The first round is called the Three Academies Challenge. Three academies will be randomly selected, and each academy will send one person to guard an area. All the other academies will be allowed to charge forward, and they are not allowed to use any battle techniques or innate gifts. As long as they can charge past the area that they are guarding, they will be able to proceed to the next round. If more than half of the total number of participants manage to charge past the area that they are guarding, then the three academies will be judged as having failed and will be eliminated from the competition, "Old Cai said.
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed.
Old Cai paused for a moment before continuing, "The second round is called the Knocking on the Dragon's Door. It can also be called the beating of the war drums. The war drums signify the start of the Astral Combat Tournament, and each academy will send one person to guard the drums. Once all the participants from their respective academies arrive, they must sound the drums. Those who fail to sound the drums will be judged as having failed and will be eliminated from the tournament.
"The third round is called the Paying Respects to the Ancestors. Similarly, each academy must send one student to guard the third round. Once the participants from their respective academies who passed the first two rounds arrive, they must light incense to pay respects to the ancestors of the ten academies. Those who fail to light the incense will be judged as having failed and will be eliminated from the tournament.
"As for the fourth round, it's the drawing of lots to determine the true strongest of the ten academies."
Lu Yin answered seriously, "The war drums and incense to the ancestors aren't simple, right?"
Old Cai laughed strangely. "Of course. The war drums are made from the skin of astral beasts, so it's not easy to sound them. One must at least comprehend battle force to be able to sound them."
Lu Yin raised his brows. "What about the incense?"
"Same. Those who haven't reached a certain level can't even touch it," Old Cai said.
Lu Yin grew serious. "One seed, one Knocking on the Dragon's Door, and one Paying Respects to the Ancestors. This means that each academy has eliminated at least the top three, and three academies have eliminated the top four."
"You can interpret it that way. That's why we're giving you the mission of snatching training grounds. Otherwise, how can you compete in the Astral Combat Tournament when you don't even know who can do what?" Old Cai rolled his eyes.
Lu Yin silently calculated that Astral-10's current lineup was enough. "Old Cai, what should I do now?"
"Keep a low profile and bide your time. Don't let others see through you before the Astral Combat Tournament. Right, maintain your battle force at all times, but don't let others detect it," Old Cai said.
Lu Yin nodded. Battle force circled around his body, but he suppressed it to the surface of his body so that it could not penetrate his clothes. This way, no one would be able to detect it. However, maintaining this form for a long time was too tiring.
After leaving the Treasure Pavilion, Michelle was waiting for him not far away.
"Should I help you comprehend battle force now?" Lu Yin asked.
Michelle pondered for a moment. "Wait for me for a month. I'll see you in a month at the Sand Ocean."
"Sounds good," Lu Yin agreed. He could go out and earn some crystals in a month. He hadn't rolled the die in a long time, and he didn't have any money. Now, he needed at least a hundred thousand crystals to roll the die. Otherwise, if he rolled Possession, it would be a huge loss. Possession was a point that could transform him, and he couldn't waste it.
The next day, a piece of news shook the entire Astral Combat Academy. The Dao of Purgatory's Fathomless Pool had been robbed, and the culprit was Astral-10.
This news came from the Astral Combat Academy's newspaper, and the title was: "Astral-10's Glory Reappears, Snatching the Fathomless Pool."
This article vividly described the battle between Uro and the students from Astral-10. The editor, Wu Da, used his experienced writing to describe the battle so vividly that it made the audience feel as if they had been there. More importantly, the introduction of the students from Astral-10 shocked many of the Astral Combat Academy's students.
"Xia Luo, a new student from Astral-10, a new Lockbreaker, and a rising star. He easily dispelled an attack from Area Master Uro and set the stage for Uro's defeat. The author believes that without Xia Luo, there would have been no victory in this battle. He was the one who dealt a decisive blow to Uro and received Uro's strongest attack. His strength is comparable to an Area Master's, but more importantly, he is only a Melder, a monstrous genius buried in Astral-10.
"Silver, a new student from Astral-10, a killer with a smile and a butterfly blade.
His butterfly blade is strange and ever-changing, and he has injured Uro multiple times, making it impossible for him to dodge. In the end, he even decapitated Uro. His smile instills fear of death in others, and his blade can slice through the void. The author even believes that he possesses the power of a domain. He was the one who restricted Uro's attacks and prevented him from casually attacking. This person is also a Melder and yet another monstrous genius buried in Astral-10. "" Lulu Lulu, the Mavis.
She has inherited the Mavis family's terrifying innate gift, and each of her attacks can split the heavens and the earth. She looks beautiful and delicate, but she possesses the strength of a war god. Uro was unable to withstand her heavy attacks, and she sent him crashing into the ground multiple times. She even pierced through a mountain wall. Uro was helpless against her existence, but what was even more shocking was that she possessed battle force, which made her incomparably powerful. This person is still a Melder and is also a monstrous genius buried in Astral-10. "" Red Lotus, the Red Lotus Witch.
She is the younger sister of the Red Lotus Witchbow, and an exception was made for her to join the Ten Arbiters Council as a Melder. She has a charming appearance, but she has a cold heart. Her red lotus arrows can pierce through the void, and every step that Uro took was precisely calculated by her. In the end, she dealt a decisive blow to Uro. She is the goddess of this author's heart. She has a perfect appearance, and it is worth mentioning that she is also a Melder. Too many geniuses have been buried in Astral-10. What a pity. "
"Lu Yin, the rumored leader of Astral-10. He defeated Phoenix, a powerhouse on the Blaze Realm's Smelting List, and was the one who teased Xi Yue. His strength is not bad, but he did not display any decisive power in his battle with Uro. This author believes that he might be a smokescreen from Astral-10.
"Fog Bullet, in order to hide the existence of the others, if we use his performance in his battle with Uro as a benchmark, then this person might not even be able to enter Astral-10's top five. Of course, his strength is not too bad either, and he can compete with the average student from the other academies. However, compared to his previous battle results, his current performance is too lacking. This author believes that the credibility of his previous battle results needs to be reconfirmed."
This was Wu Da's introduction of the battle at the Fathomless Pool. This introduction had thoroughly boosted Astral-10's popularity, and Xia Luo, Silver, Lulu, and Michelle were all exposed to the eyes of everyone in the Astral Combat Academy. Of course, Wu Da had also learned his lesson and did not go into detail about their battle characteristics. However, his description of the battle was exceptionally brilliant, and many students treated it like a novel.
Unfortunately, when Wu Da appeared, the battle was already about to end. Thus, the first half of the battle had been fabricated by him, and he did not see Lu Yin and Uro fight. His introduction of Xia Luo and the others was also exaggerated, but that was not important. What was important was that the news had become popular.
Regardless of whether it was entertainment gossip or battle news, there would always be a difference in quality. For example, Xia Luo and the other three had been highly praised by Wu Da, but he had only dropped Lu Yin in order to gain some attention. In Wu Da's eyes, Lu Yin was indeed not worth reporting. His Skybeast Claw was not that strong, and Wu Da did not even have the desire to investigate Lu Yin. He believed that his guess was correct, and that Lu Yin had been released by Astral-10 to mislead the other academies. Otherwise, how could a mere Astral-10 have such a terrifying powerhouse that could suppress Xia Luo and the others?
In Astral-2, Liu Tang read the news with interest. "Not bad, Astral-10 was able to defeat Uro. Although they teamed up, they were all Melders, so they have some strength. However, is this Lu Yin the genius Lockbreaker that she was talking about?
Why didn't she mention his identity as a Lockbreaker? "
In Astral-6, Charon laughed heartily. He could not do anything to Lu Yin, but when he saw the news belittling Lu Yin, he felt very happy. "Very good, this news has a bright future."
Liu Ji stared at the news with a frown. She recognized Xia Luo and Silver among the names mentioned, so the reviews were quite pertinent. However, the introduction of Lu Yin was a little biased. She had not expected this guy to be Astral-10's leader, but why had they not reported that he had become a Lockbreaker?
Furthermore, he was a One Star Discerning Elementary Lockbreaker. This editor was irresponsible.
As for Lu Yin's strength, Liu Ji could not really evaluate it. Perhaps Astral-10 really had released him to mislead the other academies. In her mind, the most terrifying people were the smiling Silver and the black-haired man.
In Astral-8, Craynor slammed the news shut. That bastard Wu Da, don't let me see this! He actually dared to say that Lu Yin's battle results were not credible. Craynor had been completely crushed by Lu Yin. That person's strength was definitely not simple.
In Astral-10, Big Pao, Little Pao, and the other students also saw the news and were pleasantly surprised that Astral-10 had become famous once again.
Michelle frowned, as she had not expected that someone else had seen that battle. Furthermore, Lu Yin's strength had been severely underestimated. If he had not exhausted Uro's battle force, that battle would not have been so easy. Furthermore, Lu Yin had been the one who had caused Uro's first injury, and he had not been injured until the end. She had even guessed that he could fight against an Area Master, but he had been demoted to such a low level. Did that person not see the first half of the battle?
At this moment, Uro was in a very bad mood. The news had described him as a villain, and he had sworn to hunt down that bastard called Wu Da.
He scanned the news again and finally stopped at the report on Lu Yin. Others might not know, but he was well aware of the trouble this person had caused him. His battle force had not been able to harm this person, and this person also had battle force. His physical body was terrifyingly strong, and the palm strike that had severely injured him had left a deep impression on Uro. How could Lu Yin be so weak? This Wu Da must be blind.
Uro closed the news and decided to take revenge. He wanted to snatch back the Fathomless Pool. As he thought about it, he endured the pain in his head and entered the trial zone.
While the students of the Astral Combat Academy were discussing the news, Lu Yin had already left Astral-10 and appeared in outer space. He had also seen the news and smiled. He had originally wanted to spend some time in peace, but he had not expected Wu Da to help him. Now, even if Lu Yin announced that he had become the student leader through his own strength, no one would believe him!
However, the evaluation of Xia Luo and the others was still quite accurate. Wu Da himself had thought that it was exaggerated, but Lu Yin felt that it was not enough. He had always felt that Xia Luo and Silver had been hiding something. At the very least, Lu Yin had not seen the battle techniques that they were proficient in.