Lu Yin was exhausted. “I want to rest first. Also, don’t get too excited—lockbreaking is always a gamble, and the chances of getting any kind of treasure are extremely low. Besides, the Lockbreaker Society doesn’t judge a Lockbreaker’s ability on whether or not they get any treasures.”
“Monkey obviously knows this, but I just can’t accept it! That kind of powerful astral beast’s blood could have been of great help to me.”
Lu Yin’s gaze trembled. “You don’t even have a physical body, but you’re trying to say that the blood still would have helped you?”
The Ghost Monkey quickly gave an explanation. “Of course! The blood of some powerhouses can even possess a kind of inheritance or other valuable information, such as battle techniques or secret arts. It’s just like how, when you became an Explorer, your blood also became different from others’. The more powerful you become, the greater the possibility of certain things leaving a trace within your body. If you one day reach the level of an Envoy, it’s possible that other people would even try to study a strand of your hair in hopes of finding some inheritance.”
Lu Yin frowned, as he did not like those words. They sounded as if even the dead had to be studied. “So you raided tombs to obtain the corpses of powerful astral beasts?”
“What tomb raiding? This monkey here is a proper archaeologist!” The Ghost Monkey didn’t like that accusation.
Lu Yin did not bother with the monkey any longer. He had inferred many different things from the monkey’s words, and his desire to quickly find a Beast Tamer to understand this monkey’s situation was even stronger than ever.
Right, there was also the Greatsword Dynasty. Lu Yin would help them when he returned from Sourcepeak Planet, and then he would conveniently be able to get some hidden treasures.
He rested for a day before approaching the second sourcebox. According to the information that the Nalan Family had given Gavin, while this sourcebox was not too dangerous, one would feel an oppressive aura that grew more intense the closer they drew to the sourcebox. This was not the same effect as increased gravity; rather, this oppression seemed to stem from the air itself becoming several times more dense, and it was even possible for people to pass out from excess oxygen.
There was a thump as the case of Spiritual Thread opened. Lu Yin looked at the sourcebox that appeared to be quite ordinary. However, in the next moment, his entire body felt as if he had been suddenly submerged within a swamp, and tremendous amounts of oxygen flooded through his body with each breath as his mind dulled and became heavy. He immediately stopped breathing, which resolved this sensation.
This sourcebox could only be approached by cultivators who were at least Explorers, as otherwise, the oppressive air around the sourcebox would kill them.
This sourcebox was smaller than the first one he had opened that had been beast-shaped. Lu Yin studied it for a moment, and then chose a position and began to lockbreak.
***
In the Vastdearth Sect, at where the Sect Elder was in seclusion. Meng Tianlong had been waiting in this place for several days in hopes that the elder would emerge.
Elder Angio walked over from behind Meng Tianlong and sighed. “Sect Leader, you should head back. The Sect Elder has secluded himself for good. And even if his body is still fine, who knows how long it will take for him to come out.”
Meng Tianlong was feeling rather down. “How’s our relationships with the other weaves?”
Elder Angio felt embarrassed. “Leader, do we really have to do this? It’ll be problematic if we provoke Lu Yin.”
“No, this is just a friendly competition. I don’t have any intentions of overthrowing him,” Meng Tianlong explained.
“We’ve already reached out to them, and they have all agreed. During the Alliance Conference, we’ll pull out all sorts of elites and have them challenge members of the Great Yu Empire.”
Meng Tianlong nodded, but he did not speak any further.
“Leader, will it really be useful to handle things this way?” Elder Angio asked.
Meng Tianlong’s gaze trembled. “The establishment of this alliance may allow the Great Yu Empire to gain benefits, but that’s because Lu Yin is the one behind them. If one day, something happens to him, then the party to benefit the most from this alliance may not end up being the Great Yu Empire. What we have to do right now is display our own power while also suppressing everyone from the Great Yu Empire aside from Lu Yin.”
“So is this the reason why our sect has not resisted the alliance formation too much from the start?” Elder Angio came to a realization.
Meng Tianlong looked up. “It’s indeed true that the Outerverse needs an alliance, but the decision-maker should not be Lu Yin, but rather us. Once our Sect Elder awakens, our Vastdearth Sect may even rival Lu Yin’s position within the alliance. Lu Yin is arrogant and has made too many enemies, so something is bound to happen to him sooner or later. At that moment, the entire alliance will become ours. Hence, we need to coordinate with him and properly arrange this alliance in preparation for our future.”
Elder Angio left without asking the question that had been on his mind for a long time. The foundational premise behind Meng Tianlong’s plans was that something would eventually happen to Lu Yin. But what if nothing ever happened to the youth? Would that not mean that the alliance would always be controlled by him? Lu Yin was still very young, and he could definitely outlive old cultivators like themselves.
Meng Tianlong had not mentioned anything about this, and this seemed to imply that he knew that even if the Sect Elder emerged, not even that old monster would be able to suppress Lu Yin.
When most people were overwhelmed by external pressure, they would subconsciously look for excuses. Elder Angio felt that Meng Tianlong was searching for an excuse for the Vastdearth Sect to yield to the alliance, though of course, it was also possible that the excuse would even prove to be true.
***
In Bard Weave, there was a pavilion beneath one of the waterfalls within Evenground Palace. At this moment, the Evenground Palace Mistress, Mu Nichang, was sitting in that pavilion along with the Young Mistress, Doro.
“Master, what did the people from the Vastdearth Sect have to say?” Doro was curious. She always acted very reservedly in front of all the elders and never asked too many questions, but she behaved much more casually when she was alone with Mu Nichang.
Mu Nichang was even more casual than the younger woman. She sat there with a hand propping her chin up as she observed the waterfall from an angle. Her current demeanor was very different from the calmness she always exhibited in front of all the elders, and it seemed as if she was an entirely different person. Doro had long since become accustomed to such behavior, as her master acted like a dignified Sect Mistress to outsiders, but she acted like an ordinary young girl when all alone. No, some of her behavior was even more puerile than that of an ordinary girl.
“What can they say? They want to ally to cause trouble for the Great Yu Empire,” Mu Nichang casually replied as she rolled her eyes about in a beautiful manner.
Doro’s eyes went wide. “Meng Tianlong doesn’t want to keep living! He actually dares to make trouble for Lu Yin? Lu Yin is someone who won’t even hesitate to kill an Enlighter.”
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. The power vessel that he used to kill those Enlighters has been destroyed, so it would be impressive if he still has something that can kill Hunters,” Mu Nichang replied.
“If that’s the case, then why did Master agree to join the Great Eastern Alliance?” Doro asked.
Mu Nichang sighed. “It’s not Lu Yin’s power level itself that is terrifying, but rather his schemes and methods that are so frightening. He schemed Darkstar Gorge into oblivion, and who knows if the brat has any methods in place to deal with us. Every sect has had some shady dealings, and who knows if he has our Evenground Palace’s information in his hands.”
“Master, this Lu Yin always places his own benefits first. Since he went ahead and established this alliance, he must have his own plans as well. We can’t possibly work for him if he betrays us,” Doro clenched a fist.
Mu Nichang grunted. “Those were my thoughts as well, but-” Her brows furrowed and she looked quite aggravated as she suddenly paused. “I’m not good at coming up with such schemes, so what can we do?”
Doro also felt helpless, and both women propped their chins with their hands and stared at the waterfall with troubled expressions.
Suddenly, Mu Nichang cried out, and she looked at Doro happily. “Master has a plan!”
“Tell me, Master!” Doro was delighted.
Mu Nichang stared at Doro, and her lips curled upwards. “You can marry Lu Yin and then you’ll become Master’s secret informant! This way, even if Lu Yin plots against others, he’ll end up being circumvented by the Evenground Palace. What about that?”
Doro’s mouth gaped open. “Master, even if this is just you trying to play a joke on your disciple, don’t try to act like such a proposal is a proper plan! Your disciple won’t go along with it!”
Mu Nichang leaned forward and stared at her disciple. “You won’t go along with it? Are you sure?”
Doro nodded decisively. “Definitely not.”
“You don’t have any confidence in being able to seduce Lu Yin?”
“Of course that’s not it! That brat’s nothing but a country bumpkin—it’ll just take me a few moves to bait him in.”
“Master doesn’t believe you.”
“Hmph! Regardless of whether you believe it or not, your disciple is quite charming.”
“If you don’t go, then Master will go myself. Then you can become the Palace Mistress, and Master will be your secret informant.”
Distressed, Doro facepalmed. “Master, please stop joking. At most we’ll just ignore whatever Lu Yin tells us and pretend like we never heard anything. Since Vastdearth Sect’s Meng Tianlong contacted us of his own initiative, he’ll definitely contact the powers in the other weaves. Let him take the lead, and that way, he can also take the fall if anything happens.”
Mu Nichang clapped. “That’s right, precious disciple! You’re smart.”
“Master, you’re really disgusting,” Doro said contemptuously, but then, her expression suddenly changed. “Not good, someone’s coming! Get back in character.”
Mu Nichang straightened her body and rearranged her expression, suddenly regaining a solemn dignity. Doro hurriedly stood to the side of her master in a respectful manner as an elder slowly approached the two of them from behind. “Mistress, a guest has come for a visit.”
“Understood,” Mu Nichang answered quietly.
***
Eleven hours. It took Lu Yin eleven hours to completely unlock the second sourcebox. He looked expectantly as the outermost layer of energy shattered. There was a crack, and then Lu Yin fervently watched the sourcebox open up. A puff of green smoke floated out, but then, there was nothing. There was truly nothing inside the sourcebox, which was even more nauseating than what had come out of the beast-shaped sourcebox from last time.
“Seventh Bro, your character is too rotten. Let this monkey handle the last step next time,” the Ghost Monkey mocked Lu Yin.
Lu Yin sighed. His mood had fallen hard and fast. Eleven hours of hard work had resulted in nothing, and all he had gained was that he had pushed his Lockbreaker ranking up to a five star Discerning Elementary Lockbreaker.
Two sessions of successfully lockbreaking five star Discerning Elementary sourceboxes was enough to increase his rank.
He could tell that, even though it had only been two sessions of lockbreaking, which wasn’t very much, the experience that he had gained from these two sessions alone had been considerable. Also, he was much more at ease when handling five star Discerning Elementary sourceboxes, which meant that it was time to try unlocking a Perceptive Intermediate sourcebox, though not before resting for a while.
Right after Lu Yin left the courtyard, he received a message informing him that Wendy Yushan had left seclusion.
Lu Yin immediately headed over to the princess’s residence. He barged straight into Wendy Yushan’s home without even announcing his arrival, and he found her leisurely sitting in the garden, enjoying some tea.
Lu Yin’s sudden appearance caused Wendy Yushan to frown, and she flung out the tea from her cup at him. It formed itself into a sharp tip that swept towards Lu Yin with enough force that it caused the void to distort. Lu Yin raised a hand and made a grabbing motion, instantly crushing the blade formed from tea water.
“I’ve told you to announce your arrival before you enter my home.” Wendy Yushan calmly looked at Lu Yin, but there was a trace of dissatisfaction in her eyes. Still, it was only a trace as the predominant emotion was that of helplessness.
Lu Yin walked over to Wendy Yushan with a solemn expression and told her, “I’ve told you not to go into the Daosource Sect on your own. That place has become a battlefield, and it’s too dangerous!”
Wendy Yushan practically ignored Lu Yin and simply poured herself a cup of tea. “I know.”
“And yet you still went in?” Lu Yin frowned. He could not control his temper at this moment as he truly valued Wendy Yushan’s safety.
Wendy Yushan also felt his emotions, and her heart became warmer as she poured Lu Yin a cup of tea. “Sorry.”
Lu Yin’s anger dissipated slightly. This woman was proud and completely unyielding, and she also had a respectable status on top of that. However, she had now apologized to him twice. To commoners, an apology was a very normal thing, but an apology could hardly ever be heard from this woman. But now, she had easily given such a thing to Lu Yin. Their relationship had developed further and had become different: friends? Relatives? Or perhaps something else.
It was possible that Lu Yin was the only person in the entire universe who could teach this woman a lesson. She was like his own personal object.
