Chapter 77: Provocation
The Capital Star was surrounded by three rings of land, even the closest of which took two hours of travel to get to. Lu Yin was traveling in the newest model of plane in the Great Yu Empire, its speed even exceeding a Limiteer’s. From his perspective, the distance between the Capital Star and the first ring was an ocean’s width.
During his flight to the first ring, Lu Yin crossed only about a dozen other planes that were slower than his. Not just anyone could enter these restricted zones; they were military grounds, and the first ring was under Yu Academy’s autonomous control. It was clear that this plane from the Crown Prince was specifically approved; it was unobstructed the entire way, not even having to stop at the flight platform as it flew directly toward the formcast pool.
“Boss, this is too cool, look at all those people getting examined. They look like the Empire’s officials, but even they need to stop for inspection while we can pass directly. This is a noble life!” Xu San was excited.
Lu Yin got him to shut up and glanced at Bronsen who was floating nearby. He had appeared when they were approaching the flight platform, and all the soldiers and officers on it saluted him. Although he was the third seat, his status was at least on par with the other vice-captains, not because he was an Explorer, but purely owing to his status. Watching the man, Lu Yin’s own thoughts ran wild. Home had asked him to inherit the Zishan status to infiltrate the Great Yu Empire. Did they also want him to join the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons? What about the Great Yu Empire’s Youth Council? What did they want him to do? No one had contacted him yet.
The first ring was about the same width as the Zenyu Star, but its surface area was far greater. It had an unfinished vibe to it, with sand and dust pervading the air while the occasional tornado thundered across and left Xu San pale. This was the location of Yu Academy, the training grounds for its elites and garrison for its troops.
The plane flew along a predetermined route. There wasn’t any danger at first, but ten minutes or so into the journey, a roar shook the skies and tore open the earth and sky. A terrifying blast of air nearly overturned the plane, but Bronsen was fortunately around to obstruct it.
Lu Yin was shocked; this was a roar of an existence at the Limiteer’s level. Though it was not as unparalleled in power as an Explorer, it could still cause his heart to tremble. Did Yu Academy elites frequently deal with Limiteers? He thought of Raas and Eddy before shaking his head; that couldn’t be the case.
“Boss, I feel like the Zenyu Star is safer. Maybe we should head back,” Xu San spoke timidly, but Lu Yin ignored him.
The sky started to darken an hour later, and a huge mountain range showed up on the horizon. Most eye-grabbing of all was the hollow in the center of a mountain, surrounded by some unknown transparent material. Countless soldiers were floating all around it, giving off a dense, imposing aura. This was Yu Academy’s formcast pool, the reservoir of formcast models.
The plane landed and was sent to parking, while Lu Yin pulled Xu San along. This time, even he was stopped—Bronsen’s status wasn’t enough to allow him in directly, and they had to present a certificate of clearance. This left him curious, “Even you can’t enter the Academy as you please?”
“Yu Academy is a top-tier institution reserved for the Empire’s elite, even His Imperial Majesty cannot meddle however he wishes. This was an order he’d sent down when he first assumed his position. Your Majesty, I cannot interfere in anything at this place unless your life is in danger. Please take care of yourself.”
Lu Yin nodded, unable to help but feel more respectful of The Undying Yushan. He had given the younger generation liberty and freedom, but that was exactly what won him their hearts.
As they neared the formcast pool, Lu Yin heard a soft howl of extreme pain. His expression changed and he was about to charge in the moment he recognized its owner, but Bronsen spoke up, “Formcast remodeling is often a painful process, like the physical body being smashed into pieces and reorganized. It requires one’s cells to be remade from the ground up, with even the blood being generated once more. An inability to endure it means failure, and failure means death.”
Lu Yin paused, then regained his calm and walked in. The pool was surrounded by countless troops and under the protection of numerous experts of Yu Academy, with even Explorers among their ranks. It consumed far too many resources; Zhang Dingtian only qualified for the process because he was a realmbreaker, and had nothing to do with the man defeating school leaders. Entry to the pool was forbidden while it was in use, and Lu Yin saw Bai Xue and Seruzen waiting outside as well. The former’s gaze lit up when she saw him.
“How long has he been inside?” he asked.
“Quite a few hours,” she replied.
“He’s been suffering like that for hours?!”
Bai Xue nodded, her own face a little pale already. However, Lu Yin was extremely impressed. Rebuilding one’s physical body clearly required great suffering, and even a stone-cold soldier like Zhang Dingtian found it hard to bear. He glanced over at Seruzen, curious about how this monk would behave and whether he would scream.
“Damn it, where’s that dog barking from? It’s disturbing me!” a rude voice suddenly rang out. Lu Yin looked over to see several youths whose clothes had been messed up from what he assumed to be training. They seemed to be Yu Academy elites, at least on Eddy’s level.
“What are you looking at, trash? Such a waste of the Empire’s resources. If the pool was given to us, we’d have become Melders long ago. Just a bunch of native nonsense!” One of the youths was clearly in a bad mood, insulting Lu Yin with a provocative tone. A few others looked at Bai Xue and their eyes nearly popped out. The youth that had just cursed saw her as well, and his jaw dropped open in amazement.
Bai Xue was disgusted, “If you want the resources, fight for them yourselves. We won this opportunity.”
“Oh, sassy. Alright, fight for it, you say? Let’s see what ability you have,” one of them was obviously very interested in Bai Xue, and took the initiative to stretch a hand towards her. He was trying to touch her face.
Lu Yin frowned, but sensing the lack of bloodlust, he didn’t act. Bai Xue snorted and struck out with her fist. While the youth’s expression was frivolous, he met the attack with a serious gaze. He knew that those who could join Yu Academy had some substance to them, and also understood the qualifications required for remodeling. His hand immediately formed a claw as he barked, “Skybeast Claw!”
Bai Xue’s expression changed, but not into one of fear. She was much stronger than she had been on Earth, and the training on the Perseverance proved effective right now. Her body blinked away with the Roving Step, something Lu Yin had taught her. Having adapted to forty times gravity much faster than Seruzen, her speed far surpassed the average Sentinel. The attack crashed into the ground without much damage, while her hand pressed down on the youth’s abdomen and a layer of ice extended across it.
“Frost?” the youth was overwhelmed, retreating without a thought. The ice shattered with a bang, and a shadow flitted past the youth as another strike headed towards Bai Xue.
“Despicable!” Lu Yin’s gaze focused, and he raised his own hand which had a shocking five stars within. Bronsen had almost intervened at the same time, but he stopped the moment Lu Yin struck out. The newcomer was clearly a Melder, but he had sensed that Lu Yin’s attack was actually stronger!
Two attacks streaked past Bai Xue and collided with each other, a violent shockwave pushing her away in an instant. The other students and Seruzen soon followed, a vacuum popping in the emptied void as Lu Yin finally saw the stranger’s face. He focused on the youth’s vicious gaze; the target wasn’t Bai Xue, it was himself. Terrifying pressure crashed down as the Melder tried to crush him with star energy alone, the weight of it all causing him to shiver, but the stars within his palm exploded in response. The first three withstood the opposing strike, the fourth changed the stranger’s gaze and prompted a Skybeast Claw, while a growl and the fifth sent both parties flying backward.
BANG! Shockwaves radiated in all directions, drawing the attention of the formcast pool’s guards. Lu Yin retreated five steps, while the dumbstruck Melder was pushed back seven. Bronsen and the guards all watched on in shock; a Sentinel had actually knocked back a Melder, this wasn’t simply a realmbreaker. The other side was an elite of Yu Academy!
Bai Xue also looked at Lu Yin with surprise. He was even stronger than before.