Stellar Steps

Chapter 13 - Liu Shaoge

The Starry Sky Academy was the universe's premier educational institution, consisting of ten faculties. While the Ninth Faculty was stationed in the endless realms of outer space, the remaining nine were within the inner universe. But now, unexpectedly, the Tenth Faculty was set to appear in the Canglan Region—a region that included the Great Yu Empire.

Lu Yin turned off the screen, his eyes flashing with anticipation. This information held tremendous value. The Starry Sky Academy attracted young talents across the universe with an almost irresistible allure. Previously, it felt beyond his reach, but now, with the Tenth Faculty entering the Canglan Region, how could he not be intrigued?

To enter the Tenth Faculty of Starry Sky Academy required not only exceptional talent and formidable combat skills but also sufficient training and experience.

And right in front of him was a trial—the Earth Evolution Test.

It was no wonder that so many people had come to participate in this trial. Yasta likely came here for this very reason too.

A sense of urgency stirred within Lu Yin. Not only did he not know the nature of Yasta's mission, but if no students completed it within three months, a second batch of trial participants would descend.

In anticipation of the Tenth Faculty's arrival, many sought out opportunities to gain experience and build their credentials—including powerful clans and prestigious families. The Earth Evolution Test was particularly attractive, and the arrival of a second batch of trial students could mean untold hardship for Earth.

Growing more anxious, Lu Yin realized that even the first batch of trial students were at least Explorer level. The second batch could bring even stronger challengers, and he might not be able to protect himself.

With this on his mind, Lu Yin resolved to reach Explorer level within three months—otherwise, he would be nothing more than an ant underfoot.

As the night passed, the army continued its march north the following day.

Lu Yin grew even more withdrawn, choosing not to stay in the armored vehicle but lying on its roof instead.

Hubei, Wucheng, the heartland of Huaxia, had gathered over ten million survivors. Each day, countless more arrived, drawn by the presence of one of the Seven Saints, Liu Shaoge, the Light Saint.

In the aftermath of the apocalypse, strange light-infused minerals appeared around Wucheng. These minerals, when shattered, emit beams of light.

Using these minerals as his foundation, Liu Shaoge protected the millions of survivors in Wucheng with his skills. Thus, he was revered as the Light Saint.

Around Wucheng, pillars of light shot into the sky, encircling the entire city. Because of this, Wucheng was also called the "City of Light" or even the "City That Never Sleeps."

In the center of Wucheng, a section of land was lifted into the air by beams of light, floating high above. This was the sanctuary of the Light Saint, which many referred to as "The Heavenly Capital."

Beneath The Heavenly Capital lay the Light Camp, a force of 100,000 evolutionaries defending the Light Saint, with a protective perimeter that extended outward.

The Heavenly Capital lacked any grand palaces, only elegant courtyards, exposed to the open sky.

Anyone in the Heavenly Capital could look up at the stars.

At that moment, within the courtyard of the Heavenly Capital, a handsome young man with a relaxed manner stood at the edge, gazing into the distance. He sipped from a wine glass, a strange smile curling at his lips. This was Liu Shaoge, the Light Saint.

Not far from Liu Shaoge stood another young man. Though not as handsome, he held a proud gaze, regarding Liu Shaoge as though he were an insignificant insect.

"All of this here is a resource for you, especially those crystals of light—they could give you a ten-year advantage over others of your kind, yet you're wasting it," the young man behind Liu Shaoge chided with disdain.

Liu Shaoge turned and smiled at him. "Don't say that, Puyi. Everything here belongs to us, not just to me."

Puyi’s expression softened slightly. "Then dismantle those light pillars. You're squandering resources."

Liu Shaoge nodded. "Fine, as you say. By the way, could you explain the territory divisions you mentioned earlier?"

Puyi replied coldly, "Trials have their own unwritten rules. If a participant manages to control a space, they can mark it as a blue zone online. Generally, no one will target blue zones in the early stages of the trial—unless they’re enemies."

"So, Wucheng has already been marked as a blue zone?" Liu Shaoge asked.

Puyi nodded, "Of course. Do you think I’d be the only one here otherwise? Trials are brutal, but usually, no one fights to the death in the early stages. Everyone is mindful of each other's backgrounds. Fortunately, my background is strong enough to deter any intruders."

Liu Shaoge nodded with a faint smile, "I see."

"Alright, now, what about the matter I asked you to investigate?" Puyi demanded impatiently, glancing at the light pillars with a hint of resentment. "Turn them off already—it's wasteful."

Liu Shaoge poured more wine for Puyi. "I’ve made progress on what you asked."

Puyi's eyes lit up. "Really? Tell me."

Liu Shaoge handed him a wine glass. "Take a look at this wine."

Puyi looked at it, puzzled. He saw nothing unusual, only the rippling surface of the wine—rings upon rings, endless, like an illusion...

With a smile, Liu Shaoge waited, then spoke calmly. "Give me your personal terminal."

In a daze, Puyi handed his terminal to Liu Shaoge.

After a few moments, Liu Shaoge closed the terminal, rubbing his temples. "How troublesome. He actually disabled the cosmic network, so he noticed I controlled him? Forget it." Smiling slightly, Liu Shaoge glanced up at the sky with a wise, calculating gaze.

Two days later, the army neared the front lines. They would have arrived sooner if they hadn't needed to repair the communication lines along the way.

For two nights, Lu Yin sat silently, staring at the moon, leading Luo Yun to suspect he had lost his mind.

Suddenly, the convoy stopped, and Xu San approached Lu Yin. "Boss, something’s wrong. We haven’t seen any survivors since yesterday. We should have encountered soldiers monitoring the area near the front lines. It’s strange not to see a single person."

Lu Yin got up and looked into the distance. "Have the troops set up camp."

Away from the others, Lu Yin opened his personal terminal to scan for combat strength in a one-mile radius, then two, extending his range up to ten miles. Filtering out strengths below Explorer level, he eventually detected a combat power of 1,800 within 37 kilometers, precisely in a deserted town just 20 kilometers from the front lines, between the front lines and their convoy.

Lu Yin ordered the troops to camp while he headed north alone, determined to discover whether this combat power belonged to a mutant beast or a human.

After advancing ten miles, Lu Yin stopped. Ahead of him was an army of evolutionaries. The presence of a military force indicated that the abandoned town was indeed a gathering point, meaning the detected Explorer-level combatant was likely one of the trial students.

After a moment’s consideration, Lu Yin reinstalled the tracking device on Yasta’s personal terminal.

As soon as the tracker activated, a female student in white armor with waist-length hair, stationed several miles away, noticed her personal terminal's signal. With a cold expression, she fled south.

Moments later, she appeared in the sky, staring icily down at Lu Yin. "This area is marked as a blue zone. Please leave."

Lu Yin looked at her, impressed by her beauty. "Hello, I'm Yata, from the First Military Academy of Tatar, Great Yu Empire."

"I’m not interested," she replied coldly, energy rippling around her, pressing down with oppressive force.

Lu Yin quickly responded, "Don't rush to judge. I'm injured and not a threat to you. Besides, I can offer you resources—plenty of them."

She looked at him disdainfully. "You're a mere Seeker and dare to join the planetary evolution trial? How did you even get in?"

"My grandfather is the academy's headmaster," he replied proudly.

She sneered, "Scram."

Lu Yin took out several flaming crystals from his space ring and tossed them to her. "Help me survive this trial, and when we’re out, I’ll give you a lot more."

Surprised, the woman accepted the flaming crystals, feeling their warmth. She descended, asking, "Where did you get these?"

Feigning arrogance, Lu Yin replied, "My grandfather, of course. He’s a mighty figure who roams the stars. He has plenty of these."

The woman's eyes narrowed, and she clenched her fists, a hint of killing intent flashing in her gaze.

Lu Yin took a wary step back. "Don’t do anything rash. Though no one can interfere with the trial, who lives and who dies can still be traced. You don’t want my grandfather coming after you."

She thought for a moment, then relaxed her grip. "Fine. I’ll help you survive on this planet, but your trial results won’t concern me."

Lu Yin exhaled, relieved. "That’s fine. Either way, my grandfather can get me into the Tenth Faculty. You can have all the credit."

(End of Chapter)