Star Odyssey

s isn’t favoritism—she’s earned the position based on nothing more than her own strength.”

Huo Zhong immediately agreed. 

Lu Yin left after a short while.
Although the people at the academy were all about the same age as him, and there were even some who were a bit older, their world view was completely different.
Lu Yin held no further interest in watching their entrance exam. 

Yu Academy had true geniuses among its students, especially the batch of cultivators from Earth.
Fu Xiaoshu had comprehended a domain, Song Shi had comprehended battle force, and those like Zhen Tong or Qin Xuan possessed powerful innate gifts.
It seemed that Yu Academy would churn out quite a few more experts in the future. 

Seeing some people from Earth suddenly reminded Lu Yin of Jupiter, which was a thorn that had been lodged in his heart from start to end.
The secrets still hidden within that planet might answer a great deal of his questions, but he could not enter. 

Depressing.

***

In Frostwave Weave, there was a dark-red planet located slightly west of the weave’s center.
This planet constantly spewed smoke and poisonous gases out into the atmosphere while boiling lava seeped out to the surface.
This planet was completely uninhabitable, and no living creature was able to survive here. 

But then, suddenly, a spacecraft appeared above the atmosphere.
It was jerking oddly as it quickly fell to the ground before finally crashing into the lava and causing a minor surge.
Everything within 10,000 meters of the landing site disintegrated. 

Black smoke floated out of the spacecraft, and it was clearly damaged. 

Many people wearing universal armor walked out of the spacecraft, and they moved towards the damaged section of the vessel.
Following them, a middle-aged man emerged from the ship without a set of universal armor.
Since he could survive in this harsh environment on his own, the man was clearly at least at the Explorer realm. 

The middle-aged man casually waved a hand, unleashing a gale that swept aside all of the surrounding lava, and the shockwave shot into the distance where it eventually decapitated a black mountain. 

“Chief, there’s no signs of any life on this planet,” a voice called out from the middle-aged man’s gadget. 

“Got it.
Repair the spacecraft quickly, as we still have to head out for our mission,” he replied.

“Yes, chief.”

The spacecraft was huge, and it carried more than 1,000 people.
They were not upset about the spacecraft being damaged.
While the ship was being repaired, everyone simply cultivated, rested, or went to one of the bars inside the vessel to have a good time.

These people were the Ordnance Mercenaries, the most famous mercenaries in the Great Yu Empire.
The deputy captain was the captain of the Great Yu Empire’s Eight Squadron, Shalosh.
Within the Great Yu Empire, these people could roam about freely and unobstructed. 

Within one of the bars, a tall, beautiful woman with a whip danced around a pole with black heels, and all the people in the bar were whistling and shouting excitedly. 

Seated at the bar, Ian frowned, as he did not enjoy this sort of environment.
He had been with the Ordnance Mercenaries for several years by now, but he had never fully integrated, especially since this particular woman practically went insane at times. 

The beautiful lady finished dancing to the song, and the crowd kept cheering.
She lashed her whip and danced wildly, hitting quite a few people, but the crowd only grew even more excited. 

“Scram, you bunch of wolves!” the woman shouted. 

The crowd cheered even more resoundingly. 

Not long after, the woman walked over next to Ian, embracing Ian’s shoulders.
The heavy smell of alcohol still hung about her lips.
“Little Ian, come and have a dance with me.” 

Ian was helpless.
“Sister Dana, you head on by yourself.
I don’t know how.”

The woman was Dana, and she was the daughter of the Ordnance Mercenaries’ leader, Qi Jin.
Back on Zenyu Star, this woman was the one who had brought Ian into the Ordnance Mercenaries.
Although she frequently bullied this elite youth, she had also taken good care of him.
If not for Dana, Ian would have died during their previous mission. 

Although Ian was not comfortable with how Dana interacted with him, he still felt genuinely grateful towards her.
Of course, there were also a few other feelings that he could not quite put into words. 

Dana rolled her eyes.
“It’s already been a few years, but you’re still the same.
Don’t worry, Sis will take care of you, hmph!”

She then made her way over towards the dance floor where she proceeded to crazily twist her body about. 

Ian felt helpless.
He rubbed his head and then walked out of the bar.
After thinking for a moment, he donned his universal armor, having decided to head out for a stroll. 

There were many planets in this region of the universe that were completely vacant.
Without any water or oxygen and often with deadly gases pervading the air, these planets felt more like some kind of strange hell.
Ian had seen too many places like this. 

Over the span of several years, he had gone from being the top student in the Imperial Military Academy to a seasoned mercenary.
Sometimes, he even thought that if he had possessed such battle experience back in that trial on Earth, he wouldn’t have lost to the Royal Regent! 

He walked across the scorching dark red surface and looked off into the distance.
There was a giant, fiery tornado that connected the sky and the ground, and it snarled as it whirled over. 

From behind, Qi Jin appeared and casually waved a hand.
The tornado was torn apart, and the powerful gale from the captain’s hand had already sent the lava on the ground flying away. 

“Still not used to this?” Qi Jin asked Ian. 

Ian smiled.
“Just feel a little stifled.” 

Qi Jin commented, “Mercenaries and troops are different, with soldiers having scattered combat.
Although mercenaries have richer battle experience, they have no discipline, which is the complete opposite of the education that you received.” 

Ian mentioned, “The discipline of our mercenaries is pretty decent.”

Qi Jin patted Ian’s shoulder.
“I’ve watched your performance these past few years, and you were a top student in military affairs.
It’s a waste for you to stay here in a mercenary group.
I’ll find some time to speak to Shalosh—it’s time to send you to the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons.” 

Ian’s eyes lit up, but when he thought of Dana, his emotions became all tangled.
He did not want to separate from that splendid big sister of his. 

Dana had already become an integral part of his life, and he lowered his head to ponder his situation.
Suddenly, his gaze trembled as he stared at the ground in shock.
There was a strange mark right where he was staring.

This mark… He bent down and carefully blew the surrounding ash away before studying the mark intensely.
After a while, he turned around to check in all directions.
It seemed as though he had discovered something. 

Qi Jin felt that something was strange, but he did not give it much thought.
During Ian’s years as a part of the mercenaries, although he hadn’t made any great contributions during conflicts and battles, he had provided some pretty good suggestions at times, especially in situations against multiple enemies.
Many of his suggestions could lead to extraordinary effects, which amply demonstrated his military talent.