The Astral Combat Academies were the most powerful institutions in the universe. There were a total of ten of them, and outside of Astral-9 in the Endless Weave, all others were located in the Innerverse. Astral-10 moving to the Frostwave Weave was big news; this was the Weave that contained the Great Yu Empire.
Lu Yin's eyes were practically glowing when he switched the screen off, knowing that this was hugely important. Astral-10 would pose a fatal attraction to many youths in the universe, and while it was unrelated to him at first, he now had to plan around it. Entering the Academy would require aptitude, power, and most of all the ability to learn quickly from experience. And there was an enormous chance to gain that experience right now: Earth's planetary evolution. It was no wonder that so many people had come out to participate this time. Vesta was likely one of those who had rushed here the moment he heard the news.
However, this wasn't all encouraging. He still didn't know what Vesta's actual mission was— those participating in planetary evolution had to complete certain tasks to succeed— and even worse, a second batch would arrive in three months if this set of students couldn't accomplish that mission. Many people would be enticed by the opportunity, including those from powerful races or affluent families. The next set could bring untold cruelty to this planet.
Lu Yin felt a little anxious. If even the first batch of students was comprised of Sentinels, then the second would certainly have individuals that were even stronger. With his current power, he might not even be able to preserve his own life. He had to become a Sentinel at least within the next three months, or he would be relegated to being mere cannon fodder. He ordered his army to begin work the next morning, growing more silent than ever as he simply lay atop the roof of his vehicle.
Within the Hubei province, the city of Wucheng was now the core of China's central lands, protecting tens of millions of survivors with more gathering by the day. This place was the camp of one of the Seven Sages— Liu Shaoge, the Radiance. The title came from a strange ore that had appeared all around the city soon after the Apocalypse came to be, glowing when it was split apart. This ore and its properties were the foundation of Liu Shaoge's battle techniques and had saved millions of lives. Beams of light shot towards the sky from all over Wucheng, enveloping the entire city. It was thus known as the City of Light amongst survivors, with some even calling it the Everbright City.
One section of Wucheng's land was propped up in mid-air by its beams of light, floating up high in the sky. This was the residence of the Radiance, termed the City in the Sky. Below it was the Camp of Light, where 100,000 cultivators guarded the city's core.
There was no grand palace upon the City in the Sky, only a pretty courtyard with no form of cover. Those that stood up here could admire the starry heavens without obstruction, which was exactly what an elegant young man was doing at the island's edge. His lips curved upwards in a strange smile as he took a gentle sip of his wine; this was the Radiance himself.
Near him was another young man. Though this one wasn't comparable in appearance, the pride in his gaze seemed to disregard the elegant youth entirely. He grumbled, "All these resources here belong to you, especially the light crystals. They could have given you a ten-year head start over the rest of your planet, but here you are, wasting them."
Liu Shaoge turned and smiled at the man, "Don't put it like that, Phil. All these crystals belong to us, not me alone."
Phil's expression softened, "Cut off these light pillars, you're squandering resources."
Liu Shaoge nodded, "Alright, I'll listen to you. So, could you elaborate on the regional divisions you were talking about?"
"Mm. There are some unwritten rules in training. As long as any of us students control a certain area, we can mark it blue on the net. Most others won't fight for blue districts in the initial phases, the only exception is if they're already enemies."
"So Wucheng has already been marked blue?"
"Of course! Do you think I was the only one who came here in the past few days? This training is cruel enough already; no one wants a fight to the death so early. We also have to consider each other's backgrounds; fortunately, mine is good enough for no one to bother us."
Liu Shaoge smiled faintly and nodded, "I see."
"Alright, how's the other stuff I asked you to look into?" Phil asked impatiently, then glanced at the light pillar. Annoyance flashed past his eyes once more, "Deactivate those things, it's such a waste."
Liu Shaoge smiled and poured some wine, "Things are beginning to take shape."
Phil's eyes gleamed, "Really? Continue."
Liu Shaoge passed the wine over, "Look at this glass of wine."
Phil hesitated and subconsciously looked over. There was nothing special about it, only the liquor within rocking and rippling endlessly, circle after circle…
"Hand me your personal gadget," said with a smile, and a sluggish Phil passed it over without question.
Not long after, Liu Shaoge closed the gadget and massaged his head, "Now that I've taken him off the network, will they find out I'm controlling him? Hmm… Forget it," he put on the watch and smiled, staring knowingly into the skies.
...
Two days later, Lu Yin's troops finally approached the frontlines. Had they not been forced to repair communication lines along the way, they would have arrived already. Those two days had been spent idly staring at the moon, something that made Luo Yi think that he was a fool.
The fleet suddenly stopped and Xu San looked towards him, "Something's wrong, Boss. We haven't seen any survivors since yesterday, and there should be soldiers patrolling nearby."
"Have the troops rest," Lu Yin got up and stared into the distance, heading away from the army and taking out his wristwatch. He started the scanner and slowly extended its range. One kilometer, two kilometers, ten… He soon screened out everything below the Sentinel realm and kept going until he finally found someone 37 kilometers away. His expression sank as he saw the combat level: 2200. When he checked his map, he saw an abandoned town that was less than 20 kilometers from the frontlines. This was right on their path.
Having the troops hunker down, Lu Yin headed north on his own. He needed to know if this Sentinel was a person or a mutant beast, but that question was answered less than ten kilometers into the journey. Ahead of him was a squadron of cultivators, which meant that this abandoned town had been turned into an assembly ground. The Sentinel he had detected was undoubtedly one of the students who had descended upon Earth. Muttering to himself for a while, he enabled the location tracker on Vesta's watch once more.
The moment the tracker was reactivated, a girl in white armor with waist-length hair suddenly popped up more than a dozen kilometers away. She looked at her own watch and snorted, flying south. Not long after, she was in the skies glaring coldly towards Lu Yin, "This region has been marked blue, please leave."
Lu Yin's eyes gleamed at the sight of the pretty girl, "Good day! I'm Yatar from the First Military School of the Pagoda Planet."
"I'm not interested, leave now," the girl replied coldly, energy rippling around her as she directed her strength downwards.
"Wait, don't be hasty!" Lu Yin replied, "I'm injured right now, not a threat. I can give you resources, a lot of resources."
Her gaze remained cold, "You're just a Seeker, and you dare to participate in a planetary trial? How did you get in?"
"My grandfather is the headmaster," Lu Yin answered with a proud tone.
"Ugh, scram!" the girl was clearly getting annoyed.
Lu Yin immediately retrieved several fire crystals from his cosmic ring and tossed them over, "Help me survive this, and I'll give you a whole basket of these crystals."
The girl grabbed the crystals nonchalantly, but was shocked at the heat they were radiating. She finally descended, "Where did you get these?"
"My grandfather, of course. He's an Explorer, he can get as many as he wants."
The girl's eyes finally gleamed as well, making a fist as she started emanating bloodlust. Lu Yin immediately retreated and glared, "Don't you dare mess around. No one can interfere in the evolution, but they can look up who lived, who died, and who killed who later. You don't want my grandfather coming after you!"
The girl thought about it and relaxed her hand, "I can help you get out of this planet alive, but I'll have nothing to do with your results."
Lu Yin heaved a sigh of relief, "No matter, my grandfather can send me to Astral-10 no matter what. Any rewards are all yours."