Named as the White Night

Endless dark space held only this corridor, and Lu Yin stood on its floor. With one step back, he would merge into the boundless darkness.

Frowning, Lu Yin moved forward. At the corridor's entrance lay a stone slab that seamlessly blended with the corridor. Engraved on it were rows of names, most ending with 'White Night'—a surname indicating a heritage. Recalling Sharlo's mention of a powerful cosmic clan, Lu Yin realized this stone slab must be an artifact of the White Night Clan.

At the top of the slab was the name—True Martial Night King.

The moment he saw it, Lu Yin's gaze seemed to pierce through the vast space, envisioning a man standing proudly among the stars, exuding unparalleled dominance. Snapping back to reality, Lu Yin was shaken. A mere name had rendered him dazed. True Martial Night King—who was he?

Suppressing his shock, Lu Yin looked deeper into the corridor and stepped forward again, entering it.

Simultaneously, in the depths of the universe, at the center of an ancient continent, a towering stone stele pierced the sky, emanating a terrifying aura that made stars tremble.

Midway up the stele, two glowing stones orbited it slowly.

Below, several dust-covered figures stood silently, resembling statues.

As Lu Yin stepped into the corridor, his image appeared at the base of the stele, though it was too blurry to discern clearly.

"A new clansman has entered. I wonder how far they'll get."

"Clansmen today are increasingly disappointing, with worsening talent."

"No matter. Even the least talented among our White Night Clan can crush countless geniuses."

"Speaking of which, why hasn't the stolen ancient stone been recovered? The efficiency is too poor."

"No need to worry. No one in the universe dares covet our White Night Clan's ancient stone for long. It will be back soon, but the thief must be severely punished."

"The thief had unusual talent. It's a pity to kill him."

"It doesn't matter. This generation has that child; the others are irrelevant. That child is the future hope of our White Night Clan."

The figures unconsciously looked up, their gazes passing over a great distance to the top of the stele, where a lifelike image flickered, seemingly real, standing at the summit and overlooking all.

Suddenly, Lu Yin's image at the base disappeared. The figures looked down, sighing in disappointment. "Couldn't even show his appearance. Too weak. Has this generation's luck all been taken by that child? It's too cruel for the others."

"Not entirely. Two other children also climbed up earlier. Not bad."

In the corridor, Lu Yin felt immense pressure with each step, not physical but mental. The solitude of the night nearly swallowed him. The further he went, the more intense the feelings of isolation and despair became. At three meters in, a fist emitting white light punched him out of the corridor into the darkness. In an instant, he regained consciousness, met with the astonished gazes of Zhang Dingtian and the others.

"Why are you all staring at me?" Lu Yin asked.

Jennie Ona looked at him as if he were a monster. "Did you succeed?"

Lu Yin shook his head. "No."

"You're lying. You were just surrounded by an ancient aura. You definitely succeeded," Jennie Ona insisted, seemingly knowing something.

"I don't need to explain myself to you," Lu Yin said coolly.

Jennie Ona grew angry. She had learned from her father about the terrifying clan the fugitive belonged to and had hoped to try her luck. Her father didn't stop her because, without that clan's bloodline, no one could successfully receive the heritage. But now, not only had someone succeeded, there were three of them. Her worldview felt challenged.

The identities of Qingyu and others were known only to the higher-ups; most students were unaware. Even if some students knew his full name, they wouldn't understand its significance. This was the plight of the cosmic frontier; otherwise, Jennie Ona wouldn't be the only one trying her luck—every student would.

Vision determines a person's future. Mono's power was formidable among trial students, but so what? He wouldn't recognize the heritage stone even if it were placed before him.

Lu Yin scanned the crowd, noting that Zhou Shan and Wu Sheng had left. Only Zhang Dingtian and Bai Xue remained, clearly unsuccessful. The green-clad girl and Sharlo were still there.

Soon, the green-clad girl opened her eyes, exhaled, looked around with a proud expression, but her face changed upon seeing Sharlo still meditating, as if he had outdone her.

Jennie Ona, displeased, spoke up, "Don't think you two are the only successes. That guy also succeeded."

The green-clad girl was surprised, following Jennie Ona's gaze to Lu Yin. "Did you succeed?"

Lu Yin didn't answer, unsure what success in this heritage meant and unwilling to discuss it.

The green-clad girl eyed Lu Yin curiously. "Are you from that clan?"

Lu Yin still ignored her.

Irritated, she was about to speak when Sharlo opened his eyes, dropping a stone with a thud.

"What did you learn?" she asked him.

Sharlo smiled. "Nothing."

"Impossible. You took longer than me," she protested.

Sharlo smiled, glancing at Lu Yin. "How about you?"

Lu Yin shook his head. "I didn't succeed."

"Liar!" she shouted, glaring at Lu Yin. "You succeeded, didn't you? You must have learned something."

Ignoring her, Lu Yin glanced at Sharlo and then at Jennie Ona.

She sensed trouble. "What are you planning?"

Lu Yin smirked. "I almost forgot about you. Surrender now. From now on, you're a proud member of the negotiation army."

"What negotiation army?" she asked, confused, before Lu Yin easily captured her. Her strength was on par with Ras', making it effortless for him.

"Let me go! Do you know who I am? You barbarian! I am Jennie Ona, heir of the Ona family. No one can save you if you capture me," she shouted angrily.

Lu Yin sneered. "I don't care who you are, as long as you help with negotiations. With you and Ras, the chances are high."

Despite her protests, Lu Yin handed her to Bai Xue. "Watch her. She's a bargaining chip."

Bai Xue frowned but nodded, leading Jennie Ona away.

The green-clad girl and Sharlo didn't intervene; they were only interested in the stone.

If possible, Lu Yin wanted to capture them too, but they were too powerful, especially Sharlo, who seemed unremarkable but radiated a sense of threat.

"Lu Yin, a word of advice: discard that stone. It will bring unimaginable disaster," Sharlo said before leaving, not waiting for Lu Yin's response.

The green-clad girl quickly followed, eager to know what Sharlo had gained from the stone.

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes, considering Sharlo's warning. The stone was precious but a source of disaster, attracting formidable enemies beyond his current capabilities to handle. Even the Great Yu Empire wouldn't dare touch it.

Recalling the names on the corridor's stone slab, Lu Yin felt a chill. The White Night Clan was undoubtedly a terrifying force.

Realizing he wasn't a prodigious genius who could keep the stone against such a clan, he decided to get rid of it. But who to give it to? That was a tricky matter.

Outside the capital, over a dozen students, led by Jennie Ona, prepared to storm the city. The Ona family was far stronger than Ras', and they grew impatient with Jennie Ona's prolonged absence.

Zhou Shan quickly sounded the alarm.

Lu Yin and Zhang Dingtian were in the underground technology institute, while Glades, Baralo, and Graney rested. Zhou Shan alone faced the students, unable to resist.