The Arrival

Everyone stood stunned. That was Ede—the powerhouse who had entered Yu Tang through a special exception, widely acknowledged as the strongest among them, and someone who could trade blows with Zhang Ding Tian. He'd been crippled by a single palm strike.

Zhang Ding Tian was just as shocked. This man was far stronger than he'd been a while ago. Zhang Ding Tian wasn't even sure he could take that palm strike.

Lu Yin glanced at his right palm. The third star had revolved into action. It seemed to be unexpectedly powerful.

The Heavenly Star Palm wasn't simply an attack that made stars explode. Each exploding star added to the damage, and the three-star Heavenly Star Palm was far more powerful than the two-star version.

Lu Yin had once guessed that when the third star revolved into action, he might be able to match Zhang Ding Tian. But now, he knew he hadn't merely matched him—he'd surpassed him.

In the distance, a student stared at his Personal terminal in shock. "T-three thousand seven hundred combat power. Cross-realm combat power!"

Every student's scalp prickled. Cross-realm powerhouses were absolute prodigies; only those in the universe with exceptional talent had ever achieved it. Yet now, two cross-realm powerhouses had appeared on a single frontier planet. It was unbelievable. And there was even a Talented Cultivator among them. Was this really an ordinary planet?

Granny stood dumbfounded. That bastard had gotten so strong.

Lu Yin clenched his fist, swept his gaze over all the students, and grinned. Then he suddenly charged at one of them.

That student was among the strongest in the academy. When he saw Lu Yin charging toward him, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He didn't even think of fighting back, immediately turning to flee. Unfortunately, Lu Yin grabbed him by the shoulder and squeezed so hard that his Ring Armor cracked. "Stay put!" he barked, then slammed a fist into the student's forehead, knocking him unconscious. He promptly charged at another student.

The scene was bizarre. Lu Yin was like a lion charging into a flock of sheep. The Heavenly Star Palm made him invincible, and the students' attacks were useless against him. His armor protected him completely, leaving them helpless.

After Lu Yin knocked out eight students, everyone scattered. They were done. They couldn't hurt him, and they couldn't defend themselves. What was the point?

Heidian was the first to run, but Bai Xue, who'd been keeping her eye on him, held him back.

"Get lost, woman!" Heidian roared. He didn't want to be knocked unconscious. He could guess that the bastard had a reason for knocking out the students. Thinking back to what had happened to Bailie, Willow, and the others, Heidian sucked in a sharp breath. Was the bastard planning to kidnap all the Trial Takers?

With a whoosh, Heidian smashed through the ice and tried to escape, but a terrifying slash swept across the ground and brought him to an abrupt halt. Zhang Ding Tian stood in his way, long blade in hand, glaring coldly at him. "Did I say you could leave?"

Heidian froze for a moment. Then a sharp pain struck the back of his head, and he blacked out.

Bai Xue lowered her hand, looking a little excited. This was surprisingly satisfying.

Zhang Ding Tian stared blankly at Bai Xue. It was the first time he'd seen her knock someone out from behind. He had to admit, Lu Yin's approach was pretty infectious.

Farther away, Gulles and Balaro stared dumbfounded at the Capital City, their faces twitching. "I must be seeing things. Is that shameless bastard really capturing students?"

Balaro gave a bitter smile. "You're seeing it right. He really is capturing them. Elite Trial Takers from academies across the stars are being caught like rabbits. This must be the first time in the history of the trials."

During every trial, the students were like gods on high, looking down on all living beings. Their only opponents were one another. But now, the strongest among all the Trial Takers were being captured one by one, cowering like rabbits. Fewer than five managed to escape in the end.

When calm returned to the Capital City, the ground was left covered in rubble—and nineteen unconscious students lay miserably among it.

Lu Yin wiped away his sweat. He was exhausted, but he'd finally dealt with them. The few who'd escaped were fast and had excellent footwork battle techniques. He couldn't catch them. Whatever.

"That makes nineteen, plus Bailie and Willow, so twenty-one. Huh, Zhou Shan brought the other two from Blue Mountain Academy too? That makes twenty-three students. Not bad." Lu Yin counted as he swiftly searched them one by one.

Zhang Ding Tian and Bai Xue watched in speechless silence. He was far too practiced at this.

Ede hadn't passed out; he was only badly injured. Seeing this, he widened his eyes. "You're that Star Pirate!"

Lu Yin glanced at him. "Don't make things up. These are spoils of war. I can't have fought for nothing."

Ede was furious.

Granny came out just then and helped Lu Yin sort through the spoils.

Lu Yin didn't blame her. She was a Trial Taker too. It was good enough that she hadn't helped attack the Capital City.

The battle had been exhausting. Even with his armor absorbing much of the damage, Lu Yin's internal organs had still been shaken. He needed to rest. Zhang Ding Tian and Bai Xue were even worse off; they didn't want to move at all. Zhou Shan and Wu Sheng were gravely injured, so Lu Yin had Granny treat them before Hua Ying took them back to the Capital City for emergency care.

The Hua Ying evolvers all mobilized to clear away the rubble,

Two hours later, the knocked-out students gradually woke up and found themselves tied together. They glared furiously at Lu Yin.

When they realized they'd been robbed, they were so angry they nearly coughed up blood.

"You're that Star Pirate—the one who robbed Ian!" someone shouted.

Ian was right beside him. "Hey, don't use me as an example. That's embarrassing."

"It has to be you who robbed Ian! And now you dare rob us too? You bandit! You thug!" someone else shouted.

Ian was speechless.

Lu Yin sneered and walked over to them, raising his hand. The students jumped and quickly shut their mouths.

Lu Yin lowered his hand and was about to say something to Zhang Ding Tian and the others when his gaze suddenly tightened. He looked up at the sky. At the same time, people all over Earth raised their heads as shooting stars streaked down from the heavens.

One streak after another crossed the sky.

Lu Yin was shocked. This was the second wave of Trial Takers arriving.

"Why so soon?" Lu Yin asked, puzzled, and looked at Granny.

"It's rare for a trial to have a second wave. I don't know either," Granny said.

"It probably starts counting from the moment the notice was received," Bai Xue said as she approached, her expression grave.

Zhang Ding Tian stared at the sky, his gaze sharpening. He saw three shooting stars heading this way.

Lu Yin immediately shouted, "Take all these people back to the Capital City! Hurry!"

Before long, an explosion rumbled in the distance. The countless survivors inside the Capital City were terrified. The despair they faced today rivaled the day of the apocalypse. Dozens of Heavenly Rank Experts had fought in a chaotic battle, and now meteorites were crashing down too. Had humanity truly reached the brink of destruction?

The steel walls had been reduced to rubble. Lu Yin and the others stood atop the ruins, watching a shooting star crash down ahead of them, barely a few thousand meters from the Capital City settlement. They could even see the alien spaceship engulfed in flames.

Boom!

The earth shook again, and a massive fissure spread toward the Capital City. Zhang Ding Tian casually waved his hand, and a burst of energy ripped through the ground, blocking the fissure.

The next moment, a scorching wave of air swept over them, carrying endless clouds of dust as it passed over the Capital City. Everyone felt pressure descend upon them.

Soon, when the dust settled, a small, circular spaceship appeared before them, three meters in diameter. It was tiny, identical to Asta's spaceship from before. It was a personal spacecraft that could carry only one person.

The impact had carved a massive cone-shaped crater into the ground.

Another explosion sounded in the distance.

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. Three shooting stars had crashed down. They'd all arrived. These were the second wave of Trial Takers, people who'd come for the Starry Sky Tenth Academy and hoped to achieve good results in the trial.

Ede was being held off to one side, his eyes fixed on the spaceship, his gaze alight with excitement. Come on. Let these natives see what a prodigy looks like, what true power is.

Click.

The hatch of the circular spaceship opened, and hot air billowed out in a cloud of white smoke. A hand reached out and gripped the edge of the ship. Then a figure emerged into the sunlight and raised his head.

The man who appeared before everyone was handsome, with a faint smile in his eyes.

He stepped out of the spaceship, floated slowly, and landed on the ground. He didn't look at Lu Yin and the others. Instead, he surveyed his surroundings, his gaze carrying a hint of curiosity.

Lu Yin's gaze sharpened as he looked at the man. Dangerous—extremely dangerous. The man gave him a strong sense of danger. Lu Yin glanced down at his Personal terminal. Three thousand combat power. Peak Probe Realm. They had the same combat power, so why did this man make him feel so threatened?

It wasn't just Lu Yin. Zhang Ding Tian, Bai Xue, Granny, and even Ede felt an overwhelming sense of danger the moment they saw the man. The mild-mannered man seemed to conceal a suffocating pressure.

"Who is he?" Lu Yin asked, tapping Ede on the head.

Ede stared blankly at the man, then shook his head, bewildered. "I don't know."

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. The man still hadn't looked at them. Did he not consider them worth noticing? It was a kind of arrogance that showed without a word, etched into his very bones—indescribable.