Lu Yin pressed his hand against the monkey tattoo on his arm, which the Ghost Monkey found rather strange. “What are you doing? I didn’t scold you on purpose, so don’t take it to heart! Don’t hurt me…”

Lu Yin blocked the monkey off again when a shadow appeared on the fifth face of the die. The shadow represented the Ghost Monkey’s innate gift.

It made a lot of sense that he could borrow the monkey’s gift, and now, he could finally make use of rolling Gift Copy. It would no longer be a waste to get this roll.

After that, Lu Yin took out a star crystal to restore the die before rolling it once more.

He wasn’t disappointed this time. The die stopped on three: Enhance. With this, he was even more certain of his theory—the more time that passed between his rolls, the more likely it was for him to land the number that he wanted. Lu Yin thus made the decision to not roll the die too frequently; it should only be used when absolutely necessary.

Two plates of light appeared, one top of the other. Lu Yin took a deep breath and placed the chip on the uppermost light plate. He then took out five thousand star crystals, placed it inside, and stared intensely at the chip.

Ten seconds passed, but there was no reaction whatsoever. The chip didn’t appear to shift at all.

Lu Yin was speechless. It had cost him 300,000 star crystals to upgrade the four-stage formcast model. 5,000 crystals would have made it shift 1/60th of the way down. Although that might not sound like much, the change would have at least been noticeable. However, the chip had seemingly not moved at all. Either the chip could not be upgraded, or the amount needed to upgrade it was so terrifying that 5,000 crystals wasn’t enough for it to even budge.

It was a secret art created by a Progenitor, after all. It did make sense for it to be unupgradable.

Just as Lu Yin was about to wave his hand and dispel the layers, he suddenly recalled something and took out five fruits from his cosmic ring.

These were the fruits that he had picked during Astral-10’s entrance exam. Lulu had given him five of the fruits that they had found, but he still had no idea what they could be used for.

Since they had been found in a place like that, they probably weren’t that valuable. Still, he had nothing better to upgrade, so he might as well improve them.

Lu Yin placed them on the top layer and then flung out a thousand star crystals. The fruits dropped quickly through both layers, and soon enough, the light yellow sheen on the fruits seemed to intensify and reach a new level. The thousand star crystals that had been needed to enhance the fruits couldn’t even be considered much to Lu Yin.

These things really aren’t very valuable. Lu Yin pondered things over and then flung another handful of star crystals into the light plates. With a thud, all five fruits dropped to the ground after being upgraded once again. The sheen on them had transformed from a light yellow to bright yellow. Again, again, again!

After another thousand star crystals were consumed, the five fruits’ sheen had changed to a golden color and were releasing a light fragrance.

Lu Yin put another thousand star crystals in. This time, the five fruits weren’t completely upgraded. In other words, he now needed to use more than a thousand star crystals for each level he wanted to raise their quality by.

He still had about five hundred star crystals left, so he threw those in and completed the upgrade.

The golden sheen became even more apparent.

Lu Yin stored the fruits away. He had no idea what they were used for and should probably get them appraised, but for now, it was time to leave.

While Lu Yin was doing this in the secret room, news that he had become the Royal Regent had spread. Even the Astral Combat Academy had heard the news, causing Lu Yin’s reputation to grow even further.

However, he was merely the Royal Regent of an empire in a frontier weave, which was nowhere near the level of status he enjoyed as a member of the Council of the Astral Academy. This news merely caused a few ripples in the academy.

However, this same news had a very different effect in the Frostwave Weave.

The Ross Empire had already withdrawn all its troops. When they had threatened the Great Yu Empire for compensation costs, the Blind Monk had bluntly told them that the Great Yu Empire would continue to fight if need be. The commander of the Ross Empire, Angelo, was at a total loss in this situation.

Faced with the pressure from the thirteen organizations, the Ross Empire had ultimately chosen to simply leave the Frostwave Weave.

After the Ross Empire’s retreat, the Great Yu Empire was finally able to heave a sigh of relief as attention shifted back to the entirety of the Frostwave Weave.

Firesmelt Planet was one of the more unique planets in the Frostwave Weave, as the entire planet was constantly engulfed in flames. Although it was only a single planet, it had managed to give birth to quite a few powerhouses. Even the Great Yu Empire was cautious of them.

It could be said that, in the entire Frostwave Weave, Firesmelt Planet was one of the greatest enemies that stood in the way of the Great Yu Empire unifying the weave.

The planet’s flames filled the skies and covered the ground. A person with his hands clasped behind his back frowned at his gadget. He suddenly snorted, causing flames to shoot out of his nostrils. At that moment, all of the flames on the entire planet blazed more fiercely.

The man was Yan Wujiu, the master of Firesmelt Planet.

“I can’t believe that King Zishan has the ability to cooperate with thirteen organizations to force out the Ross Empire. He’s good,” Yan Wujiu said brashly, the flames calming down as he spoke.

There was a Cruiser, Yan Chong, standing next to Yan Wujiu who was similarly annoyed. “Since the Ross Empire has withdrawn, why don’t we move in, my lord? Undying Yushan is finally dead.”

“Undying Yushan may be gone, but there’s still Huo Qingshan, the Blind Monk, Xueshan Auna, and Wendy Yushan, and not a single one of them is easy to deal with. Huo Qingshan in particular is a very tricky opponent. He’s very mysterious. I could tell at least that much during the war with the Blaze Realm. He’s definitely more than he seems,” Yan Wujiu solemnly said.

He paused, and then seemed to suddenly recall something. “Is that girl still here?”

“Are you perhaps referring to Jenny Auna, my lord?”

“Yes.”

“She’s here waiting for the young master.”

“Contact Feng and have him deal with her. If possible, have him marry her.”

Yan Chong was surprised. “The person that the young master has affections for is Wendy Yushan.”

Yan Wujiu snorted. “Wendy Yushan is not someone who we can handle. She already has plenty of people pursuing her, and those people all have powerful connections. Even if Feng manages to become a member of the Outerverse Youth Council, he still might not be able to handle pursuing her. If he marries Jenny Auna, however, we’ll have the Auna family in our hands. Xueshan Auna is a rather tricky fellow, and he also controls the Ninth Imperial Squadron as well.”

“But this would be a clear move against the Great Yu Empire. We had the young master reach out to Jenny Auna in the past because of the Daynight clan, but if we actually do this, they won’t give us any aid.” Yan Chong sounded very worried.

Yan Wujiu could only reply, “When it comes down to it, we’re just pawns to them. However, just because we are a pawn doesn’t mean that we have no choices. Since the Daynight clan is gone, we can now do as we wish. Go and have Feng promise to marry the girl. Then, contact any organizations willing to wage war against the Great Yu Empire. I refuse to believe that the Great Yu Empire can survive if the rest of the Frostwave Weave works together.”

“Yes, my lord.”

After walking out from the underground area, Lu Yin glanced behind him. He might never return to this place again.

The most important military power of the Great Yu Empire was the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons, and the most important connections that the empire held were with the Huo and Auna families. It was time to appease those families.

Lu Yin left the palace, and Bronsen immediately appeared before him. “I will protect you, Your Majesty.”

Lu Yin nodded. “Thank you.”

Bronsen hastily bowed and looked at Lu Yin’s back. Who would have ever thought that the person holding the most power in the empire would end up being this young man who hadn’t even been born in the Great Yu Empire?

Bronsen still remembered the first time he had ever protected Lu Yin. Back then, the youth had merely been a Sentinel, and he could have been casually crushed to death at any given moment. Nobody had paid him much attention, and they were all waiting for him to screw up. The fact that he had helped Sigmund Mathers had nearly made him a laughing stock among the upper echelons of the empire.

Even at that time, however, this young man had been able to take care of any crises that came his way. Even as a Sentinel, this youth had been able to strike terror into Sicar. And now, Lu Yin had become so strong that even Bronsen had to admit that he was not a match for Lu Yin. How long had it been since those first days? Merely two years.

This young man had changed so quickly.

The Huo residence wasn’t too far away from the imperial palace. When Lu Yin arrived, Huo Qingshan personally came out and greeted the Royal Regent. Behind Huo Qingshan stood Huo Xiaoling, whom Lu Yin had seen before, as well as an adorable little girl.

“Greetings to His Majesty.” Huo Qingshan immediately bowed, his tone humble.

Huo Xiaoling only gave Lu Yin a look, but she bowed as well.

The little girl clutched Huo Xiaoling’s clothes curiously and bowed as well, imitating the older girl.

“There’s no need to be so polite. Once we are out of the throne room, you are my elder,” Lu Yin politely responded. He definitely would not presume that he stood above Huo Qingshan just because he was the Royal Regent. The main reasons why the man had acknowledged him was because of the ring of authority and because Lu Yin had lived in the Great Yu Empire for a while. A Hunter was powerful no matter where one went, and as such, Huo Qingshan certainly had the right to disregard Lu Yin’s tiny bit of local authority.

Huo Qingshan gravely said, “Please, come this way, Your Majesty.”

Lu Yin nodded and glanced at Huo Xiaoling. Compared to the time during the Earth trials, this girl had become more mature and broken through to become a Limiteer. Lu Yin was rather surprised by her progress. The fact that she had cultivated so far at her young age meant that she was considerably talented. “It’s been a while.”

Huo Xiaoling noticed Lu Yin staring at her, and after recalling what her father had said, she blushed. “It has.”

Some time later, Lu Yin was led into the residence.

It wasn’t very big. Compared to the Auna family’s estate, this residence didn’t even seem like it belonged to a wealthy family.

“You don’t seem to be doing very well, Huo Qingshan,” Lu Yin said as he surveyed the surroundings.

Huo Qingshan smiled congenially. “There are only a few members of this family living here. Having a small home makes things convenient.”

Lu Yin knew that Huo Qingshan’s wife had passed away years ago and that the man had never tried to remarry. The Huo clan’s main family now consisted solely of Huo Qingshan and his two daughters. The rest of the Huo clan, such as Huo Zhong, lived elsewhere.

The most powerful family in the Great Yu Empire only had three people with a pure bloodline. This was something that nobody would believe. Beyond that, the family’s successor was female.

Lu Yin had mainly visited the Huo family because he wanted to get Huo Qingshan’s full support. Lu Yin wanted the Hunter’s support not only because of the ring of authority, but also because Lu Yin wanted Huo Qingshan’s personal support.

During the time he had been in the Astral Combat Academy, Lu Yin had seen all kinds of organizations. While most of the students there were not stronger than him, many of them had connections that allowed them to send experts out as they wished. This was something that Lu Yin could not do. However if the Great Yu Empire gave Lu Yin its full support, then he would be able to grow more quickly. Of course, one thing to consider was that if he reached a position that was too high, the Great Yu Empire might not be able to keep up and would instead start dragging him down.

“Is it difficult for a Limiteer to break through and become an Explorer?” Lu Yin asked.

Huo Qingshan nodded and seriously answered, “Everyone has a different body and a different cultivation path. Similarly, breaking through the threshold of the Explorer realm is different for everyone. Given your current abilities, it will be much more difficult for you to become an Explorer than it was for me and most other Explorers. However, once you succeed, you’ll obtain a great deal of rewards and become much more powerful than your peers.”

Lu Yin fell deep into thought. “I heard that Explorers and above will all experience something called a period of exhaustion.”

Lu Yin had known about this issue for a long time, but he had never asked about it since it had never seemed applicable to him. But now, it was about time for him to learn more about it, seeing as he was just a single step away from that realm.