that Li Yang would choose to break through to the Star Lord Realm and leave the Saint Hall.

Seventeen years ago, Mixed Void left. Now, Li Yang was leaving too.

Pressure. This batch of geniuses truly felt an unprecedented amount of pressure!

Forget Lan Yu—even Dilunxi, Long Zhan, and the others had been stronger than Li Yang when they first joined the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall.

Yet now, just over thirty years later, Li Yang had somehow pulled so far ahead of them all.

And now, Li Yang was breaking through to the Star Lord Realm and leaving, while they still had to cultivate slowly in the Longevity Realm.

'Li Yang is just too heaven-defying.'

'Back then, the Talent Lan Yu displayed shocked countless people, but now Li Yang has left even him in the dust.'

'His progress is too fast! My master said Li Yang's current rate of improvement is even approaching that of Mixed Void.'

A variety of thoughts ran through the minds of the assembled geniuses.

"You're all here?" Li Yang asked as he arrived, looking at the crowd.

"Haha, Li Yang, we heard you were leaving, so we all got together to see you off," Mute said with a laugh.

Now that Li Yang was leaving, who knew when he would be back? By the time he returned, perhaps they would have all left the Saint Hall as well.

Mute sighed. "Li Yang, you're just too incredible. Mixed Void left seventeen years ago, and now you're leaving. I'm under so much pressure, I've been losing sleep over it."

Hearing this, Li Yang couldn't help but laugh. "You, feeling pressured? Losing sleep? I don't see it."

At their level of strength, they didn't even need to sleep. Mute was obviously joking.

In reality, Mute had a carefree, easy-going personality. Even though Li Yang was so far ahead of him, he didn't feel any pressure at all.

He felt that as long as he was continuously improving, that was enough. He didn't need to compare himself to others, only to himself.

Among all the geniuses, his mindset was actually the healthiest.

"Haha, I just look like I'm not under pressure on the surface," Mute chuckled.

As the two were talking, Lan Yu suddenly stood up, walked over with two glasses of wine, and handed one to Li Yang.

"Li Yang, this is Soul Leaf Wine I bought especially for this. I... I'd like to propose a toast."

Lan Yu held his glass and looked at Li Yang. "Li Yang, in my entire life, I, Lan Yu, have never truly admired anyone—not even Mixed Void. But I admire you. Only you have put me under so much pressure that I feel hopeless trying to catch up."

Even Mixed Void hadn't pressured Lan Yu that much, because Mixed Void had always been ahead of him from the start.

But when they first entered the Saint Hall, his strength had far surpassed Li Yang's. Yet Li Yang had relentlessly caught up and even surpassed him, to the point where the gap now seemed insurmountable.

A flicker of fighting spirit appeared on Lan Yu's face. "However, Li Yang, I won't give up! I will keep chasing you. If I can't catch you in a hundred years, I'll take a thousand, ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand years."

"Me too, Li Yang."

After Lan Yu finished speaking, the previously silent Dilunxi suddenly spoke up. "I'll be chasing you from behind as well. Li Yang, you're only temporarily in the lead."

Dilunxi had always believed his Talent was the greatest; at the same age, not even Mixed Void could compare to him.

But after several decades, he had become much more low-key.

He couldn't keep up with the progress of Mixed Void or Lan Yu at all, and now Li Yang—someone who had once lagged behind him—had left him so far in the dust he couldn't even see him anymore.

Looking at the competitive Lan Yu and Dilunxi, Li Yang smiled. "Want to make a bet? If you surpass me, I lose."

Hearing this, Lan Yu and Dilunxi exchanged a glance and immediately shook their heads.

"No bet."

"I'm not an idiot, Li Yang. You passed the twelve steps and got a hundred million contribution points. I don't even have one million right now. I'm dirt poor."

The two of them were very sharp. Although they had made Li Yang their target, he was clearly a difficult one, and their chances of winning were far too small.

"Haha, trying to surpass Li Yang? Lan Yu, Dilunxi, you guys are just looking for a beating. Right now, I'm wondering if Li Yang can surpass Mixed Void! A top-100 genius in the history of the Human Race! Just thinking about him surpassing that makes my blood boil with excitement."

Mute chimed in with a laugh.

"Surpassing Mixed Void... Li Yang, that's going to be incredibly difficult."

"Still, I'd also like to see you surpass Mixed Void."

"Li Yang, you have my support!"

"I'd love to see the look on that ice-cold Mixed Void's face when he finds out he's been surpassed!"

At the mention of Mixed Void, everyone present started talking and laughing.

Pressure! The pressure Mixed Void put on everyone was immense. Even Li Yang's current rate of progress was still slower than Mixed Void's had been.

"Come on, drink up." Everyone gathered together and drank continuously.

"Li Yang, back in the final deathmatch of the Eternal Saint Hall's genius selection for the Human Race, I one-shotted you with a single attack. Thinking about it now, it felt so damn good. I'd love to one-shot you again," Lan Yu said, growing more talkative as he repeatedly toasted Li Yang.

...

Eventually, everyone quieted down.

"I'm off, everyone. See you again if fate allows."

Li Yang stood up and smiled at the crowd.

By the time he left and came back, the geniuses present would likely have all left the Saint Hall as well.

(Thank you to Ban Sheng Liang Liang Liang Dao Shang for the 1,500 point tip, and thank you to 08a for the 100 point tip. Thanks.)