At the same time, on the Sand Ocean, Big Pao and Little Pao were facing the Sandmaster with serious expressions.
"Have you really decided?
This is no joke. With your strength, it will be very difficult to win. It's almost impossible, "the Sandmaster said in a low voice.
Little Pao was resolute. "Mentor, we've decided. We're orphans who were adopted by Astral-10, and Astral-10 is our home. How can we let juniors who haven't even been in school for a year bear the responsibility?"
Big Pao added, "Old Cai has already given Lu Yin a mission. As long as he completes it, we'll make a move. Even if we can't win, we have to find out the bottom line of their strength."
The Sandmaster nodded. "There are too many geniuses in the universe, and all of them like to disguise themselves, making it difficult for others to see their limits. It's good that the two of you are probing. This group of youths is not bad, and it might even be possible for you to bring Astral-10 back to the Innerverse in the future." The Sandmaster then looked at the two seriously. "But if you do that, you'll be completely exposed. The Astral Combat Tournament will definitely become a research target for the other academies.
Big Pao and Little Pao looked at each other and smiled. "It doesn't matter. We've thought it through."
In the Innerverse, there was a sealed area in a tributary of the Astral River. This was where Astral-6 was located.
In Astral-6, Frankfurt looked at Liu Ji with admiration. "This is the first time I've seen a lockbreaking process up close. As expected of a genius Lockbreaker."
Liu Ji frowned. "It's a pity that the sourcebox's contents have been destroyed by time, so I didn't get anything."
"It doesn't matter. It's good that I was able to unlock it." Frankfurt smiled.
Liu Ji looked at Frankfurt. "Senior, what do you think of Astral-10?"
Frankfurt was puzzled. "Astral-10?
The academy that was expelled?
What's wrong? "
"I just want to know more," Liu Ji replied. She had not forgotten the shock that Astral-10 had given her. Xia Luo, Darkvoid, Silver, and Lu Yin had all been extraordinary.
Frankfurt thought about it and laughed. "I don't know much about it, but I've heard that the students there have some background. The Daynight clan, the Mavis clan, Windrift Hall, and so on. Oh, right, there's also the Lockbreaker Society behind them."
"Who?" Liu Ji was puzzled. The first people she thought of were Xia Luo and Lu Yin, both of whom were Lockbreakers.
"I think he's called Lu Yin," Frankfurt said as a cold glint flashed through his eyes. He was no stranger to this name. Back then, he had wanted to befriend Jared and kill Lu Yin with a single shot. Afterward, the people from the Blaze Realm had spread the news, and Frankfurt had been pushed to the opposite side of Lu Yin. However, it did not matter since Lu Yin was just an Outerverse student.
Liu Ji was not surprised, as Lu Yin was a member of the Lockbreaker Society, so it was normal for him to have such a background. She did not know that Lu Yin had never revealed his identity as a Lockbreaker, and neither did Frankfurt know that the Outerverse student who had been pushed into opposing him was actually a Lockbreaker with contributions.
It was already two days later when Xia Luo woke up from the trial zone mountain. There were still two days left before the five-day deadline that Michelle had agreed upon.
Xia Luo was surprised to see him. "You're back."
Lu Yin replied, "Brother Xia, I want to snatch a training ground. Please help me out."
Xia Luo muttered, "Who else?"
"Michelle, Silver, Lulu, come with me," Lu Yin said.
Xia Luo nodded. "Alright, when?"
"Right now, let's gather ten kilometers north of the Dao of Purgatory's Fathomless Pool," Lu Yin said.
Xia Luo opened his mouth to say something, but Lu Yin immediately cut him off. "I don't know where that is either. I just said it randomly."
Xia Luo smiled warmly and entered the trial zone once more.
Where there were people, there would be news, and where there was news, there would be reporters. Wu Da was a reporter, and he had aspired to become the greatest reporter under the heavens ever since he was young. To achieve this goal, he had worked hard for a long time and finally managed to enter the Astral Combat Academy with his innate gift.
Everything had been perfect, but after entering the Astral Combat Academy, Wu Da realized that he had been overthinking things. He wanted to report on the news, but what was the biggest news in the Astral Combat Academy?
Of course, it was not entertainment gossip or unpopular weekly magazines. It was a battle between powerhouses, but could such a battle be reported?
The answer was no, as no one wanted others to know everything about them, and no one wanted their battle techniques to be known by everyone, especially as the Astral Combat Tournament was approaching.
This was why Wu Da had tragically discovered that everything was just a fantasy. He had once reported on a battle between two powerhouses, and he had even described the details of the battle in great detail. After that … he had been hunted down for an entire month.
However, Wu Da did not give up. He had even established the Astral Combat Academy's newspaper in order to fulfill his dream. Although he was the only one reporting on it, he would not give up.
Since he could not report in the real world, Wu Da decided to set his sights on the trial zones. This place was also filled with battles, and it did not matter if he was hunted down. At worst, he would die once. The only downside was that he could not record any videos, and no external objects could enter this place. But that was fine, as Wu Da was very confident in his own judgment. He could use a short description of a unique battle without any problems.
On this day, Wu Da arrived at the Dao of Purgatory and recalled the recent news that had been published in the Astral Combat Academy's newspaper. In particular, the news about Blackwater Lake had attracted a lot of attention. Yue Xianzi's inheritance had shocked countless people, and his newspaper's sales had skyrocketed.
Although he was being hunted down by the Frostmoon Sect, it did not matter. It was just a small matter, and he could handle it. Most importantly, he had received sponsorship from an internet company called Starlink. To Wu Da, sponsorship was a small matter. What he cared about the most was being recognized. He felt that he was only one step away from becoming a great reporter.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Wu Da stood in place and looked at the darkness before him. He muttered to himself for a while before running off in a certain direction. His gossipy soul had a premonition that there would be news in that direction.
The Fathomless Pool was an unremarkable pool of water that was similarly black. If not for the fact that it was so far away from Blackwater Lake, some people would have even guessed that it was connected to Blackwater Lake.
Twenty kilometers north of the Fathomless Pool, Michelle and the other two sat calmly on a large black tree. In the distance, there was a group of wandering war spirits. The gathering place that Lu Yin had casually mentioned was actually a gathering place for war spirits.
When Lu Yin appeared and saw the group of war spirits, he was a little stunned.
"You sure know how to pick a place," Michelle commented coldly.
Lu Yin felt awkward. "Lower your voice. Don't be discovered. This is a group of war spirits."
Michelle snorted but did not say anything.
A few hours later, Xia Luo arrived and looked at the group of war spirits in astonishment. "This is a good place for a spirit hunter."
"No spirit hunter would dare to attack this place," Lulu said.
Xia Luo shook his head. "You don't understand the desire of a true spirit hunter for war spirits. These war spirits should have only gathered here recently, or else they would have been targeted by a spirit hunter long ago."
"Why do spirit hunters hunt war spirits?" Lu Yin was puzzled.
"I don't know, but apparently it has something to do with an ancient inheritance," Xia Luo answered.
"Alright, let's not waste any more time. Let's go to the Fathomless Pool," Michelle said before heading towards the pool.
The five of them quickly arrived at the Fathomless Pool.
The Fathomless Pool was located in a valley, and it had been a coincidence that they had first discovered it. At this moment, there was only one person there: Uro, one of the only three Area Masters of Astral-6.
The Dao of Purgatory's training grounds were Spear Mountain, Blackwater Lake, the Fathomless Pool, Whitebones Gorge, and the Sky Platform. Four of them were occupied by Astral-6, and only Blackwater Lake had been taken by the Frostmoon Sect.
Every academy had about the same number of Area Masters because these training grounds were very rare. Lu Yin had also considered this factor when he had decided to take the Fathomless Pool. If he tried to take any of the training grounds, he would be hunted down by the powerhouses of the academy that had occupied it, or even the Realm Master himself. Only the Dao of Purgatory would not be affected because Lu Yin was a Lockbreaker, and so was Realm Master Dao Bo.
"Attack!" Lu Yin barked before charging towards the Fathomless Pool without any warning. This was a trial zone where the strong were respected, and there was no reason to speak of.
A few meters away from the Fathomless Pool, a bare-chested man with disheveled hair suddenly looked in Lu Yin's direction. When he saw Lu Yin charging towards him, his eyes turned cold. "You don't know what's good for you." He then extended his right palm, causing a stream of energy to revolve around him. The stream of energy then transformed into visible veins that covered his entire body.
Lu Yin raised his palm and unleashed the Skybeast Claw. There was a bestial roar as the 96th form of the Skybeast Claw slammed towards Uro.
With a bang, the Skybeast Claw was easily torn apart. Uro then grabbed at Lu Yin, the star energy in his palm taking the form of a flame. The scorching heat instantly swept through the ground and spread out in all directions.
Lu Yin retreated as a silvery-white radiance flitted past him.
The butterfly blade flickered as the star energy in Uro's palm pressed down in an attempt to incinerate the butterfly.
However, he was unable to do so. Surprise flashed through his eyes as he changed the direction of his palm and slammed it towards the ground. At the same time, his battle force surged and forced Silver to retreat.
Lulu shouted from above and smashed down with a fist.
Uro's eyes narrowed as he dodged once again. The ground was smashed apart by the fist, and the entire valley cracked apart, giving Uro a fright.
"Don't run!" Lulu shouted as she lashed out with her leg. Her leg was slender yet powerful, and it looked like it could be broken easily. However, Uro did not dare to underestimate her after witnessing her previous punch. He raised his leg to meet hers, and both of them simultaneously released their battle force.
Uro and Lulu retreated at the same time.
Uro was shocked. Where had these freaks come from? They were all close to being an Area Master. Could it be that the other academies were trying to steal the Dao of Purgatory?
The mentors of Astral-10 had carefully taught them for nearly four months, and their strength had greatly increased. They were no longer the same as they had been during the New Cadet Competition. Even Lu Yin was surprised by this. Furthermore, they were all geniuses who could challenge those above their Realms.
It could be said that the speed at which these people were learning in Astral-10 was equivalent to several years of progress for students from other academies. After all, the other academies did not have any mentors to specially teach them. They had been extremely lucky to be able to enter Astral-10.
"Who are you people?"
Uro asked sternly. Just as he finished speaking, he felt a chill behind him and hurriedly dodged to the side. A red lotus arrow had shot into the ground, causing his pupils to shrink as he turned to look into the distance. Was that the Red Lotus Witchbow, Senior Mira?
No, if it was Senior Mira, then he would be finished. That woman was Senior Mira's younger sister, Michelle. This meant that these people were from Astral-10.