The war at the border had not ended yet, but regardless of whether it had failed or ended, it seemed that everyone in Wei Rong’s family would die. If the defensive line held and the Outerverse repelled the invaders, then the Great Eastern Alliance would most likely once again attack the Wei family. Wei Rong had to think of a way to save his Wei family.
Fortunately, even though the border defense had entered a reprieve, the Outerverse powers would not be allowed to conduct any wars in the near future, as the Hall of Honor would not allow them to do so. This would also grant Wei Rong the opportunity to take a breather, and he had to take advantage of this period of peace to unite the Outerverse’s central region to form a cooperative that could resist the threat posed by Lu Yin.
Lu Yin on the other hand, ended up being summoned by Yuan Shi.
“Junior Lu Yin pays his respects to Yuan Shi.”
Yuan Shi opened his eyes and looked at Lu Yin. After a moment, he sighed. “During this battle, the bell was destroyed. Will that influence what that person needs you to do?”
Lu Yin replied, “At this time, Elder Lohar, Yuan Shi, Senior Akira, and Elder Daggs all know that Junior had that proof of identity, so there’s no harm done.”
Yuan Shi nodded. “As long as there’s no harm done. However, that bell was both a symbol of status as well as a life-saving object. Since I destroyed it, there will naturally be compensation made to you.” He paused before continuing, saying, “Your contributions this time were vast, and I’ll make the decision to award you with three Honor Points as well as compensate you with two power vessels.”
In front of Lu Yin, the void distorted, and Lu Yin watched as something suddenly appeared. Was that a walnut?
Lu Yin blinked, only to see that it was indeed a walnut.
“This is a power vessel that I made, and it contains my own strength. If you crush it, the power it contains will be unleashed directly in front of it, and it will not influence whatever stands behind it. If the strength of that attack is evaluated with power levels, then it should be about 700,000,” Yuan Shi explained.
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed as he cried out, “A power level of 700,000?”
Yuan Shi nodded.
Lu Yin was ecstatic, and he gingerly reached out and accepted the walnut. He swallowed his saliva as he thought about what he was holding in his hands. A power level of 700,000—a power level of 700,000! That was just too ridiculous! This little walnut actually contained an attack with a power level of 700,000!
“This is a single-use power vessel, and I had to exert my personal strength to make this. Remember, it will only release an attack from its direct front,” Yuan Shi reminded. The void then distorted again before Lu Yin’s eyes, and a string of beads suddenly appeared. There were five beads that formed a small bracelet, and it slowly floated towards Lu Yin.
“This is the second power vessel, and each pearl contains an attack with a power level of 300,000. Crushing them will integrate the power into the next battle technique that you display, and it will add an additional 300,000 to your attack’s original power level. This is the largest enhancement that you can withstand, as any more would be too much.”
Lu Yin was delighted, and he happily accepted the beaded bracelet and held it like it was a treasure. In his eyes, this bracelet of pearls was even more valuable than the walnut despite the walnut containing an attack with a power level of 700,000. This was because the walnut could not be used on most occasions, and it also only had a single use. The beaded bracelet was different, as an attack with a power level of 300,000 was at the level of the Outerverse’s pinnacle experts. Although such strength could not compare to an opponent like Yu Mu, it could at least cause them to hesitate.
“Thank you, Yuan Shi, for your gifts.” Lu Yin hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
“Seventh Bro, this monkey once read in a powerhouse’s journal that those with fifteen Honor Points are able to start a war and that they cannot be restricted by the Hall of Honor,” the Ghost Monkey’s voice rang out in Lu Yin’s brain.
Lu Yin’s eyes lit up, as he had enjoyed an incredible profit from participating in the border war this time. In the near future, the Outerverse would not allow any internal wars to break out since the threat of the Sixth Mainland’s invasion was still looming over them. As long as the Sixth Mainland was able to invade the Outerverse through the Technocracy, the Hall of Honor would stand guard against them.
It would be too difficult for Lu Yin to restart the war against the Wei family under such circumstances, and even a conservative estimate would place the forced armistice at a year’s length.
Also, if the Sixth Mainland’s invasion continued , he definitely would not wage war. If such a thing occurred, then everyone would have to return to the border to defend the Outerverse. However, since their war had entered a reprieve, Lu Yin could not allow Wei Rong to relax a single inch break. Otherwise, with Wei Rong’s abilities, who knew how many backup plans he would be able to prepare.
From Lu Yin’s perspective, the Outerverse’s internal wars would not have any influence on the border’s defense. If the Sixth Mainland invaded again, then its invasion force would definitely be incomparable to when just the Bloodburn Realm had moved against the Outerverse. If there even was a next time, then experts on the level of Ancestor Di would definitely join the invasion from the very start, and perhaps even an Empyrean Imprinter would make a move. At that time, it was possible that not even Mister Mu would be able to protect the Outerverse.
This meant that, if the Sixth Mainland invaded again, the possibility of the Outerverse being wiped out was close to 90%. With such odds, there was not much of a difference whether or not there were any internal conflicts within the Outerverse.
Since there wasn’t much reason to hold back, Lu Yin was determined to find a way to destroy Wei Rong in the shortest amount of time possible. Otherwise, he would simply be foolishly waiting around for Wei Rong to establish more diplomatic ties. If Lu Yin allowed Wei Rong to plot any more, then it was unknown what sort of price Lu Yin would have to pay in the future.
Fifteen Honor Points was another qualitative change in his status, and he currently only had fourteen. His mind suddenly flashed, and he looked at Yuan Shi. Fourteen and fifteen: his Honor Points had conveniently remained below the threshold. Was this something that Yuan Shi had intended?
“Little kid, that bell was able to protect you, and I’ve compensated you for the loss of that protection. Next, I will compensate you for the loss in status,” Yuan Shi said. He then lifted a finger and tapped out. Lu Yin’s left hand rose up in an uncontrollable manner, and he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his palm. Then, everything returned to normal.
He hurriedly checked his left palm, but he only saw the gradually dissipating image of the word “Chosen.”
Lu Yin looked at Yuan Shi in bewilderment.
“The Hall of Honor’s younger generation cultivators have a grading system. Standing above ordinary cultivators are those with innate gifts, and those with contributions can be bestowed the title of Star Disciple by the hall. Above those still are individuals with outstanding innate gifts, and they are the monsters of their generation. These people are bestowed with another title and are known as the Starborn. However, the highest grade, which is a title that can only be bestowed by those who are at the level of a Judicial Commissioner or higher, is known as an Honor Chosen. You have been bestowed this title and have become my Honor Chosen,” Yuan Shi softly explained.
Lu Yin did not understand the implications of this news, but this title sounded very powerful.
“Thank you for granting me this title, Yuan Shi,” Lu Yin expressed his gratitude.
Yuan Shi did not explain any further, though he clearly knew that Lu Yin was unsure about what being an Honor Chosen actually meant. Even in the Innerverse, not many knew of this title. Only in the Neoverse were there more people who more deeply understood the status of the Honor Chosen.
It could be said that the Chosen were the Hall of Honor’s most influential figures within the younger generation. Even the Chief Justice was only able to designate a single Chosen at a time. Only when the designated as Honor Chosen was no longer a part of the younger generation could the title then be bestowed to someone else, as it could not be given to two individuals at the same time. Additionally, the one bestowed with the title of Honor Chosen qualified to inherit the status and position of the one who had bestowed the title upon them in the future.
This meant that, with Yuan Shi bestowing Lu Yin the status of his Honor Chosen, Lu Yin now qualified to inherit Yuan Shi’s position within the Hall of Honor in the future. Of course, that was nothing more than a qualification.
Despite the title of Honor Chosen only being given to a cultivator from the younger generation, they still received extraordinary privileges from the Hall of Honor.
With Lu Yin’s cultivation only being in the Explorer realm, he should not have been given this title. At best, he could have qualified to become a Starborn, but Yuan Shi had nonetheless still bestowed that title upon Lu Yin. Throughout the entire history of the Hall of Honor, practically no Explorers had been given the title of Honor Chosen.
An Honor Chosen was on the same level as the Innerverse’s Ten Arbiters.
This one title could solidify Lu Yin’s future position in the Neoverse. He had never visited the Neoverse, but he already possessed a status that countless in the Neoverse would not even dare to dream of.
“The Honor Chosen represent the Hall of Honor, so I hope that you won’t disgrace the title,” Yuan Shi spoke with an aged voice, sounding as though something had occurred to him.
Lu Yin bowed. “Junior understands.”
Yuan Shi looked into the depths of the universe. “I hope that the contest for this period’s Cosmic Five has not ended yet.”
Lu Yin’s gaze trembled. The Cosmic Five: he had heard the Yu Elder mention this name before. “Yuan Shi, what are these Cosmic Five?”
Yuan Shi answered, “The Cosmic Five are the Fifth Mainland’s true heirs to the Progenitors’ inheritances. There are Five Astral Towers, which are actually five mountains, and five seas. Only an exceptionally small number of people are able to qualify to contest for those inheritances, and the Honor Chosen are among them.”
Lu Yin was surprised. “So does that mean that, if the contest for the Cosmic Five is not over yet, this Junior will be able to participate as well?”
“Everyone will participate, but how many of them are able to actually directly get into contact with the Astral Tower? Someone must take them there, and the Honor Chosen are escorted by the Hall of Honor, and they will also be protected by the Hall of Honor. From the very beginning, the origin of those given the title of Honor Chosen are intended to become the Cosmic Five, and the former generations of the Cosmic Five have always been the Hall of Honor’s Honor Chosen,” Yuan Shi replied.
Lu Yin understood; this was power. Everyone could compete for the positions of the Cosmic Five, but it would only mean anything if they were able to arrive at the Astral Towers. Only a limited few people in the Neoverse knew where those towers were located or how to get there. Thus, only those people qualified to take their candidates to the Astral Towers.
Unfortunately, this was not something that had much to do with Lu Yin. Who knew how long the Innerverse and Outerverse would remain separated for, as the separation could even last for several more decades. By then, Lu Yin would have long since ceased to be a part of the younger generation, and the title of Honor Chosen was not something that could be kept forever.
The greatest benefit of this title at the moment was for Lu Yin to dupe Elder Lohar and the rest of the Hall of Honor!
Lu Yin was in a dilemma about whether or not he should ask Yuan Shi for an additional Honor Point, as Lu Yin suspected that Yuan Shi had intentionally given him fourteen points. Asking for one more would expose Lu Yin’s objectives, and it would be very difficult to get another Honor Point from Elder Lohar in the future.
After thinking about it, Lu Yin did not speak up.
“Any other questions?” Yuan Shi was exceptionally patient with Lu Yin.
Lu Yin was about to bid the old man farewell when he suddenly thought of something. He then asked, “At the border warfront, when the powerhouses with power levels of over 500,000 acted, Junior saw a different part of the universe. What is that?’
Lu Yin had long since wanted to ask this particular question, as that distinct sight that had been revealed after space was torn apart contained no rune lines, which was exceptionally odd.
Yuan Shi looked at Lu Yin in a serious manner. “That is the true universe.”
Lu Yin was lost.
Yuan Shi explained, “At the moment, you do not need to understand this, and you will naturally learn about it when you need to. Star energy originates from the true universe, but what we use is not star energy, but rather stellular energy.”
Lu Yin blinked. Stellular energy?
“Alright, you may leave.” Yuan Shi did not seem to want to elaborate any further, so Lu Yin had no choice but to leave.
They still had to wait at the border for two more months, and after thinking about it, Lu Yin decided to look for Elder Daggs to trade in his contribution points.
Back in Ironblood Weave, there was a warehouse in every stronghold that housed goods that could be exchanged for contribution points. The six lavazones should have something similar, but unfortunately, the Greatwood Lavazone’s commander, Commander Cao, had died. Lu Yin could not find anyone to guide him to where he could conduct his exchange, so he could only look for Elder Daggs.
Aside from precious materials, he also wanted to exchange his contribution points for Honor Points. Back in Ironblood Weave, 20,000 Ironblood Points could purchase one Honor Point, and the exchange rate should be the same at this border warfront.
Lu Yin only needed one more Honor Point to reach fifteen. Then, he would be able to wage war at any time he wished.
At this time, the six lavazones were not too far away from one another, and it only took Lu YIn half a day to travel from the Greatwood Lavazone to the Endless Lavazone day with his speed. And from there, it would take him two more days at the most to reach the Honor Lavazone. He had plenty of time.
Not long after he left the Greatwood Lavazone, Lu Yin suddenly stopped and looked at a corner of the dark lava mainland. There was a cultivator pacing back and forth in that place.
“Come out,” Lu Yin said.
A shadow stepped out from that place.
Lu Yin’s brows furrowed, as this person was from Aegis. He was Black Mask, who had been stored in cryostasis and whose power level exceeded 300,000. The reason why Lu Yin had discovered this assassin was because the assassin had not concealed himself, and their rune lines had been way too conspicuous.
