That night, all of the students from Astral-10 gathered around the trial zone mountain to cheer Lu Yin on.
Lu Yin burst into laughter at the top of the mountain. When he next opened his eyes, he found himself in the Lifeseek Realm, where the Astral Combat Tournament had been held. Quite some time had passed since then, but there was still a strange familiarity about this place. This would be his first step to becoming renowned throughout the universe.
All of the students from the Astral Combat Academy had gathered together, and they were waiting outside the tournament grounds for the tournament to begin in a day.
Of the participants, Lu Yin was neither the first nor the last to arrive. Not too far away from him, Han Chong smiled at Lu Yin, who responded in kind.
Elsewhere, Liu Shaoqiu had already arrived. Upon seeing Lu Yin, his eyes grew cold. This was the same place where he had once been defeated, but he was going to repay the humiliation that he’d suffered twofold.
Even further away from them, there were a few beings with strange appearances that caught Lu Yin’s attention. One of them had a humanoid appearance, but most of its body seemed to be made of machinery, and he looked quite similar to some of the people from the Ross Empire. There was also a wolf-shaped robot and… a book? Lu Yin was struck speechless. The last person in that group had the appearance of a normal person. She looked like a girl, though her face had some kind of device on it.
Perhaps the girl felt his gaze, but she glanced over for some reason. The disdain and contempt emanating from her made Lu Yin feel extremely uncomfortable. What right did she have to look down on him? No, she wasn’t looking down on him—she was looking down on everyone and everything! Lu Yin found this strange. Was she crazy?
“They are the participants from the Technocracy.” Han Chong walked over to Lu Yin’s side and introduced the strange-looking participants to him.
Lu Yin was baffled. “Is that book a participant as well?”
Han Chong could not help but laugh. “They’re from the Technocracy, and all sorts of things exist there. If they wanted to, they could have even entered a brick as a participant.”
“By the way, I heard that no human is allowed to enter the Technocracy. Is that true?” Lu Yin was rather curious.
Han Chong nodded and earnestly replied, “Even since ancient times, nobody has ever been allowed to enter. The only way to go in is by force.”
“Does that mean that we know nothing about them at all?” Lu Yin asked with a frown.
“You can’t really say it like that. Once in a while, a powerhouse from the Human or Astral Beast Domain will force their way there as a test of their strength. Otherwise, there could be a huge disaster if the Technocracy ever manages to create a weapon that’s able to destroy the universe,” Han Chong explained.
Lu Yin understood this reasoning. It made sense, as it was not wise to just leave one’s enemies completely alone. However, one had to pay a huge price to force their way into the Technocracy. Wendy Yushan had paid an immense price for merely trying to force her way into the Ross Empire. And even now, she was still missing. Although her situation could not be compared to a powerhouse’s, and the Technocracy was incomparable to the Ross Empire in every sense, it was also a fact that the humans had lost quite a lot to the Technocracy over the years.
Compared to the Technocracy, the Astral Beast Domain seemed much more normal. At the very least, the humans felt that they had a general gauge of the Astral Beasts’ strength.
With this in mind, Lu Yin glanced to the side and blinked. Are they normal? Perhaps. At the very least, they are all living creatures.
There was a rat, a flame sable, a guy dressed in black robes and a beautiful girl.
“Feng Jiu! It’s Feng Jiu! I haven’t seen you in so long! Let me out, Seventh Bro! I want to talk to her about life!” the monkey shrieked.
Lu Yin was rendered speechless. “Shut up!”
Next to him, Han Chong’s expression shifted, and Lu Yin hastily tried to explain. “Sorry, Han Chong. I wasn’t talking to you. Please don’t pay me any mind.”
Han Chong smiled. “I understand, Lu Yin. This tournament is very important, so let’s all be careful.”
Lu Yin nodded and watched Han Chong walked away.
“This is all your fault! I offended someone for no reason!” Lu Yin hissed.
“But that’s Feng Jiu, bro! What would you do if Ming Yan suddenly appeared in front of you? You’re even worse than me. Let me out already! I want to go talk to her!” the Ghost Monkey exclaimed.
Lu Yin angrily replied, “If you’re going to keep screaming like this, I’ll screen you so that you can’t even see your beloved Feng Jiu.”
The monkey felt very wronged. “You can’t bully me like this, Seventh Bro! I’ve helped you out so much. Just let me talk to her!”
“No! Shut up! If you keep talking, then I’m really going to block you,” Lu Yin threatened.
At that moment, the girl called Feng Jiu saw Lu Yin, and with an icy glint in her eyes, she started walking towards him.
“Why’s she coming over here? Did you somehow manage to get into contact with her?” Lu Yin asked coldly as he glared at his right arm. If the Ghost Monkey was truly able to contact her, then he’d immediately kill the monkey once and for all. He could not allow his secrets to be exposed.
“No! I swear it, Seventh Bro! I didn’t! If you don’t let me out, then I can’t contact anyone!” The monkey immediately defended itself.
Lu Yin frowned and watched Feng Jiu approach closer. She had a strange expression on her face. Was she looking to get revenge?
Quite a few students were surprised by this development and watched on in excitement. Were these two going to fight before the tournament even began?
Han Chong and the other participants were also watching curiously. Did Lu Yin know this participant from the Astral Beast Domain?
“Are you Lu Yin?” Feng Jiu asked in a hostile tone.
Lu Yin nodded. “That’s me.”
“Have you been to the border warfront before?” Feng Jiu coldly continued.
Lu Yin frowned. “That’s none of your business.”
“Are you the one who killed the Ghost Monkey?” Feng Jiu accused Lu Yin, her voice taking on a murderous edge.
Lu Yin raised his eyebrows as he glanced at his right arm with a confused expression. What was the meaning of this? Was she really trying to take revenge? Did she actually like that monkey? So the monkey truly didn’t have a one-sided love?!
“I’m here, my lovely Feng Jiu!” the monkey shrieked. Lu Yin’s right arm even became slightly warmer.
Lu Yin was furious, but all he could do was grind his teeth.
“Why aren’t you answering me? Were you the one who killed the Ghost Monkey?” Feng Jiu asked again.
Lu Yin looked up. “No comment.”
Feng Jiu snickered. “You killed him, but you’re too afraid to admit it. That’s exactly how you humans are—hypocritical and cowardly!”
“Exactly! Humans are hypocritical! I’m right here, Feng Jiu!” the monkey shouted once more.
Lu Yin was getting a headache just from the monkey’s screams. There was a person in front of him jabbering on about one thing or another, and there was another one making a fuss in his mind. The entire situation was causing him to grow increasingly annoyed. “If you have the capabilities, then just avenge him. If you step onto the battlefield, then you should be prepared to die.” And with that, Lu Yin turned away. He couldn’t be bothered to reason with this crazy couple.
Feng Jiu moved in front of Lu Yin, blocking him. She grit her teeth and demanded, “Tell me what he said before he died. He’s always been scared of death and would have definitely tried to save himself, but you still killed him. You’re ruthless!”
“Scared to die? How dare you! I’m the epitome of courage, okay?!” the monkey yelled.
Lu Yin was left speechless and immediately left the Lifeseek Realm.
Feng Jiu clenched her fists. “I’ll definitely kill you, Lu Yin.”
Atop Astral-10’s trial zone mountain, Lu Yin heard the Ghost Monkey complaining the moment he recovered. “Let me out, Seventh Bro! I want to see Feng Jiu. Let me out! I want to go see her!”
Lu Yin had a pounding headache by now. “She obviously doesn’t like you, but for some reason, she doesn’t like the fact that you died.”
The monkey was enraged. “She likes me! All of the Celestial Ice Phoenixes are a part of my harem! Progenitor Wushang arranged it!”
Lu Yin frowned. “Stop talking crap! You keep this up, and I’ll block you and make sure that you’ll never see Feng Jiu again.”
The monkey cried mournfully, but he finally stopped talking.
Gaining an enemy even before the tournament even began did not seem like a good start.
“Huh? Why did you come back? Did you get scared off already?” Lulu asked after seeing Lu Yin. She hadn’t even entered Lifeseek Realm yet.
Not too far away, Coco clenched her fists. “Don’t be afraid, Lu Yin! If you get injured, I’ll just give you an injection!”
Lu Yin’s eyelids unconsciously twitched. “It’s alright, Coco. By the way, how are Ceng Die and Kaname doing?”
Coco smiled. “They’re doing well! They’re delighted that you’re fine.”
“That’s great,” Lu Yin smiled. The two of them had been with him back at Pirate’s Port, so they must be pretty strong if they survived the attack from the warship. Of course, they might also have been spared because of their connections like how Zhuo Daynight had survived.
“Why aren’t you going in?” Lulu asked, baffled.
Lu Yin shrugged. “It’s too noisy in there. I want some peace and quiet, so I’ll just head in right before the tournament begins.”
After responding, Lu Yin was rather surprised when he noticed something odd. “Where’s Zora, Coco? Aren’t you two in the same team?”
“She went back to Windrift Hall for training,” Coco said.
Lu Yin was puzzled. “Training? What kind of training?”
“It’s battle training by the Windrift Hall. As you know, people there are assigned in pairs, with one person focused on healing and the other on fighting. The Windrift Hall’s style of battle is unique, but very powerful,” Lulu explained.
Upon recalling the memory of Zora’s Pulse Severing Finger, Lu Yin had to admit that their battle style was indeed unique. This meant that Zora would be very different upon returning. He took a deep breath. It must be amazing to be a part of a huge organization. Everything was already prepared for their successors.
Before long, Lulu and Coco both entered Lifeseek Realm. The others from Astral-10 had also gone in, leaving Lu Yin alone atop the trial zone mountain.
He leaned against the mountain to rest and patiently waited for the Tournament of the Strongest to begin.
The crowd roared as they stood around the battlefield where the Astral Combat Tournament had formerly been held. Students from the Astral Combat Academy could be found everywhere, and every once a while, someone would die to a war spirit.
Four barriers rose from the ground and sealed off an area within the mountains that separated the spectating students from the battlefield.
During the Astral Combat Tournament, some of the battles had been so intense that some spectating students had been killed. Thus, this time, the mentors of the academy had made ample preparations beforehand. Any of the battles in this competition could be considered to be a battle between the strongest.
The participants from the four different areas stood in four different areas. Those from the Astral Combat Academy were in the east, the Astral Beast Domain the south, the Technocracy the west, and the Cosmic Sea the north.
The areas that had been blocked off by the barriers were huge. Lu Yin was currently on the east side, and if he did not use his star energy, he could barely see the participants from the Technocracy.
With a huge bang, fourteen lots began revolving in the sky. They were split into two colors and were very eye-catching. The color of each individual lot was not fixed, and instead constantly changed.
“The participants will now draw their own lots,” a voice boomed, causing the entire battlefield to go dark. This was an ultra powerhouse speaking.
Many students were startled and felt a tremendous pressure suppressing the area around them.
In the east, the participants from the Technocracy frowned, and contempt flashed across their eyes. It seemed as if they thought nothing of the ultra powerhouse’s voice.
After that, all of the participants used their star energy to form illusory arms that stretched into the sky. They did not fight over anything, and instead casually took whatever lot they first came across. Everyone felt confident in themselves.
There were seven colors and fourteen participants. Those with the same color would be matched against each other, and the first battle ended up being between the Astral Combat Academy’s Grandini Mavis and the Technocracy’s Domi.
So Grandini is going to be in the first round. Lu Yin looked very sullen. The Mavis family’s terrifying innate gift ensured that they were all extraordinary. This battle would definitely show off how powerful Grandini had become at present. It was certain that she had improved since the Astral Combat Tournament.
At the base of a mountain, Grandini Mavis and Domi faced off each other. Everyone watched on with bated breath. The Technocracy was a very mysterious place to the humans. Aside from the troops at the border, no one else knew anything about the people from that astral domain.
