The Arrival

"Achoo!" Lu Yan'an had just returned to the Lu Family. Sitting in a reclining chair, he basked in the sun and lazily watched a young man diligently practice his fist techniques, nodding from time to time. Although they had not seen each other in five years, Lu Yan'an recognized him at a glance—his younger brother, Lu Jilian! Perhaps the sunlight was especially warm as it gently fell on him; he sneezed in comfort.

Hearing the noise Lu Yan'an had made, the young man, who had been practicing his fists intently nearby, paused mid-movement and quickly turned around. The familiar face of Lu Yan'an came into view!

"Brother?!" Lu Jilian asked in disbelief.

"It's me!" Lu Yan'an confirmed, then stepped forward and pulled his younger brother into a tight embrace. His little brother, once so young and adorable, had grown into a young man.

After exchanging greetings, Lu Jilian eagerly pulled his brother toward the main hall. As they walked, Lu Yan'an took in the familiar sights. The Lu Family residence was still just as he remembered, still filled with memories...

In the study, Lu Zhong and his four sons gathered together.

"So you're saying, An'er, that you've become the strongest person in the world?" Lu Zhong stared at Lu Yan'an in shock. He could hardly believe that his son, who had entered the universe only five years ago, had managed to reach this level so quickly!

"Not necessarily. At least, there's one person I know I wouldn't be able to beat!" Lu Yan'an spread his hands and replied candidly.

"Who?" Lu Kunwu asked curiously.

"Our Feng Kingdom's Human Emperor—Feng Yunruo."

The three men drew in sharp breaths.

In the vast starry expanse of the Solar System, a battleship-shaped, silver-gray spacecraft had drawn close to Earth.

"What a beautiful planet. That deep blue color is captivating!"

Inside the spacecraft's control room.

Captain Aifu, a tall, burly man dressed in a black combat suit, looked delighted as he watched the blue planet displayed in the virtual view ahead. "It's driving me crazy! I love it, yes, I love it! This means money! This means status! Hahahaha!" The other crew members beside him were also howling excitedly. None of them waxed poetic like the captain.

That was right!

This was an unclaimed planet. What could be more wonderful for Universe Adventurers like them?

But for the intelligent beings already living on this planet, the arrival of these uninvited guests was nothing short of a catastrophe!

Above a certain sea on Yuan Planet.

The deep blue water rippled gently as the battleship-shaped spacecraft slowly released a few tiny robots to survey the beautiful planet!

Inside the control room, a group of Universe Adventurers laughed wildly with excitement.

A child's face appeared on the control room screen, and a clear voice rang out. "Based on current estimates, this planet is nearly spherical, with a diameter of approximately 6,400 kilometers. Its surface area is 510 million square kilometers, of which 29.2% is land and 70.8% is water. The gravity at the planet's surface is approximately 0.11 Universal Standard Gravity Units. The atmosphere is composed of approximately 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen..."

The spacecraft's intelligence, Monad, quickly reported the basic information that was easiest to detect.

Captain Aifu's expression turned serious, a hint of madness in his eyes. He turned to the eight crew members beside him, whose excitement was equally palpable. "Everyone, we're close to reaping the rewards of victory. But the closer we get, the more careful we must be! No one is to act without permission until we have complete data. Anyone who disobeys will die!"

He had seen some Universe Adventurer teams stumble upon a native planet, only to be killed by its powerful inhabitants because they let their guard down. They had died just when victory was within reach! Even though he was a Universe Level powerhouse, he did not dare take anything lightly. His cautious nature had saved his life countless times!

Three days later.

The spacecraft's intelligence, Monad, finished collecting information on all of Yuan Planet and began reporting to Captain Aifu:

"This is an extremely backward planet. Its civilization hasn't even developed a network, so collecting information has been rather slow!"

Aifu waved a hand. "Get to the point!"

"Yes! The people on this planet call it 'Yuan Planet.' It has nearly one billion humans. Close to 800 million are at Apprentice Level, nearly 10,000 are at Planetary Level, and there are three at Star Level," Monad said.

The spacecraft fell silent.

Captain Aifu and his crew were stunned. Then a wave of laughter erupted among them, as overwhelming as a landslide. The madness and brutality behind it sent chills down one's spine!

"Three Star Level fighters! Hahahaha! The strong on this planet are so weak. Captain Aifu is a Universe Level powerhouse, after all! Hahahaha!" The crew members were ecstatic.

Aifu was a formal member of the Universe Mercenary Alliance and a seasoned space explorer. There was no way anyone lacking strength could join the expedition team he had assembled. The weakest of the regular crew members aboard were all Star Level! In addition, there were two Planetary Level Nine personnel who served as support staff aboard the spacecraft.

This force was utterly overwhelming to the native powers on Yuan Planet.

"Captain Aifu, there's some detailed information you really ought to see," the spacecraft's intelligence, Monad, reminded him.

"What information?" the captain asked with a smile.

"Three thousand years ago, a peak powerhouse appeared on this planet. His name was Feng Yunruo."

"Oh? How strong was he?"

"Planetary Level Nine!"

Captain Aifu burst out laughing. A peak powerhouse at Planetary Level Nine? That was hilarious.

The crew members laughed along, clearly disdainful.

Just as Captain Aifu was about to give the order to sweep the planet by force, Monad's next words made him freeze.

"He was a Planetary Level Nine who had stepped onto the threshold of the Laws!"

At Monad's words, Captain Aifu's face stiffened instantly. He roared, "Do you know what you're saying? Planetary Level? The Laws? How is that possible?"

The crew members looked at one another, clearly unsure what was going on. One of them cautiously asked, "Captain Aifu, what's the deal with the Laws?"

Only after hearing the crew member's question did Captain Aifu recover from the tremendous shock. He slowly explained:

"The Laws are something that World Lord powerhouses only begin to comprehend. Anyone who comprehends the Laws before reaching the World Lord level is a genius! And only those who comprehend the Laws can become World Lords! So what does it mean that a genius on this native planet comprehended the Laws at Planetary Level? And this happened three thousand years ago!"

"No, we can't just recklessly plunder the planet. Monad, gather more information. Find out what became of that genius!" Captain Aifu said, troubled. Having a juicy morsel right in front of him but being unable to take a bite was incredibly frustrating!

"Yes!" The Intelligent Life Monad promptly replied.

"Kid Lu, you'll have something to do very soon!" In the back courtyard of the Lu residence, Lord Shen suddenly paused, then gave Lu Yan'an, who was enjoying a sunbath, a mischievous grin.

Lu Yan'an clearly had not realized what was happening yet, and looked over at Lord Shen, a little slow to react. But when he saw Lord Shen's signature mischievous grin, he shivered. His experience on the Stairs of Sinking still haunted him. Lord Shen had worn the same grin back then, and Lu Yan'an had paid a terrible "price" for it.

"Has something gone wrong, Lord Shen?" Lu Yan'an asked respectfully. He really couldn't stand Lord Shen's habit of speaking in riddles. But what could he do? He was living under someone else's roof. Alas! All he could do was hope Lord Shen would drop a few hints.

"Something has, and it's a big deal for you! If it isn't handled properly, even your life could be in danger!" Lord Shen said, looking at Lu Yan'an.

"But..." Lord Shen changed tack.

"This will be a trial for you, and even for all of Yuan Planet. If you can pass it, there'll be plenty of benefits!"

"A trial that could put even my life in danger and affect all of Yuan Planet?" Lu Yan'an murmured thoughtfully.

Lord Shen watched Lu Yan'an ponder, then smiled and said:

"Thinking about it now won't do you any good. You'll find out when the time comes. It's not far off, either, so prepare well. The more you can strengthen yourself before danger strikes, the better!"

With that, he turned and left.

Lu Yan'an was left standing alone, still pondering.