Lu Yin instantly understood. Even if Eversky Island was a top power, it also needed to survive, which required resources. When their disciples traveled around, they would require a bit of help every once in awhile and would have some limitations. It was clear that this city was something that Eversky Island used to keep track of its disciples, and these people wanted to take advantage of Eversky Island in order to send some youths to the Astral Tower.
Lu Yin was feeling a bit down, as he did not want to offend others the moment he arrived in the Neoverse. However, it was clear that Highsage Shenwei would not allow for any leeway or bargaining in this matter. That City Master Swindler had also been extremely serious and had acted very confidently.
On the raised dirt platform in the center of the city, three men and two women all looked at Lu Yin, their eyes revealing a strong competitive desire. They were able to tell that Lu Yin was a Cruiser, and not even a peak Cruiser at that. However, he was supposed to defeat all of them within just one round. How was that even possible?
One woman stepped forward. She looked at Lu Yin and said, “Brother, this sister is here to learn.”
Highsage Shenwei lazily commented from nearby, “All of you together.”
Swindler, the city master, was astonished by this order, and he suddenly grew more serious as he looked at Lu Yin. It was clear that Master Shenwei was very confident in this kid’s abilities.
Everyone else was also focused on Lu Yin.
Lu Yin had become exceptionally famous, but that was only within the Innerverse and the Outerverse. Most people in the Neoverse did not care about the Innerverse or the Outerverse at all, and there were many who had not even heard of the Ten Arbiters.
This was just like how the disciples from the Innerverse’s great powers did not care about the various organizations that ruled the Outerverse’s weaves. To the people of the Neoverse, the Innerverse and Outerverse were uncivilized wastelands—what kind of elite geniuses could possibly come from such places?
If not for the Sixth Mainland’s invasion, a large percentage of the Neoverse would have never even heard about the Ten Arbiters.
Even then, there were many people who had never heard of the Outerverse; most had only heard of the Innerverse and the Cosmic Sea.
Lu Yin was basically completely unknown in the Neoverse.
The three men and two women exchanged glances before looking at Swindler.
The city master nodded at them. “Do your best.”
The five people stepped forward as one to face Lu Yin, and one of the men said, “Brother, you can attack now.”
Lu Yin looked at Highsage Shenwei. “One round to knock all of them down?”
Highsage Shenwei nodded.
The five were infuriated, as these two were simply looking down on them too much.
Lu Yin’s figure flickered, and he rose into the sky. He did not move at all, but a berserk star energy tore through the void and struck down, landing directly in the center of the five youths. At this instant, Swindler’s expression completely changed, as this attack had surpassed a power level of 250,000.
The overwhelming power created a gale that flung the five people far away before tearing through the soil platform and continuing on towards the city.
The city master instantly took action and waved a hand to dispel the attack. He looked up, overwhelmed, as that had been a terrifying palm attack.
Lu Yin had used Vacuum Palm, but he had actually held back. Otherwise, his attack would have been enough to kill all five of them.
Instead, they had been sent flying, crashing into the ground far off in the distance. Each of them had been severely injured, but not one of them had fainted. They all looked at Lu Yin with fear in their eyes as he stood high in the sky. What a terrifying attack.
Lu Yin descended. He had checked the rune lines of the five people before attacking, allowing him to adjust the power of his Vacuum Palm. Otherwise, his full powered attack could reach a power level of around 300,000, which would have been enough to kill every single one of the youths.
Even Nightking Zhenwu had been severely injured after being struck by one or two Vacuum Palms, let alone Cruisers like these five.
The city went still, and all of the people gathered atop the dirt pillar stared at Lu Yin in disbelief. This youth was too freakish.
Swindler sent some people to move the five severely injured youths down from the pillar and treat them before staring at Highsage Shenwei in shock. “Master Shenwei, who is this little brother?”
Highsage Shenwei smiled. “He’s a nominal disciple of my Eversky Island, and if there are no accidents, then he’ll represent Eversky Island at the Astral Tower.”
The city master was astonished. “This little brother is so young, but he already possesses so much strength. He’s strong enough to rival the top geniuses of my western region. There’s finally some hope for the Astral Tower.”
Highsage Shenwei said, “Alright, let’s go.”
“Farewell, Master Shenwei.”
“Farewell, Master Shenwei.”
…
Back aboard the older man’s spacecraft, Lu Yin smiled bitterly. “Senior, was there a need for that?”
Highsage Shenwei solemnly answered, “What do you think the contest at the Astral Tower really is? Those people want to go to the Astral Tower and try their luck, but there is danger everywhere in that place. Without a certain prerequisite level of strength, participating is equivalent to asking for death.”
Lu Yin looked back at the city in outer space. Were those people weak? No, they were not. Otherwise, they would not have been able to remain conscious after being struck by Lu Yin’s Vacuum Palm.
Even the top ten on the Innerverse’s Top 100 Rankings could not guarantee being able to stay conscious after receiving such an attack. Those people definitely were not weak, but they still did not qualify to go to the Astral Tower.
“Don’t think about it too much. Go and get some rest. There are a few more areas further ahead,” Highsage Shenwei said lazily.
Lu Yin nodded. He believed that Highsage Shenwei was absolutely someone who would follow through on their words. If Lu Yin had not been able to take care of his opponents in a single round, then he would have truly lost his chance with Eversky Island.
It was incredibly difficult to obtain an opportunity to go to the Astral Tower, and Lu Yin would not let go of this chance.
He could only hope for the best when it came to Highsage Shenwei’s arrangements.
There were less than three months left till the contest at the Astral Tower started, and Lu Yin was very anxious to get to Eversky Island. However, Highsage Shenwei did not show even the slightest bit of anxiety.
He was planning on first using Lu Yin to knock down the various elite geniuses that were being recommended from a few of the floating cities. After that, they would go to Azure Mansion.
That’s right, Azure Mansion.
When Lu Yin saw the building floating through space off in the distance that was shining with bright lights, his mind went completely blank. Was this the so-called flying brothel? 1
At first, he had assumed that the aptly named Azure Mansion was a city in space; he had never considered that it could truly be a building with roofs and walls. Its design was interesting and appealing, and its lighting was resplendent. Even from a great distance, he could sense the laughter and cheer surrounding it. This place was one that promoted a luxurious lifestyle.
Highsage Shenwei laughed. “Kid, go and play around for a bit. It’s my treat.”
He looked like he was about to tear through the void, but then he suddenly paused and he fixed an eerie gaze onto Lu Yin. “Don’t tell anyone else about this, or you’ll have to bear the consequences. Got it? Nobody!”
Lu Yin blinked. “Alright, I won’t tell anybody.”
Highsage Shenwei looked happy at hearing this response. “You have some tact. Alright, go on and have fun.”
He then moved out first.
Lu Yin remained within the vessel, speechless. The Ghost Monkey’s voice appeared in his head. “Seventh Bro, this senior is completely different from ordinary people, and he’s actually quite similar to your Pirate King.”
When the monkey mentioned this, Lu Yin felt that his words were quite accurate. Didn’t pirates normally enjoy these kinds of places? Right, Highsage Shenwei was Highsage Leon’s senior, so could Highsage Leon have picked up all these bad habits from Shenwei?
The more Lu Yin thought about it, the more he felt that this was right.
At this moment, the spacecraft docked at Azure Mansion. Some people had been designated to take care of the vessel for Lu Yin, and there were about a hundred people respectfully waiting outside the space station in a line.
When Lu Yin emerged, all of the people there bowed respectfully.
Lu Yin looked back at the vessel. It was probably the reason for this treatment, as it was an eonlight-grade Aurora. Not many of these vessels existed in the universe, and anyone who owned one would be considered a VIP client at Azure Mansion.
“Little brother, you seem unfamiliar. This must be your first time, so may I ask how to address you?” asked a quiet-looking girl nearby with a gentle temperament as she smiled at Lu Yin. An intoxicating fragrance wafted from her body, and her gaze was pure. She seemed to be completely out of place in Azure Mansion.
Lu Yin answered, “You can call me Seventh Bro.”
The girl’s eyes flashed, but then she bowed at the waist. “I’m the madam of the western region’s Azure Mansion. It’s my honor to meet Seventh Bro.”
With the madam’s guidance, Lu Yin entered the famous flying Azure Mansion.
Although Azure Mansion was a pavilion floating through space, it was by no means small, and it was as tall as a mountain. To space-exploring cultivators, such a thing could be shattered with a single slap.
However, after Lu Yin asked this question, the madam gave him a small smile. “Seventh Bro, have you tried to use your star energy in this place yet?”
Lu Yin’s expression changed a bit, and he immediately tried to do so. However, he quickly found that he could not move any of the star energy within his body.
“Seventh Bro, this monkey can’t see outside!” the Ghost Monkey screamed.
Lu Yin looked at the madam in astonishment. “This is?”
“A sourcebox array.” the madam smiled.
Lu Yin was shocked; so this Azure Mansion actually had a sourcebox array. This was almost laughable, but the facts were in front of him. If this was not a sourcebox array, then how else could his star energy be sealed within his body?
“Anyone who enter Azure Mansion will allow Azure Mansion to take care of their personal safety, and nobody is allowed to fight here. Of course, there are some cultivators with exceptionally powerful physical bodies, but Azure Mansion is constructed from extremely rare materials that are difficult to damage. Also, there are only Azure Mansions in the Neoverse,” the madam explained with a smile as she led Lu Yin along.
On the way, some people occasionally looked at Lu Yin curiously, as he must not be simple for the madam to be showing him the way.
Out of curiosity, Lu Yin tested things out and casually tried to pinch the walls. It was difficult to break through, and he could not help himself from exerting more and more strength until a crack appeared.
The madam was stunned, and she hurriedly stopped him. “Mister Seventh Bro, please show mercy.”
Lu Yin withdrew his hand. “Sorry.”
The madam smiled. “It’s alright, as the walls can heal themselves. Still, Mister Seventh Bro’s physical strength is astounding.”
Astounding? When it came to astounding, Lu Yin was even more astounded than the girl. He had just used 170 Stacks of the Overlaying Stacks Path, but he had only managed to create a tiny crack. This meant that the materials that this Azure Mansion’s walls were constructed from could resist attacks with power levels above 300,000. On top of that, the building could even restore itself.
He had never seen such a material in all of his years of cultivating.
On one hand, this building was able to restrict a person’s star energy, and on the other, the building itself had been reinforced. It was no wonder why Azure Mansion was able to peacefully survive within the Neoverse.
Azure Mansion was extremely busy, and there were people running around all over. However, things were different from what Lu Yin had imagined, as this place sold the arts, not people’s bodies.
Rather than a brothel, this place seemed to be more like a place for cultural exchange. Still, the number of beautiful women walking about was certainly dazzling.
He dismissed the madam after some time, and Lu Yin continued to roam about Azure Mansion by himself. He did not know where Highsage Shenwei had gone, though Lu Yin guessed that he had probably gone to visit an old flame!
The girls in this place did not take the initiative to approach people, and although Lu Yin had made a complete circuit of Azure Mansion and had passed by many beautiful women, at most, they had smiled at him after making eye contact. There had not been any sort of advances.
There were artificial mountains and waterfalls within the central courtyard, and the atmosphere was exquisite there.
Lu Yin sat down in a pavilion below a waterfall, and he prepared to wait for Highsage Shenwei.
At that moment, he heard a quiet and peaceful song that left him engrossed.
Lu Yin was surprised, as he could actually see rune lines in this song, which reminded him of Luo Shen’s dance.
The song only lasted for a single moment before vanishing.
After a short while, the sound of soft footsteps entered Lu Yin’s ears, and he turned around, only to lose his breath.
An exceptionally beautiful woman was standing behind him. Her face was bashful and dazzling, and she was wearing pink cotton clothes that made her look like a blooming pink rose. She carried a guqin in her arms, and she slowly bowed when Lu Yin turned to face her. Her expression was calm and elegant as she greeted him. “I am Ya’er, the ‘Lotus’ of the western region’s Azure Mansion. I pay my respects to Arbiter Lu.”
Lu Yin was stunned. “You recognize me?”
Ya’er gave him a small smile as her eyes flashed. “Arbiter Lu is famous throughout the Innerverse and the Outerverse, so of course I would recognize you.”
[1] This is actually referred to as a brothel, but it’s a pleasure house. Many of the women here sell art and entertainment, not their bodies.
