Star Odyssey

At that moment, Ke Jian arrived. "Senior, the Voidforce Universe's Bureau has officially accepted the You family’s invitation, and they have agreed to send over Xuan Qi, Boss Guan, Skinner, Xu Ji, and Xu Yue to our Transcendent Universe to help the You family hunt down spies."

"Already?" Uncle Mo stepped out.

Ke Jian quickly offered Uncle Mo a deep bow.

He Ran gave a small smile. "It appears that my little brother Xuan Qi is quite eager to improve his relationship with the You family."

"Could that be because of Xu Yue?" Ke Jian asked.

He Ran was caught off guard. "Xu Yue?"

Ke Jian explained, "I can see why everyone else in his group was selected, as even Xu Ji was chosen so that he could gain experience, but Xu Yue is different. She is neither powerful nor particularly talented. She may be considered a genius, but she is not exceptional. Even so, she is joining Xuan Qi here in our Transcendent Universe. The only reason I can think of for that is her close relationship with the You family’s You Lele."

"So this Xu Yue has a close relationship with You Lele?" Uncle Mo was surprised.

Ke Jian quickly outlined the two girls’ relationship. He had been keeping an eye on the Sixverse Academy.

Uncle Mo voiced a guess, "Could the You family have invited Xuan Qi because of Xu Yue and You Lele’s connection?"

He Ran’s eyes sparkled. "Let’s hope so. We don’t need to do anything at all for now other than to watch and wait."

…

"So, is this the Transcendent Universe? This my first time here," Skinner commented.

At the moment, representatives of the Voidforce Universe’s Bureau had arrived in the region of the Transcendent Universe that belonged to the You family. As they looked around, it was possible to see countless tiny objects. They looked rather like miniature versions of bestowal art carriers, and they existed for as far as the eye could see. No one knew what they were.

Lu Yin knew that there were already a number of eyes on them. He and the others were being watched by the You family, He Ran, as well as other organizations from the Transcendent Universe. It was even possible that the ruler himself was looking over.

"Lele is on her way," Xu Yue stated after speaking with Lele. The young woman sounded quite excited to be reunited with her friend.

Everyone silently waited.

Suddenly, Boss Guan released his voidforce energy, which triggered an alarm. All of the surrounding miniature bestowal art carriers started to stir, and it looked like they were targeting the people from the Voidforce Universe. Boss Guan instantly felt a prickle of danger, and he knew that these devices posed a threat to him.

Everyone else warily looked around, but the disturbance from the machines was only momentary. You Lele's arrival caused everything to return to normal.

"Never use any power here that isn’t from this universe, as that’ll get you into trouble." You Lele arrived in her usual disheveled state. Her hair was wild, and it looked as though it had not been washed in days. Bits of white dandruff fell from her head with each step she took.

Xu Yue grimaced. "Lele, you're filthy."

You Lele looked over. "Xu Yue, how dare you call me filthy! Get over here."

"No! You're disgusting, so stay away."

"Get over here."

"No! I won't."

…

Lu Yin was in no hurry, and he patiently watched the two girls bicker. It had clearly been the right decision to bring Xu Yue along, as the situation was not nearly as tense as it would have been without her.

You Lele led the way, and the group quickly moved into the You family’s territory, the Ziyou Realm.

Before the Bestowal Art was created, this region had had a different name, but with the development of a groundbreaking cultivation technology, the You family had rapidly evolved into a colossal entity that could influence the entire Transcendent Universe. They had quickly expanded beyond their home planet and had eventually claimed nearly one-fifth of the universe and renamed it the Ziyou Realm, all of which fell under their control.

The ruler of the Transcendent Universe had not objected.

Lu Yin and his party had been waiting at the border of the Ziyou Realm. With Lele escorting them, they officially entered the You family’s territory.

"Are all of those things bestowal art carriers?" Xu Yue asked in shock.

You Lele gloated, "Those are prototype carriers. My You family pioneered the Bestowal Art, and we are constantly trying out new and innovative ideas. What you’re seeing aren’t just prototypes, as they also serve as defensive measures against enemies. If I hadn’t arrived in time, all of you would’ve been blasted into oblivion."

Lu Yin observed one of the tiny bestowal art carriers they passed by. At its core was a sourcebox.

The basic principle of the Bestowal Art was to analyze a sourcebox and extract the matter and energy contained within it to release a burst of energy. The larger the sourcebox, the more power that could be extracted, and subsequently, the more powerful the Bestowal Art.

Could there truly be so many sourceboxes for each one of the countless tiny bestowal art carriers to have one at their core?

Did the Transcendent Universe also call them sourceboxes?

Before long, Lu Yin caught sight of a much larger sourcebox. As they ventured deeper into the Ziyou Realm, he started to catch sight of much, much larger sourceboxes.

One, two, three… As they traveled along, he noticed three sourceboxes the size of Earth. After that, he saw an even larger sourcebox. It was larger than all the sourceboxes currently being used in Shenwu Continent's Sealing Path sourcebox array.

Just how much power would be unleashed if all of these sourceboxes were used by the Bestowal Art?

A sourcebox was essentially the accumulated dust of the universe. By using that energy in an attack, one was effectively leveraging the power of the universe itself. How had the person from the You family who had created the Bestowal Art come up with such an ingenious idea?

Humans truly were creatures of creativity.

As they traveled along, Lele offered explanations of many of the experiments that the You family was carrying out. Of course, she only shared the publicly available details.

Lu Yin was convinced that the You family contained a hidden strength that could shake the megaverse.

"Why are you staying so close to me?" Lu Yin found it rather odd that, ever since the group had entered the Ziyou Realm, You Lele had been staying very close to him, either deliberately or unconsciously. Even Xu Yue had noticed the change.

You Lele matter-of-factly answered, "I'm watching you."

Boss Guan and Skinner glanced at each other and then immediately shifted positions so that they were between You Lele and Lu Yin.

You Lele frowned. "Move. Don’t get in my way."

"So, you're following your father's instructions and following me. You’re going to watch as I hunt for spies?" Lu Yin laughed.

You Lele replied, "You definitely have ulterior motives. I rarely agree with my father, but every time I do, we've always been right. Not once have we been wrong when we both agreed on something."

Lu Yin nodded. "In that case, keep watching and see what my purpose is."

"Lele, you don’t happen to like this guy, do you?" Xu Yue leaned close to Lele to quietly tease the girl.

You Lele frowned again as she turned to stare at Xu Yue. After a moment, she simply replied, "Possibly."

Everyone was stunned. Even Lu Yin was taken aback by the response.

You Lele turned back to Lu Yin. "That is, if you're smart enough and are willing to become a part of the You family."

Lu Yin pursed his lips. "I don't want to, and I'm not smart."

"I can see that," Lele replied.

Lu Yin really wanted to hit the girl.

Xu Yue laughed loudly. "Lele, you're as adorable as ever!"

Suddenly, You Lele quickly clapped a hand over Xu Yue's mouth before instantly leaping away. "Xu Yue, is it tasty? It's dandruff."

Xu Yue shrieked so loud that Xu Ji and the rest felt that their eardrums were about to burst. "Lele, I’m going to kill you!"

"Haha, come on!"

…

As Lele and Xu Yue playfully bickered with each other, the group quickly passed through the Ziyou Realm and arrived at the You family's home planet, where they met You Fang.

"The Voidforce Universe’s Acting Bureau Director Xuan Qi greets the Transcendent Universe’s Bureau Director You Fang." Lu Yin formally greeted the man.

Behind him, the rest of his people respectfully bowed in unison.

You Fang nodded, his eyes never leaving Lu Yin. "Xuan Qi, what is your impression of my Transcendent Universe?"

Lu Yin laughed. "This junior may have gone to the Sixverse Academy from the Transcendent Universe, but I'm ashamed to admit that I don't know very much about the Transcendent Universe."

"Hehe, I don't believe that at all," You Fang stated.

Afraid that the man would reveal that Lu Yin had been the one to approach the Transcendent Universe about cooperating, Lu Yin quickly asked, "May I meet with the members of the Transcendent Universe's Bureau and browse their past cases?"

You Fang generously provided Lu Yin with the Transcendent Universe’s Bureau's entire database. Additionally, the man gave Lu Yin the authority to monitor the Transcendent Universe.

In the Transcendent Universe, the Bureau never actively investigated anyone. Instead, they relied on the universe’s surveillance system to search for spies, which limited the Bureau’s overall effectiveness. They were only able to catch a few rather unimportant spies. This was because of both the Transcendent Universe’s civilization itself, as well as the You family’s preferred way of handling things.

Lu Yin had taken the initiative to approach the You family, hoping to use the Bureau to gain access to the Transcendent Universe. He had told the You family when he first approached them that they did not need to give him access to the system that monitored the Transcendent Universe, so he was surprised that You Fang had taken that extra step.

"Senior, what is this?" Lu Yin asked, rather confused at what he was seeing. He was overlooking a vast landmass, and beneath him lay a map of the entire Transcendent Universe. From where he stood, it was possible to observe the real location corresponding to any point on the map, provided that the surveillance system covered that location.

You Fang replied, "Since my You family invited you over, we will naturally provide you with our full support."

"But this junior told you before that I don’t need this authority," Lu Yin said. He was very worried of rousing the You family’s suspicions.

You Fang shrugged indifferently. "It doesn't matter, as this isn’t anything confidential. This surveillance system will often save you a lot of time, though it can't observe He Ran or members of the Ruling Council, let alone the places where cultivation technologies are being secretly researched."

Lu Yin arched a brow as he tried to parse through You Fang's words to determine what the man was really saying, but the patriarch said nothing more. He casually pointed a finger, and the underlying map zoomed in and enlarged the area that had been pointed at. Lu Yin felt as though he had just been transported to that point in the universe, and he was able to directly see everything that was happening there in real time.

He saw a spacecraft go speeding by, as well as the stars and planets move. The simulation was quite realistic, and it even felt quite similar to what he felt when he used the Cosmic Art to observe the Fifth Mainland.

This was the control that the Transcendent Universe wielded. They claimed to have fully analyzed all matter and energy within the Transcendent Universe. If any foreign energy appeared, it would instantly create a commotion.

As the immersive map zoomed back out, Lu Yin looked down at his feet, where he could see the entire Transcendent Universe. Was the Transcendent Universe manipulating him, or was he manipulating the Transcendent Universe? It was a truly bizarre feeling.

The You family relied on this surveillance system to lead the Transcendent Universe’s Bureau. They did not have a single person who performed Ning Ran's role in the Voidforce Universe, not to mention someone like Old Dian.

"Senior, do you truly intend to have You Lele follow me around?" Lu Yin asked.

A smile spread across You Fang's face as he stared into Lu Yin's eyes. "What? Are you afraid of being found out?"

Lu Yin felt puzzled. "Senior, it seems like you have other goals for me aside from catching spies."

You Fang looked rather intrigued. "You absolutely have additional goals yourself, and those must be related to He Ran."

Lu Yin's eyes flickered.

"However, whether those plans will help He Ran is something that I do not know," You Fang finished. He looked up at the stars, and then back down at Lu Yin. "I submitted a proposal to the Ruling Council suggesting that we invite you here to help us uncover spies. They only sent a response after you arrived, which indicates that no one gave the Ruling Council any orders about you. Considering He Ran's pursuit of perfection, if you being here was part of her plan, she would have never risked the possibility of the council rejecting my proposal, which means that, when you first contacted my You family, He Ran knew nothing about it."

Lu Yin laughed. "Or maybe that’s just what He Ran is hoping you’ll believe."

You Fang sneered. "I know her quite well, and my assumption is correct. I, You Fang, confirm it to be a fact."