That man’s face paled, and he slowly retreated. He stared at Northgate Lie in shock before forcing out a smile and running away.
Northgate Lie turned to Lu Yin with a smile. This was his battle technique, the Phantom Disc. Lu Yin, are you confident that you can take that?
At this moment, Northgate Lie wasn’t the only one looking at Lu Yin, as many others were as well. They could tell that Northgate Lie had demonstrated his full strength specifically for Lu Yin.
On top of the stone platform, Lu Yin’s face grew solemn. He had been studying Northgate Lie the entire time, but he truly had not been able to see Northgate Lie’s sneak attack just now.
“The Northgate family’s Phantom Disc is still very strong. It’s able to shuttle through the void and leave no trace. Right from the start, this move caused so much suffering,” Duke Blackhawk said with a sigh.
Poison Flame solemnly replied, “It’s rumored that not only has Northgate Lie learned the Phantom Disc, but he’s also learned Shangwu Academy’s most powerful technique, the Dark Loosening Technique. It’s no wonder why he’s an expert within the Top 100 Rankings. If this kid becomes a Hunter before we’ve broken through, the victor of a battle between us and him would be unclear.”
There were various discussions all around the platform.
Lu Yin squinted. The Phantom Disc and Dark Loosening Technique were both integral parts of Northgate Lie’s strength. He could not see it, but Lu Yin had never relied on his sight in battle. He had his domain and his Cosmic Art for that. Even if Northgate Lie’s Phantom Disc was faster than that, it still would not be able to surpass the Cosmic Art’s sensory abilities. That technique was the nemesis of extreme speed. The moment the wheel bore through the void, it would be sensed by the Cosmic Art. Moreover, Lu Yin still had the Giant Emperor’s third eye and the Secret Sidestep, neither of which could be ignored.
If Northgate Lie had intended to use the Phantom Disc to scare Lu Yin, then he had miscalculated.
“Seventh Bro, that guy’s trying to frighten you. Let’s not be afraid so we that can give him a good beating!” the Ghost Monkey tried to tempt Lu Yin, but Lu Yin just grunted for him to shut up.
Beside Lu Yin, the man from the Tempest Flowzone turned to look at Lu Yin, a perplexed expression on his face.
Lu Yin felt embarrassed. “That wasn’t intended for you.”
“I know. I didn’t even speak.” As the man spoke in a cold voice, as the scorpion tattoo on his face squirmed, disgusting Lu Yin.
Northgate Lie exited the plaza in high spirits, feeling proud of himself. There were only a hundred people in the younger generation across the entire universe who could step into the Top 100 Rankings. They were dispersed across the entire universe, and most people would never even meet one throughout the course of their entire lives. He, Northgate Lie, was definitely one of the top few in his generation, as not even the Ross Empire had any youths on the rankings.
After Northgate Lie’s battle, the others felt even more dull, as many were still mesmerized by his Phantom Disc.
“Sis, do you think that Lu Yin’s afraid?” Lily Shu’er muttered as she approached Lily Anne on the Lily family’s floating platform.
The older sister looked at Lu Yin on the high platform. “Probably not.”
“Such manliness. Sis, he’s really heroic,” Lily Shu’er said longingly.
Lily Anne did not reply. She could understand the apprehensions that Lu Yin held due to his position, but she was focused on other matters at the present moment.
On the Northgate family’s floating platform, Northgate Gang was excited. “Bro, that Lu Yin must be frightened silly. Look, he’s still staring at you.”
Northgate Lie smiled and glanced at his brother before quietly saying, “There’s a limit to how strong a competition amongst students can be. In the finals of the Tournament of the Strongest, Tian Hou was said to be a legend that no one in the same realm could defeat in single combat. But from what I know, the Ten Arbiters could totally disregard that Cosmic Hou. If the legends were true, then Tian Hou would have never been able to return home.”
“I know. It’s all self-exaggeration put out by the Astral Combat Academy,” Northgate Gang said, agreeing.
Northgate Lie did not deny the allegations. The Astral Combat Academy was the most significant institution in the entire universe, which already incited a great deal of discontent from the other academies. They had promoted the Astral Combat Tournament and the Tournament of the Strongest to ridiculous degrees, but that had only caused many to think that the strength displayed in the Tournament of the Strongest had been exaggerated.
The Northgate Platform Competition would go on for a few days, and the first day passed in the same manner as it had started.
Even at the end of the day, the most eye-catching person was Northgate Lie. His strength and demeanor caused people to gasp, and he showed no mercy in his matches. Every time, he used his entire power as a show of respect for his opponent. This was the disposition of a true powerhouse.
The person who had been instantly wiped out by Northgate Lie in the first round was now speechless. He had truly hoped that Northgate Lie would give him a chance to go for a few rounds, but he had not been able to even withstand a single strike. Fortunately, his family did not blame him.
The next day, the Juniors Tournament continued, but there were no attention-grabbing individuals on the second day. The Barthe Jacques family, one of the three great families, held very little interest in fighting. The only one that drew some remarks from the crowd was Lily Shu’er. She had just entered Shangwu Academy this year, but she was already able to defeat a fellow academy member many years her senior, which drew much praise from the crowd.
On the third day, Lily Anne astounded the crowd as well, easily defeating a space-exploring powerhouse from her generation. Many had thought that she was not that powerful, but her match forced them to recall that she had actually graduated from the Astral Combat Academy.
Being able to graduate successfully from the Astral Combat Academy was proof that one was not weak.
However, Lily Anne’s record of having studied at the Astral Combat Academy caused many from the seventeen families to be angry at her success, to the point where some even urged Northgate Lie to fight her in the next round.
But Northgate Lie could not be bothered to do so. While the three great families were indeed competing against each other, they actually shared a good relationship, so they would not intentionally humiliate each other. The rapport between the three families was not that easily broken.
Northgate Lie could no longer be considered a young person, and he would no longer be a part of the younger generation after just a few more years. The Northgate Platform Competition was held every fifteen years, so at the next gathering, Lily Anne would still be a part of the younger generation. Clearly, during the next Juniors Tournament, Lily Anne would easily be the strongest competitor there. In other words, it was highly likely that the champion of the next Northgate Platform Competition would be the Lily family. This was the three families’ rapport.
However, Lily Anne had suddenly spoken up and challenged Northgate Lie, shocking many. Even the Lily family had not expected such a scenario to unfold.
Northgate Lie was astonished. “An’er, you want to challenge me?’
Lily Anne smiled. “Brother Lie, don’t be angry. I’m not challenging you per se—I just want to test out Brother Lie’s Dark Loosening Technique. I was unable to study in Shangwu Academy, which is truly one of my life’s regrets. Can Brother Lie satisfy this junior’s wish?”
After her words, many felt their irritation towards her diminish. It turned out that she still cared about Shangwu Academy.
Still, the older folks did not view it in the same light. If she really cared about Shangwu Academy, then she would not have gone to the Astral Combat Academy in the first place. It seemed like this brat had another agenda.
But Northgate Lie was clueless and readily walked onto the stage. “Alright, since An’er wants to try out the Dark Loosening Technique, then I will satisfy your wish. I’ll stand still and let you beat me. As long as you can make me retreat by even a single step, it’ll be your victory.”
Lily Anne smiled. “Brother Lie thinks too highly of me. The Dark Loosening Technique is famed for its defense as well as its ability to increase your star energy absorption rate. The one being attacked will appear to be imprisoned, but their mountain-like motionless has an underlying flexible strength that causes the opponent’s attacks to dissolve. How could I cause Brother Lie to take a step back?”
Northgate Lie laughed. “An’er, just don’t hold back when attacking me.”
“Alright then, I’ll start.” And with those words, Lily Anne slammed an unassuming palm into his chest, sending shockwaves coursing through the ground as a gale swept across the arena, which then rose into the air and released a soft rumble. Northgate Lie did not take even a single step back while Lily Anne had to take a few steps back.
“It certainly lives up to its reputation. My palm strike was reduced to a third of its strength, and there’s also a retaliating effect. Brother Lie, is this a backlash effect against my attack?” Lily Anne asked in astonishment, her voice extremely loud.
Northgate Lie nodded. “That’s right. An’er can try again.”
“Alright then, I won’t hold back.” Lily Anne then displayed her battle technique, the Flower-Plucking Palm. Her star energy formed into petals that overlapped with her palm strike as she struck at Northgate Lie’s chest once again. The void shuddered, and a giant spatial crack appeared beside Northgate Lie that stretched far into the distance.
“So this is the Dark Loosening Technique. It possesses a strength that diverts my attack, and this strength is roughly…”
“How powerful, Brother Lie’s Dark Loosening Technique should even be able to withstand a Cruiser’s attack. I wonder how strong an attack must be to break such a defense.”
“This must be the Dark Loosening Technique’s secret defense, so it’s…”
…
The crowd’s gazes became stranger and stranger, as Lily Anne seemed to be talking too much. It almost felt like she was explaining all of the Dark Loosening Technique’s details. This seemed less like a consultation and more like an overt plot to reveal information about the Dark Loosening Technique.
Northgate Lie’s face grew uglier by the minute, as he could tell that this brat was testing him out for Lu Yin. In other words, she was trying to secretly help an outsider even though she was a native of the Northline Flowzone.
“Alright, Lie’er, there’s a limited time to the Northgate Platform Competition. Stop playing around.” Northgate Kong finally could not take it anymore and firmly interrupted.
Northgate Lie relaxed and pushed Lily Anne aside. He forced out a smile. “An’er, this ends here. I’ll coach you by myself in future.”
Lily Anne nodded and replied, “Thank you Brother Lie.” She then walked off without any subtlety.
Northgate Lie was furious, but there wasn’t really much that he could do. He glared at Lu Yin with hatred filled eyes; what relationship did that bastard have with Lily Anne that she was willing to do such a thing for him?
On top of the tall platform, Lu Yin blinked. Even a fool would now know what Lily Anne had been doing. He wondered why this woman was helping him so much, and she had even revealed so many details of Northgate Lie’s technique. Lu Yin had already known how the Dark Loosening Technique worked; it was a defensive style technique that diverted attacks. Thus, Lu Yin already knew how to deal with it.
This Dark Loosening Technique was not even worth mentioning when compared to the Daynight Restoration Technique, but it would still be difficult for Lu Yin to breach it if someone much stronger used it. Lu Yin calculated for a moment. Hmm, Thirty Stacks should still be enough to break through.
“Sis, that was brutal!” Lily Shu’er shot her sister a thumbs-up when Lily Anne returned to the Lily family’s floating platform.
In front of the sisters, Lily Liana barked, “Nonsense! An’er, go and apologize to the Northgate family later.”
Lily Anne acknowledged the family head’s order.
“Sis, answer truthfully. Do you like Lu Yin?” Lily Shu’er slyly cozied up towards Lily Anne with gleaming eyes.
Lily Anne tapped her sister’s forehead. “Don’t spout nonsense! We may need that person’s help for certain things in the future.”
“Pfft, who are you trying to deceive? Our Lily family might not be that strong, but we still won’t ever need help from someone from the Outerverse! Brother Lie is part of the Ten Arbiters Council, so we’ll have no use for that person.”
Lily Anne looked at Lu Yin. It was precisely because he was from the Outerverse that they might need him in the future.
The Juniors Tournament lasted for another two days, though the majority of the onlookers were bored out of their minds by the end. Lu Yin was no different, and he passed the time by reciting the Stonewall Scriptures, though not to the extent of fainting.
On the final day, Lu Yin was sitting around idly when he haphazardly glanced at the man with the facial scorpion tattoo again. Curious, he searched him up on the network. Lu Yin quickly found the information that he was looking for. This man was part of the Fire Scorpion Sect, a powerful sect in the Tempest Flowzone. The sect’s power was second only to the ruling faction of the Tempest Flowzone, the Feng Clan. The Fire Scorpion Sect also reared astral fire scorpions and harvested their poison. This meant that they were skilled in both fire and poison battle techniques.
