Chapter 2143: Names of the Past
Chapter 2143: Names of the Past
"The teachings of a half-master?" At the moment, Lu Buzheng, Jiu Yao, Leng Qing, and Cai Er were all present in the Heavens Sect’s main hall. Destina and Qing Ping were absent, and Hen Xin and Jue Yi were still in the Astral Beast Domain.
Lu Yin answered, "That's right, a half-master, as I was the one who created the Tower of the Fifth. Right, it’s going to be renamed as the Tower of Inheritances now. I provided almost half of all the inheritances available in the tower, and I’m also the one who convinced various powers in both the Fifth and Sixth Mainlands to donate some inheritances. The acknowledgement of half-master really isn’t too much for all of that."
Jiu Yao stared blankly at Lu Yin. Isn’t too much? What the hell? That’s way too much! He isn’t the only one providing the inheritances in this Tower of the F- Tower of Inheritances, so why is he the only one to be acknowledged as a half-master?
The Semi-Progenitor wanted to speak up and refuse to accept Lu Yin’s proposal, but after glancing around, he could see that Lu Buzheng, Leng Qing, and Cai Er were all in agreement. Destina would automatically agree if she were asked, and Qing Ping did not even need to be considered, as he supported everything that Lu Yin did. Even if Hen Xin and Jue Yi were present, having three gatemasters oppose Lu Yin’s proposal would mean nothing.
On top of that, Jiu Yao realized something else as he observed Lu Yin; instead of three gatemasters, even if all eight of them rejected Lu Yin’s proposal, would it even make any difference?
Lu Yin looked at Jiu Yao and smiled. "What? Do you have other thoughts on the matter, Gatemaster Jiu Yao? Please, just speak up. After all, you represent the Sixth Mainland, and if you want, you can even ask Senior Progenitor of Bloodlines for his thoughts as well."
There was no need to mention that Lu Yin would also have a conversation with the Progenitor of Bloodlines. While the Heavens Sect had united the two human Mainlands, they remained two separate forces in many ways. Additionally, the hatred that had fomented between the two for so many years could not be easily washed away. If Lu Yin had not inherited Progenitor Chen’s power and become able to control the lives and deaths of everyone within the Human Domain, Jiu Yao would have actually tried to break the Sixth Mainland away from the Heavens Sect.
However, doing so would place the Sixth Mainland in a difficult position, and if a war broke out between the two Mainlands, the Sixth Mainland would not be in a much better position than the Astral Beast Domain.
Numerous thoughts and options flashed through his mind, and Jiu Yao felt a bit confused for a few moments.
Lu Yin was unconcerned. The truth was that there was another purpose in him requesting to be acknowledged as a half-master to those who obtained inheritances from the Tower of the Fifth aside from the obvious and direct benefits: Lu Yin was targeting the Sixth Mainland.
It was not an easy matter to erase the hatred and grudges that existed between different groups of humans, and Lu Yin was not selfless enough to entirely abandon his prejudices regarding the Sixth Mainland. He was willing to allow the Sixth Mainland's people to enter the Tower of Inheritance, but he would not compromise and allow them to escape acknowledging him as a half-master They would have to choose between accepting him, or refusing the inheritances.
Back when the Tower of the Fifth had first been established in the Cosmic Sea and been opened exclusively to the people of the Fifth Mainland, Lu Yin had already established the precedent of accepting him as a half-master in order to accept an inheritance from the tower. If not for Xia Ji and a few other powerhouses speaking out against it, no one in the Fifth Mainland would have been concerned about the matter, as Lu Yin’s prestige within the Fifth Mainland had been too high at that time.
That was why, at present, Lu Yin was targeting the Sixth Mainland with this matter. They would be allowed to enter the Tower of Inheritance and obtain great rewards. Or, they could refuse to acknowledge Lu Yin as a half-master and get nothing. That was the ultimate choice.
Jiu Yao said, "I wish to return and discuss this matter with Senior Progenitor of Bloodlines."
Lu Yin nodded. "Sure, but Senior is currently in seclusion and trying to treat his terrible injuries, so it would be best to not bother him at this important time unless absolutely necessary. If you feel that you can’t accept the teachings of a half-master, your people don’t have to enter the Tower of Inheritance. No one will force them or anyone else."
Jiu Yao nodded, as he already understood Lu Yin’s intentions. He was not forcing the Sixth Mainland into compliance by using the Tower of Inheritance. With the two Mainlands united, it would not do to exclude the Sixth Mainland openly. The best way to target the Sixth Mainland was by giving them a choice.
If they agreed to Lu Yin’s proposal, they would gain access to the Tower of Inheritance, but they would also agree to accept Lu Yin as a half-master. If they did not agree, then there would no negative repercussions, but they would essentially be barred from using the Tower of Inheritance.
It was an excellent trap. Jiu Yao could not help but observe Lu Yin for a moment. This young man really did stand apart from others when it came to both individual power and scheming. Jiu Yao could remember how, over twenty years ago, Lu Yin had moved out with his Great Eastern Alliance to take over the defense of the Outerverse against the Astral Beast Domain’s invasion. In the end, Lu Yin had ended up regaining control of a region of the Outerverse, and the Sixth Mainland had been forced to admit that they could not outplay Lu Yin when it came to plots or schemes.
However, these current events were not due to Lu Yin’s own abilities, but rather because Wang Wen had given a reminder. Without Wang Wen, Lu Yin would have forgotten about the teachings of a half-master.
Fortunately, Wang Wen had reminded him in time.
"How are Hen Xin and Jue Yi doing?" Jiu Yao asked, abruptly changing the subject.
Lu Yin shrugged. "They’re keeping an eye on the exit of the Extreme Path, but I haven’t come up with any solutions to this problem just yet. Still, there’s no need to worry. I’m confident that with their strength, we’ll be able to handle this properly."
Jiu Yao said nothing further on the matter.
The Extreme Path remained a grave threat. The Human Domain could not afford to leave this knife at their throat in the hands of the Astral Beast Domain, so the place had to be monitored by Semi-Progenitors. For Lu Yin, the best options for this task were Hen Xin and Jue Yi.
As for how long they would have to keep an eye on the place, no one could say for sure.
A short time later, Lu Yin arrived outside of Earth’s solar system, and he saw Astral-10 sitting off in the distance.
"Senior, did you have the Astral Combat Academy in your era?" Lu Yin asked.
Progenitor Smoke appeared next to Lu Yin, and she revealed a bit of surprise when she looked over at Astral-10 floating in space. "Isn't that Boundless?"
Lu Yin's eyes flickered. "Senior, you know about Boundless?"
Progenitor Smoke nodded, and when she spoke, respect could be heard in her voice. "There are ten ancient warships that carry the inheritance of human civilization. The flagship is known as Boundless. But I remember that the ten warships were destroyed in a war, so this should be a replica.”
"Honestly, the warships should have never been sent to any battlefield. When I first started my own cultivation, I remember hearing that the ten warships had been destroyed and rebuilt several times in the past and that they were no longer allowed to get near any wars."
"Senior, did you ever enter Boundless yourself?" Lu Yin felt rather surprised.
Progenitor Smoke replied, "I did. After I became an Envoy, I remembered that there was a library on Boundless that recorded every detail of the ancient human civilizations. There was a floor known as the Stargazing Deck, and there, I was able to see certain images. Some parts of that vision were ancient, while others were related to myself.
"My name should actually be recorded on Boundless."
"Your name’s recorded there, Senior?" This puzzled Lu Yin. If Boundless had not yet been part of the Astral Combat Academy, then how would anyone leave their name on it?
Progenitor Smoke's eyes gained additional depths. "Boundless carries the record and inheritance of human civilization, and that refers to more than just cultivation. It also includes human history and spirit. Humans cannot forget our history, and we were people who represented the history of our era. Me, Xia Shang, Old Fu, Hui Wen, Ku Jie, Wang Fan, Bai Wangyuan, and Senior Lu Tianyi. All of our names were recorded on Boundless, as we carried the weight of humanity. We all were given this responsibility. Let’s go see.”
Responsibility? That comment reminded Lu Yin of what he had heard the crazy headmaster say when he had asked Lu Yin to leave his name on Boundless and become a guest instructor. Later, Rainmaster had said that Lu Yin would only qualify to leave his name on Boundless after becoming an Envoy, and at that time he would be able to learn of Boundless’s history. Leaving one’s name on Boundless was not a simple matter, and it seemed to be more of a ritual.
Astral-10 had many students at this time, but Lu Yin had no desire to draw any attention during this visit. Progenitor Smoke kept the two of them hidden while Lu Yin went to greet the Rainmaster and the other mentors before visiting the area on Boundless that was covered in the flames that had been started by the headmaster. Even after all this time, the flames had not gone out.
This was the place where Lu Yin and Xia Luo had worked together to take down Xia Jiuyou, which had resulted in Xia Luo becoming the heir of the Xia family.
Progenitor Smoke was surprised by the sight. "What’s with this fire? Why doesn’t it die?"
"I don't know, but it’s been blazing for a long, long time," Lu Yin said.
Progenitor Smoke shook her head and then pointed in a certain direction. They followed her directions to a seemingly random location, but eventually came to an edge of the warship that was surrounded by flames.
Lu Yin looked at it and then moved to what looked like the border of Astral-10. Was this Boundless’s bow?
"Hey, where are the names?" Progenitor Smoke looked around, searching, but she could not find the names she was expecting to see.
Lu Yin was also unable to see anything.
At this time, the Rainmaster approached. "What are you looking for?"
As the man spoke, he looked past Lu Yin and saw Progenitor Smoke. Just the same as Lu Yin and everyone else when they first saw Progenitor Smoke, the Rainmaster bowed his head due to the inexplicable pressure he felt from Progenitor Smoke.
Lu Yin coughed, and Progenitor Smoke instantly vanished.
The Rainmaster regained his normal composure, but he still felt a bit confused. "Lu Yin, who was that person just now?"
"A Semi-Progenitor," Lu Yin said.
The Rainmaster nodded. "It’s no wonder why I wasn’t able to look at her directly."
Lu Yin asked, "Mentor, is there a place in Astral-10 where names are recorded?"
"The names of the guest instructors?" the Rainmaster asked. He nodded to his own question. "That’s right, you do have the right to leave your name there now."
"I was wondering if that list includes other guest instructors, such as the names of Progenitor Chen and Progenitor Hui," Lu Yin said.
This comment caught the Rainmaster completely off guard. "How did you know about that? Those aren’t the names of guest instructors, but-"
The man suddenly hesitated. "Were you told about this by the senior accompanying you?"
"That’s right. She’s lived for many years and has been around for even longer than Arch-Elder Zen. She knew about Boundless long ago," Lu Yin replied.
The Rainmaster felt a bit confused. While he knew about Boundless, his strength was limited, so he did not have much understanding of Arch-Elder Zen. The Rainmaster had no idea how long Arch-Elder Zen had lived for.
"Follow me," the Rainmaster said before moving towards another direction.
Lu Yin followed the man, and they crossed back over the sea of flames that had been blazing for an unknown number of years. As they passed, Lu Yin noticed some students ducking their heads and looking around. They had been moved out of the way by the Rainmaster.
Just a short time later, they arrived outside a building that had been destroyed by fire long, long ago. It was readily apparent that this structure had once been an amazing bit of architecture that had dominated a massive area, but unfortunately, it had been ruined by the fire.
There was a bang as a piece of wood fell down nearby. Dust was stirred up from the impact, and even some nearby flames swirled.
The Rainmaster entered the ruins and went straight to a specific corner of the building. In that place, there was an entire pile of wooden boards scattered about. Lu Yin felt a sense of déjà vu the moment he saw those boards, and Progenitor Smoke returned. She immediately approached one of the boards, and she stared at it with a complicated expression on her face.
Lu Yin walked over to get a better look at the boards. All that he could make out was half of a character written on the top of the board, but since it was in the writing style of Progenitor Smoke's era, Lu Yin did not recognize the character. "Senior, what’s written here?"
"It’s half of a name. It’s ‘Wen’ of Hui Wen’s name," Progenitor Smoke answered softly.
"Progenitor Hui's good name?" Lu Yin was surprised.
The Rainmaster gave Progenitor Smoke a long stare. "Senior actually knows this manner of writing? Yes, every name recorded here represents an era of human history. Anyone able to leave their name on Boundless left an indelible mark on their own era. People like us will never qualify to leave our names here. At best, we can leave our names as guest instructors."
Lu Yin picked the board up. Only half of the board on the top of the pile was still there. Lu Yin looked at the next board in the pile.
"Lu. This must be either Senior Lu Tianyi, or Uncle Lu Feng," Progenitor Smoke said.
Lu Yin stared at the name written on the board intently for a moment and then picked that one up as well. He went through the pile, examining each board and hearing each name that was written. There were not only Progenitors’ names written on these boards, but also many Semi-Progenitors. Progenitor Smoke recognized who many of the Semi-Progenitors were, but not all of them. Some were from before her time, while others had risen to fame after she had disappeared.
Lu Yin saw the names of Arch-Elder Zen, Senior Brother Qing Ping. Highsage Grandmaster, and Elder Gong. The Semi-Progenitors of the current era qualified to stand at the top of their realm even throughout history. Because the building had been burned by the mad headmaster, the age of these newer boards felt as old as the names that had been left during the Daosource Sect era.