Lu Yin wasn't a bloodthirsty person. He didn't smell the stench of blood on these pirates, proving they only robbed and didn't kill. It wasn't a capital crime.
"Friend, this is a misunderstanding," the middle-aged captain said in a deep voice. Behind him, the roguish man licked his lips, looking terrified.
Lu Yin chuckled. "There is no misunderstanding."
"Friend, we were in the wrong here. When you work in the dark, it's inevitable you'll be blind sometimes. This humble one is willing to host a banquet. I invite you for a drink, and we'll let this matter go. How about it?" the middle-aged captain said, staring into Lu Yin's eyes.
The corner of Lu Yin's mouth curled. This guy is probing me. If I really don't pursue this, he'll think I'm just putting on a brave face. The wine he's offering is probably poison. "I said, there is no misunderstanding. Now, it's my turn. Hand over all your assets, and I'll spare your lives."
This sentence left both the captain and the roguish man stunned. Robbery? Isn't that their line?
"You... you're also 'on the path'?" the middle-aged captain asked in shock, sizing up Lu Yin in disbelief.
Lu Yin sneered. "In this universe, the strong prey on the weak. You failed to rob me, so now it's my turn to rob you. Now! Either hand over your treasure, or die. Pick one."
"Kid, since we're both 'on the path,' don't go too far. We see each other around. Don't make it awkward when we meet again," the middle-aged captain said in a deep voice.
Lu Yin's eyes turned cold. He raised his palm. "Let's see if you have what it takes to make me feel awkward." With that, a beast roared in the void, and the Heavenly Beast Claw pressed down.
In the eyes of Starry Sky Academy students like Uro, the Heavenly Beast Claw wasn't very strong. But it was, after all, a technique the Great Yu Empire bestowed upon its War-Hall. The Ninety-Six-Form Heavenly Beast Claw nearly scared the roguish man to death. Although the middle-aged captain was a Limiteer expert, he had only just entered the realm. He had no idea how to defend against Lu Yin's Heavenly Beast Claw and was struck head-on, slamming hard into the wall.
Lu Yin retracted his hand, surprised. That was too weak. He's a Limiteer, isn't he?
In truth, after entering the Starry Sky Academy, Lu Yin's perspective had changed. Before entering, the Heavenly Beast Claw was one of his strongest attacks, and he already had the capital to fight above his level. Moreover, his comprehension had reached the Ninety-Six-Form, unparalleled in the War-Hall. How could a mere pirate withstand the War-Hall's ultimate technique?
Even Uro, who didn't care for the Heavenly Beast Claw, would have to take this attack seriously, as it was enough to injure a Limiteer expert from the Academy. This pirate, however, was just the most ordinary Limiteer. He couldn't even compare to an Academy Limiteer; even Gurbach could probably defeat him.
The levels were too far apart.
Lu Yin understood this, his expression complex. He was beginning to understand why Wendy Yushan had looked down on the Great Yu Empire's younger generation. They were too weak. Even Shuz, who had been in the Academy for so long, had become second-rate in Lu Yin's eyes, to say nothing of Gurbach and the others still in the Empire. The gap would only grow wider.
Back in the Outerverse, countless people thought the Tenth Academy was their ticket to rising up. They weren't wrong. Take Shuz: if he returned to the Great Yu Empire now, Barzel would have to see him in a new light. He had already surpassed the Outerverse level and reached a stage where he could compete with Innerverse experts of the same level.
Of course, not everyone in the Outerverse was like Gurbach. There were bound to be a few prodigies, like Hei Xu. Even without entering the Academy, his talent alone was enough to let him roam freely, and he wouldn't have been wasted.
...
Seeing Lu Yin heavily injure the captain in one blow, the roguish man was dumbfounded. He collapsed to the ground in fear, feeling utterly wronged. He knew the end wouldn't be good the moment he became a pirate, but he thought he could at least enjoy it for a while. But... fuk me!* How long has it been? They had only completed five jobs. Five! And they ran into such a "hard stubble" (tough guy). Their luck was too rotten!
Lu Yin walked up to the roguish man, looking down on him.
The roguish man looked up in terror. "Friend... no, Boss! Big Brother! Big shot! This is a misunderstanding, a real misunderstanding! Please let us go! We're just a new pirate crew! We haven't even killed anyone..."
Lu Yin sneered. "Hand over everything you've plundered."
The roguish man quickly agreed. He "plundered" the middle-aged captain's Null-Ring, used his blood to open it, and poured out a pile of stuff. Most of it was random medicines, furs, and ores, along with bank Star Cards from other territories. As for the Star Energy Crystals Lu Yin cared about most, there were only 2,000 cubic meters.
He frowned. Are pirates this poor? Or is he hiding it? Thinking this, his gaze swept over the roguish man, his expression unfriendly.
The roguish man was smart and immediately said, "Boss, we've only done five jobs! This is all we have! Oh, right!" He seemed to remember something. He roughly pulled open the captain's collar and fished out a Mebis Bank Star Card. Lu Yin's eyes lit up. A black Star Card! He recognized it. The black card engraved with the words 'Yao Gu' (Ancient Demon) had brought him over 10,000 cubic Star Crystals. This type of card used crystals as its unit, not universe currency.
"We got this from a merchant ship! We heard it has 10,000 cubic Star Crystals inside, and it doesn't need a genetic password!" the roguish man said, as if presenting a treasure.
Lu Yin took it, satisfied. His eyes narrowed, staring at the man. "Really 10,000?"
"Really! Absolutely!" the man guaranteed.
Lu Yin nodded, glancing again at the pile of junk on the floor. All useless. He stood there, his eyes gleaming. Pirates... counter-robbing... This... seems like a fast way to make money. They're pirates, anyway. Robbing them... I feel at ease.
The roguish man just stood behind Lu Yin, glancing at him nervously, his face a mask of misery. If the captain wakes up and sees we've been counter-robbed, what will he do to me? At this thought, the man felt his world collapsing. Whatever. I just need to trick this 'god of plague' into leaving.
"Hey, you." Lu Yin turned to the roguish man. "What's your name?"
The man gave a fawning smile. "Boss, my name is Xiao Qi (Little Seven)."
Lu Yin frowned. "No good. That name's bad. From now on, you're Xiao Ba (Little Eight)."
The man was stunned, his eyes blank.
Lu Yin's voice turned cold. "What? You don't want to?"
"No, no, no! My name is Xiao Ba! Thank you, Boss, for the name! From now on, I'm Xiao Ba!" the man hurriedly accepted, a bad premonition rising in his heart.
Lu Yin nodded. "My name is A Qi (Ah Seven). From now on, this ship... is requisitioned by me."
Xiao Ba was astonished. "Req... requisitioned?"
A smile played on Lu Yin's lips. "This pirate profession isn't bad. Very promising. I like it. You... take me to meet other pirates."
Xiao Ba's jaw dropped. He looked at Lu Yin's smiling face, then at the ground. Suddenly, he understood. This guy wasn't satisfied with robbing them; he wanted to rob other pirates. No, absolutely not! Pirates have principles! We can't sell out our peers! (Even if they all wished their peers would drop dead.) If he did this, he'd never be able to survive in the pirate world again. He might even be hunted by the Pirate King.
"Boss, you must be joking! Pirates are all rude bastards! They have no education, no manners, foul mouths, smelly feet, and they love to fart! They can't even be called human! You're better off not seeing them," the man begged.
Lu Yin's gaze turned icy. He stared at the man. "I'll say it again: take me to meet other pirates. I don't want to repeat myself. Or... I can have someone else take me. This ship has several hundred people. There must be a few who are willing."
The man's face instantly crumpled, as if he wanted to cry but had no tears. He had two choices: live, by betraying his peers, saying goodbye to the pirate circle forever, and possibly being hunted by all of them; or die, as a "glorious" pirate. Of course, as he'd said, pirates barely counted as people. He didn't want to die as a pirate. If he could live, who would want to die? And so... the roguish man... relented.
The middle-aged captain was locked up. From now on, the roguish man, Xiao Ba, became the external controller of this pirate ship. He was finally getting a taste of being a captain, even "using public office for private gain" (abusing his power) by locking up a few pirates he'd never liked.
Lu Yin had no interest in managing this. He was staring at his personal terminal, his eyes wide in disbelief. Da Pao and Xiao Pao... teamed up to challenge the Heavenly Path's Zone Master? That's insane!
Today, the Tenth Academy had definitely made a name for itself in the entire Starry Sky Academy. First, five Melt-realm freshmen defeated Domain Master Uro and seized a Trial Site. Then, two students teamed up to challenge the Heavenly Path's Zone Master, even forcing him to reveal his Three-Pattern Battle-Qi, shaking the Academy.
Not long ago, the Tenth Academy was called the "Academy of Exiles," ignored by all, even on the verge of collapse. But ever since the Outerverse freshmen arrived, its fame had grown. Completing the highest mission for the Explore-realm, defeating students from all major academies, producing a Lockbreaker, defeating a Domain Master, challenging a Zone Master... This series of events made the major academies afraid to underestimate the Tenth Academy. This latest event, in particular, pushed Da Pao and Xiao Pao's prestige to its peak.
The Heavenly Path's Zone Master, Kuang Wang, had said that the two possessed the strength of top-tier Domain Masters. This evaluation was recorded by Wu Da in the Academy Report, causing sales of that issue to soar again.
In contrast, the Fire Realm was having a hard time. Someone had leaked the news that the Fire Realm's Gall had entered the Purgatory Path to act for Uro, but had left in disgrace, causing the Fire Realm's prestige to plummet.
On the crucial eve of the Ten Academies Tournament, the Tenth Academy seemed to be catching up with a vengeance.
Lu Yin looked up, his eyes shining with excitement. As expected. Those two seniors are no simple characters. Both are Domain Master-level experts, and they even forced a Zone Master to reveal his true strength. Amazing.
But they still lost, even as a team. This made Lu Yin's heart grow heavy. Are Zone Masters... really that unbeatable?
His group of five could defeat Uro, and possibly any Domain Master. But against a Zone Master... even with Da Pao and Xiao Pao, it was still highly unlikely. The "freak" status of Zone Masters was no exaggeration.
The Ten Academies Tournament was getting closer. Although the specific date hadn't been set, it was probably within half a year. Zone Masters were also students. They... were also his opponents.
In truth, besides the Zone Masters, the Ten Academies had many other experts. And because of the unique nature of this tournament, terrifying geniuses like Liu Shaqiu had also joined. The number of Zone Master-level experts was definitely not just nine. In other words, to reach the Top 10 in this tournament, one had to achieve Zone Master-level combat power.