His clothes were drenched in sweat as he stared at the ground, recalling the scene he'd just seen: the unfamiliar sky, the huge ancient warship, and that jade finger.
"Go down, Stargazing Deck picks the stars. It picks the past and present, the cycle of karma, and the stars that belong to you," the mentor's voice sounded again.
Lu Yin looked up and bowed, his tone respectful, "Mentor, may I ask if Stargazing Deck picks the past and present, but can it also pick the future?"
The mentor replied indifferently, "Everything has a cause and effect. If you pick the cause, there will be an effect."
"What do you mean by the last sentence?
What do you mean by the stars that belong to me?
What I saw was clearly an unfamiliar sky, "Lu Yin asked.
"Ask yourself. You picked the past and present, the changes of time. Go down, I will not answer you again."
Lu Yin walked down the deck doubtfully, his gaze lost. Everyone saw different things, so what did he see mean?
His overdraft of innate gifts and Stargazing Deck had allowed him to see that jade finger. Whose finger was it?
Why did it want to crush him?
Why was he angry?
After arriving at Astral-10, Lu Yin only felt one thing: insignificance. Invincible among the Sentinels?
What a joke, that was only the Great Yu Empire. A person's strength was not only reflected in the same level of power, but also in their realm. How many people in the Innerverse were younger than him but far more powerful?
All that talk about being invincible within the same realm and having a fair fight was just a lie. Bazeer had once said that no one would seal their realm in a fight, as realm was also a type of power. This was the same for ported battles; he hadn't met a single Sentinel in his five battles. Powerhouses didn't believe in fairness, only in crushing their opponents.
He would never forget the humiliation that Wendy Yushan had brought upon him. She hadn't even appeared personally; she had looked down on him from a high vantage point. She hadn't even looked at him with disdain.
After muttering to himself for a while, Lu Yin looked up and walked into the teleportation device, choosing the Rain Observatory. He wanted to start there.
After passing the exam, he would be sent directly to the Rain Observatory. This was Astral-10's arrangement, and there had to be a reason for it. Perhaps it was the beginning of everything.
The rain from the Rain Observatory made the sky dark green, and Lu Yin suddenly felt a sense of familiarity when he arrived there again.
He looked around and leaped into the sky. It took him a few minutes to fly out of the range of a large tree.
Looking down from the sky, Lu Yin could not help but feel a little shocked. Big Pao had been right; there was a bluestone platform at the top of each giant tree, and these unbelievably large trees formed Astral-10's Rain Observatory.
He found a bluestone platform two hours away from the teleportation device and sat down cross-legged, quietly watching the rain fall.
Back in the Great Yu Empire, above the second ring of Zenyu Star, Zhang Dingtian slashed out with his blade and cut down a flying astral beast.
"Good, you've recovered your Sentinel strength," a man nearby cheered.
Zhang Dingtian's face was calm as he looked up into the sky. He saw the first ring of land and Zenyu Star, and even further away, he saw the stars. Lu Yin should be in Astral-10 right now!
"Brother Zhang, let's spar and see how strong your realmbreaker is." The man walked over to Zhang Dingtian excitedly.
Zhang Dingtian retracted his gaze and tightened his grip on his blade. "Alright."
Not long after, the two separated. The man was a Melder while Zhang Dingtian was only a Sentinel, so victory was quickly decided.
"Amazing, you've just recovered your Sentinel strength and already have the strength of an elite from Yu Academy. As expected of a genius who broke the rules and remodeled his body. Even the captain thinks highly of you," the man praised.
Zhang Dingtian wiped his blade; he was far from enough.
"Right, I heard you know King Zishan," the man asked.
Zhang Dingtian nodded silently.
The man was surprised, "Tell me, is King Zishan really that talented?
Four people from the Great Yu Empire entered Astral-10, and he's one of them. It's said that he's unrivalled amongst the Sentinel realm and has even defeated a Melder from Yu Academy. "
"I'm not sure," Zhang Dingtian muttered.
The man was disappointed, "You're too stupid. If you could get on his good side, you would be able to do whatever you want in the Great Yu Empire. Let me tell you, he was just an idle prince before entering Astral-10, but his status has changed ever since. He might be able to enter the Innerverse like the Fifth Princess, but he might not even set his eyes on the Great Yu Empire."
Zhang Dingtian's gaze turned cold as he gripped his blade firmly; he would also leave the Great Yu Empire and seek revenge on Qingyu and Liu Shaoge.
On the second ring of the continent, Bai Xue was panting heavily as she stared ahead. Her body suddenly disappeared and reappeared a few meters away.
"No, no, no, it's too slow. It's not Flash, it's Turtle Crawl," Peach complained as she sat on a peach tree and swung her legs, munching on snacks.
Bai Xue gritted her teeth, sweat beading on her forehead.
"Faster, faster! Flash is my special skill, and as my personal secretary, you have to be extremely fast. Even faster, use your innate gift while you flash."
On Zenyu Star, outside the imperial palace, the courtiers were walking out. It was supposed to be a normal day, but today was different. All of the courtiers were avoiding the Eleventh Squad's Blind Monk, not only because of the Blind Monk himself, but also because of Seruzen behind him.
Far away in space, on a giant spacecraft, Xu San was sullenly looking out the window as Zenyu Star grew further and further away. He wanted to cry, but no tears came out. He had to leave to meet Captain Batson in the Seventh Filament, and he didn't know when he would be able to return. Boss, I miss you.
In Astral-10, on the limestone platform of the Rain Observatory, Lu Yin sat there for five days, not moving at all as he watched the rain fall.
The rain had changed from a mere droplet to a mere curtain that connected the heavens and the earth. Unknowingly, the star energy within his body began to mimic the rainwater, and it began to transform around his body as it began to rain.
In the blink of an eye, another ten days passed.
He sat there for fifteen days, quietly watching the rain fall. His star energy had indeed changed, and he could feel it, but it was too slow. He was sure that if he sat here for a year, his control over star energy would be far greater than what it was now, but he couldn't wait that long.
Lu Yin admitted that he wasn't a patient person, or else he wouldn't have robbed those trialtakers for star crystals. He had to think of something.
He exhaled and moved his limbs, "I haven't rolled my die in a long time. It's time to roll it again, but I don't have enough star crystals. It'll be a waste."
Just as he was thinking, the dark green sky suddenly trembled, and the raindrops actually stopped falling. An unimaginable pressure swept over, and Lu Yin was instantly pressed to the ground as he spat out a mouthful of blood. Terrifying star energy that could be seen with the naked eye swept out like a hurricane, instantly crushing the tree that Lu Yin was standing on and crushing it towards him.
Lu Yin's pupils shrank; he was about to die, and he couldn't resist.
"Director, stop!" someone shouted. Just as Lu Yin felt like he was about to be crushed into a puddle of blood, the terrifying force disappeared, and a ragged old man laughed maniacally in the sky, "You started this war, and now you're reaping what you sowed. Hahahaha, the war you started …"
Lu Yin stared blankly at the crazy old man as he ran past, his head swelling as he fainted.
The moment he fainted, mysterious runes flashed on his back, forming a lock that glowed before disappearing.
A middle-aged man walked out of the void and arrived behind Lu Yin, looking at him in shock, "Was that a seal?
This kid's body has been sealed, but what seal?
Why haven't I seen it before?
Eh, I can't even see how many lines there are, and I can't break it. Interesting. "
The crazy old man destroyed dozens of giant trees before disappearing.
Lu Yin was more unlucky; if not for the Rainmaster, he would have died.
He only woke up after a day and a night.
His head hurt, and he opened his blurry eyes. Raindrops dripped from the back of his hand, bringing with them a slight chill. Was this the Rain Observatory?
What happened to him?
"You're awake," an ancient voice sounded from behind him.
Lu Yin turned around and saw a middle-aged man. He looked ordinary, but he knew this voice; it was the Rainmaster.
"Are you the Mentor?" Lu Yin asked, his voice hoarse.
The man looked at him with a strange gaze, "I'm Guanyu, you can call me the Rainmaster."
"Yes, Rainmaster," Lu Yin replied respectfully.
The Rainmaster looked at him, "Do you remember what happened?"
Lu Yin frowned and thought for a moment before his expression changed. He looked around and saw dozens of giant trees that had been destroyed, stretching far into the distance, "There was a crazy old man."
The Rainmaster sighed, "Forget about it."
Lu Yin nodded and didn't ask any more questions. Before he fainted, he had vaguely heard the words "Director." That old man couldn't be Astral-10's director, could he?
The Rainmaster tossed a chip to Lu Yin, "This is for you."