Moonlit Murder

Zhou Shan shot Lu Yin a sidelong glance. "That's not just my opinion. Everyone agrees. Bai Xue is known as the most beautiful woman in China, bar none. No celebrity, internet personality, socialite, or campus beauty could compare to even one of her fingers." He gave a strange laugh. "I didn't believe it at first either, but after I saw her, I did. She was born to be worshipped. Calling her a goddess wasn't an exaggeration."

Lu Yin chuckled. "Is she really that incredible?"

"Goddess? What an arrogant claim. A native is still a native. If you saw Star Picking Girl, you'd be groveling at her feet," Granny suddenly cut in with a sneer.

Lu Yin's voice turned cold. "I don't want to hear you call anyone a native again. Go guard the gate."

Granny snorted. She didn't dare challenge Lu Yin, and turned to leave.

Zhou Shan looked awkward. It was uncomfortable to be discussing women when another woman had overheard.

"Go on, Brother Zhou," Lu Yin said.

Zhou Shan coughed a few times. "There's not much to say, really. Liu Shaoge is handsome, Bai Xue is beautiful. They're a perfect match."

"What about their strength?" Lu Yin asked curiously, his eyes bright.

Zhou Shan shrugged. "Liu Shaoge and I are both Lower Four Saints. Bai Xue is an Upper Three Saint. There are rumors that Liu Shaoge is cautious and good at hiding his true abilities, but even if he's stronger than me, it can't be by much."

Lu Yin nodded to show he understood.

Though Zhou Shan made it clear he didn't know Liu Shaoge well, Lu Yin could tell that he had a good impression of him. The title Saint of Light was itself extremely complimentary, and Liu Shaoge's public image was nearly flawless. Apart from Lu Yin, who had survived by chance, only the dead knew the darkness within Liu Shaoge.

Lu Yin had thought Liu Shaoge was his only enemy. If Luo Saint Bai Xue was truly involved with him, he might have another.

That was how society worked: one small change could affect everything. Lu Yin tapped his fingers against the wall, lost in thought.

The beast tide didn't fully retreat until dusk.

After dark, Lu Yin left Jinling. He was running low on Flame Crystals and needed to dig up some more.

Moonlight spilled across the cold, desolate earth. Aside from the skin-crawling sound of chewing that came from the darkness, only the howling wind broke the silence.

When Lu Yin reached the trench beside the Flame Crystal mine, he saw someone standing there quietly. It was a man with short silver hair, gazing up at the moon with a bewildered look in his eyes.

The moment he saw the man, Lu Yin's expression changed dramatically. The only things at this site were the Long-haired Corpse King, Flame Crystals, and that sinister skeletal eye. Was the man's presence a coincidence, or had he come here on purpose?

Lu Yin hadn't known anyone was here, so he hadn't bothered to hide his presence. The Silver-haired man naturally noticed him as well.

"Who are you?" Lu Yin asked, his gaze wary and his expression tense. He didn't know how strong the man was, but a sense of extreme danger was spreading through him. He didn't want to get close. The image of the skeletal eye kept circling in his mind.

The Silver-haired man looked at Lu Yin with a faint smile. Just then, clouds covered the moon, plunging the earth into darkness.

In an instant, Lu Yin's scalp prickled. A flash of white streaked through the darkness. He used Roaming Step to retreat at high speed and struck out with his right palm. Stars appeared with the blow. In the glare of the white light, a pair of clear, cold eyes flashed with surprise. The light spun rapidly and clashed with Lu Yin's right palm.

Lu Yin glimpsed a beautiful Butterfly knife in the flash of white. Its blade tore through the air too quickly for the eye to follow, deflecting the full force of the Heavenly Star Palm.

A loud crash shook the air. It warped around them, and both men staggered back.

The moon emerged again, casting its light across the earth and illuminating the two men.

Lu Yin's gaze was grave. This man had blocked his full-powered Heavenly Star Palm.

Across from him, the Silver-haired man looked surprised. Then he scratched his head. "Uh, sorry. I thought you were a zombie, so I attacked. My apologies, haha."

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes and watched the man closely. Then the corners of his mouth lifted. "No need to apologize. I thought you were a zombie too, so I attacked. Good thing I didn't use all my strength—I used less than half my palm power. You're not hurt, are you?"

The Silver-haired man raised an eyebrow. "No, no. How could I be hurt? I barely used a third of my strength, and I still had more than enough to block your palm. Haha."

Lu Yin glanced at his own hand and smiled. "Sorry, I misspoke. I only used a quarter of my palm strength just now. Good thing I didn't hurt you."

The Silver-haired man burst out laughing. "Well, I misspoke too. I only used a fifth of my strength."

"Is that so? I don't believe you. Why don't we try again?" Lu Yin taunted.

The Silver-haired man hurriedly waved his hands. "No, thanks. I'm an elegant gourmet and never fight with people. By the way, let me ask you something. What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for a classmate. We agreed to meet here," Lu Yin replied calmly.

"Oh," the Silver-haired man said. "I was looking for someone too. I remember there's a Jinling nearby, but it's marked blue. Was that your classmate's doing?"

Lu Yin nodded. "Yes."

The Silver-haired man looked disappointed. "I see. I was thinking of going there to have some fun. Oh well. You carry on waiting. I'm leaving." With that, he turned and walked away, soon disappearing from sight.

Lu Yin checked his Personal terminal. Only after confirming the Silver-haired man had left did he exhale. His expression was more serious than ever. The man had blocked his Heavenly Star Palm. That had been his full-powered strike after breaking through to the Probe Realm. When darkness had swallowed the earth, an extreme sense of danger had engulfed him. He hadn't had time to hesitate. He really had used all his strength, yet the man had still blocked the blow. Who was he? How could someone so powerful have appeared among the first batch of Trial Takers?

Lu Yin walked to the trench and looked toward the Flame Crystal mine. The man had been standing there from the start, and that was where Lu Yin had found the skeletal eye. The man could well have been its owner.

Lu Yin recalled every symbol he'd seen in the universe. None had looked like a skeletal eye.

When he'd first found it, he'd felt that he might have stumbled upon something extraordinary. Now, that feeling was even stronger. The Silver-haired man might have been at the Probe Realm, but Lu Yin could tell from their clash that he hadn't truly used all his strength. He was unfathomable.

Meanwhile, the Silver-haired man flew beneath the moon, his expression strange. His killing blow had been blocked. "Someone among the Probe Realm students actually managed to stop that attack of mine. Interesting. I'd thought people like that would only appear among the second batch of Trial Takers. I didn't expect one to show up in the first batch too. Heh."

Yuxiang, on the border between Jiangsu Province and Anhui.

Ever since the Penal Camp had concentrated its main forces in the west, this had become its front line. It had five Commanders of Ten Thousand and thirty thousand evolvers stationed there. As it pushed west, it had not only rescued many survivors but also gained a number of new evolvers.

The total number of evolvers at the Yuxiang front line now approached forty thousand, and they had also added another Commander of Ten Thousand.

Feng Hong was the overall commander at the front. He was the only one Lu Yin knew well.

Everything at the front had been peaceful. Then, one day, a figure appeared high in the sky, looking down at Yuxiang. Tens of thousands of evolvers looked up at him.

In Jinling, Lu Yin studied a map. Jinling was far from Wu City, with Anhui—a whole province—between them. There were countless zombies and Mutant Beasts along the way, as well as evolvers who ruled over their own territories. It was simply too far.

Clearing a path to Wu City with the Penal Camp would take months at the very least.

Lu Yin fell into thought. Wu City was now marked blue. Even if they managed to reach it, they might find only alien students waiting for them.

Just then, Luo Yun hurried over. "Hidden Saint, we've received word from the front line. The Penal Camp has been defeated, and everyone has been taken prisoner. Feng Hong and the other Commanders of Ten Thousand have been captured."

Lu Yin was surprised. "Did the aliens make a move?"

Luo Yun nodded, her expression grave. "The soldiers who escaped reported that the attacker left behind six words: Blue Mountain Academy, Ye Ge."

"Bring Granny here," Lu Yin said coolly.

Granny arrived shortly afterward.

"Go contact Ye Ge through one of the Blue Mountain Academy students' Personal terminals. He's taken control of the Penal Camp's front line," Lu Yin said calmly.

Granny nodded and took the two students' Personal terminals from her Void Ring. She tapped a few times, and a light screen appeared in front of them. A young man appeared on it, smiling at Granny.

"Miss Granny, it's been a long time. I didn't expect us to meet under these circumstances. I'm Ye Ge, a student of Blue Mountain Academy," the young man said politely.

Granny looked puzzled. "You know me?"

Ye Ge smiled. "You're a famous beauty and elite of the First Military Academy. Blue Mountain Academy is not far from your academy, so of course I know you."

"Were those two people who ambushed me acting on your orders?" Granny asked coldly.