There was a clamor outside the imperial palace, though it was deathly silent inside. All around the roundtable, everyone looked solemn, though they all occasionally turned to look at the empty seat.
Before long, the void trembled, and Lu Yin appeared. He then very naturally took the seat of honor. He looked across all the representatives and smiled. “Thank you, everyone, for joining the Great Eastern Alliance. This alliance is a unified body, and it aims to share its resources among its members, mutually helping one another out. Now, I will formally announce that the Alliance Conference has begun. The first item on the agenda is to read out the alliance contract…”
As Lu Yin continued to go through the announcements, countless people on Zenyu Star cheered. The establishment of the Great Eastern Alliance meant that the Great Yu Empire’s position in the Great Eastern Alliance—no, in the entire Outerverse—would change substantially, and those from the Great Yu Empire would have their status throughout the Outerverse rise accordingly. All of Zenyu Star was celebrating, the entire Great Yu Empire was celebrating, and all of Frostwave Weave was celebrating.
On Planet Hydrotink, Felynn watched as Lu Yin leisurely recited his announcements on a screen, though she appeared apprehensive. This person was definitely more dangerous than Wei Rong. She had been plotted against by Wei Rong, and then by Lu Yin as well. In the end, she had been left with no choice but to relocate the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society to this planet. However, after careful thought and analysis, everything that Lu Yin had accomplished had taken place before Wei Rong. Lu Yin had an extraordinary ambition and ability, and even more frightening, he also had incredible luck.
Cooperating with such a person required her to either have complete devotion or to avoid them as much as possible. Wei Rong had been right. Felynn needed to leave an alternate path available for herself.
At this moment, Wei Rong was also looking at a screen, and there was a smile on his face. The Great Eastern Alliance? The establishment of this alliance was indeed a threat to him, and it would also allow Lu Yin to walk ahead of Wei Rong. However, it might also catalyze the unification of the central weaves, as only an overt threat like this could make them more vigilant. Wei Rong felt that he should even thank Lu Yin, for if he hadn’t established the Great Eastern Alliance, it would be far more difficult for Wei Rong to unite the central weaves.
In the Ironblood Weave, Elder Lohar watched his screen with an expression of admiration. He had seen many highly talented geniuses, and the Neoverse did not lack for such youths either, but someone like Lu Yin, who had reached his current position despite coming from the Outerverse, was too rare. Even the Ten Arbiters in the past had relied on the Hall of Honor’s help as well as the support of the various powers behind each one of them to reach their current positions. In contrast, this person had relied entirely on his own hard work.
From Elder Lohar’s perspective, if not for the disparity in strength, this kid would not be inferior to any one of the Ten Arbiters.
Unfortunately, the Innerverse and Outerverse had been separated, or else he definitely would have recommended that Lu Yin take over one of the Ten Arbiters’ positions, as some of them could already be considered too old.
The Ten Arbiters definitely would not willingly step down, and it would require a bit of struggle to replace them. Elder Lohar did not think that there were any youths in the Innerverse who could contest with them, even if it was the top ten of the Top 100 Rankings. This sort of contest did not just test the youths’ individual combat power, as it was more about their strategies and tactics. Lu Yin was the most suitable youth that Elder Lohar knew of, so it was a pity indeed.
“Yes, Chief Shen,” Xiao Qin replied.
In the imperial palace, Lu Yin read through the alliance contract, and after he verified that none of the representatives had any doubts, he continued on in a stern voice, saying, “Since this is an alliance, there must be an Alliance Leader. The next topic of discussion is to verify the candidates. Does anyone have any suggestions?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Jake Shamus immediately declared, “I recommend that the Great Yu Empire’s Royal Regent Lu Yin be the Alliance Leader.”
On the other side of the table, the Flaxen Weave’s Gibu also hurried to speak. “I also recommend the Great Yu Empire’s Royal Regent Lu Yin to be the Alliance Leader.”
“I agree to have the Great Yu Empire’s Royal Regent Lu Yin as the Alliance Leader.”
“I agree to have the Great Yu Empire’s Royal Regent Lu Yin as the Alliance Leader.”
…
This bit was just them going through the motions, and nobody was surprised at the outcome. Not even the commoners were surprised. It was a given that Lu Yin would be the Alliance Leader.
Lu Yin smiled. “Since everyone has chosen, I am honored to accept this position. Alright, the appointment of the Great Eastern Alliance’s first Alliance Leader will go to me, Lu Yin.”
Countless people on Zenyu Star, throughout Frostwave Weave, and even from many other weaves all bowed at the same time. “Greetings, leader.”
At this moment, the Great Eastern Alliance produced a ripple that shocked the universe. Regardless if the allies were once unwilling participants or not, nobody could alter this moment.
***
Wei Rong’s expression changed as he listened to the surrounding cheers. He walked to his window to look outside, where countless people were excitedly looking up at a screen as they grew into a frenzy. His gaze grew heated, as he would one day enjoy this moment as well.
What was the power of the united eastern weaves? Nobody knew, not even Wei Rong. This was because nobody had managed to unite so many weaves even in ancient times.
If not for the Innerverse and Outerverse being separated, Lu Yin never would have found the opportunity to succeed, no matter how powerful he became. The various great powers of the Innerverse definitely would not have allowed such a thing to happen. Even Grand Marshal Shui Chuanxiao had been denied when he suggested it, and he had boasted a great reputation as the commander of Erudite Flowzone’s border warfront. Despite his achievements and contributions, he had been casually denied permission by the Hall of Honor, as uniting multiple weaves was an untouchable taboo. But when the conditions turned favorable, Lu Yin had managed to accomplish this unprecedented achievement. His success would lead to countless others trying to follow the trend, but he was undoubtedly the trailblazer at this moment.
***
In outer space, the beautiful Madam Nalan stared at her screen and watched Lu Yin’s figure. How many years has it been? Three, or four? She could still recall that initial moment when they had discovered this person’s ruined spacecraft and rescued him by pulling him onto the Nalan family’s vessel. Back then, she had been in danger due to someone else’s schemes, and from then on, the two of them had been bound together, even now in the present moment.
Even when she had discovered that this person had been sentenced by one of the Ten Arbiters, she still had not given up on him, continuing to maintain a relationship with him. She had never expected that in just a few short years, this person would come to occupy one of the highest positions in the entire Outerverse. Everything was liable to change, but this particular change had been too great and too fast.
Some had said that once a person climbed to the highest peak, the only outcome that remained was to fall to their death. Madam Nalan believed this saying, but just how high was Lu Yin’s highest peak?
Perhaps, when the Innerverse and Outerverse rejoined, that would be the moment of his fall. Of course, it was also possible that the second highest peak would welcome him instead.
Her eyes were bright. “I wish to gamble with you, Lu Yin. I hope that you won’t disappoint me.”
***
In the headquarters of Frostwave Weave’s Endless Borders, Di Nuo’s eyes lit up as he focused his screen. “Someone, prepare some generous gifts to be sent to Zenyu Star’s King Zishan's palace.”
Now that the Great Eastern Alliance had been formally established, it meant that the resources of its various member weaves would be unified, but that also meant that those resources would need to be transported around and that new routes would need to be set up. All of these tasks were within the Endless Borders’ purview, and Di Nuo did not care about what attitude his superiors held towards the Great Eastern Alliance, as he only cared about business and profit. He wanted to monopolize the entire Great Eastern Alliance’s transport business, which would allow his name to reverberate throughout the Outerverse.
Lu Yin’s rise to power had given Di Nuo an enormous opportunity, and he wanted to cherish it.
***
Earth’s celebrations rang to the heavens. Just a few years ago, Earth had been a very tiny, unassuming planet in Frostwave Weave, and its technology had only recently begun to advance to the universe’s level. Although it had once been at the stage where it was busy trying to explore its surrounding planets, in the span of just a few years, Earth had both gone through a desperate doomsday and a renewed golden age. Lu Yin had come from Earth, and he had not just shone on Frostwave Weave’s stage, but he had even illuminated the entire universe.
In Jinlin, Zhou Shan looked up at his screen, his face flushed red. He had not been courageous enough to walk away from Earth, and now, this person who had once fought alongside him had brought great glory that enveloped the entirety of Earth.
“Daddy, huggies.” Zhou Xixi, the child at Zhou Shan’s t.h.i.g.h, was four years old, and she spread her arms wide as she looked up at her father.
Zhou Shan laughed and picked her up. He then pointed at the screen. “Look, that’s Uncle Lu Yin, Daddy’s friend.”
Zhou Xixi blinked with her bright eyes and then widened her arms towards the screen to embrace it. Zhou Shan laughed. “That’s just an image, but when uncle returns to Earth, Daddy will get him to hug you.”
“Huggies, huggies!” Zhou Xixi smiled as she spoke cutely.
***
On the plains of a distant planet, Wu Shang looked up at the sky. He was still wearing a military uniform. “I wonder how Zhang Dingtian is doing? And has he seen this as well?”
***
In East San Dios, Liu Shaoge also looked at his screen in astonishment. “You really move fast. We walked different paths, and have proceeded in different styles, but you might not actually be in front.”
On Zenyu Star, in her own manor, Wendy Yushan was looking towards the imperial palace. “Father, he managed to accomplish what you couldn’t, but this must be what you were always hoping for.”
At this moment, Jeraldine, Gerlaine, Gerbach, and many others also looked up into the sky. They and Lu Yin had become two completely separate types of people. He was way up high and looked down upon the rest of them while they could only hopefully look up towards him.
In the imperial palace, Lu Yin formally took up the appointment of Alliance Leader, and he could only imagine how hard the outside world was cheering. He was very excited at this moment, and in the beginning of his cultivation journey, he had never thought that he would one day have the d.e.s.i.r.e to take such authority. The matter at the pirate port had completely changed him, as at that time, Zhuo Daynight had been safely sent away while he had been directly shipped off as white meat and thrown onto a desolate planet. This had directly imprinted upon him the power of one’s position.
From that moment on, Lu Yin had steeled his resolve to not be controlled by others in his life, and he instead d.e.s.i.r.ed to rise up and stand above others. He d.e.s.i.r.ed to reach a place where he could decide the fate of others with a simple sentence. Even if he had not been aware of it, he wanted his name alone to cause countless others to shudder.
Such a thing was possible through cultivation, but it would take too long. If he merely cultivated naively, he would just be an Explorer at this moment with the influence of an Enlighter. Instead, he had taken a different path, and now, the entire Great Eastern Alliance’s resources were available for him to distribute, and this was the result of combining both authority and strength.
But this was still not enough, and it was even horribly insufficient in Lu Yin’s eyes. If the day came where he could integrate the resources of the entire Outerverse, then with his die’s ability, his future would become unimaginable.
The position of Alliance Leader had a term limit, and even the alliance contract explicitly mentioned it, but Lu Yin did not mention that part, and nobody had questioned him on it. Everybody knew that if the alliance was not handled well, it would fall apart sooner or later. And if handled well, the position of Alliance Leader could only be assumed by the strongest powerhouse, and any term limits would be meaningless.
After verifying the election of the Alliance Leader, Lu Yin moved onto the second topic of the day, which was establishing the Allied Forces. This was a topic that everyone cared about greatly.
The establishment of the Great Eastern Alliance was aimed at integrating resources and information while also providing mutual help for one another. The creation of the Allied Forces was meant to protect the allied powers from external organizations. It would not manage how each internal power strove against one another, and instead, the Allied Forces’ attention would always be placed outwards.
“This is the combined data of the Allied Forces, and everyone can peruse it.” Lu Yin waved a hand as En Ya sent the information to all of the representatives.
The information detailed the structure of the Allied Forces, which called for two Hunters, five Cruisers, twenty Explorers, 1,000 Limiteers, 20,000 Melders, 100,000 Sentinels, and two million Seekers. Commoners could not apply to join the Allied Forces.
Aside from cultivators, the Allied Forces also required 500 battlesh.i.p.s and 10,000 ordinary large spacecraft to be in its forces.