Big Pao and Little Pao exchanged glances. They looked at Lu Yin with a strange yet familiar gaze. Lu Yin's answer was different from what was described on the internet.
As the leader of the Great Eastern Alliance and a paragon of the younger generation, Lu Yin was not arrogant at all. He was just like a newbie who had just entered the academy. He was sincere and shameless.
"Junior Lu, do you know what's the most popular comment about you online?" Big Pao asked.
Lu Yin was curious. "What?"
"Greed," Little Pao answered without hesitation.
Lu Yin's expression changed, and the two thought that he would retort. However, Lu Yin smiled. "That's right."
The two were speechless.
"We haven't seen each other in twelve years." Lu Yin sighed.
Big Pao nodded. "That's about right."
"Senior, you've suffered. Have you contacted Astral-10's mentors?"
Big Pao was excited. "I have. The mentors are very happy. Junior, we're going back."
Lu Yin smiled. "Of course, I'll send you off."
With Lu Yin's spacecraft's speed, it would take more than half a month to reach Astral-10.
During this time, Big Pao and Little Pao had learned more about the Fifth Mainland, and the more they learned, the more amazed they were at Lu Yin. They had watched Lu Yin's battles against Lan Si, Nightking Zhenwu, and Liu Tianmu over and over again.
Their impression of the outside world was still that of the Ten Arbiters' former glory. Now that they had been defeated by Lu Yin, it was an indescribable feeling that overturned their worldview. However, they also felt proud that Lu Yin was from Astral-10.
"Senior, I'm still one of the Ten Arbiters," Lu Yin said helplessly.
He was indeed one of the Ten Arbiters, and no one dared to strip him of his title. However, that title alone was enough for the Universe Youth Council to not seek him out. They were no longer on the same level.
Lu Yin also did not need to rely on the Universe Youth Council to achieve his goals.
His relationship with the Innerverse's major flowzones was that he was either a ruler or an enemy. The Universe Youth Council was useless against him.
"Right, Junior Lu, I remember now. When the Autumnfrost family asked us to create that device, I accidentally saw something that Ancestor Autumnfrost personally guarded," Big Pao said as he recalled something.
Lu Yin immediately had him draw it down.
Lu Yin frowned as he looked at the irregular black crystal on the paper. "Is this what you saw?"
"Isn't it just a normal crystal?
Fire?
Lightning?
Or something?
Many ordinary cultivators use these crystals to cultivate or use battle techniques. It's very common, "Little Pao said.
Gerlaine's brother, Gerbach, had used a thunder crystal to unleash the Thunderbolt Arrow, leaving a deep impression on him.
Big Pao replied, "What do you know? Normal crystals aren't important, but this thing is definitely important, and it's huge."
"How old?"
"It's as big as a planet."
"The size of a planet?" Lu Yin was shocked.
Big Pao nodded and said cautiously, "It's precisely because he's so old, and because that was the first time I saw Patriarch Autumnfrost, that's why he left such a deep impression on me. It should have been ten years ago."
"Why haven't I seen it before?" Little Pao was puzzled.
Big Pao replied, "At that time, we were taking turns to rest, and I happened to see it when it was my turn."
Lu Yin muttered to himself. An irregular black crystal that was as large as a planet was indeed rare. Given Elder Autumnfrost's status, it was impossible for him to personally guard it. Furthermore, that Elder Autumnfrost was a fake.
He fell into deep thought as he looked at the irregular black crystal.
The Practitioners Leave Their Homeland
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It was normal for someone to go out and train for decades or even centuries without returning, but Big Pao and Little Pao had been captured and sent to the Sixth Mainland. From the moment they had been captured, they had never thought that they would ever return. Now that they had returned, the closer they got to Astral-10, the more complicated their feelings became.
Astral-10 wasn't just a place for them to cultivate and learn, but also a place for them to grow.
The instructors of Astral-10 were like their teachers and fathers.
Even though they had already contacted them, they still couldn't calm down.
Astral-10 was right in front of them, and Big Pao and Little Pao were excited. "There really are a lot more people."
"Back in the Astral Combat Tournament, Junior Lu won first place and made Astral-10 the top academy. It attracted countless geniuses to come and study here. Now that I think about it, it all seems like yesterday."
Lu Yin also sighed. Back then, Astral-10 had been desolate, and the instructors were still irresponsible. The Ten Arbiters were still high and mighty, and Enlighters were still rare. Emissaries were even more unheard of. But now, everything had changed.
Sometimes, people wished that they didn't have to look so far. The further they looked, the more troubles they would have.
Lu Yin parked his spacecraft at the space station and left the Luo Emperor inside while he, Big Pao, and Little Pao entered Astral-10.
As they looked at the familiar teleportation device, the two grew even more nervous.
"Which instructor do you want to meet first?" Lu Yin asked with a smile.
Big Pao and Little Pao answered without hesitation, "The Rainmaster."
Of all the instructors in Astral-10, the Trialmaster was deaf and constantly hovered between hearing and not hearing. The Sandmaster was strict, the Starmaster was taciturn, Old Cai was wretched, and the dean was crazy. Only the Rainmaster was normal.
When Lu Yin had first entered Astral-10, the Rainmaster had also been the first person he had met.
Raindrops fell onto the mossy stone floor of the Rain Observatory as Big Pao and Little Pao bowed to the rain. "Instructor, your disciples have returned."
The Rainmaster walked out of the rain with a calm expression, but Lu Yin could tell that he was very happy. "It's good that you're back."
…
Lu Yin's luck was pretty good. He had sent Big Pao and Little Pao back just as the Astral Combat Tournament, or rather, the Nine Astral Combat Tournament. Astral-3 had already been destroyed.
Big Pao and Little Pao met their instructors while Lu Yin walked over to the Trialmaster and bowed.
The Trialmaster opened his eyes, revealing a murky gaze. "It's you."
"Instructor, your disciple has been invited to observe the Astral Combat Tournament," Lu Yin replied respectfully.
The Trialmaster nodded. "Go. Over the years, Astral-10 has produced quite a few talents."
Lu Yin nodded.
Then, he entered the space behind the Trialmaster, which was the entrance to the Three Realms and Six Daos. The Astral Combat Tournament was held within the trial zones.
When he saw the towering cliff once more, Lu Yin's expression became complicated. It had been more than ten years since he had last been here!
There were many Astral-10 students sitting on the cliff, including the Sandmaster and Old Cai. This was different from the previous Astral Combat Tournament, as there were many more instructors watching.
Lu Yin found a corner, sat down cross-legged, and entered the trial zones.
This time, the Astral Combat Tournament was held at the Heavenly Dao's Machine Tomb, and the place was currently bustling with activity. Two figures were fighting fiercely within a giant gear. Both were men, and one of them was using a sword technique while the other was wielding a crossbow. They were either fighting in close combat or using ranged attacks to wear down their opponents. Sometimes, they would widen the distance between them, but other times, they would close the distance between them.
This was the scene that greeted Lu Yin when he arrived.
He had not wanted to come, but the Rainmaster had told him to. After all, Lu Yin was a guest instructor of Astral-10. Even though he had not graduated yet, it was his duty to watch the tournament.
The Machine Tomb was filled with all sorts of huge components, broken spacecraft, battleships, and even tall buildings. It was like a highly advanced place.
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An apocalyptic world.
The students watched from a closer distance, while the instructors watched from a little further away. However, it was not too far away, and the students could all see it.
Lu Yin arrived at a square metal block that was about a hundred meters tall. Many instructors from the nine academies were gathered here, including Old Cai and the Sandmaster.
Lu Yin's arrival surprised many of the instructors, as no one had expected him to appear.
Old Cai was astonished. "Why are you here?"
Lu Yin smiled. "I'm sending my two seniors back and watching the Astral-9 Tournament."
"Thank you for letting those two return alive," Old Cai said with a complicated expression.
The Sandmaster also said, "Thank you."
Lu Yin casually replied, "That's too formal."
There were instructors from the nine academies on the metal block, but Lu Yin did not recognize most of them. However, there was one person who surprised him: Liu Xiaoyun.
Liu Xiaoyun exchanged glances with Lu Yin and nodded as a greeting.
Lu Yin was puzzled. "Why are you here?"
Liu Xiaoyun calmly replied, "I'm Astral-7's acting instructor."
Acting instructors were different from guest instructors, as they dealt with miscellaneous matters. With Liu Xiaoyun's strength, she did not have the qualifications to become a guest instructor.
"You'll be staying in Astral-7 from now on?"
Liu Xiaoyun nodded.
Lu Yin did not say anything else, as this was good as well. He wanted to reclaim the Sword Sect, and this was something everyone knew. If Liu Xiaoyun stayed in the Sword Sect, she would definitely become his enemy. In the end, she would only submit, so it was better for her to stay in Astral-7.
The Astral Combat Academy on the Fifth Mainland was a little special. Lu Yin could not forget the crazy headmaster's words. The Astral Combat Academy represented an inheritance, while the ten deans were all Envoys. This was something that no power could achieve, and even the Hall of Honor might not be able to produce ten Envoys at once.
This was the uniqueness of the Astral Combat Academy.
Even now, Lu Yin did not know how the ten deans were chosen. The most special one was the crazy headmaster, and his strength left Lu Yin uncertain.
"Watch the tournament. You'll be surprised," Old Cai said.
Lu Yin was curious. "What kind of surprise?"
Old Cai smiled. "There's a new faction amongst the students of Astral-10 called the Surface Faction. The students in this faction are all from Earth, and their performance is not bad."
Lu Yin was astonished. There was such a thing?
He looked in the direction that Old Cai was pointing and saw a corner where the Machine Mound was watching the tournament. There were a few youthful students standing on top of a broken screw, and the leader was a girl. Her back was facing them, so Lu Yin could not see her face clearly since he did not use his domain.
"Earth is a strange place. Many students have come here over the years, and almost all of them have innate gifts," the Sandmaster said.
"That's right. Guan Yu even made a trip to Earth a few years ago. There's nothing special about it, but there are cultivators with innate gifts," Old Cai said.
Lu Yin knew that Earth was special, but he did not know why.
After them, the first batch of cultivators from Earth had left the universe and joined Yu Academy. There were quite a few geniuses among them, and Lu Yin had heard of them before. They were not weak and had made a name for themselves in the universe. They had joined Astral-10 right after graduating from Yu Academy, and it seemed that they had already touched the Top 100 Rankings.
The current batch of students was very young, around sixteen or seventeen years old. The oldest was no more than twenty years old.
Within Gear, the battle between the two students ended. Astral-5 cheered; their classmates had won.
Next was the battle between Astral-9 and Astral-2.