"I am Val. Sharlo, remember my name. I will find you at the Starry Sky War Academy!" The half-human, half-mechanical man suddenly turned and shouted, unwilling to accept that he had been threatened without even having the courage to fight back.
Sharlo smiled faintly and stepped into the beam of light.
Shuizi took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and also stepped into the beam of light. This time, he was led in by someone else, but next time, he wanted to walk out of the Tenth Court with honor.
At the same time, Doran Yushan and the others were overjoyed to see Shuizi's name appear on the light screen, along with Sharlo's name. Two cultivators from the Great Yu Empire, enough to make many envious.
"Hahaha, Shuizi made it through! He truly is the best of the younger generation in our Great Yu Empire!" Doran Yushan was overjoyed.
Fire Qingshan and the others nodded, recognizing Shuizi's significant progress in strength, having passed the assessment guarded by a powerhouse from the Inner Universe.
"Who is this Sharlo?" Locke Onaci wondered.
Everyone shook their heads. Doran Yushan ordered a file to be retrieved. "What? Classified?" Everyone was surprised.
"I don't even have the authority to view it. I'll have to ask Father when we return," Doran Yushan said solemnly, then smiled. "This assessment, our Great Yu Empire is the biggest winner. With four people passing, it's a cause for national celebration."
"Don't get too excited. The three major powers of the Inner Universe failed to intercept us, and our Great Yu Empire has four people who passed. They will certainly be displeased," Absolute Wolf said gravely.
Fire Qingshan's gaze turned cold. "So what? Our Great Yu Empire is built on martial strength. We do not fear war."
Far away in the capital star of the Great Yu Empire, the excitement was indeed as Doran Yushan predicted. Undying Yushan ordered a general amnesty and tax reductions, pushing the celebratory atmosphere to its peak.
However, one person was extremely furious: Basil. Lu Yin passing the assessment meant he could not trouble him in the short term, especially since he entered the Starry Sky War Academy. Although he didn't know much about the academy, he had heard enough to understand its significance. This person might indeed become a threat to him in the future.
Recalling Ghostfire's miserable state, Basil's face turned grim as he smashed the ground with a palm.
In the imperial palace on Zhenyu Star, Undying Yushan watched the light screen with an unrestrained smile. The screen showed a beautiful, serene woman with a contemplative gaze. "Father, you shouldn't have let anyone enter the Tenth Court," she said.
Undying Yushan took a sip of tea. "The gap between the Outer Universe and the Inner Universe is too vast. We must find ways to narrow it."
"It's impossible to narrow it. You've ventured into the Inner Universe. You should know its horrors. Do you really think sending a few youngsters to the Tenth Court can bridge the gap? They will only realize how insignificant they are," the woman said coldly. She was the Fifth Princess of the Great Yu Empire, Wendy Yushan.
Undying Yushan stared at Wendy Yushan. "Xiao Wu, you are too proud. The universe operates by its own rules. The starry sky changes, with one era strong and another weak. No one knows when the heavens might shift. I am old and cannot protect the empire forever, and you refuse to return. We can only gamble. Perhaps the future lies with these young people."
Wendy Yushan's gaze remained indifferent, or perhaps unconcerned. "Do as you please. The Great Yu Empire is but a speck of dust in the universe. If you insist on clinging to it, there's nothing I can do. But let me remind you, the Starry Sky War Academy is not a ladder to heaven for these people. They will only see how insignificant they are and how laughable their previous words were." With that, she ended the transmission.
Undying Yushan looked at the empty screen and sighed. He knew the Inner Universe's harshness, but without stepping out of this dried-up well, the frogs at the bottom would never understand how vast the sky was. Frogs swallowing the sky might be laughable, but also commendable.
The rain continued, neither heavy nor light, splashing on the bluestone tiles.
Lu Yin looked at the two newcomers in surprise: Sharlo and Shuizi.
Sharlo smiled at Lu Yin, unsurprised.
Shuizi scanned the group. There were eleven people in total: six in the Exploration Realm and five in the Fusion Realm. Excluding himself and Sharlo, only three Fusion Realm cultivators had passed the assessment. Shuizi's gaze settled on Hei Xu, who gave him an indescribable sense of danger.
Nearby, Silver smiled at Sharlo, who also looked over. The two exchanged glances.
Silver maintained his smile.
Sharlo's gaze became sharper.
Just then, another figure appeared, a new passer.
Lu Yin looked over and saw black-and-white hair, a hallmark of the White Night Clan.
At this moment, everyone was drawn to the new arrival. The black-and-white hair of the White Night Clan was too distinctive, and any cultivator from the Inner Universe would recognize it.
The newcomer's gaze was arrogant, scanning the surroundings, pausing briefly on Mishael with a look of admiration.
At that moment, a voice echoed in the void, "The assessment is over. Twelve have passed. Congratulations."
With those words, another name appeared on a light screen in the starry sky, just below Zhao Yilong's: Grey White Night.
Lu Yin shifted his gaze from the White Night Clan member to the sky. There was no one there, the voice emanating from above, from all directions.
In the distance, dark green rain curtains stretched to the horizon, occasionally shrouded in mist.
"Congratulations on entering the Tenth Court of the Starry Sky. The academy has prepared five gifts hidden in the rainwater. Those who find them will possess them."
Everyone's eyes lit up. Gifts from the Tenth Court of the Starry Sky must be extraordinary.
Lu Yin scanned the rain. Gifts hidden in the rainwater? What did that mean?
The twelve of them had different thoughts, all focusing on the rain. The rain continued to fall from the sky, but the surroundings seemed empty, with no sign of the gifts.
Mishael moved to a corner of the bluestone platform, facing east, standing still.
Sharlo did the same.
The White Night Clan member, Grey White Night, also stood still. Although he was in the Exploration Realm, no one regarded him as such.
Gradually, all twelve chose a direction, staring at the rain, sensing something.
The rain felt ordinary to Lu Yin. He reached out, and the raindrops fell into his palm, splashing. It seemed normal. What did the Tenth Court want them to perceive in the rainwater? Faced with this natural phenomenon, he was at a loss.
Soon, bursts of powerful star energy erupted and then subsided from Mishael and a few others. They had discovered something.
Lu Yin frowned, glancing at Lulu, whose eyes sparkled with understanding. He looked at Sharlo, whose expression remained gentle and unreadable. Lu Yin took a deep breath. He couldn't fall behind.
With determination, Lu Yin decided to use his Heavenly Star Technique. This was the Starry Sky War Academy, where he might be recognized, but there was no other choice. Falling behind now would only lead to further setbacks.
The next moment, Lu Yin activated the Heavenly Star Technique. Six stars orbited around him, a result of his recent efforts. He wondered if the Heavenly Star Palm with six stars could match the full strength of Gulbach. Even if not, it wouldn't be far off.
In the rain, a pair of weathered eyes opened, peering through the vast distance to see Lu Yin, surprised. "That technique? Someone in the Outer Universe has acquired it? Interesting, very interesting."
Since entering this rainy landscape, all contact with their personal terminals had been severed. They had no idea how much attention the Tenth Court's assessment had garnered. They had been in this rain for three days.
In these three days, Lu Yin had been staring at the raindrops. Through the Heavenly Star Technique, he saw something different. The rain washed away the impurities in his star energy. He vaguely saw figures moving in the rain, the explosion of star energy, and various incomprehensible yet astonishing phenomena.
The sound of the rain in his ears cleared his mind, revealing his journey on the path of cultivation.
As Lu Yin immersed himself in the rain, Mishael opened her eyes, star energy erupting once more. This time, the star energy parted the rain, forming a wave that seemed to tear a gap in the rain curtain. Her eyes brightened as she stepped into the rain, reaching out to grasp a chip in her hand.
The others watched in surprise as Mishael obtained the first gift.
Lu Yin focused on Mishael's star energy and then looked at himself. He realized the issue: Mishael's star energy had become tangible, able to part the rain, while his was merely formed without substance, unable to part the rain.
The gifts were right in front of them, not hidden. It was a test of their star energy.
Lu Yin took a deep breath, mobilizing his star energy, feeling the raindrops. He needed to solidify his star energy to part the rain. It seemed simple but was actually challenging.