Chapter 409 – Disconnected, Sparring

“What’s your solution then?”

Anders looked at the Black Robe Elder expressionlessly as he spoke.

The old man lowered his head and said softly, “These low-grade civilization natives are nurtured by the Bai Family to enter the secret realm and collect resources for them.

For them, resources are the most important purpose of this trip. We only need to…”

The old man hadn’t finished his sentence when his expression suddenly changed, and he lowered his head to check a message intercepted by his communicator.

After reading it, a smile immediately spread across his aged face.

Then, with an almost praising tone, he said, “Destiny must be with Anders. Tulan!

We don’t need to think of any more strategies, everything… has already been arranged!”

Saying this, the Black Robe Elder showed Anders the message he had just intercepted.

Looking at the content displayed on the message, Anders was momentarily startled.

Then, nodding, a smile gradually spread across his face.

…

The actual situation in the ancestral land secret realm was much safer than Lu Yuan had anticipated.

This desolate and ancient secret space, aside from the bizarre and harsh environment and poor scenery, posed no significant risks.

There were no natives chasing people around with weapons, no man-eating ancient evil deity creatures.

Everything was very calm, even the co-trialists from the other three major planetary powers, with whom there was a certain competitive relationship, were… “friendly.”

At least on the way to the target coordinates, whenever Lu Yuan encountered trialists from other planetary powers, there were no ill intentions; a glance sufficed as a greeting.

Some even nodded at him in a friendly manner.

This was completely different from the several secret realm explorations he had experienced on his own planet.

This highest standard planetary-level trial… was almost unbelievably “harmonious and peaceful.”

His previous encounter with a tenth-stage powerhouse from another planet had been purely accidental, and the latter clearly mistook him for some “treasure.”

Realizing the mistake, and being outmatched, the adversary chose to retreat decisively, without any intention of lingering.

“There’s probably no danger because this is just the outer area of the secret realm, a kind of safe zone…”

The ancestral land secret realm gave Lu Yuan the impression of an ancient, shattered battlefield, and the group of them…

To put it nicely, they were here for a trial and exploration. To put it less nicely… they were more like a bunch of “scavengers.”

“Perhaps the advanced civilization that organized this trial has also set a total ‘performance quota’ for people from the four major planetary powers, along with other measures… to avoid trialists killing each other and internal conflicts as much as possible…

After all, for an advanced civilization, selecting talents from trialists is just a minor detail.

Getting enough resources is their real goal.”

Lu Yuan thought idly as he flew.

His thinking was exceptionally clear and active after the breakthrough, which helped him understand a lot of things thoroughly.

Naturally, nobody dislikes activities that are low risk and high reward, and Lu Yuan has never been fond of fighting and killing.

Being able to end a journey in an extraterrestrial, harmonious, and friendly atmosphere, which not only broadens one’s horizons but also increases knowledge, and even comes with rewards afterward, is more than ideal.

“I just don’t know what this emergency summons is about?”

Lu Yuan kept moving closer to the target coordinates, and he encountered more and more people from other planetary forces along the way.

In waves.

They seemed to be heading in the same direction as him.

“Did they also receive similar instructions?”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered, and he sped up his pace. Before long, he finally reached the target coordinate marked on the map.

It was at the end of a plain.

A bit further ahead lay a murky water region, the color of which was a blood-red.

Floating in the water was a huge skeleton that seemed to belong to a snake-like creature.

It had been soaked by the blood-red water until it turned black and decayed.

However, what really caught Lu Yuan’s eye at first glance was not the skeletal remains of this unknown snake-like creature, but rather the vibrant five-colored lights continuously bursting forth from a small floating island next to the skeleton.

The light was so intense that it could be seen from a great distance.

Many people gathered at the edge of the water region, and Lu Yuan immediately spotted members of their planet’s faction.

A lot of people had come.

Yuwen Tong was nowhere to be seen.

Then, searching… He found Yuwen Tong near the floating island closest to the water region, standing with several individuals from other planet’s factions who were all tenth stage figures.

Among them was the blue-skinned man with a three-headed shark emblem on his chest that had previously fought with Lu Yuan.

This time, the man stood among the group, arms crossed and a faint cold smirk on his lips, appearing to be listening to others, yet seemingly mocking them.

He exuded the demeanor of a Big Shot, completely different from the embarrassing figure who had fled in panic from Lu Yuan before.

“Tenth stage…”

Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze, shaking his head and muttering to himself, “Just like that, huh…”

Now, his strength had reached a level where many at the tenth stage would look up to him.

“What are you sighing about?”

As Lu Yuan slowly descended towards his faction’s crowd, Chen Wu Hao, who had been paying attention to him since his arrival, casually asked.

“Nothing.”

Lu Yuan shook his head and directly asked, “Why were we urgently summoned here?”

“You don’t know?”

Chen Wu Hao looked at him with some surprise.

Lu Yuan spread his hands, “Isn’t that why I’m asking you?”

“I thought you knew the situation and that’s why you came so quickly.”

After thinking for a moment, Chen Wu Hao then said to Lu Yuan, “Ayer gold.”

“Ayer gold?”

Lu Yuan was startled, then quickly understood.

Chen Wu Hao was referring to a type of material on the resource collection list.

It seemed to be highly valuable and very cherished.

“In the past, if we gathered a fist-sized piece of ayer gold during a trial, we’d consider it good luck. But this time, we’ve found an entire small mountain…”

Chen Wu Hao pointed towards a distant floating island glowing with multicolored lights, saying, “Before you got here, there had already been two joint explorations.

The findings indicate an extremely large deposit of ayer gold ore on that floating island, preliminarily estimated to be over twenty tons…”

“Twenty tons?! That much?”

Lu Yuan was also taken aback.

Lu Yuan immediately understood why everyone had gathered here.

The ayer gold harvest from just this floating island alone might equal the total harvest of all previous gatherings combined, perhaps by tens or even hundreds of times.

Why bother with separate explorations when everyone is clearly rushing to share in the bounty?

“Have you discussed how to distribute it yet?”

Lu Yuan glanced in the direction of a small group of Big Shots, including Yuwen Tong.

“The usual rules.”

Chen Wu Hao nodded, “A martial arts contest, where the proportion of victories will determine each party’s share of the harvest.”

Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback by Chen Wu Hao’s statement.

This trial was more harmonious than he had imagined!

With such immense benefits in front of them, it was impressive how these people remained calm, opting to resolve the matter through martial arts contests.

Truly… friendship first, trial second!

Lu Yuan even felt like giving them a thumbs up.

“How will the contest be conducted?”

Lu Yuan asked curiously.

“Each party sends ten people, and the matches are decided by drawing lots for one-on-one contests,” Chen Wu Hao replied.

“Do I need to participate?”

“Of course, you’re one of our few ninth-stage combat powers. If not you, then who?”

As Chen Wu Hao spoke, he suddenly frowned slightly, his gaze inadvertently sweeping around, “Right now, everyone is waiting for more people to arrive. But…”

“But what?”

“It seems like every party is missing some people.”

Chen Wu Hao’s eyes shimmered as he spoke in a low voice, “Our side has also lost contact with several powerful eighth and even ninth-stage powerhouses.”

“Who?”

Lu Yuan instinctively scanned his own group, comparing faces and identities with his memory, quickly identifying those who were missing.

“Are they all from the Distant Star Federation?”

Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised by the results he found.

Chen Wu Hao nodded, a puzzled look on his face, “I’m also wondering. Several top-tier combatants from the Distant Star Federation have almost disappeared. Even Torr, a top-tier Hidden Star like you, is uncontactable…”

At that moment, Lu Yuan was observing an eighth-stage supernova contestant from the Distant Star Federation.

The man looked extremely troubled, seemingly fixated on his communicator, almost as if he was about to crush it out of frustration.

“Disconnected…”

Lu Yuan frowned.

Given his understanding of this trial, it was supposed to be relatively safe.

Top-tier combat power disconnected, and not just one, but a collective disappearance…

Could it be that something unforeseen has occurred within the secret realm?

“Are there any clues? Does the advanced civilization overseeing the secret realm know about this?”

Lu Yuan asked, his expression turning serious as he spoke to Chen Wu Hao.

Chen Wu Hao shook his head and said, “The Bai Family can’t get in, so it’s up to the various tenth-stage powerhouses to resolve this.

They are currently discussing how to handle it…

This situation is indeed strange, but thankfully, it’s not the worst-case scenario…”

Chen Wu Hao took a deep breath and added quietly, “At least for now, no tenth-stage powerhouses have disappeared.”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered.

If a tenth-stage powerhouse had disappeared, it would likely have already triggered widespread panic.

At that moment, Lu Yuan suddenly felt the urge to find a secluded spot to activate chaos divination for a thorough divination.

As Lu Yuan and Chen Wu Hao were conversing, the group of tenth-stage Big Shots up ahead had finally come to a decision.

“Let’s not wait any longer, let’s start the sparring matches.”

It seemed they were planning to quickly settle the matters here before moving on to address the disappearances of their own powerhouses.

The group of tenth-stage powerhouses dispersed, and Yuwen Tong returned to their side.

Lord Tong began to pick those who would go up next.

“You, you, you…”

Ten people, including Lu Yuan and Chen Wu Hao, were all selected.

Actually, Chen Wu Hao could have avoided participating if it were only about ninth-stage experts; ten people could have been assembled from that level alone.

Especially from the Distant Star Federation side, where top-tier Experts were most numerous.

Although, when they were on the planet, two of their ninth-stage powerhouses were slaughtered by Yuwen Tong, and one was killed by Lu Yuan.

Still, they had some reserves left, which they brought out for this trial.

But once they entered the trial, all these ninth-stage experts also disappeared without a trace!

Now, only an eighth-stage lone survivor was left standing, which was truly… heart-wrenching to see.

“Looking at this lineup, it looks like we’ll probably be at the bottom among the four major planetary forces in this exchange…”

After the representatives were chosen, another eighth-stage supernova from Xia State voiced his concerns.

Lu Yuan tried to reassure him, “Not necessarily… maybe the others have an even worse lineup?”

“…”

Nobody else spoke up; the rest of the planetary forces had similarly chosen their competitors.

At that moment, a figure flew out from a distant team.

Lu Yuan glanced over and recognized him as the three-headed shark he had previously fought.

The figure flew to the center of the four forces and with a low shout, his golden combat suit disassembled into countless metal blocks, falling to the ground like rain.

“Boom-“

The metal blocks penetrated the ground, mobilizing massive cosmic energy.

Following that, the earth began to shake, and a huge landmass, square on top and funnel-shaped at the bottom, was forcibly lifted by a giant hand made of countless metal blocks.

“Ji ji wa ah!”

A series of strange syllables erupted in cheers and acclaim from beneath the three-headed shark’s planetary force.

Using the communicator’s built-in translator, Lu Yuan could make out the words praising the valor and strength of the three-headed shark, whose name roughly translated to “Yongdu.”

“This guy’s strength is ordinary, but that weapon is indeed a fine item…

It’s one of the primary materials used by advanced civilizations for forging Mecha, possessing unmatched ductility and malleability, and it can even slowly self-repair…”

“Hmm?”

Lu Yuan, watching Yongdu busily setting up the venue for the exchange, suddenly heard a voice in his head.

He instantly knew it was Yuwen Tong.

He looked over at Yuwen Tong, who was calmly facing forward.

Who would have guessed that beneath such a serious exterior, Lord Tong was actually cracking seeds and making snarky comments about the various characters involved.

“Does Lord Tong have any expectations for the outcome of this exchange?”

Lu Yuan conversed with Yuwen Tong on the level of consciousness without drawing any attention.

“Whatever. Once we leave this place, there will no longer be any competition among the four planets…”

Yuwen Tong’s attitude was quite casual, which took Lu Yuan by surprise.

But on second thought, what Yuwen Tong said wasn’t wrong.

Once they left the secret realm, the major planetary forces would return to their respective homes, with only Xia State and the Distant Star Federation Javier still in competition.

And now, with many powerhouses from the Distant Star Federation unaccounted for, this trial was sure to end in failure.

Does this mean… Xia State has already won this time?!

“No problem.”

Lu Yuan nodded, then asked Yuwen Tong about the missing powerhouses.

However, Yuwen Tong also expressed her uncertainty and mentioned they would need to collaborate with several tenth-stage individuals to investigate after the competition ends.

If they still couldn’t find any clues, they might have to seek help from the Bai Family after leaving the secret realm.

While they were talking, the arena for the three-headed shark Yongdu was also fully constructed.

A suspended, inverted pyramid with a diameter of over one hundred meters.

It was completely covered in numerous metal blocks, shimmering in golden light, strikingly magnificent.

The three-headed shark Yongdu was about to say a few words after completing the arena.

However, just as all eyes were on him, suddenly…

An indescribable, terrifying, sharp, and piercing sound appeared out of nowhere, tearing through the air!