On Zenyu Star, Lu Yin set down his gadget. He had done all that he could, and the future was unpredictable.
Two days later, Ban Jiu requested an audience. He gave Lu Yin a list of items and requested that Lu Yin melt some metals for him.
Some of the metals on the list could not actually be melted even with the remaining heat in the Skyblaze Stone. Thus, after several days of melting the metals that he could, Lu Yin delivered the results back to Ban Jiu, who was forced to come up with a new method to replace the unsmeltable metals. He promised Lu Yin that the new universal armor would be ready in a month’s time.
The star energy in the Astral River began receding even faster.
One day, Lan Si came out of seclusion.
Lan Si had been injured on the transport continent after the battle in the astral cemetery battle, and he had been in seclusion, recovering.
He had only just emerged when he received news that Lu Yin had returned to the Outerverse as well as the news that the Outerverse was about to reconnect to the Innerverse.
“Young Master, according to the rumors, Lu Yin and Nightking Zhenwu fought in the Innerverse, and Lu Yin nearly died as a result. He was also accused of betraying the Fifth Mainland by Nightking Zhenwu, but after communications were reestablished with the Innerverse, Yuan Shi stepped forward, and the Hall of Honor rescinded Nightking Zhenwu’s accusation and restored Lu Yin’s status. At present, he has almost completely united the Outerverse,” Elder Tie updated Lan Si on the current status of the universe.
Lan Si was surprised. “Lu Yin traded blows with Nightking Zhenwu?”
Elder Tie nodded. “That’s what the rumors say. Apparently, he was beaten quite badly by Nightking Zhenwu. According to hearsay, Nightking Zhenwu was absolutely certain that Lu Yin would die, and he does not know how Lu Yin managed to survive.”
Lan Si looked up into space. “How much longer before the Outerverse reconnects to the Innerverse?”
Elder Tie replied, “At most, just a few more months.”
“Send a message to Lu Yi. I’ll be waiting for him at the edge of the Astral River on Planet Fleabane,” Lan Si said. He then boarded his spacecraft and left in the direction of the Astral River.
Elder Tie’s eyes grew heated, and he immediately used the Human Domain’s network to send a message to the Great Eastern Alliance. The Ten Arbiters’ Lan Si would wait for Lu Yin on Planet Fleabane in anticipation for their scheduled battle.
Back at the Outerverse Youth Council’s headquarters at East San Dios, the two had agreed to have a fight, and the only stipulation was that it would take place before the Astral River returned to normal. The stakes that they had placed on the fight were extremely high, and now that the Astral River was nearly back to normal, it was time for their fight.
Elder Tie’s message was delivered, and it stunned the entire Outerverse before continuing on to spread through the Innerverse.
The Ten Arbiters were unrivaled within the younger generation, and there had never been any Arbiters in the past, and it was possible that there would not be any again in the future either. They were unique to this era, and they were a result of tremendous changes.
Nobody knew how monsters like the Ten Arbiters had been born, but there was one detail that everyone was aware of: within the same generation, the Ten Arbiters were undefeatable. No matter who it was, no one was capable of shaking the Ten Arbiters’ positions. Even if the Neoverse was where the most elite existences and strongest sects of the Fifth Mainland gathered, they would still find it very difficult to touch the status of the Ten Arbiters.
The agreed upon battle between Lan Si of the Ten Arbiters and Lu Yin had shocked the Outerverse when it was first announced, but after more than two years, the fated day was finally about to arrive.
When the Great Eastern Alliance received this news, countless people felt complex emotions. If he could beat one of the Ten Arbiters, then Lu Yin’s reputation would soar to an entirely new extreme, but on the other hand, his legend would be broken if he was defeated.
From the very beginning, everyone was aware that Lu Yin relied on external items when he fought. Still, knowing it was one thing, and nobody stressed that matter. After all, he was just a youth, and most of his enemies had been Enlighters with some even being Envoy-level experts. Against such powerful opponents, not many would say anything even if Lu Yin did use items to fight.
However, Arbiter Lan Si was from the same generation as Lu Yin, and if Lu Yin was defeated by someone from the same generation, then it would badly damage Lu Yin’s reputation.
Elder Tie was not intentionally targeting Lu Yin by making a public announcement. Rather, from the elder’s perspective, everyone should know about a battle concerning one of the Ten Arbiters. It did not matter if the opponent was Lu Yin or someone else; Elder Tie wanted everyone to know that Young Master Lan Si was someone unrivaled within the same generation and that he could not be defeated.
Even if the challenger had unified the Outerverse, no matter how high Lu Yin’s status had become, he would still have to look up to the Ten Arbiters.
The authority of the Ten Arbiters could not be touched.
Within King Zishan’s palace, Lu Yin’s expression remained calm.
Huan Sha, En Ya, Wei Rong, and others had all requested audiences one after the other, but every request was refused. At this moment, Lu Yin did not want to see anyone. He already knew what they wished to say, so there was no need to hear them out.
His gadget rang, and Wang Wen appeared on the screen.
“I’d actually completely forgotten about this matter,” Wang Wen said.
Lu Yin smiled. “Me too.”
“However, Lan Si remembered, and you guys agreed upon some stakes back then. If you win, the Lan family will unconditionally support you, but if you lose, you give up your position as an Honor Chosen,” Wang Wen reminded.
Lu Yin nodded.
Wang Wen looked perfectly serene. “You should know what it would mean to lose the position of Honor Chosen at this time. All of the plans that we made before might become useless if you lose this status. The Hall of Honor is the greatest power within the Human Domain, and even if we can defeat the Daynight clan, if the Hall of Honor decides it, we would still be forced to withdraw. Being an Honor Chosen ensures that the Hall of Honor will not be biased in favor of Nightking Zhenwu.”
Lu Yin stood up. “I know.”
Wang Wen continued to stare at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin gave the man a slight smile. “Relax, I won’t lose.”
Wang Wen’s eyes narrowed. He was highly intelligent, and his tactics were incomparable; he could see through many things, but even he could not see through the depth of the Ten Arbiters. Even Wang Wen could not understand how the Innerverse had given rise to these ten freaks; the whole affair was completely illogical. It was exactly like how he could not understand how the Outerverse had given birth to a monster like Lu Yin.
Wang Wen’s analysis was very logical, and he was able to deduce conclusions far beyond what ordinary people could understand, but even he could not analyze these monsters.
“All the best, Chesspiece Bro.” Wang Wen smiled and ended the call.
Lu Yin lowered his gadget and left Zenyu Star. He then sat down in a spacecraft and started making his way towards Planet Fleabane. He was headed towards his appointed battle.
Along his way, a beautiful figure silently stood in space, her black hair draping down while her white coat had golden threads casually floating about. She was Wendy Yushan, and a blazing star illuminated the dark space, contrasting with her beautiful and heroic face.
Lu Yin exited the spacecraft. “I was curious as to why you hadn’t tried to contact me. So it was because you were waiting here.”
Wendy Yushan looked calm. “Are you confident?”
Lu Yin smiled bitterly. “We have to fight, but as for my confidence, I can’t say that I can beat one of the Ten Arbiters for sure.”
Wendy Yushan’s brows rose. “I once heard the White Knight mention that Lan Si has never cultivated any battle techniques and that he is only adept at the Overlaying Stacks Path. According to her guesses, it should serve as the foundation for some other battle technique.”
Lu Yin felt puzzled. “Ling Gong said that the Overlaying Stacks Path is some kind of condition to cultivate another battle technique?”
Wendy Yushan nodded. “It’s possible. Ever since Lan Si became one of the Ten Arbiters, many people have challenged him, but no one has ever managed to force him to reveal any strength beyond his Overlaying Stacks Path—not even Xia Tian was able to do so.”
“Xia Tian has challenged Lan Si before?” Lu Yin’s interest was piqued.
“Xia Tian has challenged all of the Ten Arbiters,” Wendy Yushan replied.
Lu Yin was speechless, as that was true dedication.
“Aside from possibly using the Overlaying Stacks Path as the foundation for something else, he also might have cultivated some mysterious technique, and Lan Si also has an innate gift,” Wendy Yushan said.
Lu Yin was not surprised. “What’s his innate gift?”
Wendy Yushan shook her head.
Lu Yin let out a breath. “This is quite some pressure you’re putting on me. I don’t know anything at all. You can’t be trying to frighten me, can you?”
Wendy Yushan seriously said, “If possible, I hope that you won’t fight Lan Si. From the moment the Ten Arbiters were established, they have never been defeated. Nobody knows if they fight amongst themselves, but nobody from outside those ten has ever defeated a single one of them. Not one.”
Lu Yin stretched his body. “Then let me be the first.”
Wendy Yushan did not say anything more, and she watched as Lu Yin’s spacecraft left. After thinking about it, she also made her way towards the Astral River.
The moment Lu Yin left Zenyu Star, countless people received the news, and it quickly spread through all parts of the Outerverse.
There was no doubt that Lu Yin was the most influential character in the Outerverse at this time, and every move he made would be watched by countless eyes.
When people learned that Lu Yin was moving towards Planet Fleabane, the entire Outerverse grew excited, as they knew that Lu Yin was moving out for the appointed match. This could possibly be the most intense battle in the history of the younger generation, and it would determine whether the Ten Arbiters would maintain their legend or if Lu Yin could create a new one. Everything depended on the results of the battle that would take place at Planet Fleabane.
Countless people made their way toward Planet Fleabane as well, and the guiding powers of the Great Eastern Alliance’s various weaves, the four great corporations of the Outerverse, Shamrock Enterprises, Aurora Enterprises, the Mavis Bank, and even people from the border defenses in Ironblood Weave and the Southside Weave started making their way towards Planet Fleabane. Countless people were headed there.
Lu Yin’s fight with Lan Si would be a grand occasion for the entire Outerverse.
On Zenyu Star, Wei Rong looked up. If he were in Lu Yin’s shoes, there was no way he would keep such an appointment. Since Lu Yin had already unified the Outerverse, his name could inspire countless people. Fighting Lan Si at this moment would prove to be immensely beneficial if Lu Yin won, but everything he possessed would be challenged if he was defeated. On top of that, the two had even placed stakes on this fight. It was simply not worth the risks involved.
“Perhaps this is where I can’t measure up to you,” Wei Rong mumbled as he looked in the direction of the Astral River.
From Amethyst Exchange’s headquarters on Skylush Planet, a spacecraft flew towards the Astral River with Zi Xianxian and Zi Fang on it. They wanted to personally witness this fight, not only because it involved Lu Yin, but also because they intended to record every detail of the duel and make a summary for their report.
There were too few battles that involved the Ten Arbiters. Ever since their names had become synonymous with unrivaled, extremely few people had dared to challenge them, and now, nobody actually knew just how powerful the Ten Arbiters truly were. At this moment, they would be able to witness the truth. Even if Lu Yin’s true power level could not compare to Lan Si’s, Lu Yin should still be able to force out most of Lan Si’s strength.
Many people did not have high expectations for Lu Yin’s performance; how long had he been cultivating for? If the time was rounded up, it would be just twelve years. In other words, someone who had cultivated for just twelve years hoped to defeat one of the Ten Arbiters. This was an impossible task.
Many wanted to witness for themselves just how Lu Yin would be defeated, as well as how it would affect his sprawling Great Eastern Alliance and how the rest of the Outerverse would react.
The burdens that Lu Yin carried were far greater than what Lan Si bore for this battle at Planet Fleabane.
Inside a vessel floating through outer space, Lan Si’s expression was calm, though there was a rare battle intent that glinted in the depths of his eyes.
He remembered when he had first spoken with Lu Yin, as well as when he had first heard of Lu Yin, which was when Lu Yin had broken Lan Si’s record while still in the Astral Combat Academy. When Lan Si had next heard of Lu Yin, he had already become a peerless Limiteer. Each time Lan Si heard about Lu Yin’s accomplishments, the youth seemed to have tremendously improved his strength.
During the Sixth Mainland’s invasion of the Innerverse , they had finally met in person on Grayweed Continent. Lu Yin had already felt like a thorny opponent to Lan Si, but that had also been under the influence of the suppressive cosmic phenomenon. Then, during their next meeting, Lu Yin had actually competed against Lan Si in the Overlaying Stacks Path.
Each time they met, Lu Yin’s strength had improved at an exceptionally fast rate, so how strong would he be this time? If he dared to show up for this fight, then was he actually confident of victory?
Although Lan Si did not necessarily believe that the Ten Arbiters were invincible, he also did not believe that Lu Yin was capable of victory. In that case, what was behind Lu Yin’s confidence that allowed him to show up for this fight?
In the Innerverse, Lu Yin had almost been killed by Nightking Zhenwu, so had his strength leap upwards once again? That would simply be too ridiculous.
Just as Lan Si was muttering to himself, his gadget beeped with a notification. This call had come through the Ten Arbiters Council’s intranet, and the one calling was actually Nightking Zhenwu.
