Lu Yin’s eyebrows arched up in surprise; he had never expected that the Astral Combat Tournament would actually have sponsors. It seemed that the people at the Astral Combat Academy were smarter than he had given them credit for.
“Mr Lu, since you’re Astral-10’s top student, you’ll definitely be taking part in the Astral Combat Tournament, correct? Would you like to know what the Nalan family has prepared for the Astral Combat Tournament?” Madam Nalan asked temptingly.
Lu Yin smiled confidently. “There’s no need to tell me anything. No matter what the rewards are, they’ll be mine if I win, or they’ll mean nothing to me if I lose.”
Madam Nalan enticingly continued, “The reward that we’ve contributed is something that suits you very well.”
Lu Yin finally grew curious.
Madam Nalan lifted up a finger, “One harmless Sourcebox that’s suitable for Intermediate Lockbreakers to unlock.”
Lu Yin was shocked. A Sourcebox that was suitable for Intermediate Lockbreakers was already something uncommon, but for one to also be harmless was extremely rare. The previous Sourcebox that he had unlocked had immediately rewarded him with a one star contribution. If he could become an Intermediate Lockbreaker, then having an Sourcebox like this in his possession would almost certainly allow him to instantly become a one star Intermediate Lockbreaker. It was no wonder why she had said the reward was suitable for him; rather, it was suitable for all Lockbreakers.
“The Nalan family is truly a prosperous clan of the Outerverse. You are very generous,” Lu Yin praised.
Madam Nalan smiled. “This is but a small contribution. However, Mr. Lu, the Nalan family has some connections with the Sword Sect of the Innerverse. I can give you some inside information about the sect to apologize for my earlier actions.”
“How is the Sword Sect related to me?” Lu Yin asked.
“Isn’t Mr. Lu interested in becoming the champion of the Astral Combat Tournament?” Madam Nalan enquired with a smile.
Lu Yin laughed. “Madam, do you really believe that I can defeat those top geniuses and become the champion?”
“The universe is filled with mysteries, but that’s what makes it interesting, no? There’s nothing wrong with learning more, and this information might be of great use to you,” Madam Nalan said persuasively.
Lu Yin nodded. “I’m listening.”
Madam Nalan explained, “There are countless disciples in the Sword Sect, but only two of them are monstrously talented. One of them is a member of the Ten Arbiters who rules over the universe, while the other remains reclusive, training in the clan. However, I suspect that one will join one of the Astral Combat Academies in order to participate in the Astral Combat Tournament. Hence, he will be one of your opponents.”
Lu Yin’s eyes glinted fiercely. “There’s someone from the Sword Sect among the Ten Arbiters?”
Madam Nalan explained, “I cannot name a member of the Ten Arbiters—that’s a rule as well as a sign of respect for them. If Mr. Lu wishes to learn more about the Ten Arbiters, you need to first join the Astral Academy Council as it is a subsidiary part of the Ten Arbiters Council.”
Lu Yin’s finger twitched reflexively, but he stayed quiet,
Madam Nalan observed Lu Yin’s expression as she continued explaining. “There’s an ancient battle technique in the Sword Sect called the Thirteen Swords. However, nobody can learn this technique as they wish. Instead, the technique actually chooses a suitable inheritor of its own volition.”
“It will choose someone to inherit it?” Lu Yin was stunned. He had never heard of anything like this before.
Madam Nalan continued solemnly, saying, “No one knows where this technique came from, but everyone is aware of how powerful it is. In the past, one of the former leaders of the Sword Sect defeated three of his peers using this technique. He also relied on the technique to contribute greatly to the border war. One could say that the most valuable experience for a Sword Sect disciple is to interact with the Thirteen Swords in hopes of receiving the inheritance. Normally, only one person from each generation can receive the Thirteen Swords inheritance. However, in this generation, two disciples have managed to receive the inheritance. One is a member of the Ten Arbiters while the other is the reclusive person that I mentioned previously: Liu Shaoqiu.”
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes; he had heard of the Sword Sect’s Liu family before. They were a clan with a primeval surname that faced hostility from countless people. They had never received an official status, but despite that, they had still managed to climb to the peak of the universe. This was a terrifying family. Liu was originally a royal surname. The Liu family was a noble family for sword wielders, and anyone who used a sword as their weapon yearned to join them.
“Liu Shaoqiu. The first thing he saw when he was born was neither his mother nor his relatives. He was abandoned beside a door and a rusty sword. From the moment he opened his eyes, that rusty sword became his companion weapon,” Madam Nalan said in a reminiscing tone.
Lu Yin glanced at Madam Nalan in surprise.
“It was just a normal sword that could be easily broken by any cultivator. Nonetheless, this sword has defeated numerous powerhouses in the hands of Liu Shaoqiu. However, this sword hasn’t been unsheathed ever since he inherited Thirteen Swords. None of his peers in the Sword Sect were worthy of him using his sword. He will be a scary opponent to face during the Astral Combat Tournament,” Madam Nalan said earnestly.
Lu Yin took a deep breath as he felt a mounting sense of pressure. “What realm is Liu Shaoqiu at, and how many swords of the Thirteen Swords can he use?”
“He should be at the Limiteer realm, but no one knows how many swords he can use. Some say that he has only learned two, while others say that he has learned three; the only thing everyone can agree on is that no one besides Liu Shaoqiu knows the actual number. However, he once injured an Explorer while he was travelling through the universe.”
Lu Yin closed his eyes; this was a truly powerful opponent. Explorers could traverse outer space without a spacecraft. Lu Yin was still unable to interact with people of this realm, and yet, here was someone who could cross realms to challenge an Explorer!
Madam Nalan clinked her glass against Lu Yin’s, causing a light sound to ring out which nudged Lu Yin out of his daze. “Mr. Lu, I’m not telling you this to cause you excess concern. Rather, I wanted to inform you of the Astral Combat Tournament’s top participants’ abilities. Personally, I don’t like taking a battle without making any preparations. You saved my life, so I will try to help you with the tournament. However, if you become paralyzed from fear of your opponents, then any preparations will be useless.”
Lu Yin laughed wryly. “Madam, don’t worry. No matter how powerful my opponents are, I will not be daunted. It doesn’t matter if I’m defeated as I’ll always have another chance to rise in the future. Moreover, the date for the Astral Combat Tournament still hasn’t been decided yet. I was able to become Astral-10’s top student in just a few months, so I might still have a chance to catch up to these geniuses too.”
“Well then, here’s to Mr. Lu becoming the tournament’s champion,” Madam Nalan said as she raised her glass. Lu Yin lifted his glass, too, and gently touched it to Madam Nalan’s glass.
The starlight shining through the room was refracted by fruit juice into a gorgeous glow that seemed to fill the room.
After Lu Yin left, Madam Nalan was looking at the starry sky thoughtfully when a young girl approached from behind. “Madam.”
“What are your impressions of that young man?” Madam Nalan casually asked, her voice filled with an unspoken dignity.
The girl answered, “A genius.”
“Is he only a genius? If he had been born in the Innerverse, then he might have already become incomparable to everyone in the Sword Sect besides Shaoqiu. It’s a shame that he was born in the Outerverse, and that he has only trained for such a short time. It’s caused him to fall behind,” Madam Nalan muttered.
“Madam, since you already know all that, then why did you still inform him of the Sword Sect?” the young girl curiously asked.
Madam Nalan smiled. “I just don’t want him to be too depressed if he loses. As long as he focuses on Lockbreaking, he will definitely have a bright future. Although the Astral Combat Tournament is important, it’s a stage reserved only for the top geniuses. He doesn’t belong there as Lockbreaking is where he’ll truly shine.”
The young girl softly replied, “There are still geniuses like Dao Bo even in the Lockbreaking world.”
Madam Nalan lifted her head. “You’re right. The universe is too vast and has given rise to too many geniuses. I just hope that he can continue to survive.”
Seven days soon passed, after which Lu Yin bade farewell to Madam Nalan after a huge feast. He then boarded his own spacecraft and continued flying towards the Frostwave Weave.
The Nalan family’s spacecraft had been travelling at a relatively fast pace over the past seven days, and Lu Yin quickly realized that it would only take him twelve days to reach the Frostwave Weave with his newly upgraded Aurora spacecraft. The speed of his spacecraft had increased tenfold; the previously month-long journey could now be completed in just five days. The additional seven days were due to the seven days that he had spent traveling in the opposite direction while aboard the Nalan family’s spacecraft, which also meant that the speed of their luxury spacecraft was the same as an Aurora spacecraft.
They really are rich, Lu Yin thought to himself as he rubbed his belly with the suspicion that he had grown fatter.
The twelve days quickly passed by as Lu Yin spent most of his time studying his star chart. He could feel his ninth star becoming clearer and clearer with each day, and he could also feel the increase in power when he activated his Cosmic Art with all nine stars. If he combined his Cosmic Palm with both battle force and his physical strength, even he himself didn’t know exactly how strong he would be, though he felt confident about going against an Area Master.
He still clearly remembered Frankfurt’s attack. He had been able to block it back then, but had been well aware that he wouldn’t be able to withstand the second attack. Thus, he had chosen to bite the bullet and conceal his full power for the time being. Now, however, he was confident that he could hold his own against Frankfurt after he fully recovered his star energy.
Lu Yin felt troubled whenever he thought about star energy as he was burning through star crystals too quickly. The Possession roll from his die was like an endless void; he felt like even if he gathered all of the star crystals in the Great Yu Empire together, he would be able to use it all up in a single instant.
Beep beep beep
The spacecraft started beeping, causing Lu Yin to lift his head up and see that he had arrived at Astral-10.
He hadn’t expected that this trip away would take almost four months to complete or that so things would happen: the Great Yu Empire, the Umbral Butterfly Weave, the Daynight clan, and even the Nalan family had gotten involved. He had gone through numerous incidents, and they all felt too complicated. Astral-10 was still the best place to be; he could peacefully train there without worrying about anything else.
As Lu Yin’s spacecraft landed, he stretched his legs. He felt as if he had come home.
“It’s you?” Hui Daynight, who was nearby, glared at Lu Yin with blazing eyes.
Lu Yin glanced at him. “What are you doing here? Are you leaving for a mission?”
Hui Daynight sneered as arrogantly declared, “Luckily, I ran into you here. Give up your position as top student. You don’t have the right to hold that position.”
Lu Yin nodded. “Fine, here you go.”
Hui Daynight was stunned.
Lu Yin looked at him with an amused expression. “So what if I give it to you? Can you keep it?”
Hui Daynight was infuriated by Lu Yin’s taunts. “You’re just a vagabond in the training realm! How dare you speak to me like that?!”
Lu Yin’s expression turned cold. “You’re still as annoying as ever.”
“Am I wrong? The Blaze Realm has spread the news that you were killed by Frankfurt in one move and that you’re the embarrassment of Astral-10,” Hui Daynight bellowed.
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes; now he was infuriated. Frankfurt, the Blaze Realm, Jared.
“You’ve embarrassed Astral-10, and you’re not fit to be the top student,” Hui Daynight roared as he charged at Lu Yin. Hui Daynight pointed his finger at Lu Yin; the finger gave off a sensation that was completely different from the Daynight Soul Finger, but the soul-tearing feeling of that technique was even stronger this time.
A cold glint flashed across Lu Yin’s eyes as he lifted his hand and crushed Hui Daynight’s finger in the same manner as before. Hui Daynight was astonished by the outcome; he had improved greatly under the guidance of the Trialmaster and had even learned a new battle technique from the Daynight Clan. Why had it still turned out like this? This person’s physique was just too monstrous, to the point where the Daynight Clan’s battle techniques were completely ineffective against him.
