Lu Yin smiled, "People say that the Lily Family produces beauties, and it's true. Miss An 'er is so pretty, and so is Miss Shu' er."
"Then who do you think is prettier, me or my sister?" Lily Shu'er immediately asked, looking at him slyly.
Lu Yin was stunned. He had only been praising her out of politeness, but why did it feel like he had just screwed himself over?
It seemed that Lily Anne also wanted to know the answer to this question.
Lu Yin was speechless and awkwardly replied, "They're all pretty, all pretty."
"Brother Lu, please take a seat. Don't just stand there," Northgate Gang said as he pointed at an empty seat.
Lu Yin looked over, and his eyes twitched. That empty seat was not at the head of the table, and it wasn't even close to the head of the table. According to the rules, seats were arranged according to one's status, which meant that Northgate Gang saw three people who were ranked above him.
Lily Anne's expression changed, and she looked at Northgate Gang. "Young Master Northgate, you must have pointed to the wrong seat. Brother Lu should be sitting here." She pointed to the seat just below the head of the table.
Northgate Gang sneered. "Miss An 'er, of course the seat at the very top belongs to my elder brother, and he's gone to greet a witness from the Tempest Flowzone's Fire Scorpion Sect. I heard that it's the head disciple of the Fire Scorpion Sect. Does Miss An' er think that the head disciple of the Fire Scorpion Sect isn't qualified to sit at the bottom?"
Everyone had subtle expressions as they looked at Lu Yin and Lily Anne.
As an expert of the Top 100 Rankings, Northgate Lie was naturally at the peak of the younger generation. Now, they were fighting over who would take the next seat. Whoever took the next seat would be second only to Northgate Lie.
Given Lu Yin's status in the Ten Arbiters Council, he was definitely not inferior to the Fire Scorpion Sect. However, Northgate Gang did not like Lu Yin. Furthermore, Lu Yin had no background, and he had even offended the Daynight clan. Who knew when he would die? Many people felt that it was not worth it to offend the Fire Scorpion Sect for someone who was about to die. The Fire Scorpion Sect was a power that was second only to the Feng family in the Tempest Flowzone, and their methods were ruthless, which made the Northline Flowzone wary.
Lily Anne's tone turned much colder. "Brother Lu is here on behalf of the Ten Arbiters Council. Does Young Master Northgate think that the Ten Arbiters Council is inferior to the Fire Scorpion Sect?"
Northgate Gang retorted, "This is a gathering of the younger generation, so there's no need to talk about status. My brother's strength on the Top 100 Rankings goes without saying, and Miss An 'er, you're also an Explorer, so you should be seated above Brother Lu. Brother Lu, there's no problem with my words, right?"
Lily Anne still wanted to say something, but Lu Yin raised a hand to stop her. He looked at Northgate Gang and leisurely said, "Brother Northgate, are you saying that we'll be ranked based on strength?"
Northgate Gang raised his head. "Of course."
Lu Yin nodded. "If that's the case, then I shouldn't be sitting there. I should be sitting there." He then pointed to the seat at the very top. "There."
As soon as he said this, everyone's expression changed.
Northgate Gang slammed the table and stood up, glaring at Lu Yin. Many of the people present had ugly expressions on their faces.
This person was far too arrogant. He actually wanted to sit at the head of the table. Furthermore, this was under the premise that he was ranked based on strength. Didn't that mean that this person believed that he was stronger than Northgate Lie, an expert on the Top 100 Rankings?
Lily Anne was shocked. She had interacted with Lu Yin for a few days, and she felt that he was quite easy to talk to. He was also very humble, and he had politely rejected her many compliments. How could he be so arrogant now?
Northgate Lie was on the Top 100 Rankings, and the Northline Flowzone's Northgate family and Shangwu Academy had used countless resources to create him. What right did Lu Yin have to say that he was even stronger?
Lily Anne's eyes were practically sparkling. So handsome, so handsome, so handsome! This person doesn't look like much, but he's so heroic! He's too handsome!
Lu Yin's gaze turned cold. He did not want to be too high-profile, but he was representing the Ten Arbiters, and according to the Sandmaster, the Ten Arbiters represented an unfathomable spirit. Since he was representing the Ten Arbiters, he could not back down at a time like this. If he did, not only would he lose his seat, but he would also lose his value in the eyes of the Ten Arbiters.
It was not appropriate to keep a low profile in the Ten Arbiters Council, nor was it appropriate to pretend to be a pig to eat a tiger. The Ten Arbiters believed that they were invincible, and Lu Yin needed to have that kind of spirit as well. Otherwise, how could he suppress the younger generation of the Northline Flowzone? The more modest he was, the easier it would be for him to be targeted.
Lu Yin had already thought things through before coming here. He was not here to be a nice guy, but rather to suppress the younger generation of the Northline Flowzone. He was certain that the Ten Arbiters preferred to directly suppress the younger generation of the Northline Flowzone rather than keeping a low profile and using underhanded methods.
He had never heard of any of the Ten Arbiters who had used underhanded methods to get to their positions. Every single one of the Ten Arbiters represented invincibility and unfathomability.
Lu Yin needed to adapt to his current position and treat these people as people of the Great Yu Empire. He was above millions of people in the Great Yu Empire, and in this place, he should be treated the same way among his peers.
Northgate Gang stared at Lu Yin, not knowing what to say.
At that moment, the door to the private room opened again, and a dignified young man walked in. His gaze swept past everyone and landed on Lu Yin.
"Brother!" Northgate Gang was delighted.
Everyone in the private room looked at the young man in delight.
This young man was the strongest person in the younger generation of the Northline Flowzone, and he was ranked 93rd on the Top 100 Rankings: Northgate Lie.
Lu Yin looked up and met Northgate Lie's eyes. This was not his first time meeting an expert on the Top 100 Rankings. Whether it was Puyu, Wendy Yushan, or Mira, they were all much stronger than this Northgate Lie. However, Northgate Lie was the only person who made Lu Yin feel excited. This was because Lu Yin believed that he could fight against this person and even defeat him.
When Lily Anne saw Northgate Lie arrive, she hurriedly stepped forward. "Brother Lie, it's been a while."
Northgate Lie did not look at Lily Anne and continued to stare at Lu Yin. Behind him, another young man walked out. This young man had a strange scorpion tattoo on his face, and his pupils were black with a hint of dark red. He looked quite sinister.
"You're Lu Yin?" Northgate Lie asked, his voice deep like a bell. It was obvious that he was a decisive and ruthless person.
"You're Northgate Lie, an expert on the Top 100 Rankings," Lu Yin said.
Northgate Lie's lips curled up. "I've long heard of your reputation as the champion of the Tournament of the Strongest, Lu Yin. You can easily crush space-exploring powerhouses and even defeat Cruisers. Now that I've met you in person, I can see that you live up to your reputation. You're even more arrogant than the rumors make you out to be."
Lily Anne's expression changed. "Brother Lie —" Northgate Lie stopped her before she could finish. "An 'er, the Northline Flowzone cannot be underestimated."
Lily Anne was speechless, and she looked at Lu Yin with a complicated expression.
Lu Yin smiled. "Brother Northgate, I've never underestimated anyone. It's just that I've been underestimated by others. Sometimes, dignity has to be earned by oneself."
Northgate Lie shouted, "Well said! I thought you were relying on the Ten Arbiters' prestige."
Lu Yin's smile faded, and his expression turned solemn. "The Ten Arbiters are the Ten Arbiters, and I'm me. Brother Northgate, you should know that I should have come to the Northline Flowzone a long time ago. However, it will be difficult to gain the recognition of the Ten Arbiters' official document, and I, Lu Yin, am not used to having others stand up for me."
Northgate Lie raised his head. "Well said, Lu Yin. You have more backbone than I expected. Members of the Council of Astral Academy rarely get involved with the matters of the Innerverse's younger generation. They're more like secretaries who read the documents for the Ten Arbiters, and they even need the Ten Arbiters Council to handle matters. That makes others look down on you. Since you dared to come here personally and speak such arrogant words, no matter what the outcome is, I, Northgate Lie, will consider you a friend.
Northgate Gang immediately spoke up. "Lu Yin, if you have the guts, then fight my brother."
"That's right, Lu Yin. If you have the guts, then fight me."
"If you have the guts, then fight me."
The surrounding people immediately jeered.
The sinister man behind Northgate Lie also sized Lu Yin up with a look of surprise.
Lu Yin smiled. "Sure, but let's talk about the conditions first."
Northgate Lie raised a hand. "If you win, then you have the final say in the matters of the Northline Flowzone's younger generation. Even Shangwu Academy is willing to be supervised by you."
Lu Yin nodded. "Alright. If you win, then I will no longer interfere with the matters of the Northline Flowzone, and I will definitely not ask the Ten Arbiters Council to interfere."
"Then it's settled," Northgate Lie said in a clear voice.
Northgate Gang was excited. He did not believe that Lu Yin could defeat his elder brother, as that was impossible. The Top 100 Rankings were extremely powerful, and the Northline Flowzone only had one Northgate Lie. In Northgate Gang's opinion, the experts on the Top 100 Rankings were basically invincible within the same realm. There were only a hundred people in the entire universe, and they were scattered throughout the universe. Many people would never meet such people in their entire lives.
Northgate Gang had been thinking about how to kick Lu Yin out, but he had not expected it to be so easy. Northgate Gang had been having a headache for quite some time, as this person was simply too impatient.
After agreeing on the battle, Lu Yin excused himself from Lily Anne and left. Everyone present had ostracized him, and he had eaten his fill. There was no need for him to be looked down upon.
As soon as he left Northgate Mansion, Lily Anne chased after him and apologized. "I'm sorry, Brother Lu. I didn't expect things to turn out this way."
Lu Yin smiled. "No need to apologize. It's normal, and it's within expectations."
Lily Anne sighed. "The Ten Arbiters Council controls the universe's younger generation, and no one can escape. The same goes for the Northline Flowzone. Northgate Gang and the others are trying to kick you out, but they don't know that even if you leave, someone else will replace you. The Ten Arbiters won't let go of any region."
Lu Yin's eyes flashed, as there was a reason behind her words. This Lily Anne must have sensed something.
"If you leave, the person who replaces you might be one of the top experts on the Top 100 Rankings. At that time, even Northgate Lie won't be able to do anything. The Ten Arbiters Council won't let Northgate Lie supervise the Northline Flowzone," Lily Anne said.
"Northgate Lie is also a member of the Ten Arbiters Council?" Lu Yin was astonished, as he had not known about this.
Lily Anne nodded. "He joined as soon as he entered the Top 100 Rankings."
"Which Arbiters do you follow?" Lu Yin was curious.
Lily Anne shook her head. "I don't know. The names of the Ten Arbiters are taboo, and Northgate Lie doesn't dare to reveal them."
Lu Yin felt that it was a pity, as he only knew the names of three of the Ten Arbiters: Nightking Zhenwu, Arbiter Wen Sansi, and Divine Fist Lan Si. He had only heard of one of the Ten Arbiters from the Sword Sect, one from the Phoenix family, and one who was known as the War King. As for the rest, he did not know. Was there a need to hide the names of the Ten Arbiters?
It was just their names, and Lu Yin was beginning to wonder why the Ten Arbiters would hide their names. What were they afraid of?
"Miss Anne, you should go back. This is a gathering of seventeen families, and it won't do without you, the young lady of the Lily family," Lu Yin said with a smile.
Lily Anne apologized once more and then left.
Lu Yin looked up. There were some things that he had to fight for himself. The Ten Arbiters' prestige was very important, and any one of them had the ability to destroy a powerful organization. But so what? The Ten Arbiters were the Ten Arbiters, and Lu Yin was not one of them. If he relied on the Ten Arbiters' prestige to do things, then he would forever live under their light.
After all, the Ten Arbiters were his enemies.
Lu Yin would never be able to forget this piece of paper.