Not far away, Jennie Ona also saw Lu Yin. She froze for a moment, then grew furious—this was the bastard who had dared to threaten her.
"Well if it isn't Lass. Haven't seen me for a while and already missed me?" Lu Yin greeted him with a faint smile.
Lass's face twitched. "You've recovered?"
"Thanks for asking. I'm almost there. Anything I can help you with?" Lu Yin picked up his wine glass and took another sip as he spoke.
Lass narrowed his eyes, cold light flashing in them. Behind him, Mono was trembling—not from fear, but rage.
Lu Yin happened to spot Mono and his eyes lit up. "Oh, classmate, you're here too? My bad for using you as a shield. But speaking of which, your Heavenly Beast Claw really packs a punch. Without you, I might not have been able to handle Qingyu."
Mono was livid. His fists clenched tightly and his teeth gnashed together. "Lu Yin!"
"Lu Yin, don't get cocky!" Jennie Ona suddenly shouted from a distance, glaring at him.
Lu Yin looked at her with surprise. "Cocky? Not at all. Oh right, I've always been curious. I heard you and Huo Xiaoling are rivals, yet she's already at the Fusion Realm and you're still at the Exploration Realm?"
Jennie Ona ground her teeth in anger. "Bastard!"
At that moment, the dozen or so students nearby were already scared stiff. What they had thought was a minor character turned out to be a monster. Lu Yin—his name they had heard before. He was a nightmare for most of the trial participants, the one who nearly killed the fugitive Qingyu. The likes of Lass, whom they dared not even approach, were his trophies. More importantly, rumors had it he was a descendant of the Zishan Clan. How could they have ended up provoking a monster like this?
Just then, a soldier entered the bar and whispered something to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin set down his glass, gave Jennie Ona and the others a light smile, and got up to leave.
Lass and the others stared furiously at Lu Yin's departing back. They wanted to teach him a lesson, but didn't dare. If they acted, they would definitely be the ones suppressed. Lu Yin's identity was too intimidating.
The soldier had come to inform Lu Yin that Xu San had arrived.
Lu Yin cared deeply for his little underling. Gifted cultivators were extremely rare. Among all the students who entered Earth for the trial, only Huo Xiaoling was confirmed to have a gift. Among the Earthlings, only Bai Xue had been verified to possess an ice-based talent, which showed how rare it was. Even Qingyu had never revealed any special talent, though whether he had one or not was unknown. Still, possessing a gift was a clear marker of genius in the universe.
Xu San's talent was something Lu Yin valued, and he was sure it would be useful in the future.
Just as Lu Yin stepped out of the bar, a group of soldiers passed by. He noticed one of them, his eyes flashing. As he slowly walked forward, a voice reached his ears the moment they brushed past.
"The family wants you to find a way to join the soon-to-be-reformed Youth Council of the Da Yu Empire."
Only Lu Yin heard this. No one else did.
The soldiers soon turned a corner and disappeared.
Lu Yin looked up, his eyes glowing. The Youth Council of the Da Yu Empire? That was no small matter—but not impossible either. The Zishan Clan's status was just that—status. It carried no real power. The Youth Council, on the other hand, was a true symbol of authority.
The Body Sculpting Technique could only be used by the young. Once a person's physical age surpassed a certain threshold, they could no longer withstand the technique. Therefore, young cultivators with talent experienced rapid transformations, becoming terrifyingly powerful. The Youth Council was the organization in charge of judging, educating, and testing this new generation.
Whether in the Da Yu Empire or elsewhere, the Youth Council was a privileged organization.
Within the Da Yu Empire, the Zishan Clan held status, but beyond the empire, that meant nothing. Youth Council members, however, had prestige both in the inner and outer universe.
The selection of Youth Council members was not something the Da Yu Empire could interfere with. To join, the Zishan Clan's status could help, but the key still lay in Lu Yin himself.
Lu Yin had barely returned to his quarters when Xu San was brought in.
"Boss! I finally see you!" Xu San exclaimed the moment he saw Lu Yin, nearly in tears. He had suffered enough recently.
Ever since Lu Yin left Jinling, Xu San had been like a rootless duckweed. With his sneaky looks, no one wanted to befriend him. He had no one to talk to—not even Feng Hong or Luo Yun were close to him. If he didn't have Earth-rank strength, he might not have even survived in the prison battalion.
Even with Earth-rank strength, his actual combat skills were poor. Fortunately, Zhou Shan treated him decently out of respect for Lu Yin and didn't assign him to dangerous tasks.
But once Zhou Shan left Jinling for the capital, Xu San's good days were over. Every Earth-rank commander had to hold their ground, and he was no exception, constantly facing powerful mutant beasts. He nearly died several times.
Especially during the recent beast tide. If several Flying-rank powerhouses hadn't mysteriously appeared to help Jinling, he would've died for sure.
He had thought he'd spend the rest of his life in the Jinling stronghold, but to his surprise, he ended up on a spaceship. Xu San had been trembling the whole way, afraid of being dissected by aliens. Seeing Lu Yin now, he was so moved he almost cried.
He had always been wary of Lu Yin, but now, in this unfamiliar place, Lu Yin was his only kin. He decided to stick with him no matter what, to cling tightly.
Lu Yin chuckled. "Alright, you'll stay with me from now on. I'll have someone arrange a room for you. Settle in."
Xu San yelped, "Boss, let me live with you! I don't want to go anywhere else!"
"No way. I don't like living with other guys. Don't worry, you'll be safe here. There'll be people protecting you. I have quite a status in this place," Lu Yin replied calmly.
Xu San was shocked. "Boss… this is an alien spaceship, and you… have status?"
Lu Yin had no time to explain. He had a soldier escort Xu San away, assigning him a room right next to Zhang Dingtian's.
Counting Xu San, there were four people who had emerged from Earth. Including Lu Yin, that made five—quite a number. In past trials, no more than three natives would make it out. Most were sent straight to the battlefield.
To the elite students of the Da Yu Imperial Academy, so-called geniuses from native planets weren't worth much. Earth was already considered quite exceptional—especially since Liu Shaoge had even entered the Inner Universe.
One day later, while Lu Yin was immersed in studying the star charts, the Yili vessel trembled slightly. A loud roar followed—it came from that giant turtle.
Lu Yin walked to the window. Outside, the scenery retreated rapidly. In an instant, everything turned pitch black. They had entered space. Outside the window, Earth's beautiful blue hue shone brilliantly.
Lu Yin's gaze grew complicated. He had spent nearly two years on that planet. From what little memory he had, it was the place he remembered most. Now, leaving it behind, he didn't know when—or if—he'd return.
At the same time, Zhang Dingtian, Bai Xue, Xu San, and Shi Wuzhang all looked at Earth's stunning blue. They were leaving it behind—their home. Who knew if they would ever return. Perhaps this was a final farewell.
The starry sky was vast and boundless, but filled with danger—whether from humans or the environment. As they were now, they had no way to protect themselves.
Zhang Dingtian gripped his long blade tightly, then turned with firm resolve in his eyes.
Bai Xue's gaze was complex—lost in thought.
Xu San mumbled to himself, his eyes full of reluctance. He didn't want to leave, but he was smart. He knew he had no choice, so he hadn't said anything to anyone.
Shi Wuzhang was the calmest of all. He simply watched as the blue planet faded from view.
No one knew how long had passed. The Yili ship now cruised steadily through the starry sky. Lu Yin arrived at Westkin Mardo's command chamber. The man was both a general of the empire and the captain of the Yili.
The Yili's command center was located at the very top of the spaceship. Its interior was simple, without dazzling buttons—just various floating holograms displaying different star charts.
Westkin Mardo stood with hands behind his back, gazing into space. "How does it feel to leave Earth?"
Lu Yin replied flatly, "Bittersweet. Hard to let go."
Westkin Mardo turned to face him. "I've looked into you. Other than the data from Earth, we couldn't find anything else about you. Can you tell me where you're from?"
Lu Yin calmly said, "I lost my memory."
Westkin Mardo raised an eyebrow.
Lu Yin smiled. "Believe it or not, I really did lose my memory. My only memories are from Earth."
Westkin Mardo nodded. "That's not my concern. I called you here to inform you of a few things."
"About the Zishan Clan?" Lu Yin asked.