Star Odyssey

Lu Yin sat down and looked into the arena. Surprisingly, this was the same place where he had once been thrown to fight to the death. At that time, he had been a fighter, but this time, he was a spectator in the stands of the beast arena.

The stands were filled with spectators, and the entire place was raucous, filled with cheers and commotion.

The more civilized a person had to behave, the more primal and savage their methods of relieving stress would be. In the beast arena, people felt like mighty beings looking down on the ones fighting down below, and this helped them to relieve some of the pressure of their daily lives. This was the barbarity of a civilized culture.

For a civilization that focused on cultivation, something like the beast arenas would be pointless, as some people engaged in such battles every single day. However, in the Transcendent Universe, the beast arenas were the only places where such spectacles could be seen.

“How long has it been since I fought down there?” Lu Yin asked. There was a breathtakingly beautiful woman beside him. She was wearing a very revealing outfit and almost spilled the drink that she was pouring.

God of Mirrors and God Taiyi were similarly startled. The Dao Monarch had once fought in this place?

Ke Jian replied, “It’s been a bit more than three years.”

Lu Yin thought back. “A bit more than three years? That doesn’t sound very long, but it feels like a lifetime ago.”

Ke Jian laughed. “It is rather unbelievable that you were able to achieve the position of Acting Bureau Director in just over three years.”

Lu Yin laughed as well. “Even I find it hard to believe.”

Down in the beast arena, a man and a beast were engaged in a brutal fight. Lu Yin could clearly see the fear and despair in the man’s eyes. He had also experienced such emotions in the past. They had been the most intense when he had fought his way out of Driftcharge Planet, which had been the lowest point in his life. The man in the arena would not be so fortunate.

The roars of the beast and the man's cries of agony were quickly drowned out by the cheers of the crowd.

Ke Jian studied Xuan Qi, unable to determine what the young man was thinking from the calm expression on his face.

“Why does that man have to fight?” Lu Yin suddenly asked.

Ke Jian replied, "There are many possibilities, such as punishment. There are some who even participate voluntarily. If you wish to know, I can make some inquiries."

Lu Yin waved a hand dismissively. "There’s no need for that."

He hesitated for a moment, and a smile slowly spread across his face. "Does Madam He Ran enjoy the beast arenas?"

Caught off guard by Lu Yin's question, Ke Jian found himself uncertain as to how to respond.

Lu Yin chuckled. "If you don't know, then forget I said anything."

The fight resulted in an unexpected outcome: the man survived. He was in a miserable condition and was missing two limbs, but even so, he lived. As he was carried out of the arena, hope blossomed in his eyes. This was not a punishment. This man had chosen this.

This victory would allow him to obtain something that could change his life.

Everyone had their own path in life. Lu Yin would not interfere with others’ choices, even if he had the power to alter their fates with a single word.

Looking upwards and staring off into the distance, he wondered if it was really possible that some higher power was orchestrating everything. Would such a being have mercy if they witnessed this scene?

At that moment, cheers broke out again as another contender entered the arena. This person was up against a gigantic creature that looked a bit like a bat. However, it was so massive that it took up an entire third of the arena. The human participant had no place to run or escape.contemporary romance

Lu Yin stared in shock. "Xie Wu?"

"You know him?" Zi Jing asked.

Lu Yin nodded. "Ke Jian, isn't that Xie Wu? One of He Ran's people? How did he end up down in this beast arena?"

Down on the floor, Xie Wu trembled in fear. Despair filled his eyes as he looked at the monster facing him. The beast struggled to break free from its chains.

Ke Jian explained, "The Sixverse Academy’s first class of students have all already graduated, and each has since been assigned various tasks. Xie Wu and a few others were given the job of guarding some research data. It was a rather easy assignment that they were given as a favor. However, they were targeted and the data was destroyed, which has delayed the research progress by years. Madam He Ran threw him into the beast arenas as punishment. Should he survive three matches, all will be forgiven. Should he die, no one can be blamed."

Lu Yin glanced over at Zi Jing, who said, "The data that was destroyed was from research that was conducted decades ago. Losing it means that we need to rerun all of those experiments again."

Lu Yin understood.

"Bureau Director, do you know this Xie Wu?" Ke Jian asked.

"We've met once before."

"In that case, what are you trying to say, Bureau Director?" Ke Jian pressed.

Lu Yin replied, "This is Madam He Ran's decision, so what can I say?"

"If you don’t wish for Xie Wu to die here, just a single word from you would be enough. Madam He Ran will show you some consideration."

Lu Yin chuckled, but he said nothing. Xie Wu was destined to die in the arena. The bat-like beast was not something that the young man could handle, even if he had mastered some battle techniques or obtained an innate gift. Even after graduating from the Sixverse Academy, Xie Wu still needed to use an energy converter as a member of the Transcendent Universe. Without an energy converter, his strength would plummet. It would take a miracle for him to survive in the arena.

Not even He Shu had protected Xie Wu.

The fight was far more exciting than the previous one. Xie Wu used the Eight Hands of the Stone Gate and voidforce energy to somehow break off one of the beast’s tooths with a sneak attack. By then using that tooth as a weapon, Xie Wu was able to execute both the Stone Cudgel and Dragon Flash battle techniques. Still, he would ultimately be mauled to death by the beast even if he struggled right to the very last death throe.

It was only a matter of time before he perished.

It had become clear during the fight that some of the people in the audience did not want to see Xie Wu die just yet. Every time the bat-like creature was about to devour the young man, the referee would intervene and drag him away. The futile struggle to live left Xie Wu overcome with despair.

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. "Why won't they just let Xie Wu die?"

Ke Jian explained, "This is because of the beast arenas’ rules. If a fight triggers a strong enough response from the audience, the fight will continue until the cheers start to fade.”

"Things are dragged out to stimulate the audience and raise their emotions. It’s all about producing the right atmosphere in the beast arena."

Lu Yin looked around. The crowd was cheering with wild abandon, and the volume rose the more Xie Wu resisted.lights

On the floor of the beast arena, Xie Wu coughed up blood after being brutally slammed to the ground. The enormous beast’s shadow loomed over the man, its maw opened wide and ready to strike. Again, Xie Wu was dragged out of the way, and the beast bit the ground after missing its target. The creature became agitated out of frustration, which incited even more cheers from the crowd.

The same scene played out again and again; each time it happened, Xie Wu lost a bit more of his will to fight. He started yearning for death, as it would be better than having to endure such torment.

There was a thunderous crash, and the ground shook. Xie Wu was dragged away yet again. However, once he lost the motivation to continue resisting, the crowd started to calm down. It was no fun watching a fight where one side was not even resisting.

However, Xie Wu soon started trying to fight back with new motivation, and the crowd quickly became frenzied once more.

Lu Yin looked around just outside the arena, and he noticed that there was someone threatening Xie Wu. If he ever stopped struggling, they would throw his sister into the arena. It was this threat that drove Xie Wu wild with fury, and he directed that rage towards the bat-like beast. The cheers grew louder and louder.

Such cruelty!

At this moment, a commotion broke out behind Lu Yin. Turning his head, he saw that Zuo Yu had appeared.

She had not expected to run into Xuan Qi in the beast arena, but despite her surprise, she remained entirely focused on Zi Jing.

"Leave," Ke Jian sternly ordered.

Desperate, Zuo Yu cried out, "Please, spare my grandfather! I take full responsibility! I'm willing to fight in the beast arena. Whatever happened has nothing to do with my grandfather!"

Ke Jian's eyes flashed, but just as he was about to respond to the young woman’s disruption, Lu Yin spoke up. "Let her come over.”

Ke Jian froze, but he did not argue. He gestured Zuo Yu forward.

She scrambled over and dropped to her knees in front of Zi Jing. "Madam Zi Jing, I am entirely to blame for the loss of that data. I am prepared to enter the beast arena. Please, don't bring my grandfather into this. He cannot leave the Ruling Council. Please, I’m begging you!"

Zi Jing replied, "That is not a decision that I can make."

Zuo Yu continued to beg. "I implore you—the data can be regathered with new tests. Just one word from you will mean that my grandfather will not need to leave the Ruling Council. I'm begging you!"

Ke Jian spoke up in a cold voice, "You've already said all that needs to be said. Leave, and do not disturb our guests."

"Zuo Yu, what's going on? When did you leave the Sixverse Academy?" Lu Yin asked.

Zuo Yu's body trembled. She refused to lift her head and did not move from her knees. "The people tasked with protecting the data included me, Xie Wu, and several others from the Sixverse Academy. We are all guilty and are willing to accept punishment, but please, do not drag my grandfather into things. He cannot leave the Ruling Council. If he does, our family will be doomed. I can die, but nothing can be allowed to happen to my grandfather. I beg you, Zi Jing, I beg you!"

Zi Jing turned to Lu Yin. "Did you meet her in the Sixverse Academy as well?"

Lu Yin nodded. "We got along pretty well."

Zi Jing looked over at Ke Jian and suggested, "If I conduct the necessary experiments myself, they won't take very long. Would that help her?"

Ke Jian simply replied, "I can pass your question along to Madam He Ran."

Zuo Yu was overjoyed. "Thank you, Madam Zi Jing! Thank you, Sir Xuan Qi! Thank you, Sir Ke Jian! Thank you! Thank you!"

Lu Yin looked back down at the beast arena. "Release that one too."

A simple wave of Ke Jian's hand crushed the giant beast and reduced it to pieces. Its blood splattered all over the beast arena, drenching Xie Wu.

The young man slumped to the ground and then looked up at Ke Jian. He also caught sight of Xuan Qi.

Lu Yin smiled at Xie Wu before walking away. The beast arena was truly a repulsive place.

"You haven't thanked the Acting Bureau Director yet. If not for him, you would have died here today," Ke Jian scolded Xie Wu.

Staring at Lu Yin's retreating figure, Xie Wu slowly got to his knees and prostrated on the floor of the arena. "Thank you."

The cheers died down as many people in the audience started muttering their dissatisfactions, and they tried to push to have Xie Wu continue the fight. However, when white energy erupted from Ke Jian and filled the arena, no one dared to utter another word.

After stepping out of the beast arena, Lu Yin took a deep breath. The air outside felt so much fresher.

"God of Mirrors, God Taiyi, I believe that your visit to the Transcendent Universe is over. Head on back now," Lu Yin stated.

The two bade farewell and then turned to Ke Jian, who personally escorted them back to Gods' Origin.

Zuo Yu had chased after them when they left the beast arena, and she once again expressed her gratitude to Lu Yin.

Lu Yin felt a bit curious. Zi Jing had told him that the Transcendent Universe had performed a thorough and complete analysis of all matter and energy in their universe. One outcome was that the cultivators from the Cloudflow Universe who had tried to rescue Cloudflow could not even hide themselves from the Transcendent Universe. In that case, how had the data been destroyed?

"Spies," Zuo Yu answered.

Lu Yin understood. There were spies in every universe of the Sixverse Association, including even the self-proclaimed completely analyzed Transcendent Universe.

Given Aeternus's capabilities, the Transcendent Universe would never be able to completely eliminate all spies in the universe. It would not matter how thoroughly they searched.

Lu Yin felt that there were far fewer spies in the Perennial World than in any of the Sixverse Association’s member universes, and he also believed that that was because Humility's Gate was more efficient than the Bureau.

"If spies are to blame, then why hasn’t the matter been turned over to the Bureau? Why were you forced to take responsibility?" Lu Yin asked.

Zuo Yu answered solemnly, "The Ruling Council cannot blame the Bureau, and thus, they can only punish us. Grandfather was willing to step down from the Ruling Council and open up a place there in order to prevent me from being punished."

"What about Xie Wu? Doesn’t he follow He Shu? Why was he punished so severely?" Lu Yin asked further.

Zuo Yu looked up at Lu Yin. "In addition to us, He Shu was also tasked with protecting that data."

Lu Yin's eyes flickered, and a chuckle escaped his lips. So, Xie Wu was forced to shoulder all of the blame for He Shu. It was no wonder why he had been given such a terrible punishment. However, with the resentment that Lu Yin had seen on the man’s face, it was clear that Xie Wu had not been willing to take on the role of scapegoat.

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