Star Odyssey

The boss immediately had someone go buy one for Lu Yin. This list was available everywhere in the Shenwu Empire and was not expensive at all.

Lu Yin left a piece of martial crystal as a tip and left the hotel afterwards.

There were other ways for the trialtakers to obtain results in the Shenwu Continent trial apart from completing the two permanent missions. Leaving one’s name on the List of Tempering could improve one’s results by quite a bit since this was the most prestigious list on the Shenwu Continent for those below the Martial Emperor realm, which meant that it was a list for those who were not at the Explorer realm yet. 

For this Outerverse trial, there were quite a few who were participating. There were definitely more than a few cultivators who had likely set their sights on getting their name on the list, so Lu Yin’s goal was to find those from the Daynight clan and cause them to fail. In that way, they would be wasting their time with the Outerverse Youth Council and their attention would be split.

The top name on the List of Tempering was… hidden?

Lu Yin was shocked, as the top name of a ranking list was seldom hidden. The second name on this list was Li Zimo, and it was also noted that he was a commander of the Ming Vanguard, which was the division of the Ming Constables that slaughtered the outsiders. The fact that this person could become the commander of that division indicated that he was very strong and that he should be able to match up to the Astral Combat Academy’s student leaders. With Lu Yin’s current power, he reckoned that he should be able to reach the top eight on the list fairly easily, as there was someone among King Mu's followers who ranked eighth. That was the expert that he had been cautious of. What was his name again? Tang Si?

The third on the List of Tempering was Dai Zong, and the notes stated that he was the commander of the Demon Hunters Society.

Lu Yin laughed, as it seemed that this List of Tempering was less of a way for Crown Prince Ming Hao to gather powerhouses, and more of a means to showcase the Shenwu Empire’s power. The top name definitely belonged to someone from the empire, and the next three were clearly official powerhouses of the empire as well. Just this list’s existence was a huge mental blow to the surviving members of the clans that had been nearly exterminated a thousand years ago.

Lu Yin headed west after leaving Taicang city. He wanted to go to Ming Island, which was the Shenwu Empire’s central zone. All the trialtakers would eventually congregate there.

Lu Yin quickly moved around on his own, while King Mu's entourage was much slower. The caravan would remain in each city that it passed through for two days, and with such delays, Lu Yin easily caught up to their convoy in Bo City.

The troops cleared the way as many experts oversaw the convoy. There were both overt and covert forms of protection, as well as Ming Zhaoshu’s Explorer level strength that would sweep out occasionally to intimidate any seeking to cause trouble.

Lu Yin set down his wine glass and watched the convoy move past. Incidentally, he spotted Ming Yan through a gauze curtain; her breathtaking face could not be hidden.

The procession quickly passed by. The next city was Shanhai City, which was the capital of Qiong Island. The Reverent King's palace was within Shanhai City. 

Lu Yin set down a martial crystal as payment and booked a room to rest in for the night. The next day, he would head towards Shanhai City as well.

At night, the Shenwu Continent’s skies were pitch black with only the five sealing planets offering any light in the sky. They looked just like giant pearls hanging above the continent as they emitted a faint radiance.

As he looked at the heavens, Lu Yin suddenly thought back to his days on Earth when he had led a peaceful life before the trial had started.

At this same time, on the other side of Bo City, Ming Yan suddenly woke up from a dream. She had a flustered expression and blushing cheeks. She had once again dreamed of that day when the two had met in the bath. It was so shameful! She looked up at the skies. Her gaze was naturally bright and unstained without a trace of impurity. She was intoxicatingly beautiful.

She stared at the night sky and then stared some more until her gaze dimmed. Perhaps they would never meet again!

He was a stranger whose name she did not even know, but he had barged into her heart in an unforgettable accident. It was impossible for the average girl to forget such a thing, but it was even more so for Ming Yan. In her entire life, that man was the only one who had gotten so close to her, and it had given her an indescribable shock. It was disgraceful, yet also novel, and she silently complained to herself.

Ming Zhaoshu also had a headache since his daughter Ming Yan was covering for Lu Yin. He could understand her kindheartedness, but she was young and did not know the repercussions that this event would cause for her future. This concerned her entire life, and this matter could very possibly cause her to suffer heavily.

Ming Zhaoshu had a cold glint in his eyes as he looked at the sky. If not for Ming Hao’s subordinates intentionally leaking news of the matter, the rumors definitely would not have spread as far as they had.

Under the pure dark night, many were looking at the skies. Suddenly, signs of a crack that connected the heavens and the earth appeared before multiple figures spilled out, shocking Ming Zhaoshu. Foreigners?

At the city gates of Bo City, the heavenly globe rippled, causing signs of rejection to emerge on the bodies of those who had emerged from the spatial crack. Their bodies shone with a radiance that made them light up like a light bulb.

Countless cries rang out. “Aliens! Seal the city! Leave none alive!”

“Kill the aliens!”

…

Regardless of if they were officials of the empire or wandering cultivators who were unbound, aliens were an enemy to everyone from the Shenwu Continent.

Lu Yin was shocked. This group was just too unlucky as they had directly landed within a city. Their entry must have been somehow influenced by the experts of the Shenwu Continent, much like Lu Yin’s own entry, and had thus appeared in the city.

Boom! 

A loud explosion resounded through Bo City as a fierce battle erupted. Those who had joined the Outerverse trial were all extraordinary people; the weakest of these new arrivals was at the Limiteer realm, and one of them was even an Explorer.

Ming Zhaoshu was forced to act, seeing as he was the only Explorer in Bo City.

High up in the sky, Ming Zhaoshu initiated an intense battle with the alien Explorer. Below them, many other similar fights broke out as well. The entire city was roused to deal with the intruders, and since their bodies had been marked with the rejection of martial power, the trialtakers had nowhere to hide.

In the blink of an eye, two were killed. One of them died no more than a kilometer away from Lu Yin.

Suddenly, the heavenly globe on the city gate exploded. Lu Yin was shocked, as someone had actually managed to hide from the detection of the heavenly globe. He retrieved the Giant Emperor’s third eye and looked towards the city gate. He indistinctly saw a familiar figure sweeping past the gate and rushing away from Bo City. Was that Han Chong?

The heavenly globe had been destroyed, and the remaining trialtakers immediately hid themselves. Only the Explorer was blocked by Ming Zhaoshu and left unable to escape.

Bang! 

A rumble shook the skies as a strong gale swept through the earth, crushing many houses. The soldiers took out their shields to withstand the blast.

“You natives clearly are seeking death by daring to obstruct me,” a loud voice shouted as a strange force pressed downwards.

Ming Zhaoshu was furious. “All foreigners must die!”

Lu Yin stood beside the window and gazed upwards. The Explorer had used a battle technique that Lu Yin had never seen before, and it was not a familiar energy either. Ming Zhaoshu did not use any battle techniques. Instead, he thrust forward with palm after palm as he brutishly used martial power to reinforce his battle prowess in an unsophisticated manner. Even the Explorer’s battle techniques could only barely fend off Ming Zhaoshu’s rush of attacks.

“How is this possible? Your palm technique is so simple! Why can’t this space be torn apart?” The Explorer was stunned.

Ming Zhaoshu snorted, “It looks like you don’t understand the Shenwu Continent at all. You’re all brawn and no brain.

“Time to die.”

“You’re just a native!” the Explorer bellowed fiercely while forcing out his full strength.

Bang! 

A shockwave pulsed out from the epicenter of their battle, destroying over a hundred soldiers’ shields. A giant fissure was torn open in the ground as the shockwave continued to sweep out over for thousands of meters, crushing countless buildings in its path.

At this same time, on the five sealing planets high in the sky, a beam of light flashed out. In that instant, the Explorer stopped moving as his body was split into twain before his fresh blood splattered onto the ground.

It was a shocking scene where a strike from the stars wiped out an Explorer.

Lu Yin raised his head to look at where the five planets lay. The Shenwu Continent had gathered almost all its experts on those five spheres to defend against external forces. That strike just now had been from someone the equivalent of a Cruiser or even a Hunter. It was just too terrifying! This trial was unimaginably dreadful; countless dangers could appear from above at any time, and even Explorers could be wiped out without any resistance.

Ming Zhaoshu raised his head and snorted once before descending.

Lu Yin closed his window and inhaled deeply. He lay on his bed and secretly reminded himself to maintain a low profile and not be exposed.

The matter that had taken place this night was just an interlude to the people of the Shenwu Continent and something that happened often.

The next day, the city’s troops expertly sealed off the battlefield and rescued the injured. It was all methodically handled, and the city master even personally thanked Ming Zhaoshu before sending them off from the city’s gates.

Lu Yin left several hours later. After the previous night’s battle, the city guards had become much more stringent. Fortunately, Lu Yin’s stolen ID still allowed him to easily pass through the security check.

Was it Han Chong who had destroyed the heavenly globe last night? Lu Yin suspected that it was him as the silhouette was too familiar. The top four of the Astral Combat Academy were all participating in this trial, so Starsibyl and Grandini Mavis should be here somewhere as well. Lu Yin did not know if they would meet on Ming Island, but he was looking forward to it.

Shanhai City was Qiong Island’s largest city, and it had an immense moat and hundreds of thousands of troops stationed within it. There were countless experts, and it was rumored that more than ten experts from the List of Tempering resided in this city. The list consisted of 200 names, so for Shanhai City to house ten of them was fairly decent.

Lu Yin had only been in the city for a short while when he heard that King Mu's entourage was recruiting experts to protect the caravan of tribute carts for their journey to the capital, Mingdu. He immediately made his decision and rushed towards the convoy.

The convoy was resting in the central region of Shanhai City, and it had taken residence in not just a singular mansion, but rather a large property with a scenic landscape. The river around King Mu's property was not much narrower than the moat encircling the city. It occupied a large area, and it was rumored that the average person could not walk its circumference in a single day.

Shenwu Emperor Ming Zhaotian was celebrating his birthday, so King Mu naturally had to attend and offer his congratulations. Hence, the king had to enlist experts for protection as well as coachmen to drive the carts.

Lu Yin applied for the coachman position, as the requirements were not too high and the examination was not very strict either. It would be troublesome if he joined as an protecting expert and then had to meet Ming Zhaoshu.

“Kid, do you even know how to feed horses? If you don’t, then get lost and don’t waste my time,” a man shouted at Lu Yin. This person was the head coachman of King Mu’s household. He was called Butler Seven. The responsibility of selecting coachmen had fallen onto him.

Lu Yin lowered his brows and looked at the horse before him. He really did not know how to feed them, but he saw that Butler Seven was quickly growing more unhappy. He immediately shook his hand and dropped something on the ground with a soft thump.

“Butler Seven, are these five-fortune coins yours?” Lu Yin pointed at the ground in astonishment.

These coins were the common currency used in the Shenwu Empire.

Butler Seven greedily looked at the five-fortune coins and picked them up. He smiled. “They’re mine, they’re mine. Luckily, you saw them. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome if I lost them, haha!”

Lu Yin smiled apologetically. “It’s Little Seven’s honor to be able to serve with Butler Seven.”

Butler Seven was stunned. “You’re called Little Seven?”

“Yes, I’m Lu Seven, but many call me Little Seven.”

Butler Seven sized him up and down, and then marvelled, “Not bad, I guess it’s fate. Alright, you don’t have to feed the horses, but do you at least know how to drive a cart?”

“Yes, yes, yes, I’m the best at it,” Lu Yin immediately replied. Driving was too easy; he just had to whip the animal if it wasn’t being obedient, and he could even use martial power to forcefully control it as a last resort. Driving was definitely easier than feeding the horses.

Bribing his way into gaining work as a driver in exchange for a stack of five-fortune coins was something that Lu Yin felt was beneath him. Still, it was a good thing that he had managed to infiltrate Prince Mu’s caravan. All he needed to do now was to follow the caravan to Mingdu. 

However, a driver had an extremely challenging profession, or at least, that was how Lu Yin saw it.