Chapter 48: Lu Yu's Rapid Progress! A Test or an Exchange?
On the road to Star Luo City, Lu Yu no longer focused on studying the second level of the Summoning God Talisman like before. Instead, he devoted his attention to practicing various techniques.
> After all, the Summoning God Talisman relied on external forces—but only one's own strength was truly reliable!
After obtaining his fourth spirit ring, Lu Yu's soul power had directly soared to the peak of level 43, and by the time they arrived at Star Luo City, he had already broken through to level 44.
And because there was no bottleneck restriction, both his Three Reversal Life Technique and the Golden Light Spell advanced rapidly. The former had reached the peak of major success, nearing perfection.
The Golden Light Spell had even broken through to the perfect realm in one fell swoop!
> You must know—even the ridiculously powerful old celestial master from the alien world had only achieved perfection in the Golden Light Spell!
Above the perfect realm lay the legendary Dao Realm—the pinnacle of all Taoist techniques!
Even with Lu Yu's talent, it would take considerable time and effort to elevate a technique from perfection to the Dao Realm.
As for the Thunder Law, it had reached peak major success, and was now just one step away from perfection!
---
Star Luo City.
Today, the gates of the city were heavily guarded—not just by soldiers, but by spirit masters.
The main city gate was blocked off, and the common folk could only use a smaller side entrance.
At the front of the gate, a group of people had been waiting for a long time.
There were men and women, most of them young. Only two middle-aged men stood at the head of the group.
If one looked closely, they would notice the youths were clearly split into two circles.
One circle was led by a blond-haired, double-pupiled young man, whose aura exuded a sense of danger and evil charm.
The other was led by a girl who appeared to be only eleven or twelve, yet her figure was astonishingly mature and voluptuous. Her face remained cold and expressionless, giving off an aura of deathly stillness.
Next to the blond youth, a young man curled his lip and muttered:
> "Boss, isn't Zhu Zhuyun being a bit too disrespectful?"
> "She's your fiancée, and you're turning eighteen soon. You'll need to set the wedding date and practice your martial spirit fusion skill together, but she still avoids you!"
> "And for such an important occasion, she actually sent her younger sister instead!"
As he spoke, he stared lustfully at the cold, curvy girl.
The blond youth responded confidently:
> "The more unruly the woman, the more obedient she'll be after I conquer her."
He glanced at the girl not far away and sneered.
> "My third brother is clever. He knew he couldn't compete with me, so he spends his days drinking and partying, even ran off to the Heaven Dou Empire to enjoy life!"
> "What a pity... such a beautiful fiancée wasted on him!"
Just then, a carriage convoy appeared on the distant road, escorted by a small army.
Seeing the flag of the Heaven Dou Empire on the lead carriage, the blond youth and others fell silent.
The convoy halted before the gate, and nearly a hundred people disembarked.
At the front was Xue Qinghe!
At his side, Lu Yu stood to the left, while Huyan Zhen, the team's most powerful cultivator, stood to the right.
At the gate, one of the middle-aged men stepped forward with a friendly smile:
> "On behalf of the royal family of the Star Luo Empire, I welcome His Highness Xue Qinghe and all our friends from the Heaven Dou Empire!"
Xue Qinghe returned the greeting with a smile:
> "Prince Dai Feng, you're too kind. I also thank the soldiers your empire sent to escort us—without them, we might not have arrived safely."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Dai Feng pointed to the middle-aged man beside him and said:
> "This is Duke Zhu Fengyang, head of the Zhu family of the Star Luo Empire. He welcomes you all on behalf of his clan."
Xue Qinghe nodded politely, then began introducing those beside him, first presenting Huyan Zhen and the teachers from various academies behind him.
Then he turned to Lu Yu and said with a slight smile:
> "This is Lu Yu, the number one genius of our Heaven Dou Empire."
This single sentence shocked the crowd from the Star Luo Empire.
> The number one genius of the Heaven Dou Empire?
> And it seemed like...
> All the other geniuses present acknowledged that title without complaint!
One by one, the young men and women behind Dai Feng and Zhu Fengyang began observing Lu Yu.
Some were curious, others disdainful, and still others eager to compete.
Dai Feng quickly collected himself and said:
> "Your Highness Xue Qinghe, I've had a banquet prepared at my estate. Please, come rest a while, and we'll head to the palace together this evening."
Xue Qinghe nodded in agreement.
Just then, Zhu Fengyang made a suggestion:
> "Your Highness, why not let the Eldest Prince and my daughter guide the young guests of the Heaven Dou Empire around the city?"
> "They are all young people. They'll find it easier to relate to one another."
Dai Feng laughed and followed up:
> "Excellent idea! What does Your Highness think?"
The two worked in perfect sync—it was clearly a pretext to test the strength of the Heaven Dou juniors.
Xue Qinghe looked at Lu Yu, a subtle smile flashing in his eyes, then responded:
> "Very well."
He turned to the team behind him and instructed:
> "Representatives of each major academy, led by Lu Yu, will accompany our friends from the Star Luo Empire for an exchange."
> "Elder Huyan, Chief Meng, and Dean Shui, follow me to Prince Dai Feng's mansion."
> "The rest may rest at the arranged hotel."
After all, the Heaven Dou exchange group had hundreds of members—not everyone qualified as a representative, nor could all visit Dai Feng's estate.
Dai Feng smiled and added:
> "I've had the hotel prepared!"
Then he turned to the soldiers at the gate:
> "Escort our friends into the city!"
---
Thus, the group entered the city in grand procession, then split into three groups.
Each major academy had sent only a few representatives:
Feng Xiaotian from Godwind Academy
Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu from Blazing Fire Academy
Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er from Tianshui Academy
Hu Yanli from Elephant Armored Academy
Yu Tianxin from Thunder Academy
Together with Lu Yu, there were eight in total.
On the Star Luo Empire's side, there were thirteen young men and women, led by the eldest prince Davis and the Zhu family's legitimate daughter, Zhu Zhuqing.
Everyone exchanged simple greetings as they traveled, and soon arrived at the Star Luo Empire Royal Academy, led by Davis.
Unlike the Heaven Dou Royal Academy—which was outside the capital—the Star Luo Academy was located within Star Luo City, occupying a vast area. It boasted many specialized mimicry training zones, highlighting the royal family's emphasis on nurturing spirit masters.
> "This is where academy students normally spar. There's also a soul power testing area next door," Davis explained while leading the way.
At that moment, a skinny, yellow-haired youth suddenly spoke up:
> "Our Star Luo Empire doesn't use outdated soul power crystals—we use soul tools to measure exact levels precisely."
> "Would you all be interested in giving it a try?"
> The test was no longer subtle—
> The dagger had been drawn!
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