Reaching the power level of a Realm Master was incredibly difficult, and Lu Yin was confident that he could reach that level within half a year or even surpass it. However, reaching the Realm Master level was just too difficult. Was he destined not to participate in this year's Astral Combat Tournament?
The Astral Combat Tournament was held once every twenty years, and the younger generation could only participate once. However, with Lu Yin's skeletal age, he could participate in the next tournament, but he did not want to wait for twenty years.
He raised his hand, and his die appeared. "I hope you can bring me a miracle."
At that moment, the ruffian Little Eight rushed in and shouted excitedly, "Boss, we've discovered pirates!"
Lu Yin casually dispersed the die and stared coldly at Little Eight. "Remember to knock before you come in, or I'll cut off your hand."
Little Eight was startled, but he quickly nodded.
"Pirates?
What's their scale? "Lu Yin asked.
Little Eight nervously answered, "Half a region ahead of us, there's a pirate group called the Flying Fish. They were established a few years before us, and they can be considered professional pirates."
Lu Yin laughed. "Professional pirates?
So there are even amateurs? "
Little Eight smiled. "Boss, many pirates aren't actually pirates. Being a pirate is like a mask. When someone is poor, has financial problems, or has a special goal, a new pirate group will be born. Once their goal is achieved, the pirates will disappear. It's very normal."
Lu Yin's eyes flickered. "The dark side of the universe."
Little Eight nodded. "Boss, what about this Flying Fish Pirate Group?"
"Get close and then rob them," Lu Yin said calmly as he walked towards the command center.
Little Eight hurriedly followed after him. He had thought things through, and since he could not resist, he might as well perform well. Perhaps there would be another opportunity.
The various weaves of the universe had never slacked off in their efforts to eliminate pirates. Pirates were a serious hindrance to the various weaves' economy, and there were often rumors of important people being killed by pirates. Thus, the various weaves had their own armies that specialized in eliminating pirates.
However, pirates were too cunning. Aside from a few particularly powerful pirate groups, small pirate groups would not stay in one place for too long, and the Flying Fish Pirate Group was one such pirate group.
"What's the style of this pirate group?" Lu Yin asked as he looked at the medium-sized pirate ship that was getting closer and closer.
Little Eight replied, "They're similar to us. They just rob and don't kill."
"I didn't expect you guys to be so principled."
Little Eight smiled bitterly. "Boss, it's very difficult to be a pirate. Robbing is risky, but killing is even more so. For the various weaves' armies that purge pirates, robbing and not killing is an ironclad rule. Once you violate this rule, you'll be placed on the military's must-kill list. Furthermore, killing someone is very likely to draw the attention of certain major powers.
Lu Yin nodded, as Little Eight's words made sense. Although the universe was cruel, that was only true for cultivators and those who wandered the edges of darkness, such as pirates. Ordinary people rarely faced any unnatural deaths outside of natural disasters. Generally speaking, as the various weaves grew closer and closer together, humanity was becoming more and more aware of how to protect themselves.
Not long after, Lu Yin stretched lazily as he looked at the two Limiteers who had been knocked down. This was the Flying Fish Pirates' spacecraft, and Lu Yin had easily robbed it.
These small pirate groups did not have many powerhouses, and their Limiteers were only equivalent to the average Melder from the Astral Combat Academy, which was similar to Gerbach and the others.
"Boss, this is the reward." Under the furious gaze of the captain of the Flying Fish Pirates, Little Myna took out a black Mavis Bank card as if he was presenting a treasure.
Lu Yin's lips curled up. "How much?"
"Hehe, sixty thousand star crystals," Little Eight said.
Lu Yin frowned. "So little?
Hasn't this pirate group been robbing for years? "
"Boss, a pirate group's expenses are very high. After deducting the cost of deaths, weapon maintenance, ship maintenance, and so on, there's also the need to buy medicine, gather information, pay tribute to stronger pirate groups, and pay for the powerhouses' cultivation, etc. It's already pretty good to have sixty thousand left."
Lu Yin glanced at the captain and saw that his face was ashen. He grunted and took the card without hesitation. "Not bad. Divide the rest among your brothers."
Little Eight was delighted. "Thank you, Boss."
Lu Yin's actions surprised Little Eight. He had not pocketed anything for himself, which was a good way to win people over. Lu Yin looked young, but he was not stupid.
The rest of the pirates cheered and worked even harder.
Lu Yin did not care about a measly amount of money. He did care about money, but he would not do anything for it. He would spend what he needed, and he still hoped that these pirates would bring him even more wealth. Robbing ordinary people was not as profitable as robbing pirates, and he would bear the risks. This was the best outcome for these pirates, even if they would be banned from the circle if word got out.
Over the next half a month, Lu Yin and Little Eight explored the surrounding filaments. There were ninety-seven filaments in the Darkmist Weave, and according to Little Eight, this was where most of the Outerverse pirates gathered. They had robbed no less than ten pirate groups in half a month, and it was like entering a den of thieves. Of course, their gains were not bad. Lu Yin alone had obtained about seven hundred thousand star crystals, which was enough to make him rich. The rest of the pirates had also obtained enough wealth to last them for the rest of their lives. Even if they did not become pirates, they could still be rich ordinary people.
"Eighth Bro, isn't that the Jazz Pirates' territory up ahead?
Let's rob them, "one of the pirates said excitedly in the command room.
Little Eight smacked him on the head. "Are you crazy? Rob the Jazz Pirates? Scram!"
Lu Yin happened to walk over and asked, "Why can't we rob the Jazz Pirates?"
Little Eight was startled by Lu Yin's voice and quickly turned around. "Boss, the Jazz Pirates are the strongest pirate group in the surrounding filaments. They have at least five Limiteers, and their captain, the Mad Viper Knight, is an absolute powerhouse who graduated from the Astral Combat Academy."
Lu Yin was shocked. "He graduated from the Astral Combat Academy?
Is he a space-exploring powerhouse? "
Little Eight shook his head. "No, an Explorer wouldn't just wander around the surrounding filaments. He's a peak Limiteer."
Lu Yin relaxed. As long as he wasn't an Explorer, then everything was fine. This meant that this person's claim that he had graduated from the Astral Combat Academy was a lie. The Astral Combat Academy's rules stated that one had to be an Explorer before they graduated. Otherwise, they would only be expelled when they reached the age limit and would not be considered a graduate.
The Astral Combat Academy was split into ten academies. Aside from Astral-10, the other academies had an average of a thousand students, but less than a third of them had successfully graduated. These people were the absolute elites of the universe, and even those who had been expelled were not weak. After all, becoming an Explorer required luck and talent, and without a five-stage formcast model, it was too difficult to become an Explorer before the age limit. However, no matter where they went, the expelled students were all outstanding and would not become pirates. This person had to be bluffing.
"Let's go and rob the Jazz Pirates. If they can dominate the surrounding filaments, then we'll definitely reap a lot of rewards," Lu Yin said expectantly.
Little Eight's expression turned bitter. "Boss, this pirate group really can't be provoked. An army once surrounded them, but nearly half of them died in the end. Their blood dyed the planet's oceans red, and even an Explorer was killed by the Mad Viper Knight. This person is truly terrifying."
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. "That's it. Immediately."
Little Eight helplessly glared at the pirate who had spoken up before changing course and heading towards the Jazz Pirates.
It wasn't easy to find a pirate group, and pirates couldn't stay in one place forever. They needed to rely on luck, but since they were all pirates, Little Eight's chances of finding them were quite high.
At this point, Lu Yin had long since forgotten about his lockbreaking mission. Although lockbreaking was important to him, it wasn't as important as star crystals. His die was the only shortcut that could quickly increase his strength.
He now had more than 700,000 star crystals, and he would be able to return to Astral-10 after robbing the last one. There, he could peacefully wait for the Astral Combat Tournament to begin.
The Jazz Pirates traveled through many filaments, and Little Eight had thought that it wouldn't be so easy to bump into them. However, a day later, he saw a large spacecraft among a group of asteroids. It was the Jazz Pirates' spacecraft.
Under Lu Yin's stern gaze, Little Eight sent a communication request to the Jazz Pirates. Soon, their spacecraft was allowed to dock with the large spacecraft.
There was a shudder, and Lu Yin looked at his gadget. There were quite a few people on this ship, and there were nearly a thousand of them. Three of them were Limiteers, and more importantly, one of them had a power level of 10,000. The glaring power level almost scared Little Eight to death. This was a peak Limiteer, which should be the Mad Viper Knight's power level. This person was only one step away from breaking through to become an Explorer.
Lu Yin's expression turned serious, but he didn't pay it much mind. He had encountered many peak Limiteers in the ported battles, and although they had suppressed him greatly, they weren't as invincible as Explorers. Uro was a peak Limiteer, and there was also Frankfurt, as well as the spear-wielding expert he had killed when he first entered the Dao of Purgatory.
"B-Boss, it's not too late to regret. I think it's best not to provoke the Mad Viper Knight. We'll just resupply in the name of offering and then we can leave," Little Eight stuttered.
Lu Yin waved his hand and walked out of the cabin, entering the Jazz Pirates' spacecraft. He had indeed made preparations before coming here. If the Mad Viper Knight was too strong, he could give up, but he should be able to deal with him. Even if he couldn't, it didn't matter. His identity as a Lockbreaker could be used to exchange for his life.
He requested to meet the Mad Viper Knight as a pirate captain, which was not an unreasonable request. Soon, Lu Yin was brought to the Mad Viper Knight's lounge, where he saw a Limiteer.
Just as the Limiteer was about to speak, his expression changed, and his gadget beeped. The Limiteer's expression changed, and he quickly left. The pirate who had brought Lu Yin here also quickly left, leaving Lu Yin alone.
Lu Yin frowned, but he didn't pay it any mind. He pushed open the lounge door and walked in.
The Mad Viper Knight was a middle-aged man. Most pirate captains were middle-aged men, and he wore an elegant aristocratic robe. He held a walking stick in one hand, and there was a python tattoo on his face. At first glance, he looked quite formidable.
Lu Yin's entrance did not disturb the Mad Viper, who was staring at his gadget. Lu Yin didn't know what he was looking at, but there was a trace of worry in his eyes.