In the boundless darkness, the only thing that existed was this corridor. Under Lu Yin's feet was the floor of the corridor itself. If he took a step back, he would be swallowed by the endless darkness.
Frowning deeply, Lu Yin lifted his foot and walked forward. At the entrance of the corridor lay a stone slab, seamlessly fused with the entire corridor. Rows of names were engraved on the slab, and most of them ended with the characters "Bai Ye"—a surname representing a certain lineage. Recalling what Charlotte had said about powerful clans in the universe, Lu Yin understood that this stone slab must be a token of inheritance from the so-called Bai Ye clan.
At the top of the stone slab, a name was engraved—Zhenwu Night King.
The moment he saw the name, Lu Yin's gaze seemed to pierce the endless void, catching sight of a domineering man standing tall among the stars. But it only lasted for an instant before Lu Yin snapped back to clarity, eyes trembling with awe. Just a name had nearly drawn him into a trance. Zhenwu—Night King. Night King, Bai Ye… Who exactly was this person?
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Lu Yin shifted his gaze inward along the corridor. He lifted his foot and stepped forward again, formally entering the corridor.
At the same time, in the depths of the universe, atop an ancient continent, a towering stone monument pierced the heavens, its height immeasurable. It radiated a terrifying pressure that made the stars tremble.
Around the middle of the monument, two glowing stones slowly revolved.
At the base stood several figures, their bodies covered in dust, making them appear like statues unless examined closely.
Just as Lu Yin stepped into the corridor, a blurry image of him appeared at the base of the monument—too vague to make out any features.
"Another clansman has entered. I wonder how far he'll get."
"Clansmen these days are getting worse—less and less talent."
"Doesn't matter. No matter how lacking in talent, as long as they're of the Bai Ye clan, they can still crush countless so-called geniuses."
"Speaking of which, why hasn't the stolen ancient stone been recovered yet? The efficiency is appalling."
"No rush. No one in the universe dares covet the Bai Ye clan's inheritance stone. It'll be returned soon. But the clansman who stole it must be severely punished."
"That clansman had a unique talent. A shame they must be killed."
"Doesn't matter. This generation produced that child. With him, no one else matters—he is the true hope of our Bai Ye clan."
As they spoke, their eyes involuntarily lifted, peering toward the top of the monument. There, a lifelike image of a figure shimmered with radiant light, vivid as if real, standing at the summit and gazing down upon all living beings.
Suddenly, the image of Lu Yin at the base of the monument vanished. The figures looked over and sighed in disappointment.
"Can't even show his face. Pathetic. Has that child monopolized all the luck of this generation? It's just too cruel for the rest."
"Not entirely. Two other children also climbed up earlier—not bad."
Back in the corridor, the moment Lu Yin took his first step, he felt an overwhelming pressure. It wasn't physical—it was spiritual. The solitude of the darkness nearly devoured him. The deeper he went, the stronger the sense of despair became. At about three meters in, a white-glowing fist emerged from the darkness and struck him directly, knocking him out of the corridor and into the void. In an instant, he regained consciousness, and the shocked expressions of Zhang Dingtian and the others entered his vision.
"Why are you all staring at me like that?" Lu Yin asked.
Janieona looked at Lu Yin as if he were a monster. "You—succeeded?"
Lu Yin shook his head. "No."
"You're lying! That ancient aura was radiating off of you just now—you definitely succeeded!" Janieona didn't believe him. It seemed she knew something.
Lu Yin said calmly, "I have no reason to explain anything to you."
Janieona was infuriated. She had accidentally learned from her father that the fugitive was actually a member of that terrifying, legendary clan—and he carried that clan's inheritance stone. So she came to try her luck. Her father hadn't stopped her, since only someone with that bloodline could accept the inheritance. But now, what was going on? Not only had someone succeeded—three had succeeded! She felt as though her entire worldview had been challenged.
Qingyu's identity was known only to the higher-ups; most students were unaware. Even if some had heard his full name, they didn't know what it meant. This was the tragedy of growing up in a remote edge of the universe. Otherwise, Janieona wouldn't be the only one trying her luck—all the students would have rushed over.
One's vision determines one's future. Mono had the strength of the Fusion Realm, the highest level among all the trial students—but so what? Even if the inheritance stone had been placed right before him, he wouldn't have recognized it.
Lu Yin scanned the group and noticed that Zhou Shan and Wu Sheng had already left. Only Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue remained, and judging from their expressions, they had failed. The only others left were the woman in green and Charlotte.
Soon, the woman in green opened her eyes, let out a breath, and glanced around with a smug look. But when she saw Charlotte still sitting calmly, her expression instantly changed. She looked displeased, as if Charlotte had outdone her.
Janieona glanced at the woman in green with displeasure and said, "Don't think you two are the only ones who succeeded—that guy did too."
The woman in green was stunned. Following Janieona's gaze, she looked toward Lu Yin. "You… succeeded?"
Lu Yin didn't respond. He wasn't sure what it truly meant to succeed in entering the inheritance, so he didn't feel like explaining.
The woman in green gave him a strange look. "You're not… one of them, are you?"
Lu Yin still didn't acknowledge her.
This annoyed the woman in green even more, and she was about to say something when Charlotte opened her eyes. At the same time, the stone fell from the air, hitting the ground with a thud.
"Hey, what did you learn?" the woman in green asked Charlotte curiously.
Charlotte smiled. "Nothing."
"Impossible! You stayed longer than I did," the woman in green said, not believing her.
Charlotte simply smiled and turned her gaze to Lu Yin. "What about you?"
Lu Yin shook his head. "Didn't succeed."
"Liar!" the woman in green shouted, glaring at him. "You succeeded too, didn't you? You must've learned something—definitely!"
Lu Yin glanced at her, then at Charlotte, and finally looked at Janieona.
Janieona suddenly had a bad feeling. "You—what are you trying to do?"
The corner of Lu Yin's mouth lifted. "I almost forgot about you. Surrender. From now on, you're also an honored member of the Negotiation Corps."
"Negotiation Corps?!" Janieona was confused. Before she could react, Lu Yin had already grabbed her. Her strength was about the same as Ras', so Lu Yin subdued her easily.
"You bastard! Let me go! Do you even know who I am? You native savage! I'm Janieona—the heir to the Ona family! You dare touch me? No one will be able to save you!" she shouted furiously, glaring at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin sneered. "I don't care who you are. As long as you're useful for negotiation, that's all that matters. One Ras, one you—the chances of success just got a lot higher."
Janieona kept yelling, but it was useless. Lu Yin tossed her to Bai Xue. "Keep an eye on her. She's a bargaining chip."
Bai Xue furrowed her beautiful brows, thought for a moment, then nodded and pulled Janieona away.
The woman in green and Charlotte didn't interfere. They had only come for the inheritance stone.
If possible, Lu Yin would have liked to capture them too, but he didn't have the confidence. Both were unfathomable in strength—especially Charlotte. She seemed ordinary on the surface, but Lu Yin would never forget the overwhelming sense of danger she exuded when they first met.
"Brother Lu," Charlotte said before leaving, "I'll give you a word of advice—you'd best get rid of that stone. Otherwise, it will bring you unimaginable disaster."
With that, she left without waiting for Lu Yin's reply.
The woman in green hurried after her, clearly eager to find out what Charlotte had gained from the inheritance stone.
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. What Charlotte said was exactly what he had just been thinking. The stone was valuable—but it was also the source of disaster. Keeping it would definitely draw the attention of terrifying enemies far beyond what he could handle. Not just him—even the Dayu Empire wouldn't dare touch it.
Just thinking about that long corridor with all the names bearing the Bai Ye surname made his scalp tingle. That clan was unimaginably powerful.
Lu Yin didn't consider himself some outrageously lucky genius. He had no way of keeping that stone safe in the face of such a force. He decided right then and there—it must be discarded. But who to give it to—that would take some careful thought.
Outside the capital, more than ten students had suddenly joined forces and tried to storm the city. They were all there for Janieona. The Ona family was far more powerful than Ras' family, and with Janieona gone for so long, these students had grown impatient.
Zhou Shan immediately ordered the alarm to be sounded.
Lu Yin and Zhang Dingtian were still in the underground tech institute. Gress, Baralo, and Grannie were all resting. Only Zhou Shan was left to face the more than ten students—and he had no way to resist.