Chapter 2524 – An Unexpected Old Acquaintance
Lu Yin was astonished. "Why is that?"
Luo Lao"er whispered, "It"s because they are positions! The Cyclic Universe’s Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages don’t actually refer to twelve individuals, but rather twelve positions. Anyone is eligible to receive one of those positions and then obtain the power connected to it."
Lu Yin"s pupils contracted. "How is that even possible?"
Luo Lao"er sighed. "It"s hard to believe, isn"t it? When my old man told me about it, he had the same expression every time the Cyclic Universe was mentioned. Every. Single. Time. How should I put it? He showed a mix of envy and jealousy."
Lu Yin frowned. Twelve positions occupied by twelve Progenitors. Gaining a position could grant a person the strength of a Progenitor? How was that possible?
Lu Yin could accept the fact that the Transcendent Universe’s black energy converters could grant someone the raw power of a Progenitor-level expert. However, it should be completely impossible for a cultivation civilization to grant someone the strength of a Progenitor.
Luo Lao"er whispered, "Seventh Bro, this is one of the Cyclic Universe’s greatest secrets. Of course, it’s something that a lot of the big shots know about, but this information can’t be spread, as it would upset the current balance. Do you know why Jiang Xiaodao is so arrogant? As long as he doesn"t run into any accidents, Sage Jiang"s position is as good as his. You can even think of Jiang Xiaodao as a quasi-Sage. That’s why countless people are falling over themselves to flatter him and become his followers. No one wants to sow enmity with a quasi-Sage."
Lu Yin was amazed. "Besides the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages, are there any other positions?"
Luo Lao"er nodded. "Yes, there are also the Immortal Seats, which can also grant power."
Lu Yin looked towards the Cyclic School. What was the deal with this universe? How did they accomplish such things? If what Luo Lao’er was saying was true, then it would explain why the positions of the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages had never been empty, and it would also explain how the Great Sovereign was the master of all of the Three Sovereigns and Nine Sages. If everything was true, then the Great Sovereign absolutely possessed unimaginable strength.
It was no wonder why Sage Yuan had acted so arrogantly and ordered everyone to kneel before the Great Sovereign. It was no wonder why he had looked down on the Fifth Mainland.
"The moment this secret of the Cyclic Universe was exposed, countless people have entered that universe in an attempt to win one of the positions, but almost no one’s ever managed to accomplish anything of note. There are some positions that people can compete for, while there are others that can never be obtained," Luo Lao"er lamented.
"You know quite a lot," Lu Yin said.
Luo Lao"er laughed. "My father is Monarch Luo after all."
Lu Yin glanced over. It was becoming increasingly clear that Luo Lao’er’s relationship with Monarch Luo was not as simple as it first appeared to be. If Monarch Luo did not care about his son, he would have never shared such things with him.
Just as Lu Yin had first thought, there was a hidden meaning behind sending Luo Lao’er to the Transcendent Universe as a hostage, and it had most likely been done to protect him.
As the Transcendent Universe’s hostage, Luo Lao"er would be protected by that universe, which was much safer for him than staying in the Three Monarchs Universe.
As they continued to wander around Cliff Town, Lu Yin checked on many of the items for sale from different universes, and he also witnessed several exciting battles, though nothing could compare to the showdown that had occurred between Mu Mu and Jiang Xiaodao.
He was just about to return with Luo Lao"er when Lu Yin’s expression suddenly changed dramatically. He had just witnessed something truly unbelievable. Is that Seruzen?
Seruzen, Zhang Dingtian, Bai Xue, Xu San, and Lu Yin had all left Earth and entered the greater universe together. However, soon after that, they had all been separated from each other. They had been taken away by the Hidden Earth Society’s Hai Dalu, who had hoped that at least one of them would be able to become a true expert.
Over the years, Lu Yin had found Zhang Dingtian, Bai Xue, and Xu San, but Seruzen had never reappeared. Lu Yin had thought that the man was dead. After all, so many years had pa.s.sed. Lu Yin had risen to fame within their universe, which meant that Seruzen would have surely contacted Lu Yin if he were still alive.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yin had actually run into Seruzen in the Sixverse Academy.
As he watched Seruzen set up a stall ahead of him. Lu Yin almost went to greet the man.
Even with the self-control that Lu Yin had built up over his many years of cultivation, he could barely contain his excitement.
He felt incredibly curious. How had Seruzen ended up in the Sixverse Academy? This was not a place that ordinary people could hope to enter. On top of that, Seruzen was already rather old. If Lu Yin did not include his years as Lu Xiaoxuan, then he, Zhang Dingtian, and the others who had left Earth could all still be considered part of the Heavens Sect’s younger generation, but the same could not be said for Seruzen. The Sixverse Academy only accepted youths, and yet Seruzen had somehow managed to be accepted as well.
Lu Yin continued to stare at Seruzen, astonished to find that the man had obtained the strength of an Enlighter, which was quite impressive. Furthermore, Lu Yin could make out some peculiar changes in Seruzen’s body, though he failed to determine exactly what those changes were. They were particularly evident in the withered arm that Seruzen still held upright.
"Seventh Bro? Seventh Bro?" Luo Lao"er called out several times.
Lu Yin finally looked away and then approached Seruzen"s stall.
Luo Lao"er followed.
Seruzen closed his eyes and completely ignored Lu Yin and any others who approached his stall.
Lu Yin glanced at Seruzen before looking down to see what sort of goods were for sale in his stall.
"All of these things are very common, Seventh Bro. Is there something here that interests you? I"ll buy it for you," Luo Lao"er offered generously. This was not something that he could have offered during the underground auction.
Lu Yin calmly asked, "Brother, could you provide an introduction of the items you"re selling?"
Seruzen opened his eyes and his eyes locked with Lu Yin’s. A hoa.r.s.e voice stated, "We"ve met before."
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. "You can see what I look like?"
Seruzen replied, "I can"t, but we"ve definitely met."
"Where?"
Luo Lao"er felt incredibly curious. After all, he still had no idea which universe “Xuan Qi” had come from.
Seruzen considered things for a moment before answering, "I"ve met so many people that I can’t remember, but I"m certain that we"ve met before."
Lu Yin smiled. "Isn"t this sales method a bit cliché?"
Seruzen did not respond and instead closed his eyes once again.
Luo Lao"er got annoyed. "Hey! You"re supposed to be telling us about your goods, not taking a nap!"
Seruzen calmly replied, "If fate dictates that you buy something, then you will. If not, please leave."
Luo Lao"er sneered. "Don"t give me that kind of cryptic bulls.h.i.t, pretending that you have some amazing item. Push me too far, and I"ll take your entire stock!"
At that moment, Lu Yin looked to his left. Someone had suddenly run into them and knocked Lu Yin and Luo Lao"er aside. Just as Luo Lao"er was about to curse the person, his mouth snapped shut. He had just recognized Jiang Xiaodao as the one who had run into them.
"Stupid woman, your weirdo’s right here! Try burning me now, if you dare!" Jiang Xiaodao shouted. He then instantly moved behind Seruzen. Given such close proximity, Lu Yin found himself almost unable to resist the urge to kick the young man.
Lu Yin was actually speechless. Even after all this time, the two were still fighting!
Mu Mu finally arrived, panting heavily and glaring at Jiang Xiaodao. "Is this what Sage Jiang taught you? To use hostages?"
"I taught myself!" Jiang Xiaodao shouted proudly.
Mu Mu dismissively waved a hand. "Get lost. I won"t deal with you today."
Jiang Xiaodao sneered. "You should consider yourself lucky this time."
"Jiang Xiaodao, it seems like you"re asking for a beating!" Flames erupted and covered Mu Mu"s body.
Jiang Xiaodao warned her, "Your weirdo’s in the Lost Clan School. If you dare to provoke me again, I"ll make sure that he never reaches the threshold."
Seruzen spoke up in a calm and composed voice, "I have already reached the threshold."
Jiang Xiaodao blinked. "What? When? Wait, that"s not important! If you dare to provoke me, I"ll make sure that he never finds a card!"
Seruzen lifted his head. "I have already found a card."
"You found one?" Jiang Xiaodao was shocked, but he gritted his teeth and continued to say, "Then I"ll destroy your card! After all, that idiot woman has already burned my card, so come on, let"s have a go."
Mu Mu felt her head start to hurt. She glanced at Seruzen before sending another fierce glare at Jiang Xiaodao. "Watch out! Make sure I don"t catch you."
With that, she turned around and stomped off.
Jiang Xiaodao smirked. "Foolish woman, aren"t you aggressive? Come on, let"s see who"s more manly, haha!"
Lu Yin was just about to kick him.
Even Luo Lao"er felt his patience start to run thin. This person absolutely deserved a beating. If he ever managed to inherit Sage Jiang"s position and become the new Sage Jiang, who knew how many people would suffer?
Mu Mu was soon completely out of sight.
Jiang Xiaodao let out a sigh of relief as he casually patted Seruzen"s shoulder. "Thanks a lot, weirdo! Without you, that stupid woman would have forced Grandpa Dao out of Cliff Town, and then Grandpa Dao"s reputation would have been ruined."
Seruzen answered as calmly as ever. "As fellow outcasts, we should help each other whenever possible."
Jiang Xiaodao"s eye twitched. "What’s with this nonsense? You"re the outcast! Grandpa Dao doesn"t even know if you"re insulting me or not. Alright, I’m not going to argue with you. Grandpa Dao is leaving."
At that moment, he finally noticed Lu Yin and Luo Lao"er who were standing nearby and let out an awkward cough. "Did you see Grandpa Dao"s heroic bearing just now?"
Luo Lao"er took a while to recover. "Yes, I saw it."
Jiang Xiaodao looked satisfied. "That"s good. Do you know what to say later?"
"I do," Luo Lao"er replied obediently. He had no desire to antagonize this person.
Jiang Xiaodao laughed. "Smart! Which school are you from?"
Luo Lao"er subconsciously answered, "The Voidforce School."
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted speaking. He had accidentally revealed his ident.i.ty.
Jiang Xiaodao had only been asking a casual question, but as soon as he heard the name “Voidforce School,” his eyes sparkled. "I heard that there"s a guy in that school who"s been making waves recently. People keep comparing him to Shao Qingfeng. Is he really better than Shao Qingfeng?"
Luo Lao"er sighed internally. With his ident.i.ty exposed, he had no choice but to answer. "I’ve heard that that"s true, but we don’t understand the world you geniuses live in."
Jiang Xiaodao praised Luo Lao’er, "You sure know how to talk right! Go back and tell that person Xuan Qi that I, Grandpa Dao, admire him. Tell him that I’m giving him the chance to join me. This is an opportunity that countless people dream of. The future Sage Jiang is giving him this chance."
The man then patted Seruzen"s shoulder again and swaggered off.
Luo Lao"er looked at Lu Yin. "Brother-in-law, did you hear that?"
Lu Yin replied, "I’ll go to the Lost Clan School next."
As soon as Luo Lao"er"s initial surprise faded, he swiftly warned, "Brother-in-law, don"t bother getting into a fight with that idiot. He"s nothing but a troublemaker who enjoys provoking other people. He’s not worth your time."
Lu Yin had no intention of starting a dispute with Jiang Xiaodao. He simply wanted to get closer to Seruzen, as well as learn the Lost Clan’s power. Since it was necessary to learn the cultivation methods of two more universes, then why not learn the Lost Clan’s method? Their power fascinated him, and there was no rule in the Sixverse Academy that stipulated that a person could only learn from four universes. As long as he wished to try it, he could learn the cultivation methods of all six members of the Sixverse a.s.sociation.
It would not be appropriate for Lu Yin to hold a conversation with Seruzen out in the open, so Lu Yin and Luo Lao"er left Cliff Town and returned to the Voidforce School.
The visit to Cliff Town had only increased Lu Yin’s interest in the various universes that composed the Sixverse a.s.sociation. He had also confirmed that the next school he wanted to visit was the Lost Clan School. To move on, he first needed to submit an application to the Voidforce School, but that should not pose any problems, aside from one: Xu Xiangyin.
Lu Yin"s a.s.sumption was accurate. Xu Xiangyin was the highest-ranking person from the Voidforce Universe who was present in the Sixverse Academy. As soon as he learned that Xuan Qi wanted to apply to the Lost Clan School, the old man rushed over.
"You want to attend the Lost Clan School?" Xu Xiangyin asked.