Lu and Xia

Nearby, Ras struggled to his feet, blood at the corner of his mouth and disbelief written across his face. The Void Splitting Palm had struck him without obstruction, and at such close range, too, leaving him seriously injured. But this wound was nothing compared to the shock Lu Yin had given him. How could this man know the Heavenly Beast Claw?

"Who are you?" Ras shouted.

Lu Yin landed and stepped up to Ras. "The one arresting you." He clamped a hand onto Ras's shoulder and squeezed. With a crack, Ras screamed in agony as his shoulder was crushed. "Sorry. Otherwise, you might fight back." Then he tossed Ras toward the Capital City.

The other man cried out furiously, "You're dead! He's Young Master Ras, Lord Sika's son! Lord Sika won't let you get away with this. Neither will the Imperial Court Twelfth Team, or the Great Yu Empire!"

Lu Yin frowned. "What a racket." He crushed the man's shoulder as well, then tossed him toward the Capital City.

After dealing with the two men, Lu Yin turned to Xia Luo, who was watching him just as intently.

"Don't worry. I'm not interested in you," Xia Luo said with a gentle smile, regarding Lu Yin calmly.

Lu Yin nodded. "Thank you."

Xia Luo smiled faintly. "I'm Xia Luo. Let's get acquainted."

"Lu Yin."

"Lu Yin? Lu?" Xia Luo was surprised. "That surname is rare in the starry sky."

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. It was true: on Earth, Lu was an ordinary surname, but in the starry sky, it marked a different kind of people—the Ancient Solemn Surnames. The scrutiny they faced across the universe was severe. No one knew when it had begun, or when it would end. One reason Lu Yin had come to Earth was to obtain a legal identity.

Earth had a great many people with Ancient Solemn Surnames. The Great Yu Empire had monitored and scrutinized the planet for countless years before finally allowing it to become legal. And what Lu Yin wanted was a legal identity.

"Xia is just as rare a surname in the starry sky," Lu Yin said. Then he leaped into the air and flew back toward the Capital City.

Xia Luo smiled. He, too, was one of those who bore an Ancient Solemn Surname.

Outside Earth, a colossal spaceship hung motionless in space, its brightly lit hull looming over the planet like a giant beast.

The instant Ras was captured, everyone aboard the spaceship erupted into a commotion. Dozens of people crowded into the vast monitoring room, all staring at the screens. The footage showed Ras being defeated, then Lu Yin crushing his shoulder.

Someone roared in fury. "How dare he hurt Young Master Ras! He must be executed!"

"That native is done for. He killed Asta three months ago—the first native to kill a trial student. Then he robbed so many students, including Gulles, and later captured twenty-three trial students. Now he's even hurt Young Master Ras! That native has to be executed, or we won't be able to answer to Lord Sika!" someone shouted.

"What did that native say? There's no sound! Damn it!"

Many people were up in arms.

Of course, some praised Lu Yin's actions. The trial was not just for the students; it was also meant to test the natives. Many of the Great Yu Empire's elites came from native planets, and this was how the Empire found talent. This man was certainly gifted, but by offending Ras, he had also offended Sika. Sika wielded enormous power in the Great Yu Empire, so no matter how exceptional the native was, he was doomed.

Thud, thud, thud.

Footsteps rang out. They were light, yet boomed in everyone's ears, silencing the noisy monitoring room. The crowd parted, respectfully watching as three men approached.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a solemn expression, clad in armor. His gaze was as deep as the sea. His name was Xiken Maldo, a general of the Great Yu Empire and the chief overseer of Earth's trial.

On his right was a pale young man whose steps were unsteady and who radiated a chill. He seemed frail, but was actually Toleona, deputy captain of the Imperial Court Thirteenth Team Ninth Squad.

On Xiken Maldo's left stood a grim-looking man with a frigid gaze and strange markings branded across his face. He was tall and lean, standing a full two meters, and his arms were longer than an ordinary person's. His name was Shaluo Shu, deputy captain of the Imperial Court Twelfth Team—and the one assigned to protect Ras during the trial.

These three were the highest-ranking officials overseeing the trial. All of them were powerful enough to walk through the starry sky.

When the three arrived, everyone stepped aside and stood respectfully along the walls.

The three walked straight to the screens and watched the footage replay.

"Stop." Xiken Maldo spoke in a low voice. The footage froze on Lu Yin using the Heavenly Beast Claw.

Xiken Maldo was surprised. "He used the Heavenly Beast Claw without studying the stone wall. And it wasn't merely an imitation—it looked like a perfect display of the technique. This man is a genius."

Shaluo Shu narrowed his eyes, his gaze icy. "Keep playing."

Soon, the footage stopped again. The final image showed Lu Yin crushing Ras's shoulder.

Shaluo Shu grinned and licked his lips cruelly. "He's ruthless, and bold."

"Have you found out where he came from?" Xiken Maldo asked sharply.

Someone stepped forward and reported respectfully, "Reporting to the general: he isn't on the list of trial students."

"Of course not. He killed Asta at the very beginning, so he couldn't possibly be one of this trial's students. Check the records going back ten years. See if anyone crossed the blockade and entered Earth," Xiken Maldo shouted.

"Reporting to the general: we checked. There's no record even going back thirty years."

Xiken Maldo frowned. "Looks like the Empire's monitoring stations need a full review. He used the Wave Palm and the Void Splitting Palm, so he clearly came from the starry sky. He's young, too. How could the stations have failed to detect him?"

Silence fell around them. Everyone was uneasy; most of them worked at the monitoring stations.

"Record everything about him. Capture him after the trial ends," Shaluo Shu said suddenly, his voice dark.

On the other side, Toleona raised his eyebrows. "Capture him? Why?"

Shaluo Shu's gaze turned cold. "He entered a trial planet without permission. Shouldn't he be captured?"

Toleona scoffed. "Earth is monitored by the Empire, but it's still free. Anyone can enter. If the monitoring stations didn't spot him, that's their incompetence. Would you blame the floor if you tripped while walking?"

Shaluo Shu glared at Toleona. "What are you getting at? Are you trying to stop the Twelfth Team from carrying out its duties?"

"I've never heard that the Twelfth Team can interfere with a trial," Toleona replied disdainfully.

The people around them watched uneasily. Both men were deputy captains in the Imperial Court Thirteenth Team, a powerful organization. When they spoke, no one else dared so much as breathe.

Xiken Maldo waved a hand. "That's enough, Shaluo Shu. I know you were ordered to protect Ras, but a trial is a trial. The results are determined by performance."

Shaluo Shu sneered. "Fine. You're in charge of the trial, so the decision is yours. I can only report this to my team and let the captain decide."

Xiken Maldo's gaze turned colder.

Then came a faint sound of footsteps, just like when Xiken Maldo and the other two had appeared. They were soft, yet boomed in everyone's ears.

Everyone looked toward the passage. Someone emerged—a woman. The first thing that caught their eye was her white hair, which fell all the way to her ankles, setting off her snow-white, jade-like feet.

The woman was strikingly beautiful, with bright eyes whose pupils held a faint red tint. She wore a cool summer outfit, and her skin was crystal clear. A small tuft of hair was tied up at her forehead, lending her a cute air. But what drew the most attention wasn't her appearance or clothing; it was the ring on her hand.

Black edging framed hollow silver, engraved with a flying pair of wings and a sword. Ten black silhouettes surrounded it. This was the authority ring of the Cosmic Youth Council.

The woman was named Mila. She had come from the Cosmic Youth Council to represent it in overseeing the planet's Evolution Trial.

At Mila's arrival, Xiken Maldo and the other two grew solemn, especially Shaluo Shu. Mila's faintly red eyes were fixed on him, and the enormous pressure nearly brought him to his knees.

"I heard someone was trying to interfere with the trial, General Maldo. Is that true?" Mila asked, turning to Xiken Maldo with a faint smile.

Shaluo Shu's heart trembled, and he lowered his head. He was the deputy captain of the Great Yu Empire's Imperial Court Thirteenth Team, a powerful man capable of walking through the starry sky, yet he had bowed his head before a young woman. That was the power of Mila—and of the Cosmic Youth Council.

Xiken Maldo replied solemnly, "Thank you for supervising us, Miss Mila. Nothing of the sort has happened so far."