The people watching from below revealed expressions of delight. Han Chong did not restrain himself and immediately leaped out of the sixth level to appear beside Lu Yin.

Lu Yin looked at him. He knew what Lu Yin wanted and pulled out the promised contracts from the trialtakers below before handing them over to Lu Yin. “Brother Lu, feel free to check them.”

Lu Yin briefly scanned the papers before replying, “There’s no need. I trust Brother Han.”

Below them, Yue Xianzi was rendered speechless when she saw that Lu Yin was actually shameless enough to say that right after he blatantly looked through all the promissory notes.

Lu Yin was much happier after he received those promissory notes. The crack suddenly grew a bit wider, and the previously trapped trialtakers emerged one after another. Many thanked Lu Yin, and only a few looked at him in a disgruntled manner, though they did not dare to say too much; Lu Yin was powerful enough to crush them with a single finger.

“Right, let me give you all a friendly reminder. Ming Hao has planted many scouts nearby, so don’t get recaptured right after you escape,” Lu Yin added on with a smile.

The group then left the Tower of Resonating Light one by one.

Yue Xianzi looked at Zhanlong Daynight, and she seemed like she wanted to ask something, but in the end, she decided not to speak up.

Han Chong smiled at Lu Yin. “Brother Lu, I’m looking forward to the battle between the top four.”

Lu Yin looked at him seriously. “You’re very powerful. I couldn’t sense it before, but now, I know that you’ll be my greatest opponent among the top four.”

Han Chong smiled gently. “Brother Lu, you’re looking down upon Starsibyl and Grandini. Grandini may seem like the weakest one out of the four with her four-lined battle force and her strange strength, but in reality, she has not revealed the Mavis family’s innate gift yet, and no one has grasped the true depths of Starsibyl’s strength. Brother Lu, don’t underestimate either one of them.” He then took one last glance at Zhanlong Daynight before leaving.

The Daynight clan had deployed Zhanlong Daynight for this mission, which was proof that they were not underestimating the top four, but it was a pity that their top genius had run into Lu Yin.

From Han Chong’s perspective, Zhanlong Daynight’s defense was astounding, and Han Chong was not sure if he could win against him. Rather, it was highly likely that the two of them would end up being equally matched. Lu Yin was best suited to subdue Zhanlong Daynight since violence curbed violence.

Lu Yin looked at Han Chong’s figure and was reminded of how, back on Earth, Lulu had subdued a giant Explorer realm turtle as a Melder. He had forgotten about that incident and only recalled it now. Is that the Mavis family’s innate gift? It would be rather terrifying if Grandini had a similar ability.

Now that he thought about it, when was the battle of the top four going to start? Elder Cai had mentioned that the Astral Combat Academy was waiting for some sort of turning point. Lu Yin was looking forward to it.

His gaze swept across the grounds, taking in Li Zimo and the rest of the natives. Lu Yin then grabbed Zhanlong Daynight and the other members of the Daynight clan, as these people could not be safely released. His objectives during this trial was first to join the Outerverse Youth Council and second to distract the Daynight clan and force them to shift their focus.

However, the trialtakers who had left earlier would definitely spread news of him defeating Zhanlong Daynight as soon as they returned home, and that would be inconvenient for him as well. He did not want to be constantly entangled with the Daynight clan, and he needed to join the Outerverse Youth Council before the Daynight clan exacted their revenge. At that point, his position would be different as his words would carry some real weight within the Outerverse.

Back in the Reverent King's palace, Ming Zhaoshu brought Ming Yan towards the central mansion where Tang Si was.

Lu Yin had given Zhanlong Daynight and the rest of the Daynight clan members to the king.

Tang Si retrieved the prisoners with a look of shock, and Zhanlong Daynight’s presence quickly grabbed his attention. His gaze changed as he quickly recognized this person—this was the exact same powerhouse who had attacked Ming Yan on that day, and that powerful palm strike had imprinted itself deeply in his memory. It had paralyzed him and blown away an entire street with him. “Who’s this?”

“A foreigner. Tie him up, throw him into the prison, and don’t let him escape,” Lu Yin instructed.

Tang Si stared deeply at Lu Yin. “The Reverent King's palace is not a place for you to settle your personal grudges.”

Lu Yin laughed before replying, “You can ask for the Reverent King’s instructions to see if he wants these people as prisoners. Even without mentioning their identities outside of this region, just their identities as foreigners should be enough to boost the Reverent King’s prestige.”

Tang Si took a deep breath and said, “Fine, I’ll arrange it.”

As he left the Reverent King's palace, Lu Yin reluctantly looked back. It was not that he hated bidding farewell to Ming Yan, but rather that he disliked the emotions that welled up whenever he parted with her. If he saw her even one more time, perhaps he would no longer want to leave this place. However, there was no chance of him ever obtaining that girl if he stayed in the Shenwu Continent. His gaze hardened; he would return to the Shenwu Continent one day, and it would not be too far off in the future either.

Ming Zhaoshu had given him ten years, but Lu Yin had given himself five. In five years, he had to return to the Shenwu Continent and bring her back with him.

Crack!

A black spatial crack extended endlessly from the sky off in the distance. A surging force then swept over Mingdu, causing the entire capital to shudder, and even all of Ming Island trembled.

Ming Hao stood up with an ugly expression as he clenched both of his fists. He could sense Ming Zhaotian’s aura growing more and more feeble by the minute. Are the foreign forces becoming stronger?

Ming Zhaoshu’s face turned solemn, as he could also sense that Ming Zhaotian was weakening.

Suddenly, a large crack appeared on one of the five sealing planets. This scene shocked all of the residents on the Shenwu Continent, and countless people dropped to their knees as they began praying to the heavens.

Ming Hao did not even notice that the wine in his glass had spilled. He clenched his fists tightly. Persevere, you must persevere.

Ming Zhaoshu grit his teeth at this sight. At this moment, no matter what political position they held or their status, no one on the Shenwu Continent hoped for the five sealing planets to collapse.

Ming Yan’s face turned deathly pale, and she stubbornly bit her lips as she stared at the sky. No one was in the mood for celebration as they were all gazing upwards.

The black spatial crack expanded another step further, and peculiar words drifted through before forming what seemed to be a cage, entrapping a figure within them. That figure then let out a miserable howl as blood covered their body.

Ming Hao suddenly stood up. Even his gums had started to bleed. That trapped figure was the Shenwu Empire’s Ming Zhaotian, who had been reduced to his current sorry state.

Countless were stunned; in the hearts of the Shenwu Continent’s natives, the strongest being under the sun was Ming Taizhong, who had opened up a spatial crack a thousand years ago. The second was Ming Zhaotian, but now, he was being crushed before their very eyes.

“No matter the situation is, think carefully before you act.” A massive, floating, youthful face had appeared in the sky, and it seemed to cover the entire Shenwu Continent.

Lu Yin was charging towards one of the designated departure points that Cangyu had provided to the trialtakers. He looked up in the skies, and his pupils shrank; that was the scholar of the Ten Arbiters—Wen Sansi.

The Darkmist Weave had actually invited Wen Sansi! It was no wonder why the five sealing planets had almost collapsed; they were actually trembling before one of the Ten Arbiters. The seal could withstand attacks from other powerhouses, but this was one of the Ten Arbiters; a super powerhouse who had climbed to the peak of the younger generation.

Wen Sansi’s face was thus engraved into the Shenwu Continent’s memory. This person had crushed Ming Zhaotian, and his feat would be deeply remembered by all.

Suddenly, Wen Sansi’s face vanished as the giant spatial crack began to slowly repair itself. The five sealing planets no longer trembled, and everything seemed to return to normalcy. All that had happened was that a thin spatial crack swept across the Shenwu Continent, taking away Lu Yin and most of the other trialtakers.

This great battle had started abruptly and ended just as abruptly. It almost seemed as if the scene of Ming Zhaotian being crushed had been nothing more than a hallucination.

“That must have been an illusion just now. It’s definitely a part of the foreigners’ plan. After all, how could His Majesty ever be defeated?” someone shouted fanatically.

Many echoed the same sentiments.

Ming Hao’s gaze flashed. “Well said. That was just a fantasy created by a powerhouse.”

Many relaxed when they heard that that was indeed the case. His Majesty Ming Zhaotian was a Martial God who would not be defeated that easily.

However, these words could only deceive the commoners, and even Ming Yan did not believe them. Ming Zhaoshu smiled incredulously, but his expression soon turned serious again. He raised his head. How did things go in the stellar battlefield?

Everyone worriedly looked at the cracks on one of the five sealing planets.

Not long after, a boundless martial power swept across the capital. “The battle has ended. Let the celebrations begin,” a giant voice boomed from above Mingdu. Many cheered, as they could tell that this was Ming Zhaotian’s voice. That previous scene had indeed just been an illusion.

Within the secret chambers inside the imperial palace, Ming Zhaotian walked out from the void in a sorry state. He spat out a mouthful of blood as his entire body crashed to the floor. His eyes contained an unfading shock and incredulity. How could that young person have been so strong? He had been utterly crushed! He had cultivated martial power his entire lifetime and had taken the best resources in the Shenwu Continent to become a Martial God, but despite all that, he had been subdued by a mere youth! Is he one of the so-called Ten Arbiters? How can someone from the younger generation be that powerful?

Ming Zhaotian had originally not paid much attention to the Ten Arbiters, but his heart was now full of respect for those ten, especially that scholar from the Ten Arbiters who had crushed him—Wen Sansi.

Lu Yin felt as if his entire body was going to be torn apart, but it was different compared to when he had first entered the continent. Previously, he had completely been unable to detect the powerhouses through the void. This time, however, Lu Yin could observe the void, and his perception could even penetrate through it to see those experts. However, he didn’t dare to do so as there was a risk of him being discovered. It was just like his five-fold formcast model; when a powerhouse created a formcast model, other experts would be able to glean information about the creator through the model. It was even possible for them to discover their weaknesses. This was why five-fold formcast models were so rare; higher level formcast models were actually a way for others to discover key information about the creator, and no one was willing to place themselves in such jeopardy.

Bang!

Lu Yin heard a loud noise the moment he was thrown out of the void while another trialtaker was viciously flung against a wall. Lu Yin hurriedly used Flash to avoid the same tragedy. There was a large invisible barrier surrounding the area where the trialtakers appeared one after another.

Every time there was a trial on the Shenwu Continent, Cangyu would give different exit points to the participating trialtakers. After some time, a spatial crack would sweep across the continent and bring any surviving trialtakers back, but not as many managed to return this time compared to past trials.

Lu Yin noticed Starsibyl in the group. This woman had a far superior aura than the others. Although she was silent, there was still a mysterious air that seemed to emanate from her entire body, attracting attention to her just like a beacon.

“It’s Starsibyl! The humans’ Starsibyl! If I kill her, then I’d immediately become famous in the Astral Beast Domain! My status would even rise above the other four Academy Masters’, and I would become the top student of the Spiritual Academy!” the Ghost Monkey wistfully sighed.

Lu Yin was caught speechless. “Aren’t your eyes supposed to be very powerful? Tell me the mystery behind her.”

“I can’t tell,” the Ghost Monkey replied extremely straightforwardly.

Lu Yin unhappily shot back, “Don’t try to pull a fast one on me!”

“Of course not, how would I dare lie to the mighty Seventh Bro? You’ve even learned the Secret Sidestep, so this universe’s size can no longer contain you!”

“Shut up and tell me.”

“So do you want me to shut up, or to speak?”

“Tell me about Starsibyl.”

“Starsibyl? What about her?”

“Use your eyes to observe her.”

The monkey begrudgingly replied, “Seventh Bro, I already told you. I really can’t see through her. Starsibyl is from the Starsibyl Sect, which is at a similar level as that freak, Skymender. They can divine the future! I simply can’t see through her at all.”

Lu Yin did not continue questioning the monkey anymore. The Ghost Monkey was most likely telling the truth; if it were so easy to see through her, then Starsibyl would no longer be Starsibyl. His gaze shifted as he saw many other familiar faces; those who had given him promissory notes as well as others.

Grandini Mavis sized Lu Yin up and down from a distance. Lu Yin coincidentally met her gaze.

Grandini Mavis raised her fist, and Lu Yin smiled. He knew that she was referencing the time they had exchanged blows at the thatched cottage.