Starry Sky Academy was the finest institution in the universe. It had ten academies in total. The Ninth Academy was in the Outer Universe's Endless Territory, while the other nine were all in the Inner Universe. This time, however, the Tenth Academy would appear in Canglan Territory, which included the Great Yu Empire.
Lu Yin turned off the screen, his eyes flickering. This information was far too significant. Starry Sky Academy held a deadly allure for countless young people across the universe. It had originally had nothing to do with him; it was far too distant. But now, the Starry Sky Tenth Academy was entering Canglan Territory at this critical moment. It was impossible not to have ideas.
To enter the Starry Sky Tenth Academy, one needed not only exceptional talent and formidable combat strength, but also a solid record of experience.
There was an opportunity right in front of him: Earth's Evolution Trial.
No wonder so many people had come for the trial this time. Asta must have come for this news as well.
Lu Yin felt uneasy. For one thing, he didn't know what Asta's so-called mission was. For another, if no student completed the mission within three months, a second batch of trial students would arrive.
With the Starry Sky Tenth Academy about to appear, many people wanted to gain experience and bolster their credentials, including the children of powerful clans and famous families. Earth's Evolution Trial was undoubtedly appealing. The second batch of trial students might bring unimaginable brutality to Earth.
Lu Yin grew anxious. Even the first batch of trial students had all been at least in the Probe Realm. The second batch might include even stronger people, and he might not be strong enough to protect himself.
The thought made Lu Yin restless. He had to reach the Probe Realm within three months; otherwise, he would become an ant to be trampled.
Night passed, and the next day, the army set off again, heading north.
Lu Yin grew quieter. He didn't stay inside the armored vehicle, instead lying on its roof.
In Hubei, Wu City, at the heart of China, more than ten million survivors had gathered. Even so, countless more arrived every day, all because one of the Seven Saints, the Saint of Light Liu Shaoge, was there.
After the apocalypse began, strange ore appeared around Wu City. The ore contained light, and when it cracked open, light emerged.
Liu Shaoge used this ore in combination with his own battle techniques to protect the million survivors of Wu City, earning him the title of Saint of Light.
Pillars of light rose all around Wu City, enclosing the entire city. That was why Wu City was also called the City of Light, though some called it Sleepless City.
At the center of Wu City, a piece of land was held aloft by pillars of light, floating high in the sky. This was where the Saint of Light lived, and many called it the City in the Sky.
Below the City in the Sky was the Light Camp, where a hundred thousand evolvers guarded the Saint of Light's home and gradually expanded outward.
There were no grand palaces atop the City in the Sky, only a beautiful, open courtyard without so much as a roof.
Anyone standing in the City in the Sky could look up and gaze at the stars.
At that moment, in the courtyard of the City in the Sky, a handsome young man with an elegant bearing stood at the edge, gazing into the distance. He raised his wineglass, took a light sip, and smiled strangely. He was none other than the Saint of Light, Liu Shaoge.
Not far from Liu Shaoge stood another young man. He wasn't as handsome, but his gaze was haughty, and he looked at Liu Shaoge as if he were an ant.
"Everything here is a resource for you, especially those light crystals. They could put you ten years ahead of your peers, but you're wasting them," the young man behind Liu Shaoge said in disapproval.
Liu Shaoge turned and smiled at him. "Don't say that, Puyi. Everything here belongs to all of us, not just me."
The man called Puyi's expression softened a little. "Take down these pillars of light. You're wasting resources."
Liu Shaoge nodded. "All right, I'll do as you say. By the way, what did you mean about dividing the region just now? Can you explain?"
Puyi replied coolly, "Trials have their own unspoken rules. As long as our group of students controls a region, we can mark it blue online. Generally, nobody attacks a blue zone early in the trial, unless they're an enemy."
"So Wu City has already been marked as a blue zone?" Liu Shaoge asked.
Puyi nodded. "Of course. Otherwise, do you think I'm the only one who's come near here these past few days? The trial is brutal. Generally, nobody fights to the death early on. Naturally, you also have to consider each student's background. It just so happens that mine is strong enough that, once the region is marked, no one will bother us."
Liu Shaoge smiled faintly and nodded. "I see."
"Enough. Tell me, what did you find out about the matter I asked you to investigate?" Puyi asked impatiently. Then he glanced at the pillars of light, a pained look flashing through his eyes. "Turn those lights off already. You're wasting too much."
Liu Shaoge smiled as he poured Puyi a glass of wine. "I have some leads on what you asked me to look into."
Puyi's eyes lit up. "Really? Tell me."
Liu Shaoge handed him the glass. "Take a look at this wine."
Puyi was puzzled. He looked down instinctively, but there was nothing unusual about it. The wine merely rippled in circles, one after another, over and over, endlessly...
Liu Shaoge smiled and waited a moment before saying, "Give me your Personal terminal."
Puyi's gaze went blank. He removed his Personal terminal and handed it to Liu Shaoge.
Before long, Liu Shaoge turned off the Personal terminal and rubbed his head. "This is troublesome. He actually shut down the universal network. Does that mean he noticed I was controlling him? Forget it." He put on the Personal terminal, smiling, his gaze shrewd as he lifted his eyes to the sky.
Two days later, the Punishment Camp army approached the front line. If they hadn't repaired the communication lines along the way, they would have arrived long ago.
For the past two nights, Lu Yin had been staring at the moon, acting like a fool. Luo Yun had started to think he'd lost his mind.
The convoy suddenly stopped. Xu San said to Lu Yin, "Boss, something's wrong. We haven't seen any survivors since yesterday, and there should be soldiers monitoring the road ahead. We've been traveling for almost a day, but haven't seen a single person."
Lu Yin rose and gazed into the distance. "Have the army stop and rest."
Away from the others, Lu Yin opened his Personal terminal and measured the combat power within one li, then two, all the way up to ten. He filtered out combat power below the Probe Realm. In the end, he detected Probe Realm combat power thirty-seven kilometers away: eighteen hundred. That was the strength he'd picked up.
Lu Yin's expression turned grave. He took out a map. Thirty-seven kilometers away was an abandoned county town, and it was less than twenty kilometers from the front line, right between the front line and their convoy.
Lu Yin ordered the army to make camp where they were, then headed north alone. He needed to find out whether the Probe Realm combatant was a Mutant Beast or a person.
He hadn't gone ten kilometers before Lu Yin realized there was no need to continue. An army of evolvers was approaching from ahead. Since there was an army, the abandoned county town must be a settlement—which meant the Probe Realm expert his terminal had detected was one of the students who had descended on Earth.
Lu Yin thought for a moment, then reattached the locator for Asta's Personal terminal.
The moment the locator came back online, a woman in white armor, with long hair reaching her waist, frowned a dozen kilometers away from Lu Yin. She looked at her Personal terminal, snorted, and flew south.
Moments later, a white figure appeared in the sky, hovering above Lu Yin and staring down at him coldly. "Student, I've marked this area blue. Please leave."
Lu Yin looked up at the woman, his eyes brightening. She was pretty. "Hello, student. My name is Asta. I'm from First Military Academy on Tata Planet in the Great Yu Empire."
"I have no interest in knowing that. Leave immediately," the woman said indifferently. Energy rippled around her, bearing down on him.
"Don't be hasty, student," Lu Yin said quickly. "I'm injured, and I'm not strong to begin with. I'm no threat to you. Besides, I can give you resources—a lot of them."
The woman's gaze was cold. "You're only in the Gaze Realm, yet you dared to join the planetary Evolution Trial? How did you get in?"
"My grandfather is the principal," Lu Yin said at once, his tone haughty.
The woman looked disgusted. "Get lost."
Lu Yin immediately took several Flame Crystals from his Void Ring and tossed them to the woman. "Help me make it through the trial alive, and I'll give you a whole basket of these crystals once we get out."
The woman caught them in surprise, feeling the warm touch of the Flame Crystals, then descended to the ground. "Where did you get these?"
Lu Yin put on a smug look. "My grandfather, of course. My grandfather is a powerful expert who roams the stars. He has as many of these as he wants."
The woman narrowed her eyes, clenched her fist, and let a trace of killing intent slip out.
Lu Yin warily stepped back and glared at her. "Don't try anything. No one can interfere with the trial, but it's still possible to find out who lived, who died, and who killed them. You don't want my grandfather hunting you down, do you?"
The woman considered this, then unclenched her hand. "I can help you leave this planet alive, but your trial results have nothing to do with you."
Lu Yin let out a breath. "I don't mind. No matter what, my grandfather can get me into the Starry Sky Tenth Academy. You can have all the credit."
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