Star Odyssey

Chapter 4248: Meeting Eyes

Greater Sancte Awe Gate stared at the short section of vine. The Longevity Vine?

For the Longevity Civilization, everything came from the Longevity Vine. If this was a piece of the Longevity Vine, then it made sense why Chang Tu would care about it so much and refuse to allow it to fall into outsider hands.

Lu Yin looked away. A daughter, huh?

He had also had a child, Little Xiaoxuan. Even after so long, just the thought of Little Xiaoxuan would cause Lu Yin to feel a stab of pain. He very much wanted to bring his child into the real world rather than have him exist solely as a strand of karma.

Let go? How was he supposed to let go of that?

To become an Immortal, he was building a towering wall within his heart, letting go of everything. But when it came to Little Xiaoxuan, Lu Yin simply could not let go.

Chang Tu vanished high into the starry sky above. He faced the Longevity Vine and slowly bowed. “Ancestor, two humans have arrived. One of them is the same person who Chang Tian once...”

After quite some time, Chang Tu finally finished his report. He then quietly waited.

At the same time, within the sourcebox array, Lu Yin was feeling restless. He stepped outside of his quarters and saw Awe Gate staring blankly at the Longevity Vine.

“You are quite skilled with sourcebox arrays, aren’t you? Can we go out and wander around without Chang Tu noticing?”

Lu Yin took a few moments to study the sourcebox array. “Yes. Senior, do you want to go out?”

Awe Gate glanced up at the sky. “I want to see what kind of punishment Chang Tian will receive for giving away that piece of Longevity Vine.”

Lu Yin nodded. “Give me a bit of time.”

With that, he began to study the sourcebox array in earnest.

While the sourcebox array had been set up by several Array Grandmasters working together, Lu Yin was a highly skilled Array Grandmaster himself; he was one of the foremost experts in their human civilization. With the support of his shocking strength, the sourcebox array was truly not enough to stump him.

Suddenly, his pupils constricted, and he froze in place. He did not dare to move a single muscle.

At the same time, the Longevity Vine slipped from Awe Gate’s hand, falling onto the table. She also remained perfectly still, staring blankly at the floor.

It lasted for just an instant, less than a heartbeat, and then the two of them returned to normal.

But within that brief instant, Lu Yin’s back became soaked with sweat.

He silently returned to his quarters, no longer having any desire to unravel the sourcebox array.

Similarly, Awe Gate put the piece of Longevity Vine away and entered seclusion.

Beneath the stars, Chang Tu maintained his bowed posture, not moving at all.

After a long while, an ancient, weathered voice spoke, “Do as you said.”

Chang Tu bowed even lower. “This disciple is incompetent.”

“They are not simple people. I am also aware of that child, Chang Tian. His heart has always held a flaw. If he wants to progress further, he must overcome this trial. You did nothing wrong.”

“But we may end up interacting with this human civilization.”

“Then let there be interaction.”

“Then, what about the vine-climbing contest?”

“I will suppress him. He will not obtain Divine Sight.”

Hearing that, Chang Tu let out a sigh of relief. “Then this disciple can be at ease. We are merely allowing them to stay here for Chang Tian’s sake. As long as Chang Tian can overcome this trial, Divine Sight will not be shared with outsiders. Thank you, Master.”

...

Two years passed in a flash. As the sourcebox array dispersed, Lu Yin’s eyes opened, and he emerged from his quarters.

The outside world was very lively at the moment. Countless members of the Longevity Civilization flew through the sky as one vine after another descended from the starry sky. They were spread far apart and each one was immense, resembling stairways to heaven.

On the day the vine-climbing contest was held, countless members of the Longevity Civilization would climb the vines. The competition had no limitations on cultivation. Anyone who had at least the strength of an Explorer was allowed to participate, as one needed to at least be able to touch one of the falling vines in order to attempt to climb them. At the end of the contest, a group would be allowed to receive Divine Sight.

Lu Yin looked up at the starry sky. As expected, the Longevity Civilization was indeed hiding a terrifying old monster.

It had been more than a year since he and Awe Gate had simultaneously felt the brush of a single glance. He would never forget what he had felt at that moment for the rest of his life. It had felt like a blade slicing across his body, like his skin was being torn apart, inch by inch. There had been absolutely no possibility of putting up any sort of resistance.

That had also been nothing more than a glance.

It was no wonder why the Longevity Civilization had those legends about it. That ancient powerhouse might very well be just as strong as the Seven-Treasure Anuras’ Ancestor Shan. This was a true old monster.

Lu Yin glanced at his cosmic ring. Was the Seven-Treasure Anura’s Old First really capable of creating an opening for him to escape from the hands of such a monster? Lu Yin had started to doubt it.

Awe Gate emerged from her own quarters and looked over at Lu Yin with a grave expression. “Get ready. It seems that we simply need to approach a vine and climb up.”

Lu Yin nodded and moved out, quickly arriving below the vine that was closest to where they were staying.

By this time, quite a few members of the Longevity Civilization had gathered around the various vines. The green of their bodies was exactly the same shade as the vines.

Lu Yin’s arrival did not draw any attention.

To everyone present, Lu Yin was just another average cultivator, like most of the others present who wanted to test their luck in the latest vine-climbing contest.

Lu Yin quietly listened in on the conversations between the nearby members of the Longevity Civilization, gradually learning the details of the impending contest.

It was actually very simple and perfectly matched its name. The contest could be summarized with one word: climb.

The only goal was to climb up the hanging vines. Nothing more was required.

The participating cultivators possessed a variety of combat strength and cultivation. For Lu Yin, it did not appear difficult to climb to the top of the vine. However, the Longevity Vine was quite peculiar, and it released different levels of pressure based on the individual themselves, which meant that both ordinary humans and Dukkhans faced the same level of difficulty. What was tested was one’s determination and willpower.

Lu Yin looked up at the sky. Did the pressure originate from the Longevity Vine itself, or from one of the Longevity Civilization’s Immortals?

If the pressure was man-made, things would not go well for him.

Chang Tu had repeatedly claimed that everything about this competition was fair and impartial, but the more that one made such a claim, the less likely it was to be true.

In retrospect, it became clear that Chang Tu had urged Lu Yin multiple times to fight for a slot to learn Divine Sight, all while emphasizing that there were a limited number of slots. Had that not laid the groundwork for a situation where, even if Lu Yin lost, he would have no grounds to cast any accusations?

If Lu Yin was in Chang Tu’s place, he would do the same.

After all, this way would ensure that Divine Sight was not spread to any outsiders, which would avoid breaking any of their rules.

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. The Longevity Vine itself was not capable of putting a significant amount of pressure on him, which meant that Chang Tu’s confidence had to come from the fact that the pressure was artificial. Since that was the case, it became easy to guess who would be responsible for that pressure. For the old man to be so sure that Lu Yin would be suppressed and defeated, it had to be either Chang Tu or the old monster. Lu Yin was clear about Chang Tu’s strength, but he would have to see what sort of strength that ancient powerhouse possessed.

He was not all that concerned about Divine Sight itself.

“Let me share some inside news with you. They say that this vine-climbing contest was moved forward because some foreigners are participating!” In the distance, one member of the Longevity Civilization spoke softly.

Others who were nearby were not quite able to hear what he said, as he was taking care that only his own friends could hear him.

Still, Lu Yin could hear everything perfectly.

He glanced over. How had a rumor like that leaked?

“That’s impossible. How could a foreigner be allowed to participate in the vine-climbing contest? The elders would never permit such a thing. Doing so would break our civilization’s rules,” someone protested, unconvinced.

The one sharing the rumor quietly replied, “I didn’t believe it either. In fact, no one did at first, but then, the source of this rumor is supposedly reliable. Besides, what other reason could there be for the contest to suddenly be moved forward by so many years? It just doesn’t make sense. It’s almost never happened throughout history.”

“That’s true. I asked my seniors about it, and none of them knew why the date was changed. Our generation is lucky to have this chance. Normally, we’d have to wait ten more years to participate.”

“We’re actually the unlucky ones. The vine-climbing contest doesn’t have restrictions related to age or cultivation level, which means that all of our seniors and elders will also be participating. The reason why the competition is held once every twenty years is so that our bodies have time to mature before we participate. Without that, competing does more harm than good. The timing of this contest really isn’t ideal for us. Didn’t your seniors try to prevent you from joining?”

“They did, but I’m in the middle of traveling outside, so my elders don’t know I’m here.”

“Does it really hurt the body? If that’s the case, I don’t think I’ll participate.”

“Coward! What are you afraid of? Just experience it. That way, when you come back in another twenty years, you’ll be much more used to it.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll give it a try. It won’t stunt my growth, will it?”

“...”

Lu Yin looked away, shifting his attention elsewhere. There were many others who were also whispering about foreigners competing in this vine-climbing contest. It seemed that the rumors had spread far and wide.

Just who had leaked things?

Almost no one should have known about his participation.

The Longevity Megaverse was vast, comparable to the Tianyuan Megaverse. Cultivators were only able to see the hanging vines and the unreachable star-filled sky. In contrast, Lu Yin was able to see Chang Tu and another, unknown Immortal standing above the sky. However, where was Chang Tian?

“Shh! Young War King is here.”

“Young War King? Where?”

“Keep your voice down!”

A young man with an indifferent expression approached from the distance. Lu Yin glanced over, only to be surprised by what he saw. The youth was already as strong as a Semi-Progenitor. While that was not at all comparable to the prodigies of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse’s Scion Spire, it was still quite impressive. Judging from the man’s appearance, he was even younger than Ning Xiao and the others from the Scion Spire.

Was he one of the outstanding geniuses of the Longevity Civilization?

Listening to the whispered discussions, Lu Yin soon understood. This man was known as Young War King, and he was regarded as something of a legend.

From the moment that he had first started cultivating, all of his training had taken place on the battlefield. His master was someone similar to a general, and he was respected by many factions for being capable of leading cultivators in war. The man was an expert tactician, both in regards to mortal war and cultivators’ conflicts, which made him famous throughout the Longevity Megaverse. The young man had followed his master across battlefields since childhood, honing his understanding of tactics in mortal wars while also cultivating amidst cultivator battles. Step by step, he had walked his path, emerging from the blood and fire.

Lu Yin gave Young War King a second look and then a third. Such people were extremely rare.

Cultivators generally were not skilled tacticians. A perfect example was the war between the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and the Nest civilization; at that time, there had been almost no real command structure in place. Any concept of strategy was fragile in the face of absolute strength. Even if Grand Marshal Shui Chuanxiao and Wang Wen had been taken to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse for that war, they would have struggled to coordinate a war between civilizations, as such men were not even able to fully comprehend the difference in strength between the two sides.

It was exceptionally rare for someone to have the overwhelming strength necessary to discern the true power in play in such conflicts while also being capable of making tactical decisions.

Grand Marshal Shui Chuanxiao’s cultivation was simply too weak; he could not keep up with the level at which Lu Yin operated. Wei Rong and Wang Wen focused more on schemes and plots and were not well suited to commanding large-scale battlefields. As for Sage Bodhi, her cultivation was decent, but she was still not at the level needed to oversee a war between civilizations.

Young War King’s master was called the War Saint, which suggested that he was at least a Dukkhan, which meant that he was a truly talented cultivator.

It was a pity that he was not part of the human civilization.

Young War King’s arrival caused the nearby chatter to fade away.

One by one, people moved away, treating the young man like some terrifying beast. Eventually, Lu Yin realized that he was the one standing the closest to Young War King.

Young War King lifted his eyes to look at Lu Yin. The man’s gaze was keen, yet not overwhelmingly oppressive. There was the sense that it could be withdrawn at any moment. Lu Yin had felt something similar from Wei Rong’s gaze before, though his eyes contained more contemplation and were not quite so sharp.

Lu Yin smiled at Young War King, but the man’s eyes instantly grew sharper.

“He actually dares to meet Young War King’s eyes! He’s antagonizing him!”

“That kid’s in trouble.”

Lu Yin heard the comments. Is meeting someone’s eyes considered antagonizing?