Star Odyssey
Chapter 3609: Opportunity

Chapter 3609: Opportunity

Yi Shang did not want to give Lu Yin any excuses to cause trouble for him. Serving as a bookmaker for the upcoming fight was a venture that involved immense amounts of resources, and Yi Shang had agreed to give sixty percent of the profits to Boundless. As a businessman, he could not afford to accept such losses, but he also needed to acknowledge the reality of the situation. Even if Lu Yin lost the upcoming battle, Yi Shang would still hand over the money.

Yi Shang made the general decisions of the matter, while Rong Xiang handled the execution.

Yi Shang had once suspected Rong Xiang, but since the man had not known of Yi Shang’s whereabouts, there was nothing to suspect.

"President, are we really going to give sixty percent of the profits to Boundless?" Rong Xiang did not like this prospect. Much like Yi Shang, despite being a powerful and accomplished cultivator, Rong Xiang had dedicated years to overseeing the Chamber of Commerce, and he was deeply committed to the business.

"Yes."

Rong Xiang sighed. "I have never seen anyone as shameless as this Seraph Lu. Even after becoming a Seraph, not only did he do something as unreasonable as confiscate resources from most of the domains, but he also conducts what is basically banditry!"

Yi Shang solemnly replied, "Don’t say another word. Resources can always be earned again, but-"

Suddenly, the man’s expression changed. The void in front of him tore open, and a strand of consciousness shot at him with an unimaginable speed. The attack landed on Rong Xiang in an instant. Despite being an Ortuser, Rong Xiang did not have time to even react before the consciousness struck. At that moment, his pupils dilated, and his eyes lost focus.

He’s here. How did he find me?

Yi Shang fled without any hesitation, but the next moment, Lu Yin waved his hand. Lightstream moved through space, and time rewound by one second.

Everything should have been reverted by one second, including Lu Yin’s own consciousness. However, even as Lu Yin attacked a second time, he withdrew it. Yi Shang was already gone. He had vanished without a trace, and he had not been affected by the temporal reversal.

Lu Yin let out a breath. The fact that Yi Shang’s mirebound artifact was immune to temporal effects made it incredibly useful.

Lu Yin descended to the floor, Rong Xiang was still laying on the floor by Lu Yin’s feet. He had been struck by the consciousness attack and had instantly passed out.

As for the conscient in the form of a giant astral beast, it had been taken by Yi Shang. It looked like Yi Shang was afraid that Lu Yin would kill the creature.

Lu Yin had not expected his earlier threat to end up saving him so much trouble. After all, if Yi Shang had left the conscient behind, Lu Yin would face much greater difficulty in locating the man.

Lu Yin’s attack did not create any commotion at all. Aside from Rong Xiang collapsing, nothing at all happened.

Lu Yin thought back to the moment when he had attacked. Yi Shang had indeed had a brief window of time to react.

If the High Seraph had been the one to launch a sneak attack, would Yi Shang have still had that opportunity?

The door was pushed open, and Rong Hua entered. "Grandfather, about our bookmaker venture-"

He stopped mid-sentence and stared blankly at Lu Yin, whose back was to the door. Rong Hua’s expression changed drastically. "Guards!"

A group of cultivators rushed in from outside. "Who are you?"

Rong Hua's face turned pale as he kept a wary eye on Lu Yin. This man had actually managed to take down Rong Hua’s grandfather, which meant that he was an absolute powerhouse. Rong Hua slowly moved back. He could not afford to get caught up in this confrontation.

Lu Yin turned around, and the moment that his face was exposed, everyone else was shocked, and they hastily dropped to their knees. "Greetings, Lord Seraph Lu."

"Greetings, Lord Seraph Lu..."

Rong Hua was horrified, and also went to his knees. "Greetings, Lord Seraph Lu."

Lu Yin smirked as he looked at Rong Hua. "You've improved since last time. You managed to take a few steps back. Were you planning on escaping?"

Rong Hua quivered, and did not dare reply.

"The glow that used to surround you is also gone. It looks like your grandfather taught you well." As Lu Yin spoke, Rong Xiang, who was still lying on the floor, regained consciousness. He coughed and looked up, only to see Lu Yin towering over him.

Letting out a deep breath, he said, "Greetings, Lord Seraph Lu."

Lu Yin waved a hand, and Rong Hua and the others immediately withdrew, not daring to linger.

Only Lu Yin and Rong Xiang remained in the room.

Lu Yin walked over to a window and stared out at the busy Buyi City.

Rong Xiang rose to his feet and offered a respectful bow. "Thank you, Lord Seraph Lu, for showing mercy."

"I didn't."

Rong Xiang coughed again, his vision still blurry. For a burst of consciousness to be strong enough to knock out an Ortuser, its strength could easily be imagined.

Lu Yin really had not held back. Rong Xiang had survived solely due to his own strength.

“Regardless, thank you, Lord Seraph Lu.” Despite knowing that Lu Yin had not shown him any mercy, Rong Xiang still felt the need to express his gratitude.

Lu Yin gave a small smile as he continued to look outside. “Daquan Domain’s Buyi City is the commercial center of the entire Spirit Nidus. How many spirit seeds do you think are traded every day in this place?”

Rong Xiang did not know how to reply. Naturally, he was aware of the number, but if he revealed it, what would Lord Seraph Lu do next?

Given the number of times that this man had resorted to outright robbing people, nobody was certain of what he might be capable of.

“There aren’t enough betting locations.”

Rong Xiang hesitated. “Lord Seraph Lu, what do you mean?”

“Open ten times more.”

Rong Xiang was stunned. “Ten times?

“Lord Seraph Lu, that is simply too many! There aren’t enough people gambling.”

Lu Yin turned around to face Rong Xiang. A hand rose up, and patted the man on the shoulder. “I know that you’ll be able to manage. No matter what, if the final profits don’t meet my expectations, you can’t blame me for turning hostile.”

Rong Xiang’s expression turned grim. This man really was a bastard.

“Didn’t you say that I was shameless? Thanks for that compliment,” Lu Yin said with a smile.

Rong Xiang was startled. “Lord Seraph Lu, that wasn’t what I meant-”

Lu Yin left.

Rong Xiang stared blankly at the empty space in front of him. Lu Yin expected ten times the original profits? Just to retaliate to one remark? The man was not just shameless; he would stoop to absolutely anything. Of course, Rong Xian would never dare to say such a thing out loud.

Shortly after Lu Yin left, Yi Shang returned.

When Rong Xiang passed along Lu Yin’s message, Yi Shang’s expression contorted terribly. He shot a vicious glare at Rong Xiang. “Watch your mouth from now on! Don’t speak recklessly.”

Rong Xiang also regretted his words. "I understand."

Yi Shang had a headache. How had he ended up dealing with someone like Lu Yin? The man did not show even a hint of the expected bearing for a pinnacle expert. It was exhausting just to interact with him.

"Did he say anything else?"

Rong Xiang ran through everything that had happened after he had regained consciousness and shared it all.

Yi Shang suddenly interrupted, "He patted your shoulder?"

Rong Xiang nodded. "Yes."

No one would forget having someone like Lu Yin pat their shoulder. Being touched by the man was beyond terrifying.

If Lu Yin had decided to attack, Rong Xiang would have had no chance to put up any resistance at all.

Twice, Lu Yin had patted Rong Xiang’s shoulder, and the man vividly remembered both times.

Yi Shang’s expression fell, and he kept glancing at Rong Xiang’s shoulder. Was there a connection? Twice, Lu Yin had patted someone’s shoulder, and twice he had found Yi Shang. However, Rong Xiang had not had any idea where Yi Shang had been the first time he had been found. Unless... could it be because of the spirit cloudstone?

Things in the megaverse were constantly changing. No one could predict what kind of innate gifts might appear, and it was also impossible to foresee what types of sequence techniques might be comprehended.

Could Lu Yin truly have the ability to locate people through spirit cloudstones?

In that case, what about the second time Yi Shang had been found?

Rong Xiang, the shoulder pats, spirit cloudstones... Yi Shang felt as if he had found a pattern.

For someone to have reached Yi Shang’s cultivation level, they had to have seen all sorts of bizarre situations throughout various universes, and they would accept that anything could be possible, even if there was no apparent proof.

Yi Shang glanced at Rong Xiang’s shoulder yet again. "Do not call me from now on. You will handle everything concerning the Chamber of Commerce on your own."

Rong Xiang hesitated. "What about the wagers for the fight?"

Yi Shang rubbed his temples. "Do your best to open more locations. Deliver all of the profits to Boundless."

"Everything?"

"I'm afraid that even that might not be enough." Yi Shang was visibly irate, and his round face almost seemed to turn square due to his frustration. He turned to leave, only to suddenly pause and let out a deep breath. "Seraph Lu, you really are watching me, but why?"

In the distance, Lu Yin was standing with his hands clasped behind his back. Because he had suspected that Yi Shang was testing him, he believed that the man would return to check for clues shortly after Lu Yin left. If Lu Yin returned at the right moment, he would surely meet Yi Shang again.

Events had played out exactly as Lu Yin had hoped to see.

"Why are you hiding from me?"

Yi Shang’s frown deepened. "If I don’t hide from someone as strong as you, I won’t have any leverage at all."

"And if you hide, you gain leverage?"

"At the very least, I will be able to negotiate with you."

Lu Yin chuckled. "In that case, go ahead and guess: why do you think I'm looking for you?"

Yi Shang waved his hand, dismissing Rong Xiang from the room while remaining focused on a distant location. "The key."

"Smart."

"If I tell you that I don't have it, would you believe me, Seraph Lu?" Yi Shang's voice dropped low. At this moment, his greatest regret was not immediately killing Yue Susu during the selection for the official trade associations. If Yi Shang had known that Yue Ting would abandon his daughter, she would have been killed on the spot. Yue Ting would have helped Yi Shang eliminate Yue Susu’s people, and then the cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and the Gate of Laws would have never been exposed at all.

Unfortunately, time could not be turned back. Yue Susu not only knew that the Chamber of Commerce and the Gate of Laws were cooperating, but she had even deduced that the key was with the Chamber of Commerce.

"I don't believe you."

Yi Shang sighed. "I truly don’t have it. Yue Susu told you about the key, didn’t she? She wasn’t entirely wrong. The Chamber of Commerce has indeed been searching for that key for many years. We have created a vast network of people who work with us or for us, and with those connections, many things can be accomplished. It’s possible to search for sequence base materials, locate the key, or even acquire a mirebound artifact. My Chamber of Commerce is capable of doing all these things.

"I have found sequence base materials, and I even happened to find a mirebound artifact. However, I simply cannot find that key. If I had, the High Seraph would have already taken action.

"The Spirit Nidus does not only have one intelligent person. Yue Susu isn’t alone."

Lu Yin retorted, "If you don’t have the key, why would the Gate of Laws have agreed to work with you? What grants you the power to guarantee them a Seraph’s title?"

Yi Shang replied, "I already explained that to you. My Chamber of Commerce is capable of that much alone. I even obtained a mirebound artifact through it. No matter how low the chances are, even if it is statistically impossible, even just one success like that makes the Chamber of Commerce invaluable.

"Seraph Lu, tell me, if the entire Spirit Nidus was working for you alone, is there anything you would not be able to obtain?"

Lu Yin shook his head. "That’s not enough. Just your Chamber of Commerce alone isn’t enough."

Yi Shang's voice dropped even lower. "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do about it. You can take everything from me: the Chamber of Commerce, the Yi family, even controlling whether Yi Xia lives or dies. However, you will never find me. In trying to force me to turn something over that I don’t even have, you are making things very difficult for yourself, Seraph Lu."

Lu Yin stared at Yi Shang with a hint of emotion in his eyes. "Tell me, why do people cultivate?"

Yi Shang had no idea what Lu Yin was getting at.

Lu Yin looked up at the stars in the sky. "To climb an unreachable peak or to witness an irresistible view. The megaverse is vast, mysterious, and filled with unknowns. The higher one’s cultivation rises, the clearer things become.

"It is simply too difficult to achieve my level of power. Only I can really understand the difficulties I’ve overcome.

"But now that I've reached this height, power is mine to wield. I don’t need permission. I don’t need approval. I only need others to obey."

Yi Shang’s expression fell. "What are you saying, Seraph Lu?"

Lu Yin smirked at the old man. "You say that you don’t have the key, so prove it to me. I’ll give you this chance."

This was an overbearingly arrogant gesture, especially since Yi Shang was a former Seraph. Such condescension was simply unimaginable.

Yi Shang’s eyes flared, and for the first time in a long, long time, killing intent radiated from him.

It had been years since anyone had dared to speak to him in such a manner. Even the High Seraph had always maintained a certain level of respect when speaking to Yi Shang. Emperor Wu might be tyrannical and unreasonable, but even he had never humiliated Yi Shang like Lu Yin.

He was no longer being treated as a powerhouse. He was being treated as an ant.