The young man was tall and handsome, with striking features. He was the quintessential Starry Sky Human. His black hair was rather long, with strands falling across his forehead, slightly obscuring his eyes.
He simply stood there casually, and the dim void seemed to be illuminated. He was as dazzling and radiant as an inextinguishable sun. Lu Sheng.
Huang Ji's pupils contracted sharply. Given his personality, he had basically been slacking off in the recent Battle of the Dao, but he still recognized this man who had slaughtered a level 13 general-level alien beast and dared to throw a punch at a level 14 being.
Now Lu Sheng stood quietly before him. The energy pressure emanating from him surged through Huang Ji's body like waves of starlight. He felt an uncontrollable urge to tremble; fear gripped his heart like the tentacles of a monstrous beast, almost suffocating him.
"Lu Sheng?!"
Saya stared, stunned by the sudden appearance of the figure before him. He could hardly believe his eyes, almost thinking he was seeing things. Sheng nodded slightly to Saya, then turned away from Huang Ji, facing another direction.
"May I ask, Lord Haiji Dao, how should one punish someone who attempts to harm their own kind on the battlefield?"
Only then did Saya and Huang Ji notice another person present. A pure black combat suit, long, snow-white hair, a gaunt face, and a cold demeanor. It was Haiji Dao, one of the three Level 13 powerhouses in the Hundred Great battlefield. [TL: Level 13 alien beasts from the Dark Side were not counted here]
Faced with Lu Sheng's question, Haiji Dao pondered briefly before replying, "The Hundred Great star district's Military Court will give him the fairest judgment. Most likely, he'll be exiled to the Abyss Space…"
"Then I'll trouble you."
Lu Sheng nodded politely, releasing his grip on Huang Ji's hand. Before Huang Ji could even process anything, another large hand grabbed his neck, and he was dragged away, his face filled with despair.
Now, only Lu Sheng and Saya remained in the void. Sheng looked at Saya before him, a slight ripple stirring in his heart. His relationship with Saya wasn't deep. Strictly speaking, they weren't even friends. They could barely be considered teammates who had traveled together for a while and whom he found agreeable. However... There were some truly valuable qualities in Saya.
Lu Sheng still remembered how Saya had tightly clutched the head of the stone man—Tang Dun—to his chest when they encountered their first level 13 alien beast.
If this interdimensional battlefield experience hadn't ended so hastily and abruptly, following the normal course of events, perhaps he and Saya could have become good friends. Sheng noticed Saya's awkwardness and nervousness in his presence. After a moment's thought, he decided to break the ice.
"How's Tang Dun?"
"He's recovering quite well. The healing level at the battlefield base is much better than in space."
Saya answered quickly, as if responding to a question from a family elder or superior.
"That's good."
Lu Sheng nodded and said, "When he recovers, please say a brief goodbye to him for me."
"Okay."
Saya nodded subconsciously, then, as if just realizing something, looked up sharply, asking in surprise, "You're leaving?"
"Yes."
Lu Sheng's gaze casually swept across the surrounding void, replying with a touch of melancholy, "Some people say I'm not suited to be here. Actually…"
Lu Sheng's gaze suddenly fell back on Saya, his tone shifting, "I think you're not suited to be here either."
"Uh…"
Saya froze, then his handsome face flushed red.
"Because my strength is just too weak, isn't it? I can't help at all, and I'm always a burden to others…"
Saya initially felt ashamed, but then his expression turned into deep self-mockery and lamentation.
"Last time it was Tang Dun, this time it's you. I really am a waste… heh."
Saya lowered his head, utterly dejected.
"No. It's not a matter of strength."
Sheng's words rang in Saya's ears, and he slowly raised his head to look at Sheng. He saw Sheng looking at him.
"It's not that your talents should be wasted here. You could do even better in space. How should I put it…"
Lu Sheng thought for a moment, then used an analogy: "If one day humanity really goes to war with the alien beasts, I think you're not suited to be a warrior. You're better suited to be in charge of logistical support."
"Really?"
Saya blinked, somewhat stunned.
"Of course."
Lu Sheng said calmly, "My martial arts intuition tells me you should go back to where you are, to do what you're most interested in and best at."
"Uh…"
Saya opened his mouth, momentarily speechless. If anyone else had said this to him, he wouldn't have taken it to heart, even if he didn't scoff. Come on, a simple search on the StarNet yields trillions of similar platitudes. But the person saying this to him was Lu Sheng!
Who is Lu Sheng? The most outstanding genius in the history of the Hundred Great star district and battlefield, his brilliance even eclipsed Anon of the Turing family.
In an instant, something within Saya seemed to ignite. And it burned ever brighter.
"Think it over carefully. I'll speak with the Star Elder. If you truly want to leave, you won't be treated as a deserter. Even…"
Lu Sheng winked at Saya, saying, "You can even become a hero. Every veteran who officially retires from the interdimensional battlefield is a hero of the starry sky, worthy of the respect of every race in the cosmos."
Hearing Lu Sheng's words, Saya's eyes suddenly lit up. He seemed somewhat excited.
Lu Sheng simply smiled slightly at him, patted his shoulder, and then vanished into the void like light.
"Goodbye, Saya."
Saya subconsciously reached out to grab the dissipating light, but only grasped at empty air. Finally, he stood there, stunned and lost in thought. What Lu Sheng had said to Saya wasn't just empty encouragement. It was mostly true.
This was the result of his impromptu search for Saya's background information after he went to say goodbye, having seen it given to him by Haiji Dao. He had then returned to the Dream Space Universe and used the power of the universe's origin to investigate. [TN: He accessed the future universe database, which he used to do regularly when he still lived on the azure planet in the first story arcs.]
The result was that Saya would become an extremely successful businessman in the future. He would expand his family's business beyond the Celestial Serpent galaxy, making a tremendous material contribution to the struggle between the humans and the alien beasts.
Although the power of the origin didn't predict the exact future, it was the most likely future based on existing information. From this, Lu Sheng could at least glean two things:
First, Saya was indeed a talented individual.
Second, Sheng wasn't wrong about the qualities he had seen in him.
That was enough. Lu Sheng had merely given him a helping hand incidentally. When has a powerful and benevolent leader not endured suffering?
Afterwards, Lu Sheng went to see the stone man, Tang Dun, who was soaking in the intensive care unit. Just as Saya had said, Tang Dun's condition was stable and his recovery was progressing well.
Lu Sheng had originally also wanted to find Monroe. But considering that he had almost killed him with a single punch, Monroe might not welcome him. So he abandoned the idea.
He didn't know many acquaintances in this interdimensional battlefield. The brief trial ended with a somewhat ceremonial farewell.
-
That same day, Lu Sheng boarded the spaceship leaving the Battlefield. With him was a man named Anon Turing. He was a shy and reserved young man with green hair and dark skin. He was slightly nervous and awkward when he saw Lu Sheng, but still took the initiative to greet him. He was very enthusiastic and had a good temper.
Later, his companion, Haiji Dao, told Lu Sheng more about him. It turned out that Anon Turing was actually the most talented super genius in the history of the Hundred Great battlefield before Sheng's arrival, a martial artist with an Immortal-level extraordinary physique.
Moreover, he was previously known for his arrogant personality, volatile temper, and extreme difficulty in getting along with others.
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Translation notes by dhoo
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Celestial Serpent galaxy
The galaxy where this story took place so far. The Hundred Great district belongs to this galaxy.