Playing Ball

Xia Luo nodded, held the Star Burst Sphere firmly, and said sincerely, "I'm starting now." With that, the Star Energy in his palm began to activate. One second, two seconds, three seconds... Three seconds passed, and the berserk Star Energy inside the Star Burst Sphere gradually disappeared. By five seconds, the berserk Star Energy had been completely pacified.

Liu Ji was surprised; he had succeeded in five seconds.

Mentor Wu Sheng was not surprised; after all, he was recommended by Elder Dan. A smile appeared on his face. "Not bad. To achieve an excellent result on your first contact with the Star Burst Sphere. Liu Ji was the same back then. You have great potential. Elder Dan's recommendation was indeed not wrong. You can keep this Star Burst Sphere."

Xia Luo covered the Star Burst Sphere with the thin metal film again and put it away. "Thank you, Mentor."

"Mm, you may go back," Mentor Wu Sheng said.

Xia Luo knew that Mentor Wu Sheng might have something to say to Liu Ji, so he nodded, turned, and entered the teleportation device to leave.

After Xia Luo left, Mentor Wu Sheng looked at Liu Ji. "What happened? Your expression is not right."

Liu Ji said solemnly, "This Academy is not simple. I have seen several experts."

"It's normal. Even the Outerverse can produce prodigy-level geniuses. Didn't Wendy Yushan of the Great Yu Empire in the Canglan territory enter the top 20 of the Astral Combat Rankings? Even I am amazed by that kind of achievement. The Outerverse is too large; there's no need to mind a few experts," Mentor Wu Sheng said.

Liu Ji hummed in agreement. Actually, what she wanted to see most was that chief student. How strong would a chief student who could suppress the students she had seen be? She was very curious.

"You haven't tried the Star Burst Sphere in a long time, have you?" Mentor Wu Sheng suddenly said, staring at Liu Ji.

Liu Ji was stunned and nodded.

Mentor Wu Sheng took out another Star Burst Sphere and handed it to Liu Ji. "Try it. See if you can pacify the berserk Star Energy instantly."

Liu Ji muttered to herself, "How is that possible? Only a prodigy can do that." Although she said that, her actions were not slow. Her Star Energy began to activate. She also wanted to try to pacify the berserk Star Energy instantly.

At this moment, a person appeared in the teleportation device. Mentor Wu Sheng and Liu Ji turned to look. It was Lu Yin.

Lu Yin walked into the space station and didn't expect anyone to be here, and two strangers at that. In fact, one of them, a woman, was—playing ball?

At the space station of the Tenth Academy, seeing a woman playing with a ball, this scene made Lu Yin feel a bit surreal. But that ball was very interesting; inside it was berserk Star Energy!

With a whoosh, the Star Burst Sphere shattered. Because of Lu Yin's appearance, Liu Ji's attention was diverted, and she failed unintentionally.

"Your mind is not focused, your heart is not as calm as still water. Is this the level your talent allows you to reach?" Mentor Wu Sheng's tone was stern as he glared at Liu Ji.

Liu Ji lowered her head and fiercely shot daggers at Lu Yin with her eyes. It was this guy who had appeared out of nowhere, causing her to be distracted and reprimanded by Mentor Wu Sheng. What an annoying fellow.

"Again!" Mentor Wu Sheng shouted sternly, not even caring that Lu Yin was at the side. He took out a Star Burst Sphere and gave it to Liu Ji, glaring at her.

Liu Ji took a deep breath, peeled off the thin metal film, and the Star Energy in her palm began to activate. Soon, the berserk Star Energy inside was pacified. Three seconds.

Mentor Wu Sheng sighed. "Still three seconds. It seems you won't be able to cross this threshold in the short term."

Liu Ji lowered her head, feeling a little lost. Three seconds was a threshold she also wanted to cross. It seemed possible to pacify it instantly, but to be able to improve by one or two seconds also represented an increase in strength. For a Decipherer, control over Star Energy surpassed everything.

"Um, can I borrow that ball to play with?" Lu Yin spoke up. He was very interested in that ball. If he wasn't mistaken, it should be a kind of assessment method, just right for him to test his control over Star Energy. Moreover, he had seen a spaceship that did not belong to the Tenth Academy, with the symbol of the Decipherer Research Society on it.

Liu Ji snorted coldly. "Forget it."

Lu Yin blinked. "You just said three seconds, right? I can do it too."

This one sentence made both Mentor Wu Sheng and Liu Ji stunned. Where did this brash youth come from? The Star Burst Sphere seemed simple, but the berserk Star Energy inside was extremely complex. Forcibly pacifying it would only cause it to explode. Only those with a certain level of understanding of Star Energy could pacify it. In the universe, very few could do it within a minute, let alone three seconds. Otherwise, it couldn't be used as the assessment standard for the Decipherer Research Society.

Wu Sheng frowned. The quality of the Tenth Academy had really declined. He couldn't even see the difficulty of the Star Burst Sphere.

"Go away. Where did this fool come from?" Liu Ji was annoyed. She had just been reprimanded and was in a bad mood.

Lu Yin was helpless. "Just let me try. You won't lose anything if I can't do it."

Liu Ji was furious and glared at Lu Yin, about to scold him, when Wu Sheng waved his hand. "Give it to him."

"Mentor, this person..." Liu Ji was dissatisfied.

Wu Sheng was impatient. "Give it to him." With that, he was about to board the spaceship and leave.

Liu Ji snorted and tossed the Star Burst Sphere to Lu Yin, then followed behind Wu Sheng.

Lu Yin caught the Star Burst Sphere. At this moment, the Star Energy inside began to go berserk again. He felt it for a moment. If he relied on his own control over Star Energy, it would take him at least ten seconds or more to pacify it. Only a freak like Xia Luo could complete it in three seconds. However, he could try the Heavenly Star Art. The Heavenly Star Art could see through all changes.

He did as he thought. Lu Yin circulated the Heavenly Star Art on his body. An ordinary person could not see the eight stars revolving around him. In his eyes, every trace of the berserk Star Energy inside the Star Burst Sphere was visible.

"I'm done," Lu Yin said with a faint smile.

Wu Sheng, who was just about to step onto the spaceship, suddenly turned his head and stared at the Star Burst Sphere in Lu Yin's hand in disbelief. Four seconds! This child had completed it in four seconds.

Liu Ji was also dazed. Four seconds, impossible. Where did this freak come from? Xia Luo had also taken five seconds to complete it.

Mentor Wu Sheng instantly appeared in front of Lu Yin, looking at him in surprise. "Again."

Lu Yin smiled. Hooked. The Decipherer Research Society—this was the backer he was looking for. There were too many enemies in the Trial World, and the Tenth Academy was too famous. Without a backer, he really couldn't get by. A privileged organization like the Decipherer Research Society was easy to rely on. After all, the Astral Combat Academies definitely had people from the Decipherer Research Society.

The Star Burst Sphere went berserk again. This time, Mentor Wu Sheng and Liu Ji stood right in front of Lu Yin, watching him.

Lu Yin, through the Heavenly Star Art, saw the changes of the berserk Star Energy inside the Star Burst Sphere and made his move again. This time, he was faster than just now. Three seconds! Completed within three seconds.

Liu Ji's mouth hung open. This... this guy could actually complete it in three seconds. Where did this freak come from? She had been born in the Decipherer Research Society. Her parents and grandfather were all Decipherers. Even so, it had taken her more than ten years of cultivation to be able to pacify the Star Burst Sphere in three seconds. Where did this guy in front of her come from?

Wu Sheng was ecstatic. A genius! He had run into a genius, and two of them at that. But this one was even more of a genius. He had known about Xia Luo's situation long ago, so it wasn't too much of a surprise. The one in front of him was a real surprise, an unexpected joy.

"Young man, what is your name? Are you a student of the Tenth Academy?" Mentor Wu Sheng asked eagerly.

Lu Yin nodded and smiled. "Tenth Academy's Lu Yin pays respects to you, sir."

Mentor Wu Sheng was surprised. "Lu? Your surname is Lu?"

Lu Yin said, "Yes, this disciple's surname is Lu, from Earth of the Great Yu Empire."

"The Great Yu Empire? A legal identity, that's good. My name is Wu Sheng. You can call me Mentor Wu Sheng," Wu Sheng said with a sigh of relief. The Decipherer Research Society had an iron rule: not to accept those with unique ancient surnames without a legal identity. Lu was one of them, and Xia was also the same. But Xia Luo had Elder Dan's guarantee long ago, so he didn't mind. The Lu Yin in front of him, fortunately, also had a legal identity; otherwise, no matter how talented he was, he could not be accepted.

"Mentor Wu Sheng, hello," Lu Yin was very respectful, his attitude very humble.

Mentor Wu Sheng nodded in satisfaction. The more he looked at Lu Yin, the more he liked him. To inadvertently discover a genius was like the greatest affirmation for him. The higher this person's achievements, the better his eye was proven to be. The reason he often traveled the universe was to search for this kind of genius. A pity they were too few. He hadn't expected to run into one today and had almost missed him.

"Lu Yin, have you heard of the Decipherer Research Society?" Mentor Wu Sheng asked.

Beside him, Liu Ji had not yet recovered. The guy in front of her had so easily completed something that had taken her dozens of years to do. That Xia Luo just now had taken five seconds. To be able to do it in three seconds would take at least a few more years. Yet the one in front of her could do it now. This was too demoralizing.

"The Decipherer Research Society? Of course, I've heard of it. Decipherers are a very admirable profession," Lu Yin praised without reservation.

Mentor Wu Sheng was even happier. He rarely smiled, but at this moment, he was truly happy. Looking at the sincere eyes of the little fellow in front of him, he was satisfied. "Are you willing to join the Decipherer Research Society?"

Lu Yin blinked, pointing at himself in disbelief. "Me? Can I, Mentor?"

"Of course, you can. The Decipherer Research Society has an assessment system for talented cultivators. But you can pacify the Star Burst Sphere within three seconds, which is enough to be exceptionally admitted. As long as there is no problem with your identity, it's fine. By the way, your control over Star Energy has reached the realm of myriad changes, right?" Mentor Wu Sheng said.

Lu Yin nodded. "It has."

Mentor Wu Sheng hummed in acknowledgment and told Lu Yin to wait. He wanted to check Lu Yin's information. As long as there was no problem with the information, he could immediately join the Research Society.

While Mentor Wu Sheng was checking the information, Liu Ji stared at Lu Yin as if he were a monster, making Lu Yin feel very uncomfortable. "Your Tenth Academy is quite something, hiding your strength so well."

Lu Yin was puzzled. "Hiding our strength? Where?"

Liu Ji sneered. In her opinion, the Tenth Academy was playing the pig to eat the tiger. Everyone thought the Tenth Academy was finished, but who knew that there was more than one master here, and two Decipherers had appeared at once. Decipherers! In the entire Astral Combat Academy, the number of Decipherers was extremely small. On average, it was already good if each combat academy had two. The Tenth Academy had produced two at once, and both were very powerful. Freaks.

Generally speaking, those who could pacify the Star Burst Sphere within a minute were qualified to participate in the Decipherer Research Society's assessment, and those who succeeded within 10 seconds would pass. To be able to complete it within five seconds on the first contact were all geniuses. The Tenth Academy had a Xia Luo and this guy. Liu Ji was already wondering if there were other freaks. For some reason, she thought of Yin, and that mysterious chief student.

That's right, she had forgotten to ask the name of that chief student.

"Hey, who is the chief student of your Tenth Academy?" Liu Ji asked.

Lu Yin pointed at himself. "Me."

Liu Ji was dismissive. The person in front of her did not give her any sense of danger, much worse than that silver-haired man. He wasn't even the silver-haired man; how could he be the chief student? "Stop bragging. If you don't want to say, then forget it."

Lu Yin was puzzled. Why did this woman decide he wasn't?