Ch. 2361..2370
Chapter 2361 Sharp Words
“You should have always been a force to be reckoned with, no matter the era. Not like how you are now. Your rank is a joke! Even I feel ashamed of you,” Asura said in resignation.
“That’s true! Many that didn’t know you were confused as to why our boss, ranked twenty-sixth on the Divine Leaderboard, had you as his goal! It was embarrassing to say that out loud!”
“On top of that, your disciples, friends, subordinates, and even your wife and daughter are all highly ranked fighters on the Divine Leaderboard! You can’t even match up to the people around you! Heck, we even heard that your in-laws are on the Divine Leaderboard, that your grandparents had higher ranks than you! What happened to you? They’ve given you so many modern technique books. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
“We beg of you, please get strong! Even if you’re actually shameless, we’re not! People associated with you in the past would all feel embarrassed that this is what the king of old has become!”
“Why are you even alive if you can’t even beat a weak and old grannie? What’s the point? Do you just want to live the life of trash?”
…
Zar, Bolgun, and Talon chastised Levi relentlessly.
Zoey did not stop them since she needed things like that to happen so that Levi would get motivated.
She figured only when Levi hit rock bottom could he rebound and improve.
Moreover, Zar and the lot had sharp tongues, so everything they said stung.
It was the best form of stimulation as they did not need to care about Levi’s feelings when they talked.
Those were the biggest blows on Levi’s pride and were greatly beneficial to him, so she thought.
Zoey actually thought that their words did more damage to Levi’s ego than the hopeless situation in the indigenous forest.
“We said what we had to say, but we really do hope you can get out of the rut you’re in and reach the top again! I look forward to the day you surpass all of us! We’ll be here if you need help.” Asura said.
Minka nodded. “Come look for us whenever you require assistance. That said, we actually have something else on…”
Right then, Levi paid no attention to them and walked right into the manor.
“What happened? I’ll see if I can help,” Zoey asked.
“We caught wind that your master, the Dark Emperor, is here. We would like to meet him,” Minka said.
A lot of the forces in Erudia were under Sacred Organization’s control.
The Erudian Alliance in particular was Dark Emperor’s own creation.
Asura and Minka got strong because of the support Dark Emperor and the Sacred Organization provided.
And it was the same for everyone else.
So, besides Erudian Alliance, a lot of other major factions were there to see Dark Emperor as well.
After all, Dark Emperor and Sacred Organization gave them everything.
It was only natural for them to visit him now that he was in Erudia.
“Sure. I’ll go ask if she wants to meet you all!”
So, when Zoey got back in, she shouted at the manor, “Master! There are a bunch of people here to see you! Are you okay with meeting them?”
“Okay!”
Zoey was surprised that she got a reply from Levi’s manor.
Master is still there! I was right!
As to where Levi went, Zoey was not the least bit interested.
She figured Dark Emperor might have put him to sleep after hearing her master’s response.
So, Zoey hurried outside and told Asura about Dark Emperor’s willingness to meet them.
Everyone outside was thrilled to hear that and followed Zoey into the manor.
Inside the manor, Levi sat there with a mask on.
No one doubted who he was.
“Greetings, Dark Emperor!”
Asura, Minka as well as everyone else got on their knees.
Dark Emperor was like a master to them, so it was only natural for them to do that.
Meanwhile, the people at the back of the crowd were going crazy with excitement.
Chapter 2362 A Man Now
They sprawled their bodies on the floor with a maddening gaze as though they were devoted clergymen.
Their eyes teared up at the sight of the Dark Emperor as though they were meeting their god for the first time.
Truth be told, Dark Emperor was actually god to them.
He gave all of them those technique books and made them strong.
He controlled one-third of the major factions in the entire world.
And he was the invincible first-ranked fighter on the Divine Leaderboard.
If he’s not god, what is?
Dark Emperor was undoubtedly everyone’s idol.
Especially so for someone like Asura, who admired strong fighters, and had lost his usual calm and collected demeanor in front of Dark Emperor.
His eyes were burning with maddening excitement.
“My biggest wish in this lifetime is to be able to follow you!”
…
Everyone spoke their mind after seeing Dark Emperor.
Levi felt annoyed. “I did say you were all here for me, didn’t I?”
“Huh?”
Everyone was stunned for a moment when they heard that.
What does Dark Emperor mean by that?
Oh right! Maybe he already knew we were coming.
What foresight!
He has everything in the palm of his hand!
He’s a god!
“What an honor it is to be part of the Sacred Organization!”
“I agree. Even a faction like Maya Industries can do nothing but negotiate!”
…
Everyone there was thrilled and at a loss for words.
Looking at all the Erudian factions in front of him, Levi suddenly realized why the Sacred Organization was rapidly taking them in.
It was in preparation for the day the Dark Emperor finally stepped foot inside Erudia.
All the people being there part of a plan.
Why did Dark Emperor have to set up such a convoluted plan? What is she afraid of? What does Erudia have that’s making her wary? Well, it’s fine, I guess since my curiosity is now piqued.
Truth be told, Asura and the crowd were only there to pay their respects to Dark Emperor and flatter him. Besides that, they had nothing to do.
So, Levi got fed up of listening to them.
“If you have nothing else, please leave. I need to rest soon.”
Levi gestured for them to leave.
As soon as he said that, everyone immediately left the room but remained outside.
“What do you think Dark Emperor looks like under that mask? A young handsome man? Or is he middle-aged? Could it be that he’s an old man?”
“I think he’s a young man. At least that’s the vibe he’s giving me.”
…
Everyone was discussing how Dark Emperor actually looked like underneath the mask.
They all thought he was male and so their way of thinking all worked towards that direction.
Meanwhile, Zoey laughed with her hands over her mouth on the side.
After all, she was the only person that had seen what was under that mask and knew that Dark Emperor was a woman.
I doubt any of them would have guessed that.
Right then, Minka spoke with a determined tone, “I think Dark Emperor is a woman! From all the things she did in the past, it’s too tedious for Dark Emperor to be a man! She’s definitely a woman!”
“Huh?”
Everyone there gave Minka a weird look as soon as she said that.
“There’s no way Dark Emperor is a woman! Everyone in the entire world knows Dark Emperor is male! Ask everyone else! They’ll tell you the same thing!”
Minka immediately got refuted.
The entire world had thought that Dark Emperor was a man.
“That’s not true. I’ve made some observations just now. Based on his past behavior, there’s a very high chance for Dark Emperor to be female!”
Minka’s really observant.
Zoey nodded her head in approval.
“Let’s make a bet then. I say male!”
“Female! I think Dark Emperor’s a woman!”
…
Soon enough everyone got into a massive argument.
“Alright!” Zoey exclaimed. “I’ll tell you guys! Dark Emperor is a woman!”
The crowd immediately went silent when she said that.
“Wrong! He’s a man!” A voice broke the silence.
“Technically speaking, Dark Emperor was a woman, but now a man!”
Chapter 2363 Lab Of Gods Is Gone For Good
Everyone immediately looked toward the direction of the voice, even Zoey,
Levi was amused.
I’m the damned Dark Emperor! Do you people know me better than I do? Do I not know whether I’m a man or woman?
Levi came out of the room.
At that instant, Everyone’s expression changed drastically as the room Levi walked out of was the room Dark Emperor was in.
Seeing that everyone was about to misunderstand, Zoey stepped forward and explained, “Yes, Master’s staying here for now. But we don’t actually know where, as it’s nigh impossible for us to find her. And don’t listen to him! I’ve seen Master’s face before! So you can all stop guessing and arguing! Most importantly, do not tell anyone that Master is a woman!”
Zoey ended with a warning.
“Yes, Ma’am!” Everyone nodded.
Soon enough, on the day of the negotiation.
Maya Industries’ representatives arrived in North Hampton.
At a gazebo in the middle of a lake.
Levi waited patiently with his mask on, excited to see who it was going to be.
Not long after, people started arriving at the gazebo.
Truth be told, the chieftain of Maya Industries was not just one person.
It was group that consisted of seven to eight people.
Behind them were around twenty more men, presumably high-rank officials.
And behind all those people were a massive group of elites with several thousands of fighters lurking in the shadows.
It looks like they’re pretty scared. That’s a lot of security they’ve brought with them. Are they afraid of me? Or are they afraid of Erudia?
The chieftains proceeded to sit in front of Levi and greeted him.
“Huh?”
Levi was stumped after seeing their faces.
Was I wrong? Is Maya industries actually unrelated to Lab of Gods? I don’t know any of these people. I’ve never even seen them before. Are they really just a new faction that popped up out of nowhere? No. Something’s not right. It’s impossible for them to be unrelated.
“Thank you, Dark Emperor, for accepting the invitation.”
The people from Maya Industries started the negotiation.
To make it short, they wanted Dark Emperor and Sacred Organization to not intervene with their business, and they were willing to fulfill any conditions to make that happen.
They even offered to form an alliance with Sacred Organization.
“You need to know, Dark Emperor, that once we become allies, no one in the world can stop us. Not even Erudia! We would be unstoppable!”
Levi smiled.
“Forming an alliance is not a problem, but you’ll need to tell me everything about yourself as a form of sincerity. Even though Sacred Organization controls one-third of the world’s forces, they’re still just a bunch of rabbles. I can tell you everything if you want,” Levi said with a smile.
“We do have some information on you, Dark Emperor. You slew a founder of the Lab of Gods back then. And now, it seems like you’ve grown into an unstoppable force! We reckon you picked Erudia because you’re trying to taunt someone, aren’t you? After all, you dared not step foot in Erudia back then,” said one of the high-rank officials from Maya Industries.
Levi was stunned.
These people know the late Dark Emperor better than I do.
“That’s right. We now understand why Lab of Gods was destroyed. It wasn’t because it was weak. It’s because Dark Emperor, you, were too strong.”
“Agreed. Back then, we thought that the Lab of Gods fell for some of your devious tricks and made it easy for you and Sacred Organization to wipe them out. But we finally understand your strength now, especially after seeing how you massacre the mutated zombies.”
…
While listening to the high-rank officials talking among themselves, Levi’s thoughts started getting hectic.
What? Is Lab of Gods really gone? Did Dark Emperor really tell me the truth? Did she really wipe them out with Zoey and the others?
Chapter 2364 Maya Industries
He had thought that Dark Emperor had abused and lied to Zoey.
That’s for real?
Levi could not help but wonder, albeit knowing that it was impossible. Even with the combined power of Dark Emperor and Sacred Organization, he knew that it was no match for Lab of Gods.
Moreover, Lab of Gods was more than it met the public’s eyes.
Even if Lab of Gods was truly eradicated, Levi assumed that it was part of their grand scheme of things.
The aim was simple and straightforward—to let Dark Emperor and the others think that Lab of Gods was truly gone for good.
Maya Industries had the same assumption as Levi in the beginning, that Dark Emperor was not strong enough, and that Lab of Gods had deliberately disappeared from the public’s eyes.
However, after witnessing how strong Levi was, they were all convinced that Dark Emperor was not a paper tiger.
Levi shook his head in resignation.
He was starting to blame himself for their confusion.
After all, the current Dark Emperor was nothing like its predecessor.
After Levi succeeded the role, Dark Emperor’s capabilities were leaps and bounds ahead of the predecessor.
It was perfectly viable for him to eradicate Lab of Gods on his own, but he could not say the same for the previous Dark Emperor.
She could not have accomplished the same, not especially when she was up against Lab of Gods.
Hence, Levi did not find their assumption groundless.
Lab of Gods was doing it on purpose.
With that being said, however, Levi did not feel right to divulge the truth.
He could only go along with Maya Industries and said, “Yes, I single-handedly destroyed Lab of Gods. I know that a lot of people do not believe it. But this is all very old news. I don’t suppose a lot of people know about this. Did I hear you guys mention that you had a hand in destroying Lab of Gods too?”
Levi wanted to sound the group out.
They burst out laughing after listening to Levi.
“Well, let us put it this way. You gave the final hand in eradicating Lab of Gods, but it would have been impossible without our help along the way!”
“Hmm? What did you guys do? I’ve done my due diligence on Maya Industries but couldn’t yield any concrete information on you guys. Are you guys related to Lab of Gods in any way?” Levi asked out of the blue.
They exchanged glances among themselves and let out a chuckle.
“Yes, you could say so. We’re actually from Lab of Gods…”
Levi clutched his fist tight in response as his eyes glinted with a murderous aura, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
They felt an inexplicable sense of pressure bearing down on them. It was as if their bodies were about to explode.
Is this how God’s wrath feels like?
Everyone present was stumped as they widened their eyes in disbelief at Levi.
No wonder Dark Emperor ranks first on the Divine Leaderboard and is able to kill mutated zombies. He is very strong!
“Dark Emperor, please don’t misunderstand. We… we were from Lab of Gods. But we were all banished from Lab of Gods for breaching its regulation and were labeled as traitors. Some of us were banished to the wilderness while some of us suffered in jail…”
“Yes, we turned our backs on Lab of Gods! We did serve Lab of Gods once but were not appreciated in any way. That was why all of us came together to take Lab of Gods down!
“We understand the core operations of Lab of Gods inside out. So, it did not take us long to come up with the plan as well as to execute it.
“We started to fragment Lab of Gods from within and used your forces combined with others to annihilate Lab of Gods. In the end, Lab of Gods was eradicated under the double whammy of internal and external pressure.
“However, all of us thought Lab of Gods was playing tricks on us in the beginning as it was destroyed too easily. We did not think that we were strong enough to destroy it.
“We were only positive that Lab of Gods was truly eradicated after witnessing your prowess.”
Chapter 2365 Traitors Of Lab Of Gods
Levi was stumped after listening to them.
He finally understood the origins of Maya Industries.
So, they’re actually formed by people who have betrayed Lab of Gods.
“Actually, we did not betray Lab of Gods per se. Some of us were not appreciated by Lab of Gods even when we practically slaved our lives for them. It was sufficient to say that we were not satisfied with the way we were treated at Lab of Gods! We wanted to destroy it so that we could overtake its role.”
All of them were boiling with rage at the mention of Lab of Gods.
Levi smiled and asked, “So, Maya Industries was actually founded by founding members of Lab of Gods?”
“Yes, you’re right. Even dated technology from Lab of Gods is still cutting edge right now. The technology advancement that Maya Industries enjoys right now is actually carried over from Lab of Gods.
“The special chemical and mutated zombies that Maya Industries have right now are actually works of a super brilliant doctor from Lab of Gods.”
A name popped into Levi’s mind right away.
He knew that one such person existed.
“Is the doctor the one who founded Project Genesis?” Levi asked.
The others nodded right away. “Yes, that’s him! He’s a brilliant chap! Half of the technology we have at Maya Industries are his works!”
“I still recall that three years ago when Levi Garrison chose to die together with Lucifer, the doctor had managed to resuscitate Lucifer. I remember that Levi also woke up later afterward.”
“Yes, that’s right! The doctor did mention that he could even revive Bruce if his body hasn’t been blown to bits. He even bragged that he had a myriad of ways to do so.”
“I think the doctor had mastered the perfect fusion of modern technology and magical techniques. To be frank, he’s quite terrifying…”
Levi was stumped to learn that Lucifer was revived in a short time.
He had depleted all his strength to die together with Lucifer.
My efforts were in vain then? He was resurrected that easily? Just how strong is this doctor?
“The special chemical in use on our weapons are his invention! We have scoured the world for any remedy for the chemical but to no avail!
“Also, the mutated zombies are also the legacy of his drug research. However, he did not leave behind the technology to control it. It took us a lot of experimentation to come up with the ways to control the mutated zombies, as well as improvement to his work.
“However, looking at his blueprint for the project, we noticed that he was planning to use the mutated zombie technology on beasts. Since we could not master the technology, we were left with no choice but to use it on humans instead…
“Apart from these, a lot of innovations by Maya Industries were actually inspired by Lab of Gods as well. The new era no doubt had provided us with a myriad of opportunities, especially coupled with the discovery of a number of old civilizations. However, we truly did rely on the technology of Lab of Gods until now. This was what made us stand out among the others.
“While others focus on churning out new innovation or technology, we did things a little bit differently. Our primary focus was on the iteration of ancient wisdom. The winning factor was that we field-tested our findings from the countless iterations over the years.”
Levi chuckled after listening to them.
“So, the two rounds of tournament challenge organized by you guys aimed to enhance the attack styles of the mutated zombies, as well as to figure out the difference between the new era fighters and the fighters from Maya Industries because you guys fear that the latter was far behind the new era fighters?” Levi queried.
“Yes, that’s right. Though we took pride in our insistence on the ancient ways, it would be foolish to be ignorant of the new era fighters’ capabilities. The first tournament challenge aimed to collect data on the gap between the two parties.
“We have to admit that the prowess of the new era fighters was impressive. It was as if they had uncovered Pandora’s box, leading to the feasibility of countless opportunities, and benefitting a number of large corporations along the way!”
“I’m just curious about something. Haven’t you guys realized that the new era just dawned on us… suddenly?” Levi asked with furrowed brows.
“Yes, we’ve studied on that as well…”
Chapter 2366 A Shocking Discovery
“However, we couldn’t seem to pinpoint its origin. It was as though it appeared out of nowhere, and that the world had changed in just a split of a second! Ordinary men turned into fighters and men with superpowers overnight while fighters saw immense improvement. We were stumped as to when it all happened either. The world just changed all of a sudden…
“Well, if we want to pinpoint an exact time, we would have to say that it was after Levi had disappeared. The world seemed to have undergone an abrupt change after that. Only Lab of Gods and Lucifer were active for a year or so while the others just seemed to have vanished…”
There was nothing normal about the change.
The world turned upside down after Levi was gone.
Techniques which could be cultivated and perfected in a short time sprung up like mushrooms after rain.
A myriad of biotechnology and drugs seemed to have appeared out of thin air too, as well as other technology that seemed decades ahead of its time.
How was that possible? Where did it all come from?
Obviously, the only viable explanation was that someone was manipulating the situation behind the scenes.
Levi thought the same as well, thinking that there were dark forces who were playing the situation to their advantage.
He assumed that it was Lab of Gods who were behind it all and that the dawn of a new era was their doing.
“We took advantage of the dawn of a new era to destroy Lab of Gods combined with outer forces. Otherwise, it would have been really difficult for us to accomplish the deed,” lamented the high-rank officials of Maya Industries.
The dawn of a new era had provided them an opportunity of a lifetime to destroy Lab of Gods.
Levi shook his head in resignation and snickered to himself. “You guys have been fooled. The dawn of the new era was the doing of Lab of Gods.”
He would even go as far as to say that the dawn of a new era was an experiment of Lab of Gods.
Their aim was to take control of the whole world.
Kirin and Floyd had been manipulated by them as well, and Levi would even say that they were Lab of Gods’ lab rats.
To put it another way, Lab of Gods could easily take their lives whenever it pleased them.
The return of Lab of Gods would spell disaster to all of them.
Moreover, Lab of Gods would not have accommodated the betrayal of a bunch of traitors.
It was an absurd idea, to say the least.
People used to question the defeat of Lab of Gods back then.
However, nobody seemed to question the credibility of the news ever since Levi had assumed the role of Dark Emperor.
His absolute strength had wiped out all suspicions.
It had been a fruitful trip for Levi, for not only did he finally understand the origins of Maya Industries, but it had further cemented his idea that Lab of Gods was truly the mastermind behind the dawn of the new era.
So, his next move would be to curate his defense against Lab of Gods.
“Dark Emperor, to showcase that we’re sincere in this collaboration proposal, we’d like to divulge one more secret to you…” the chieftain of Maya Industries said.
“Huh? What secret?”
Levi was stumped.
There’s more to this?
“Dark Emperor, I believe you’re aware of our indigenous forest tournament challenge, right? We’re trying to gather the attack styles of different parties. More than half of the data of the tournament challenge has shown that the fighters participating in this challenge derive from the same origin, albeit differing in some really minor ways.”
Levi was visibly taken aback by the revelation. “So, are you saying that they’re practicing the same technique?”
Floyd and the others had shared their technique books with Levi, but he had not taken the time out to check them out.
“Yes, it’s something that could be cultivated in a short time. However, the technique will come biting back at the practitioner after reaching a certain level. In the end, it will lead to the ultimate destruction of the practitioner.”
Levi was thunderstruck.
“What? It will lead to the ultimate destruction of the practitioner?”
All colors drained from his face.
Does this mean that the fast track technique that Zoey and Kirin practiced will ultimately lead to their own destruction? I have to stop them!
“Great, let’s work together. I will list my conditions later.”
Levi was eager to collaborate with them.
Then, he hurriedly headed back to his place.
He went back not as Dark Emperor but as Levi.
“Zoey, gather everyone right now. I have something major to announce. Hurry!”
Chapter 2367 New Era
Levi grew more exasperated with each passing second.
If things truly progressed as he had imagined it to be, then he would be facing a huge problem.
It would mean that Lab of Gods had never been eradicated in the first place, and that it had been plotting against everyone in the dark as they carried out their experiment on the world.
The new era was indeed part of their grand scheme of things…
Ancient civilizations and techniques, coupled with a myriad of new technology—everything had originated from Lab of Gods.
Suddenly, everything made perfect sense to Levi.
However, the world was still oblivious to the scheme of Lab of Gods, and even was even grateful for the low-hanging fruit that they enjoyed, going crazy over the new technology and techniques that had dawned on them.
Kirin was the perfect example of such character.
Upon closer scrutiny, Levi realized that the fact had been staring down their faces all along.
Maya Industries had been the leading force of the world. However, the technology which they heavily relied on was the remnant of the technology from Lab of Gods two to three years ago.
Their special chemical stumped the world, as did the mutated zombies which could not be killed.
Their age-old technology was still leading in the golden new era.
All the talks of ancient techniques and technology being outdated were merely a distraction.
It was all part of an experiment carried out by Lab of Gods.
They were showcasing the plain fact that what they had a long time ago was still very much ahead and threatening than what the new era had brought about.
It was impossible that such an advanced institute would be wiped out.
Who would have the ability to do so anyway?
There were simply too many unanswered questions!
Levi reckoned that a number of ancient existence was awakened following the awakening of vampires.
It was all done by Lab of Gods and part of their grand scheme of things.
The high-rank officials of Maya Industries which were labeled as traitors of Lab of Gods naively thought that they had destroyed Lab of Gods.
However, they were unknowingly only a pawn in Lab of Gods’ grand scheme.
Levi even thought it was possible that Lab of Gods had predicted their every move, and utilized it in orchestrating their experiment.
With this thought in mind, Levi could not help but wonder what was truly up Lab of Gods’ sleeves.
They had released a number of advanced technology to radically change the world.
Levi recalled that they were even trying to get their hands on the Doomsday Seed Vault. Now, every piece of the puzzle seemed to have fallen in place…
“Huh? What’s the matter?”
Zoey was stumped by Levi’s sudden move.
“Hurry up and gather everyone! I will announce it once everyone is here!” Levi urged.
Soon, Zoey managed to gather everyone she could contact.
However, she could not reach Azure Dragon and Kirin who were at the Garrison Industry.
Floyd, Sword Fiend, and the others reached his place.
“Master, why did you call us here so suddenly?”
All of them reckoned that something major happened.
“Hurry up and hand over your technique books to us. The ones that you guys had given me previously were split up by them and I can’t get it back!” Levi said anxiously.
He wanted to study their techniques to validate what Maya Industries told him.
Levi was still haunted by the fact that the technique could ultimately kill its practitioner.
However, his disciples were taken aback that Levi had summoned them urgently only to ask for their technique books.
Zoey and the others heaved a sigh of relief.
“Master, did you summon us just for this?”
Kinsley stared wide-eyed at Levi.
“Yes, that’s right! Now hand it over!”
Levi rubbed his hands together anxiously, stumping everyone present.
Floyd let out a loud chuckle. “Great! That’s such a piece of great news!”
“Hmm?”
The others were stumped and soon realized what was going on.
“Yes, he’s right! It’s really great!”
Zoey and the others let out a chortle as well.
They had been ridiculing Levi for quite some time now and even set him up in the indigenous forest in hopes of getting him to realize his own shortcomings, and in turn, get used to the new era.
His other close friends also mocked him the day before.
It seemed to them that Levi finally could not take it any longer.
He’s finally realized that he can’t keep up with his stubborn ways!
They reckoned that he was trying to improve himself, and was seeking out the techniques of the new era to accomplish his aim.
It was something worth celebrating as Levi was finally looking out for himself.
Chapter 2368 Return Of The King
Levi had no idea that they had misunderstood his intention.
“Master, I’m really happy for you. This is my technique book! I hope that you will benefit from it.”
Floyd handed over his technique book to Levi.
“Here’s mine, Master!” said Kinsley as he handed over his technique book.
Sword Fiend, Venom Fiend, and Ghost Fiend heartily handed over theirs too.
Levi took them all.
“I’m going into solitary training. Nobody shall disturb me!” Levi ordered.
The others burst into a laugh.
“It seems like Master is really eager to catch up in the shortest time possible!”
Floyd smiled and said, “Yes, after gaining these technique books, he’s going into solitary training so soon and even told us not to disturb him. Haha!”
“My brethren, our master is going to improve by leaps and bounds once he put his heart and soul into it. We will be able to spot him on the Divine Leaderboard soon!”
“We have to work hard too, else he’s going to leave us all behind!”
Levi’s move unintendedly motivated everyone else.
They vowed to practice harder to keep their respective spots on the Divine Leaderboard.
Zoey was glad to see how things turned out.
It was the very thing that she hoped to see all along.
Levi was finally working hard.
She had anticipated this day for a very long time.
There were only over ten days before their three months battle would come.
She had reckoned that Levi would suffer a devastating defeat.
However, she knew that things would take a very different turn with his efforts right now.
It was possible to improve by leaps and bounds in ten days’ time.
However, Zoey knew that it would be near impossible for Levi to be ranked among the Divine Leaderboard.
To get into the top three thousand on the Provisional Leaderboard was perfectly feasible, though.
After all, the technique preached by the new era was primarily a technique which could be cultivated in a short time.
“I’m really looking forward to how things will turn out after ten days!” Zoey said with a smile.
She had only initially aimed to see how badly Levi would do, and how greatly he would lag behind herself after the promised three months.
However, things had taken a very different turn.
She was starting to anticipate seeing how narrow the gap between herself and Levi would be after ten days.
Even though Levi did not gather the technique books from Kirin and the others, he had managed to gather technique books from those ranked on the Divine Leaderboard and Provisional Leaderboard.
He used one whole day to thoroughly study the technique books, ruminating over all the little details.
He wanted to validate the findings of Maya Industries.
Right then, the news about the collaboration between Dark Emperor and Maya Industries spread like wildfire.
After all, the joint venture of the two parties was fearsome.
Zoey and the others could not care less about the power struggle.
Their primary focus was on Levi’s condition.
The man had been acting weirdly lately.
Kirin, Azure Dragon, and the others came over as well.
They gathered at Levi’s house, trying to make sense of what was happening.
Minka and Asura were there as well.
They were curious as to what drove Levi’s change.
After all, they had promised to provide help back then.
Their trip to Levi’s house was to ask if he needed any assistance.
At the same time, they gathered and exchanged ideas about their techniques.
Of course, they were most looking forward to seeing Levi’s change after the ten days, and eager to see if he could become a legend of the new era.
“I’m really looking forward to his improvement. After all, he was one of my strongest opponents back then. It’d be such a waste if he did not accomplish anything in this time and era,” Asura lamented.
“Exactly! This is especially true since boss is devoting his time and effort into the practice. I believe that he will become the new king after half a year!” Azure Dragon said with a smile.
“Why are there so many people out here?”
A voice rang all of a sudden.
It was Levi. He came out of the house.
Chapter 2369 The Answer
Levi headed out of the manor.
After studying the technique books for one whole day, he finally found the answer.
Maya Industries’ data analysis was correct!
The myriad of new techniques had one single origin.
They had only diverged and expanded into different styles.
The myriad of techniques may have originated from Bayview and Adrune, but they undeniably shared the same origin.
Levi had also discovered that once fighters reached a certain level of mastery, Maya Industries’ claim that it would lead to the practitioner’s ultimate doom was also true.
The fast-track technique did not have a stable base.
Hence, it would not be unsurprising for it to come biting back the practitioner once they reached a certain level of mastery.
The release of the techniques was merely a part of the experiment, and the experimenter clearly had no regard for the practitioner’s lives.
However, Levi had to admit that the inventor of the technique was a formidable presence.
He was especially amazed by the fact that the single fast-track technique could evolve and diverge into hundreds and thousands of techniques.
The discovery had served to cement Levi’s notion that it was all part of Lab of Gods’ plans.
Having said that, he knew that they could not keep practicing the fast-track technique.
Of course, he knew it would be a futile attempt to advise everyone in the world against it.
However, he could control almost a third of the world through Sacred Organization, and also his disciples and people whom he regarded as his own brethren.
Levi came out of his solitary training after the pang of realization hit him.
He was initially stumped to see so many people present at his place, but was delighted at the sight of them the next second.
“Great. Now that everyone’s here, I don’t need to go look for all of you individually.”
“Huh?”
The others were bemused by his words, not knowing what was on his mind.
“Why did you come out of the solitary training so soon? Do you need any help?” Zoey asked with a surprised look on her face.
She had assumed that the solitary training would take at least ten days, even stretching up to half a month.
She certainly had not expected him to come out of the training after just one day.
“God of War, I heard that you’re starting to practice the fast-track technique. Do you need my help? I can hand over all my technique books to you!” Asura said.
“We can do the same as well!” Zar and Bolgun voiced out as well.
Azure Dragon spotted the odd look on Levi’s face and asked out of curiosity, “Boss, what’s the matter with you? You don’t look so well. Did something happen?”
“Huh? What happened?”
The others cast puzzled looks at Levi as well after noticing his odd demeanor.
He was looking haggard.
Everyone turned their attention to him.
Levi nodded. “Yes, something happened.”
“What’s the matter?”
Everyone turned nervous.
“There’s something wrong with the technique that you guys are practicing!”
Levi turned to Asura and Minka, and said, “You guys are in danger as well.”
Even though Asura and the others were part of Sacred Organization, they were practicing the new era technique as well since Dark Emperor had only provided little guidance.
Zoey was not spared from the danger too since she practiced the very same technique.
She learned a myriad of different ways. Some were taught by Dark Emperor while some she learned from the new era techniques.
After losing her power, Zoey had been practicing only the fast-track technique.
That explained her speedy recovery as well as a vast improvement.
Dark Emperor was mostly in charge of guiding Zoey for the training. However, what she practiced was still the fast-track technique.
The previous Dark Emperor had her own agenda. She only intended to make Zoey a robot.
Hence, it was not possible that she taught Zoey her trump card.
“Listen to me, from now on, give up on the fast-track techniques that you guys have embraced! Yes, every single one of you should do so!”
His words stumped everyone present as pin-drop silence ensued.
Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief at Levi.
Chapter 2370 Give It Up
Everybody was puzzled by his remarks, especially Asura and Minka.
Why is he suddenly asking us to give up on the fast-track technique?
Zoey and Azure Dragon, on the other hand, were not as taken aback as the two.
The man had asked them to practice his basic techniques back then.
His basic techniques were fundamentally different from the fast-track techniques that they had embraced.
However, he did not force them to renounce the fast-track techniques back then.
Since Levi’s understanding of the world was still the world of three years ago, they could understand where Levi was coming from.
They were baffled by the timing that Levi had asked them to renounce the technique.
Wasn’t he hit by a pang of realization already? And didn’t he go into solitary training for the same reason?
Why did he ask us to give up on our techniques then?
Levi looked at them and said, “Let me put it this way. I’ve wrapped my head around the technique books that you guys handed over to me, and I’ve discovered something major.”
“What?”
“First, even though the techniques that you guys practice all differ, they’re all one and the same, and share the same origin. They’re all essentially the fast-track technique. If I’ve made the right guess, you guys are practicing the same thing as them too,” Levi said as he looked over at Asura and Minka.
He was saying that everyone present was practicing the same technique.
“What? Master, are you saying that we’ve been cultivating the same technique all this while?”
Floyd’s eyes were about to pop out of its sockets.
“Huh? How is that even possible?”
Kinsley and the others could not quite believe what they were hearing either.
Levi nodded and said, “Yes, that’s right. You guys have been practicing the fast-track technique, albeit different styles of it. However, it’s one and the same technique all along when boiled down to its core.”
“That’s utter malarkey!”
“Nonsense! God of War, how can we be practicing the same technique and be totally unaware of it? It’s not like we’ve never battled each other,” Asura refuted.
Kirin voiced out right away. “Yes, that’s right. I’ve fought Asura once, and our techniques are completely different!”
“I second that. We’ve fought each other so many times. It’s really absurd to say that they’re the same technique.”
“Besides, we did not cultivate our techniques from one single source either. Kirin cultivated the technique from Westford of Erudia while I cultivated mine from deep seas of Adrune…”
Others present voiced out their concerns too.
The origin, and the core elements of their techniques were distinct from each other.
They could not accept Levi saying that their techniques were in fact one and the same, and were even starting to get offended by his claim.
Zoey glared at Levi.
What the hell happened to him during the solitary training?
“Make your case, then. Why do you seem to think that they share the same origin?” Asura questioned him.
“Um, given your level of understanding, it will be really difficult to get my points across to you.”
Levi did harbor the intention to explain it all to them, but everyone present was too weak to even be able to comprehend his words.
If they could comprehend the complexity of it all, wouldn’t they have realized the problem on their own?
Levi snorted in resignation. “You guys are too weak to comprehend it all. I can’t explain it to you guys when you guys are even unable to grasp the core element.”
He thought about using the data analytics at Maya Industries to make his case, but Levi knew that it was not that easy too.
“Right, we’re too weak to be able to figure it out, right?” Asura snickered and asked, “Didn’t you say there were two problems? What’s the next one?”
“The technique that you guys are practicing will ultimately lead to your own destruction when you reach a certain level of mastery. So, you guys have to renounce the technique right now. I am ordering all of you to give it up right now!” Levi warned sternly.
“What even…”
Needless to say, everyone gasped in shock.
They found his words groundless.