Three days passed. Then four days. Finally, on the fifth day, Lu Yin got his hundredth victory.
“Lu Yin, one hundred wins and seventy three losses.”
Lu Yin walked away from the teleportation stone and let out a heavy sigh of relief; he had finally achieved a record of a hundred wins. It hadn’t been easy; over the past five days, he had been defeated twenty seven times. With his current abilities, he wouldn’t have lost that often if it weren’t for the fact that Explorers and even stronger individuals could participate in the ported battles. Lu Yin could jump levels to challenge people above his realm, and even normal Limiteers were no match for him; only Limiteer geniuses with innate gifts could defeat him. Melders didn’t even need to be mentioned. It was a pity that the arena placed no limit on cultivation, so anyone in the younger generation could participate by touching a teleportation stone.
Where did all of these young Explorers come from? Lu Yin was speechless.
Over these five days, his best win streak had been twelve consecutive wins, which was a pretty good record. He remembered that Big Pao had once mentioned that winning thirty rounds in a row would give one the right to challenge someone from the Top 100 Rankings of the younger generation. With a bit of luck, Lu Yin felt like he could meet that criterion.
While thinking this, Lu Yin walked towards the Trialmaster and politely asked, “May I enter the trial region?”
The old man cracked his sleepy eyes open a sliver. “Sure, go on in.”
Lu Yin was confused. “Go in? Where?”
The old man pointed behind him without saying a word. Lu Yin walked past the old man and stretched out a hand. The space rippled like water, though the ripples spread much slower and much further. The tip of his finger had seemingly vanished, which actually meant that it had entered another space.
Lu Yin had heard rumors of how ultra-Hunters could open their own spaces; it seemed that the rumors were true.
He took a deep breath. It felt like he had just been connected through to another part of the universe, and he immediately retracted his hand due to the strange sensation. Nothing seemed to be off, so he no longer hesitated and entered the invisible space behind the old man.
After Lu Yin left, the old man opened his eyes, appearing to be deep in thought.
After travelling through the rippling space, the scenery before Lu Yin changed. There was no longer an endless plain before him, but rather a massive, towering mountain blocking his path that was incredibly wide. He couldn’t even see the peak when he looked up; all he could see were thick clouds that obscured the top of the mountain. Additionally, the entire mountain was surrounded by distorted rays of light, which made it impossible to determine its height.
“Go on. This mountain is the key to entering the Nine Trial Zones. You just have to think the name of the region you want to go to in your mind, and then, like the teleportation stone, your mind will enter that place while leaving your body behind. You’ll be protected by the mountain while in this state, and no one will be able to harm you,” the Trialmaster’s voice echoed in Lu Yin’s ear.
Lu Yin peered at the lofty and impressive mountain, astonished that this was a key and the main point of entry into the Nine Trial Zones. This was also the most awe-inspiring piece of wealth that Astral-10 possessed.
Without wasting any time at all, Lu Yin walked into the light and then headed to a random, hollowed out area at the bottom of the mountain. He sat down cross-legged, thought it over, and then silently thought, “Dao of Purgatory.” A moment later, it felt like his entire being had travelled back thousands of years, leaving him completely bewildered. When he opened his eyes, all that he could see was black. Regardless of whether it was the mountains, ground, vegetation, or water, everything was black. He had entered the Dao of Purgatory within the Nine Trial Zones.
Lu Yin took measure of himself and found that his body appeared to be exactly the same as his true body, unlike when he entered the ported battles. Here in the trial zone, his appearance matched his looks in real life. Compared to the ported battles, this place was clearly much more complex.
Lu Yin went to inspect one of the nearby black streams. In the reflection of the dark water, he saw that the number ten written on the back of his hand was giving off a faint glow. This was the symbol of Astral-10.
He strode forward, but then he suddenly felt his mind turn dull as countless strange noises drilled into his ears. They sounded like battle drums but also like the lamentations of numerous people. He had heard this before when his mind was being pressured while his body was dealing with fifty times gravity.
Lu Yin shook his head and sighed with a rueful smile on his face. So this was the trial zone. It was quite interesting and he was curious to find out how large it actually was.
Not too long after Lu Yin entered the Dao of Purgatory, a piece of news was transmitted to the human regions that shocked the universe.
They… had been defeated.
The universe was currently divided into four main regions. The Human Domain, the Astral Beast Domain, the Technocracy, and the Astral Wilderness. These four regions had been locked in brutal wars against each other for countless years that had claimed the lives of countless beings. Everything had been going the same as normal, but recently, the Astral Beast Domain and the Technocracy had allied together to attack the Human Domain. A huge battle had then led to the defeat of the Human region. Numerous experts had been killed, and a portion of the Human Domain’s territory had been lost. The Endless Weave had lost a third of its territory, which had become the astral beasts’ playground. Astral-9 had managed to flee in time and had not been affected.
Their defeat caused a huge commotion throughout the entire human region. Many were furious, as numerous powerhouses had died and the region had very nearly broken down into chaos.
The astral war had affected all humans, no matter if they were in the Outerverse or in Innerverse, whether they were from the Daynight Family, Mavis Family, or Astral Combat Academies. Every conceivable group had sent out powerhouses to represent the humans in the border battlefields. Their defeat meant that a great deal of battle power had been lost, so much so that the starry sky seemed to dim in response.
Even though there were still people who said that they wanted to fight back, the Human Domain couldn’t stand up to the other two Domains on its own. This negative atmosphere was spreading far and wide throughout the Human Domain. With this current mood, the director of Astral-1 had taken a stand, proposing to the Ten Arbiters that the academies should host an Astral Combat Tournament to raise the Domain’s morale and strike fear into their enemies.
The Ten Arbiters Council made their decision and agreed to hold a public competition for the entire human region. Every planet that had reached a certain level of development would be able to watch it. On top of that, they would also be able to see for themselves the power of the Astral Combat Academy, which was the most powerful academy in the universe. As stakes for the competition, Council announced that the winner would gain access to some of the most powerful techniques that had been passed down from ancient times, a seat as one of the sub-committee members on the Ten Arbiters Council, as well as precious items that had been donated by other powerful organizations.
The moment the news was announced, the entire universe grew excited. The news spread like wildfire, and within just a few hours, the information had circulated to the Outerverse, leaving everyone shocked. Soon, the entire universe was aware that the Astral Combat Tournament would be held soon.
Someone from Astral-4 said, “The Interacademy Tournaments have always been a huge event. But this time, because of the loss of our territory, morale has dropped. This must have been organized to lift the human region’s spirits, which is why the rewards are so generous. It’ll be hard to be number one, but I’ll strive to at least be in the top ten.”
Someone from Astral-6 responded, “We’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time. I don’t believe that you’re actually strong enough to do as you say. The day of the tournament will be the day of your defeat.”
From Astral-7, someone said, “Damn, the rewards are really enticing. All of the hidden disciples from powerful families are sure to surge into the Astral Combat Academy. Competition has always been fierce, but with these geniuses joining, perhaps even the monsters that have been released from their ice seals will take part. This tournament will definitely be on a whole other level from the past competitions.”
In Astral-8, someone said, “Don’t disturb me, Craynor. Also, keep a close eye on Feng Shang. I want to know exactly how powerful he’s gotten. In this tournament, only Realm Masters will have the right to reach the top ten places. Only by defeating him will I have a chance.”
In Astral-9, another person said, “In past competitions, the first three academies have always taken up half of the top ten spots, and the strongest have always come from them. I won’t accept it! This time, I’ll lead the Ninth Academy and become the strongest ever!”
And in Astral-10, the Sandmaster tortured Schutz as he looked at his gadget at the same time, deep in thought. “Are they trying to use this tournament to show off how powerful we humans are and use this opportunity to recruit people? It’s a good idea. At the very least, we should be able to see the innate gifts of some powerful families. How nostalgic. I wonder how many people will be scooped up by those people. If someone becomes their disciple, their entire destiny will be changed.”
Some people correctly guessed that, the moment news of the Astral Combat Tournament spread, many academies immediately received numerous entrance exam requests. Quite a number came from powerful organizations, and even some ancient organisations that many thought had faded into history had suddenly emerged to take part.
Unfortunately, nobody wanted to join Astral-10. This tournament was way too important and Astral-10 had been at the bottom of the branch academies for so long that no one really believed in them anymore. The only people who were interested in joining were Outerverse organizations, but unfortunately for them, Astral-10 thought nothing of them. The Sandmaster simply closed Astral-10 and didn’t allow anyone in.
Regardless of how chaotic the outside world became, it had nothing to do with Lu Yin. At this very moment, he was standing on a broken bridge. On the other side of the bridge was a man who was coldly staring at him. “Screw off.”
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. “Try to be a bit more polite.”
The man glanced at the back of Lu Yin’s hand and saw the “ten” marking on it. With a look of contempt on his face, he said, “Astral-10? I haven’t seen anyone from there in a long time. I didn’t think that there’d be someone from Astral-10 who could come to Dao of Purgatory. I’ve got just two things to say to you. Screw off, or I’ll kill you.”
A cold light shone in Lu Yin’s eyes before his entire body vanished. In the next moment, he appeared right in front of the man and reached out to grab him. The man viciously said, “You’re dead,” as he produced a sword that he immediately used to slash at Lu Yin. But with a metallic clang, the blade broke. Lu Yin grabbed the man by the throat and, with just a small amount of force, caused the man’s face to turn red. The man kicked out, but that only resulted in him being smashed into the ground by Lu Yin, causing the bridge to collapse.
“Cough, cough.” The man spat out some blood and gazed at Lu Yin in astonishment. “Are-Aren’t you a Melder?”
Lu Yin snorted. “I can’t believe someone with your strength has the gall to be so rude to me. In our Astral-10, you wouldn’t even be the second from the bottom.”
The man became even more surprised, and he obviously didn’t believe Lu Yin in the least. After all, Astral-10 was known for being weak. While the man wasn’t exactly strong, he wasn’t the weakest either. The person in front of him should be the strongest from Astral-10; his strength simply didn’t make any sense otherwise. He could only blame it on his bad luck. No matter how weak the Outerverse was, there’d still be one or two geniuses.
He was actually partially right. Lu Yin was indeed the strongest in the academy; however, Lu Yin was also right as well. Coco was acknowledged as the weakest, but her extreme speed and her huge syringe’s defensive abilities meant this guy would be no match for her. He wouldn’t even be second from the bottom and thus could only be ranked at the very bottom.
“Tell me where the nearest training spot is,” Lu Yin said in a cold voice.
The man was still terrified and immediately replied, “Spear Mountain’s less than five hundred kilometers away. The entire mountain is shaped like a spear, and the entire area emanates bloodlust. It’s said that someone once comprehended an ultimate spear technique there. You can give that a try.”
Lu Yin released him. Spear Mountain?
“Who’s the Area Master?” Lu Yin asked.
The man gulped and fearfully answered, “Frankfurt, one of the Area Masters from Astral-6.”
“Is he very strong?” Lu Yin asked.
The man nodded. “Yes. He’s a peak Limiteer and has comprehended some techniques from Spear Mountain. Also, he has two lines of battle force.”
Lu Yin’s face changed when he heard the last sentence. Two-lined battle force? That alone proved that Frankfurt was definitely terrifying. Lu Yin had been defeated by someone with just one-lined battle force in the ported battles. With his current abilities, he might be completely helpless against Frankfurt. Were all Area Masters this powerful?
