Qing Yu coldly sneered, "The deal was that you would trade my items for Huo Xiaoling. Since you didn't bring them, why should I release Huo Xiaoling? Get lost."
Yan Gang was furious, but knowing he was no match for Qing Yu, he quickly left as Qing Yu's gaze grew colder. He feared he might be captured too.
Huo Xiaoling, bound and seated in the snow, watched Qing Yu's back with a flicker of emotion in her eyes. If this man truly belonged to the Bai Ye clan, there wouldn't be anyone among the trial students who could rival him. The transaction eight days later was entirely under his control; he was just playing.
At the base of the Tianzhu Zang Peak, one student after another appeared, most of them from the second batch of trial students.
These students had mostly removed their personal terminals to avoid being tracked and were now in hiding.
Monuo also appeared and hid himself.
Aside from Monuo, there was another sealed cultivator who had also gone into hiding.
Only the true elites dared to show up in this place now.
Eight days flew by. During this time, Lu Yin had been observing the star map, watching the celestial movements. The fourth star was becoming clearer but had not fully appeared.
He sighed. The further he progressed, the harder it became to simulate stars. The Celestial Star Technique seemed to mimic the creation of a stellar system in the universe, a grand cultivation method. Just four stars were already so difficult, and the technique he currently mastered could simulate up to eight stars. Who knew when he would complete it?
As for breaking through to the Melting Realm, it seemed unlikely in the short term.
Breaking through to the Melting Realm wasn't just about body refinement; it required a certain feeling, a signal from the body that it was ready. Without that feeling, any attempt at body refinement could fail, and Lu Yin did not want to face the consequences of such failure.
If breaking through to the Melting Realm were easy, someone like Las wouldn't be lacking in Star Energy Crystals and would have already succeeded.
Every aspect of the body influences the breakthrough, including cultivation methods.
Lu Yin looked at his palm, wondering what impact the Celestial Star Technique would have on his breakthrough to the Melting Realm.
He flipped his palm, and the dice appeared. He crushed a cubic Star Energy Crystal, and the dice absorbed it rapidly, soon returning to normal.
Lu Yin was delighted. The dice had recovered. Calculating the time, he realized he could use it up to five times before reaching his limit and falling asleep, with the dice also sleeping for ten days. This meant that generally, he could use it four times in one go, then rest for a few days afterward.
He was tempted to use it now, as he had plenty of Star Energy Crystals in his Condensing Space Ring, but the time had come to head to Tianzhu.
He left his bedroom and flew into the air. Not far away, Zhang Dingtian and the others were waiting for him. There were five people: Zhang Dingtian, Bai Xue, Graney, Grays, and Barraro, making six with him. Zhou Shan and Wu Sheng stayed behind in the capital.
Behind Zhang Dingtian and the others, a group of students were tied up, looking emaciated and starving but glaring at Lu Yin with angry eyes, especially Las and Jenny Ouna, the son of the Vice Minister of Finance and the heir of the Ouna family. They had never suffered like this.
Even someone of Willow's level seemed ordinary now.
"Let's go," Zhang Dingtian said in a deep voice, rising into the air. He held a rope tied to forty-two students, dragging them like empty bottles as they flew west. They couldn't leave these students behind, as Zhou Shan and Wu Sheng couldn't guard them alone.
Lu Yin was stunned. The scene was quite spectacular. He wondered what other students would think if they saw this.
Graney was already stunned. As an ordinary trial student, any of these captured students could easily defeat her, yet they were treated this way, challenging her worldview.
Grays, however, was excited, taunting Erde, Las, and Jenny Ouna, infuriating Jenny Ouna to the point of wanting to bite him.
Lu Yin greeted Bai Xue, who didn't return a friendly look.
Lu Yin understood why. He had heard the rumors in the city. Bai Xue was understandably angry. Even he was somewhat annoyed. What did they mean by being rejected? Was he that bad?
On the other side, high above Tianzhu, countless survivors of Tianzhu stared blankly upward as Qing Yu dragged all the captured students with a rope toward the base of Zang Peak, doing exactly what Zhang Dingtian had done, causing many students to cough up blood in anger. They were elites, now humiliated.
Huo Xiaoling's face turned red with anger. She hated Qing Yu and Lu Yin as well. Couldn't they just trade? Why use them as pawns? Bastard. If not for the trial, she would have broken the seal and fought Qing Yu to the death.
Outside Earth, Siken Maldo and the others looked equally grim, while Mira smiled happily, watching the screen. The final battle location had switched to the base of Zang Peak. No one believed this would be a simple trade; battle was inevitable.
Qing Yu set off a day earlier. When he arrived at the base of Zang Peak, Lu Yin and the others had not yet arrived, giving the waiting students a grand show.
The once lofty elite students were humiliated like this, including Huo Xiaoling, to the schadenfreude of many students.
Yan Gang trembled with anger. Huo Xiaoling was the fiancée of the Flame Star's young master. This was a slap not to her face but to the young master's.
Qing Yu casually threw the students to the ground, yawned, and looked leisurely at the towering Zang Peak not far away, showing no sign of being a wanted criminal.
Half a day later, Lu Yin and the others arrived.
The moment they saw Lu Yin and his group, the hidden students were once again shocked. Lu Yin had captured more students than Qing Yu, making a spectacular sight. Even Yan Gang was stunned, followed by a surge of anger. The Flame Star had good relations with the Ouna family. Jenny Ouna being treated this way, just like Huo Xiaoling, almost made him self-immolate in rage.
Secretly, the students protecting Jenny Ouna trembled with anger too. It was foreseeable that once this scene reached the Daoyu Empire, the Ouna family's reputation would be ruined.
Compared to these two women, Las seemed less important.
Qing Yu's eyes brightened as he looked at Lu Yin's group, finally fixing his gaze on Lu Yin. "You're the one negotiating with me."
"What makes you think that?" Lu Yin asked, puzzled.
Qing Yu smiled faintly. "Intuition."
Lu Yin waved his hand, and Zhang Dingtian threw forty-two students to the ground, just a short distance from Qing Yu's thirty-two captives. Both sides looked at each other, feeling rather awkward, especially Huo Xiaoling and Jenny Ouna. The Huo and Ouna families were not on good terms but were of the same level, knowing each other since childhood. Meeting like this was unexpected.
"All the students are here, a total of thirty-two. Where's my item?" Qing Yu asked, hands behind his back, looking at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin took out a stone and casually threw it to Qing Yu.
Qing Yu caught it, looking at the sixteen-sided ancient stone with a gleam in his eyes. He then looked at Lu Yin with surprise. "Don't you want to know what this is for?"
"No," Lu Yin replied indifferently. Facing this person, he didn't want to reveal the Bai Ye Fist. Who knew if it would be exposed to the Bai Ye clan? He didn't want to be hunted down. Better to get rid of it quickly.
Qing Yu appreciated that. "Very smart, and sensible. You didn't try to deceive me with a fake. Unfortunately, if you hadn't threatened me, I might have offered you a bright future."
Qing Yu's words made Lu Yin's eyes turn cold. Zhang Dingtian stepped forward, eyes flashing with killing intent.
"Did you cause Earth's evolution?" Zhang Dingtian asked sternly.
Qing Yu glanced at Zhang Dingtian and sneered, "Who are you to question me?" He looked at the long knife in Zhang Dingtian's hand and laughed. "My knife ended up with trash like you? It's an insult. Give it back." He then disappeared, rushing towards Zhang Dingtian.
Zhang Dingtian raised his knife and slashed, the blade trembling with force, unleashing a powerful strike towards Qing Yu. Qing Yu was surprised. "Cross-realm combat ability? Interesting." He drew an iron rod and smashed it. Zhang Dingtian's slash was easily crushed. The iron rod pierced through the void, covering the sky, enveloping not only Zhang Dingtian but also Lu Yin, Bai Xue, Grays, and others in its attack.