Lu Yin could see through the strength of the predecessors, and he was able to easily avoid it. However, he did not do so. He deliberately continued walking towards the sourcebox, step by step.
Suddenly, the surface of his finger turned to stone, followed by his entire body. Eventually, he became a complete stoneman and remained there, frozen in place.
In the distance, within Felynn’s secure room that was beneath her garden, Saul suddenly stood up. He looked ecstatic; Lu Yin had just been petrified.
That sourcebox had long since been in the possession of the Outerverse’s Lockbreaker Society, and Saul himself had once considered unlocking it. However, he had not since he was apprehensive of the strength of the predecessors that the sourcebox contained. That strength approached the level of an Enlighter, and even if Saul had personally made an attempt, he might have been petrified.
This time, when Lu Yin had asked Felynn to prepare some sourceboxes for him to unlock, Saul had instructed Felynn to use three sourceboxes that all had danger zones in an attempt to test the youth. Now, Lu Yin was fully petrified.
Saul looked on, excited. Lu Yin had been a thorn in Saul’s heart that he had wanted to pull out for a long time. However, he quickly calmed down, and his eyes flickered. It was impossible to determine what was going through Saul’s mind at this moment.
In another place, Felynn had also sensed that Lu Yin had been petrified, but she was at a loss as to how to handle the matter.
One day quickly passed by, and Lu Yin was still petrified, completely motionless.
Saul did not take this opportunity to act, and after a bit of thought, the secure room fell silent, and Saul was no longer as excited as before. It seemed as if he had thought of something.
Another two days passed, but things still remained the same.
By now, Lu’s Grand Auction on Zenyu Star had ended. Bei Qing was so excited that he felt like he was about to fly. This auction broke the highest sales record, as it had netted 450,000 star essence in total. The various powers had brought out all of their hidden star essence reserves, which had elevated Lu’s Grand Auction to an entirely new stage, as it had brushed against the highest auction records in the history of the Outerverse. From this day onwards, Lu’s Grand Auction would be able to enter the history books of the Outerverse.
And his name, Bei Qing, would also be recorded down in history alongside it.
From the start, the Outerverse did not use star essence, but his auction had sold all of their items off at exorbitant prices. It was enough to bring honor to his ancestors.
Bei Qing had now found an activity that could occupy the rest of his life. His most looked forward to times were when Lu Yin delivered the next batch of premium goods to be auctioned to him, as there were surprises every time.
On Planet Hydrotink, Lu Yin had been completely petrified for five whole days, but there still was no movement from either Saul or Felynn.
Finally, on the sixth day, the stone covering Lu Yin began to crack, and he stepped out with a strange expression.
What was Saul thinking? Even in this situation, the man had not taken the opportunity to do something to Lu Yin. Why?
In front of Lu Yin, the sourcebox was still releasing the strength of the predecessors that petrified everything that approached the sourcebox. Although the strength of these attacks could even cause Enlighters to be nervous, Lu Yin was able to easily avoid them. As he worked on unlocking the sourcebox, the attacks gradually dissipated until they finally vanished. All that remained was a bloodied handprint that had been left on a stone.
He picked up the stone and carefully studied the bloodied handprint, but the stone shattered with a bang just moments after.
Lu Yin felt that it was a pity, as the sourcebox had been unlocked too late. If it had been opened some tens of thousands of years earlier, then the stone might not have shattered. In fact, the bloody handprint might have even been extractable and preserved for other uses.
He clapped his hands, and the crumbs of stone scattered from his palm. Lu Yin then stepped forward towards the third secret room.
The danger zone of the third sourcebox was not too severe, and there weren’t any bizarre phenomena that accompanied it either. Lu Yin spent half a day to completely unlock it, but the sourcebox was completely empty. Lu Yin did not feel any disappointment, as the vast majority of sourceboxes had become unstable due to the passage of time, and it was very normal for them to be empty.
Lu Yin had successfully unlocked three Perceptive Intermediate sourceboxes, and one had actually even been at the four star level. This was enough to upgrade Lu Yin’s Lockbreaking level to three star Perceptive Intermediate. This was enough to satisfy Lu Yin at the moment. If Lu Yin wanted to reach the five star level, then he would need to unlock five star Perceptive Intermediate sourceboxes, but that would have to be left for his next visit. It did not seem very prudent to clean out the Lockbreaker Society in one go, and he would simply treat his visit this time as practice.
When he stepped out of the secure room, Felynn was already waiting for him outside.
“Take me to meet Saul,” Lu Yin said.
Felynn was surprised by Lu Yin’s order, and her face turned pale. She had never imagined that Lu Yin was already aware of Saul’s presence.
“Let’s go,” Lu Yin urged.
Felynn quickly agreed, and she led the way. Soon, the two arrived in her garden.
Lu Yin looked in the direction of the underground area and then slowly sat on a stone bench.
In front of him, Saul tore through the void as he emerged. He calmly looked at Lu Yin. “Alliance Leader Lu, I’ve disturbed you.”
Lu Yin gestured for the older man to sit.
Saul did not stand on ceremony, and he sat down.
“Actually, there’s no grudge between us. On Sourcepeak Planet, I was not the one who targeted you. I was simply in the right place at the right time,” Lu Yin commented.
Saul nodded. “I know. Felynn was the one who wanted to replace me, and Deng Pu was the one who betrayed me. Finally, it was Wei Rong and the Shadowsword Sect who plotted to destroy Sourcepeak Planet. Alliance Leader Lu just behaved as a guest ought to.”
Lu Yin smiled, as he had taken away quite a few items that belonged to the Lockbreaker Society, and he had even stolen the pages of True Insight that had been President Geoffrey’s secret room. However, Lu Yin had also saved the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society. “I did what a guest should have done, but Mr. Saul, you’re different. Mr. Jun attempted to kill me, and he was sent by you, correct?”
Saul nodded, not bothering to deny anything. “President Geoffrey’s secret room held another box, which should be in your possession.”
“Mr. Saul was also the one who targeted me halfway through the competition,” Lu Yin softly added on.
“Making use of the society’s great changes and threatening the Lockbreaker Society into migrating to Frostwave Weave was also Alliance Leader Lu’s doing.” Saul did not back down one bit.
The two exchanged glances and then both chuckled.
Both of them had done various things, but they also both believed that the actions they had taken were necessary.
Saul sighed. “From start to end, I was led by the nose. I assumed that everything was under my control, but I had already lost control of the deciding moment long ago. I was behind every step of the way, and that led to my downfall and my current outcast position.”
Lu Yin smiled. “From my view, Mr. Saul did not do anything wrong. You simply wanted to become the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society President and obtain True Insight to improve your own strength. There is nothing wrong with these desires, and if you need to bear any blame, then it should only be because you failed.”
“Yes, I failed.” The light in Saul’s eyes dimmed. Even though he had broken through and become an Enlighter, it could not make up for his previous defeat. He had already lost the hearts of many Lockbreakers, and he no longer qualified to become the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society President, as he was even less qualified than Felynn.
In the past, Saul had said that as long as his status was not stripped from him by the Innerverse Lockbreaker Society, that he would remain as the vice president. However, that had just been him consoling himself. Since he had lost the support of so many Lockbreakers, how could he remain as the vice president?
“The Outerverse Lockbreaker Society faced internal strife while also encountering external pressure. Thus, Vice President Saul was the one who was unlucky. In my view, life has always been unfair to Mr. Saul. When everything happened on Sourcepeak Planet, Mr. Saul was the one who commanded people to protect the Hall of Insight, and there were simply too many variables that influenced the final outcome of that battle. Not everything should be blamed on Mr. Saul,” Lu Yin consoled.
Saul’s eyes flashed, and he looked at Lu Yin. “What is Alliance Leader Lu saying?”
Felynn was listening to the conversation from nearby, and she also turned to look at Lu Yin. Her expression was rather panicked.
Lu Yin smiled. “I want to invite Mr. Saul to return and resume leading the society.”
Saul grew excited, but he quickly calmed down. “Can Alliance Leader Lu do that?”
Lu Yin looked at Felynn. “President Felynn, we will have to trouble you.”
Felynn’s expression was complex, and she was momentarily left at a loss, as she simply did not know how to react. She had plotted for so long, all in order to gain her current position as the interim president. However, a single sentence from Lu Yin had removed her from her seat on this day. She should have been enraged beyond all reasoning, but for some reason, she heaved a sigh of relief. This was the reason behind her complex emotions, and it was also why she did not know how to reply.
Saul looked at Felynn in an imposing manner. “Felynn, can this be done?”
Felynn was stumped. She looked at Saul and then at Lu Yin. She slowly lowered her head. “Yes.”
Lu Yin beamed at Saul. “See? It’s that simple!”
Even in his dreams, Saul wanted to return to the Society. In the past, he had been banished, and this person had been a part of the group that had banished him. But now, it was this same person allowing Saul to return.
This was what was known as having the wind and rain at one’s beck and call. This youth was completely different compared to when he had been on Sourcepeak Planet.
At that time. Saul had been able to completely disregard Lu Yin, and he had even sent assassins after the youth. But now, Saul had to calmly listen to this person.
“Alliance Leader Lu, I want to know why,” Saul stated.
Lu Yin thought about it. “The Lockbreaker Society’s greatest value lies in its Lockbreakers, but the society’s highest echelons are the people who can keep those Lockbreakers safe. In the past, I offended too many people, but I was not killed because I’m also a Lockbreaker. I hope that the other Lockbreakers can also rely on this protection. Felynn clearly cannot achieve such a thing, and only Mr. Saul is capable of doing so.”
Saul frowned, as he did not believe Lu Yin’s motivations were that pure.
“Of course, Planet Hydrotink is a part of my Great Yu Empire, and so, I hope to have someone who can rise to the occasion and not allow others to come and go as they please,” Lu Yin said very pointedly.
Felynn immediately remembered the time when, during the border invasion, that box had been stolen. This was the punishment for that. Not only had the box been stolen, but she had also shirked her responsibility, which brought about Lu Yin’s displeasure.
If Lu Yin had not been at the border warfront, then he would have been held responsible for that matter.
This had revealed Felynn’s incompetence to Lu Yin.
In the past, Lu Yin needed an incompetent person to oversee the Lockbreaker Society for him, but now that his power and influence had soared, Felynn was unable to keep pace with his requirements. Coincidentally, Saul could. Thus, Felynn had been let go.
The universe was cruel. Those who could not keep up with the times could only be abandoned, and nobody could escape this trend, not even Lu Yin himself.
Of course, Felynn was only being stripped of her position as the interim president, and her status within the society would not change. She would still be an executive, second only to Saul.
Saul’s return to the Society proceeded smoothly, as most of the Lockbreakers could be persuaded by Felynn. However, there was one person who Lu Yin had to personally speak to: Cai Jianqiang.
Although Cai Jianqiang did not hold a high position within the Society, he was a special existence since he was Planet Hydrotink’s guardian, and he was also the only person who could threaten Saul. Additionally, Cai Jianqiang was on Planet Hydrotink at this time.
Ever since the wedding celebration at the Zi family, Lu Yin had not spoken to Cai Jianqiang.
Zi Rong had been one of Cai Jianqiang’s few friends, along with Lu Yin himself. The trio had fought and drank together, and they had all gotten along with each other quite well. But in the end, tragedy had still struck.
Cai Jianqiang did not blame Lu Yin, as Zi Rong had brought everything upon himself. Cai Jianqian was merely depressed about the situation; who would have thought that one of his few friends would prove to be such a despicable person. Not only had Zi Rong collaborated with the Neohuman Alliance, but he had also used despicable means to threaten a girl into marrying him. It was embarrassing to even mention him as a friend.
“Are you still thinking about the matter with Zi Rong?” Lu Yin asked.
Across from him, Cai Jianqiang shook his head. “I still have a feeling that he wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Lu Yin sighed. “The first time we met, I received that blade of his, which allowed me to see his determination towards cultivation. I also don’t believe that he’s such a person, but the facts have shown otherwise. Thus, we must try to move on.”
