The Astral Combat Academies would determine the rankings based on the Astral Combat Tournament, but the rankings had remained the same for many years. Only Astral-10 insisted on calling itself Astral-10, even though it could have been called Astral-1.
Lu Yin watched each match with relish, and he was reminded of his past self.
There were no less than five people with four-lined battle force, which was even more than Lu Yin's batch. There were also many cultivators with domains and other innate gifts. However, there were no top-notch experts. Lu Yin's batch had produced the Thirteen Swords, Nightqueen Yanqing, and Starsibyl, but there were none in this batch.
However, what made everyone's eyes light up was the appearance of a genius from the Mavis family. From what Lu Yin could tell, this genius' strength was even greater than Grandini Mavis', and she was also publicly acknowledged as one of the strongest people in this Astral Combat Tournament.
After watching for a while, Lu Yin lost interest and decided to leave.
"You're leaving?
There's no rush. Earth's genius is about to fight. Don't you want to watch? "Old Cai asked.
Lu Yin stopped in his tracks and looked over.
With the end of the match, the next group of participants stepped onto the stage. This was the round of sixteen, and the top eight of the nine academies would be decided.
In the distance, the leader of the group of students from Earth disappeared and reappeared at the top of the gear. In front of her was a man covered in tattoos from his neck down. His gaze was sinister, and his fists were twice the size of a normal person's.
Only then did Lu Yin see the girl's face. He was shocked; it was her?
Zhou Xixi, Zhou Shan's daughter.
Lu Yin had not expected Zhou Xixi to be his old friend's daughter. Was she already this old?
When he had left Earth after the Apocalypse, Zhou Xixi had not even been born yet, but she had grown so much in the blink of an eye. She should be around sixteen years old!
Time flew by.
The match began, and three-lined battle force appeared on the tattooed man's body. He charged at Zhou Xixi in an overbearing manner without using any technique. He threw a punch, but Zhou Xixi's expression remained cold as she met the overbearing punch with three-lined battle force. She easily dodged it, and the wind from the punch did not even affect her. The man spread open his fingers and swept out with his palm, using Overlaying Stacks.
Ever since Lu Yin's glory days, Overlaying Stacks had shone brightly in the universe. Countless people had learned from him, and when the words "Emptiness Palm" had appeared, it had aroused the desire of countless people to learn it.
Emptiness Palm was not only powerful, but it was also imperceptible. It was the best attack technique.
The man's Overlaying Stacks was not bad, and when combined with his three-lined battle force, it would have been enough to attract attention even during the Astral Combat Tournament. However, it was still useless against Zhou Xixi.
Lu Yin's lips curled up. Zhou Xixi was much more fortunate than he was, as she didn't need to worry about resources. Zhou Shan was the dean of Earth Academy, and Earth was Lu Yin's hometown. He had a special status in the Great Yu Empire, and the amount of resources he received was second only to Yu Academy's.
As for battle techniques, there was no need to even mention them. Lu Yin had once given a large number of battle techniques to Yu Academy, and Zhou Xixi had been able to learn them all.
Her experience was not something that a normal Astral Combat Academy student could compare to. Even the disciples of the Wen and Liu families might not be able to compare to her.
Very quickly, the man was defeated, and Zhou Xixi had won easily. She looked around and clenched her fists. This person had not achieved anything by winning. What she wanted was to become the top student of the ten academies and walk the same path that Uncle Lu had taken. She wanted to enter the Great Eastern Alliance as the strongest student in the Astral Combat Academy and stand in front of Uncle Lu.
Her father's biggest regret was that he couldn't leave Earth with Uncle Lu. She didn't have the right, so she had to replace her father. One day, she would be able to help Uncle Lu and not just be an old friend.
Eh?
Suddenly, Zhou Xixi's eyes widened as she saw Uncle Lu standing with the mentors on the metal block in the distance.
Lu Yin and Zhou Xixi?
Xixi looked at each other, smiled, and nodded.
Zhou Xixi was excited, and she left the arena and headed straight for the metal block.
She was very excited, and she attracted a lot of attention. After all, she was one of the strongest seeds in this year's Astral Combat Tournament.
"Uncle Lu!" Zhou Xixi shouted excitedly as she leaped onto the metal block and arrived in front of Lu Yin.
Lu Yin smiled. "I didn't expect you to be so old already."
"Uncle Lu, why are you here?
Did you see Xixi's match? "Zhou Xixi asked excitedly.
Lu Yin grunted. "Not bad. Zhou Shan has taught you well."
Zhou Xixi was pleased. "Uncle, just watch. Xixi will definitely become the champion. You were the champion back then, so Xixi can do it too."
"Haha, then do your best. The Mavis girl isn't weak."
"Yes, Uncle."
…
Around the arena, many Astral Combat Academy students stared in shock at Lu Yin, who was chatting happily with Zhou Xixi. They were all shocked. "It's Senior Lu!"
"It really is Senior Lu! I didn't expect him to come."
"The leader of the Great Eastern Alliance, Astral Master Lu! He's actually here to watch our Astral Combat Tournament."
"Senior came from Astral-10. It looks like he's a nostalgic person. He has to work hard in this tournament."
"You've already been eliminated, so what's the point of working hard? Only the top eight can enter Senior's eyes. I really hope that you can join the Great Eastern Alliance and show off."
"Look at those people on the surface. Their eyes are shining."
"It can't be helped. After all, Senior came from Earth."
…
Lu Yin had originally planned to leave, but Zhou Xixi kept pestering him, forcing him to watch a few more matches.
"Uncle, the finals are in half a month, and Xixi will definitely win. Will you stay and watch?" Zhou Xixi asked expectantly. She looked at Lu Yin with excitement.
Lu Yin replied, "I'll try my best." He had always felt that something was strange, but now, he had figured it out. It was the title of uncle.
He looked similar to Zhou Xixi, so he felt a little helpless being called uncle.
At that moment, Old Cai and the Sandmaster suddenly disappeared. Lu Yin frowned. Something must have happened. An external force must have interfered with them. He then told Zhou Xixi, "Focus on the competition. I'm going out for a bit." With that, he left the trial zone.
He opened his eyes and leaped out of the void. The Trialmaster was not around, but a few students were shouting in the distance, "The director has gone crazy! The director has gone crazy again!"
"Where is he?" Lu Yin asked loudly.
"At, at the Rain Observatory."
Lu Yin vanished.
"Eh, that person just now looked familiar. Who is he?"
"I remember him. Senior Lu, right?"
…
In the Rain Observatory, rain continued to fall. In the distant sky, a figure laughed maniacally. "You guys started this war, and now you're eating your own medicine. Hahahaha! You guys started this war!" This person was the crazy director, and as he spoke, trees collapsed one after another. A terrifying sound wave swept through the Rain Observatory before rushing out of Astral-10 and shaking the void.
Outside the Astral Combat Academy, the void was torn apart layer by layer as the surrounding planets exploded.
The Lockbreaker Mentor, Old Cai, the Rainmaster, the Sandmaster, and the Starmaster all acted at the same time. It was unknown what they were doing, but all they did was surround the crazy headmaster. The crazy headmaster did not move, and the madness in his eyes did not disappear, but his body remained frozen in place.
Lu Yin arrived at the Rain Observatory and watched the scene with a strange expression.
Astral-10 was different from the other nine academies. Old Cai and the others were not real mentors, as the previous mentors of Astral-10 had all disappeared.
If not for this, the director would not have needed to beg them to teach Lu Yin and the others.
Astral-10 was the Lead Ship, Lead Battleship, and Lead Humans.
After a long time, the crazy director gradually recovered. He did not even look at Lu Yin before disappearing.
Old Cai and the others landed tiredly, "I don't know when these days will end."
The Rainmaster asked, "Do you think it will end?"
Old Cai rolled his eyes, "It would be great if it was just a simple cage, but I still have to take on the boundless responsibility of teaching those students. It's so troublesome."
Lu Yin then walked over, "Does the director do this often?"
The Starmaster, Trialmaster, and Sandmaster left, and Old Cai grumbled, "Sometimes."
"Thank you for your hard work," Lu Yin said.
Old Cai grumbled, "You should be rewarded for your hard work. If it weren't for your batch, Astral-10 would have been crippled a long time ago. We wouldn't have so many things to do, but look at how busy we are now. We can't even watch the competition in peace."
Lu Yin laughed dryly. He was very curious about the crazy director's words, but he knew that the mentors would not tell him.
He was about to leave, but Zhou Xixi arrived through a teleportation device just as he turned around. "Uncle Lu."
Lu Yin felt a headache coming on and smiled helplessly, "Xixi, what's the matter?"
Zhou Xixi had not come alone; she had brought a large group of students with her. They all looked at Lu Yin with adoration, and this was not the first time he had experienced such a thing. He had also experienced it when he had schemed against Xia Jiuyou.
"Uncle, they want your autograph," Zhou Xixi said crisply.
Lu Yin was speechless, "Autograph?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a large group of students surrounded him. Some offered their clothes, while others offered their hands. What made Lu Yin feel awkward was that one student actually wanted to take off her clothes and sign his autograph on her chest. It was a girl.
Before Lu Yin could say anything, Zhou Xixi chased the girl away angrily, "Ptui, shameless."
Lu Yin felt awkward; that girl was quite pretty.
After finally sending the students away, Zhou Xixi hugged Lu Yin's arm, "Uncle, you're leaving, right?"
Lu Yin nodded and patted Zhou Xixi's head, "Yes, I'm leaving. I'll come see you next time."
Zhou Xixi felt regretful, "I knew it. Uncle is too busy to wait for your competition."
Lu Yin reassured her, "Don't worry, Uncle will watch."
Zhou Xixi nodded obediently, "Then, Uncle, can you accompany me to Stargazing Deck?"
"You've never been there before?"
Lu Yin was surprised. According to the rules, students could only visit Stargazing Deck once. Even if they went again, the scene would be the same.
Zhou Xixi whispered, "I heard that the Stargazers of the other eight academies aren't there, so I want to sneak in again. Maybe the Stargazers of Astral-10 aren't there either."
Lu Yin laughed, "You'll be disappointed. The Stargazers are here." Wait, he suddenly realized something and asked, "The other eight academies' Stargazers aren't there?"
Zhou Xixi nodded and blinked, "That's what the students said."
Lu Yin had always been concerned about the Stargazing Towers. He had even thought of visiting all of the Astral Combat Academies' Stargazing Towers just to learn the Skybeast Claw. However, he had only been to Astral-9's Stargazing Tower and had never been able to visit all of them.
He had almost forgotten about it, but now he suddenly recalled it.