Time flowed by, and half a month passed before any of the Sixverse Academy students managed to reach the Outerverse’s western weaves, which was where Ancestor Lingtong stayed. The student confirmed Xu San’s presence and then ambushed him.
There was hardly any resistance at all before Xu San was captured.
Lu Yin stopped Ancestor Lingtong from taking action, as it was necessary for Xu San to be taken away.
Xu San had been targeted by more than just one person, as there were three. Each of the three had targeted Xu San, which had led to internal fighting among the students. Just as the students had originally predicted, their greatest obstacle was not the Origin Universe, but each other.
Xu San's capture almost seemed to be a signal. After his capture, Yōu Ye'er was soon kidnapped, followed closely by both Coco and Zhuo Daynight. All three women were attacked and successfully captured.
Four targets in a row were attacked and captured by the Sixverse Academy students. All the while, Lu Yin closely monitored everything.
He had actually intervened when Zhuo Daynight had been attacked, but only because the attacker had been about to immediately leave upon capturing her, which was unacceptable.
Lu Yin had allowed Xu San and the others to be captured so that he could launch his own attacks after the Sixverse Academy’s students were exposed. This way, Lu Yin could steal more Lotus Artifacts. The people who had captured Xu San and the others had all been eager to capture more targets, which was why they had not tried to immediately leave the Origin Universe. This worked to Lu Yin’s benefit, as the captured individuals were not the ones whom he intended to allow to be taken away.
Zhuo Daynight was not supposed to be among the captured people.
The person who had targeted Zhuo Daynight carried no ambition, and naturally, Lu Yin would not allow things to proceed.
"I need to go," Zhuo Daynight told Lu Yin, her voice determined.
"The situation right now is complicated, and I can't ensure your safety if you leave," Lu Yin warned.
"As long as I stay in this universe, no matter how much I cultivate, I will only ever be able to reach the same level as my ancestor, the first Dayking. However, even he was weak when compared to peak powerhouses," Zhuo Daynight explained.
Lu Yin stared at her for a moment. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
Lu Yin nodded. "Alright."
After Lu Yin left, Zhuo Daynight glanced over at the unconscious woman. She was the student who had tried to capture Zhuo Daynight, and the student had used a green energy converter to do so. Zhuo Daynight had only been captured because she had been training outdoors without her smoke or microarray weapons.
Upon sensing that the woman would soon awaken, Zhuo Daynight quickly feigned being unconscious and laid down beside the woman.
As soon as the student woke up, she looked around, quickly finding the unconscious form of Zhuo Daynight. What had happened? The woman could only remember that she had been just about to leave, so why had she unexpectedly fainted?
The woman felt that there was something wrong with the situation, so she quickly grabbed Zhuo Daynight and fled.
That woman became the first student to successfully capture someone and return to the Sixverse Academy.
A full month passed. One day, Leon's Armada was attacked. The resulting battle was so shockingly large that it affected the entire Cosmic Sea.
Shao Qingfeng had attacked Highsage Leon. Shao Qingfeng had an impressive combat strength that allowed him to challenge an expert with a power level of about 700,000. With Shao Qingfeng’s recent integration of techniques and abilities from the other universes in the Sixverse Association, he managed to fight Highsage Leon to a draw. In the end, he even left a wound on the pirate king after taking advantage of a blue energy converter.
Fortunately, Big Sis appeared in time, and she easily defeated Shao Qingfeng. In fact, Shao Qingfeng was even forced to use his Lotus Artifact to escape.
Sage Yuan had provided a bit of information regarding the Fifth Mainland, and some of it was even quite detailed, but the man knew almost nothing about Big Sis.
Big Sis was no longer the same person that she had once been. She had become a formidable powerhouse after unsealing a portion of Progenitor Yōu Ming’s power. When she visited the Perennial World, Big Sis had even managed to fight against Semi-Progenitors, such as one of Xia Shenji's clones. Shao Qingfeng was absolutely no match for Big Sis.
Big Sis's interference also revealed the truth behind the trial.
Lu Yin then took swift action, saving Xu San and others who had been captured but were still in the Fifth Mainland. In doing so, Lu Yin picked up five Lotus Artifacts. Combined with the three that he had previously taken, as well as his own, he now possessed nine Lotus Artifacts.
He Shu and the others quickly learned of Shao Qingfeng's defeat and escape to the Sixverse Academy. From that moment on, the rest of the students abandoned any thought of trying to capture Highsage Leon or Big Sis. As for Wendy Yushan, they found her to be just as difficult to capture. She resided in Frostwave Weave, which was within the Heavens Sect’s territory. Even entering the region would be seeking death. With no other option, the students moved on to other targets.
Even if they were unable to obtain the most valuable reward, they absolutely could not return empty-handed. Total failure was not an option.
…
While shrouded in smoke, Wen Sansi fought against a figure who was clad in a blue and white coat. The former Arbiter was facing off against He Shu. "Are you from the Sixverse Association?"
He Shu replied, "Come with me. Your resistance is fruitless and will only bring disaster down upon your Wen family."
Wen Sansi retorted, "That depends on how capable you are."
He Shu had no desire to waste time, so he quickly activated his red energy converter, which caused his power level to spike to over one million. The sudden increase in strength left Wen Sansi helpless, and he was instantly captured.
Ling Gong was also captured, though it took the combined efforts of Xu Ji and Xu Yue; one of the two attacked openly, while the other attacked from the shadows.
With two targets captured, Lu Yin exposed his strength. He used the Cosmic Art to access Progenitor Chen’s power, and with Star Stomp, Lu Yin had control of the entire Fifth Mainland. The revelation of Lu Yin’s true capabilities scared the remaining Sixverse Academy students so badly that they all fled.
Jiang Xiaodao immediately tore through the void in order to escape. Was this Lu Yin's true power? How terrifying! That man was an absolute monster!
Jiang Xiaodao felt incredibly frustrated. He had maintained a low profile the moment the trial had been announced, and he had intended to take advantage of Shao Qingfeng. Jiang Xiaodao had prepared himself, expecting to see Shao Qingfeng capture Highsage Leon during their fight in the Cosmic Sea. However, when Big Sis had exposed her terrifying strength, Jiang Xiaodao had been scared into hiding, and Shao Qingfeng had been forced to flee.
After that, Jiang Xiaodao had decided to target Ku Wei, who was still in the Astral Beast Domain. Since he needed to cross the Heavens Sect and enter the Astral Beast Domain, Jiang Xiaodao had assumed that he would not face any trouble. However, he had not anticipated Lu Yin's horrifying abilities. Discovering Lu Yin’s strength had made Jiang Xiaodao instantly decide to return, just to be safe.
In the Sixverse Academy, Shi Jiao and the universe representatives were staring at Wen Sansi, Ling Gong, and Zhuo Daynight. After some time, they exchanged glances. "This is worse than what we expected."
"At least they’ve managed to capture a few targets," Zhi Bing said.
Xu Xiangyin glanced over at Shao Qingfeng and the other students who had already returned. "We're still missing some."
"Lu Yin took action. He must have captured the rest of the students. The Lotus Artifacts are able to defend against an attack from a Progenitor, but for that to happen, the students need to be able to respond. How could any of them possibly react in time if they faced a Progenitor?" Mu Sanye commented.
Xu Xiangyin noted the absence of Xuan Qi, and his brow furrowed. Had Xuan Qi simply not returned, or was he unable to do so?
Shi Jiao also noticed, and she quickly asked, "Does anyone know where Xuan Qi went?"
Not one student responded.
You Teng suggested, "It’s possible that he simply hasn't returned yet. Provided that he doesn't expose himself, not even a Progenitor would be able to locate him."
Out of everyone in the Sixverse Academy, You Teng alone knew that Xuan Qi was someone from the Origin Universe. This was also why he was the only person who carried some expectations for Xuan Qi. It was even possible that the youth would return with a pleasant surprise for them.
Several days later, Xuan Qi suddenly arrived in the Sixverse Academy, a frantic expression and a Lotus Artifact protecting him.