Outside Earth, aboard a massive spaceship, Siken Mardo and the others stared intently at the light screen — the image on it was that of the giant turtle.
"General Mardo, a creature with over ten thousand combat strength can't be considered a trial anymore. Let's capture it," Toleona said urgently. After all, Jennie Ona was still in the capital. If that creature attacked the capital, everyone would die.
Siken Mardo clenched his fists and looked toward Mira.
Mira's expression remained calm, a faint smile on her lips. "For the young elites of your Dayu Empire, is death really that terrifying?"
Toleona's expression shifted, but he said nothing.
The giant turtle quickly disappeared. From start to finish, no one spoke. No one dared attract the creature's attention — it was simply too terrifying. It didn't need to attack; its body alone could crush everyone.
Lu Yin exhaled deeply. Hm? Wait — where's Lulu Mebis?
He turned to look west again, and vaguely saw a green figure rapidly retreating. That crazy woman… she wouldn't be chasing the turtle, would she?
Outside the capital, Yan Gang coughed, choked by the dust and smoke. He only managed to recover after some effort.
Everyone was still reeling from the terror of the turtle when Yan Gang spoke. "Qingyu agreed. He's willing to make the trade."
"Tell me which one in the local network is Qingyu," Lu Yin said flatly.
Yan Gang told Lu Yin.
Lu Yin contacted Qingyu directly.
"You're Qingyu?" Lu Yin asked.
In Northern Europe, Qingyu looked at his personal terminal, a smile playing on his lips. "So you're the native guarding the capital who captured dozens of students?"
"I have your item. If you want to make a trade, hand over the students you captured," Lu Yin replied.
"That kid just spoke to me about this. Fine. Do you want Huo Xiaoling too? If you do, I can throw her in," Qingyu teased.
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. He knew the only reason Yan Gang was running errands for Qingyu was for Huo Xiaoling. But now he already had Ras and Jennie Ona — he didn't necessarily need Huo Xiaoling. Otherwise, Yan Gang might go all out. "Huo Xiaoling doesn't matter. But you don't have enough students."
Qingyu's gaze sharpened. "Kid, the only reason I'm trading is because I don't want to run errands myself. Do you really think you few can stop me?"
"Of course not. After all, you've still retained Fusion Realm strength. But if you can run, so can we — we can hide the stone. When enough time passes and your trial mission fails, the Dayu Empire will come after you directly. Can you stop them? I know you want to use that stone as your ticket out. Compared to your own life, my offer is pretty generous," Lu Yin replied.
Qingyu chuckled. "Smart. That's right — I do plan to use that stone to escape. Alright, I can capture a few more students. There's a group nearby. I'll make it thirty-two in total — is that enough?"
"Enough."
"Ten days from now, in the Indian subcontinent, beneath Hidden Peak — that's where we'll make the exchange," Qingyu said.
Lu Yin agreed and then ended the call. Ten days from now, huh?
Yan Gang stared intently at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin told him, "You can go to Northern Europe to pick up Huo Xiaoling now."
Yan Gang's eyes lit up. "You'd better hand Jennie Ona over to me. You have no idea how powerful the Ona family is."
"Not happening. You can go now," Lu Yin said impatiently.
A cold gleam flashed in Yan Gang's eyes, but he said nothing more and left directly.
After Yan Gang left, Lu Yin explained the situation to the others.
Zhang Dingtian said in a deep voice, "I'll go with you. Qingyu is the chief culprit behind Earth's forced evolution. Because of him, countless Earthlings died. I'll make him pay with his life."
Bai Xue also said firmly, "I'm going too."
Lu Yin looked at Glannie. "Spread the word—say that ten days from now, Qing Yu will appear at the base of Zangfeng in the Tianzhu region."
"You want to use the students to eliminate Qing Yu?" Gules asked.
Lu Yin nodded. "Isn't that your mission? Eliminate him, and the trial will be complete. That benefits you."
"And you? Are you seeking revenge for the people of this planet too?" Gules asked.
Lu Yin took a deep breath. "This trial isn't just for the students. It's for us as well. You'll be evaluated, and so will I. Completing the mission could give me leverage in negotiations with the Dayu Empire."
Gules sneered. "You really think you can negotiate with the Dayu Empire? That's insane—it'll never work."
"Worth a shot," Lu Yin shrugged, unconcerned.
Soon, the local network exploded with activity. Qing Yu began capturing more students, forcing most of those monitoring him in Northern Europe to flee. At the same time, news spread rapidly that Qing Yu would appear at the base of Zangfeng in the Tianzhu region. Many students were shocked and began heading there. Whether the news was true or not, it was just a bit of travel—they had nothing to lose.
Qing Yu's whereabouts were completely exposed. Many students set off for Tianzhu. This would be the final battle of the trial: either the students completed the mission, or they failed, prompting the Dayu Empire to step in. There were only those two outcomes.
Lu Yin entered seclusion again, holding a star chart and observing the movements of the stars. He hoped to activate a fourth star.
Heavenly Star Palm was terrifying—each additional star exponentially increased its power. Three stars were enough to suppress Erde and rival Ras. With four stars, Lu Yin speculated he could suppress experts like Mono and Yan Gang, whose cultivation had been sealed. Since the power of Heavenly Beast Claw and White Night Fist couldn't currently be increased, his only way to grow stronger was through Heavenly Star Palm.
Before that, however, he picked up a piece of paper, closed his eyes, and recalled a scene from his dream. In his sleep, he had dreamed of being crushed by a jade finger that pierced the stars. The sensation had felt incredibly real—like he had truly been crushed. A boundless rage filled his heart. That scene was unforgettable.
He raised his pen to draw it—but he couldn't bring himself to make the first stroke. The jade finger that pierced the void was so clear in his mind, yet he just couldn't draw it.
Frustrated, Lu Yin threw the paper away. He had a strange feeling that he should be able to draw it—but he simply couldn't. After a while, he sighed. "Forget it. Just a dream."
Lu Yin raised his hand. A die appeared. The fifth face shimmered faintly with icy energy—Bai Xue's innate ability. He could borrow it, but once used, it would disappear. He'd have to roll another five and touch her within ten seconds to use it again.
"Interesting talent," Lu Yin murmured. He retrieved a cube of star energy crystal from his void ring and crushed it, attempting to let the die absorb it—but this time, nothing happened.
"It's reached its limit? Looks like I'll need to wait a while," Lu Yin thought, dismissing the die and returning to the star chart.
For many students, this trial had become a nightmare. The first batch of trial participants fared relatively well—aside from the top students being captured, the others just focused on holding territory and earning decent results. They weren't affected too badly.
The second batch wasn't so lucky. Whether in the capital or in Northern Europe, nearly half had been captured. This was unprecedented in the Dayu Empire's trial history.
It was a great embarrassment for Xi Ken Maldo and the others.
What was worse was that even nobles like Ras and Jenny Ouna had been captured—including an elite from the Yu Hall. This made Xi Ken Maldo and his team feel utterly humiliated.
Mira, on the other hand, was watching with great interest, occasionally offering praise—which sounded more like mockery to Xi Ken Maldo and the others.
"This is a real trial. In many regions, students just crush the locals. That's not a trial—that's a scripted play. General Maldo, your Dayu Empire truly lives up to its reputation as a militaristic power," Mira said, seemingly complimenting them.
Xi Ken Maldo was speechless. This woman had just accused their young elites of being afraid of death, and now she was saying this? Wasn't that just more sarcasm?
"General, we should start preparations. Ten days from now is the final battle. Qing Yu gave them that time to allow all the students to gather. He must be confident," Tolle Ouna said solemnly.
"That Lu Yin has no idea how terrifying Qing Yu's Fusion Realm strength is. This trial is ninety percent likely to fail," Shaluoshu said coldly from the side.
Xi Ken Maldo stared at the screen. To them, Lu Yin was playing with fire. Attempting to make a deal with Qing Yu was suicidal. Forget the Fusion Realm—even if Qing Yu was only at the peak of the Exploration Realm, the strength of someone from the White Night Clan wasn't something ordinary elites could match.
Mira looked at the screen, a faint smile on her lips. Fusion Realm? No, that was wrong. She was certain Qing Yu was no longer at that level. He couldn't even exert the full power of the Exploration Realm—his injuries were too severe. At best, he could manage half of his original strength. But even so, to outsiders, he seemed just as strong as someone at the Fusion Realm.
That was the White Night Clan for you.
Hopefully, there would be a good show in ten days.
Two days later, Yan Gang found Qing Yu and attempted to take Huo Xiaoling away—but Qing Yu refused.
"You got my stuff already?" Qing Yu sneered.
Yan Gang was furious. "You'll be trading with those locals in eight days anyway. Just let her go."