Rumor had it that the amount of star energy within the Hall of Insight was fixed, and if one wanted to use it, they would have to use various methods to fight over it. The four trees were actually sourcebox arrays that had been constructed by ancient Lockbreakers. Many Lockbreakers would observe the Hall of Insight in hopes of comprehending something. Once they did, they would be able to advance from a Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker to a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker. This was a shortcut.
The Hall of Insight was the core of Sourcepeak Planet.
The location of the first round of the competition was in the mountain range below the Hall of Insight.
There were currently more than three hundred Lockbreakers participating in the competition, and they all entered the mountain range below the Hall of Insight one after another.
"Someone who hasn't even successfully unlocked a sourcebox dares to participate? This year's Lockbreaker Competition has really declined!" someone in the crowd shouted with laughter.
Everyone around him laughed as well.
"The Lockbreaker Competition doesn't have a limit on the number of participants. I think I should participate as well. Although I haven't unlocked a sourcebox before, it'll be good to experience it. In the future, I can say that I've participated in the Lockbreaker Competition," someone shouted as he leapt into the mountain range.
This person's words moved many people, and a few more Lockbreakers immediately entered the mountain range.
Inside the Hall of Insight, Saul, Fiend Li, Felynn, Yi Feng, Mr. Jun, and several other Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreakers sat down with ugly expressions.
"Vice President, should we throw out those who haven't unlocked a sourcebox before?" a Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker asked.
Saul waved his hand. "Forget it. The Lockbreaker Competition doesn't have a precedent of kicking people out. Let them participate since they won't be able to pass the first round anyway."
Felynn smiled. "Less than a hundred people passed the first round, so it's useless for them to join. The number of participants has already exceeded the initial limit, and it's still increasing. I believe that the final number will exceed a thousand."
"Hmph, there are less than twenty thousand Lockbreakers in the entire Outerverse, and there aren't even a thousand Lockbreakers with star ratings. Excluding those who aren't participating, there are at most three hundred star Lockbreakers in this competition, and most of them are fledglings who haven't unlocked a sourcebox before. How embarrassing!"
Everyone fell silent.
In the past, the Lockbreaker Competition had been organized by both the Innerverse and Outerverse, and there had been over a thousand Lockbreakers participating in the competition. However, almost all of them had been Three Stars Discerning Elementary Lockbreakers or above. At that time, any random Lockbreaker would have been able to rank among the top in this competition, and this competition had caused the Lockbreaker Society to lose face.
"Haha, Senior, there's no need to be angry. It's not like there aren't any outstanding ones. Look." Mr. Jun smiled and pointed below. Straight Metallic Man had entered the mountain range and appeared on the screen.
Straight Metallic Man was a five star Discerning Elementary Lockbreaker, and his appearance attracted quite a bit of attention.
Soon after, the Serpent Queen appeared, as well as Tong Mi 'er and Xi Qi. Waves of cries of surprise made Fiend Li's expression look much better. At least it wasn't too embarrassing, as there were still people supporting him. This was especially true for Xi Qi, who had already reached the Perceptive Intermediate level. She was definitely the strongest contender for first place in this competition.
When he saw Xi Qi appear, Saul's expression changed, but it soon returned to normal. Aside from Felynn, no one else noticed.
Felynn stared at the mountain range, searching for Lu Yin.
Lu Yin said something to Aden and then charged into the mountain range.
The moment he passed the towering tree, the star energy in his body seemed to be sealed, and he couldn't move it at all. It was as if his entire body had been split into two; one was inside his body, and the other was outside his body.
Perhaps this was what the space-exploring powerhouses who had worn star essence skins during the competition on Planet Pyrolyte had experienced.
He casually waved his hand, and there was very little star energy floating in the air. Although he couldn't absorb it, he could still use it.
This was the so-called stealing of star energy. Anyone who entered the range of the Hall of Insight would have their star energy taken away to ensure the safety of the hall.
Lu Yin didn't stop and headed deeper into the mountain range.
Although there were many Lockbreakers participating in the competition, they were all scattered throughout the mountain range. Along the way, Lu Yin occasionally saw Lockbreakers appear, but most of them had hidden themselves.
Lu Yin's eyes flashed; it was Deng Pu. He had seen this person's image before, and if Lu Yin wasn't mistaken, this person should be the final champion of the competition.
Suddenly, Lu Yin turned to look behind him, and his expression changed. How could a Hunter appear here?
Ten thousand meters away from Lu Yin, there was a young-looking man with eyes that seemed to have experienced the vicissitudes of life walking through the mountain range. He would occasionally look up at the Hall of Insight with a complicated expression.
Lu Yin stood at a high vantage point and quietly looked over, and he saw the young man.
The young man also saw Lu Yin, but he ignored him and continued walking in another direction.
Lu Yin was astonished. This person was a Hunter, and perhaps not an ordinary one at that. He actually felt slightly threatened by Lu Yin, which was a feeling that only Mr. Jun's lockbreaking tool had made him feel. This person was very strong.
Outside the Hall of Insight, images of Lockbreakers appeared on a screen in the sky. When the young Hunter appeared, someone exclaimed, "Cai Jianqiang!"
The surrounding people were confused. "Bro, what are you shouting about?"
The person looked at the screen in shock and pointed. "Cai Jianqiang. That's right, it's definitely him."
"What Cai Jianqiang?"
A woman with a gadget approached with curiosity in her eyes. She was from the media, and she was here to capture the highlights of this competition to increase the viewership ratings.
The person stared at the screen and solemnly explained, "There's a pair of brothers in the Innerverse. The elder brother is called Cai Jianwen, and the younger brother is called Cai Jianqiang. These two brothers are very famous because they are complete opposites. The elder brother has an extremely high lockbreaking talent, and he became a five star Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker before the age of 100. He also became a researcher of the Innerverse Lockbreaker Society and had the right to participate in the assessment. He was known as the most talented Lockbreaker of his generation, and he was even hailed as the successor to the Innerverse Lockbreaker Society's president. However, his cultivation talent was too poor, and even though he became a five star Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker, he was only an Explorer, and it was difficult for him to progress any further."
"The younger brother, Cai Jianqiang, is the exact opposite. He has an extremely high cultivation talent, and he became a Hunter in just a few short decades. He can challenge those who are a Realmbreaker with ease, and he once suppressed a Youth Council member of that generation. He's an absolute expert of his generation, but his lockbreaking talent is extremely poor. He's only just reached the Perceptive Intermediate level, and he's been evaluated as being unable to progress any further."
"The two brothers are complete opposites, and they're a hot topic in the Innerverse Lockbreaker circle."
The woman beside him was surprised. "There's such a thing? That can't be right. We know a lot about the powerful Lockbreakers in the Innerverse, and if he's the president's successor and the most talented Lockbreaker of his generation, then why haven't we heard of Cai Jianwen's name?"
"Because that person changed his name. You must have heard of his name before: Wusheng," the person solemnly explained.
"Wusheng?" the people around him exclaimed, clearly not unfamiliar with this name.
The woman was shocked. "Are you talking about the Master Wusheng who can casually decide whether or not someone can join the Lockbreaker Society? The one who can assess people at any time and place?"
"That's right. Wusheng is Cai Jianwen, and that person is Wusheng's younger brother, Cai Jianqiang," the person said.
As soon as he said this, the crowd's gazes towards the young man on the screen were no longer calm. This was an important figure.
In the Hall of Insight, Saul saw Cai Jianqiang and his eyes trembled. "He's actually in the Outerverse as well."
Fiend Li and the others looked over as well. "It's him. What a pity. If only he had half of his brother's lockbreaking talent, then he wouldn't be in such a state."
Mr. Jun said, "Actually, if he didn't walk the path of lockbreaking, his future would have been very bright. There are very few people who can compare to him in terms of cultivation, and he could be considered the strongest of his generation. It's a pity that he chose to walk the path of lockbreaking."
Although Cai Jianqiang had surprised everyone, Saul did not care. This person's lockbreaking talent was too poor, and he posed no threat to Deng Pu.
After looking around, Saul did not find Lu Yin, and he nodded in satisfaction. There were only a few people who could pose a threat to him in this year's Lockbreaker Competition, and those who had caught his eye had all been eliminated. Lu Yin had been one of them, but his operation had failed, which worried Saul. Although this person was only a five star Discerning Elementary Lockbreaker, his progress was too fast, and he also had a lockbreaking tool. He would be a worthy opponent.
Fortunately, Lu Yin had not appeared. Saul looked at Mr. Jun with a satisfied expression.
Mr. Jun was at a loss. He had searched for Lu Yin for two days on the road from Frostwave Weave to Sourcepeak Planet, but he had not found Lu Yin. He had thought that he had missed Lu Yin, but Lu Yin had not appeared at all.
Within the mountain range, Lu Yin watched Cai Jianqiang leave with a solemn expression. This person was not simple, and he might very well be Lu Yin's greatest enemy in this year's Lockbreaker Competition.
As a bell rang in the sky, the Lockbreaker Competition officially began. The mountain range trembled, and soon, a voice rang out in the sky. "Hidden in the mountain range are sourceboxes sealed with Spiritual Thread. You have three days. The more sourceboxes you find and unlock, the higher your results will be."
Lu Yin was shocked. The Lockbreaker Society was truly worthy of its reputation, and they were truly generous. According to Felynn, a hundred people could pass the first round, which meant that at least a hundred people would be able to successfully unlock the sourceboxes. That meant that there would be more than a hundred sourceboxes, and there would definitely be people who would be able to unlock more than one sourcebox.
It was a pity that everything obtained from lockbreaking belonged to the Lockbreaker Society, which was basically giving them free lockbreaking.
Regardless, the Lockbreaker Society's foundation was unfathomable for them to be able to take out so many sourceboxes in one go.
Lu Yin stood at a high vantage point and looked down, but he could not see the number of rune lines that represented the sourceboxes. He could only sense them with his star energy, but this was similar to treasure gambling. It all depended on one's eyesight.
There was a thump, and there was a loud explosion not too far away. Someone had attacked the ground from high up in the sky, not intending to search for the sourceboxes.
Lu Yin looked over and saw that the ground did not move at all. That attack had contained the power level of a Limiteer, but it had not been able to shatter the ground. The ground of this mountain range was terrifyingly tough, which meant that it was impossible to bombard the mountain range. Even if a Cruiser attacked, there would not be enough star energy in the air for him to bombard the mountain range. Furthermore, there were so many people in the mountain range competing for star energy.
Lu Yin crouched down and exerted a bit of strength until he displayed a strength comparable to a Cruiser's. Only then did the ground crack open. It would take some time for this kind of strength to completely shatter the ground.
It seemed that he would have to rely on the traces of star energy to search for sourceboxes, but he did not know how to do so. No one had ever taught him how to search for sourceboxes.
As he thought about it, Sirius activated his Sirius Technique and expanded its range. Gradually, the entire mountain was enveloped, and Lu Yin could see much more clearly within the range of his Sirius Technique. The Giant Emperor's third eye appeared in Lu Yin's hand, and he focused his gaze downwards. He could clearly see the spatial fluctuations as well as the trajectory of star energy. He could also clearly see the abnormal spatial fluctuations at a corner of the mountain. There was a sourcebox there.