Space distorted as Xia Luo and Lu Yin emerged.
The tension drained out of the eyes of the Trialmaster and the other mentors, as this meant that Xia Luo won.
Across from the mentors, Xia Meng stared at Xia Luo with complex emotions filling her eyes. She did not know how to view Xia Luo; was he Xia Jiuyou’s murderer? Or was he Xia Jiuyou himself? No one could understand Xia Meng’s feelings at this time.
She had been very protective of Xia Jiuyou for a long time. During his youth, Xia Jiuyou had been kind and innocent, and Xia Ming had become attached to him then. This was why, despite risking offending the patriarch, Xia Yi, she had hidden away the Nine Clones Secret Technique for Xia Jiuyou. However, in the end, the dominant personality was not Xia Jiuyou.
She clenched her fists tightly as she stared at Xia Luo, whose face was very similar to Xia Jiuyou’s.
Xia Luo stepped forward and approached Xia Meng. He looked up at her. “Auntie Meng.”
Xia Meng’s body went stiff from shock. This was how Xia Jiuyou had referred to her the first time he had seen her. This was also the name that had caused Xia Meng to view Xia Jiuyou as practically her own son. However, as Xia Jiuyou had grown older and started cultivating the Nine Clones Secret Technique, his personality had completely changed. He had become more ruthless and more practiced at deceit. Eventually, he no longer called her so familiarly anymore.
After so many years, she had not expected to hear this name again.
“You…” Xia Meng’s fingers trembled as she stared at Xia Luo.
Xia Luo smiled. “Auntie Meng, let’s go home.”
She stared at Xia Luo blankly, and it was as if she was seeing the kind and innocent child version of Xia Jiuyou. “O- okay. Okay, let’s go home.”
Xia Luo turned back to look at Lu Yin. “Brother Lu, you’ll soon receive what was promised to you.”
He then revealed a bright smile. “I’ll soon see you at that place.”
Lu Yin knew that Xia Luo was talking about the place that they would soon be sent to where they would fight for an opportunity. It seemed that Xia Luo knew something.
It was only then that Xia Meng noticed Lu Yin, and her eyes burned with a killing intent that made Lu Yin’s scalp tingle.
He frowned, but he was not actually worried. The Highsage Grandmaster was keeping an eye on Lu Yin at all times, and it would be incredibly bizarre for Xia Meng to take action against Lu Yin at this time.
Xia Luo quickly spoke up. “Auntie Meng, he’s my friend.”
Xia Meng stared at Lu Yin, not knowing what to do. Should she get revenge? Xia Meng herself did not understand what she was feeling at this moment.
Lu Yin greeted Xia Meng. “Senior, Xia Jiuyou was Xia Luo, and Xia Luo is still Xia Jiuyou. With Xia Jiuyou’s mind, he would not have been able to proceed far with the Nine Clones Secret Technique, but Xia Luo is different. He’s more like the Xia Jiuyou you remember, isn’t he?”
Xia Meng released her hand and snorted. “Junior, sometimes it’s bad to be too clever, and you would do well to keep a low profile in that place. There are some places where you can’t act freely. If you do end up in trouble, don’t drag down Xia Jiu- Xia Luo.”
Lu Yin smiled. “There’s no need for senior to worry.”
“Hmph!” Xia Meng was still very upset with Lu Yin, but there was nothing that she could do about him, so she simply left with Xia Luo.
Before leaving, Xia Luo bowed to Astral-10 and all of the mentors. “This student will come back. Please take care, mentors.”
Lu Yin stared at Xia Luo’s back as he left. More than anything, Lu Yin was looking forward to the 900 million star essence, as that was a massive sum of money. It was enough to stir anyone’s greed, enough to even entice one of the Hall of Honor’s overseers.
Lu Yin turned to face the Trialmaster and the other mentors and bowed low as well. “We students brought disaster to the academy. Thank you, mentors, for helping us.”
The Rainmaster, the Starmaster, the Sandmaster, and the Trialmaster all just glanced at Lu Yin before returning to Astral-10. Old Cai made a certain gesture that Lu Yin was very familiar with, and Lu Yin instantly understood. “Don’t worry, Old Cai. This student understands.”
With that, Old Cai was satisfied.
As the rest of the mentors left, Lu Yin suddenly saw a pair of murky eyes that had seen countless years pass by. These eyes were at Astral-10’s Rain Observatory, and they belonged to the crazy headmaster.
More than ten years had passed since Lu Yin had entered Astral-10, but Lu Yin and the crazy headmaster had barely ever spoken to each other. In fact, Lu Yin had actually never seen the headmaster in a normal state of mind, though the headmaster had helped Lu Yin a great deal.
The headmaster had helped Lu Yin break through to the Melder realm and had also helped him deduce the ninth star of the Cosmic Art. And recently, the headmaster had held Xia Meng back.
Although the crazy headmaster had never taught Lu Yin anything, Lu Yin still had a great deal of respect for the old man.
Before the Astral Combat Tournament, there had been rumors that the crazy headmaster had spoken to Astral-10’s mentors and asked them to teach the students, which had led to everyone rapidly improving. Astral-10’s mentors were not true instructors, but rather the crazy headmaster’s caretakers.
As Lu Yin’s status and strength improved, he had become able to more clearly see the events of the past.
For example, Lu Yin was certain that, at this moment, the headmaster was not insane, but rather in his proper state of mind.
Lu Yin slowly descended onto Astral-10 and approached the Rain Observatory.
Rain softly fell onto the platforms, and Lu Yin swept past the giant trees until he eventually stopped close to the headmaster. He then moved closer one step at a time, until he finally stopped less than three meters away from the crazy headmaster, at which point Lu Yin slowly bowed. “Student Lu Yin greets the headmaster and thanks the headmaster for his help.”
The crazy headmaster did not answer. His clothes were messy, his hair looked like a hornet’s nest, his face was filthy, and there were no shoes on his feet, making it impossible to know what he had stepped in. All in all, he looked like a beggar.
Lu Yin did not stand up, and he remained in a bowing position as he respectfully saluted the old man.
One hour. Two hours. Three hours. Finally, a full five hours passed. The headmaster had not moved at all during this time, and neither had Lu Yin.
“Have you graduated yet?” the headmaster asked. His voice sounded desolate.
Lu Yin said, “This student still has not yet graduated.”
The headmaster lifted his head. “Then you’re still a part of the academy, and helping you is something that we should do.”
Lu Yin was grateful. “All of us students are grateful for the headmaster’s help. We created problems for Astral-10, and I deeply apologize for this.”
“There’s no need to apologize. As long as you are able to leave your name here at Astral-10 and become a guest instructor for Astral-10, everything is fine.” the headmaster said.
Lu Yin was surprised. “A guest instructor? Like Xia Luo?”
“No, that’s different. He did not leave his name on the academy. As for you, your name will be carved on Boundless. In the future, no matter what happens, if Boundless is around, so will you. If it’s destroyed, then you will perish before it does.” The mad headmaster turned around and spoke in a somber tone as he stared at Lu Yin.
Boundless was the name of the battleship that had become Astral-10.
Lu Yin felt an inexplicable solemness. At this moment, it felt like he was participating in some kind of ceremony.
Boundless, Boundless, Boundless. Lu Yin did not dare to immediately answer. “Might I ask headmaster, where did this Boundless come from? Where is it going? Is there a destination?”
The mad headmaster’s expression suddenly turned pious. “It is going from the Daosource Sect to the enemy’s location. There is no final destination, as can there be an final end to humanity? Even if there is, there is no end for Boundless. She must carry mankind’s hope. She bears the seed of inheritance. This is Boundless’s destiny.”
Lu Yin’s eyes glanced about. “Seed of inheritance? Isn’t this a battleship?”
The headmaster’s eyes suddenly went wide, and a terrifying pressure fell upon Lu Yin. All that Lu Yin could sense was that something had suddenly changed, and it felt as if the universe had instantly been destroyed. The mounting pressure almost forced Lu Yin to kneel down.
“Boundless’s mission is not one of war, but rather of delivering an inheritance. Only an inheritance can bring hope that can be passed down.” The headmaster once again looked insane as he spoke, but then he smiled. “Hahahaha! The war that you caused was brought on by yourself and was self-inflicted. Eat the bitter fruit! Hahahaha, you caused the war.” As he spoke, the crazy headmaster fled and almost instantly disappeared.
Lu Yin had not expected his question to trigger the headmaster’s insanity, and he was stunned.
The Rainmaster appeared nearby. “Don’t worry about it. That’s how he always is, and he won’t be himself for several days.”
Lu Yin was curious. “Mentor, isn’t Boundless a battleship? Why did it end up as an academy? The headmaster seems to be very serious about this ship’s role.”
The Rainmaster answered in a heavy voice, saying, “What he values is not the academy, nor the so-called glory of being headmaster, but rather the word ‘Boundless.’”
“Boundless?” Lu Yin muttered to himself.
The Rainmaster stared off into the distance. “I am also fulfilling my responsibilities as a mentor because I have no boundaries. No matter how this warship is regarded, the truth is that it used to be a flagship. It was not just a flagship for a war, but rather one for all of mankind. It was the guiding light for mankind, and the inheritance that it carries is the hope of mankind. No one can bring shame to Boundless.”
“What did the headmaster mean by an inheritance?” Lu Yin asked.
The Rainmaster replied, “That involves too much. For now, you just need to train hard, and I will explain this matter to you later. If the headmaster asked you to stay here in Astral-10, don’t bother for the time being. Once you become an Envoy and understand the truth of Boundless, then you can decide whether or not you want to leave your name here. However, once you leave your name, the burden will be greater than what you can currently bear.”
Lu Yin became really curious. No matter what, the Astral Combat Academy was just an academy, or perhaps a battleship that was a relic from ancient times. Could it actually carry an even greater burden than the Hall of Honor? That should be impossible, but the Rainmaster’s words indicated that Lu Yin did not yet qualify to leave his name down on it. He was peerless within his generation, the pinnacle talent who could mobilize the protection of Semi-Progenitors, but he still was not qualified to leave his name on the ship.
There were too many secrets in the universe.
As for leaving his name, Lu Yin had initially been a bit torn over the decision, but with this additional information, it became even worse. All he wanted to do was settle his own matters.
In the Neoverse, on the sword-shaped mainland that was the Xia family’s home, Xia Yi, the Xia patriarch, officially announced that the Xia family’s inheritor had become Xia Luo. At the same time, Xia Yi requested that the Hall of Honor allow Xia Luo to replace Xia Jiuyou as one of ZENITH’s top ten.
No matter if it was Xia Jiuyou or Xia Luo, they could both be regarded as an avatar of the main body. After Xia Jiuyou merged into Xia Luo, his strength climbed higher than ever before, so there was no reason for the Hall of Honor to refuse this request.
However, many people could not understand the concept of Xia Jiuyou merging with Xia Luo, and Xia Yi’s attitude was even more confusing to them because he truly did not seem to care.
Though, if one considered this matter closely, Xia Jiuyou and Xia Luo were both Xia Yi’s sons, and no one could change this fact. In the depths of Xia Yi’s heart, he had actually hoped for Xia Luo to replace Xia Jiuyou because Xia Jiuyou actually harbored a deep hatred towards him, his father.
Inside the Xia family’s headquarters, Patriarch Xia Yi slowly bowed down to an old man standing in front of him. This old man was Xia Ji, one of the Human Domain’s seven Semi-Progenitors. He was the Xia family’s top powerhouse.
“Xia Yi, you have no way to teach your son. Do you understand your guilt?” Xia Ji spoke in a flat tone, but when Xia Yi heard it, he shuddered even though he was responsible for the deaths of several members of the Xia family with no one being more ruthless than him.
“This junior is indeed guilty,” Xia Yi immediately admitted to his error.
Xia Ji sighed. “The Nine Clones Secret Technique could have made Xia Jiuyou a perfect powerhouse. One is divided into nine, and each goes their own way. This method can even make up for the flaws in one’s character. It’s a pity that you educated that child through steel and blood. You allowed that child to use the Nine Clones Secret Technique as a means of separating his grief, which infinitely magnified the flaw of the technique. This made it so that he had no way to exert the true strength of the Nine Clones Secret Technique.
“The Nine Clones Secret Technique has now been repeatedly defeated by others of the same generation, which is truly humiliating to Progenitor Chen.”
