The four-horned giant wore an impatient look as he hovered in midair. Below him, the members of the Wu Gang Clan all changed expressions.
Xuan Gang was especially furious. As a Star Grade warrior, he could barely keep his aura under control.
"That steward who came last time was him too, right?"
Watching Xuan Gang's angry expression, Wu Sheng hesitated before asking softly.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was the man who had forcibly taken Xuan Gang's three children away.
Sure enough, Xuan Gang only closed his eyes and nodded heavily.
"One day, I'll kill him and avenge you!"
A fierce glint flashed in Wu Sheng's red eyes. Seeing the fat, smug man strutting around, he had already marked him for death.
Even if he was at Cosmic Level!
"No, don't. If one of our Prison Clan members is killed, it means they weren't strong enough. You can't blame anyone else. Don't act rashly over this and put yourself in danger."
Xuan Gang hurried to dissuade Wu Sheng, urging him not to take any risks.
Wu Sheng couldn't understand it. In his view, why should they let the culprit off so easily?
He was weak now, but couldn't he seek revenge once he became stronger?
"Unbelievable. We're still short by so many? There's no choice. Teams three, four, and five, follow the rules and take those who meet the requirements first. For the rest, pick the best of the worst."
After speaking with the Wu Gang Clan chief, the four-horned giant looked extremely displeased.
In the next instant, three teams flew out of the enormous circular spacecraft. Each team was led by several Star Grade powerhouses, while the Planet Grade members who couldn't fly on their own rode telekinetic weapons and followed close behind.
Clearly, the steward was going to forcibly seize people to meet his quota.
Wu Sheng had already signed up. Under Xuan Gang's reluctant gaze, he followed a Planet Grade team member riding a white ring of light and slowly flew toward the spacecraft's hatch.
"Hei Wa!"
Just as Wu Sheng was about to enter the hatch, Xuan Gang couldn't help shouting. Tears streamed from his eyes, and he tried to fly after him, but a Star Grade deputy captain forcibly held him back.
The deputy captain only gave him a cruel smile. If Xuan Gang tried to resist, he would attack without hesitation.
"Wait for me. I'll definitely come back alive!"
Wu Sheng waved at Xuan Gang, telling him not to act rashly, then was taken straight through the hatch.
"Dad! Waaaah!"
"Xiao Man!"
"No, I don't want to go! Mom, save me!"
Since they hadn't gathered enough people, the team members frantically searched among the Wu Gang Clan's Planet Grade members. Some knew they couldn't escape and followed silently, despair on their faces, but most still didn't want to go.
Because going meant certain death.
Some parents couldn't bear to see their children taken and tried to stop the team, only to be forcibly subdued by the Star Grade captains and deputy captains.
Those who resisted too fiercely even clashed with them, and a large patch of ground had already been stained red with blood.
"That's enough. Teach them a lesson, but there's no need to kill anyone."
The four-horned giant frowned and ordered a Ninth Order Star Grade captain to stand down. Then he casually flicked a finger toward the Wu Gang Clan woman who was on the verge of death.
A blue light flew to her side and hovered there, eventually turning into a dazzling crystal.
"As a Prison Clan member, how can you not understand something this simple? Your child may have been chosen, but that also means he's been given an opportunity. Would staying by your side really let him live without worries? It's just a question of dying sooner or later. I can't see any difference beyond that!"
"Remember: only Prison Clan members who aren't afraid to die deserve to live better!"
"Pack it up. We're going to the next place, the Bone Snail Clan."
The four-horned giant shook his head and called his subordinates back. Then he returned to the circular spacecraft and piloted it toward another region.
The hall was more than ten meters wide but less than three meters high. Wu Sheng sat cross-legged inside, meditating with his eyes closed.
The hall was just as packed with Prison Clan members.
The Planet Grade Prison Clan members had been here for two days. At first, a few people in Wu Sheng's hall had cried and complained, but by now everyone had grown numb.
Suddenly, one side of the hall lit up. Dazzling light gathered before the wall, eventually forming the image of the four-horned giant.
"Hello. I'm the steward responsible for taking you to the Trial Ground this time. You can call me Lord Beiming."
The four-horned giant introduced himself with a smile.
Clearly, he was using holographic projection to display his image in every hall aboard the circular spacecraft.
But many of the Planet Grade Prison Clan members who had been forcibly taken here looked at him with resentment.
"I know many of you hate me. You think that by forcibly taking you away, I'm sending you to your deaths. But I have to tell you the truth: several thousand years ago, I went through the same thing you're going through. I was forcibly taken away too."
Hearing this from the four-horned giant, many Prison Clan members were shocked. They had never imagined that this detestable and powerful steward had once been just like them, forced into it against his will.
"Although the Prison Clan is one of the Six Great Peak Races, our overall resources are at the very bottom. We don't even have half as many as a peak race like the Human Race. But we still hold our ground in the Primordial Universe. Why?"
The four-horned giant continued, his voice filled with emotion:
"Because the Prison Clan achieved all this by sacrificing countless members at the bottom. Brutal competition and frenzied slaughter are the price. To avoid wasting resources, we often weed out members with no hope of breaking through in advance, and reserve our limited resources for the talented—those willing to fight and striving to become powerful."
"Repeating this process again and again is what made the Prison Clan as powerful as it is today."
Wu Sheng didn't know what the others thought, but he deeply agreed.
When resources were scarce, this really was the only way. It was the cruelest rule at the bottom, but also one of the great truths of survival and growth.
It was like a vast pride of lions. For the pride's survival, old lion kings, lionesses with injured limbs, and cubs born with disabilities would all eventually be weeded out by the harsh realities of life.
Because food was limited!
Even the Human Race, with its relatively abundant resources, had to budget carefully. At most, it could ensure that most ordinary people lived in peace.
"I'm also very grateful to the steward who forcibly took me to participate in the trial back then. His words completely woke me up, and kept me from giving up on myself when I took part."
"Now, I'm passing those words on to you. I hope you can fight to survive in the upcoming trial. Even if you know you're doomed, hold on until the very end. You never know—a miracle might happen."
"Heh, I'm only saying this as someone who's been through it, to offer you some advice. Miracles aren't that easy to come by!"
"Actually, I wanted to tell you about a few things to keep in mind during this trial. That includes the trial rewards that matter most to you."
Only then did Wu Sheng's eyes light up. He knew those rewards were what mattered most to him.