For the people of Earth, news of the Dayu Empire trials was beyond their reach. They only knew that the apocalypse had arrived, followed by powerful figures who protected their settlements. What exactly happened was known to only a few.
One by one, students were brought onto the spaceship. Out of the 237 students who participated in this trial, only 150 made it back alive. In other words, 87 students died during the trial. When this data was reported to Siken Maldo, he remained expressionless; this mortality rate was not considered high.
Every trial typically has a death rate of 50%. As long as it stays below that threshold, it's acceptable. Of course, slightly exceeding it wouldn't raise concerns unless it involved the deaths of certain noble offspring.
Students like Grelanie, who only intended to survive, were quite pleased. They had only aimed to claim a spot and return alive. However, the strongest students from various academies, especially those in the second batch, were very unhappy. Their faces were grim, reflecting their displeasure.
Among the Earthlings, Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue were exceptionally allowed to join the Dayu Empire. Zhang Dingtian possessed cross-border combat power, and Bai Xue had special talents, qualifying them to join the Imperial Court's Thirteen Teams directly. Zhou Shan and Wu Sheng were also permitted to join the Dayu Empire, but they refused, choosing to stay on Earth instead.
Siken Maldo didn't mind this; compared to Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue, the two were much less impressive. Even if they joined the Empire, they would just be ordinary soldiers.
In addition to them, the only other Earthling who joined the Dayu Empire was the Indian monk Shiyouzhang. He was the only one besides Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue to be exceptionally admitted.
Lu Yin was treated for two hours before the injury on his chest was under control.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue.
"How is it?" Lu Yin asked weakly.
Zhang Dingtian replied in a low tone, "It's over. Earth remains unchanged. The Dayu Empire will continue to monitor it and will also send soldiers to clear out the zombies on Earth. Lu Yin, thank you."
"Thank you," Bai Xue added gratefully.
Lu Yin coughed and got out of bed. Looking outside at the passing white clouds, he asked, "Are we leaving?"
Zhang Dingtian nodded. "Zhou Shan and Wu Sheng decided to stay on Earth. Besides the three of us, the only other Earthling joining the Dayu Empire is the Indian monk Shiyouzhang."
Lu Yin was surprised. "An Indian monk? Is he strong?"
Zhang Dingtian spoke with admiration, "He is a remarkable person. You'll see for yourself. He's just outside. The Dayu Empire will place us in Yutang."
Lu Yin stepped out of the medical room and immediately spotted the Indian monk. He was quite distinctive: barefoot, with half his body covered in a robe, his entire body a bronze color, extremely thin, almost skeletal. At first glance, he looked like a finely crafted bronze statue. More striking was his right hand, which he held high. It was dried and deformed, resembling a tree branch, with his beard wrapped around it in circles.
People passing by couldn't help but stare.
Lu Yin was taken aback. "Is this the Indian monk Shiyouzhang?"
Zhang Dingtian, usually resolute, also found Shiyouzhang's appearance strange. Bai Xue seemed a bit scared.
"He is Shiyouzhang, the only person on Earth to break through to the Exploration Realm without receiving Qing Yu's guidance. He defeated Hai Dian and has the strength of the strongest academy students," Zhang Dingtian said solemnly.
Lu Yin found it odd. "How did he become a cultivator?" With his appearance, it seemed difficult for him to even fight a mutant beast, let alone a regular person.
"I don't know. He hasn't spoken," Zhang Dingtian replied.
"I can answer that," Siken Maldo said as he approached. Everyone around immediately saluted.
Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue remained indifferent. They joined the Dayu Empire to become stronger and had no particular feelings toward the Empire. Of course, they didn't hold any grudges either, as the planetary evolution was brought by Qing Yu and had nothing to do with the Empire.
Lu Yin looked at Siken Maldo, knowing he was up to something. "You seem to treat me differently. Why?"
Siken Maldo smiled. "I'll explain it to you. The spaceship is about to leave Earth. Do you have any final instructions?"
Lu Yin thought for a moment. "Go to Nanjing and bring a man named Xu San. He is my subordinate."
Siken Maldo nodded without further questions and instructed someone through his personal terminal. He then said, "Regarding your earlier question, I can answer that," glancing at Shiyouzhang before addressing Lu Yin. "He is a man of great perseverance. He once sat alone in the middle of two fighting mutant beast groups, drenched in blood, without fear. After the beasts finished fighting, he collected energy crystals and consumed them to reach the Exploration Realm. His determination is rare, and he possesses unimaginable resolve."
The three of them were shocked. Sitting alone in the middle of a battlefield between beast groups as an ordinary person—this guy was either crazy or incredibly brave.
"I made an exception to allow him to join the Dayu Empire. His perseverance has caught the interest of some people. He might have a promising future," Siken Maldo said to Lu Yin.
At that moment, Shiyouzhang raised his eyes, his gaze cloudy, and walked barefoot on the cold metal floor to Lu Yin. Slowly, he bowed.
Lu Yin was puzzled.
"Th-thank you," Shiyouzhang said in a hoarse voice, seemingly unused to speaking.
Lu Yin replied, "You're welcome. You don't quite look like an Indian."
Shiyouzhang straightened up. "I was born on the Tibetan Peak in China and practiced in India," he said before bowing again and leaving.
Siken Maldo also left to handle the aftermath and had many tasks to complete.
"Let's go explore. This is a super-large spaceship from the Dayu Empire, worth as much as an entire ecological planet," Lu Yin said.
"I'm not going. There's a gravity chamber and a small library here. I want to check them out," Zhang Dingtian said calmly and then left.
Lu Yin looked at Bai Xue, who was stunningly beautiful and a pleasure to look at.
Bai Xue, still recovering from the Liu Shaoge incident, apologized to Lu Yin and left as well.
Lu Yin sighed. "Two introverts. I should have kept Shiyouzhang around. His appearance alone would intimidate people. No one would dare mess with us if I took him out."
This super-large spaceship was named Yili, designed to transport trial students. It was larger than the entire Nanjing settlement and had all the necessary facilities. There were over a hundred gravity chambers and more than three hundred personal spaceships. All the students' personal spaceships had been collected and stored on Yili.
Yili had various zones: training, mechanical, living, observation, operation, and more. Lu Yin was currently in the living zone, specifically on the top floor, with a private suite that even included a swimming pool and medical facilities. Only three such suites existed on the entire Yili, and he occupied one of them, living better than even Saloshu.
Other students stayed on the next floor, which had hundreds of large rooms, but they couldn't compare to Lu Yin's suite.
Lu Yin walked to the next floor, where most of the students were staying. The staff quarters were on the other side, and the soldiers were housed on the lowest level.
The living area was surrounded by layers of transparent metal. Lu Yin tested its hardness and found it extremely tough.
"This metal can only be shattered by strong skywalkers. With your strength, you couldn't even leave a mark," a gentle voice said nearby. Xia Luo approached with a smile, looking at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin turned and asked, "Why didn't I see you during the battle in India?"
Xia Luo smiled. "I wasn't interested."
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. "As a trial student, with your strength, you're not interested in the trial tasks? I'm really curious."
Xia Luo walked up to him, looking at the clouds outside and the giant turtle's tail sweeping back and forth. "As long as the trial's goals are met, there's no need to get hung up on tasks." He turned to Lu Yin. "Congratulations on defeating Qing Yu. That achievement will make the Dayu Empire take notice of you."
Lu Yin shrugged. "It was just luck. I couldn't have beaten him on my own."
"In this universe, luck doesn't exist. A win is a win. Lu Yin, or rather, Brother Lu, do you know what defeating a Nightking means?" Xia Luo asked with a smile.
Lu Yin shook his head.
Xia Luo's gaze deepened as he looked outside. "It means you've caught the attention of the White Night Clan. Unless you never go to the Inner Universe, they'll keep an eye on you."
Lu Yin moved his shoulders. "So, I'm in trouble now."