At this moment, the ten academy leaders had also sensed that something was off. The leader of Astral-1’s eyes twinkled as she knew that most of the people here were greatly mistaken; that woman was very powerful.
Xue Liuyun knitted her brows.
Liu Yin had a puzzled look in his eyes. Since when did Astral-9 have such a strong powerhouse? That perilous sense of danger was something that he could sense even from this distance.
Lu Yin squinted his eyes. This woman is not as simple as she seemed.
As an assassin, Calcifer had plenty of patience, but something about this woman was different. After some time passed without either of them making a move, the girl finally looked over and slowly raised her arms. With a just casual wave of her arms, a strong gray gale rose out of nowhere and engulfed the entire arena plains.
Goosebumps appeared on Calcifer’s skin, and he instinctively knew that an extreme calamity was headed his way. Without any hesitation, he appeared behind the woman with the intention of ending the battle as quickly as possible.
The woman was still standing at her original spot, not having moved an inch. Calcifer’s dagger stabbed towards her, fortified with his innate gift and star energy. But when it was just a centimeter away from the woman’s neck, Calcifer’s clothes started to decay. The rot quickly spread to his hair and skin, until finally, his entire body decayed and turned into dust that fell to the ground with a soft sigh.
Everyone fell silent. This was the umpteenth time that they had been shocked by something they saw in the tournament. And yet, this time, their shock also came with a new sense of fear; what the hell had just happened? Did they actually just see an individual who had been alive and kicking just moments ago, be reduced to a pile of ashes in a matter of seconds?
Feng Shang suddenly stood up and looked at the woman in disbelief. “Wind of Seasons! What we just witnessed was the Wind of Seasons.”
“The Wind of Seasons?” Kuang Wang asked in a confused tone.
Feng Shang gravely responded, “It is a battle technique that has been lost to the annals of time. It uses the elements of the four seasons to cause everything around it to decay into nothingness. This battle technique should have been lost, so how did she learn it?”
Lu Yin was stunned. The Wind of Seasons and decay… Surely, this did not involve the aspect of time, did it!?
“This time, the Astral Combat Tournament really has attracted a whole bunch of monsters. Calcifer himself was already quite powerful, powerful enough to kill an Area Master, but even he was rendered powerless against this monster,” Dao Bo exclaimed.
Lu Yin took a look at Dao Bo. It was true that these few individuals were absolute monsters in the eyes of others. However, attempting to kill Starsibyl did not represent how powerful someone was; it only proved that they were vicious. From Lu Yin’s point of view, the sense of danger that Calcifer gave off was not as strong as Liu Shaoqiu’s. And yet, this woman gave off a completely different scent of danger; she posed a hidden threat.
The fourth round of battles that had been chosen by drawing lots had now finished with this shocking performance by this woman named Chao Zhi. The fifth round would also be chosen by drawing lots, and it was scheduled to take place twelve hours later.
Lu Yin immediately left the Lifeseek Realm and reappeared on the trial zone mountain.
Many other people left the Lifeseek Realm as well. With such a lengthy competition, it was tiring even as a spectator. However, everything was worth it as they had been able to see many powerful competitors and many more battle techniques; even four-lined battle force had made an appearance.
In front of their screens, many people heaved sighs of relief. The exciting displays shown during these battles had kept these viewers restlessly glued to their screens. At this moment, many were starting to feel tired and took this opportunity to rest.
On Astral-10’s trial zone mountain, Lu Yin opened his eyes. The first thing that entered his eyes was Michelle’s visage, who was not too far away from him. She had also woken up. Michelle’s eyes quickly met Lu Yin’s, and apart from a slight look of surprise on Michelle’s face, she held no other expression.
Coco opened her eyes as well, and she happily rushed to Lu Yin when she saw him. “Big brother Lu, we all thought you were dead! Is there any truth to what they say happened in the pirate port?”
Lu Yin laughed. “Of course not! If I was really hit by a weapon like that, then nobody could have saved me.”
Coco stuck out her tongue. “I was also skeptical of the news. The mentor said that the power of those light beams is enough to kill powerful people at the Explorer level. You wouldn’t stand a chance as a Melder.” After saying that, Coco suddenly started to study Lu Yin’s body more closely. Then, with a face full of longing, she asked, “Big brother Lu, are you hurt?”
“Nope, not a scratch,” Lu Yin replied simply and firmly, disappointing Coco.
Big Pao and Little Pao arrived as well, and they both cast strange looks at Lu Yin. “Junior, did you feel a lot of pressure from sitting up there with those Realm Masters?”
Lu Yin shrugged noncommittally. “Not really, they’re pretty easy to get along with.”
Big Pao laughed oddly. “Really? You can tell us if you felt pressured. We are all brothers here; there’s nothing to hide.
Lu Yin laughed.
Xia Luo appeared as well, and his appearance was immediately met by Coco’s admiration. His easy victory over Jared had astonished everyone.
Although Lu Yin had easily crushed Long Yi, Jared’s strength was well above the sylvan dragon’s. Having said that, Lu Yin’s crushing of Long Yi had also slightly moved Big Pao, causing him to see Lu Yin as someone dear to his heart.
“Senior Little Pao, how did you feel after you were defeated so easily by that no good little punk from Astral-9?” Zora asked Little Pao as she suddenly appeared.
Little Pao pasted an obviously fake smile on his face. “What pleasant weather we have today.”
“Senior Little Pao, please don’t change the subject!” Coco cried out.
“Yes, Senior Little Pao, don’t change the subject,” Silver added on as he appeared with his usual large, sly smile.
His sudden appearance caused Coco to hop behind Zora. Even Schutz, who had just arrived, was put on edge. This man was terrifying and he gave off the vibe of a bloody butcher of men.
“Now that everyone is present… Lu Yin, Xia Luo, and Fox face, let me remind you all once. If you come across that bitch Grandini, do not go soft on her! Use your full force to attack her. Don’t give her any room to catch her breath,” Lulu yelled once she appeared.
Lu Yin curiously asked, “Do you have some sort of grudge against her?”
Lulu was miffed. “That woman dared to mock me! She said that I was small.”
Everyone reflexively shifted their eyes down to Lulu’s chest.
Lulu’s face turned red as she bared her teeth and clenched her fists tightly, creating cracking sounds. Everyone sensed the atmosphere quickly turning awkward.
…
Not far away, Hui Daynight looked at the group disdainfully and thought to himself, What a gathering of low class life forms. The powerful figures of the Daynight clan were used to traveling alone.
Zhao Yilong, Meng Yue, and Darkvoid also woke up, not far from where the other students had gathered on the trial zone mountain. They were all going to rest until the fifth elimination round began in twelve hours.
At the peak of the realm mountain, Liu Xiaoyun watched the scene down below her. Once Lu Yin appeared, everyone had rushed to gather around him. It was a natural charisma and not his strength that had attracted everyone; this man had a certain magnetism to him.
“Oh yeah, who has a spare personal gadget on them? I need to borrow one,” Lu Yin said.
Lulu readily threw him one. “Here, take it.”
“Oh wow, a limited edition one! This is made from a metal that can survive a powerful Explorer’s attack! It must have cost a fortune,” Coco cried out in alarm.
Everyone grew envious when they saw Lu Yin holding his new personal gadget.
Lulu raised her chin proudly; she was a Mavis and did not lack for money.
Lu Yin did not stand on ceremony and immediately equipped the gadget. As for whether or not he needed to pay for it, that was a matter that they could discuss later!
After logging in to view his messages, Lu Yin saw that many people had tried to contact him. Among them were Undying Yushan, Gerbach, Coco, and the others. There were also some unknown numbers that Lu Yin guessed came from his home. There were more than a hundred of these unknown numbers in total, and it seemed like his family must be very concerned about him. However, there was no need to contact them now; the whole universe could see him.
Eh? There’s actually another person who tried to reach me? It’s Mira, the Red Lotus Witchbow.
When Lu Yin saw that Mira had been trying to contact him, he subconsciously glanced at Michelle. Between these two beauties, Mira was more alluring and Michelle colder.
Mira had once told Lu Yin that, if he produced some results at the Astral Combat Academy, she would give him a recommendation for the Outerverse Youth Council. Lu Yin considered his options; it would be difficult to choose between the Outerverse Youth Council and the Council of Astral Academy.
A short while later, everyone dispersed to get some rest.
Lu Yin did not bother thinking about extraneous matters. His current priority was the Astral Combat Tournament; everything else could wait.
At the same time, atop the peak of Astral-3’s trial zone mountain, Nightqueen Yanqing had a solemn expression that contained a trace of fear as she looked at the screen before her. An imposing man was looking back at her. “Remember, you cannot be defeated in the Astral Combat Tournament. No matter who the opponent, the Nightking clan must prevail.”
Apprehension flashed through Nightqueen Yanqing’s eyes when she looked at the screen, but she responded simply. “Understood.”
Within the display, not far behind the imposing man, there was another figure respectfully bowing slightly. Nightqueen Yanqing did not recognize him, but if Lu Yin were present, he would have seen the man in an instant and become furious—Liu Shaoge. He should have been following Nightking Qingyu, but he had appeared behind this man on this day.
On Astral-6’s trial zone mountain, Charon awoke, and less than a kilometer away, Frankfurt regained consciousness as well.
Originally, since both of them were Area Masters, their positions had been equal. However, Frankfurt now subconsciously avoided Charon’s gaze. This Astral Combat Tournament had revealed their true strength to the public. Frankfurt could only be considered to be an average Area Master while Charon was definitely a top-tier one who could rival a Realm Master.
The twelve hours passed quickly, and soon, everyone reappeared within the Lifeseek Realm.
The very first match of the fifth round featured a Realm Master.
Nightqueen Yanqing against Qu Feng.
Qu Feng had been very crafty in his few previous battles. Darkvoid and Bonny Phoenix were not weak by any means, but neither of them had been able to display their full powers against Qu Feng. His attack movements were characteristic of a Erudite Flowzone denizen, and he conducted himself modestly. He certainly lived up to being a person of culture.
A scholar would pay attention to righteousness, but the Daynight clan’s style consisted of darkness. Qu Feng’s face grew heavy when he saw that he was facing Nightqueen Yanqing.
“Use it, your domain,” Nightqueen Yanqing said arrogantly as soon as she appeared into the arena.
Qu Feng had a solemn expression, and his star energy formed a brush. A strange fluctuation swept across the field as the black, ink-like star energy swept out.
The crowd stared at this scene even though they had become familiar with its power. Darkvoid and even Bonny had been defeated with this attack, neither of them able to use their innate gifts.
Nightqueen Yanqing’s eyes remained condescending. “Your domain is strong, but do you really think that you can seal my Nightking clan? The people of the Erudite Flowzone are really too naive.” She then directly charged towards Qu Feng, sweeping out with a leg. Even while the leg was flying through the air, purple veins appeared as an incomparably tough four-lined battle force covered heaven and earth before exploding and crushing everything, including Qu Feng. The entire arena exploded.
Many were stunned by what they saw, as another four-lined battle force wielder had appeared; this time, they were from the Nightking clan.
Nightqueen Yanqing’s power shocked many. This was a Nightking powerhouse, one whose strength was enough to instantly take out an expert who had reached the fifth round.
Atop the high peak overlooking the field, Han Chong shook his head. Qu Feng’s domain was too one-sided; it strove to limitlessly increase his battle technique while also trying to seal everything. It could be instantly wiped out when he was faced against a stronger opponent.
Nightqueen Yanqing calmly returned to the high peak. At that moment, it felt as if she had finally revealed a sliver of the Nightking clan’s true terror. Those of the Daynight clan possessed more than just supreme battle techniques.
The next battle was Feng Shang’s, and it was another easy victory for him. Tu Bo was next, and he also won effortlessly. His water flowed gently yet it was unstoppable.
The fourth battle attracted all eyes, as Astral-1’s student leader was next in line, and her opponent was Liu Tang.
Liu Tang was one of the more outstanding disciples from the Sword Sect. and his power had shocked many. However, Astral-1’s student leader was even more mysterious, as no one even knew her name.
