Chapter 1108: So Close Yet So Far

Gu Xiao'er thought about Lu Yin’s question for a moment before answering, “Right, a ship from Eversky Island stopped by recently. Why? Some acquaintances?”

Lu Yin replied, “More or less.”

“It’s better if they’re your acquaintances, as it’s best not to be enemies with anyone from Eversky Island—those people are crazy. A lot of people say that the people from Gods’ Origin are lunatics, but from my perspective, Eversky Island is even worse. Also, the one protecting them is completely terrifying. He acts as though each person was his own child,” Gu Xiao'er said.

“That’s right.” God Taiyi walked over from nearby.

Lu Yin looked over. He had long since noticed God Taiyi, but he had not really interacted with him before, which was why Lu Yin had not moved to greet the young man from Gods’ Origin.

Lu Yin had a rather good impression of God Taiyi, as they had once worked together to fight off Bu Kong, and God Taiyi had helped Lu Yin during that fight.

“You’re from Gods’ Origin?” Gu Xiao'er stared at God Taiyi in astonishment.

God Taiyi said. “That’s right.”

Gu Xiao'er pursed his lips and stopped talking. Although he had said that the people from Eversky Island were even crazier, he had still said that Gods’ Origin was a group of maniacs.

Lu Yin’s deepest impression of God Taiyi was when the man first appeared on the Champions' Stage. He had brazenly referred to himself as a deity and then challenged Bu Kong to a duel. The people from Gods’ Origin were all extremely arrogant, but they also had reason to be like that. Also, the cultivation method that they had inherited from the Rune Civilization was truly deific, as they could create objects from nothing.

“Gods’ Origin inherited their methods from a precious civilization, and I hope to make a visit to you in the future,” Lu Yin said.

God Taiyi looked at Lu Yin. “You’ve also received an inheritance from the Rune Technology, so what level have you cultivated Truesight to?”

“Clarity Realm.” Lu Yin did not conceal the truth.

God Taiyi exclaimed, “Few outsiders can cultivate Truesight to the Clarity Realm, as once you’ve reached that level, you’ve basically joined the top of your generation.”

“Bro, you don’t need to go that far to brag about yourself.” Gu Xiao'er rolled his eyes.

God Taiyi proudly answered, “The youths of my Gods’ Origin who can cultivate their Truesight to the Clarity Realm can fight against the heirs of the various great powers, and regardless of victory or defeat, each of them can at least hold their own. It’s no boast.”

“You’ve surpassed the Clarity realm?” Lu Yin grew serious as he asked God Taiyi.

God Taiyi smiled. “That’s right, I’ve surpassed it.”

Lu Yin exclaimed in admiration, “Amazing.”

God Taiyi was very arrogant. Those from Gods’ Origin never behaved humbly, and amazing was amazing.

Gu Xiao'er pursed his lips.

Azure Mansion continued to orbit the Mountain and Seas Zone, and the building was filled with the elites of the younger generation. Anybody who could make it to this place would not be lacking in strength or background.

The nearby older powerhouses would not demean themselves to entering Azure Mansion when it was filled with children.

Soon, Lu Yin noticed another acquaintance: Liquor Hero.

Lu Yin did not really know why the woman would visit Azure Mansion, but he quickly found out when he saw her carrying two barrels of wine.

“Eh? A friend?” Liquor Hero drunkenly stared at Lu Yin and then staggered over to him.

Gu Xiao'er’s eyes lit up, and he nudged Lu Yin. “Bro, who’s the beauty?”

“The Ten Arbiters’ Liquor Hero,” Lu Yin replied.

Gu Xiao'er’s excitement almost completely disappeared, as he had seen for himself just how impressive the Ten Arbiters were. The truth was that he was not confident about dealing with even one of them, especially not one who was like this woman. She seemed to be drunk on the surface, but nobody knew what she was actually thinking. This sort of person was the most terrifying.

However, Gu Xiao'er had clearly made the wrong assumption, as Liquor Hero was simply completely drunk.

She sprawled across Lu Yin’s table and instantly passed out.

After Liquor Hero appeared, Xing Kai came next, his entire face gloomy.

He was the physically largest of the Ten Arbiters, but he was also the simplest. He had truly wanted to participate in the Astral Tower contest, but he had been excluded due to the age limit.

“Bro, you’re really unlucky.” Gu Xiao'er was sympathetic towards Xing Kai.

Xing Kai became even more sullen after hearing condolences.

God Taiyi stared at Xing Kai and then glanced over at Liquor Hero, his expression solemn. The rune lines of these two people showed that they were not weak; just how had the Innerverse given birth to these ten monsters?

One table held three of the Ten Arbiters, someone from Gods’ Origin, and another person from the Smoke-Eater Peaks. This was more than enough to catch the attention of Azure Mansion. Their objective had always been to establish relationships with the various great powers and expand their influence. Thus, how could they ignore this table?

Quite a few women streamed across, trying to make friends with them, but they were all turned away by God Taiyi’s brazen expression, which nearly caused Gu Xiao'er to flip over in anger.

“None of these women are very interesting. If you want, I can introduce you to God Xiaobai,” God Taiyi generously offered.

Gu Xiao'er was surprised. “God Xiaobai? Who’s that?”

“The most beautiful woman from my Gods’ Origin. She’s cute and lively, and you’ll definitely like her,” God Taiyi answered in total confidence.

Gu Xiao'er felt tempted. “When you can, call her over so that we can take a look.”

Before God Taiyi could speak, Azure Mansion suddenly burst into an uproar as everyone began shouting fervently.

Gu Xiao'er’s expression changed, and he quickly grew delighted. “Flower Queen Ming Yu is here! They’re cheering to welcome the Queen of Flowers! Come on, let’s go see Flower Queen Ming Yu!”

He then immediately ran off.

Lu Yin was also curious, as he had met West Realm’s Azure Mansion’s Lotus, but that Lotus had been two grades below a Flower Queen Ming Yu.

God Taiyi also felt somewhat curious.

Azure Mansion was famous throughout the Neoverse, and every woman on the Flower List was stunning. However, the one at the very top of the Flower List was Flower Queen Ming Yu. Flower Queen Ming Yu had always stayed in the Honor Zone’s Azure Mansion, but she had actually appeared at this Azure Mansion on this occasion. Whether or not people were actually interested in Flower Queen, since they were already present, they had to take a look.

Xing Kai also walked over.

There was a rainbow bridge in each Azure Mansion that spanned across the entire building. Whenever a Flower Queen appeared, she would walk across the rainbow bridge so that everyone could see her, though they would not be able to draw close to her.

This time was no different.

Flower petals rained down upon the rainbow bridge when Flower Queen Ming Yu appeared, and she looked like a fairy that had entered the mortal world. She was exceptionally beautiful, and every aspect of her face was utterly captivating.

When Lu Yin saw Azure Mansion’s famed Flower Queen, she was indeed astoundingly beautiful with an exquisite feminine charm. In terms of looks, she was the the most beautiful woman whom Lu Yin had ever seen, but more importantly, the woman gave off an indescribable femme fatale aura, and despite the number of beautiful women that Lu Yin had seen before, he was still moved when he saw Flower Queen Ming Yu.

The aspect that stood out the most to Lu Yin was that this woman was actually a Hunter.

The Hunter realm was something that differentiated the members of the younger generation into two groups. Lu Yin, Gu Xiao’er, and even Hua Xiao and others were all Cruisers, but this Ming Yu was actually a Hunter, which was rather unbelievable.

“So this is Azure Mansion’s fabled Flower Queen,” God Taiyi exclaimed in surprise.

Gu Xiao’er had become so excited he could not breathe, and he cheered like the rest.

Lu Yin was left somewhat speechless; could Gu Xiao’er actually draw Ming Yu’s attention in this fashion?

With the level that this woman had reached, those who could attract her attention would generally all be top heirs from the various great powers, but Smoke Eater Peaks was also a pretty decently strong force.

Ming Yu stood on the rainbow bridge and looked down with a smile. She then moved on, leaving behind nothing but a wisp of fragrance; she had not spoken a single word from start to finish.

Despite this, Gu Xiao’er was satisfied. “This is my second time seeing Flower Queen Ming Yu! She’s still so beautiful, intoxicatingly so.”

“Who knows who she’ll end up married off to.” God Taiyi was curious.

Atop the rainbow bridge, after Flower Queen Ming Yu left, the resident Hua Niang appeared and smiled at everyone. “During this Astral Tower contest, Ming Yu will also be participating. At that time, we hope that all of our distinguished guests will offer their help and take care of her. Ming Yu has said that she will marry one of the Cosmic Five, and she won’t even find it a pity even if she becomes a maid.”

Ming Yu was the Flower Queen’s name.

Many people grew excited, but even more people let out sighs. They had absolutely no hope of becoming one of the Cosmic Five, so they would only be able to watch as Flower Queen Ming Yu entered another’s embrace.

Gu Xiao’er excitedly said to himself, “I must become one of the Cosmic Five! I must become one of the Cosmic Five!”

He then directed a fervent gaze over to Lu Yin. “Bro, give me a hand!”

Lu Yin was speechless.

Some distance away, a young lord smiled slightly and looked out at the crowd with a contemptuous expression. “What a bunch of trash! They actually want to compete for a seat among the Cosmic Five. How could someone who actually has a chance of becoming one of the Cosmic Five be drawn to this place? They actually want to use this opportunity to break free from me—what a joke!”

Behind him, a man softly spoke up, “Lord, it won’t be easy if one of the Cosmic Five ends up favoring Ming Yu.”

The young lord coldly answered, “There’s no need to worry. Brother Shang Qing will definitely become one of the Cosmic Five as the Tri-Yang Technique is unparalleled. Lei Nü also has the strength to take another seat. As for the others, although my old man hasn’t said anything specific, there shouldn’t be any changes. Thus, it’s impossible for them to get rid of me.”

“My lord is wise.”

“Right, what about the other girl? Once I obtain Ming Yu, that girl will become Flower Queen, so nurture her well, as she’ll also be mine in future,” the young lord said as his eyes took a fevered glint.

“Don’t worry, my lord.”

On the other side of Azure Mansion, after Flower Queen Ming Yu had completed her walk over the rainbow bridge, she returned to her quarters. There was another girl already there who was standing with her back to the door as she blankly stared into the mirror.

“Have you thought it through yet? I’ve already told you that I don’t need you to accompany me, as those guests are just here as playthings. You can capture them with any expression you direct at them, causing them to do anything for you. Just treat it like a game. Why be so loyal?” Ming Yu closed the door and moved over behind the girl. She spoke gently, and her voice was very pleasant to hear.

The girl coldly replied, “I can’t do it.”

Ming Yu sighed. Step by step, she circled the girl and raised her chin. Ming Yu felt her breath being taken away. “This innocent and pretty face of yours is very well suited for this. Forget your past name. From now on, you’re Yan Yu.”

Ming Yu then slowly left the room.

After Ming Yu left, the girl continued to stare into the mirror. Her expression seemed a little downcast, and she slowly ran her hand over her face as she bitterly said, “Brother Lu, I’m sorry! Who knew that it would turn out like this? I’m so sorry.”

This girl was Ming Yan, and she had been appointed by Azure Mansion to become the next Flower Queen.

Lu Yin was completely clueless that Ming Yan was so close by they were perhaps only separated by a few walls. They were so close yet worlds apart.

Over the course of the next few days, Lu Yin stayed in Azure Mansion as Gu Xiao’er suggested. The Mountain and Seas Zone continent had indeed descended into chaos for now, and the Ten Arbiters could not catch any breaks; Wen Sansi, Ling Gong, Lan Si, Unseen Light, and Jin He were constantly and repeatedly attacked by Neoverse experts. Many people from the Neoverse wanted to drive the Ten Arbiters out, and among them were heirs of some of the great powers, such as the Ku family’s Ku Lei and the people from Gods’ Origin.

On one particular day, a piece of news made it into Azure Mansion that shocked the crowd.

The Ten Arbiters’ Liu Tianmu used the Eleventh Sword against the Hall of Honor’s Second Honor Chosen, Lei Nü. However, the attack was ineffective, and it seems that Liu Tianmu might have already lost the battle.

This news was the most shocking to Lu Yin; when he had been fighting in the Cosmic Sea, Liu Tianmu had used the Eleventh Sword to block Zhi Yi’s strongest attack, and the Eleventh Sword had torn the sea apart. The Eleventh Sword had been so overwhelming that it’s fame had even spread into the Sixth Mainland.

But in the Mountain and Seas Zone, Liu Tianmu had actually been defeated by the Hall of Honor’s Second Honor Chosen.

When Gu Xiao’er heard this news, he stuck out his tongue. “The Honor Chosens for this contest are rather fierce. There’s no need to even mention that First Chosen, who’s just a freak. Even their Second Chosen is so terrifying that she defeated that woman from the Ten Arbiters. Hehe, surely enough, the Ten Arbiters can’t compare to our Neoverse’s monsters.”