Star Odyssey

The Sea King lifted his head high as he asked Lu Yin, “Did you know that you are ranked last out of the four?”

This was something that Lu Yin did not know. Big Pao and the others were probably afraid that Lu Yin would decline Mu Rong’s challenge, which was why they had not told him.  

“How can my son-in-law be ranked last? If anything, he should be first. That being said, I want you to go ahead and fight. Losing is not an option,” Sea King spoke pridefully. 

Lu Yin was taken aback. “Are you not afraid that I’ll lose?”

The Sea King stared at Lu Yin. “Just challenge him again if you lose. I’ll force Mu Rong to stay here at the Sea King's Dome and will even make sure that he does not break through. I will see to it that you obtain victory before he leaves.”

Lu Yin was speechless. What this man was proposing was completely unreasonable!

The Ghost Monkey exclaimed, “It’s no wonder why those old guys warned us not to provoke the Starfall Sea’s master. This old man is really a rascal!”

The corner of the Sea King’s mouth rose up, and he clasped his hands as he said, “Kid, let me teach you something today. The universe is too big, so nobody cares how things happened anymore—all they care about are the results. Even if you decide to cheat to beat Mu Rong, the only thing the public will remember is that Mu Rong was defeated by you. That’s all there is to it. This is the victor’s prestige. 

“You even have me backing you up, so even if you do cheat to win, no one will dare to say anything. On the other hand, if you didn’t have me here you decided to cheat, then all the people backing him would drag you out and punish you. They would then ruin your public opinion. This is how power works.” 

The Sea King’s gaze turned stern, and he raised both hands and balled them into fists. “Power and truth lies in the hands of a select few. Those select few people control public opinion and can even change the course of history. That is real power.” 

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. This brief monologue revealed the Sea King’s core principles, as well as the truth about power. Even though it sounded like a scandalous action to take, this was the way the universe operated. History was written by the victors, and no one cared nor even dared to question how the victors had fought their way to the top. 

“However, after having said all of that, cheating is not ethical, so I won’t allow it. If you want to win, you’ll have to depend on yourself.” The Sea King suddenly changed his tone when he made this remark. He then looked at Lu Yin and continued on, saying, “In two days, I will send you to Halfwillow Lakeside. I hope that you won’t disappoint me.” 

Lu Yin knitted his brows. “I did not agree to battle him.”

Sea King was unhappy with such a reply. “I wasn’t asking you. I am telling you that you will fight him in two days.”

When he saw the reluctant look in Lu Yin’s eye, he burst out laughing. “If you become stronger than me one day, I’ll have no qualms if you treat me the same way I’m currently treating you! Hahahaha.” Just as the Sea King was about to leave, something seemed to suddenly cross his mind. His face turned solemn, and he looked at Lu Yin with a face that seemed full of maliciousness. “Kid, did you enjoy spending the money?” 

Lu Yin’s heart skipped a beat, and he acted confused. “Money? What money?”

Sea King snorted. “You spent thirty-five thousand of my star essence. As a Limiteer, that’s very extravagant of you.”

Lu Yin’s eyes went wide. “Senior, I only spent fifteen thousand star essence. Where is the other twenty thousand you mentioned?” 

“Is the young lady from the Mavis family not a member of your party?”

“Yes, she is in my party, but how can I be accountable for her expenditures?”

“All of you came to the Sea King's Dome to avoid being captured. Those in your party regard you as their leader. As such, who else would I hold accountable for their actions? Here’s the bottom line. Lu Yin, we can have civil negotiations after you win this battle. However, if you lose, you will have let me down. If that happens, you’d better come up with a way to settle this debt.” As soon as he was done speaking, the Sea King left. 

Lu Yin remained frozen in place as he felt like he was about to break down in tears. He had no way to reason with this powerful rascal. Lu Yin’s previous worries had just come to fruition; the old rascal was really going to hold Lu Yin accountable for Lulu’s debt. 

“Seventh Bro, your father-in-law’s a real character, and that Hai Qiqi is even worse! I foresee some exciting days ahead of you in the future.” The monkey laughed mockingly. 

It was not that Lu Yin did not want to fight, but rather that he wanted to have some practical assurance before committing to a battle. He hated forcing his way through the battle. Even though Lu Yin had a strong body, Mu Rong’s style of fighting did not depend on brute force. Under such circumstances, if Lu Yin did not have a good strategy to counter Mu Rong’s methods, he would not be able to win even if he did not lose. There would be no point in fighting under such circumstances. 

However, the Sea King’s insistence that Lu Yin fight left him with no choice. 

As for the other main character in this battle, Mu Rong did not wish for this battle either. He had no interest in the rankings nor in doing battle with Lu Yin. Alas, he was left with no choice since he had been told that he could not leave the Sea King’s Dome unless he fought with Lu Yin. This information also made him label the Sea King as a rascal.  

After news was released that the fight had been confirmed by the Sea King's Dome, a countless number of people in the Sea King's Dome flocked to Halfwillow Lakeside. Although the majority felt that Lu Yin was destined to lose in an even worse manner than Ling Que, Lu Yin was still the strongest of the four unparalleled Limiteers in terms of physical strength. This reputation alone was enough to entice countless people to watch the battle. 

One day later, Halfwillow Lakeside, which was situated half-way up the mountain, was already packed full of people. Many peddlers had even set up shop there.

Michelle and the others had also arrived. 

Halfwillow Lakeside was a humongous area that was much larger than the place where Mu Rong and Ling Que had fought. After experiencing the previous battle, many people had learned the hard way that it was best to keep their distance from the battlefield. Of course, there were also quite a number who did not care to keep their distance since they felt that Lu Yin’s limited abilities meant that he would not be able to cause too much damage. They felt that Mu Rong could achieve an easy victory. 

“Lu Yin’s just asking to be humiliated. I wonder if the Sea King will still recognize Lu Yin’s status as his son-in-law after he loses,” someone commented.  

“He’ll probably disown him. The Sea King has been unequaled for his entire life, so he probably doesn’t want any blemishes in his reputation.” 

“Actually, given Lu Yin’s capabilities, he is a good match for the princess. It’s just a pity that his light is being overshadowed by Mu Rong.” 

This sentence triggered Big Pao, who shoved the person who had just spoken. “Brother, let me give you a lightbulb.” 

“What for?” The person was bewildered.

Big Pao responded, “You’re very dim when compared to me, so you can use it to illuminate yourself.” 

That person was stunned for a moment; the insult had rendered him speechless. He then snatched the lightbulb and tossed it away before angrily walking to the other side. 

Coco looked at Big Pao rather adoringly. “I never noticed that Senior had such sharp remarks.” 

Lulu nodded her head, she shot a glance at Little Pao. “Even though they are brothers, they are quite different. Senior Little Pao is more serious and reliable.” 

When Little Pao heard this, he stood up, walked over to Big Pao, and said, “Let me give you a lightbulb.” 

“Scram!” Big Pao said, not knowing what else to say. 

On the other side of Halfwillow Lakeside, Northgate Lie arrived. Since he had started training under Northgate Taisui, his confidence and ambition had soared dramatically. His initial plan had been to challenge Qin Chen and enter the top ninety before planning his next move. However, the battles he had witnessed at the Sea King's Dome had toppled the very foundation of his previous understanding. Even the Limiteers in this place had a battle strength comparable to the top eighty. He did not even dare to show his face after seeing such things.  

“Hey, that’s Northgate Lie! He’s ranked ninety third in the Top 100 Rankings,” someone exclaimed in the distance. Northgate Lie had instantly become the focus of many people’s attention.  

“No, he’s ranked ninety fourth now. Che Han defeated Qin Chen, so the new rankings will have him lowered by one.” 

“It won’t just stop at ninety fourth place. Given Mu Rong, Ling Que, and Lu Yin’s capabilities, he’ll drop to ninety seventh as soon as he faces the more powerful people in the Top 100.”

“If there are even two more individuals who’ve concealed their abilities like Che Han, he’ll drop right off the Top 100 Rankings.”

…

Northgate Lie was enraged when he overheard these discussions. He had not fallen off the leaderboard yet, but these scumbags were already making snide remarks about him! However, he did not lower himself to argue with them, and instead walked to another place and continued watching. Someone walked over towards him; it was Qin Chen. Even though he had maintained a much lower profile than Northgate Lie with a covered face, Northgate Lie still recognized him. 

“Qin Chen, I challenge you to battle,” Northgate Lie solemnly proposed. 

Qin Chen rejected the challenge right away and left. 

Northgate Lie chased after him. He was concerned about falling off the Top 100 Rankings, and so he had decided that raising his rank and joining the top ninety quicker would be a good plan.

Most of the various experts who had taken part in the Sea King’s selection had also arrived to watch the coming battle. Amongst them was Xun Jiong, whose hatred towards Lu Yin had now surpassed even Nightqueen Yanqing’s. When news of this battle spread, Xun Jiong had even sought out Mu Rong, intending to give him a weapon of the Xun family. It was the same weapon that the short Explorer had used to attack Lu Yin, and since Xun Jiong had had no chance to use it himself, he wanted to give it to Mu Rong so that he could deliver a crushing defeat to Lu Yin.  

However, Mu Rong had rejected Xun Jiong without even saying a single word in response. This made Xun Jiong despise Mu Rong as well. However, he was still rooting for Mu Rong to decisively defeat Lu Yin.  

Multiple grand occasions had been held at the Sea King's Dome in quick succession. This caused many people in the Sea King's Dome to become incredibly excited, and they felt as though they were celebrating a festival. 

At this moment, Lu Yin appeared with a dignified expression on his face. There was already a video of Mu Rong’s battle against Ling Que on the network, but it was not a video that could be accessed by ordinary folk. Lu Yin was only able to view it because of his Honor Points.  

Mu Rong’s skills, counter attacks, adroit usage of his domain, and his finishing moves were all astonishing. Ling Que’s innate gift, his Soulsplitting Technique, and his defensive strategies were all astonishing as well. They had been equally matched, and it was hard to tell who would win from watching the video.  

What caught Lu Yin’s attention the most was Mu Rong’s finishing move, which was when he had played the song of the farmer boy. Whether it was a spiritual attack or a physical attack, Ling Que had been unable to utilize his three blades that had merged as one as soon as he heard that song. This was something that could only be experienced in person and could not be replicated by a video. 

Lu Yin’s gaze twinkled; if the farmer boy’s song was really that strong, then it was likely a spiritual attack that could directly damage one’s spiritual force. If that was the case, then it might not necessarily be effective against Lu Yin. Considering how well versed he was with the Stonewall Scriptures after reciting it for so long, he had developed a strong resistance when it came to spiritual force attacks. 

The battle was still one day away, so Lu Yin used his Honor Points to search the network for videos on how to counter unique innate gifts. He wanted to view as many as possible. 

One day later, at the middle section of the mountain that was the Sea King's Dome, Halfwillow Lakeside was completely packed with people. There were even some who could not see what was going on since the Sea King's Dome was not broadcasting this battle on any screens as it was just a battle between two members of the younger generation, not some grand affair hosted by the Sea King's Dome itself. 

Despite that, everyone of significance was present, and even the Faceless Man had hidden himself among the crowd. Likewise, Lan Yu and Zhang Dingtian were also present. 

Zhang Dingtian, unsurprisingly, was very excited to watch this battle. He was curious to see how powerful Lu Yin had become. After having battled against Mu Rong, Zhang Dingtian understood very well how powerful the unequalled Limiteer was. The only question he had now was how well Lu Yin would perform.  

Ling Que hid in the corner, watching Mu Rong with a sullen expression. He wanted another chance to battle him, and to have a chance to defend against the farmer boy’s song.

When a ray of sunshine hit the lake, a gleaming reflection bounced off the lakeside. On the west side of the lake, Mu Rong appeared. His face was calm, and he appeared to be completely unconcerned about the upcoming battle.  

On the east side of the lake, the void split open as Lu Yin walked out. 

Everyone was astonished at the manner Lu Yin chose to appear in. Halfwillow Lakeside was also a place where space had been suppressed and where battles were allowed. Tearing the void apart in such an area was something only a powerful individual with a power level of over 100,000 could accomplish. It was clear that Lu Yin himself was not capable of such a feat, so the only possible explanation was that the Sea King had transported him here. Apart from the Sea King, there was no one else who would dare damage the void in this place, even if one was an Enlighter. 

In other words, it meant that the Sea King had allowed and even supported Lu Yin’s decision to do battle.