These three consecutive questions were proof of how scared Charon felt. The secret that Lu Yin had discovered was just that shocking. While Charon was a genius, his luck in romance was too poor; he had fallen for a girl, but before he could confess, she had already become his sister-in-law. Even worse, the wedding had taken place the night before he successfully unlocked the sword-shaped sourcebox. It was precisely this pressure that drove him to muster up the courage and determination to unlock the sword-shaped sourcebox. He had sought death, but had found success instead.
But after becoming a five-star Junior Lockbreaker, Charon had thought things through and no longer wished to die. However, his feelings for that woman had never waned, and writing unsent letters to her was his only means of venting. He wrote them purely for himself and revealed them to no one else. Even the woman herself did not know that her new brother-in-law actually saw her in that kind of light. Charon had locked his feelings away in another world, somewhere hidden far from everyone except himself. This was his greatest secret and he had never shared it with anyone else. But now, Lu Yin also knew about it.
This person is quite emotional, but he just had bad luck. From Lu Yin’s perspective, if Charon continued to suppress his emotions in this manner, then it wouldn’t take long before he became mentally unstable. Lu Yin may as well allow Charon to release some stress by divulging his secret and allowing Lu Yin to become his confidante. Of course, Charon would have to pay for this “service” in kind, for example, by protecting Lu Yin within the trial zone.
“Brother Charon, those letters were pretty good. You write well,” Lu Yin exclaimed.
Charon clenched his fists. His fear had climbed to the point where he had started trembling. “You… What do you want?”
Lu Yin looked at him seriously. “I hear that you’re a student from Astral-6, and that you are one of the Area Masters in the Dao of Purgatory.”
Charon remained silent.
Lu Yin smiled. “Then it’ll be simple. Let’s have an exchange. You protect me from any harm in the trial zone, and I’ll protect these secrets of yours. No one else will ever find out.”
Charon was shocked by Lu Yin’s words. “You’re also a student of the Astral Combat Academy? Which academy?”
“Astral-10.”
Charon was stunned. “Astral-10? That branch still exists?”
Lu Yin grew unhappy. What kind of reaction is that? Astral-10 is surviving and still doing well. This brat must not have returned to Astral-6 for a long time. Clearly, he was not up to date regarding the various events of the past few months. Charon should at least be aware that Astral-10 had been driven to the Outerverse as he was also someone from the Outerverse.
“Just say if you agree.” Lu Yin’s unhappiness quickly turned to impatience.
Charon’s eyes turned cold. “Fine, I agree. What’s your name?”
Lu Yin sneered at Charon’s cold gaze as he replied, “I suppose that you’re thinking about how to best kill me now, right?”
Charon’s expression changed as he hurriedly responded, “No, we’re all students of the Astral Combat Academy. I can’t kill you.”
Lu Yin shook his head, still smiling. “I’ll urge you to think twice about this. My uncle has a few of your letters. Didn’t you notice that you’re missing a few? If anything happens to me, then those letters will appear in pristine condition on top of your brother’s desk. Oh, that’s right, and at Astral-6, where everyone in the Astral Combat Academy will learn about your situation. Think about that.”
Charon’s scalp turned numb. If such a thing truly happened, then this prestigious life of his would be gone. Although he had never done anything to that woman, if his feelings were exposed, then he would be turned away regardless of where he went in the universe. And what’s more, his sister-in-law would be implicated as well. “I, Charon, swear on my honor that I will not do anything to you. However, you must also make a guarantee that your uncle will not publicize my letters.” Charon turned eager at that prospect.
Lu Yin smiled. “I guarantee that, as long as I’m fine, you’ll be fine as well.”
Charon heaved a heavy sigh of relief, and he sounded rather disheartened when he spoke again. “I’m the Area Master of Whitebones Gorge in the Dao of Purgatory. Go directly to the Whitebones Gorge when you reach the Dao of Purgatory. I’ll also send down orders that you’re under my protection. What’s your name?”
“Lu Yin.”
Charon nodded and deactivated his gadget. He knew that there was no point in continuing the conversation with Lu Yin; all of his compromising information had already been revealed.
Lu Yin also released a breath and smiled. He had now found his backer, and he was an Area Master no less. This would cause many to think twice before attempting to deal with him. It was a pity; it would have been even better if he had found a Realm Master to back him. Then, no one in the entire trial zone would dare to act against him. An Area Master’s influence was not comparable to a Realm Master’s, and Charon’s deterrence would only intimidate a portion of students.
Lu Yin suddenly recalled Jared, the top person in the Blaze Realm Rankings. After Charon gave his orders, would Jared possibly personally act against Lu Yin?
Lu Yin spent the next two days reviewing his memories of Charon’ Lockbreaking experiences. When he opened his eyes again, he relaxed. With Charon’s experience added on to his Cosmic Art, Lu Yin was now confident in his abilities to break through to become a five-star Junior Lockbreaker. But even Charon himself had needed some luck to succeed. If Lu Yin wanted to safely and successfully unlock a sourcebox that was as difficult as the sword-shaped one, then he needed to first manifest the ninth star of his Cosmic Art. Once the ninth star appeared, his Cosmic Art and Cosmic Palm technique would undergo huge transformations.
Unfortunately, the ninth star was too difficult to manifest. Even after the crazy director had simulated it and helped him sense the correct feeling, it was still useless. Lu Yin just could not find the key point to developing it. Perhaps he had a better chance out among the stars themselves.
He thought about it, rested for another day, and then headed towards the palace to bid farewell to Undying Yushan.
“You’re going to the Umbral Butterfly Weave?” Undying Yushan was astonished by Lu Yin’s destination.
Lu Yin replied, “My mentor gave me a mission. I have no choice.”
Undying Yushan nodded understandingly. “Then go. Even though it’s far, your spacecraft has Astral-10’s emblem, so it has the protection of the Astral Combat Academy as well as the Ten Arbiters Council. You shouldn’t encounter any danger on the way. But remember to reroute immediately if you see any peculiar astral phenomena. The natural heavenly disasters are terrifying beyond imagination. Even I may not be able to make it through one safely.”
Lu Yin acknowledged his warnings. “Understood, Your Majesty.”
“Ah, Wendy’s back as well. Would you like to meet her?” Undying Yushan asked, looking at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin shook his head. “We’ve already met by accident.”
Undying Yushan nodded. “If that’s so, then go. Complete your mission quickly and then return to the Academy. Remember your responsibilities, and also, remember the ring of authority.”
Lu Yin acknowledged Undying Yushan’s words one more time and then turned to leave.
Undying Yushan refrained from telling Lu Yin that Wendy wished to defuse the conflict between him and Bazeer. Although Undying Yushan had not interacted much with Lu Yin, from what he had seen so far, he knew that the humiliation that Lu Yin had suffered that day would not dissipate until Bazeer died. And in Lu Yin’s heart, the matter did not stop at Bazeer, but actually extended all the way to Wendy. Undying Yushan felt an oncoming headache as he considered this matter.
Though Lu Yin was blessed with a unique innate gift, Undying Yushan did not believe for a second that Lu Yin could overtake Wendy. Reality was not a fairy tale, and Wendy had received the teachings of Ten Thousand Swords Peak as well as the attention of the Ten Arbiters. No member of the younger generation in the Outerverse could match her, but this should not be a major roadblock in Lu Yin’s life. Only time would be able to slowly heal these wounds.
The scenery quickly slipped away as the Aurora spacecraft broke into the heavens. With a gentle tremble, it returned to its deathly quiet stillness as it sped towards the Umbral Butterfly Weave.
This journey would take a month, and Lu Yin would travel through dozens of wormholes along the way. Without these wormholes, who knew how many months or years it would take to reach the Umbral Butterfly Weave.
Lu Yin retrieved his star chart and shoved aside all distracting thoughts. He immersed himself within his studies and hoped that he would be able to manifest the ninth star soon.
One day after Lu Yin left Zenyu Star, Wendy Yushan checked the Lockbreaker network and was shocked to find that a single, dazzling star had appeared on Lu Yin’s profile.
Wendy Yushan was stunned. “That’s a fast success.” She thought about it a moment and then immediately paid to see Lu Yin’s Sourcebox Catalog channel. There was only one Lockbreaking video, which was the video of him unlocking a mud-like sourcebox. Wendy immediately recognized it, as it was the sourcebox that she had sent to the new Lockbreaker.
Wendy only looked away from the screen a long time later. This person had actually succeeded. She had assumed that a newly inducted Lockbreaker would take a minimum of several months to a year before finally succeeding in their first lockbreaking attempt. It looks like this person is a genius at lockbreaking.
“Bazeer, immediately contact the Lockbreaker, Seventh Brother. I need him to know that he will continue to receive goodwill from the Outerverse Youth Council,” Wendy quickly ordered Bazeer.
Bazeer obeyed and immediately tried to contact Lu Yin.
Lu Yin was in the middle of studying his star chart while traveling through outer space when he heard a notification from his gadget. His eyes hardened when he saw that Bazeer was trying to contact him. Then, a smile appeared and he altered his voice through the speech settings. “Yes, Bazeer?”
“Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Seventh Brother. I would like to ask, were you successful in your lockbreaking attempt?” Bazeer’s tone was even more respectful than during the previous call.
Lu Yin grunted and seriously replied, “What, do you want the unsealed item returned to you now?”
“Of course not. Please, don’t be mistaken. We previously said that any item would belong to you once it had been unlocked. This was the decision of the Outerverse Youth Council, as well as Representative Puyu’s decision.”
Lu Yin raised his brows questioningly. “Puyu?”
“Yes, Member Puyu. He is one of the highest ranking members of the Outerverse Youth Council. This is his show of goodwill.”
Lu Yin’s gaze turned chilly. Puyu, huh? It seems that this was the backer behind Bazeer, and he was probably the same person who had ordered Bazeer to humiliate Lu Yin. Lu Yin’s victory over Ghostfire did not justify Bazeer’s actions, and moreover, it was Ghostfire himself who had challenged Lu Yin. In the end, everything seemed to be linked to Puyu, the person who wanted to obtain Wendy Yushan for himself.
Lu Yin analyzed the situation in an instant and without missing a beat, responded, “Got it. Member Puyu. I will remember him as well.”
Bazeer was delighted by Lu Yin’s response, as any Lockbreaker who had made a contribution was a powerful connection that might help him in the future. This Lockbreaker in particular had especially high potential, and he could bestow both him and Puyu with great riches. “If that is so, then I won’t disturb Mister Seventh Brother anymore. All the best in your lockbreaking endeavors.”
Lu Yin grunted and disconnected the call.
Puyu… Lu Yin’s eyes hardened; this person would be troublesome. Puyu was at the same level as Wendy Yushan and was definitely extremely powerful in his own right. If Lu Yin wanted to join the Outerverse Youth Council in the future, then he would definitely clash with Puyu and would need to make preparations.
Travelling through space was an extremely dull affair. And while the starry heavens were beautiful, they hid their own dangers.
Another half month passed, and during that time, Lu Yin’s route had been recalculated six times. Each change had been preemptively made to evade danger, but even so, he had been nearly swallowed by a blackhole that had suddenly appeared in front of him at one point.
That moment had been a close call that had greatly frightened Lu Yin. If he had been swallowed, then he would have been dead meat since his spacecraft could not escape the grip of a blackhole yet.
“Danger ahead. Programming a new route. Rerouting successful,” a pleasant voice sounded out. Lu Yin was flabbergasted. Another reroute? He wondered what was happening and nonchalantly looked out into the distance. His eyes twitched in shock. There are two people out there?!
