Lu Yin nodded. He was indeed curious. Rather than seventeen families competing for the Northgate Platform, it was more like three families were competing with the other fourteen families.
Lily Anne thought about it and then looked at Lu Yin. She earnestly said, "When wolves are around, a sheep will seek the protection of a hunting dog, even if it's being cooked by a hunter."
Her words clearly explained the situation in the Northline Flowzone.
Lu Yin's expression turned cold. Although this woman had not mentioned the seventeen families, a simple analogy was enough for him to understand. Fourteen families would rather seek the protection of the other three families than be divided by the other flowzones. This was the sorrow of the weak.
The universe was filled with such thoughts.
Lu Yin retracted his gaze. At this moment, he had a deep understanding of the Northline Flowzone's situation and the significance of the Northgate Platform Competition. Its greater significance was to deter external enemies.
"Brother Lu, many experts from other flowzones have been invited to witness the Northgate Platform Competition. Let me give you a brief introduction," Lily Anne said.
Lu Yin nodded, as he was curious as to who the Blazing Mist Flowzone had sent.
"First, the top experts. The Beast Tamers Flowzone is the closest to the Northline Flowzone, and they've sent a Class One Hall expert named Fayde. His power level is 170,000, and he's not far from becoming an almighty powerhouse.
"The Blazing Mist Flowzone's Blaze Realm has sent Poison Flame. His power level was 160,000 a decade ago, but his current level is unknown.
"The Blazing Mist Flowzone's Ross Empire has sent Duke Blackhawk, who is the same as Poison Flame. His power level was previously known to be 160,000, but now it's estimated to be around 180,000.
"The Tempest Flowzone isn't that far from the Northline Flowzone, and they've sent …"
…
Many experts had been invited to the Northgate Platform Competition, and two of the eight major flowzones had sent experts. Including the smaller flowzones like the Tempest Flowzone, there were more than ten of them.
These experts were all here to witness the competition, but they were not very strong. None of them were even Hunters. The ones to be wary of were the Beast Tamers Flowzone's Fayde, the Blazing Mist Flowzone's Poison Flame, and Duke Blackhawk.
These were the two major flowzones that the Northline Flowzone had to guard against.
The Eight Great Flowzones were rich in experts, and while Hunters were not considered rare in other Flowzones, they could not casually dispatch them either. However, things were different for the Eight Great Flowzones, as they could even dispatch almighty powerhouses. Almighty powerhouses were generally the protectors of smaller Flowzones, and they would not be easily dispatched.
The passenger spacecraft wasn't very fast, and it took a total of five days to travel from the transit planet to the tributary ark and then to the Northline Flowzone. These five days were roughly equivalent to the total time it would take for Lu Yin to travel from San Dios to the Northline Flowzone.
To a cultivator, time was life. He wanted to get another black-hole-class Aurora spaceship when he returned.
In the Blazing Mist Flowzone, Lu Yin had not noticed anything, but the deeper he went into the universe, the more stable the void became.
He had stayed in the Innerverse before. Back then, when Big Sis and the others had brought him around the Innerverse, he had still been a normal person who had yet to cultivate, so he hadn't been able to sense anything out of the ordinary. The second time he had come to the Innerverse, he had gone to the border of the Erudite Flowzone. He had passed through the Blazing Mist Flowzone and then arrived at the Erudite Flowzone. He had walked along the border of the Innerverse, so he hadn't been able to sense anything out of the ordinary.
Now that he had arrived at the Northline Flowzone, he finally felt that the void was different. It felt much heavier, but the difference was not that great.
Lily Anne was the host of the Northline Flowzone, and before they even got off the passenger spacecraft, the Lily family's luxurious spacecraft was already waiting for them. Lu Yin and Lily Anne immediately boarded the luxurious spacecraft from the passenger spacecraft and headed towards the Northgate Platform.
"There's less than ten days until the Northgate Platform Competition. I can show Brother Lu around the Northgate Platform so that you can familiarize yourself with the local customs of the Northline Flowzone," Lily Anne said enthusiastically.
Lu Yin hurriedly declined, as this woman had been flattering him the entire time, which was too much for him to handle. He was certain that Lily Anne had something she needed his help with, and he wanted to avoid interacting with her as much as possible.
"Brother Lu, what are you guarding against me for?" Lily Anne looked at Lu Yin and probed.
Lu Yin smiled. "Of course I'm not guarding against you, Miss Lily Anne. It's just that Astral-10 has landed in the Northline Flowzone, so I need to return to Astral-10."
Lily Anne smiled. "So that's how it is. I was being overly suspicious, but Brother Lu has been calling me by my full name for the past few days. It's too unfamiliar. We should be friends, right?"
Lu Yin laughed dryly. "Then I'll just call you Miss Anne."
Lily Anne smiled, tacitly agreeing.
"Right, Brother Lu, there's something I forgot to tell you." Lily Anne opened her gadget and tapped on a screen. "Astral-10's arrival in the Northline Flowzone has caused a wave of challenges from many students from Shangwu Academy. Over the past few days, students have been challenging students from Astral-10, but unfortunately, almost all of them have been defeated."
Lu Yin looked at the screen, which was currently showing Zora's battle with a stranger. That person should be a student from Shangwu Academy, and he wasn't weak. He had stepped into the Limiteer realm and was very proficient in using battle techniques, but he had still been defeated by Zora in the end.
When he saw Zora again, Lu Yin could clearly feel that something was different about her. Windrift Hall's battle techniques were unique, and they were indeed unique. They could seal star energy just by tapping their fingers against a person's body. He should study them when he had the time.
Aside from Zora's battle, there were also battles between Zhao Yilong, Meng Yue, and Coco. Shangwu Academy lived up to its name, and there were many challengers. Although almost all of them had been defeated, there were still some winners. For example, the person who had fought with Meng Yue had easily won.
"His name is Northgate Gang, and he's the younger brother of the Northgate family's young master, Northgate Lie. He's also one of the strongest students from Shangwu Academy," Lily Anne introduced.
Lu Yin nodded. Although Shangwu Academy couldn't compare to the Astral Combat Academy, it was normal for them to have a few powerhouses. Meng Yue, Zhao Yilong, and Schutz were all considered the weakest students in Astral-10, followed by Hui Daynight and Michelle. Northgate Gang could defeat Meng Yue, but he definitely wasn't Michelle's match. He was probably on the same level as Hui Daynight.
It was already quite good for him to be able to match a Daynight expert.
The funniest part was Coco's battle. She frantically ran while carrying a huge syringe, and it felt like she would poke anyone she caught. It had to be said that the huge syringe was quite intimidating, and even Lu Yin didn't dare to be poked even once.
Unfortunately, she was still defeated. Coco's weakness was obvious; she was vulnerable to area-of-effect attacks. Although the syringe's defense was top-notch, it couldn't last for too long as her stamina was running out.
After Coco's defeat, Xia Luo's next opponent was Lu Yin. When he saw Xia Luo, Lu Yin knew that there was no more suspense in this battle. Of all the students in Astral-10, he was the only one who was unrivalled. Only Xia Luo and Silver were second to him. It was hard to say who would win, but they could easily crush everyone else. The results of the Astral Combat Tournament had proven many things.
They both had the strength to fight against the student leaders.
Lu Yin had never been clear about Xia Luo's bottom line, but he and Silver had improved at an unimaginable speed.
"This person is a powerhouse from Astral-10, right? Ever since he started fighting, the strongest people from Shangwu Academy have all been defeated without any suspense," Lily Anne said as she looked at Xia Luo with bright eyes.
Lu Yin nodded. "His strength is second only to mine."
Lily Anne sighed. "No wonder Northgate Gang couldn't even see his bottom line."
Lu Yin rolled his eyes. He couldn't even see Northgate Gang's strength, let alone Xia Luo. Xia Luo had never fought seriously with him, and what he had once thought of as a serious battle was now nothing more than a joke to Lu Yin.
Shangwu Academy's challenge was just an interlude. The Lily family had arranged for Lu Yin to stay in the most luxurious restaurant in the Northgate Platform. Lily Anne had wanted to invite Lu Yin to stay at her house, but he had declined.
When he saw the Northgate Platform, Lu Yin was shocked. It was just a stone platform, but it was incomparably huge and floated in space. The universe was vast and mysterious.
Lily Anne did not linger and left after settling Lu Yin down.
Lu Yin stood in his room in the restaurant and looked outside. There were many students bustling about, and they all seemed to be full of youthful energy. To them, the Northgate Platform Competition had been lively, but they did not know that it was actually a tragedy for the Northline Flowzone. It was a tragedy that they had no choice but to reveal their strength in order to intimidate their enemies.
Lu Yin contacted Old Cai, but he was not in a hurry to return to Astral-10. Since he had come to the Northgate Platform, he naturally wanted to learn more about Shangwu Academy. This academy was under his direct supervision, as he was a member of the Council of Astral Academy appointed by the Ten Arbiters Council to oversee the Northline Flowzone.
He rested for a day.
The place he was staying in was considered a stand-alone house. Walking out of the room was a small courtyard, and further outside was the hotel lobby.
Lu Yin casually ordered a few dishes and sat in the main hall, looking around. It was mealtime, and more and more students had arrived.
"Why do you think the Astral Combat Academy's students are so strong?
Our Shangwu Academy is a gathering of the Northline Flowzone's top geniuses, but we've lost more than we've won. "
Not far away, a few students were discussing loudly, clearly in a bad mood.
Lu Yin did not look at them and quietly ate his meal.
"Alright, don't flatter yourself. What do you mean by more than they've won? That's because they haven't won much. Aside from Northgate Gang and a few other top students, the rest can't beat anyone else."
"That's not necessarily true. That girl can still win."
"Don't you feel ashamed? All you think about is fighting a girl," a girl reprimanded.
"Alright, don't blame him. The students of the Astral Combat Academy are not to be trifled with. Do you remember when Lily Anne rebelled against her family and insisted on studying at the Astral Combat Academy?
There's also Northgate Lie. He tried his best to enter the Astral Combat Academy, but in the end, Shangwu Academy's president promised him the best resources to nurture him. "
"The difference is too obvious. The Astral Combat Academy's mentors are at least Hunters, but most of our Shangwu Academy's mentors are only Cruisers, and some of them aren't even Cruisers."
"You can't say that. Many of the powerhouses on the Top 100 Rankings have never studied at the Astral Combat Academy. It's mainly based on their individual aptitudes."
…
The wave of challenges from Shangwu Academy had stimulated the students' desire to win, but the reality was bleak.
Lu Yin smiled. Astral-10 was not a pushover. Although the crazy president had caused Astral-10 to decline, Lu Yin's batch was different. Old Cai and the others had taken good care of them and taught them separately, which had allowed Meng Yue and the others to improve so much that they could rival the average Astral Combat Academy student. Darkvoid, Michelle, and the others had even surpassed the average and reached the level of an Area Master.
"Seventh Bro, does it feel good to hear people helplessly talk about you behind your back?" The monkey laughed strangely.
Lu Yin took a sip of wine. "It feels good."