Star Odyssey

it and breathed in the alluring fragrance that seemed to cloud the mind.
It was pleasant-smelling, but this fragrance could cause one to become numb if they indulged in it for too long.
“Lu Yin will never forget the kindness that you’ve shown in saving me.”

Madam Nalan pursed her lips, smiled, and then measured Lu Yin with her eyes.
“It’s the same serious expression, but you’re a completely different person who you were last time we met.
It seems that you’ve experienced many things.” 

Lu Yin smiled enigmatically.
“Everyone must experience life.
That’s right, madam, do you know how long there is until the Astral Combat Tournament starts?”

She pointed at the nearby screen as she replied, “It’s already begun.”

Lu Yin was shocked and hurriedly looked at the screen.
It was showing a narrow and remote valley with many people standing on each side of the valley.
They were all students.
“Madam, is this it?”

“Three Academies Guarding the Gate.
You should know about this.”

Lu Yin felt helpless and could only force a smile onto his face.
Of course he knew what it was.
Three academies would be chosen randomly, and of those three, the top ranked academy would send a student out, who would then select a student from each of the two lower ranked academies to help defend the valley.
To continue on in the tournament, the three students had to intercept and stop at least half of the students who tried to cross the valley.
Otherwise, the three academies would be eliminated.

But the fact that this event was starting meant that the Astral Combat Tournament had indeed begun and that Lu Yin had not made it in time.

“I never thought that I would miss the Astral Combat Tournament,” Lu Yin said lamentably.

Madam Nalan gave a small smile.
“You haven’t.
You are Astral-10’s seeded student.
You won’t play any part in these next three days, and we’ll reach Astral-10 by the time you do need to appear.”

Lu Yin was shocked by this piece of news.
“I’m the seed?”

She laughed in response.
“You’re the student leader, so of course you’re the seed.”

Lu Yin felt awkward as Astral-10 also had Big Pao and Little Pao.
One of them should have been prioritized for the seed position before him. Wait, hold on. “Madam, you said ‘reach Astral-10?’ You’re headed toward Astral-10?”

“Not me, but her,” Madam Nalan said as she pointed behind Lu Yin.
Coincidentally, the door opened just at that moment, and a young woman with a sword strapped to her back stepped through before coming face to face with Lu Yin.

Lu Yin was shocked, as the girl’s eyes seemed to sparkle with a sword’s reflection.
This woman was definitely not simple.

The young woman seemed to hold no interest in Lu Yin and quietly kept to herself.
She wordlessly sat down in front of the screen and calmly watched the events of the tournament unfold.

“Lu Yin, let me introduce you two.
She’s Astral-7’s leader, Liu Xiaoyun, and a seed as well, like you,” Madam Nalan said.

Lu Yin was astonished. Astral-7’s leader, so a Realm Master?

“Due to certain reasons, she missed the beginning of the tournament, and she now needs to borrow Astral-10’s trial zone mountain to access the Lifeseek Realm, as that’s where the tournament is being held.”

Lu Yin’s eyes brightened.
“So I can enter the tournament from there too.”

“Of course,” Madam Nalan replied with a smile.

At that point, three people appeared in the valley on the screen.
The foremost was a proud-looking man from the Daynight clan, as his black-and-white hair was glaringly obvious.
Not far behind him stood a slightly older student, and lastly, there was Silver.

Lu Yin was stunned.
“Astral-10 was selected to guard the gates?”

“The first student is Astral-3’s Chilian Daynight, the second is Dai Ao from Astral-7, and the third is Astral-10’s Silver.
Your Astral-10 had similar luck before and was selected to guard the gates in the last tournament as well, but they actually ended up causing the other two academies to be completely eliminated,” Madam Nalan explained.

“Of which Astral-7 was one,” interjected Liu Xiaoyun, who had been quietly watching the screen.

Lu Yin felt a little embarrassed, but it had nothing to do with him as he hadn’t even been in the academy at that time.

“But there’s no worries this time.
Chilian Daynight alone should be enough,” Liu Xiaoyun continued.

Lu Yin was puzzled. Chilian Daynight? He does indeed look powerful.

“Chilian Daynight is one of the top five students in all of Astral-3, and he is also one of the Area Masters of the Undying Realm.
He specializes in area-controlling techniques.
No matter how many people rush at him, if they are unable to defeat him, he can obstruct them all,” Liu Xiaoyun said indifferently.

“The students attempting to break through can only defend themselves.
They cannot retaliate, use innate gifts, or use battle techniques.
Under these circumstances, Chilian Daynight’s advantage will be amplified even further.
Hence, he chose two random students from Astral-7 and Astral-10 to defend with him.” Madam Nalan voiced her opinion as well.

Silver had been randomly chosen.
In other words, in Chilian Daynight’s eyes, it didn’t really matter who the other two students supporting him were.

Lu Yin beamed and stared at the large screen.
During the two women’s explanations, the tournament had formally started.

With a loud bang, all of the participating students from the remaining seven academies charged out from the valley’s northern side.
As long as they could pass through this valley, they would successfully enter the next section of the tournament.
This was also an opportunity to become famous throughout the universe.
Whether it was through strength or luck, if a student could stand out and show their face even just once during this tournament, it would be enough for them to boast about for the rest of their life.
For this single chance, all of the students here were prepared to push themselves to their utmost limit.

Chilian Daynight had a look of disdain as he stared at the students charging into the valley.
He slowly squatted as his two palms began to vibrate.
Star energy suddenly rushed from the sky, causing the void to waver.
A moment later, green seaweed abruptly sprouted from the ground and instantly shrouded the valley in a green veil.