Lu Yin's mouth twitched as he looked at Coco. "Coco, what about you?"
Coco, embarrassed, replied, "I... I... I'm called Little Angel."
Lu Yin was speechless.
"I'm called Silver Needle," Zora chimed in, leaning closer.
Meng Yue approached, glaring at Lu Yin. "Remember, I'm called Desolate. If I encounter you in the Realm War, I won't hold back."
"I already said there's only one Transference Stone; we won't run into each other," Lu Yin responded.
At that moment, Yin walked out with his characteristic sly smile, looking quite pleased.
Everyone assumed he had won, but the old man shouted, "Yin, zero wins, one loss."
With that, all twelve had tried the Realm War. Aside from Michelle and Hei Xu, who each had one win, everyone else had lost.
The Realm War opponents weren't just stronger; they were top-notch elites, talented geniuses. Lu Yin realized how vast the universe was and how small the Great Yu Empire seemed in comparison. In the Great Yu Empire, his Exploration Realm strength could rival someone in the Fusion Realm. Especially after activating the sixth star, he felt confident he could contend with the likes of Guild Master Gulbach. However, against the Realm War opponents, he had no assurance, even against those of the same level.
Perhaps in the Realm War, he might even encounter someone else practicing the same Heavenly Star Art.
Hei Xu stepped into the Transference Stone area once more, ready to continue the battles.
Most of the others had similar intentions. The Realm War was new and intriguing to them, and they all wanted to give it another shot.
After several rounds, Lu Yin also participated again. He chose a codename for himself: Seventh Brother. He felt an inexplicable sense that he should be the seventh.
In several rounds of the Realm War, his luck was poor. He faced two Extreme Realm opponents, one Explorer, and even a Fusion Realm opponent who easily defeated him.
Emerging from the Transference Stone area for the fifth time, Lu Yin heard the old man shout, "Lu Yin, zero wins, five losses." He walked off on his own, deciding not to continue for the time being. The battles were futile; those participating in the Realm War wouldn't give him a chance to react. They were after victories, not improving their skills.
Lu Yin realized the Realm War served as a benchmark to test one's strength.
"Student, would you like some food?" Yin called from a distance, smiling as he held up some grilled meat, sprinkling it with seasoning. The aroma was enticing.
Coco, Zora, and Lulu were already there, eating.
Lu Yin walked over and took a bite of the meat. It was indeed delicious.
"Brother Yin, your cooking is amazing," Coco praised.
Yin smiled. "If you like it, eat more. I'm a gourmet chef."
"How many matches have you had?" Lu Yin asked.
Yin held up one finger.
"Only one match?" Lu Yin was surprised.
Yin continued to flip the meat, smiling at Lu Yin. "You've had five matches. Do you plan to continue?"
Lu Yin shook his head.
Yin casually tossed a piece of meat to the old man. The old man caught it, sniffed it, and said, "Not bad. You've got talent, kid."
"Glad you like it," Yin replied with a smile.
The old man beamed. "I do, I do."
Luckily, Michelle didn't see this. Yin spoke softly, but the old man heard him clearly. He had obviously been pretending to be deaf around Michelle, which would have infuriated her if she knew.
As time passed, people started to leave. Zhao Yilong, Xiuzi, Xia Luo, and Zora all left to explore other places of interest.
Yin also left.
Lu Yin stayed near the Transference Stone for three days, curious to see how many victories Gray White Night and Hei Xu could achieve.
"Gray White Night, one win, twenty-seven losses," the old man shouted.
Shortly after, "Hei Xu, seven wins, twenty-two losses."
Lu Yin was surprised. Seven wins—that was impressive.
Gray White Night also stared at Hei Xu in astonishment. This person was much stronger than him.
"Seven wins? Impressive," a stranger appeared about ten meters away from Lu Yin, looking at Hei Xu in amazement.
Lu Yin glanced at the man, puzzled.
The man smiled at Lu Yin. "Let me introduce myself: Little Cannon. You can call me Senior Cannon."
Lu Yin found the name strange. "Little Cannon? Are you related to Big Cannon?"
"That's my brother," Little Cannon replied.
Lu Yin nodded. The brothers had quite the naming style. "Senior Cannon, I have a question. We've been here for three days, but why haven't we seen any other seniors?"
Little Cannon looked embarrassed. "They all left. Apart from the mentor, it's just me and my brother in the Tenth Court."
"What? Everyone left?" Lu Yin was shocked.
Little Cannon nodded. "The Tenth Court used to be in the Inner Universe, but it was moved to the Outer Universe. The students either transferred to other courts or left; no one wants to be in the Outer Universe."
Lu Yin hadn't expected the Tenth Court's situation to be this dire. No wonder they hadn't seen any other students.
Shortly after, Lu Yin said goodbye to Little Cannon and left the Realm Gate, heading towards the Watchtower Desert that Big Cannon had mentioned. Most of the others had left within three days as well.
The Watchtower Desert was one of the three main attractions of the Tenth Court, along with the Rain Observation Platform and the Star-Plucking Tower. There was no specific description of its use, but since the Rain Observation Platform could temper star energy, Lu Yin guessed the Watchtower Desert might temper the body or battle skills.
The Tenth Court's teleportation device had only a few options. Lu Yin directly chose the Watchtower Desert. Soon, a tearing force came, and he left the Realm Gate, finding himself in a vast expanse of yellow sand.
Before him was an endless desert.
He had expected this, having read the basic introduction to the Watchtower Desert from Big Cannon. It was indeed a sea of sand, boundless and vast, far exceeding the area of the Rain Observation Platform. Occasionally, sandstorms swept across the land, making it a dangerous place.
Lu Yin didn't enter the Watchtower Desert; he just wanted to see it before teleporting away to the Star-Plucking Tower.
Among the three main attractions, the Star-Plucking Tower was the most mysterious because all ten courts had one, and they all shared the same name.
According to Big Cannon's introduction, everyone saw something different in the Star-Plucking Tower. Some saw their past, some saw a starry sky, some saw powerful battle skills, and some even claimed to have seen a glimpse of the future. While Lu Yin didn't believe the last part, it still reflected the tower's mystery.
The Star-Plucking Tower was indeed just a wooden building, made of unknown wood materials, constructed in an octagonal shape and stacked layer upon layer, not exceeding a hundred meters in height. The top was a flat surface. The whole building looked ordinary, but it held countless mysteries.
When Lu Yin arrived at the Star-Plucking Tower, Xia Luo was just leaving. They passed each other.
"How many Realm War attempts did you make?" Xia Luo asked. He had left after his first failure.
"Five times," Lu Yin replied.
Xia Luo smiled. "We're too early for this. We have no right to challenge the Inner Universe experts yet."
Lu Yin nodded in agreement, then changed the topic. "Do you know Yin?"
Xia Luo was surprised. "Why do you ask?"
Lu Yin chuckled. "I'm not blind. Your attitude towards him is different from towards others."
Xia Luo shook his head. "I don't know him, but I dislike the aura he carries."
Lu Yin immediately thought of the New Human Alliance, an organization made up of trial-evolved Corpse Kings. However, Yin didn't look like a Corpse King.
They didn't talk further. Xia Luo left, destination unknown, while Lu Yin ascended the Star-Plucking Tower step by step.
The Star-Plucking Tower seemed ordinary. Even when Lu Yin reached the top, everything he saw and felt was normal, without any anomalies.
"Close your eyes and quietly meditate," a voice rang in his ear. Lu Yin knew it came from the mentor. Without thinking much, he closed his eyes slowly.
He didn't know how much time had passed. It felt like he had fallen asleep, yet he was awake. His gaze traversed the Star-Plucking Tower, seeing a starry sky full of ancient desolation. Looking deeper, he saw massive ancient warships sailing through the stars, one after another. Each warship was enormous, encompassing entire star systems. He faintly heard ancient war songs, and on the side of the foremost ship, he saw two words—Boundless.
Suddenly, everything shattered like a bubble. A jade finger tore through the starry sky, crushing him. Anger surged within him. "How dare you!" Lu Yin suddenly roared, opening his eyes. Everything returned to normal. He was still in the Star-Plucking Tower. The starry sky, warships, and jade finger had all vanished.
His pupils flickered as he panted heavily. It was that scene again. He had been crushed. Why did he see it for the second time? Was it real or an illusion? If it was real, why was he still alive? If it was an illusion, the anger he felt was all too real.