ChapterC.2630 – Perfection And Concealment
"Did you just say that the Ruling Council can't blame the Bureau?" Lu Yin recalled.
Zuo Yu explained, "Our universe is unique because we believe that we have already analyzed the entire universe, which means that any intrusion of foreign powers will be detected. For this reason, for both combat and our investigations, we rely entirely on our cultivation technologies. On top of that, the Bureau Director for the Transcendent Universe is You Fang, the patriarch of the You family.[1] The You family has been delegated the responsibility of exposing spies to the bestowal art carriers and our universe’s monitoring system. For this reason, the Bureau appears both omnipresent and non-existent. The monitoring system covers the entire Transcendent Universe, so it’s as if the Bureau is everywhere.
"The monitoring system allows them to find and capture many corpse kings that have tried to infiltrate our universe, carrying out the Bureau's duties. However, it is much more difficult to find spies, as they are humans who belong to our universe. No matter how powerful the monitoring system may be, it cannot identify spies."
"The You family oversees the Bureau here? It’s no wonder why the Ruling Council doesn’t dare to blame them." Lu Yin instantly understood, as he already knew that the You family was a massive power in the Transcendent Universe. One of their ancestors had developed the Bestowal Art, and that powerful cultivation technology had propelled the Transcendent Universe to its current heights. Even after so much time had passed, the You family still retained the most comprehensive understanding of the Bestowal Art, and while the family only held one seat on the Ruling Council, they did not actually need it. The Ruling Council could not control the You family.
Lu Yin had learned long ago that even though the Ruling Council appeared to be the Transcendent Universe’s overseeing organization, it was actually nothing more than a tool used to determine the winner in the competition between He Ran and Bai Qian. Even before He Ran and Bai Qian had appeared, the Ruling Council had always served the same purpose, and it only appeared to wield a great deal of authority.
It was only natural that such a collection of people would not have the courage to offend the You family; not even ten times their courage would be enough to change that.
Moreover, since the Bureau Director for the Transcendent Universe was You Fang, the man was able to wield a black energy converter, as all of the Bureau Directors were Progenitor-level experts, which was rare even in the Transcendent Universe.
Lu Yin had not expected the Bureau in the Transcendent Universe to have such a wildly different structure. He was now curious how the Bureaus in the Arboreal Realm and the Cyclic Universe operated.
Compared to the Transcendent Universe, the Bureau in the Voidforce Universe functioned in a comparatively normal fashion.
Ke Jian did not take very long to return.
Lu Yin requested a meeting with He Ran and asked the old man to lead the way.
He arrived at the bottom of the same staircase that was covered with blooming flowers. The entire place only served to highlight the most beautiful woman.
From her elevated position, He Ran looked down at Lu Yin.
He offered a respectful bow. "Madam He Ran."
He Ran laughed. "Xuan Qi, I've already told you before that there's no need for such formalities. You're close to the same age as my younger brother, He Shu, so you can simply call me Sister Ran."
Zi Jing quickly interjected, "How could that be appropriate? It would be far too presumptuous."
He Ran replied, "If I say it's fine, then it is."
Lu Yin chuckled. "In that case, I'll call you Sister Ran from now on. Truthfully, I've always wanted to, but I was afraid that doing so might anger you."
"Why would it? Having a younger brother like you would only bring me greater honor," He Ran responded with a smile.
Lu Yin boldly lifted his eyes to look up at He Ran. When he had first met the woman, his audacity to directly look at her had infuriated and offended her, and she had ordered him to kneel. However, at this moment, He Ran returned Lu Yin’s gaze with a soft smile, and her perfect beauty imprinted itself onto Lu Yin's eyes.
Despite the many beautiful women that Lu Yin had seen over the years, He Ran still managed to astound him.
The first time he had looked at her, his attention had been drawn to her flawless legs that were blindingly white. However, what had left the deepest impression were the woman’s dazzling eyes. They were so breathtakingly beautiful that he had completely forgotten to pay any attention to her face. The only thing that had filled his mind had been the image of those eyes and the gentle chiding tone of her voice.
At this moment, when Lu Yin was able to look at the woman again, he observed He Ran's face that was hidden within clouds. Unbidden, a specific thought came to mind. Her face fulfills all human fantasies. This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com
He Ran was the perfect image of a woman. She embodied all attributes of femininity in an unrivaled manner. It was a perfection that should not even exist, and it was as if the word “woman” had been created for her alone. If someone had actually created humanity, He Ran might be regarded as that creator's most perfect masterpiece.
Before this visit, Lu Yin had been completely clueless about where the place with the stairway where He Ran resided actually was. He had always been teleported to and from the place, and because of Uncle Mo’s presence, Lu Yin had always refrained from examining the place with his domain. However, the day would come when he would find out.
Sister Ran? Lu Yin looked back, amused. One day, he would have her call him Seventh Bro.
Lu Yin had initially intended to immediately return to the Voidforce Universe, but he received an invitation from Zuo Yu's family, asking him to visit.
"Zuo Yu's grandfather, Zuo Gong, is a very capable man. While their family isn't particularly prominent, Zuo Gong was an ordinary person who eventually rose up to become a member of the Ruling Council. He is one of the rare few on the Ruling Council who began as a commoner," Ke Jian shared with Lu Yin. He was clearly implying that the invitation was optional, as Zuo Gong was just an ordinary person.
The Transcendent Universe maintained a clear division between nobility and commoners. Zuo Yu was only a noble because her grandfather, Zuo Gong, was a member of the Ruling Council. Without that, she could have never become a noble.
"It would be impolite for me to reject this invitation. Ke Jian, could you please show me to their place?" Lu Yin requested.
Ke Jian nodded and led Lu Yin to the Zuo family’s residence without another word.
Lu Yin actually had no idea just how vast the Transcendent Universe was. All he knew was that teleportation seemed to be quite prevalent in the universe, as it was able to deliver people just about anywhere. The universe had truly been completely mastered.
The Origin Universe did not have the capability to install so many teleportation devices. Only the Astral Combat Academy had a few.
The Zuo family’s residence was not large, and only Zuo Yu and her grandfather, Zuo Gong, greeted Lu Yin upon his arrival.
"Our family’s residence is only a permanent home for the two of us. She lost both of her parents to the battlefield, and the rest of the family have gone their own ways. Please forgive us, Xuan Qi," Zuo Gong said courteously.
Lu Yin responded, "There's no need for such formalities. Zuo Gong. I am deeply grateful to receive your invitation."
Zuo Gong remained solemn. "I should be the one thanking you, Xuan Qi. If not for you, I would have already been forced to leave the Ruling Council. It's not that this old man clings to my council seat, but rather that I have made too many enemies. If I step down, Zuo Yu and the others would all be forced into dire straits. Thus, I thank you again, Xuan Qi."
Zuo Yu bowed as well. "Thank you, Brother Xuan Qi."
Lu Yin helped Zuo Gong up. "Zuo Yu and I have known each other for some time, and we consider each other friends. There is no need for these formalities."
Zuo Gong sighed. "This old man might find your kindness difficult to return, which shames me deeply."
Lu Yin smiled. "It was nothing. Zuo Gong, if you continue to be this formal, I may need to leave, as I'm not accustomed to such things."
"Haha, well said. Please, Young Master Xuan Qi." Zuo Gong laughed.
Zuo Yu smiled warmly as she looked at Lu Yin. Their first meeting felt like a dream after how much things had changed since then. Who would have thought that the youth who had once been taken in by Mu Duo as a follower would rise to such impressive heights? If she had known this...
Her face flushed red, and she quickly followed her grandfather and Xuan Qi.
Zuo Gong was a cheerful man, as well as honest and rather blunt. Given his candidness, it would not be at all surprising if he frequently offended people.
Through the old man, Lu Yin obtained a much better understanding of the Transcendent Universe.
Zuo Gong shared a great deal of his knowledge of the Transcendent Universe. Perhaps due to becoming intoxicated while drinking with Lu Yin, the old man even revealed a few secrets. For example, while the Transcendent Universe officially possessed thirty white energy converters, there were actually seventy.
Each white energy converter could grant a person the power of a Semi-Progenitor, which meant the Transcendent Universe could potentially field seventy Semi-Progenitors at a moment’s notice.
It was a number that shocked Lu Yin.
1. This "You" (游) is not the same as the Fifth Mainland's Yōu family (幽). ?