Not far away, Ras's mouth was stained with blood as he struggled to rise in disbelief. The Sky-Splitting Palm had struck him without any defense, and at such close range, it had inflicted severe injuries. But this wound was nothing compared to the shock Lu Yin had dealt him. How could this person possibly know the Heavenly Beast Claw?
"Who exactly are you?" Ras shouted loudly.
Lu Yin descended and took a step forward, standing right in front of Ras. "The one who's here to capture you," he said, pressing his palm firmly on Ras's shoulder. With a crack, Ras screamed in pain as his shoulder was crushed. "Sorry, but if I don't do this, you'll resist too easily." Saying that, Lu Yin threw Ras toward Jing City.
Another man shouted fiercely, "You're dead! He is Young Master Ras, the son of Lord Sika! Lord Sika will never let you go, neither will the Imperial Guard's Twelfth Squad, nor the Great Universe Empire!"
Lu Yin frowned. "Noisy." He crushed that man's shoulder in the same way and hurled him toward Jing City as well.
After dealing with the two, Lu Yin turned to look at Charlot, who was staring back at him.
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in you," Charlot said with a gentle smile, calmly looking at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin nodded. "Thanks."
Charlot smiled faintly. "I'm Charlot. Nice to meet you."
"Lu Yin."
"Lu Yin? Lu?" Charlot was surprised. "That surname is rare in the starry expanse."
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. That's right—in Earth, the surname Lu was common, but in the starry expanse, it represented a different group of people: the Ancient Clan surnames. This was a collective term for their kind. The universe had long imposed strict surveillance on those with Ancient Clan surnames. No one knew when it started or when it would end. One reason Lu Yin came to Earth was to obtain legal status.
Earth was home to many people with Ancient Clan surnames. This planet had been monitored and scrutinized by the Great Universe Empire for countless years before finally gaining legal recognition. What Lu Yin wanted was that legal identity.
"The surname Xia is also rare in the starry expanse," Lu Yin said. Then he leapt up and flew back toward Jing City.
A smile lingered on Charlot's lips. He himself was also one of the Ancient Clan.
Outside Earth, a massive spaceship hovered silently in space like a giant beast overlooking the planet, its lights shining bright.
At the moment Ras was captured, everyone inside the spaceship was thrown into an uproar. In the enormous monitoring room, dozens of people gathered around a large screen, all watching the footage of Ras's defeat and Lu Yin crushing Ras's shoulder.
Someone roared angrily, "How dare he harm Young Master Ras? Death penalty—he must be executed!"
"That native is doomed. Three months ago, he killed Asta. He was the first native to kill a trial student. Not long ago, he robbed many students, even Greis was taken. Then he captured twenty-three trial students. And now he dares to injure Young Master Ras? This native must be executed, or we can't answer to Lord Sika," someone shouted.
"What did that native say? I can't hear. Damn it!"
The crowd became agitated.
Of course, a few people praised Lu Yin's actions. The trials were not only against students but also included native challengers. Many elite imperial talents came from native planets. This was how the empire discovered talent. This person was definitely talented. Unfortunately, offending Ras meant offending Lord Sika. Lord Sika held immense power in the Great Universe Empire. No matter how talented this native was, he was doomed.
Knock knock knock.
Footsteps sounded softly but echoed loudly in everyone's ears, silencing the noisy monitoring room. Everyone stepped aside respectfully as three men approached.
Leading them was a middle-aged man with a solemn face, clad in battle armor, his eyes deep as the sea. His name was Siken Maldo, a general of the Great Universe Empire and the chief overseer of the Earth trials.
To his right was a pale-faced young man whose footsteps seemed light and whose body exuded a chill. Though appearing fragile, he was Toreona, deputy captain of the Imperial Guard's Thirteenth Squad Ninth Team.
To Siken Maldo's left stood a tall, grim-faced man with icy eyes and strange markings on his face. His body was slender and over two meters tall, with arms longer than an ordinary person's. His name was Shaluo Shu, deputy captain of the Twelfth Squad of the Imperial Guard and the protector assigned to Ras during the trials.
These three were the highest authorities of the trial, all powerful enough to traverse the starry expanse.
Upon their arrival, everyone stepped back respectfully and stood aside.
The three walked directly to the screen and watched the replay of the scene.
"Stop," Siken Maldo barked sharply, and the footage froze on the scene where Lu Yin was unleashing the Heavenly Beast Claw.
Siken Maldo was surprised. "He didn't watch the Stone Wall but can still perform the Heavenly Beast Claw—not just imitate, but a perfect execution. This person is a prodigy."
Shaluo Shu narrowed his eyes, his gaze cold and sharp. "Continue playing."
Soon the footage stopped again, this time showing Lu Yin crushing Ras's shoulder.
Shaluo Shu grinned cruelly, licking his lips. "Ruthless, and bold enough."
"Have you confirmed where this person is from?" Siken Maldo asked in a low voice.
Someone stepped forward and reported respectfully, "General, this person is not on the list of trial students."
"Of course not. If he could kill Asta immediately, he definitely isn't one of the current trial students. Push the search back ten years—see if anyone has crossed the blockade line to enter Earth," Siken Maldo ordered loudly.
"Report, General. We checked. Even going back thirty years, there is no record," came the reply.
Siken Maldo frowned. "Looks like the Empire's monitoring stations need a complete overhaul. This person used Wave Palm and Sky-Splitting Palm—clearly from the starry expanse, and quite young. Yet no trace was found."
Silence fell all around; everyone present was nervous—most were from the monitoring stations.
"Record everything about this person. After the trials end, capture him," Shaluo Shu said suddenly, his voice dark.
On the other side, Toreona raised an eyebrow. "Capture? Why?"
Shaluo Shu's gaze grew colder. "He entered the trial planet without authorization. Shouldn't he be captured?"
Toreona sneered. "Although Earth is monitored by the Empire, it is still free. Anyone can enter. If you didn't find him, then the monitoring station is incompetent. Are you going to blame the floor if you trip while walking?"
Shaluo Shu stared at Toreona. "What do you mean? Are you trying to stop the Twelfth Squad from carrying out their mission?"
"I've never heard the Twelfth Squad can interfere with the trials," Toreona said disdainfully.
People around anxiously watched this scene. Both belonged to the Imperial Guard's Thirteenth Squad, and both were deputy captains. When they spoke, no one dared even to breathe loudly.
Siken Maldo waved his hand. "Enough. Shaluo Shu, I know you were ordered to protect Ras, but the trial is the trial. The results speak for themselves."
Shaluo Shu sneered coldly. "Fine, you are the chief overseer of the trials and have the final say. I can only report this to my squad, leaving the decision to the captain."
Siken Maldo's eyes darkened, becoming colder.
At that moment, faint footsteps sounded—just like when Siken Maldo and the others arrived. The footsteps were soft but echoed sharply in everyone's ears.
All eyes turned toward the corridor, where a figure appeared—a woman. The first thing that caught attention was her long white hair flowing down to her ankles, complementing her snow-white feet.
Her appearance was pure, with bright eyes whose pupils faintly glowed red. She wore cool summer clothing, her skin crystal-clear, and a small tuft of hair tied up on her forehead made her look cute. But what was most striking was the ring on her hand.
The ring was hollow silver edged with black, carved inside with flying wings and a sword, surrounded by ten black shadows—this was the Power Ring of the Universe Youth Council.
The woman's name was Mira. She came from the Universe Youth Council, representing the council to supervise the planetary evolution trials.
Seeing Mira's arrival, the three men's faces turned grave, especially Shaluo Shu, because Mira's faintly glowing red pupils were fixed on him, and the immense pressure almost made him kneel.
"I heard someone tried to interfere with the trials. General Maldo, is that true?" Mira's gaze shifted to Siken Maldo as she asked with a faint smile.
Shaluo Shu's heart trembled, and he lowered his head. As the deputy captain of the Great Universe Empire Imperial Guard's Thirteenth Squad and a star-walking powerhouse, to bow before a young woman like this showed Mira's power—and the power of the Universe Youth Council.
Siken Maldo said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your supervision, Miss Mira. So far, there is no such incident."