Chapter 2272: New Here?

Mr. Yu appeared, and he calmly looked at Long Tian. "Have you reported this matter to the ancestor?"

Long Tian looked over. "Not yet."

"Then do so now. This is the Sky Beyond the Sky trial. You can’t hide this," Mr. Yu stated.

He did not show a positive attitude. It was not that the White Dragon Clan did not want to recruit a future Progenitor, but rather that they were incapable of doing so. More accurately, it was impossible for Long Tian and Mr. Yu to recruit this future Progenitor.

Yu Hao was a part of Virtue Archives’ faculty, which meant that he could be regarded as the God of Food’s subordinate. Meanwhile, the hatred that existed between Master Yu and the God of Food could never be resolved. This meant that Yu Hao had a high chance of also harboring hatred for Mr. Yu, and even in the best case scenario, Yu Hao would still have a bad impression of the Semi-Progenitor. As far as Mr. Yu was concerned, Yu Hao could basically be considered to be an enemy.

As for Long Tian, he had gone to find Mr. Yu as soon as Long Ke had disappeared, and he had received the Semi-Progenitor’s support, which meant that the two were basically in the same camp. This meant that, if the White Dragon Clan intended to recruit Yu Hao, it would be bad for both Mr. Yu and Long Tian. After all, the White Dragon Clan’s main family could easily be switched, and if a branch family managed to lure Yu Hao in, Long Tian’s family’s status as the main family would be jeopardized.

"Completing the Sky Beyond the Sky trial is truly impressive, but there’s no guarantee that he won’t die before reaching his full potential," Mr. Yu casually stated before leaving.

Long Tian's eyes flashed. Die early? That would be too difficult to pull off. The two people who had died after passing the trial had died to very specific reasons, while Yu Hao would inevitably choose to join one of the four ruling powers, which made it highly unlikely for him to die early.

There were only two paths before Long Tian: continue to work with Mr. Yu, which would likely lead to them becoming enemies with Yu Hao in the future. If Yu Hao did get pulled into the White Dragon Clan, becoming his enemy would likely cause the clan’s main family to switch. Or, he could abandon Mr. Yu to entice Yu Hao.

It was still the White Dragon Clan, so even if Yu Hao did become a Progenitor, he would never be a true member of the clan. He would always remain an outsider with a different surname, and while recruiting him would certainly help the family, was it even possible? If they failed, not only would they fail to recruit Yu Hao, but their attempts to recruit him would also offend Mr. Yu.

Long Tian’s mind raced, and he unconsciously glanced in the direction that Mr. Yu had disappeared in.

Was it possible that Mr. Yu did not know what was running through Long Tian’s mind? That was impossible. There was only one path truly available to Long Tian, and that was to ensure that Yu Hao died young.

This was a very unexpected development. Mr. Yu stood atop a mountain peak and stared towards the Celestial Frost Sect. "Master, you really make too much trouble."

Shenwu’s Sky also received word of what had happened within the Celestial Frost Sect, and Xia Ziheng raced to where they had imprisoned Yu Chuan while still lost in a daze. The Semi-Progenitor was relieved to see that Yu Chuan was still safe, and he then immediately contacted their Progenitor.

For Shenwu’s Sky, things concerning Yu Hao were different from the rest of the four ruling powers. Others wanted to recruit Yu Hao because he had passed the Sky Beyond the Sky trial, but for Shenwu's Sky, it was necessary to win over Yu Hao for their public image; this was even more important than his Lockbreaking talent or the fact that he had passed the Sky Beyond the Sky.

After speaking with the Progenitor, Xia Ziheng's first order was to arrest Xia Zhitong, as well as every single person who had taken action against the Yu family. All of them would be Shenwu's Sky's compensation to Yu Hao.

Xia Ziheng was suffering from a massive headache. Ever since Yu Hao had returned, he had done things that only got more and more sensational. A single Envoy had actually forced the mighty Shenwu’s Sky to gather his enemies for him and arrange for him to exact his revenge. The last time they had been forced to go so far had been when Xia Shang had inherited a Mountain and Sea as a Semi-Progenitor. Unfortunately, Xia Shang had not been willing to appreciate the sect’s efforts, and they could only hope that Yu Hao would be different.

After issuing the order, Xia Ziheng left Shenwu's Sky. He started making his way to the Celestial Frost Sect to personally meet with Yu Hao. They could not allow the Celestial Frost Sect to keep the young man locked up.

At the same time, Nong Ya received the news in the Middle Realm, and the patriarch let out a sigh. "Another person passed the Sky Beyond the Sky? This era is too impressive, yet it is somehow both prosperous and declining. I just hope that the child can survive."

Far away from Seed Garden, near the Sword Monument, Liu Song, Liu Yijian’s master, opened his eyes. Liu Lu stood before the old man. "The Sky Beyond the Sky trial?"

The old man looked upwards towards the Celestial Frost Sect with a complicated expression.

As time passed, word of someone completing the Sky Beyond the Sky would raise more and more waves throughout the Perennial World.

However, as everything was happening down below, Lu Yin fell absolutely silent as he stood high above the Celestial Frost Sect. This was because there was another person in front of him, lounging on the clouds.

While the person was lying on their side and facing away from Lu Yin, the moment he laid eyes on this person, it felt like the world was falling apart. Never before, not even when he had been chased by Wang Si, had Lu Yin felt himself to be in as much danger as the moment he first saw this person.

This person was a Progenitor. There was no doubt in his mind at all.

Lu Yin's heart dropped. How could there be a Progenitor in the Celestial Frost Sect above the clouds?

Lu Yin’s greatest fear in the Perennial World was running into a Progenitor. His Mask of Death was effective even against Semi-Progenitors, but there was no way that it would work on a Progenitor.

Just why was there a Progenitor in such a place?

Countless thoughts surged through Lu Yin’s mind in an instance, and he automatically focused on his cosmic ring. If he was discovered, his only option would be to ask Progenitor Smoke for her protection. Lu Yin desperately hoped that the woman had recovered the combat strength of a Progenitor, as it was the only way he could stay alive.

Nothing changed. Lu Yin stared at the back of the lounging figure. Not a word was spoken, not a movement was made.

A long time passed, but the God of Food, Wu Yao, and the others on the ground all continued to remain silent. They had no idea what was happening above the clouds. None of them had ever witnessed someone successfully passing the trial. When Bia Xian’er had done so, only their Progenitor had watched. No one else had been allowed to observe.

No one had any idea what might happen after someone completed the trial, and their imaginations ran wild as they considered what “Yu Hao” might be experiencing above the clouds. Could it be something that ensured that those who passed the Sky Beyond the Sky trial became Progenitors?

Everyone stared at the clouds, eager to see what would happen.

Above the clouds, Lu Yin patiently waited for a long time, but the lounging figure still did not move. Lu Yin started wondering if he should stay or leave. After considering things, he simply sat down.

Distance meant nothing to a Progenitor. Even if Lu Yin escaped from the Celestial Frost Sect now, a Progenitor would be able to catch up to him in an instant.

Just who was this lounging figure?

Judging by the person’s back and clothing, they should be a man. Could this be Bai Wangyuan?

After the Perennial World had been separated from the Fifth Mainland, all the Progenitors who had appeared since had been recorded down in history, but those records were not complete. While people like Progenitor Wen and Progenitor Chong Yue were well known, places like the four ruling powers had not publicized all of their Progenitors.

Everyone in the Perennial World said that each of the four ruling powers was supported by a Progenitor, and it was clear that Bai Wangyuan belonged to the Celestial Frost Sect.

However, if this man really was Bai Wangyuan, then he was a Progenitor who had lived since the Daosource Sect era. The master of one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. Was it really possible that no one from the Celestial Frost Sect had become a Progenitor since that time? No, that was impossible. In that case, who could this Progenitor be? The most obvious answer was that he was a man by the name of Bai Sheng who had completed the Sky Beyond the Sky and was one of the Celestial Frost Sect’s five people who had passed the trial and become Progenitors. There were no rumors of Bai Sheng dying, but he had also never appeared anywhere at all. Where had he gone? After all, the four Junior Progenitors were said to be capable of becoming Progenitors, and people had great confidence in that claim being true. While there were reports of the four ruling powers having multiple Progenitors, how could such rumors regarding the Junior Progenitors circulate if there was no truth to them?

Clearly, there were more Progenitors in the Perennial World than people knew of. In that case, where had they all gone?

A day passed, and the lounging person never moved. Lu Yin remained still as well, and he simply stared at the Progenitor on the clouds.

Two more days passed. The people on the ground down below were now in a hurry, and they all continued to stare upwards.

As for Lu Yin, he was still staring at the figure’s back.

Finally, the figure moved. He stood up, stretched, and then rubbed his head. He hesitated, then slowly turned around and stared at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin observed the person. Clearly, he was a man, and he also appeared to be quite young. He looked at Lu Yin with evident surprise, as well as a bit of curiosity. "New here?"

"What?" Lu Yin asked.

The man pointed down. "Are you from the Celestial Frost Sect? Are you new here?"

"I’m a guest."

"From where?"

"Virtue Archives."

"Oh. You passed the Sky Beyond the Sky?"

"Yes, I just finished."

"Not bad."

"Thank you."

After the silence stretched out for a while, the man coughed and turned around completely so that he was facing Lu Yin directly, at which point he smiled. "I am Bai Sheng. Who are you?"

Lu Yin’s pupils shrank. Sure enough, this man was Bai Sheng, one of the nine people who had passed the Sky Beyond the Sky trial, including Lu Yin himself. This man was one of the five people who had passed the trial and become a Progenitor. "I am Yu Hao."

As Lu Yin spoke, he stood and offered Bai Sheng a bow. "This junior greets Progenitor Ba-"

Bai Sheng interrupted Lu Yin with a raised hand. "Don't. Don’t call me Progenitor Bai, as that’s Patriarch Wangyuan’s title. I can’t accept being referred to with the same title."

Lu Yin was taken aback. "What should this junior call you?"

Bai Sheng smiled. "Progenitor Sheng."1

Lu Yin was left speechless, as this person seemed to be slightly insane. "Junior Yu Hao greets Senior Progenitor Sheng."

"Just ‘Progenitor Sheng’ is fine. There’s no need to add the ‘senior’ bit. I’m really not that much older than you." Bai Sheng seemed to be a very easy-going person.

Lu Yin made sure not to stare at Bai Sheng, though Lu Yin did wonder if Bai Sheng had already seen through the Mask of Death. If that were the case, did Lu Yin need to do something about it? Would Bai Sheng recognize Lu Xiaoxuan?

Numerous questions popped into Lu Yin's mind, but the most frequent one was, how could he escape?

"Congratulations. Passing the Sky Beyond the Sky trial basically means reaching the pinnacle of humanity. From now on, the entire Perennial World will pursue you." Bai Sheng smiled and gestured for Lu Yin to sit down. "Only the few of us are able to sit on this cloud, so don’t waste the opportunity. Come visit me when you have a chance again in the future. The truth is, I’m quite bored.”

"Do you stay here all the time, Progenitor Sheng?" Lu Yin was surprised.

"Not exactly. I visit occasionally, mostly because it’s fun to watch the people on the ground try to climb up but not make it. Look, isn’t it fun to see the looks on their faces? Hahahaha!"

Lu Yin followed Bai Sheng's gaze and saw that the man was looking at Wu Yao and the God of Food...

"Including you, nine people have reached this place, but unfortunately, most of them are dead. The last one before you was that girl, Bai Xian'er, but she’s so serious that talking to her is completely suffocating. She’ll bore you to death! Young man, at least talk to me a bit," Bai Sheng urged.

Lu Yin did not know what to say, as he feared saying the wrong thing. He felt quite guilty, deceiving this man. "Well, um, Sen- no, Progenitor Sheng, shouldn't you be in the Dominion Realm?"

Bai Sheng smiled. "Apparently you know very little about the Perennial World. Not all of us Progenitors stay in the Dominion Realm. Only Progenitor Bai and a few others are there, and they hold the line against the bulk of Aeternus’s attacks. As for the rest of us, we’re in the Outer Realm."

As the man spoke, he pointed out at the sky.

Lu Yin's eyes flickered. "The Outer Realm?"

He had heard of the Outer Realm before, as it was the region of the universe that surrounded the Mother Tree, but it was also beyond the Mother Tree.

The Mother Tree had a specific location in the universe, and the Perennial World was the area within the Mother Tree’s domain. Any space beyond the Mother Tree was referred to as the Outer Realm.

For example, the stars that could be seen from the Higher Realm were actually in the Outer Realm.

The most famous one was a planet known as Green Hills that could only be seen from the Blue Moon District. It was a planet in the Outer Realm, but it could only be seen from Blue Moon District and nowhere else in the entire Perennial World.

[1] The "Sheng" here is the character for "victory" (胜), so "Progenitor Victory" is pretty arrogant sounding. ☜