His rune lines, his Arcane Creation realm star energy, and his accumulated experience in controlling multiple sourcebox arrays. More importantly, he had played chess with Celestial Master Qiuling, which had greatly improved his lockbreaking ability. He was confident that he could unlock a five-star Boundless Advanced sourcebox as long as he had the time.
Xiu Ming gazed at the waterfall. "Over the years that the Lockbreaker Society has existed, we've advanced from One Star Boundless Advanced Lockbreakers to two Star Boundless Advanced Lockbreakers. On average, we've unlocked ten One Star Boundless Advanced sourceboxes."
Lu Yin's expression changed.
Xiu Ming continued, "The assessment's requirement is that you only need to unlock four One Star Boundless Advanced sourceboxes and one two-star one. However, almost no Lockbreaker participates in the assessment after meeting this requirement. This is because the path of lockbreaking is vast and boundless. You're confident that you can unlock two, Three Star, Four Star, or even five Star Boundless Advanced sourceboxes, but do you really qualify to become a Lockbreaker at the corresponding level?"
"Lu Yin, how many sourcebox arrays have you seen since you first started lockbreaking?" Xiu Ming asked.
Lu Yin thought for a moment. "Not many."
Xiu Ming asked the same question to Wu Dan.
Wu Dan respectfully answered, "I once entered the Ancient Spirit Sea and saw one sourcebox after another. There were all sorts of dangers and all sorts of shapes."
Xiu Ming looked at Lu Yin. "Compared to Wu Dan, the sourceboxes you've seen aren't even a tenth of what you've seen. Perhaps, it's only one percent."
Lu Yin looked up. "But I have the ability to unlock high-grade sourceboxes."
"A Lockbreaker is a scholar who unlocks the universe's language. Sourceboxes are sealed by the universe, and lockbreaking is only one of the Lockbreakers' abilities. Having the ability does not mean that you're a successful Lockbreaker. You're an Enlighter, so is your true strength only that of an Enlighter?" Xiu Ming asked.
Lu Yin could tell that Xiu Ming did not want him to advance too quickly, but he did not understand. Even though Xiu Ming had explained so much, he still did not understand.
Xiu Ming had a complicated expression. "Since the inception of lockbreaking, many Celestial Masters have appeared, and almost none of them had good endings."
Lu Yin's heart trembled, and he looked at Xiu Ming in shock.
Wu Dan's gaze was sorrowful.
"Humans cannot surpass the universe's firmament, and sourceboxes are objects that have been sealed away by the universe. Lockbreakers are delusional in their desire to unravel the universe's secrets, and they have to bear great risks. You should be aware of this, which is why Lockbreakers have such a high status, especially Origin Inscriptionists. They can set up sourcebox arrays and turn something rotten into something miraculous. All of this is done by borrowing the universe's power, and if you borrow something, you have to return it. Out of ten Origin Inscriptionists, nine will die while trying to unlock a sourcebox.
"Do you think lockbreaking is that easy?
Do you think that just because you can set up a sourcebox array, you can lockbreak as you please?
Even an Origin Array Celestial Master can die while trying to unlock a sourcebox, and the sourceboxes they unlock might not necessarily be high-grade ones. I don't want to hear that you died while trying to unlock a sourcebox in the future. Do you understand? "Xiu Ming asked.
Before this, his only impression of Lockbreakers was that they held a lofty status. He had become a Lockbreaker in order to deal with enemies with deep backgrounds. His goal had been impure, and even now, it was still the same.
He had been anxious to increase his Lockbreaking level for the sake of his status and to gain the recognition of the Lockbreaker Society. He wanted to increase his own weight in the Fifth Mainland, and he had not truly placed any importance on lockbreaking.
Xiu Ming had long since noticed this, which was why he had said those words. He truly did not wish for a gifted Lockbreaker to die while trying to unlock a sourcebox due to arrogance.
Lu Yin did not consider himself an arrogant person, but his current actions were indeed arrogant.
In terms of background, he was far inferior to Wu Dan, and he had only surpassed her because of his innate talent and ability. However, in terms of understanding and devotion to lockbreaking, he was still far from her.
Xiu Ming raised a hand, revealing a scar on the back of his hand. "This was left behind when I was a five star Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker while unlocking a Perceptive Intermediate sourcebox. If my luck had been a bit worse back then, I would not be here today."
Lu Yin's expression changed slightly.
Wu Dan was not surprised, as she had clearly heard of this matter before.
"All Lockbreakers who have come to the Lockbreaker World have at least heard of this matter. Lu Yin, this must be your first time," Xiu Ming said.
Lu Yin respectfully replied, "This is the first time this junior has heard of it."
"Because your heart is not in lockbreaking," Xiu Ming said.
Lu Yin did not deny it.
Wu Dan angrily glared at Lu Yin. Lockbreaking was her lifelong pursuit, and she had placed everything on lockbreaking. However, the only person in front of her that she had acknowledged as someone who surpassed her in lockbreaking actually did not care about lockbreaking at all. At this moment, she felt an uncontrollable anger towards Lu Yin, as well as a sense of helplessness.
It was like someone who had casually surpassed someone else's lifelong pursuit. That kind of sullen feeling was indescribable.
"The more you don't care about lockbreaking, the more likely you are to die in it. Countless examples have proven this point," Xiu Ming said calmly. He then looked at Lu Yin. "As the president, I have the authority to issue a test to any Lockbreaker. Thus, your test will be to explore the Ancientspirit Sea and record the forms of a hundred sourceboxes."
Lu Yin was astonished. "Then I can become a two star Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker?"
Xiu Ming was helpless, as this brat was still not giving up. He really did not care about lockbreaking at all. "We'll talk about it later."
Lu Yin pursed his lips. He only wanted to improve, and he had listened to Xiu Ming's words and reflected on them. His conclusion was that he would talk about it in the future and try not to lockbreak as much as possible. However, he would not give up on lockbreaking. His boundless motivation made him yearn for it, and he hoped that he would one day be able to set up a sourcebox array that would benefit the entire human race. This was a distant dream that he had only dreamed of after the Lu family's Monarch Descent Tree. It was not too important, but he still hoped that he could achieve it.
Right now, he just wanted to improve his lockbreaking skills.
"Senior, this junior will head to the Ancientspirit Sea first," Lu Yin said. There were many things that he needed to settle before he left, as this trip would take too much time.
As she watched Lu Yin leave, Wu Dan was unconvinced. "I'll surpass him one day."
Xiu Ming sighed. "Some people are born with innate talent. Compared to others, you're already considered a genius lockbreaker. Even if your cultivation is not at the peak of your generation, it's not bad either. Combined with your sourcebox array, you're definitely at the peak. But compared to this kid …" He did not finish his sentence, not because he wanted to attack Wu Dan, but because he wanted the youth to recognize reality. He had seen the unwillingness in Wu Dan's eyes, and he did not want Wu Dan to realize the unreachable gap between them in the future.
Compared to Lu Yin, Xiu Ming valued Wu Dan more. Wu Dan was the true successor of the Lockbreaker Society. Lu Yin would never take over the Lockbreaker Society, as his heart was not on this matter.
The Ancientspirit Sea was nurtured by the Six Ancientspirit Array, which formed a strange ocean that nurtured sourceboxes.
If the boundless motivation was the most magnificent and shocking sourcebox array that Lu Yin had ever seen, then the Six Ancientspirit Array was the most mystical sourcebox array that he had ever seen.
No one would believe that sourceboxes could nurture sourceboxes. Even in the Cosmic Tree, Lu Yin had never heard of such a sourcebox array.
With a plop, he charged into the Ancientspirit Sea and dove in to search for the sourceboxes that were being nurtured. A hundred didn't sound like much, but if Xiu Ming was willing to give him such a mission, it was clear that he wasn't joking around.
Quite a distance away from where Lu Yin had jumped into the Ancientspirit Sea, many Lockbreakers had gathered at the edge of a cliff and were looking at a group of people on the cliff.
"Do you think those fellows are dead?"
"No, there are some high-grade sourceboxes in the Ancientspirit Sea that are dangerous, but at their level, they should be able to sense them ahead of time."
"The Innerverse Lockbreaker Society has really produced geniuses. Three young Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreakers have appeared all of a sudden."
…
With a whoosh, a figure charged out from the bottom of the sea and leaped onto the cliff, panting heavily. If Lu Yin had been here, he would have recognized this person as his former classmate from the Astral Combat Academy, Astral-6's leader, Dao Bo, who had once helped Lu Yin.
When Dao Bo appeared, the surrounding Lockbreakers all looked at him. Someone asked, "Kid, how many sourceboxes did you record?"
Dao Bo was panting heavily, and there were plants that looked like seaweed coiling around his back. They had cut through his skin and caused him to bleed profusely. "Nineteen."
"What level are they?"
Dao Bo was silent for a moment. "Seventeen Discerning Elementary and two Perceptive Intermediate."
"Not bad," that person said.
The surrounding people also started discussing. "Not bad. He's only a One Star Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker, but he was able to record the forms and dangers of so many sourceboxes in the Ancientspirit Sea without suffering any injuries."
At that moment, another figure charged out from the bottom of the sea. It was Casanova.
Three of the Innerverse Lockbreaker Society's Five Prodigies had come, and they would all be cultivating in the Lockbreaker World from now on. There were other Lockbreakers in the Lockbreaker World who were of the same generation as them, but none of them were as strong as them.
Even though Wu Dan was a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker, they still had to challenge her based on her results.
"How many sourceboxes did you record?" Dao Bo asked.
Casanova was vexed, and a piece of flesh had been torn off from his shoulder. "Those dangers were too sinister, and I almost lost my life."
Dao Bo was bitter, as it was not easy to record the forms and dangers of sourceboxes. The forms were easy to record, as one could clearly see them after circling around them, but the dangers of sourceboxes needed to be personally experienced. With their cultivations, they did not dare to come into contact with the dangers of Perceptive Intermediate sourceboxes. There were also some sourceboxes that they could not even see through, so recording them was even more difficult.
"Twenty-three sourceboxes, four Perceptive Intermediate, and nineteen Discerning Elementary," Casanova muttered.
The surrounding people gasped in surprise, as even the older generation of Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreakers might not be able to do better.
The Innerverse Lockbreaker Society's Five Prodigies had long since spread to the Lockbreaker World, and they were second only to Wu Dan in their generation. It was reasonable for them to have such results, but they were still far from being comparable to Wu Dan.
"Again. There's no time limit anyway," Dao Bo said.
Casanova was helpless. "If I have the time, I'd rather find one or two beautiful Lockbreaker sisters to chat with."
Dao Bo coldly replied, "Up to you, but Wu Dan is the most popular young Lockbreaker in the Lockbreaker World."
Casanova became unhappy when he heard this, and he somersaulted back into the Ancientspirit Sea.
Elsewhere, Lu Yin discovered a sourcebox not long after entering the Ancientspirit Sea.