Inside the capital city, Las's heart was like dead ashes. Even Mo Nuo had failed. No one could save him. His trial was definitely over.
Granny looked at Lu Yin in disbelief, recalling the first time she saw him. He was only in the Sight Realm, but now he was almost invincible in the Exploring Realm. What was his background? Yatta, the Academy of Tata Planet? Was his grandfather the principal? Could his grandfather be an unprecedentedly powerful expert?
Mo Nuo had a great reputation among the trial participants. When the news of Mo Nuo's defeat and escape to the capital city spread through the Local Area Network, all the students were shocked. Their first reaction was disbelief, but the Local Area Network wouldn't lie.
Immediately after, Gules confirmed the matter, causing the numerous students to completely take this ancient power guarding the capital city seriously.
Currently, the Fusion Realm experts who had appeared were Fire Sprite and Mo Nuo. Both of them had clearly failed. This trial was indeed not simple.
Before long, several more students were captured by Qing Yu.
Lu Yin counted, "Seventeen. That escaped criminal has captured seventeen students."
Bai Xue looked at him in doubt, "What are you counting this for?"
Lu Yin's expression was unpleasant, "He's collecting heads."
Everyone was silent.
Lu Yin took a deep breath, "This guy isn't stupid. He's thought of the same thing as us, wanting to exchange the students for some kind of compromise. It's a pity that our natures are different. He's an escaped criminal, we're just natives. He will definitely be judged. Capturing more students is useless."
"Why wouldn't it work? It's not like you have any connections," Gules glared and said.
Lu Yin looked at her, "Every student he captures is one less student we can capture. Our bargaining chips for future negotiations will be one less."
Gules's eyes widened, "You really intend to use the students to negotiate with the empire? That's impossible."
Lu Yin said matter-of-factly, "Nothing is impossible. The students who dare to participate in the trial are all elites. They are very important to the empire."
Gules sneered, "Do you know how many students participate in the empire's trials? Let me tell you, this planet is just one of many trial planets. Even if all the trial students died, there wouldn't be a ripple in the imperial capital. Do you think the empire will compromise with the underworld for these students? Keep dreaming."
After hearing Gules, Bai Xue, Zhu Shan, and the others' expressions changed. The Great Yu Empire was too vast, and there were too many students, countless academies. The Earth trial students were just a very small fraction. Trying to negotiate with the empire was indeed impossible.
"That's not necessarily true," Lu Yin said, pulling Las over. "This person's identity is enough for us to get some promises."
Las was furious, "Let me go!"
Lu Yin ignored him, a smile on the corner of his mouth, "The empire's Vice Minister of Finance, a very high position. I heard he also has connections with the Imperial Court's twelfth team. Even better. The bigger his background, the higher the possibility of our negotiations succeeding, isn't that right?"
Gules pondered, looking at Las. This was indeed true. This guy was Sika's only son. For this son, Sika might risk everything. Las glared furiously at Lu Yin. This damned bastard was actually using him to threaten the empire. Regardless of whether it succeeded or not, he would become the laughingstock of the empire's young generation. Shameless, shameless!
In Northern Europe, there was also a group of students filled with anger.
About twenty students from all over the world rushed to Northern Europe, joined forces, and found Qing Yu. The leader was named Yan Gang, not from the Great Yu Empire, but a young powerhouse from the Flame Refinement Star of the Azure Cang Territory.
Flame Refinement Star was a powerful force second only to the Great Yu Empire in fame. Although it was just one planet, its size was extremely large, and the planet was burning with seas of fire. It was rumored that all living beings on Flame Refinement Star had enormous resistance to flames and could unleash powerful burning flame battle skills, making it a terrifying force.
Yan Gang, like Fire Sprite, was a Fusion Realm expert, similarly with sealed cultivation, but in the eyes of many students, his strength was even greater than Fire Sprite's.
"Qing Yu, release Fire Sprite!" Yan Gang stood tall in the sky, coldly looking down. His body exuded a dark red glow, and even in the cold Northern Europe, it emitted scorching heat, causing the surrounding snow to melt.
Qing Yu sat leisurely on the ground, with seventeen captured students behind him, including Fire Sprite.
"Quite a few people. Kid, do you think you can snatch someone from my grasp?" Qing Yu looked at Yan Gang teasingly, his eyes filled with disdain. He was once a Star Walker Explorer, and these students were simply not worth his attention.
Yan Gang's voice was cold, "I warn you, Fire Sprite is the fiancée of the young clan leader of our Flame Refinement Star's Flame Peak Clan. If you dare to touch her, you will have to bear the fury of the Flame Refinement Star."
Qing Yu was dismissive, "Just a remote territory in the borderlands. You really think you've become something amazing? But I can give you a chance to take her away from me. It just depends on whether you can do it or not."
"What do you say?" Yan Gang whispered.
The corner of Qing Yu's mouth curled up, "Go to Hua Xia's capital city, take out my belongings, and exchange them for this woman."
Yan Gang's eyes flickered, "You release Fire Sprite first, and I'll go get it for you."
Qing Yu laughed loudly, "Are you stupid, or do you think I'm stupid? Release her first? Has your brain been burned out by fire?"
Yan Gang was furious, clenching his fists. The air around his body was burned and distorted, "Fine, I'll go get that thing, but you must guarantee you won't harm Fire Sprite."
Qing Yu shrugged, "That depends on how long it takes you to get the item. If it takes too long, I can't guarantee anything. This woman is very beautiful."
Yan Gang was enraged, "Fire Sprite is a Fusion Realm expert. If you dare to touch her, even if we break through the seal, we will kill you!"
"If you do that, you won't be able to join the Tenth Academy of the Starry Sky, will you? You can't even complete the Exploring Realm trial mission. The Starry Sky War Academy won't accept this kind of trash. How will you explain it to your young clan leader then?" Qing Yu looked at Yan Gang teasingly.
Yan Gang snorted and said in a low voice to the students behind him, "Keep an eye on him, I'm going to Hua Xia."
"Mo Nuo just fled to Hua Xia after losing. Can you make it alone?" A student said. He was from the Huo Family, not caring about Yan Gang but concerned about Fire Sprite. Yan Gang was disdainful, "Don't compare me to that kind of trash." Saying that, he soared into the sky, the air distorting along his path, forming a white air ribbon.
Flying from Northern Europe to Hua Xia's capital city at the speed of an Exploring Realm expert would take at least two days, and that was without any mutated beasts obstructing the way. Once they encountered powerful mutated beasts, the time delay would be difficult to estimate.
In the dark night, only a few places in the capital city had lights, fearing attracting mutated creatures.
Lu Yin arrived at the underground science and technology institute. Under Director Lian's guidance, he saw the belongings left behind by the escaped criminal, Qing Yu: a head-sized stone.
The stone was somewhat round but had sixteen faces, each face polished smooth. In the center, there were incomprehensible markings. The entire stone exuded an aura of the vicissitudes of time, as if it had come from ancient times.
Bai Xue stood beside Lu Yin. Lu Yin was able to see the stone this time because Bai Xue had suggested it. She had strongly opposed letting Lu Yin touch the escaped criminal's remaining belongings before, saying that the Seven Saints' consent was needed. But at this moment, that was no longer necessary. The entire capital city was under Lu Yin's protection.
Lu Yin looked in surprise at the stone placed firmly inside the glass cabinet, "It's just a stone, but it feels very unusual."
Director Lian said, "How much do you think the stone's age is?"
Lu Yin shook his head.
Director Lian exclaimed in amazement, "Impossible to determine."
"Impossible to determine?" Lu Yin was surprised. It was a bit unbelievable that today's Earth's technology couldn't determine the age of a stone.
Director Lian said, "The stone's age is too long, having undergone changes that cannot be detected. Its age marks continue to change, making it impossible to determine at all. We have also researched it many times, but haven't found anything."
Bai Xue said, "According to the intelligence we've gathered during this period, the escaped criminal Qing Yu escaped from the depths of the universe to this place, a very long distance. Even so, he is still wanted, and no information has been circulated. There's only one possibility: the item he carries is too precious, and it's probably this stone."
"When he was brought back to Earth from Neptune by you, what else did he have besides this stone?" Lu Yin asked.
Bai Xue looked at Director Lian. Director Lian said, "A battle blade, dozens of crystals, which were actually Star Energy crystals, and a star chip, which included cultivation methods, but it was quite damaged, and most of it could no longer be read."
"The battle blade was just given to Zhang Ding Tian. As for the Star Energy crystals, we have already absorbed them for cultivation. When the apocalypse just started, we were already very close to the Heavenly Realm, which is the Exploring Realm," Bai Xue interjected.
Lu Yin looked at the stone, "In that case, this stone and that battle blade are the only two things Qing Yu left behind here."
"We have researched the battle blade. The material is extremely hard, far surpassing any metal on Earth, including mutated metals. As for that stone, we have no clue, we haven't been able to research anything at all," Director Lian said.
Lu Yin said casually, "Can you let me research it?"
Director Lian didn't care, "Suit yourself."