In the northern region of the Frostwave Weave, there was a water-blue planet that was dazzling to the eye. It was called Earth.
Lu Yin and the rest had left Earth quite a while ago. When they left, Earth had still been swarming with waves of zombies, and huge changes had happened since then.
When the Great Yu Empire sent its troops to eliminate the zombies on Earth, they had also refrained from interfering with its private matters. Thus, the current Earth had entered an era of unprecedented peace.
In Jinlin, a giant screen rose as countless people looked on with envy. There were rumors that the tournament that was about to be broadcasted had been organized by the universe’s greatest institution—the Astral Combat Academy. They would be able to clearly witness the strength of the universe’s powerhouses. Earth had undergone a thorough transformation and stepped onto a new path, but they had only taken their first step, and they still could not fathom how long it truly was.
A row of words appeared on the screen, listing the names of the ten seeded students.
Zhou Shan was calmly drinking water, but he spat it out the moment he saw the list. The bottom entry showed that Astral-10’s seed was Lu Yin: the Frostwave Weave’s Great Yu Empire’s King Zishan from the planet Earth.
These words shocked everyone on Earth who saw them, as their planet’s name had appeared at the universe’s most important event. The word “Earth” was clearly seen and countless individuals throughout the universe could see it too.
The entirety of Planet Earth fell into a deathly silence at that moment. This included everyone in the capital, like Huan Sha, to the old northeast blue camp, Zhao Yu, Jinlin, Zhou Shan, Feng Hong, Luo Yi, Qin Xuan, and even the green plains residents like Wu Sheng, and more were stunned speechless; everyone who knew Lu Yin was stunned. His name had actually made it onto the most dazzling list in the universe’s top tournament and had brought Earth’s name to countless eyes.
Besides China, everyone in Europe, the Americas, and Africa, regardless of their relationship with China, was cheering fanatically. They were proud of the name “Earth” and proud of Lu Yin; he was one of them, and someone who had entered the universe by himself and obtained glory.
A dispensable, insignificant planet had suddenly been thrust under the spotlight in front of the entire universe, and it brought another immense change to Earth. Just a simple row of words had motivated countless Earthlings.
In Jinlin, a mesmerizingly beautiful teen’s gaze brightened as she stared at the scene.
In the capital, an ashen-faced youth lay on the ground as he stared at the last row of words on the screen. Neither the obstructing crowds nor the filthy gutters could darken his bright gaze.
In the forest, a teenager raised his head with an excited look upon his face.
…
This was the universe’s most glorious stage, and they all yearned to reach that place as well.
Within the Outerverse, on a vast continent, there was a city floating in the sky called San Dios. This was where the Outerverse Youth Council’s headquarters was located.
When the list of seeded students was posted, Wendy Yushan had been looking at her screen with a curious expression. The last line especially shocked her, as the insignificant bug had really climbed straight upwards and was now qualified for her to glance at.
It wasn’t just the Outerverse that was watching; the various major Flowzones in the Innerverse and countless planets there also had these large screens, and everyone was eagerly awaiting the start of the Astral Combat Tournament. This was a grand occasion where the network spanned the entire universe. The purpose of this tournament was to inspire the human race itself and motivate them to make preparations for the future star expanse wars by showing that humans were not weak.
…
Within the Nalan family’s spacecraft sickbay, all of the treatments targeted towards Lu Yin’s condition were proceeding methodically.
“His heartbeat has obviously sped up compared to before. That means that he should recover soon.”
…
“The five viscera are doing well. This kid’s vitality is shocking.”
…
“There’re three days before we’ll reach Astral-10. The madam has ordered that he must regain consciousness within these three days.”
…
Intermittent noises entered Lu Yin’s ears, and he frowned as his eyelids twitched. Where am I? What’s happening? Driftcharge Planet, explosion, mutual destruction, the Leo Clan…
Various scenes replayed themselves in Lu Yin’s mind until he suddenly saw a light beam descending from the sky that sent him into the abyss. His eyes snapped open and the sickbay exploded with a bang. The nutrient fluid scattered in all directions, and Lu Yin gasped for air as his eyes widened while the fluid dripped down from his hair, drop by drop.
Everyone around him fell silent and stared at him.
After a while, Lu Yin raised his head and surveyed his surroundings. Confused, he asked, “Where am I?”
“Hurry and inform the madam that the patient has regained consciousness and that his regenerative abilities have returned,” someone barked.
Lu Yin was dazed. The madam?
Not long after, in the luxurious lounge, Lu Yin once again met with Madam Nalan. This alluring beauty had saved his life again.
Lu Yin bowed solemnly. “Thank you, madam, for doing me the kindness of saving my life. I, Lu Yin, will never forget this. As long as madam needs me, I, Lu Yin, will not hesitate to offer my aid.”
Madam Nalan beamed at him. “You’ve matured greatly since we last met.”
After his life and death crisis at Driftcharge Planet, Lu Yin’s gaze had become deeper, and his features seemed to have matured as well. After surviving two consecutive close brushes with death, anyone would come out changed.
Not long ago, he had been in control of many things, including even Earth’s development, but the previous months’ experiences had transformed both his world view and his power.
“You’ve saved my life, and now I’ve saved yours. So, we’re even now,” Madam Nalan said with a smile as she poured Lu Yin a glass of wine.
Lu Yin accepted it and breathed in the alluring fragrance that seemed to cloud the mind. It was pleasant-smelling, but this fragrance could cause one to become numb if they indulged in it for too long. “Lu Yin will never forget the kindness that you’ve shown in saving me.”
Madam Nalan pursed her lips, smiled, and then measured Lu Yin with her eyes. “It’s the same serious expression, but you’re a completely different person who you were last time we met. It seems that you’ve experienced many things.”
Lu Yin smiled enigmatically. “Everyone must experience life. That’s right, madam, do you know how long there is until the Astral Combat Tournament starts?”
She pointed at the nearby screen as she replied, “It’s already begun.”
Lu Yin was shocked and hurriedly looked at the screen. It was showing a narrow and remote valley with many people standing on each side of the valley. They were all students. “Madam, is this it?”
“Three Academies Guarding the Gate. You should know about this.”
Lu Yin felt helpless and could only force a smile onto his face. Of course he knew what it was. Three academies would be chosen randomly, and of those three, the top ranked academy would send a student out, who would then select a student from each of the two lower ranked academies to help defend the valley. To continue on in the tournament, the three students had to intercept and stop at least half of the students who tried to cross the valley. Otherwise, the three academies would be eliminated.
But the fact that this event was starting meant that the Astral Combat Tournament had indeed begun and that Lu Yin had not made it in time.
“I never thought that I would miss the Astral Combat Tournament,” Lu Yin said lamentably.
Madam Nalan gave a small smile. “You haven’t. You are Astral-10’s seeded student. You won’t play any part in these next three days, and we’ll reach Astral-10 by the time you do need to appear.”
Lu Yin was shocked by this piece of news. “I’m the seed?”
She laughed in response. “You’re the student leader, so of course you’re the seed.”
Lu Yin felt awkward as Astral-10 also had Big Pao and Little Pao. One of them should have been prioritized for the seed position before him. Wait, hold on. “Madam, you said ‘reach Astral-10?’ You’re headed toward Astral-10?”
“Not me, but her,” Madam Nalan said as she pointed behind Lu Yin. Coincidentally, the door opened just at that moment, and a young woman with a sword strapped to her back stepped through before coming face to face with Lu Yin.
Lu Yin was shocked, as the girl’s eyes seemed to sparkle with a sword’s reflection. This woman was definitely not simple.
The young woman seemed to hold no interest in Lu Yin and quietly kept to herself. She wordlessly sat down in front of the screen and calmly watched the events of the tournament unfold.
“Lu Yin, let me introduce you two. She’s Astral-7’s leader, Liu Xiaoyun, and a seed as well, like you,” Madam Nalan said.
Lu Yin was astonished. Astral-7’s leader, so a Realm Master?
“Due to certain reasons, she missed the beginning of the tournament, and she now needs to borrow Astral-10’s trial zone mountain to access the Lifeseek Realm, as that’s where the tournament is being held.”
Lu Yin’s eyes brightened. “So I can enter the tournament from there too.”
“Of course,” Madam Nalan replied with a smile.
At that point, three people appeared in the valley on the screen. The foremost was a proud-looking man from the Daynight clan, as his black-and-white hair was glaringly obvious. Not far behind him stood a slightly older student, and lastly, there was Silver.
Lu Yin was stunned. “Astral-10 was selected to guard the gates?”
“The first student is Astral-3’s Chilian Daynight, the second is Dai Ao from Astral-7, and the third is Astral-10’s Silver. Your Astral-10 had similar luck before and was selected to guard the gates in the last tournament as well, but they actually ended up causing the other two academies to be completely eliminated,” Madam Nalan explained.
“Of which Astral-7 was one,” interjected Liu Xiaoyun, who had been quietly watching the screen.
Lu Yin felt a little embarrassed, but it had nothing to do with him as he hadn’t even been in the academy at that time.
“But there’s no worries this time. Chilian Daynight alone should be enough,” Liu Xiaoyun continued.
Lu Yin was puzzled. Chilian Daynight? He does indeed look powerful.
“Chilian Daynight is one of the top five students in all of Astral-3, and he is also one of the Area Masters of the Undying Realm. He specializes in area-controlling techniques. No matter how many people rush at him, if they are unable to defeat him, he can obstruct them all,” Liu Xiaoyun said indifferently.
“The students attempting to break through can only defend themselves. They cannot retaliate, use innate gifts, or use battle techniques. Under these circumstances, Chilian Daynight’s advantage will be amplified even further. Hence, he chose two random students from Astral-7 and Astral-10 to defend with him.” Madam Nalan voiced her opinion as well.
Silver had been randomly chosen. In other words, in Chilian Daynight’s eyes, it didn’t really matter who the other two students supporting him were.
Lu Yin beamed and stared at the large screen. During the two women’s explanations, the tournament had formally started.
With a loud bang, all of the participating students from the remaining seven academies charged out from the valley’s northern side. As long as they could pass through this valley, they would successfully enter the next section of the tournament. This was also an opportunity to become famous throughout the universe. Whether it was through strength or luck, if a student could stand out and show their face even just once during this tournament, it would be enough for them to boast about for the rest of their life. For this single chance, all of the students here were prepared to push themselves to their utmost limit.
Chilian Daynight had a look of disdain as he stared at the students charging into the valley. He slowly squatted as his two palms began to vibrate. Star energy suddenly rushed from the sky, causing the void to waver. A moment later, green seaweed abruptly sprouted from the ground and instantly shrouded the valley in a green veil.
