At that moment, two black dots flew in from the distance — two more people were arriving, both men, descending rapidly.
Seeing them, Erde grew excited. "Senior Las, I'm here! Senior Las!"Smack! Lu Yin slapped Erde on the head again. "Why are you shouting? Who's coming?"
Erde glared at Lu Yin fiercely and growled, "Your doom is here. Senior Las is a top expert from the Yutang. You're no match for him. Let me go now, and I can plead with him on your behalf."
Lu Yin turned to look at the two newly arrived men, his expression turning serious. Yutang? That was where the real elites of the Grand Yu Empire were trained — essentially an academy, dedicated to grooming the younger generation of top-tier warriors.
Outside the capital, the first man who had arrived still stood on the ground, surveying his surroundings. The two newcomers hovered midair, gazing down at Lu Yin and the others. One of them stepped forward arrogantly, looking down."Erde, you sure brought glory to Yutang. Getting captured by natives? Useless trash."
Erde's face darkened. He clenched his teeth and lowered his head.
The other man waved his hand and looked down calmly. "Who captured Erde? Release him now, and I might spare your life."
"That's the Senior Las you were talking about?" Lu Yin asked.
Erde eagerly replied, "Yes! Senior Las isn't just any Yutang expert. His father is none other than Sika, the Deputy Minister of Finance of the Grand Yu Empire. Minister Sika has gathered countless battle techniques for him. Among his peers in Yutang, Senior Las is practically unbeatable—second only to those in the Fusion Realm."
Lu Yin's eyes lit up. "Deputy Minister of Finance? So his family is rich?"
Erde was stunned — that's not the point!
But Lu Yin stared at Las with burning interest. He was in desperate need of star energy crystals. The students just now had only contributed eight cubic star crystals — far from enough. This Las might be full of surprises. As for the strength Erde mentioned, Lu Yin didn't care much. Compared to Las, the first man who appeared seemed far more dangerous, even though Las felt more approachable.
"That guy's aura changed," Zhang Dingtian suddenly said.
Lu Yin turned and looked at the man still standing on the ground. His expression shifted. That man now felt… ordinary — completely ordinary, like a regular person. The dangerous presence from before had vanished the moment Las and his companion arrived.
High above, Las frowned. "What, you're not planning to release him? Or do you think you can actually defend this place?"
"Senior Las, the fugitive left something in this city," Erde shouted. "If we control this area, he'll definitely return!"
Having been defeated and seeing the arrival of a second wave of trial-takers, Erde had lost all hope of completing the mission. He might as well curry favor with Las — it could earn him a powerful ally.
Las's eyes lit up, a smile tugging at his lips. "Is that so? Seems like I've got good luck — randomly dropping into a valuable place."
At that moment, the man behind Las glanced in another direction. His gaze swept across the starship before he leaned over and whispered something into Las's ear. Las then looked toward the first man who had appeared. "Friend, I'm Las. A pleasure to meet you."
On the ground, the man crouched down, picked up some dirt, and held it to his nose. "The smell of blood."
Up in the air, Las's expression darkened. "Friend, let's get acquainted. I'm Las — son of Sika, Deputy Minister of Finance of the Grand Yu Empire."
The man stood up, looked up at Las, and offered a faint smile. "Xialuo. A nobody — not worthy of the honor."
Las frowned. Xialuo? He had never heard that name before.
Lu Yin said to Zhang Dingtian, "We can't let them talk. Once they reach a consensus, it'll be trouble. I'll go after Las, you keep an eye on Charlotte."
Zhang Dingtian nodded and gripped his long blade tightly.
Erde overheard and looked at Lu Yin like he had seen a ghost. Go after Las? Was he insane? Never mind Las's strength—just his background alone was enough to deter any trial-taker from touching him. This guy was definitely crazy.
Lu Yin glanced at the starry sky—this was only the beginning. He had waited so long, and now he was finally getting close. With that thought, he blasted toward Las with a bang, palm raised, distorting the air, leaving everyone around stunned.
Las was still pondering Charlotte's identity and didn't expect Lu Yin to suddenly attack. He didn't move, but the man behind him stepped forward angrily. "How dare you attack Young Master Las!" he shouted, his hand morphing into a claw. A formless beastly roar echoed through the void. Lu Yin felt as if a giant claw had blotted out the stars. It was similar to Erde's Beast King Fist, but carried an even greater pressure.
Lu Yin didn't let his guard down. He struck out with his palm—Stellar Palm. Two stars revolved and erupted in power. With a loud crash, the two clashed high in the air. The shockwave spread in an arc, and an invisible force crushed the land below. The man was blown back a hundred meters by Lu Yin's palm and spat blood, shocked at Lu Yin's strength.
His power was comparable to Erde's, but Lu Yin had crippled Erde with a full-force Stellar Palm. Two stars were enough to injure him as well.
Las narrowed his eyes. "No wonder you could capture Erde—you've got some skill," he said, raising his right palm. It, too, transformed into a claw, but it was far stronger than the last one. This time, a giant claw shadow truly appeared in the void, as if reaching across the universe to seize Lu Yin.
Lu Yin's eyes shifted. Erde, the man before, and now Las were all using similar battle techniques—each stronger than the last.
On the ground, Charlotte's eyes lit up. "The Utmost Hall's supreme battle technique—Heavenly Beast Claw. A one-hundred-and-eight-style inheritance. This man may only have mastered five styles, but that's enough to crush most Seeker-level cultivators. A powerful technique."
Behind them, Zhang Dingtian's eyes widened. Bai Xue, Glanny, and the others were stunned. They'd never even heard of such a technique. It was terrifying. This was the foundation of the Grand Yu Empire.
Lu Yin's palm swirled with two stars. Then, a third star appeared. He collided with Las's claw. The crowd's eyes went wide. The massive shockwave swept out in all directions. All three stars exploded simultaneously. The combined destructive force shattered the claw's illusion. Las's eyes narrowed, and his figure vanished. Lu Yin activated Wandering Step, and the two of them vanished in midair.
The next instant, they reappeared simultaneously. Lu Yin struck again with his palm. Las was wary—his Heavenly Beast Claw had been broken and couldn't block the blow. He dodged to the side, crushed a Wind Crystal, and summoned a gray whirlwind around his left index finger. He pointed at Lu Yin. This was his strongest technique—Wind of Shadows Finger, a technique Seeker had paid dearly to obtain for him.
Lu Yin sensed danger. That single finger brought an icy chill not of frost, but a bone-deep cold that seemed to freeze even starlight energy. His expression hardened. Stellar Art circulated, and three stars vaguely appeared around his body. The gray whirlwind around Las's finger was continuously weakened as it neared Lu Yin. Las was shocked. How was that possible?
Lu Yin easily dodged the Wind of Shadows Finger and pressed his left palm against Las's abdomen. "Void-Shattering Palm!" A massive force smashed Las into the ground. He hadn't even had time to equip his ring armor.
Nearby, the man accompanying Las roared and lunged at Lu Yin with another claw strike. Lu Yin's eyes flashed. Stellar Art circulated again. As the man's claw neared his body, its speed drastically slowed, allowing Lu Yin to clearly observe every motion of the technique. He dodged with Wandering Step, then raised his right palm, mimicking a claw. To everyone's astonishment, he struck with the exact same claw technique. With a bang, the man's right shoulder was slashed, and his body crashed to the ground.
Erde stared blankly. What had he just witnessed? That man had just used Heavenly Beast Claw—a top-tier technique inherited from the Utmost Hall. Only those who joined the Hall could study it through the stone wall. Yet this man had used it? Impossible!
Not just Erde—everyone was shocked, including Lu Yin himself.
After defeating Erde and capturing numerous students, Lu Yin had endured countless attacks. Though protected by Grace's armor, his body was still injured. During his recovery using Stellar Art, he had unintentionally discovered another function of the technique: not only could it accelerate star energy absorption, it could also form a mysterious defensive field that weakened incoming attacks.
Originally, he thought that was the pinnacle of the technique. But now, he realized he still didn't understand it. Stellar Art didn't just defend—it could present enemy techniques perfectly before him. If he desired, he could learn them instantly. Even he hadn't expected this.
Lu Yin clenched his fists, eyes gleaming with excitement. Stellar Art—he had known from the start it was extraordinary. But now, he realized he had underestimated it. It wasn't just heaven-defying—it shouldn't even exist. It was a technique that mimicked the workings of the universe—an incomprehensibly powerful art.
On the ground, Charlotte's eyes glinted with surprise before curving into a smile. "Interesting."