Chapter 2546: War Situation
Mu Sanye's fingers trembled, and he almost released an attack from sheer rage. The kid had accidently bumped into the tree? Such a casual remark completely invalidated all of Mu San’s efforts! The long hours and the effort he had spent competing with Xu Xiangyin had just been completely wasted! Mu San felt his work and desires that had caused him to push to have the Arboreal Sanctuary open early crumble to dust.
"Do you know how much I sacrificed just to have the Arboreal Sanctuary open ahead of schedule?" Mu Sanye gritted his teeth, and fury blazed in his eyes.
Xu Xiangyin quickly moved to stand in front of Lu Yin and said, "Mu San, the outcome has been dictated by the heavens. Since things have come to this, there’s no longer any need for more words. Xuan Qi now belongs to my Voidforce Universe. Do you have any objections?"
Mu Sanye wanted to retort, but not a single word came out. What was the point of competing for the youth at this point in time? The only reason he had regarded Xuan Qi as important had been because of the priceless nature of the penta-chromatic fruit the child had obtained. The penta-chromatic fruit should have determined what innate gift Lu Yin would obtain from a tree, but the fact that Xuan Qi had already received his innate gift and yet did not demonstrate any sort of anomaly indicated that the penta-chromatic fruit had been wasted on a useless innate gift. Even if the Arboreal Realm won Xuan Qi, what would be the point?
Moreover, there was no guarantee that Mu San could defeat Xu Xiangyin in the competition for Xuan Qi. Many people from the Arboreal Realm were already unhappy that the Arboreal Sanctuary had opened early, but had kept silent due to the penta-chromatic fruit. With such results, Mu San was guaranteed to become a laughingstock. If he continued to fight for Xuan Qi, he would only be seen as a scoundrel.
The Sixverse Association’s current mission was to enhance the overall strength of all of humanity. This was why the Sixverse Academy had been founded. Since Xuan Qi had obtained a worthless innate gift, the most suitable place for him was indeed the Voidforce Universe.
There was the sound of mocking laughter, as someone sneered. "This absolutely wasn't worth opening the Arboreal Sanctuary early for him."
"Yeah, if we had been given more time to prepare, we would definitely have obtained even better innate gifts."
"I came across a tree I really liked, but I just couldn't get close to it. If I had just had a bit more time. Xuan Qi has ruined my life!"
"Whose life wasn’t ruined?"
Jiang Xiaodao was ecstatic. "Grandpa Dao's innate gift is pretty good! Xuan Qi, you haven't ruined my life in the least, haha!"
Xu Yue felt guilty. If not for her interference, Xuan Qi would have been able to at least obtain an innate gift from that lightning tree. At that thought, she looked at Lu Yin apologetically. However, why was he still so indifferent? He looked completely unconcerned with the results.
Luo Zang frowned. Something was not right. Was Xuan Qi’s innate gift really so worthless? Was Luo Zang just overthinking things?
Shao Qingfeng, He Shu, and several others calmly looked at “Xuan Qi.” An innate gift from a tree was simply an additional gift, and what Xuan Qi had obtained did nothing to affect his status as the most talented person in the Sixverse Academy. Unless he similarly failed to obtain a good life-bound voidforce puppet in the Voidchaos territory, he still possessed the potential to eventually become a peak powerhouse.
With that thought in mind, Shao Qingfeng stepped forward. "Senior Xu Xiangyin, since Xuan Qi already belongs to the Voidforce Universe, I suggest that we postpone our journey to the Voidchaos Territory. We cannot allow the events of this Arboreal Sanctuary to repeat."
Xu Xiangyin's expression changed slightly and he reflexively glanced over at Lu Yin.
He Shu stepped forward and agreed to the suggestion, "I also hope that Senior Xu Xiangyin will postpone opening the Voidchaos territory and allow us some more time to prepare."
Jiang Xiaodao shouted, "It definitely needs to be delayed! Grandpa Dao hasn’t even met the minimum requirements!"
Many other people spoke up as well, each voicing their hopes that Xu Xiangyin would not open the Voidchaos Territory ahead of schedule.
The man turned to look at Lu Yin. "Xuan Qi, what do you think?"
Lu Yin answered respectfully, "Since everyone else doesn’t wish to have the Voidchaos Territory opened early, I naturally have no objections."
Xu Xiangyin felt satisfied and admired this attitude. There was no longer any need for him to worry about the Arboreal Realm. "In that case, the Voidchaos Territory will open according to the original schedule. Mu San, do you have any objections?"
Mu San waved a hand dismissively. "This concerns your Voidforce Universe and has nothing to do with me."
He then looked at Xu Ji, the only person who had obtained a tetra-chromatic fruit. "What innate gift did you receive?"
Everyone else turned to look at Xu Ji, including even Lu Yin.
However, Xu Ji remained silent. It was clear he had no intention of answering.
Mu Sanye's face turned red from a combination of discomfort and embarrassment. He had been hoping to receive at least a bit of reassurance after suffering such a tragic loss. Only too late had he remembered that it was inappropriate to ask about another’s innate gift, just as it was taboo to ask about a cultivator’s battle technique or cultivation arts.
"I know! It's replication!" a crisp voice rang out. The little girl had spoken up. She was staring at Xu Ji with open admiration. "Big brother fought the Replication Tree."
Mu Sanye was surprised by this information. "The Replication Tree?"
Xu Ji lifted his head. He glanced at the little girl, and then looked at Mu Sanye. "Yes."
Mu Sanye exclaimed, "That tree easily ranks among the top ten of all the trees in the Arboreal Sanctuary. It is a top-tier tree. Even if you pick the tetra-chromatic fruit, you may not necessarily obtain the innate gift of that big tree. But you managed to get it. It's a pity, such a pity."
Xu Xiangyin frowned, "Mu Sanye, what's the pity?"
Mu Sanye did not restrain himself at all. "It's a pity that Xuan Qi didn't get it."
He shook his head and fell silent.
Xu Xiangyin proudly raised his head. "Xu Ji has obtained a powerful innate gift, and Xuan Qi also belongs to my Voidforce Universe. Hehe, my Voidforce Universe is destined to surpass all others."
Xu Xiangyin's attitude left Mu Sanye even more disgruntled. "Alright, our time in the Arboreal Sanctuary is at an end. We need to leave."
"Come on, Mu Sanye, don't you want to see what innate gifts the other children have obtained? Let's all have a look." Xu Xiangyin looked at Xu Yue and smiled at her. "Little Yue, what innate gift did you get?"
Mu Sanye annoyance mounted. The old bastard was clearly showing off.
Aside from Xu Ji, Mu San had no desire to learn about anyone else's innate gift. People who had only managed to obtain tri-chromatic fruits would find it immensely difficult to approach any of the more powerful trees.
Without waiting for Xu Yue to answer, Mu Sanye started moving everyone away. Eventually, Xu Xiangyin and You Teng carried the group back to the Singularity Universe.
Xu Xiangyin felt that the excursion had been quite rewarding.
Jiang Xiaodao was also in a good mood. He approached Lu Yin and boasted, "Look, this is Grandpa Dao's River Glow. Impressive, isn’t it? It complements the Sky River technique I have, and makes it unbeatable. Anyone who goes up against Grandpa Dao now will be beaten so badly that even their ancestors will feel it."
Lu Yin praised, "It's not a bad innate gift."
"That's right," Jiang Xiaodao proudly agreed. He then suddenly felt that something was off, and he glared at Lu Yin. "What’s with that tone of voice? What do you mean by 'not bad'? It's excellent! Absolutely excellent! Perfect even. Forget it, there's no point in talking to you."
The young man left.
He decided that after returning to the Sixverse Academy, he would make some trouble for Mu Mu. As for Xuan Qi, the guy had relied on luck to defeat Jiang Xiaodao in the past. He was just a small fry, and not worth worrying about. Jiang Xiaodao needed to set his sights higher. Mu Mu and Shao Qingfeng were his true competitors.
Thinking of this, he approached Shao Qingfeng. "What innate gift did you get?"
Shao Qingfeng glanced over, but otherwise ignored Jiang Xiaodao.
Jiang Xiaodao gritted his teeth. "He needs a beating."
Xu Ji stared at Lu Yin's back. Given that he had picked a penta-chromatic fruit, his innate gift really was such a pity. Xu Ji had considered Xuan Qi someone who would become his competitor. After all, it was clear to everyone that Xuan Qi possessed incredible talent for voidforce energy, but the innate gift he had received from the Arboreal Realm had not amounted to much of anything.
Shao Qingfeng, He Shu, Luo Zang, and most of the others did not reveal the innate gifts that they had obtained.
Lu Yin also expressed no curiosity. All of them had only obtained tri-chromatic fruits, and after what had happened with the lightning tree, he felt confident that no one who had obtained a tri-chromatic fruit could have acquired anything too remarkable. In fact, he felt it was quite possible that some of them had not obtained any innate gift at all, and were in fact waiting for the next time the Arboreal Sanctuary would be opened.
After all, they were certainly not able to cultivate these innate gifts from a young age, so they might as well wait.
As Lu Yin listened to the conversation between You Teng and Xu Xiangyin, his interest was piqued.
"Aeternus is continuing to increase the pressure on our Voidforce Universe. Three of the Seven Skygods have appeared together on the battlefield. It’s only thanks to Sovereign Nine Lotus that we’ve managed to maintain a tenuous balance." Xu Xiangyin sighed.
You Teng's voice turned solemn as he replied, "At the same time, the situation in the Origin Universe directly influences our own ongoing efforts here in the Sixverse Association. Some time ago, nearly all of the Seven Skygods were drawn to that universe, which allowed us to take advantage of the opportunity and regain some of our lost territories. We succeeded in extending our control almost beyond the boundless battlefield. Now that Aeternus has completely withdrawn from the Origin Universe, the pressure we face is increasing."
The two men were not hiding their conversation from Lu Yin and the others students. As far as the older men were concerned, it did not matter if the children understood what they were saying or not, as they were not discussing anything secret.
"The Cyclic Universe’s Senior Sage Yuan has already asked the Origin Universe to re-open a battlefield there. When it’s time, we'll have the Origin Universe fight Aeternus. Given their strength, they should be able to pull over one or two Seven Skygods, which would alleviate some of the pressure."
"That would be good. What happens to the Origin Universe is inconsequential. Our priority is to prevent Aeternus from seizing back the territories and resources we took. Let the Origin Universe fight a decisive war with Aeternus, even if it means they fight to the death."
Xu Xiangyin frowned. "At its prime, the Origin Universe reigned as the unrivaled powerhouse of all universes. All other parallel universes, including even the Cyclic Universe, could only look up to that place with reverence. The Origin Universe's supremacy was incomparable, and even in its current weakened state, they still possess the strength to restrain several of the Seven Skygods. Their foundation is remarkable even now. Rumor has it that a significant event occurred there which involves the rise of a member from the Lu family."
You Teng nodded. "He’s a direct descendant of the main line of the Lu family, Lu Xiaoxuan, though he’s now known as Lu Yin. I don't know how he managed it, but he almost singlehandedly shifted the course of the war in the Origin Universe. The Sixverse Association is now studying him, though he might also be trying to investigate us."
Xu Xiangyin chuckled. "I wonder how he plans to investigate us. Even so, it’s an interesting situation. Any young man who can achieve such things is truly a legend. Even the Cyclic Universe’s flawless Junior Sovereign wouldn’t be capable of doing all of that, right? It's been so many years, maybe it's time to reestablish contact with the Origin Universe. I’ve heard that the Cyclic Universe has already made contact. You Teng, what about your Transcendent Universe?"
You Teng remained calm as he replied, "I’m not sure. It’s possible that they also sought to establish a connection. Even so, the depths of that universe are shrouded in mystery and that place is completely unpredictable. One can never be certain when some ancient monster might emerge from those depths."
Suddenly, Xu Xiangyin seemed to have remembered something. His eyes lit up as he glanced at You Teng, though nothing was said. Instead, Xu Xiangyin fell into deep thought.
"For so many years, the Origin Universe’s strength has been constantly monitored by our Sixverse Association. In fact, we should thank Aeternus. Without them, it would have been difficult to restrain the Origin Universe’s development."
"This is their retribution."
It did not take long to return to the Sixverse Academy, and Lu Yin returned to the Arboreal School.
As soon as Xuan Qi and the others returned, news of the events in the Arboreal Sanctuary started to spread.
Lu Yin's mind was completely occupied with studying and toying with space, which left him with no room to be distracted by rumors.
...
In the Transcendent Universe, Zi Jing arrived at the bottom of the stairs that were covered with flowers.
He Ran looked down from and said, "Xuan Qi's experience in the Arboreal Sanctuary was not very impressive."
Zi Jing's heart trembled and she quickly asked, "Did something happen to him?"
He Ran stared at the concern on Zi Jing's face, and a faint smile appeared. "No, but unfortunately, he didn't obtain a good innate gift despite picking a penta-chromatic fruit."
Zi Jing heaved a sigh of relief. "As long as nothing happened to him."
He Ran stared at Zi Jing for a while. Eventually, she just said, "You can leave now."
Zi Jing felt quite puzzled, and she could not understand why she had been summoned to speak with He Ran. Had it really just been to deliver a message?
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