Chapter 2374: Qiming Star
Lu Yin asked, "Who is Nutjob Lu?"
There was only one answer Wan Zhiyi could give. "I don't know. Not even your father, Lu Qi, knew. Out of the entire Fifth Mainland, only Patriarch Tianyi, Bai Wangyuan, and the others are old enough to know the answer to that question.
"To think that he had something to do with the family’s exile! If I had known about that, I would have insisted that Patriarch Tianyi kill the man!"
Lu Yin looked up into the sky at the location where Planet Ominion had appeared. "Not only did he help exile the Lu family, he almost killed me just a short while ago."
Wan Zhiyi frowned, and then nervously asked, "Where is he?"
Lu Yin pointed upwards.
"The Dominion Realm?" Wan Zhiyi was puzzled.
"The Outer Realm."
This was unexpected for Wan Zhiyi. "He actually went to the Outer Realm? It seems that the four ruling powers also fear him greatly."
"What's the situation in the Outer Realm like?" Lu Yin asked. He simply had too many questions without anyone to ask for so long. Now, he was trying his best to remember everything that he wanted to know. If he remembered something later on, he could also return and speak with Wan Zhiyi again.
Wan Zhiyi thought for a while. "How can I explain this? If I remember correctly, you are an Array Master, so that makes things much easier. The Outer Realm is the sourcebox array that protects the entire Perennial World."
Lu Yin was stunned. "The planets in the Outer Realm are all sourceboxes?"
Wan Zhiyi nodded. "As I thought, you were immediately able to understand something that most people will never even consider: an unimaginably large sourcebox. The truth is, the Outer Realm is part of Ceaseless Impetus, but this is something that very, very few people are aware of. I only learned this from your family, but the seven planets scattered across the Outer Realm that surround the Perennial World are actually connected to Ceaseless Impetus. They are the power behind the first defense that protects humanity.
"When the Lu family was still here, they protected two of the planets. Each planet is unique, and because of the influence of the overall sourcebox array, the conditions on each planet are far different from the Perennial World itself. I won't tell you any more than that. Regardless, you and I will never be sent to guard the Outer Realm.
"The guardians of the Outer Realm are either people who are feared by the master of the Perennial World or volunteers. There are seven planets, and if Nutjob Lu is protecting one of them, then the other six should be protected by Progenitors from the Nong and Liu families, as well as a few Progenitors from the four ruling powers themselves."
Lu Yin was instantly reminded of Bai Sheng. He was a member of the Celestial Frost Sect, but he needed to spend most of his time in the Outer Realm. This suggested that each of the four ruling powers had a Progenitor in the Outer Realm protecting a planet. It was truly impressive for each of the four ruling powers to have two Progenitors, but they still could not compare to the Lu family. The Lu family had protected two planets in the Outer Realm, and even if one of those guardians was Patriarch Tianyi himself, when also considering Nutjob Lu, the Lu family had possessed at least three Progenitors. It was simply amazing.
This was the power that should have been guiding the Fifth Mainland.
Lu Yin spent a good bit of time on the fourth array base asking Wan Zhiyi numerous questions, and the old man patiently answered everything that he could. He understood that Lu Yin had lost all of his memories, not just the ones about the Lu family being exiled. The young man had lost everything that had made him Lu Xiaoxuan. Only Bai Xian’er had been so cruel to him.
"The most frustrating thing is Tu Qiming. He was actually drunk instead of having his memory erased," Lu Yin complained in an angry tone.
"Lu bastard, don't think that I can't hear you even if I leave!" Tu Qiming's voice rang out in the distance, as he had been listening in the entire time.
Naturally, Lu Yin was aware that the young man had been listening. He looked up at Wan Zhiyi and saw regret in the man’s eyes. He then asked, "What is Tu Qiming's innate gift?"
Tu Qiming had nearly been acknowledged as the Eighth Hero. To be able to receive such acknowledgement, it would never have been enough for him to be considered such by Lu Xiaoxuan or the rest of the Seven Heroes. The Seven Heroes had been named by the entire Perennial World. It had not been a self-given title.
When people discussed the Perennial World during the Lu family’s rule, aside from the Lu family’s Champions’ Stage and Patriarch Tianyi himself, the Seven Heroes were brought up the most. They had been the pride of their era, despite the fact that not a single one of the Seven Heroes had lived long enough to reach their full potential. They had left an indelible imprint on their era.
The masters of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas had been the pride of the Daosource Sect era, while the Three Realms Six Dao had been the pride of the Heavens Sect era. In the same manner, the Seven Heroes had been the pride of the era right before the Lu family’s exile, even though it had not been too long ago.
Wan Zhiyi looked over at Tu Qiming, who was in the distance, craning his neck and trying to eavesdrop. The old man let out a sigh. "Qiming Star. His name itself comes from his innate gift. When he was born into the Tu family, the Qiming Star descended from the sky, shaking the entire Higher Realm. Even Progenitors looked over, and the Tu family was ecstatic. They immediately renamed him. His original name was forgotten, and Tu Qiming became his name. Not one person in the entire family objected. His innate gift is the Qiming Star."
"What kind of innate gift is that?" Lu Yin was amazed to hear that a family that had been acknowledged by the Lu family would be willing to ignore generational seniority and change a person’s name. This showed just how shocking Tu Qiming’s innate gift had been to his entire family.
Far away, Tu Qiming heard the Qiming Star mentioned, and his eyes dimmed. He turned away and left.
Wan Zhiyi lamented, "Qiming Star. Qiming means ‘brilliant start.’ As long as the Qiming Star is shining, Tu Qiming will not die. Tell me, how long can a star survive for?"
Lu Yin's expression changed completely, and he blurted, "He can live as long as a star?"
Wan Zhiyi replied, "Although it seems impossible, that is indeed what we understood back then. On top of that, ‘qiming’ also indicates a sense of wisdom. Tu Qiming’s talent for cultivation proved to be extraordinary, and he was by no means inferior to any of the Seven Heroes, and he was even comparable to the best of you seven. You all stood above all of your peers, and the only person capable of competing with you was Tu Qiming. He was just as famous and impressive as all of you, and it was acknowledged that he would become the Eighth Hero when he matured.”
"Patriarch Tianyi himself stated as much, and the rest of us could see it as well. His only goal has always been you, Young Master. Unfortunately, with his innate gift destroyed, he has lost himself."
Lu Yin had not expected Tu Qiming's innate gift to be something that powerful. He would live as long as a star! Even though that was most likely an exaggeration, as any random star would last for billions upon billions of years, which was a span of time that no human could compare to. It was possible that the stars of the universe had witnessed the birth of humanity, the glory of the Heavens Sect, as well as the current era.
However, even if Tu Qiming could not truly live for as long as a star, his Qiming Star innate gift was still incredibly beneficial.
A brilliant genius with an incredible innate gift had been reduced to a cripple who was tortured every day.
Lu Yin could understand Tu Qiming's depression, even without the inhumane torture that he suffered each month.
He immediately reached out to Yu Chen.
Yu Chen had been released with everyone else from the Perennial World whom Lu Yin had captured, and she should have returned to the Celestial Frost Sect.
Lu Yin had planted a Death Seal in Yu Chen, and while he was not certain that Bai Wangyuan had not removed the restriction, it was very unlikely for the Progenitor to help someone as minor as Yu Chen. In fact, from Bai Wangyuan’s point of view, it would probably be easier to simply kill Yu Chen than to remove the Death Seal.
If Lu Yin could think of this possibility, Yu Chen likely had as well. Thus, there was a very small chance that she would have revealed the existence of the seal that controlled her fate.
When a connection was established between the two wireless jincans, Lu Yin knew that Yu Chen was still under his control. If not, he would have never been able to connect to the wireless jincan that he had given Yu Chen.
"Dao Chosen," Yu Chen sent back through the wireless jincan.
Lu Yin got straight to the point. "I want to speak with Bai Xian'er."
Far away, Yu Chen instantly grew hesitant. Very few people knew how to contact Bai Xian'er, and by giving the information to Lu Yin, Yu Chen would be exposing herself to Bai Xian’er. This made Yu Chen very reluctant to obey.
"I told you that I want to speak with Bai Xian'er." Lu Yin sent again.
While the wireless jincans could not send a person’s tone or attitude, Yu Chen could still sense Lu Yin's rage. Yu Chen’s reluctance no longer mattered, as she understood that even if Bai Xian’er did not learn of this matter, Yu Chen would still be executed by Lu Yin. There was no choice for her but to comply and provide him with the requested contact information.
Yu Chen had revealed to Lu Yin that she could contact Bai Xian’er in order to save her own life. It was her greatest value to Lu Yin, and she was being forced to use it at this moment.
Lu Yin put his wireless jincan away, pulled out his communication crystal, and tried to call Bai Xian'er.
Next to Lu Yin, Wan Zhiyi’s eyes narrowed, and a powerful killing intent erupted in his eyes. Bai Xian'er was a woman who had played a key role in exiling the Lu family, and even more importantly, Tu Qiming had been ruined by the woman. She had caused suffering to many of the surviving vassals of the Lu family, including the people who had been driven insane in Crimson Garden. Bai Xian’er had caused their madness.
Despite the fact that his memory loss prevented Wan Zhiyi from feeling hatred for the Lu family’s exile, his increasing knowledge of what had happened had triggered his hatred, and it continued to mount.
The communication crystal vibrated, and then an image appeared. The background showed red flowers raining from the sky, and the foreground was of Bai Xian'er’s impressive figure.
The moment Bai Xian'er appeared, Wan Zhiyi wished that he could kill the woman.
Lu Yin stared at Bai Xian'er, and the woman stared back at him. "So you’ve finally found me."
"You knew that I would find you? That I would be able to?" Lu Yin retorted.
Bai Xian'er answered with a slight smile, "If you wanted to, you could find me. I won’t run from you."
Lu Yin had no interest in pointless small talk. "What's wrong with Tu Qiming's innate gift?"
Bai Xian'er casually answered, "It's gone."
"Just because he was a vassal of the Lu family?"
"No, because he is Tu Qiming. He was rude to me once."
Lu Yin looked into the distance. "Tu Qiming, get over here!"
When Tu Qiming heard Lu Yin call him, he wanted to ignore it, but when he looked over, he saw Bai Xian'er’s image. Tu Qiming’s eyes instantly flared, and he shot towards Lu Yin as fast as he could move.
Bai Xian'er waited calmly. She showed no reaction at all. It was as though she was speaking to a perfect stranger, rather than a mortal enemy like Lu Yin. Her eyes remained soft and peaceful as she gazed at Lu Yin. No animosity could be seen at all.
Such an expression would normally cause people to relax, but Bai Xian’er’s eyes left Lu Yin extremely irritated. He felt as if he saw pity in her eyes.
Tu Qiming rushed over and glared at Bai Xian'er. "You hag, I bet that you didn’t expect your Grandpa Tu to still be alive, hahahaha!"
Lu Yin arched a brow. Hag? Bai Xian'er was clearly one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, and her demeanor made her even more attractive. Without the hatred that existed between them, Lu Yin would not mind offering a few compliments, so it was a bit confusing as to how Tu Qiming could call such a woman a hag.
On the other hand, Bai Xian’er showed not even the slightest hint of surprise. It was clear that she had heard such insults from Tu Qiming before.
She smiled at Tu Qiming. "Genius always introduces flaws. I had assumed that your face-blindness was due to your talent being too exceptional. I never thought that after destroying your innate gift, you would still be as blind as ever. It seems that I was mistaken."
"Your uncle is face-blind, not me, your Grandpa Tu! Eldest Sister, Fourth Sister, and Sixth Sister are all much prettier than you, and so is Long Xi. Actually, even Lu San’s prettier than you!" Tu Qiming shouted.
Bai Xian'er continued to smile. "Even if your innate gift has already been ruined, there are still many other things I can take away from you, such as your hands, feet, or even your tongue."
Tu Qiming wanted to shout back, but Lu Yin stopped him. "Are you threatening him?"
Bai Xian'er turned her eyes to Lu Yin. "You can't protect him. People should be taught a lesson for speaking rudely."
"Is that why you make him suffer every month?" Lu Yin's eyes were cold.
Bai Xian'er smiled again. "Should I not?"
Tu Qiming gritted his teeth with so much force that blood fell from his lips. He acted happy and carefree, but in truth, his hatred for Bai Xian’er had consumed him, especially since it was impossible for him to get revenge. His only way of venting his emotions was to insult and mock the woman, but she remained as indifferent as a cloud in the sky, which only aggravated Tu Qiming further.
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