Chapter 22

Zhou Shan shot Lu Yin a glance, "This isn't something I said; it's a widely recognized fact. Bai Xue is acknowledged as the most beautiful woman in Huaxia, with no one else even coming close. No celebrity, internet sensation, socialite, or campus beauty can match even a finger of hers." Saying this, Zhou Shan gave a strange laugh, "At first, I didn't believe it either, but after seeing her, I was convinced. This woman is born to be worshipped; calling her a goddess is no exaggeration."

Lu Yin laughed, "Is it really that exaggerated?"

"Goddess? What a grand title. Natives are natives. If you saw the Star Collector, you'd be on your knees licking the ground," Granie suddenly interjected, mocking.

Lu Yin said coldly, "I don't want to hear the word 'native' from you again. Go and guard the door."

Granie huffed but didn't dare to challenge Lu Yin and turned to leave.

Zhou Shan was embarrassed; it wasn't good to be discussing women when another woman was listening.

"Brother Zhou, please continue," Lu Yin said.

Zhou Shan cleared his throat, "There's not much to say. Liu Shaoge is handsome, and Bai Xue is beautiful; they are a perfect match."

"What about their strength?" Lu Yin asked curiously, his eyes bright.

Zhou Shan shrugged, "I and Liu Shaoge are both in the lower four sages, while Bai Xue is in the upper three sages. Although there are rumors that Liu Shaoge is cautious and good at hiding, even if he is stronger than me, he's not much stronger."

Lu Yin nodded in understanding.

Although Zhou Shan's words suggested he didn't know much about Liu Shaoge, Lu Yin could tell that he had a good impression of him. The title of 'Light Saint' was an extreme compliment. Liu Shaoge's public image was perfect. Only the dead and the one who survived by chance knew the dark side of Liu Shaoge.

Lu Yin originally thought that Liu Shaoge was his only enemy. If Luo Sheng and Bai Xue were involved, the number of enemies might increase.

That's how society works; one thing leads to another. Lu Yin tapped his fingers against the wall, lost in thought.

It wasn't until evening that the beast tide completely retreated.

After dark, Lu Yin left Jinling. He didn't have many fire crystals left and needed to dig for more.

The moonlight illuminated the cold earth, and apart from the chilling chewing sounds from the shadows, only the howling wind could be heard.

When Lu Yin arrived at the fire crystal mine, he saw a figure standing quietly by the ditch. It was a man with short silver hair, looking up at the moonlight, his eyes somewhat lost.

Seeing this person, Lu Yin's expression changed dramatically. Besides the long-haired zombie king and the fire crystal, there was also the eerie skull eye. Was this person here by coincidence or on purpose?

Lu Yin didn't know anyone was here and hadn't deliberately hidden his presence, so the silver-haired man naturally noticed him.

"Who are you?" Lu Yin asked, his gaze serious and his posture defensive. He didn't know the man's strength but felt an intense sense of danger, making him reluctant to get close. The image of the skull eye kept flashing in his mind.

The silver-haired man looked at Lu Yin, a faint smile on his lips. At that moment, the moonlight was obscured by clouds, plunging the earth into darkness.

In an instant, Lu Yin's scalp tingled. A white light flashed in the darkness, and he quickly retreated using the Body Movement Step. At the same time, he struck out with his right palm, the Star Palm. Under the white light, a pair of cold, clear eyes flashed with surprise. The white light suddenly spun rapidly, colliding with Lu Yin's right palm.

Faintly, Lu Yin saw that the white light came from a beautiful butterfly knife. The blade sliced through the air at a speed impossible to see with the naked eye, completely deflecting the power of the Star Palm.

A loud thud echoed, distorting the air, and both men were pushed back.

The moonlight reappeared, illuminating the earth and the two men.

Lu Yin's gaze was serious; this person had blocked his full-force Star Palm.

On the other side, the silver-haired man was surprised, then rubbed his head, "Sorry, I thought you were a zombie, so I attacked. Apologies, apologies, ha ha."

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes, staring at the man, then smiled, "No need to be polite. I also thought you were a zombie, so I attacked. Fortunately, I didn't use my full strength, only about half. Did I hurt you?"

The silver-haired man raised an eyebrow, "No, no, how could I be hurt? I only used about a third of my strength, but blocking your palm was still easy, ha ha."

Lu Yin looked at his palm and smiled, "Sorry, I made a mistake. I only used a quarter of my strength. Fortunately, I didn't hurt you."

The silver-haired man laughed, "Oh, I made a mistake too. I only used a fifth of my strength."

"Really? I don't believe you. Want to try again?" Lu Yin challenged.

The silver-haired man waved his hands, "No, no. I'm an elegant gourmet and never fight. By the way, why are you here?"

Lu Yin said calmly, "Looking for a classmate. I have a meeting with a classmate here."

The silver-haired man nodded, "I'm here for the same reason. I remember there's a Jinling nearby, but it's marked in blue. Could it be your classmate who did that?"

Lu Yin nodded, "It's her."

The silver-haired man sighed, "I see. I was planning to check it out, but never mind. You keep waiting; I'll leave." With that, the silver-haired man turned and quickly disappeared.

Lu Yin looked at his personal terminal, confirming the silver-haired man had left. He took a deep breath, his face unusually serious. His Star Palm, which he had used at full strength after breaking through to the Exploration Realm, had been blocked. In the darkness, an intense sense of danger had enveloped him. He had no time to hesitate and had indeed used his full strength, but it was still blocked. Who was this person? Such a strong person had appeared among the first batch of trial participants.

Lu Yin walked to the ditch, looking at the location of the fire crystal mine. The person had been standing there from the beginning, and this was where Lu Yin had found the skull eye. This person was likely the owner of the skull eye.

Lu Yin recalled all the symbols he had seen in space, but none of them matched the skull eye.

When he first found it, Lu Yin had felt he had encountered something significant, and now that feeling was even stronger. The silver-haired man, although at the Exploration Realm, hadn't used his full strength, as Lu Yin could tell from the palm clash. He was unfathomable.

On the other side, the silver-haired man flew under the moonlight, his expression strange. His fatal strike had been blocked, "A student at the Exploration Realm can block my attack. Interesting. I thought such people would only appear in the second batch of trial participants, but there's one in the first batch. Ha ha."

Yu Xiang, at the border of Su Province and Anhui.

Since the penal camp concentrated its main forces to the west, this place had become the front line. There were five Myriarches and thirty thousand Evolved, who had rescued many survivors and recruited many Evolved on their way west.

Now, the total number of Evolved on the front line in Yu Xiang was nearly forty thousand, and another Myriarch had been added.

The front-line commander was Feng Hong, the only one Lu Yin was familiar with.

Everything had been stable on the front line, but one day, a figure appeared in the sky, looking down at Yu Xiang. Tens of thousands of Evolved looked up.

In Jinling, Lu Yin looked at the map. The distance from Jinling to Wucheng was too far, with Anhui in between, a whole province filled with countless zombies, mutated beasts, and dominant Evolved. It was too far.

To clear the way to Wucheng with the penal camp would take months.

Lu Yin pondered. Wucheng was now marked in blue. Even if they reached Wucheng, they might face alien students.

At that moment, Luo Yun rushed over, "Saint Yin, the front line has sent a message. The penal camp has been defeated, and everyone is under control. Feng Hong and the Myriarches have been captured."

Lu Yin was surprised, "Did aliens intervene?"

Luo Yun nodded seriously, "The soldiers who escaped reported that the person who attacked left a message: 'Lan Shan Academy, Yi Ge.'"

"Bring Granie over," Lu Yin said calmly.

Soon, Granie arrived.

"Contact Yi Ge through the personal terminals of the Lan Shan Academy students. He has taken control of the front line," Lu Yin said calmly.

Granie nodded, took out the two students' personal terminals from her Condensation Ring, and tapped a few times. A holographic screen appeared, showing a young man with a smile.

"Miss Granie, it's been a while. I didn't expect to meet you in such a situation. I am Yi Ge, a student at Lan Shan Academy," the young man said politely.

Granie was puzzled, "Do you know me?"

Yi Ge smiled, "The famous elite beauty from the Imperial Military Academy. Lan Shan Academy is not far from your academy, so of course, I know you."

"Did you also arrange for those two to ambush me?" Granie asked coldly.