In the Innerverse, at the Lockbreaker Society’s headquarters, Casanova was idly flipping through his gadget. He was bored and was hoping to find a beautiful woman to chat with.
Somewhat nearby, Liu Ju was casually browsing through the Lockbreaker Network and looking at lockbreaking videos.
Across the room, there was a man squatting on the ground and playing video games, which was an oddity among cultivators.
Even further away, there was another young man leaning against the wall. His entire body was shrouded in the shadows so that his face was not visible.
There were silent Lockbreakers everywhere, and some of them would occasionally get up and look for a lockbreaking room.
No one spoke, and it was very quiet, but the silence was suddenly broken as someone called out, “Hey, this person, is this Lu Yin?”
The name “Lu Yin” meant little to those in the Neoverse, but he had long become famous throughout the Outerverse and Innerverse.
The person who had spoken up was a middle-aged man who enjoyed a high status within the Innerverse Lockbreaker Society. He was even a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker, but at this moment, he was being incredibly disruptive.
Casanova and others all looked at the man.
The middle-aged man adjusted his gadget to display a video in front of everyone. It was of Lu Yin unlocking the stone bridge sourcebox.
The people there could barely comprehend what they were seeing.
The middle-aged man solemnly explained, “This video is a livestream from the Neoverse. He’s taking a ranking exam.”
Although some people still did not understand what they were looking at, most people were petrified by the explanation.
Everyone knew that Lu Yin was Seventh Bro, and they all knew that when Seventh Bro had last taken a ranking exam, he had jumped from being the one star Perceptive Intermediate level to a five star one. This massive jump had caused a great deal of confusion within the Lockbreaker Society, and many were still shocked by his results. But at this moment, it was obvious that Lu Yin was taking the Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker exam.
Lu Yin was already qualified to become an Advanced Lockbreaker?
Everyone gasped. No, this is too fast!
Casonova pursed his lips. Freak.
Liu Ju was stunned; her chance to challenge Lu Yin had already disappeared. Even though Lu Yin had not successfully passed the Lockbreaker ranking exam yet, for some reason, everyone thought that he would succeed.
The other two young people nearby were also staring at the image. They were both members of the Lockbreaker Society’s Distinguished Five. One was named Mi Wen, who was a three star Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker, and the other was Qing Zhiyu.1 He was the leader of the Distinguished Five, and just the day before, he had become a five star Intermediate Lockbreaker, which was something that not even Wu Dan had learned of yet.
However, even if Wu Dan had learned of such a thing, he still would not care. As he had told Lu Yin, there was only a difference of one word between an Advanced and an Intermediate Lockbreaker, but that difference was also the difference between heaven and earth.
“Lu Yin, what a legend.” Mi Wen smiled as he looked over at Qing Zhiyu. “If he joins my Innerverse Lockbreaker Society, he can take your place.”
Qing Zhiyu silently leaned back against the wall and ignored her.
At that moment, a lockbreaking room off in the distance opened, and someone exited. If Lu Yin was present, he would be surprised, as this person was an old acquaintance of his.
Dao Bo was the one who emerged.
Qing Zhiyu spoke to him, saying, “Congratulations on becoming a one star Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker. You’re one of the Distinguished Five. No, sorry, it’s the Distinguished Four now.”
The Innerverse Lockbreaker Society used to have the Distinguished Five, but unfortunately, two of them had died during the Sixth Mainland’s invasion. Otherwise, even though Dao Bo had become an Intermediate Lockbreaker, he would not have qualified to receive such a title.
It was supposed to be a happy occasion for a new member to join the Distinguished Five, but at this moment, everyone was focused on the displayed stream. It would be a major event if Lu Yin was promoted to a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker.
Lu Yin represented the Outerverse, and his success would mean that the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society had surpassed the Innerverse Lockbreaker Society. The Neoverse Lockbreaker Society had always stood at the top, and this would mean that their Innerverse Society would fall to the bottom.
Dao Bo nodded to Qing Zhiyu and then looked at the image that everyone was focusing on. He was surprised to see Lu Yin.
“You have a good student.” Mi Wen looked at Dao Bo with a smile, but then she continued with her video game.
Everyone silently stared at the image of Lu Yin lockbreaking.
…
Lu Yin spent an entire day in the Lockbreaker World unlocking the sourcebox. With his current lockbreaking speed, it would not take him long to understand an intermediate sourcebox and unlock it. However, this Boundless Advanced sourcebox was clearly in a different realm, and it would take him more than a few days to do so.
Once it became clear that Lu Yin had managed to successfully start the actual lockbreaking process, everyone knew that his success was just a matter of time. Unless he ran out of energy, he would be able to succeed no matter how long the process took him, and no one even considered the possibility of him giving up due to exhaustion.
Two more days passed, and most of the people in the Lockbreaker World stopped watching since the final result was already clear. Many of them would want to see the video after everything was finished, but that was only because they were curious as to what the sourcebox held.
There were many sourceboxes throughout the universe. Each had a unique form, and no two sourceboxes were identical.
Sourceboxes could take any shape and form, but the form of a stone bridge was very unusual. Many people had tried to unlock it before, so they were even more curious as to what the sourcebox contained.
…
Lu Yin’s expression was solemn as he seriously observed the sourcebox. He had already unlocked most of it, and he was on the verge of finally succeeding. He was also anticipating finding out what the sourcebox contained.
With a gentle sound, the final bits of condensed energies that formed the sourcebox’s blockages disintegrated, and everyone stared on expectantly; what would happen next?
The stone bridge sourcebox was truly ancient, and it was clearly something of great significance for a bridge to be sealed into a sourcebox.
The successful unlocking of any Boundless Advanced sourcebox would draw a great deal of attention, and this was where most Lockbreakers would stop their recording in order to prevent anyone else from discovering what the sourcebox contained.
Although Lu Yin was too inexperienced to stop the recording, fortunately for him, Gui Junheng took action and stopped the video at the moment that the lockbreaking finished. Otherwise, everyone would know what Lu Yin had gained.
When the video suddenly stopped, many people throughout the Lockbreaker World were stunned. If Lu Yin had succeeded, then he had just become a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker.
There was a huge difference between a Perceptive Intermediate and a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker, and these two different ranks held completely different statuses.
Every Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker enjoyed privileges that far surpassed what regular Lockbreakers received. The moment that an Advanced Lockbreaker died, their death would invariably be investigated, which was the same as having ten Honor points.
In the Innerverse Lockbreaker Society, everyone stared at the blank screen in shock. Even after the video cut off, they all remained silent.
Dao Bo let out a long breath. He could still remember when Lu Yin had been a student in the Astral Combat Academy and how he had ended up butting heads with the Blaze Realm. Dao Bo had helped Lu Yin out at that time, and even back then, Lu Yin had possessed many different statuses and positions. But now, the accumulation of everything that Lu Yin had gained made him a truly unique existence.
Among their peers, who else was capable of the same?
In the Neoverse, on top of Mt. Microcosms, Highsage Wudi sighed. “What a pity. If he had joined our Eversky Island, then Master definitely would have raised this kid with all his strength. None of us can inherit the mantle of Grandmaster, but this kid might have been able to. What a pity.”
Arch-Elder Zen lightly said, “It’s fine. His achievements are still those of my Human Domain, and he still belongs to my Fifth Mainland.”
Although Lu Yin had only just become a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker, there were people who were not looking at this present strength, but rather at the birth of a dazzling powerhouse who would appear countless years in the future.
A person’s level determined what they were capable of seeing. Wu Dan was an Advanced Lockbreaker, and thus, he only saw a Lockbreaker when looking at Lu Yin.
Yuhua Mavis and others saw Lu Yin’s combat power, but not his lockbreaking talent.
As for Mu En, he recognized Lu Yin’s ambition and ability that had allowed him to unite the Outerverse.
Everyone stood in a different position, and naturally, what they saw was affected by where they stood. No one believed that what they saw was just one aspect of Lu Yin.
Only an old man like Arch-Elder Zen who stood at the very top of the entire universe and was aware of both the current universe and the ancient world, was able to clearly see Lu Yin as he truly was.
In another sense, for a young man to require someone at Arch-Elder Zen’s level to accurately evaluate him showed just how much of a genius he really was.
Within the Lockbreaker World, Lu Yin stared blankly at the place where the stone bridge sourcebox had stood. Upon unlocking the sourcebox, there was only gravel to be seen and nothing else.
He pursed his lips. He had successfully unlocked the sourcebox, but the stone bridge had also disappeared. This was the main frustration of all Lockbreakers; it was incredibly dangerous to unlock a sourcebox, and there was no guarantee of there being anything within the sourcebox.
Xiao Chi sighed. “Nothing. What bad luck.”
Xiao Shi shook his head.
Gui Junheng continued to stare at the gravel on the ground, and his eyes suddenly flashed. “There is something.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yin also noticed that there was something hidden within the ordinary gravel. Was that… fatesand?
Lu Yin was shocked, and he quickly blew away the gravel to reveal sixteen bits of fatesand left on the ground.
Fatesand was extraordinarily rare. Lu Yin had encountered many people in the Innerverse and Outerverse, but very, very few had possessed fatesand. Lu Yin had once stolen Hong Ying’s fatesand and merged it with what he had received from Mister Mu, and now, this one sourcebox had given him sixteen more.
Lu Yin was overjoyed, as this was absolutely wonderful.
Gui Junheng nodded and admiringly said, “It’s rare to unlock a sourcebox and actually get something from it.”
Lu Yin quickly put away the fatesand. “Thank you, senior, for giving me this ranking exam.”
Gui Junheng smiled and replied, “Don’t thank me. The Lockbreaker Society will compensate me with an advanced sourcebox after giving you your new ranking. I’ve lost nothing, and I was even able to witness the birth of a new Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker for myself, haha.”
Lu Yin smiled, and then suddenly remembered something. He lifted a hand, caused some bits of fatesand to appear, and handed them over to Xiao Chi and Xiao Shi. “These are for you.”
The two mushroom-headed teens froze for a moment. They looked at each other and then at Lu Yin in confusion.
Lu Yin said, “Thank you for introducing Master Gui to me. This is a gift to say thank you.”
Giving anything to Gui Junheng would be a slap to his face. He was a senior, and Lu Yin was not qualified to give a gift to such an expert. So, all he could do was offer something to these two teens. Xiao Chi was Gui Junheng’s apprentice, so giving Xiao Chi a gift would count as a gift to Gui Junheng.
Gui Junheng watched the exchange with a smile.
The two mushroom heads flinched.
Lu Yin smiled and encouragingly said, “Take them, it’s fine.”
The two finally took the grains of fatesand.
Fatesand was extremely useful to Lu Yin. He had managed to steal fatesand from Hong Ying, and as a result, he had discovered that fatesand could be merged. Thus, the fatesand that he had just received should also be able to merge with what was already in his body.
He needed to perfectly merge it with the fatesand next to his heart in order to seal off the black and white fog.
If he sealed off the black and white fog with fatesand, then it should be impossible for others to detect it. However, that was still wholly dependent on the strength of the observer.
“Just wait here. Your exam will soon be assessed, and once your success is announced, you will be qualified to own your own planet here in the Lockbreaker World. You’ll also be able to enjoy all of the benefits of the Lockbreaker Society, including lockbreaking tools, techniques, and being able to exchange for sourceboxes in the Ancient Spirit Sea with sourceboxes of equal value,” Gui Junheng explained.
The Ancient Spirit Sea was the nearby sea maintained by the enormous sourcebox array formed from the six massive sourceboxes.
Lu Yin asked curiously, “Senior, I don’t know what the sourcebox formation of the Lockbreaker World is called.”
Gui Junheng casually responded, “The Six Ancient Spirit Array.”
Lu Yin was stunned.
Xiao Shi looked at Lu Yin in surprise. “Have you heard of it before?”
Lu Yin shook his head. “I haven’t heard it before, but the name sounds amazing.”
At this moment, Gui Junheng’s gadget beeped with a notification, and he glanced at it. He then told Lu Yin and the two teens, “I’m heading out, so you guys are free to do whatever you want.”
With that, he immediately left.
Xiao Chi moved over to where the stone bridge sourcebox had once stood before being unlocked. He regretfully said, “It’s too bad that the advanced sourcebox had nothing but fatesand inside it.”
Xiao Shi said, “It’s fine. Fatesand is incredibly valuable, and almost no one in the Innerverse or Outerverse has any. Even in the Neoverse, there aren’t many people who can get a hold of it. It’s just a pity that it can’t be gathered, as doing so will lead you to Destiny.”
Lu Yin’s brows shot up, as Xiao Shi’s words had disrupted his thoughts. “What did you say? ‘Gathered?’”
Xiao Shi said, “Yeah, fatesand.”
“What do you mean by ‘gathered fatesand?’ Is it scattered?” Lu Yin asked.
Xiao Shi nodded. He shoved his glasses up and opened his massive book. His expression grew serious as he searched flipped through the pages. “Found it.” He stared at the book before solemnly quoting, “Fatesand was created by Destiny. It sees the past and the future, and it offers one the possibility of peering through the long rivers of the time. It is a very magical item.”
Lu Yin stared at the book that did not have a word written within it.
[1] Qing Zhiyu means “light as a feather.” ☜
