Innate gifts were quite rare in the Outerverse, and anyone who possessed an innate gift would instantly have the qualifications to join the Outerverse Youth Council under the Ten Arbiters.
As one’s cultivation realm increased, their innate gift would grow with it and be immensely useful during battles.
Lu Yin stood in place and silently observed the middle-aged man.
The man looked solemn, and his fists had a golden luster to them that was suddenly covered with six lined battle force right before he fiercely charged at Lu Yin. The man slammed a fist down, and a fist silhouette multiplied in size multiple times until it looked like a mountain crashing down upon Lu Yin.
Lu Yin was surprised, as this person had actually cultivated his battle force to six lines while in the Cruiser realm. Thus, he could be considered to be quite gifted.
There was a loud bang, and the surrounding crowd all stared at the scene, stunned.
At the center of the impact, Lu Yin was grasping the middle-aged man’s fist with a single hand, not backing down even a single step. Not only that, but the middle-aged man’s battle force also cracked apart before it finally vanished.
Captain Wind and Captain Flower were both astonished. They had already known that Lu Yin was extremely powerful from their initial observations, and they had determined Lu Yin’s physical strength to nearly rival an Enlighter’s. However, it was one thing to be physically strong, and another matter entirely to use it effectively in a fight. Not only was this kid extremely physically strong, but he was also not lacking in battle experience at all.
The middle-aged man pulled back his fist and bluntly stated, “I lost.”
Lu Yin smiled. “Excuse me.”
The middle-aged man was both disappointed and frustrated by his own performance.
As the man left, another took his place. This second man had a very frail appearance and drooping eyelids. His hair was somewhat fluffy, and he looked rather young.
Lu Yin’s face grew more serious when he saw this person step forward because this man was a Hunter. Furthermore, he was not just any ordinary Hunter. The man’s rune lines were roughly equivalent to the rune lines of the calm-looking youth, Vice Captain Mo. This person could be ranked among the top five most powerful people in the entire crew.
“I’m not your opponent when it comes to physical strength, but-” The slender man paused for a moment as he stared at Lu Yin. “I’m very fast.”
Right after the man finished speaking, Lu Yin leaned to the side. A cold knife streaked through the void right where Lu Yin had been standing, and afterimages of the blade tore through the void.
The surrounding crowd felt their hair stand on end, and even Vice Captain Mo’s expression changed. Even he had not seen when the attack had been launched, so he was dumbfounded to see Lu Yin successfully dodge the knife strike.
Lu Yin’s gaze grew sharp when he saw the cold knife slice out at him. He then suddenly raised his hand and firmly grabbed his opponent’s pale hand that was clenching the knife’s hilt before exerting a bit of force. The Overlaying Stacks Path burst forth, causing the void to tremble and release a dull, drum-like echo. The thin man was dragged out of the void, and he backed up repeatedly as he tried to endure the attack infused with the Overlaying Stacks Path. In the end, the man had to back up a dozen meters before he was caught by Captain Wind and came to a stop.
Captain Wind was astonished. “Fifty Stacks, how impressive.”
The surrounding people stared at Lu Yin like he was a monster. It was unprecedented for an Explorer to use Fifty Stacks. Where had he learned such a thing?
Lu Yin showed a faint smile. “Please excuse me.”
He did not conceal much about his abilities, as it would not be too difficult for these people to search him up on the network since he had not altered his appearance at all. Besides, did it matter if they found out his identity? Although he had only spent a few days with this crew, Lu Yin understood them quite well. These people were not schemers, and they were unconcerned by status.
Vice Captain Mo slowly stepped forward and removed his outer coat. “It’s my turn for a lesson.”
Lu Yin’s eyes lit up. This person was a peak Hunter, and he was the crewmember who was second only to the two Enlighters, Wind and Flower.
A peak Hunter was a true expert, but in Lu Yin’s eyes, such a powerhouse was quite ordinary. During his trip to the Innerverse, Imprinters had been forced to suppress their power level to below 200,000, which was around the same power level as a peak Hunter. However, Lu Yin had managed to fight against these powerhouses, so there was no need to mention this Vice Captain Mo.
The crowd had thought that they would be entertained by a fierce battle, as from their perspectives, it would already be absolutely amazing for Lu Yin to contest Vice Captain Mo in battle. An Explorer who could cross realms and challenge Cruisers was already considered an exceptionally talented individual, much less an Explorer who could challenge Hunters. That would be an absolute genius. Now, Lu Yin was facing off against a peak Hunter, which was far beyond anything that they had expected. Thus, they were simply waiting to see how long Lu Yin could last.
Vice Captain Mo also revealed the attitude of a mentor.
However, he was quickly stumped, and then he even began to doubt himself. He was facing defeat beyond a shadow of a doubt. A single palm from Lu Yin had delivered Eighty Stacks that exploded squarely on the vice captain’s chest, resulting in the man being defeated. The overpowering force of that attack had stifled him and had forced him to retreat a dozen steps.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Vice Captain Mo himself was in disbelief, as he had not held anything back and had even erupted with his full power as a peak Hunter. At this moment, Captain Flower spoke up. “Alright, no more.”
Vice Captain Mo stopped and turned to look at Captain Flower, stunned.
Captain Flower looked at Lu Yin. “In the current universe, there is no one else I can think of who has such power at your age aside from one person. Could you be Alliance Leader Lu?”
The crew was dazed for a moment, but then they suddenly seemed to remember something, and they all started to flip through their gadgets.
Lu Yin’s appearance could be found on the network, and this was precisely why he had not gone through any effort to hide his identity. It was nothing more than a habit for him to revert to the name of “Seven.” Whether or not this group managed to discover his identity did not matter at all.
When they realized that they were facing the legend himself, nearly everyone in the Windflower Crew was strongly affected, as this person was indeed Lu Yin.
Although they typically spent most of their time exploring the Astral Wilderness, they would still occasionally receive a bit of news from the Outerverse, and by now, they had already been back in the Outerverse for a few days. Endless Borders’ headquarters had long since sent out a list of names for the expedition crews to be cautious of while in the Outerverse, and Lu Yin’s name had been on the top of that list.
Regarding Lu Yin, all of the crewmembers had only one thought: this person could not be provoked.
The Windflower Crew had two Enlighters, and they were definitely a top power in any part of the Outerverse that could talk to any organization that they wished. But Lu Yin was not someone who they could stand up to, not even if they gathered all of the expedition crews that belonged to Endless Borders. This was due to not only the youth’s defying strength, but also his background that was even more impressive.
It would still be fine if that was all that there was to this youth, as they would simply view him as someone similar to the Ten Arbiters. However, Lu Yin had a terrible ambition, employed ruthless methods, and was also highly intelligent. This was the true reason why the various great powers of the Outerverse were all nervous about him.
After confirming that this youth was indeed Lu Yin, the expressions of the entire Windflower Crew changed.
Lu Yin slowly bowed. “I am Lu Yin, but I did not intentionally deceive you. Rather, I was afraid of being killed. Seniors, please forgive me.”
The two captains looked at Lu Yin in surprise. “It’s been several years since we left the Outerverse, and we never thought that someone like you would appear.”
Lu Yin smiled at the two old men. “Actually, this wasn’t Junior’s first time meeting you two seniors.”
The two captains exchanged glances, puzzled by Lu Yin’s statement. “We’ve met before?”
Lu Yin nodded. “Some time ago, the two captains were having an astral battle that affected the stars. Do you happen to remember a personal spacecraft that was caught up within the commotion?”
They thought about it, and then Captain Flower cried out. “I remember now! You’re that little fellow who was from the Astral Combat Academy.”
Captain Wind also recalled the scene. “Our battle at that time unintentionally dragged in a vessel from the Astral Combat Academy, but it managed to escape by itself. So that was you.”
Lu Yin smiled. “That was me.”
“Hahaha, so we were brought together by fate.” Captain Wind smiled.
Captain Flower also spoke up, “Back then, we mentioned that the person was an elite from the Astral Combat Academy. We had actually wanted to watch the Astral Combat Tournament, but we had to quickly head back to the Astral Wilderness. I never thought that, after these few years, we would meet again so soon.”
“Junior also only recently put it together.” Lu Yin smiled.
…
The Windflower Crew’s spacecraft was headed towards Southside Weave, and along the way, Lu Yin sent a report to Wang Wen, Wei Rong, En Ya, and the others. He also specifically made it a point to ask Wang Wen about certain details concerning Endless Borders.
Wang Wen replied that he did not know many details about the organization and that he was only concerned about Endless Borders because this organization’s philosophy was in line with the desires of many cultivators. In his eyes, having such a philosophy should not be a bad thing. Also, Endless Borders explored interstellar routes, and that knowledge was very valuable.
Lu Yin was looking forward to this trip to Endless Borders’ headquarters, and during his discussions with the two captains, he discovered why the crew members had asked to spar with him. They were all preparing for an upcoming tournament that was being internally organized by Endless Borders.
Organizations could not remain still or else they would stagnate like water. Endless Borders already had an innate spirit of exploration and bold ventures with its former status as the Adventurers’ Guild. Thus, at regular intervals, they would conduct an internal tournament, and the victor would be given extremely generous rewards. This was a means to stir up and motivate the various expedition crews.
Quite a few individuals that had been victorious in the tournament had subsequently founded their own crews.
To the members of Endless Borders, this tournament was very important.
Although the Windflower Crew was not particularly interested in the prizes, they did not wish to fall behind the other crews, which was what had caused their previous situation. Each crew could only send out one person to participate in the tournament. This meant that the majority of participants were not actually from the expedition crews, but were rather cultivators from the company itself.
This tournament was indeed an opportunity for people to establish their own crews, but only a few cultivators would seize such a chance to do so, as the victors were frequently cultivators who were already in an expedition crew.
For this tournament, the crew had intended to have Vice Captain Mo be their representative, but Lu Yin’s unexpected appearance had changed things. Although Vice Captain Mo did not think that he would ultimately lose to Lu Yin, he was not fully confident in his chances. This was because Lu Yin’s reputation was too intimidating.
“Seniors, Vice Captain Mo, I wonder, can the opportunity to participate in this tournament be handed over to me? There is something that I desperately wish to obtain,” Lu Yin politely requested.
The two captains looked over at Vice Captain Mo.
He smiled. “Of course. We’re not too concerned about the tournament, and with our status, there’s no need for us to go through this tournament to get what we want. Alliance Leader Lu can participate if you would like.”
Lu Yin hurriedly expressed his thanks.
“Alliance Leader Lu, I must warn you of something. Any cultivator participating in this tournament is not an average person, especially if they are from one of the crews that explore the Astral Wilderness. Every one of those people are capable of protecting themselves. Please don’t be careless,” Vice Captain Mo cautioned Lu Yin. The vice captain had participated in the tournament several times in the past, and he had also won several victories.
“Also, items are not allowed to be used in this internal tournament,” Captain Flower mentioned.
Lu Yin smiled slightly. “Thank you for the reminders. I understand.”
After he left, the two elders exchanged glances. “How far do you think this kid can make it without using any items?” Captain Wind asked.
Captain Flower shook his head. “It’s hard to say. Even with external objects, it’s difficult to kill an Enlighter, but this kid was doing that in just the Limiteer realm. This is something that is almost never seen, and it’s impossible to estimate his powers. Also, he has a secret technique as well as an unrivaled physical strength. There should be very few Hunters who can fight against him.”
As they spoke, they glanced at Vice Captain Mo. “What do you think after exchanging blows with him just now?”
Vice Captain Mo hesitated. “I have a feeling that he didn’t give it his all.”
The two captains were not surprised.
Lu Yin’s reputation had been forged through his fights, and a peak Hunter could no longer qualify as a threat against him.
