Star Odyssey

Zi Xianxian frowned, as Lu Yin’s quick agreement made his words seem fake. Still, she could only trust him. “According to popular speculation, the Divine Fist, Lan Si, seems to have always been testing out some sort of battle technique or art. However, nobody knows any real details.”

“You might as well not have told me anything at all,” Lu Yin replied in an unhappy tone.

Zi Xianxian glared at him. “Don’t look down upon this information. This means that Lan Si hasn’t successfully cultivated that battle technique, which means there’s still room for you to grow stronger. However, that also means that, with enough time, he may become stronger even faster than you. A single piece of information can be used to analyze many things.”

Lu Yin muttered, as her response was well said.

“Let me ask you this: did Lan Si go into seclusions that lasted for about a month on a rather frequent basis?” Lu Yin asked.

Zi Xianxian shook her head. “I can’t mention anything else. Anyways, not a single one of the Ten Arbiters is simple by any means. You scheduled a battle with him, but I’m not very optimistic of your chances. If you were allowed to use items, then I’d bet on you. The Divine Fist has the Starfall Sea’s Grayweed Continent as his backing, but even he can’t compare to you when it comes to external items.”

Lu Yin did not stay at Amethyst Exchange for long, and he quickly returned to King Zishan's palace for a day before meeting up with Zi Xianxian and Cai Jianqiang and heading out towards Amethyst Exchange’s headquarters: Skylush Planet.

Skylush Planet was a commercial planet, but it was also a commercial fortress. It was actually a mobile planet, and it was essentially just an incomparably huge shopping mall. The various Amethyst Exchanges in the Outerverse were all created in the form of Skylush Planet, though shrunk countless times over.

Any brand items from anywhere in the entire Outerverse that could be named could be found on Skylush Planet. At this place, there were only goods that one could not afford, but there was nothing that could not be found.

At this time, Skylush Planet was located in the central region of the Outerverse, and with the speed of a radiant-grade Aurora, the three people were able to arrive after two days of travel. With access to some of the military expressways between Frostwave Weave and Armament Weave, they managed to arrive at Skylush Planet on the noon of the third day.

Even from a distance, Skylush Planet was brightly lit, and it looked like a city that never slept. Even though Lu Yin’s group was still some distance away, the commercial flavor of the planet was still apparent to them at first glance.

Lu Yin sat in the spacecraft while staring off into the distance. He could see that Skylush Planet was filled with runes and that there were also Enlighters on this planet. They were likely experts who had been hired by Amethyst Exchange, similar to Mr. Tradeo, who had fought at the Technocracy border defense.

Lu Yin believed that Amethyst Exchange was supported by more than just Mr. Tradeo, but he could not discover any other experts through the currently visible rune lines.

However, there was quite a considerable number of Hunters roaming around.

There were still a few days left before the grand ceremony started. The Amethyst Exchange had sent out invitations half a year ago, which was right after the war at the border had concluded. Most of the guests had arrived by now, including some members of the Dark Phoenix family, Millions City, Shamrock Enterprises, the Nalan family, Endless Borders, and Aegis.

The resplendent shopping center towered high in the sky as it illuminated this entire region of the universe. Battleships constantly patrolled the area to prevent any mishaps from occurring.

In the Outerverse, an entire weave might not necessarily have even a single Enlighter, but Amethyst Exchange was a colossal entity.

Zi Xianxian had already informed the planet of Lu Yin’s imminent arrival, and the Chairman of Amethyst Exchange personally welcomed him in. This man’s name was Zi Tianchuan, and he was also Zi Rong and Zi Xianxian’s father.

Lu Yin had long since heard of Zi Tianchuan, as this person had demonstrated an incomparable gift for business from a young age. After the man became a merchant, he had gained great power and still held complete authority over every aspect of Amethyst Exchange. This man was a powerful person.

It was just a pity that his cultivation was rather weak and that he was still nothing more than a Cruiser.

With Zi Tianchuan’s status, even if he was just a regular person, no one would dare to look down upon him.

“Welcome, Alliance Leader Lu. We are honored by your presence. I am Zi Tianchuan, and I am here to specially welcome you.” Zi Tianchuan stepped forward to welcome Lu Yin the moment the youth stepped out of the space station in a very cordial manner.

Lu Yin hurried to courteously reply, “Chairman Zi is too polite. I’m friends with Zhao Rann, so I should call you Uncle Zi.”

Zi Tianchuan smiled. “That won’t do. My son is getting married, and we troubled Alliance Leader Lu to come here personally.” He then looked over at Cai Jianqiang. “If I’m correct, this should be the Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker, Cai Jianqiang. Welcome to Skylush Planet.”

Cai Jianqiang smiled. He always liked it when he was referred to as a Lockbreaker by others. “Chairman Zi is too polite.”

“Haha. Having you two guests arrive has brought light to my humble abode. Please.” Zi Tianchuan looked very happy.

Lu Yin and Cai Jianqiang followed the chairman away from the space station, where there were already some floating vehicles waiting for them. Although they were able to easily tear through the void and go anywhere they wished, such behavior was considered exceptionally rude when in someone else’s territory.

“Father, did you not see me?” Zi Xianxian was very upset, and she complained loudly.

Zi Tianchuan glared at his daughter. “You still have no manners. We’ll speak again once we return. For now, receive our distinguished guests.”

“What distinguished guests? We’re already so familiar with each other,” Zi Xianxian grumbled.

Zi Tianchuan glanced at her, but then he smiled and led Lu Yin and Cai Jianqiang over to a vehicle.

The Zi family naturally had its own procedures, and they welcomed their guests in a very specific manner. Lu Yin and Cai Jianqiang were personally escorted by Zi Tianchuan on a tour of Skylush Planet. As an important leader of Amethyst Exchange, the chairman showed the two men a great deal of face by personally escorting them on a tour.

However, such treatment was not too strange for someone of Lu Yin’s status. The Great Eastern Alliance took up a fifth of the weaves in the entire Outerverse. Furthermore, he was also an Honored Chosen from the Hall of Honor. Although this position had not been officially announced to the universe, the Zi family was naturally able to verify such things on their own, and so, their deferential attitude towards Lu Yin was very reasonable.

Even if Qiong Shanhai or Gong Ling visited Skylush Planet, they might not actually be received more respectfully than Lu Yin.

The following day, Zi Tianchuan had Zi Xianxian entertain Lu Yin while the chairman himself went to greet the other guests.

“Where’s your Second Brother? Why haven’t we seen him yet?” Lu Yin asked.

Zi Xianxian replied, “He’s supposed to be busy, but he’s probably just annoying Sister Zi Xue. That’s just how he is—he can’t leave Sister Zi Xue alone for a single moment of his entire life.”

Lu Yin grunted in acknowledgement. “Right, why did Luo Shen send me the invitation?”

“Luo Shen was coincidentally looking for me on Zenyu Star. Maybe it was to thank you personally for saving her, but she went to your home. Unfortunately for her, you weren’t around,” Zi Xianxian casually replied.

“Is she here on Skylush Planet?” Lu Yin asked.

Zi Xianxian nodded, and she was right about to answer when she suddenly frowned and looked at Lu Yin suspiciously. “Do you still have a thing for Luo Shen?”

Lu Yin was left speechless. “Don’t go around making wild guesses.”

Zi Xianxian was very pleased with herself. “There’s nothing too strange about it. Luo Shen is very beautiful, she is practically a goddess to countless people, and she even has a kind heart. It’s perfectly normal for you to like her. Why? When do you plan to propose a marriage to her to our family?”

Lu Yin pursed his lips and did not bother responding to the girl.

Over the next few days, many people arrived on Skylush Planet one after another and offered their congratulations. Some of them required Zi Tianchuan to personally welcome them while Zi Xianxian or her elder brother, Zi Fang, sufficed for others.

Zi Xianxian kept Lu Yin company for two whole days before leaving to settle her own affairs.

Cai Jianqiang also went his own way.

Lu Yin roamed about Skylush Planet by himself when he saw someone familiar: Starfox. However, the two did not exchange greetings.

He also saw Qiong Xi'er. This time, the woman was dressed in a rather neutral manner, but she was still teasing her family’s maids as though no one else was around. She simply ignored the curious stares that she attracted from the bystanders even as Zhu San stared at the maid in envy.

Lu Yin also saw the heirs of quite a few great powers from the various weaves, and they similarly recognized Lu Yin. Upon seeing him, some were apprehensive, some were envious, and others looked at him with adoration. Of course, there were a few who had hostile reactions.

Regardless of their attitude, these people did not dare to overstep the boundaries when facing Lu Yin. Even those who were from the weaves in the western region could no longer look down upon the Great Eastern Alliance, and they were particularly wary of Lu Yin. His background was too powerful, and he could even disregard the Hall of Honor’s ban on warfare, which made many people afraid of him.

Boom boom boom!

In the sky, countless fireworks blossomed and lit up the night sky as they formed all sorts of pictures and messages of congratulations.

Rays of light shot out as well, casting several shadows behind everyone that stretched far out into the distance.

Beneath Lu Yin, there was a shadow that seemed exceptionally long, and it had also been following him for a while.

Lu Yin casually walked along the street, but then he stopped and slowly turned around to see an indifferent-looking youth.

Lu Yin had noticed this person long ago, and he had actually unintentionally bumped into the youth while roaming the streets. However, this person had started following Lu Yin while staring at him.

This person was very powerful. Although his rune lines indicated that he was just a Cruiser, Lu Yin felt a different level of strength from him, and he even felt a sense of danger. When considering people who were close to Lu Yin’s age, aside from those who were at the same level as the Ten Arbiters and the Realmlings, only those in the top five or top three of the Top 100 Rankings could give Lu Yin such a feeling.

“What do you want? You’ve been following me for a while,” Lu Yin asked softly. Although this person was likely very strong, Lu Yin was unafraid of everyone in the Outerverse aside from Yuan Shi.

The youth coldly answered, “I’m Goldric Phoenix.”

Lu Yin’s expression changed, as he was not unfamiliar with this name. This person had been ranked twenty third in terms of military contributions while fighting in Endless Weave, and he had achieved such a high ranking despite only being a Cruiser. This was because he had killed an Enlighter. Although this youth had also relied on items to achieve this feat, it was still very impressive for him to have killed an Enlighter. Wei Rong had specially mentioned this person before, and he had said that he was the most extraordinary genius in the history of the Dark Phoenix family. It was to the extent where they had pinned all their hopes upon him being able to challenge the Ten Arbiters in the future.

Lu Yin instantly remembered all this after hearing his name, but he had not expected to meet Goldric Phoenix here and now.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Mr. Goldric Phoenix,” Lu Yin cautiously replied.

Goldric Phoenix looked at Lu Yin in a serene manner. “Many have said that you were able to climb to your current level because of your items, and I used to believe it. But not now. You're more powerful than me, and by a lot.”

Lu Yin’s gaze turned sharper. “You’re not weak either. It’s no wonder why you’re hailed as the top-rated genius in the entire history of the Dark Phoenix family.”

Goldric Phoenix showed his curiosity. “You made a wager with the Divine Fist. Are you confident?”

“Why do you ask?” Lu Yin was puzzled.

Goldric Phoenix frankly answered, “Through you, I want to measure the strength of the Ten Arbiters in order to challenge them myself in the future.”

Lu Yin gave the young man a strange look, as he was very different from the other members of the Dark Phoenix family that Lu Yin had met before. How could he put it? This person was more sincere.

Perhaps it was due to their innate gift, but the Dark Phoenix family members all had a natural tendency towards the radical side whereas this person was extremely calm.

Wei Rong had mentioned that nobody had even known about this person before he had turned thirty. At that point in time, he had awakened his innate gift and then quickly risen to fame. It seemed that his personality was connected to his life experiences.

“Are you possibly asking to spar with me?” Lu Yin asked.

Goldric Phoenix seriously observed Lu Yin for a moment as he thought it over, but in the end, he shook his head. “There’s no need. I will naturally be able to see the difference during your battle with the Divine Fist. There’s no benefit to fighting you myself.”

And with that, he turned to leave.

After taking just a few steps, he stopped and turned to look back at Lu Yin. “Actually, I don’t like the Dark Phoenix family either.”

After that, he truly left.

Lu Yin had a thoughtful expression; what had that last sentence meant? Could it be that this person wanted to cooperate with him!?