1509

 **Chapter 1509: Next Time You Offend, You'll Be Expelled from the Divine City**

How to determine strength without competing? Besides past battle records, it ultimately comes down to the strength of one's soul.

Battle records may not be accurate, as there could be some exaggeration, but they can still be used as a reference. 

However, some people don't have battle records, only their cultivation realm.

Cultivation realm does not necessarily represent true strength either.

So using the strength of one's soul to determine ranking would be more accurate.

This was Lin Moyu's guess, and he was mostly correct.

"Whatever, I'm not waiting anymore!"

At this moment, someone suddenly shot up into the sky and grabbed one of the jade beads.

The moment he grabbed the jade bead, a number appeared above his head.

Number 432.

Lin Moyu saw that this person's strength was at the 7th rank of the God King realm. Among the participants present, his ranking was not high. However, his combat strength should not be underestimated, otherwise he would not have stood out in the preliminaries.

During the preliminaries, everyone's cultivation was also suppressed to the 1st rank of the God King realm. The competition was not about realm, but about the ability to fight across realms.

The ability to fight across realms is a necessary skill for a genius.

After someone took the lead, others quickly followed.

Another participant at the 7th rank of the God King realm obtained number 408.

A participant at the 9th rank of the God King realm obtained number 96. 

Lin Moyu quietly observed and gradually discovered a pattern.

The higher one's cultivation realm, the smaller the number obtained.

The lower one's cultivation realm, the larger the number obtained.

Cultivation realm does not necessarily equate to combat strength, but it often represents the strength of one's soul.

However, there were also some whose cultivation realm was not high, yet they obtained a relatively small number.

According to Lin Moyu's analysis, these people's souls must be quite strong.

Lin Moyu murmured to himself, "It seems my guess is mostly correct. The numbers are assigned based on the strength of one's soul."

"It appears random, but it's actually deliberately arranged and not random at all."

Lin Moyu nodded at Zhuang Bi, who understood.

He let out a light roar, revealing a bit of his pressure as his soul power instantly reached its peak.

He shot up into the sky and grabbed a jade bead.

The jade bead shattered, forming the number above his head: Number 4.

"If it's based on soul strength, Senior Brother Zhuang's soul shouldn't rank in the top 4."

"It seems my method is somewhat useful."

Naturally, the smaller the number, the better, as it means facing opponents with larger numbers. This is a rule everyone knows.

Generally, the larger the number, the weaker the strength, making the fight easier.

At the beginning, the difference in numbers doesn't mean much. 

However, as the competition progresses, the opponents will become stronger and stronger.

By then, being able to face the strongest opponents later on may have some impact on the final ranking.

After Zhuang Bi obtained his number, Chu Xiong followed suit, also unleashing his soul power to grab a jade bead.

His number was 5, one higher than Zhuang Bi's.

However, Chu Xiong's control was not as good as Zhuang Bi's, and his actions were quickly noticed by others.

There were some smart people present who immediately figured out the reason.

"I understand now. The numbers are determined by the strength of one's soul."

"The stronger the soul, the smaller the number obtained, and the weaker the opponent faced."

Everyone then activated their soul power to grab the numbered beads.

Lin Moyu shook his head inwardly. Knowing this method now was useless.

Only if everyone was unaware at the very beginning could this method be effective.

Once everyone activated their soul power, the Human Emperor Network would still rank them according to the strength of their souls.

Only the first few people gained an advantage.

Dongfang Ze laughed loudly, "So it's the soul!"

His aura surged as a terrifying pressure spread out.

Dongfang Ze was still arrogant and unrestrained. The few days of rest had allowed him to recover to his previous state.

The overwhelming pressure of a small God Sovereign caused many to struggle to breathe.

Some even showed disappointment in their eyes, knowing they could never be Dongfang Ze's match.

"Hah, the wound has healed, how laughable!"

Lin Moyu looked at Dongfang Ze and inwardly shook his head.

Watching Dongfang Ze shoot up into the sky and stretch out his large hand to grab a jade bead.

A number appeared above his head: Number 3.

Dongfang Ze was stunned, standing in mid-air with disbelief on his face.

"Impossible, how can I only be number 3?" 

"I've already stepped into the Law Star River, and my soul is at the 4th grade. How can I only be number 3?"

He shouted loudly in the air, his small God Sovereign pressure becoming even more powerful, forcing those originally in the air back down and even affecting others from grabbing jade beads.

Lin Moyu watched this scene and found Dongfang Ze's arrogance to be even more excessive than before.

The lesson from last time, this fool had truly not learned at all.

[Silence!]

A majestic voice rang out in the arena, causing Dongfang Ze, who was in mid-air, to abruptly stop, falling from the sky in an unsightly manner.

Before he could react, the Human Emperor Network's voice sounded again.

[Contestant number 3, ignoring the rules of the competition, deducting 5 points of Divine City Merit.] 

Dongfang Ze's eyes widened like an enraged rooster as he jumped up and shouted, "Why? Everyone is releasing pressure, why am I the only one having Divine City Merit deducted?"

"This is unfair. My soul couldn't possibly only be ranked number 3."

His voice was extremely loud, even overpowering the Human Emperor Network's voice.

A thunderbolt appeared in the sky, striking Dongfang Ze directly.

Black smoke rose from Dongfang Ze's body, and his voice abruptly stopped.

[Contestant number 3, ignoring the warning, deducting 10 points of Divine City Merit.]

[Next offense, all Divine City Merit will be deducted, competition qualification revoked, and expulsion from the Divine City.]

The Human Emperor Network's warning sounded again, much more severe than before.

This time, Dongfang Ze didn't dare make another sound. Although he was trembling with anger, he could only tremble.

Lin Moyu sighed inwardly, "What an idiot."

When Xu Xiuxiu introduced the rules, she had already mentioned that opinions could be voiced but not changed.

He believed Dongfang Ze must have known this rule too, yet he still spoke up.

He really thought too highly of himself. As a mere small God Sovereign, he wasn't that great.

At this moment, a crisp voice sounded, "What a fool."

The owner of the voice was a graceful woman, Qing Fei from the Azure Dragon Star Region.

On Fire Seed Island, Qing Fei had once competed with Dongfang Ze for third place, leaving a deep impression.

Cultivators from the Azure Dragon Star Region had fierce offensive abilities, and their personalities were just as fierce.

She didn't care about Dongfang Ze's feelings at all, directly criticizing him.

Dongfang Ze gritted his teeth in anger, his body pitch-black, with only his teeth still white.

He wanted to retaliate but ultimately didn't open his mouth.

If he offended again, not only would he lose his competition qualification, but he would also be expelled from the Divine City.

If that happened, his life would be over.

He had already been deducted 15 points of Divine City Merit, which was heartbreaking, but at least it could still be remedied.

Qing Fei transformed into an azure dragon, swiftly flying into the air and fully displaying her soul pressure, which was also at the 4th grade.

She nimbly grabbed a jade bead.

The jade bead shattered, and the number above her head appeared: Number 2.

There was no disappointment in Qing Fei's eyes. She only glanced at Dongfang Ze with a slight raise of her eyebrows before descending from the air.

Based on the numbers, Qing Fei's soul was slightly stronger than Dongfang Ze's, but only by a bit.

This was also the case. Lin Moyu could see that Qing Fei's soul was just a little stronger than Dongfang Ze's, only by a sliver.

If the two fought, it would be hard to say who would win.

By this time, most people had obtained their numbers, some happy and some disappointed.

Lin Moyu lightly flew up, immediately drawing the attention of many.

Dongfang Ze, Qing Fei, Wei Bowen...

Those who had been slapped by Lin Moyu on Fire Seed Island were all watching him now.

They wanted to see what number Lin Moyu would get!