At the same time that the Sandmaster departed, the Rainmaster opened his eyes within the Rain Observatory. Then, he stepped into space with a light sigh.
Meanwhile, Silver was flipping through the list of missions in the Treasury, bored. Suddenly, Old Cai waved a hand and vanished, leaving Silver looking around in confusion. Where did that old man go?
At the entrance to the Trial Area, Coco had just mustered up the determination to challenge the ported battle again, but just when she was about to step into the teleportation stone’s range, she was stopped by a resistive force. And in the distance, the Trialmaster disappeared from his seat.
Far above the vast sky of Astral-10, there was a hollow space, strewn with black fossils. The insane director of the academy stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he stared into the vastness of outer space with a confused expression.
The director tore his gaze away and looked around at those before him. He bowed at the waist with a somber expression. “Thank you for all your hard work over these years.”
All five people simultaneously took a step back. The Rainmaster quietly said, “Please don’t do that, sir. There’s no need for it.”
The director sighed with a gloomy look. “My Astral Battle Academy once experienced great glory, but that all fell to ruins when I was brought to the brink of insanity. I apologize to my predecessors as well as to all of you who have watched over me for the last thousand years.”
The Sandmaster had a serious look as he said, “This is our prison. Us old farts aren’t merely your wardens. This is our duty. If there’s something you want to say, then speak now while you are still sane.”
The mad director’s eyes clouded over before he suddenly brightened up, “I would request that you all take on the roles of mentors under this director. Please help the academy return to glory.”
Old Cai rolled his eyes. “Don’t joke around about this. We’re not even real mentors, and we certainly don’t have the time to help you.”
The Trialmaster’s eyes widened slightly. “I can’t help.”
The Sandmaster snorted, but didn’t answer.
The Starmaster’s face remained unchanged.
The Rainmaster shook his head.
The mad director bowed once more. “A thousand years ago, every book in this academy was burnt to ashes because of me, causing most of the academy to fall to ruin. The mentors either left or perished, and most of the students fled. This was all my fault and I wish to make up for it. Please, for the sake of the Endless Weave, help me and help the Endless Weave.”
All five people twitched in shock. The words “Endless Weave” were not ones to be uttered lightly. Even they respected those words.
The mad director bowed once again, his voice grave. “The five of you have already stayed here for a thousand years. What you’ve seen, heard, and experienced is no less than what I have. You should all be aware that, back in the Endless Weave, our predecessors from ancient times were all valiant and passionate. Please recall their valor and, even if just once more, don’t allow the Endless Weave to be hidden. It was once the proud flagship and the most important heritage of the past, and it should be given to these children.”
The Trialmaster sighed and looked up. With his eyes wide open, he said, “If it’s for the Endless Weave, then I’ll be a mentor once.”
The Rainmaster nodded as well. “Okay.”
The Sandmaster stared at the director and, a long while later, said a single word. “Okay.”
Old Cai rolled his eyes again. “You should realize that we’re taking a complete loss here. Fine, fine, I’ll just have some fun while I’m at it. But be aware—I’ll only do it this once.”
The Starmaster nodded as well. “If it’s for the Endless Weave, then I’ll do it.”
The mad director was extremely grateful. “Thank you so much. The new students’ tournament will be held in about half a month’s time. After that, five students will be selected to be nurtured in preparation for the upcoming Astral Combat Tournament. Let me thank you all for your assistance.”
The five mentors departed soon after and the mad director sighed as he shifted his gaze back down towards Astral-10, observing each student. His eyes belied his agony, because sanity was far more painful than insanity. He was the one who had destroyed Astral-10, causing its status to fall to the point where his students were being threatened by other students of the young generation. But it wouldn’t be like this forever. One day, he would recover, and that moment was when the Endless Weave would shine forth once more.
As time passed, the mad director’s eyes became murky and his hair once again fell into disarray. His insanity had returned, and he rambled to the skies, “You were the ones who started the war, so you must be the ones to bear the consequences! Hahaha! You were the ones who started the war…”
Back in the Sand Ocean, the Sandmaster watched the mad director dash around the sky before shaking his head. “He touched something that he shouldn’t have. What a pity.” After clearing his mind of the director’s issues, he swept his eyes over the desert and saw Lu Yin, who was in the middle of comprehending extreme speed. The mentor’s eyes lit up. “This guy is pretty good! Although he isn’t the most talented among everyone that I’ve seen, he’s still much better than most. He just might be able to compete with the monsters in the top one hundred list. It looks like there’s some hope left for the Endless Weave.”
One day later, Lu Yin opened his eyes. After a quick stretch, he tried using Air Flash, but he just collapsed onto the sand. Though he had used too much force, he was slightly quicker than before. “As long as my body can handle it, I can go even faster,” Lu Yin mumbled to himself. After several more attempts, he thought of his die; it was about time he rolled it again. After realizing this, he left the Sand Ocean.
While walking through the teleportation facility, Lu Yin suddenly remembered that he hadn’t even explored the other areas of Astral-10 yet. He had only visited the Rain Observatory, Sand Ocean, Treasury, Arena Entrance, Stargazing Deck, and space station; however, Astral-10 had far more than just these few areas.
He now felt the desire to explore the remote area outside of the Treasury. If he was going to roll the die, then that kind of isolated area was the most appropriate. Other similarly desolate areas were too distant. For instance, the area surrounding the Rain Observatory would take at least a day to reach and he didn’t have that much time to waste. His best option was somewhere near the Treasury.
Before long, Lu Yin left the Treasury and entered the desolate plains surrounding it. He could see the ruins of quite a few buildings that went on for quite some distance. Deep fissures ran through the ground, from where hot air seeped through. While he had no clue what the area used to be, it seemed that it had once been a flourishing region with many buildings.
Lu Yin chose a random dilapidated building and released his star energy to confirm that he was alone. He then reached out, causing the die to appear.
It had been quite some time since Lu Yin had last rolled the die. During his last usage, he had rolled six pips, Possession, which had allowed him to experience Da Lei’s life. He hoped that he could be as lucky this time.
After spinning the die, Lu Yin watched it slowly stop spinning—one, Pilfer.
This came as no surprise as this was the most common roll. If he was lucky, then what he gained from Pilfer could change his fate. If he was unlucky, like this time… Lu Yin hesitated before picking up a potion wrapped in ancient packaging. This was the other sort of thing that Pilfer could get him.
While studying the bottle, Lu Yin let out a sigh. Just because the packaging was ancient, it didn’t mean the item itself was. There were all kinds of civilizations in the universe and some of them were at a very low technology level. Since the packaging was in an ancient style, it probably came from a civilization in the universe that had met other civilizations, but refused to modernize.
Lu Yin opened the bottle and sniffed at it. A very ordinary potion.
After storing it, he crushed a cube of star crystals. Again.
For his second roll, the die ended on five pips—Gift Copy. Lu Yin stood up, but then sat down just as quickly. It would be impossible to find a cultivator with an innate gift within ten seconds from where he was. How could he find anyone at all in ten seconds?! Another wasted roll. Again.
For the third roll, the die slowed and stopped at four pips—Time Stop.
Reality seemed to fade and Lu Yin found himself in the familiar ash-colored space. The timer started counting down three days of time.
This wasn’t a bad roll, as it gave him more time to think. Lu Yin decided to spend his time studying the star chart. It would be ideal if he could manifest the seventh star or maybe even the eighth. This would allow him to absorb star energy eight times faster, which would allow him to reach peak Melder’s strength as soon as possible.
There was a vast difference between someone who stood at the peak of the Melder realm and someone who had just entered the realm. The most obvious difference was the amount of star energy, which was like comparing an ocean to a lake.
Craynor held the position of number two on the Blaze Realm Rankings and stood near the top in Astral-8. He was a peak Melder, and Lu Yin had felt the pressure of Craynor’s star energy during their battle. Fortunately, Lu Yin had been able to compensate for the difference with his strong body. If the two’s physical strength had been similar in power, then the pressure of their star energy would have been the key that determined victory. Lu Yin didn’t want to lose out in this area.
With this thought, Lu Yin immediately retrieved six hundred cubes of star crystals and tossed them out. The timer leapt up, but instead of the expected thirty-three days, Lu Yin saw that the timer had only increased to only sixteen days, nearly half of what he had expected. Lu Yin realized that the more he increased the time by, the more star crystals he needed for each day. The rate was not fixed to eighteen cubes of crystal per extra day.
He let out a sigh; he should have expected that this ability wouldn’t be that convenient. If Time Stop really did have a fixed rate of eighteen cubes of star crystals per day, then Lu Yin would be able to stay inside the space for nearly three years with his current stores!
Whatever, there’s nothing that can be done about it. He then took out an additional fifty cubes of star crystals and raised the gravity to fifty times the standard level before taking out a star chart.
Nineteen days was a long time, so Lu Yin was in no hurry. He studied the star chart diligently, practiced his battle technique on occasion, and rested when he needed to. After ten days of training, his Cosmic Palm’s seventh star manifested.
The power of the battle technique with seven stars far surpassed the power with six. If, as a Sentinel, Lu Yin had reached the level of seven stars, then he would have been able to fight Schutz. If he had also had Air Flash and the other battle techniques that he had recently learned, then he might actually have been able to win. Now, as a Melder, Cosmic Palm alone was enough for Lu Yin to defeat students like Craynor and he wouldn’t even need to use techniques like his Nine Stacks Shockwave Palm.
Currently, Lu Yin’s strongest attack was still his Nine Stacks Shockwave Palm. The Nine Stacks boosted the power of his Shockwave Palm to even greater heights than his Cosmic Art with seven stars; it was no longer sufficient to be his trump card and he needed to increase its strength.
Over the next nine days, Lu Yin immersed himself in the star chart. When the countdown got closer to zero, he actually tossed out another hundred or so cubes of star crystals and added an additional eight days to the timer.
Even after seventeen days had passed, not even a ghost of the eighth star was seen. Lu Yin frowned and looked around. He’d had enough of this place. In fact, anyone would find it hard to sit in one place for almost a whole month.
Lu Yin rested for a few hours and then waited for the timer to run out, not increasing the timer anymore. He needed to get out.
The scenery around him warped and shifted. While a month had passed within the Time Stop Space, it had been just a second in the outside world.
Lu Yin waved his hand and brought out seven stars to circle his palm. If he hadn’t learned the Nine Stacks Shockwave Palm, then this Cosmic palm would undoubtedly be his primary attack.
He dispersed the stars and brought out his die again, ready to continue rolling. He had previously used it three times, so he had one chance left.
As the die stopped spinning, it stopped on one pip again.
Lu Yin was speechless. Despite his mounting eagerness to roll three pips, he just hadn’t been lucky enough. It was fate and completely out of his control.
This time, the die retrieved something a bit different with Pilfer. It was a tough stretch of hide from some unknown creature. And on it, there were strange characters etched into the surface that linked together into a long passage. As soon as Lu Yin saw the characters, he felt like his brain had been rattled, and blood leaked out of his seven orifices. He quickly stored the item while his pupils vacillated between dilating and contracting.
