Felynn had underestimated Wei Rong by looking down upon him from the high pedestal of Lockbreakers, assuming that Wei Rong would want to work for her. However, Wei Rong had been standing somewhere even higher than Felynn, and he had not just looked down upon her; he had completely disregarded her. In the end, she had been thoroughly played.
Wei Rong had not been the only one to take advantage of her, as Lu Yin had entered the struggle midway, but he had also seized the initiative, successfully obtaining even more than Wei Rong. Although Felynn had become the Society’s president, she was still the biggest loser.
At the present moment, the times had changed, and Lockbreakers were no longer as exalted as before. Her mindset had also changed; she had learned to analyze the details, seize opportunities when they came, and accurately judge herself.
“I’ll handle the matter with Wei Rong, and you’ll soon be able to meet with him,” Lu Yin said.
“What do you mean?” Felynn was at a loss.
Lu Yin smiled. “If I recall correctly, Wei Xin’er is your disciple, and as her elder brother, shouldn’t he meet with his sister’s mentor?”
“Wei Rong is coming to Planet Hydrotink?” Felynn’s eyes turned cold, and killing intent flashed through her eyes.
Lu Yin frowned. “Don’t make things difficult for me. Some matters can be resolved with crude violence while others cannot. Wei Rong is too smart, and he won’t place himself in a situation where there’s any risk of danger to himself. I do not hope to end up on the passive side because of you.”
Felynn snorted and quickly turned around to leave.
Lu Yin watched her figure depart. Although this woman had learned to analyze the situation, her attitude had not completely changed yet, and that would require some time.
As he thought about Felynn, Lu Yin turned around to look in another direction, where a boundless amount of rune lines had filled the sky. The amount had practically matched up to that of an Enlighter. It was Cai Jianqiang.
Lu Yin had not expected that Cai Jianqiang would show up on Planet Hydrotink, but it seemed that his feelings for the Lockbreaker Society ran quite deep. If he had not left the stage of the competition so early and had been present for the battle of Sourcepeak Planet, then the outcome of the battle might have been different.
This was Lu Yin’s first time formally meeting Cai Jianqiang. They had not exchanged any words during the Lockbreaker Competition, and they had only briefly exchanged blows.
Cai Jianqiang looked serious as he sized Lu Yin up and down. “Why have you lured the Lockbreaker Society to this place?”
Lu Yin answered with a question of his own. “Since Sourcepeak Planet is no longer habitable, is there a problem with me moving them here? Or do you think that the current Outerverse Lockbreaker Society can withstand the pressure of the lurking pirates that are envious of them?”
“Aren’t you also a pirate?” Cai Jianqiang held nothing back as he responded in a stern voice.
Lu Yin could not help himself from laughing. “At least not openly.”
“That still means that you plotted against the Society.” Cai Jianqiang clenched his fists, and in that moment, the surrounding space froze. Cai Jianqiang’s star energy had forcefully fixed space in place, and it was as if this area of the universe had been isolated. At this moment, Cai Jianqiang’s rune lines rose sharply, and they reached an amount that caused Lu Yin to feel fearful.
He suddenly remembered this person had been unrivalled within his generation, and he had even suppressed the Universe Youth Council councilors of his era. He was an existence that could easily challenge opponents in higher realms, and his current rune lines did not just rival an Enlighter’s—at this moment, Cai Jianqiang’s rune lines had surpassed those of an average Enlighter.
During the third stage of the Lockbreaker Competition, if Lu Yin had not teamed up with Ku Wei, and if this person had not failed to finish his lockbreaking attempts, then the two of them would not have been able to disqualify him as his power was too terrifying.
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “The Lockbreaker Society can help me spread my reputation further, and it can also help me in improving my lockbreaking and finding sourceboxes, so its value is too great. Of course, I can plot against them, but correspondingly, I’ll have to give back a lot. Don’t forget that there was someone constantly watching those items that were in President Geoffrey’s secret room.”
Cai Jianqiang unexpectedly calmed down at this moment. “Do you know what those items are?”
“No, I don’t, but I’ll protect them well,” Lu Yin said.
Cai Jianqiang frowned. “Just you? Do you even know who wants to get their hands on those items?”
Lu Yin was about to say the Neohuman Alliance, but then he suddenly stopped himself. He raised his head. “The Three Dark Hands.”
Cai Jianqiang’s eyes sharpened.
The two fell silent.
“If you’re worried that I’ll end up harming the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society, then why don’t you stay? With your strength, you’ll be able to protect them,” Lu Yin suggested.
Cai Jianqiang solemnly answered, “I don’t have any obligations to protect them.”
“I know Master Wusheng,” Lu Yin said, and Cai Jianqiang’s eyes flickered. He stared at Lu Yin, and the younger man continued, saying, “My lockbreaking qualifications were tested by Master Wusheng. I also know that he cares deeply about the Lockbreaker Society. Although he did not say it explicitly, I could tell from his tone. If possible, he would do all that he could to protect the Society, even if it led to his death.”
Cai Jianqiang’s expression grew complex, and he stared at the undulating surface of the sea as the breeze softly blew into his face.
“I believe that you’re the same—it’s just that you lack a reason to protect the Lockbreaker Society. If I give you a reason, will you stay?” Lu Yin asked.
Cai Jianqiang stared at him. “What reason?”
“I’ll provide you with some senior Lockbreakers’ lifetime accumulation of lockbreaking experiences for you to study. You can treat it as a reward for staying here and protecting Planet Hydrotink. That way, you can feel assured.”
Cai Jianqiang muttered to himself for a while before finally answering, “Fine.”
Lu Yin smiled and tossed the Hunter a memory chip. “This is the first one. Whenever you’re done studying it, come find me for the next one.”
Cai Jianqiang stored the memory chip away and then looked at Lu Yin strangely. “Since you know that the Three Dark Hands are plotting to acquire those items, why are you still willing to harbor the Society? What means do you have to protect yourself and them? Is this just because you previously killed an Enlighter? That power vessel was already destroyed in the Ironblood Weave, so why aren’t you afraid of going up against the Three Dark Hands? Or do you think that, because the Innerverse and Outerverse are isolated, that the Three Dark Hands are of no threat to you?”
Lu Yin shrugged. “I’m passionate about lockbreaking just like you, and I similarly don’t wish to see the Society destroyed. President Geoffrey has protected those items so carefully, so they must be something extremely important. Since that’s the case, I definitely won’t allow them to land in the hands of the dark powers, even if it means death.”
Cai Jianqiang’s expression shifted, and his voice took on a calm tone. “It looks like the outside world’s evaluation of you isn’t entirely true.”
Lu Yin smiled. “Some paths can only be taken by a single person, and they will end up facing countless criticisms, to the extent that such criticism will feel normal. I don’t care about the outside world—as long as those who I care about understand me, it’s fine. Brother Cai, Planet Hydrotink can only be handed over to you.”
Cai Jianqiang solemnly replied, “As long as I’m here, Planet Hydrotink will be safe.”
Lu Yin nodded and did not say anything more. He stepped back into outer space and left Planet Hydrotink.
“Seventh Bro, that guy is very powerful, but he was still so easily moved by you with just a few sentences, haha!” The Ghost Monkey laughed.
Lu Yin rolled his eyes. “I was telling him the truth, and I wasn’t trying to pull one over on him. He has a sincere personality, and there aren’t many people like him around anymore.”
“So he’s easily tricked.”
“I didn’t trick him. He wants to stay behind to protect Planet Hydrotink, but it just so happens that his lockbreaking ability is so poor that he couldn’t overcome that mental barrier. Thus, I just helped him achieve that.”
“But Seventh Bro, that fellow really is terrifyingly powerful. I think that he might even be stronger than Aden,” the monkey commented seriously.
Lu Yin had been able to sense that as well. It was not that Cai Jianqiang completely surpassed Aden, but rather that Aden focused mostly on defense, while Cai Jianqiang focused mostly on offence. Every movement that he made was filled with a berserk aura, and it was the exact opposite of Aden. Cai Jianqiang would remain on Planet Hydrotink for the moment, and when the time was ripe, there might be an opportunity to pull him into the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons.
Even if the Hunter could not be lured over to Lu Yin’s side, Planet Hydrotink was not too far from Zenyu Star, and this person was also a guardian. The price he had paid was just the lockbreaking memory chip, which was too easy.
When there was just one more day until the start of the Alliance Conference, Wei Rong and Wei Xin’er appeared on Zenyu Star. They did not conceal their arrival, and so Lu Yin quickly heard the news.
With Wei Rong’s identity, Lu Yin should have personally welcomed him. Wei Rong was the heir of the Armament Weave’s Wei Family whereas Lu Yin was the Great Yu Empire’s Royal Regent, which meant that their statuses were about equal. However, the Alliance Conference was about to begin, and welcoming Wei Rong at this moment might lead to the outside world forming baseless conjectures. After Lu Yin thought about it, not only did he not welcome the siblings, but he even forbade En Ya, Huan Sha, Hill Auna, or any of the others from going. Instead, he only sent Kayze to escort Wei Rong to King Zishan’s palace.
At the space station, Wei Xin’er seemed to be seething. “Bro, this Lu Yin is too arrogant! He only sent a doorman to welcome us, and such an ugly one at that.”
Wei Rong smiled and then looked at Kayze’s figure, where he was floating within the vehicle ahead of the two of them. “Don’t look down upon this doorman. He’s from the Dire Barbarian Clan.”
“The Dire Barbarian Clan?” Wei Xin’er was surprised.
Wei Rong explained, “The Dire Barbarian Clan is a large clan from the Innerverse’s Soulseal Flowzone, and they are constantly at war with the Souldream Tribe, just like us with Lars Weave’s Six-Fingered Tribe. This man is called Kayze, and during the battles for pyrolyte ore in the Astral Wilderness, he was a valued young expert from the Dire Barbarian Clan. His strength should put him in the upper eighty of the Top 100 Rankings.”
Wei Xin’er stuck out her tongue. “He’s so powerful, and yet he’s still just a doorman.”
Wei Rong smiled. “Yes, just a doorman. Lu Yin did not welcome us himself, and neither did he allow any of the Great Yu Empire’s important officials to appear, as he’s afraid that our arrival might cause complications for his Alliance Conference. Thus, he sent this person to represent the attitude of King Zishan’s palace, and this person also represents Lu Yin himself, though in a capacity that is unrelated to the Great Yu Empire. Additionally, he was sent to show off Lu Yin’s own might, as he wants to let me know that even the Innerverse’s powerful clans can only yield to him. He’s such an interesting opponent.”
Wei Xin’er snorted. “So what if he’s from one of the Innerverse’s strong clans? Didn’t the Lockbreaker Society already collapse?” Wei Xin’er felt regret as soon as the words left her mouth. “I originally wanted to cultivate on Sourcepeak Planet. It’s a pity that it’s gone.”
She was still unaware that the mastermind behind the battle of Sourcepeak Planet had been her very own brother.
Wei Rong rubbed her head. “Sourcepeak Planet is gone, but Planet Hydrotink is still here, so just treat it as a new beginning. When you follow Master Felynn, you’ll have to be serious. Since you want to learn lockbreaking, you must give it your all and not lose face for our Wei family, understand?”
“Mmhm, I got it,” Wei Xin’er acknowledged her brother with delight. Although her eyes gave her a crafty appearance, her ultimate goal in learning lockbreaking was so that she could shake off her family’s influence and independently lead her own life. Now, she was one step closer to fulfilling this dream.
Soon after, their small party arrived outside of King Zishan’s palace, but Lu Yin still did not step out to welcome them. Since he had decided to put on a show to demonstrate his attitude towards Wei Rong, he planned to see it through to the very end. Regardless, it was already clear that Lu Yin and Wei Rong were destined to be enemies and not friends in the future.
Kayze led them through the front entrance and soon led them into the sitting room. “Please, sit. His Highness will be with you shortly.” He had already grown accustomed to his role.
Wei Rong smiled and nodded. He then sat down in a chair with a calm demeanor.
Wei Xin’er snorted unhappily, as she had not ever been treated this casually when visiting someone in a formal capacity. She wanted to see what kind of brain this Lu Yin had and discover whether or not he was actually as amazing and arrogant as rumors claimed.
The two siblings only sat around for a few minutes when Lu Yin stepped into the room. He beamed at Wei Rong, who immediately stood up to greet Lu Yin. “The Great Yu Empire’s Royal Regent, Lu Yin?”
Lu Yin nodded. “Armament Weave’s Wei Rong?”
Wei Rong smiled. “That’s right. Brother Lu, it’s my pleasure to meet you in person.”
Lu Yin smiled. “Brother Wei, I’ve also looked forward to meeting you.”
The two both had large smiles on their faces, appearing to hold each other in great esteem.
Wei Xin’er twisted her lips as she sat in her seat, motionless.
