Silver curled his lips into a smile, looking at Lu Yin with envy. "You're really lucky, kid. Others planted the tree, and you're the one enjoying the shade. Hahaha."
Lu Yin stared at Silver.
Silver laughed for a while before continuing, "The Zishan clan once had two marriage agreements. The first was with the Ona family, made by the previous patriarch of the Ona family. The second was with the Yushan clan — that's the royal family of the Da Yu Empire — a promise between Immortal Dayu and Immortal Zishan. These two marriage agreements should have been fulfilled long ago, but then Immortal Zishan died, and everything was delayed until now. Logically speaking, since the Zishan clan is extinct, the promises should have been voided. But now you've appeared, the sole heir of the Zishan clan — so naturally, both marriage contracts fall to you. Jealousy-inducing, isn't it?"
Lu Yin raised his brows and frowned. "Marriage agreements from centuries ago shouldn't count anymore."
Silver scoffed, "Centuries? Is that really such a long time? Powerhouses who roam the stars usually live over 500 years. Do you know how long Immortal Dayu has been in power? 800 years. A few hundred years is just his early life. It's not long at all — at least not for those who made the promises. Aside from Immortal Zishan, the rest are still alive and well."
Lu Yin's gaze darkened. He was starting to get a headache. He had thought he was just some idle prince, but now it was getting complicated. He actually had marriage ties to the royal family. He had done some research on Immortal Yushan — a hardened emperor who valued his promises above all else. That marriage agreement... probably, possibly, most likely wouldn't be canceled.
Silver continued, "And that's not all you need to consider. The Zishan clan once held nearly half the military power of the Da Yu Empire. Although the clan perished, many of their former subordinates are still alive. For example, Westkin Maldo — the Maldo family once served the Zishan clan."
"What else?" Lu Yin asked.
Silver's eyes shifted. "There's a lot more. But why should I tell you?"
"You've already said this much. What do you want? Just say it," Lu Yin said calmly.
Silver's smile deepened, his eyes locked onto Lu Yin. "Have you picked up something recently?"
Lu Yin's eyes flashed. "No."
Silver replied coolly, "No need to deny it. I can feel it. It's in your Void Ring."
"Then tell me what it is," Lu Yin responded, still calm.
Silver shook his head with a sinister smile and pointed to his own eyes. "It's red."
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. "Is it yours?"
"Our first meeting wasn't a coincidence," Silver said. "What you and I are looking for may be different, but the location was the same."
"I can return it to you," Lu Yin offered.
Silver looked off into the distance. "No need. Keep it. It'll be useful someday."
"It's of no use to me."
"That's only because you don't know what it really means."
"Your assassination of Zhang Dingtian in the capital — is it related to this thing?"
"You really want to know?" Silver looked at Lu Yin, smiling like a cunning fox.
Lu Yin said gravely, "The first time I met you, I saw a Corpse King. The second time, too. You killed Zhang Dingtian and destroyed the thermal weaponry depot because he gave the order to wipe out the corpse tide using heat-based weapons. What's your connection to the Corpse Kings?"
Silver made a hush gesture. "Don't say such things. How could I be connected to the Corpse Kings? They're just failed products of a planetary evolution trial — has nothing to do with me. At most, I'm just a delivery man."
Lu Yin was confused. There were too many things in the universe beyond his understanding.
"Classmate, you and I are actually the same type of person. I can feel it — that's why I approached you. Don't worry. I'll help you," Silver said with a smile.
"So I can repay the favor once I reach a certain level?" Lu Yin said coldly.
Silver chuckled. "I knew you were smart. Mutual benefit — we both win."
Lu Yin sneered. "I don't even know who you are. Why would I cooperate with you?"
Silver shrugged. "You can refuse. But I believe one day, you'll be my best partner." With that, he turned and left. Before going, he tossed Lu Yin a piece of paper with a string of numbers and the names, positions, and backgrounds of several Da Yu Empire officials.
"The universe is brutal. Without you, Earth's future will be pitch black. Think about Qing Yu — you couldn't even kill him in the end. Why? Because surviving in this universe means thinking only of yourself," Silver's voice grew more distant as he left.
Lu Yin exhaled and looked at the paper before putting it away.
Making deals with the devil never ends in your favor. Lu Yin firmly believed that. But between him and Silver — who was truly the devil? Only the future would tell.
Right now, Lu Yin wanted to stir things up — the bigger, the better. As the Zishan Prince, he wanted to know just how far that title could take him in the Da Yu Empire. He needed to find out before reaching Imperial Capital Star. Otherwise, he would be completely restricted once there. If someone dared to make a move, they'd better be ready to lose a hand.
Bang!
The bar door on the Willpower was smashed open again, drawing everyone's attention. Ever since the student trials ended, that door had barely stayed intact.
Lu Yin stepped inside, eyes immediately locking on Willo in the corner.
Willo's expression changed drastically when he saw Lu Yin. He quickly stood and tried to flee.
Lu Yin raised his hand. Rift Palm exploded forth. The surrounding students were blasted back by the star energy. Tables and chairs shattered. The shockwave slammed straight toward Willo.
Terrified, Willo raised his arms to defend. Bang! He was smashed into the wall, spitting blood as he gritted his teeth, glaring at Lu Yin.
No one dared interfere — not even the patrolling soldiers nearby.
The bar crowd quickly backed away.
On the second floor, a private room opened. Huo Xiaoling and Yan Gang stepped out, peering below, surprised. "What's he going crazy for now?"
Lu Yin slowly approached Willo, eyes cold and sharp.
Willo stared at Lu Yin in fear, shouting, "What are you doing?! This is a spaceship, not a trial! No fighting allowed!"
Lu Yin grabbed Willo by the neck and lifted him overhead. His voice was icy, "Who told you to mess with my people? Speak."
Willo's face turned red. He was supposedly the strongest in the academy, yet now he had no power to resist Lu Yin — nor the will to fight back. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Lu Yin sneered, "I know someone's backing you. You probably think I won't kill you. But let's find out. The person behind you would love nothing more than for me to kill you. Think carefully."
Willo's expression changed. It was true. He had been ordered to provoke Lu Yin so the Imperial Capital could assess what kind of man the so-called Zishan Prince was. If Lu Yin killed him, it would serve their agenda even better — portraying him as violent and foolish. It would also turn Willo's family against Lu Yin, rallying even more factions. That person would never save him.
Willo understood and immediately said, "I'll talk! I'll talk! It was Lass! Lass told me to provoke you!"
Lu Yin flung Willo aside and left the bar.
Watching him leave, Yan Gang sneered, "Idiot. Someone's clearly setting him up and he still takes the bait. Getting too full of himself."
Huo Xiaoling's eyes flickered. She opened her personal terminal and started contacting someone.
At the same time, Westkin Maldo, Torrell Ona, and Shaluo Tree all received word.
"What?! He went to confront Lass? Stop him, now!" Westkin Maldo shouted in anger, suffocating with frustration. "Stupid! Absolutely stupid! How could he pull something like this now?!"
Shaluo Tree sneered, "Worse than I thought. Has the Zishan Prince title made him arrogant? What a pathetic bumpkin."
Torrell Ona shook his head in disappointment. "The young lady absolutely cannot marry someone like him."
But Lu Yin didn't care what others thought. He was already outside Lass's room. He flicked a finger, destroying the surveillance camera in the corner, then kicked the door.
Lass seemed to have been waiting for him. He sneered with mock respect, "What brings the Zishan Prince to my humble quarters?"
Lu Yin didn't say a word — he lunged and kicked.
Lass hadn't expected Lu Yin to be so reckless. He instinctively tried to dodge but was hit by Lu Yin's Sky Beast Claw. The seven-style claw was more powerful than Lass's five-style — he couldn't avoid it. He was sent flying, crashing into the ship's metal frame and coughing blood. He looked up and roared, "You barbarian! How dare you hurt me!"
Lu Yin reached out to grab him. Lass screamed and pulled out an energy gun from his Void Ring and fired. Lu Yin dodged easily — such weapons might harm average Explorer-realm cultivators, but Lu Yin's strength now rivaled a Fusion-realm expert.
As Lu Yin got closer, Lass's expression changed. "Help me!"
Just as Lu Yin was about to strike, Mono appeared.
Boom! A shockwave burst outward. Lu Yin staggered back over ten steps, staring intently at the newcomer.
Mono also took a few steps back, eyes locked on Lu Yin.