Within the capital, Raas's heart was dead; even Munoor had been defeated, and there was no one to save him. He was destined to be at the bottom of the trial.
Jeraldine stared at Lu Yin in disbelief, recalling the first time she'd met him. A mere Seeker, but now he was practically invincible among Sentinels. Just what was his background?
Yata, Pagoda Planet Academy?
His grandfather was the dean?
Could it be that his grandfather was a peerless expert?
Munuo was very famous among the trial students. When the news of Munuo's defeat spread through the LAN, it shocked all the students. Their first reaction was disbelief, but the LAN would not lie.
Gerlaine's confirmation of the matter made the students pay more attention to the power protecting the capital.
The only Melders that had appeared were Huo Xiaoling and Munoor, but both had been defeated. This trial wasn't simple at all.
Not long after, a few more students were captured by Qingyu.
Lu Yin counted, "Seventeen, that fugitive took seventeen students."
Bai Xue looked at him in confusion, "What are you counting for?"
Lu Yin's expression turned ugly, "He's stealing the kill."
Everyone was speechless.
Lu Yin took a deep breath, "He's not stupid, he's thinking the same thing as us. He wants to use the students in exchange for some compromise, but our natures are different. He's a fugitive, and we're natives. He's destined to be judged, so it doesn't matter how many students he captures."
"Then it's fine, it has nothing to do with you," Gerlaine blinked.
Lu Yin looked at her, "Every student he captures means one less for us to capture, and we'll have one less bargaining chip in the future."
Gerlaine's eyes went wide, "You really want to use the students to negotiate with the Empire?
That's impossible. "
"Nothing's impossible," Lu Yin replied matter-of-factly, "The students who dare to participate are all elites, they're very important to the Empire."
Gerlaine sneered, "Do you know how many students are participating in the trial?
Let me tell you, this planet is just one of many, and it won't affect the Empire even if all the students die. Do you think the Empire will compromise with the natives for these students?
Dream on. "
Hearing Gerlaine's words, Bai Xue, Zhou Shan, and the others' expressions changed. The Great Yu Empire was too big, and there were too many students and too many academies to count. The students from Earth's trial were only a small portion, so negotiating with the empire was impossible.
"Not necessarily." Lu Yin grabbed Raas, "This person's status is enough for us to get some promises."
Russ was furious. "Let me go."
Lu Yin shook him off and smiled, "The Vice-Treasurer of the Empire. He has a very high position, and I heard that he has connections with the Twelfth Imperial Squadron. That's perfect. The greater his background, the higher our chances of success, right?"
Gerlaine muttered to herself and looked at Raas. That made sense. He was Sicar's only son. Sicar would risk her life for him.
Raas glared furiously at Lu Yin; this bastard was actually using him to threaten the Empire! Regardless of whether he succeeded or not, he would become the laughingstock of the Empire's younger generation.
In Northern Europe, a group of students were also furious.
More than twenty students from all over the world had gathered together to find Qingyu. The leader of the group was Yan Gang, and he was not from the Great Yu Empire. Instead, he was a young powerhouse from the Frostwave Weave's Firesmelt Planet.
Firesmelt Planet was a powerful force that was on par with the Great Yu Empire. Although it was only a single planet, it was massive and covered in a sea of flames. It was rumored that all the creatures on Firesmelt Planet had great resistance to fire, and they could even use powerful fire-burning battle techniques. It was a terrifying force.
Yan Gang was a Melder like Huo Xiaoling, and his cultivation had been sealed as well. However, many students felt that he was even stronger than Huo Xiaoling.
"Qingyu, let Huo Xiaoling go." Yan Gang stood high in the sky and stared down coldly. His body was dark red, and even in the cold of Northern Europe, he emitted a scorching heat that melted the snow on the ground.
Qingyu sat leisurely on the ground. Behind him were the seventeen captured students, including Huo Xiaoling.
"There's quite a lot of people here. Kid, do you think you can take her from me?"
Qingyu teased Yan Gang, his eyes full of contempt. He had once been an Explorer, and these mere students were nothing to him.
Yan Gang coldly replied, "I'm warning you, Huo Xiaoling is the fiancée of Firesmelt Planet's young master Yan Feng. If you touch her, you'll face the wrath of Firesmelt Planet."
Qingyu disdainfully replied, "It's just a wild border weave, you really think you're so great. However, I'll give you one chance to take her from me. Let's see if you can do it."
"Speak," Yan Gang growled.
Qingyu's lips curled up, "Go to the capital and bring me something in exchange for this woman."
Yan Gang's eyes flashed, "Let Huo Xiaoling go first, and I'll go get it for you."
Qingyu laughed, "Are you an idiot or do you think I'm an idiot? Let her go first?
Has your brain been burned away by the fire? "
Yan Gang was furious and clenched his fists, causing the air around him to distort, "Fine, I'll bring it over, but you have to promise not to hurt Huo Xiaoling."
Qingyu shrugged, "That depends on how long it takes you to get it. I can't guarantee that she'll be beautiful if you wait too long."
Yan Gang was furious, "Huo Xiaoling is a Melder. If you dare touch her, we'll kill you even if we have to break the seal."
"If you do that, you won't be able to enter Astral-10. The Astral Combat Academy won't accept trash like you if you can't even handle a Sentinel mission. How will you explain it to your young master then?" Qingyu teased.
Yan Gang snorted and whispered to the students behind him, "Keep an eye on him, I'm going to China."
"Munoor just left China, can you do it alone?" one student asked. He was from the Huo family and didn't care about Yan Gang, but he cared about Huo Xiaoling.
Yan Gang disdainfully replied, "Don't compare me to that kind of trash." With that, he soared into the air, distorting the air in his path, forming a white streak of air.
It would take a Sentinel at least two days to fly from Northern Europe to the capital of China, and that was if there were no mutant beasts in the way. If there were any powerful mutant beasts, the delay would be unpredictable.
Only a few places in the capital had light at night to avoid attracting mutant beasts.
Lu Yin arrived at the Science and Technology Institute and was led by President Lian to the item left behind by Qingyu. It was a stone about the size of a human head.
It was round in shape but had sixteen sides, each one smooth and flat with an indecipherable imprint in the middle. The entire stone gave off an ancient aura, as if it had come from ancient times.
Bai Xue stood beside Lu Yin; it was her idea to let him see the stone this time. She had strongly objected to Lu Yin touching the items left behind by the fugitive, saying that the Seven Sages had to agree. But now, there was no need for that; the entire capital was under Lu Yin's protection.
Lu Yin looked at the stone in surprise, "It's just a stone, but it feels different."
"How old do you think it is?" President Lian asked.
Lu Yin shook his head.
"It's impossible to determine."
"Impossible to determine?"
Lu Yin was shocked; it was unbelievable that Earth's current technology couldn't determine the age of a stone.
President Lian explained, "This stone has been around for too long and has undergone undetectable changes. It's impossible to determine its age; we've studied it many times, but we haven't been able to find anything."
Bai Xue continued, "According to the information we've gathered, the fugitive Qingyu fled from the depths of the universe to here. It's quite a long distance, but he's still wanted. There's only one possibility: he's carrying something too valuable, and it should be this stone."
"When you brought him back from Neptune, what else did he have?" Lu Yin asked.
Bai Xue looked at President Lian, who explained, "There was a blade and a few dozen crystals, which are actually star crystals. There was also a chip that contained a cultivation method, but it was heavily damaged and most of it can't be read."
"The sword was just given to Zhang Dingtian, and we've already absorbed the star crystals. We were very close to the Realm of Sky at the start of the apocalypse," Bai Xue continued.
Lu Yin looked at the stone, "So this stone and the sword are the only things Qingyu left behind?"
"We've studied the sword, and it's extremely tough, far surpassing any metal on Earth, including mutant metals. As for this stone, we don't have any clues," President Lian said.
"Can I study it for a bit?" Lu Yin asked.
"Up to you." The president didn't mind.