372: Each of them has their own thoughts (two in one)

Many in the audience went wild.

It wasn't just because Lin Yang thrashed Zuoqiuyi, but also because many people had mentally prepared to lose money and then bet on Lin Yang to win, never expecting to actually make a profit.

However, now that Zuoqiuyi was eliminated by Lin Yang, everyone who bet on Lin Yang made a huge profit.

Therefore, discussions about Lin Yang were almost non-stop at this moment.

They were both shocked by Lin Yang's strength and curious if he would face retaliation from Shiyuan Universe Country!

In short, the name "Lin Yang" had become the hottest topic of this Cosmic Competition!

No other topic came close!

Possessing the power to crush Zuoqiuyi, and hailing from an ordinary universe—these two points combined gave Lin Yang explosive popularity!

One could say that at this very moment, Lin Yang had truly become the biggest dark horse unanimously favored by everyone!

Now, people's discussions about Lin Yang were no longer about whether he could advance further into the top nine.

Instead, it was about how far he could ultimately go!

Zuoqiuyi's strength ranked in the middle among the nine seeded contestants from the three major Universe Countries.

Lin Yang's ability to crush him meant that he could at least make it into the top nine this time!

People were now more curious about the limit of his strength!

...Unlike the crowd's jubilation, Universe No. 364 was enveloped in a deathly silence.

Xie Lin and the others looked extremely grim.

If Lin Yang had merely eliminated Zuoqiuyi after a tough battle, it would have been surprising but not entirely unacceptable.

But he had thrashed Zuoqiuyi before eliminating him!

This was a completely different concept and meaning!

Losing face was one thing.

Most importantly, Lin Yang achieving a higher ranking would create even greater obstacles for their original plans!

This was what Xie Lin and the others truly did not want to see!

However, Xie Lin had no solution now; he could only pray that Lin Yang would lose miserably in the upcoming matches...Shiyuan Universe Country contestant's post-match exclusive resting area.

"Zuoqiuyi, you are truly useless! To be abused to the point of unconsciousness by a guy from an ordinary universe, you've completely shamed our Universe Country!"

Zuoqiuyi had already recovered under treatment. Standing before him were some high-ranking officials from Shiyuan Universe Country, as well as the brothers Gu Ming and Gu Ran.

Gu Ran coldly cursed Zuoqiuyi.

Zuoqiuyi, however, dared not retort. His face was flushed, and he was breathing heavily, not even daring to meet Gu Ran's gaze.

This was not only because he had lost to Lin Yang this time, but more so because he truly knew how strong Gu Ming and Gu Ran were!

Although he and the two brothers were both seeded contestants, in reality, his status was inferior to that of Gu Ming and Gu Ran.

Shiyuan Universe Country's cultivation of him could not compare to that of the two brothers.

In the hearts of the higher-ups, Gu Ming and Gu Ran's importance far surpassed his.

He wasn't even on the same level as the two brothers.

He also genuinely feared the brothers Gu Ming and Gu Ran.

Either of them possessed the strength to utterly defeat him!

His status might seem glorious in the eyes of others, but in front of the brothers Gu Ming and Gu Ran, he dared not show the slightest disrespect.

"Hmph, what a good-for-nothing! Even a guy who emerged from an ordinary universe could beat you to this state. If I were you, I'd just commit suicide to atone!"

Gu Ran looked at Zuoqiuyi's pathetic state and couldn't help but curse again:

"It doesn't matter if you lose face! You've even shamed the Universe Country. You deserve to die!"

Gu Ran glared at Zuoqiuyi, almost having the urge to kill him.

"Alright, Gu Ran, stop cursing. Zuoqiuyi's strength was inferior, so there's nothing to say about his defeat. As for the face he lost, we'll just take it back ourselves!"

Gu Ming's eyes were deep, and he raised a hand to stop Gu Ran's scolding.

His tone had almost no emotional fluctuation, and his expression was very calm, as if he hadn't taken Lin Yang to heart at all.

It seemed as if regaining face was merely a matter of convenience.

Gu Ran glared fiercely at Zuoqiuyi, then turned to Gu Ming: "Big Brother is right. It's best if we can get matched with that kid soon. I'll let him know what true cruelty is!"

Gu Ran's eyes gleamed with malice, and he likewise did not take Lin Yang seriously, as if he had absolute confidence that he could easily defeat Lin Yang.

Gu Ming nodded slightly and said casually, "If you're matched with him, torment him to your heart's content."

"Good!" Gu Ran rubbed his hands, eager to be matched with Lin Yang immediately.

Neither of the brothers took Lin Yang seriously at all.

Although Lin Yang had displayed extremely strong power, the two brothers were still confident they could utterly defeat him!

Lin Yang's strength, though powerful, was merely average in their eyes.

Feeling Gu Ran's murderous aura, Gu Ming frowned slightly:

"Gu Ran, don't let a contestant from an ordinary universe affect your state of mind. That kid's strength and speed are indeed strong, but that's all there is to it. Your strength and speed, and mine, far surpass his. He's not worth your attention. Our true opponents are Jin Hua Cang and Que Tian!"

"Don't let an ant that can be crushed at will affect your normal state!"

Gu Ran was stunned for a moment, then said coolly, "I understand, Big Brother. You're right. For us, this kid can be extinguished with a flick of the wrist. He's not worth getting angry over."

"Mm, adjust your mindset and prepare for the next round of battle."

Only then did Gu Ming nod with satisfaction.

Lin Yang?

Just an ant with a bit more brute strength...Gu Lan Supreme Civilization contestant rest area.

Jin Hua Cang watched the replay of Lin Yang and Zuoqiuyi's battle, his eyes as calm as an ancient well. He said faintly to Hong Jin and Heng Nian:

"You two, if you were to face him, you both have confidence, right?"

Hong Jin and Heng Nian exchanged glances, the former smiling as he said:

"Brother Hua Cang, you're underestimating us too much. Although that kid's strength is indeed not weak, merely having strength isn't enough. He could abuse Zuoqiuyi purely because Zuoqiuyi is too useless. If I were his opponent, I wouldn't let him even touch me!"

Heng Nian seemed to be a man of few words. After Hong Jin finished speaking, he rumbled in agreement, "Me too."

Jin Hua Cang's brows furrowed slightly: "I naturally know that both of your strengths are superior to his, but don't be careless. I don't want Zuoqiuyi's fate to befall either of you."

"It's enough that one person is ridiculed this time. I hope both of you take this seriously!"

As he spoke, he looked at Hong Jin: "Especially you, you always love to joke around and never take anything seriously, but this time I hope you take it seriously. If you are defeated by him, you will..."

Before he could finish, Hong Jin instantly interrupted: "No, Brother Hua Cang, there's no way I could be defeated by that kid! There's no such possibility!"

His expression was serious, and his eyes burned with determination!

"You'd better be!"

Seeing this, Jin Hua Cang said no more.

Lin Yang's strength was decent, but for them, he was only worth a little extra attention. He also didn't think that Hong Jin and Heng Nian would be no match for Lin Yang.

It was just that Hong Jin was usually a bit flighty, so he had given a few extra words of caution, but in reality, he didn't take it to heart.

Although Hong Jin was usually a bit unreliable, he believed Hong Jin would take such matters concerning their own universe civilization's face seriously.

Therefore, he said no more and closed his eyes to rest.

There was only one opponent in his heart!

It was not worth wasting too much energy on Lin Yang...Taixuan Ancient Dynasty contestant rest area.

Que Tian then said to Hossen and Yuan Mo: "If either of you are matched with Lin Yang before being matched with Gu Ming and Gu Ran, then symbolically deal with him, and finally feign defeat, but don't lose too quickly. You can't be as disgraceful as Zuoqiuyi, understand?"

"Understood, Big Brother Que Tian." Hossen chuckled.

Yuan Mo, however, asked, puzzled, "Big Brother Que Tian, why should we lose to this kid? Although he's not weak, based on the power he's shown, it would be effortless for Hossen and me to crush him. We wouldn't even need to reveal too many trump cards, and it wouldn't affect the subsequent plan."

Que Tian immediately stared at Yuan Mo: "This isn't about revealing trump cards; it's about the fact that we've been preparing for this competition for so many years, and this plan cannot fail!"

"It's been hard enough to hide you two so perfectly, even the Mysterious Merchant rated you as third-tier, believing your strengths to be the lowest. So, you two naturally cannot defeat Lin Yang!"

"Even Zuoqiuyi was utterly defeated without any chance to retaliate. Your strength rating is a whole level below Zuoqiuyi's. If you win, it will definitely arouse suspicion from others!"

"Therefore, everything must proceed according to plan. Before you two complete your respective tasks, you must lose to him!"

Yuan Mo was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Understood, Big Brother Que Tian."

"Mm, your rankings in this competition are irrelevant. What's important is to let them also experience the taste of defeat!"

Que Tian's gaze was cold:

"It's time for them to pay some price for what happened back then!"

Hossen and Yuan Mo immediately exchanged glances and said in unison, "Big Brother Que Tian, we will absolutely follow the plan!"

"Good, I know this is an injustice to you two, but as long as the plan succeeds, all of this will be worth it! Afterward, I will compensate you two to the greatest extent possible!" Que Tian sighed.

Hossen and Yuan Mo exchanged glances again, then said softly, "For Taixuan, there's nothing about our personal honor that cannot be sacrificed. We are not wronged!"

"Rest. Everything for Taixuan!" Que Tian closed his eyes...Lin Yang's resting area.

At this moment, Lin Yang was sitting cross-legged, meditating to recover.

He had just brutally beaten Zuoqiuyi, shocking everyone. It seemed easy, but in fact, it had consumed a lot of his strength.

Zuoqiuyi's physical body was a bit ridiculously strong.

"If I hadn't held back, I might not have been able to completely overpower Zuoqiuyi with pure strength alone. None of these seeded contestants from the Universe Countries are easy to deal with, and he only ranked in the middle."

Lin Yang meditated and recovered, while also reviewing his previous battle with Zuoqiuyi.

His immense strength was entirely due to consuming the mysterious ingredients from the White Fatty Old Man's refrigerator.

This was why his current strength far surpassed that of an average Medium Super Gene Warrior.

If he were to face an ordinary Medium Super Gene Warrior, he could indeed crush them with pure strength.

But the battle with Zuoqiuyi made Lin Yang realize that none of the seeded contestants from the three major Universe Countries were simple.

Zuoqiuyi, who only ranked in the middle, already possessed an incredibly strong physique.

If he were to encounter those few guys in the first tier of strength, or even Jin Hua Cang and Que Tian, whom the Mysterious Merchant had marked as the strongest, relying solely on pure strength would likely not give him much chance of victory.

Even with 50% integration of spatial characteristics, at most it would only make it difficult for the opponent to easily overpower him.

Winning would definitely be much harder than he had previously thought!

"It's a pity, if only I had one more year... no, even just half a year more, I could fully integrate the spatial characteristic substance."

Lin Yang sighed inwardly, realizing he was at a disadvantage due to the short preparation time.

Now, to defeat those stronger seeded contestants from the three major Universe Countries, he still had to find a way to take them seriously!

He had also watched replays of Jin Hua Cang and the others' battles.

Although none of them were matched with evenly matched opponents in the first round, and they took longer than him to defeat other Universe Country seeded contestants, it was clear they were giving their opponents some face.

After a similar amount of time, Jin Hua Cang and Que Tian both won easily.

Although the brothers Gu Ming and Gu Ran, when separated, lacked the perfect synergy and couldn't achieve a one-plus-one-is-greater-than-two effect, they were still clearly far ahead of the others.

So, overall, if he were to directly face Jin Hua Cang and Que Tian, or even the brothers Gu Ming and Gu Ran, his chances of winning were not very high.

Although he had mastered 50% of extraordinary characteristics as his trump card, Jin Hua Cang and Que Tian and the others certainly also had their own hidden trump cards!

At that point, being able to go fifty-fifty would already be quite good.

Thinking of this, Lin Yang couldn't help but admire the White Fatty Old Man's precise judgment.

It was indeed very difficult to advance further after the top nine!

"If it really doesn't work out, getting a mid-to-low ranking isn't bad either, after all, the time I've had to prepare is indeed quite different from theirs."

Immediately, Lin Yang stopped overthinking.

His initial goal for this Cosmic Competition was just the top hundred.

Now, entering the top ten, and even being able to enter the top nine, had already greatly exceeded his initial goal!

If he could go further after the top nine, it would naturally be better, but if not, it didn't matter.

After calming his mind, Lin Yang settled down to rest.

Anyway, he had already overfulfilled his mission.

He had both met the White Fatty Old Man's requirement of reaching the top ten and protected his Home Universe.

For the subsequent matches, he only needed to do his best!

And after relaxing his mind, Lin Yang suddenly discovered that his efficiency in integrating extraordinary substances had actually increased even further.

The spatial extraordinary substance, which he had originally integrated to 50%, was now already approaching the 60% mark..."This..."

Lin Yang's eyes flickered, and his heart couldn't help but burn with excitement.

If the integration of the spatial extraordinary substance could increase to 70%...

Perhaps he could contend for the top five?

Thinking of this, Lin Yang instantly cleared his mind and calmed his spirit, allowing himself to completely relax and begin integrating the spatial extraordinary substance with all his might.

A few days passed in a flash.

Soon, the second round of matching began.

"Esteemed Your Excellency Lin Yang, the second round of the Top Ten Ranking Competition has begun. Your opponent for this round is Hossen from Taixuan Ancient Dynasty. Please enter the arena within five minutes!"

The intelligent brain's prompt sounded, interrupting Lin Yang's integration.

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