Chapter 285: Secret Sidestep

Lu Yin was ecstatic; he never imagined that he would comprehend a domain under these circumstances. Mastering a domain meant that the wielder had absolute mastery within their domain’s boundary. Within a hundred-meter radius of him, Lu Yin could sense every sway that each blade of grass made when the gentle wind caressed them without looking. He could also hear every heartbeat of everyone trapped down below. He even knew what each one of them was looking at.

It was no wonder why the Rainmaster had once said that comprehension took but a moment, though Lu Yin was more willing to believe that his comprehension stemmed from his Cosmic Art. It was just like the Second Sword of the Sword Sect’s Thirteen Swords, which was the manifestation of a domain. It could even be said that Liu Shaoqiu had to comprehend a domain before he could display the Second Sword, or that the Second Sword had helped him comprehend a domain.

And Lu Yin’s Cosmic Art came from the Cosmic Sect, which surpassed even the Sword Sect according to the Trialmaster. With the word “Cosmic” in the technique’s name, it was likely a top technique from that peak sect, so there was nothing mysterious about it assisting him in comprehending a domain.

Eh? Lu Yin looked towards Han Chong. He could now clearly sense Han Chong’s strength, which he had not been able to do so before. He could tell that there was an ever-ready reserve of strength. Also, there was an indescribably mighty force present on Han Chong’s body. This strength felt strangely familiar to Lu Yin, but he could not recall where he had encountered it before.

The instant Lu Yin comprehended his domain, Han Chong’s eyes brightened. He could sense the collision between their domains, and his lips curled upwards. Five-lined battle force and now a domain. This person did not disappoint him in the slightest.

Lu Yin had no time to think about what was going through Han Chong’s mind as waves of energy continued to crash over him. Lu Yin stood up and inhaled deeply as his eyes widened. His right leg precisely shifted a few centimeters to the right, allowing him to barely avoid the impact from the energy surge. He then shifted a few centimeters back left to dodge the fluctuations of the next wave. His movements seemed perfectly natural and carefree, a complete change compared to before.

If Lu Yin had previously been a rock trapped under a torrent, then he was now a dancing skiff that could not be capsized no matter how large the seething waves were.

“No, no, impossible! You, Seventh Bro, when did you comprehend the Secret Sidestep?” the Ghost Monkey cried out in disbelief.

Lu Yin glanced around. “What’s the Secret Sidestep?”

“It’s a Lockbreaker’s supreme footwork! Countless Lockbreakers place it upon an unreachable pedestal! It’s an infinitely desired footwork that can allow one to avoid fatal danger during lockbreaking—that’s the Secret Sidestep! Don’t tell me that you comprehended it just now?”

Lu Yin was puzzled as well. “I don’t know. In any case, these energy surges are now useless against me. Also, my vision has become more piercing, and I’m much more confident in my chances of unlocking this seal and releasing the people trapped down below.”

“I’ll be damned, you really comprehended the Secret Sidestep! What the—how is this even possible!? That’s the Secret Sidestep, a supreme technique like no other. It can improve one’s safety while lockbreaking by a hundred times! This is nothing more than a dream for many Lockbreakers, but you learned it just like that!? Disgusting, how disgusting!” the Ghost Monkey screamed with jealousy.

Lu Yin’s eyes flashed mysteriously. Comprehended? That shouldn’t be the case… He had relied on a combination of the Giant Emperor’s third eye, the Cosmic Art, and his new domain to calculate his movements. This shouldn’t be the real Secret Sidestep but rather a forgery. If any one of the three parts were missing, then Lu Yin would not have been able to come up with this version of the Secret Sidestep.

Then, what was the true Secret Sidestep? Lu Yin suddenly thought of one of the sourcebox catalog videos that he had seen during his first viewing sessions. In one of those videos, someone had been unlocking a mountain-like sourcebox, and that person had incessantly patted the sourcebox while their body trembled slightly. Could that have been the Secret Sidestep?

However, he didn’t have the time to consider the possibility any further. He easily dodged all of the surging energy fluctuations like a fish swimming through tumultuous rapids. He then used a single hand to press against the materialized energy seal as his eyes sparkled. After gaining a domain in addition to his lockbreaking tool and Cosmic Art, his perception was now able to penetrate through the sea of energy even more, visually dissecting it layer by layer.

Below him, the trialtakers were all watching with gaping mouths. They could see the energy seal visually dissipating and vanishing as specks of light drifted away. Even if this was restricted to a small area, the fact that Lu Yin was successfully able to do this meant that he had the potential to unlock this seal.

Lu Yin’s left hand pressed up against the energy seal, and he raised his right hand as the muscles in his arms swelled. “Nine Stacks… Twentyfold… Spacerender Palm.” With a deafening roar, his martial power pierced the void and exploded over the collapsed Zhanlong Daynight…

…Who suddenly opened his eyes and tried to dodge. He was still struck by the aftershocks of the attack, and he spat out another mouthful of blood as his body was blasted some distance away.

Lu Yin sneered. The moment he comprehended his domain, he had sensed that Zhanlong Daynight’s heartbeat was not that of an unconscious person’s; the Daynight clan genius had been feigning unconsciousness this entire time. The Daynight Restoration Technique was truly terrifying and could withstand even the strongest strike, but Lu Yin’s palm had still inflicted a grievous injury upon him. And his Spacerender Palm truly knocked him out completely this time.

The crowd had apprehensive looks. That was Zhanlong Daynight who was being tossed around, but who would believe them when they recounted this scene?

Among Limiteers, Lu Yin should truly be matchless now. Everyone was thinking the same thing, and they were quite certain of his superiority.

While Lu Yin was completely focused on lockbreaking, Starsibyl, who had been waiting behind Crown Prince Ming Hao, left the celebrations without anyone’s notice. Not even Ming Hao paid her departure any mind, as he greatly trusted Tian Ji’s heir.

Similarly, Grandini Mavis, who had been standing behind Ming Zhaochen, also vanished.

The security detail around the imperial palace was very strict, and there was a sentry every few steps, each one an expert. However, the sentries were common cultivators compared to Starsibyl and Grandini. Given the absence of any Explorers, it was child’s play for the two of them to enter and leave the palace.

The two women met within a rock garden.

“What are you looking for?” Grandini asked.

Starsibyl smiled. “What are you looking for?”

“I asked you first.”

“And I’m not obliged to answer.”

“You are truly detestable. You act mysteriously whenever there’s nothing going on, but you’re always the first to act when something actually happens,” Grandini mocked as she rolled her eyes.

Starsibyl remained smiling. “Our goal should be the same. I suspect that the Tower of Resonating Light is not one of the five control nodes.”

Grandini frowned. “It should be. This information was only discovered after spending hundreds of years investigating.”

“Don’t underestimate the Shenwu Continent. They even developed the heavenly globe. It shouldn’t be too difficult for them to spend a few hundred years to mislead us.”

“We’ve never trusted the people of the Shenwu Continent. We trust you, or rather, the previous Starsibyls. The Starsibyl back then was certain that there was something amiss with the Tower of Resonating Light, or else, the trialtakers would not have colluded. The others may not know this, but I’m well aware that you Starsibyls are the ones leading this invasion of the Tower of Resonating Light. If the control node for the five sealing planets isn’t there, then you will have implicated many important people.”

“I won’t deny that there’s something wrong with the Tower of Resonating Light, but I also don’t know what that problem is. I don’t intend on letting Han Chong and the rest be sent to their graves. Hence, I’ve come here to investigate.”

Grandini felt disgusted. The extent of the Mavis family’s influence was not understood by everyone, but Grandini knew a bit more than the other trialtakers. Starsibyl had coordinated the attack currently taking place on the Tower of Resonating Light to determine whether or not it was one of the control nodes. Starsibyl was certain that something was going on there. If the trialtakers succeeded in this assault, then all of the merit would go to her. Failure, on the other hand, would lead to the others being wiped out. However, no one would be able to connect anything back to her as she had never appeared from start to finish. At most, people would blame the Darkmist Weave.

This woman is indeed vicious, Grandini thought to herself as she looked at Starsibyl with a great deal of caution.

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Starsibyl said helplessly as she looked towards the other girl.

Grandini merely snorted coldly in response.

At that point, a loud bang was heard in the distance. They both looked over to see multiple human figures that had been swatted onto the ground. It was unknown if they were still alive.

“They are trialtakers just like us. They must have been trying to sneak into the palace to look for the control nodes, but they clearly underestimated the palace’s defenses. How could there be no Explorers standing guard here? And clearly, there was more than just one,” Starsibyl explained.

Grandini raised her brows. “What about us?”

Starsibyl smiled and replied, “You take one, and I’ll take the other. Let’s take care of things quickly.”

Grandini scoffed, “Those are Explorers you’re talking about. Do you think that they are like Limiteers? And you talk about ‘taking care of things quickly’.”

“You’re a Mavis. Let’s not try to deceive each other—you understand me, and similarly, I understand you.”

Grandini grimaced; the Mavis family had indeed dominated the universe and was now the financial lifeblood of humanity; it was a terrifying super-power. They could not have reached such heights by only relying on their strange innate brute strength, and many in the universe had tried to probe into their secret. However, it had never been revealed. This mysterious secret did not sit well with Starsibyl, as she similarly did not know their secret. Still, she could guess at it, and this made her very confident in Grandini’s power level.

“Fine, one each.” Grandini then walked out of the rock garden with light steps. Her movements seemed deliberately slow, but the surrounding sentries noticed nothing and only felt a slight wind breeze blow past them.

Starsibyl also made her way towards Ming Zhaotian’s imperial study.

The two walked towards the imperial study unobstructed and were only stopped by a voice when they reached the door. “Foreigners! You dare to barge into the imperial study?! Die!”

Starsibyl did not move and instead looked at Grandini, who rolled her eyes. She then closed them, only to suddenly open them very wide. A verdant green light illuminated the room—it was the color of the Mavis family, the green of life. This green contained a vibrant vitality that relieved people of their worries, as if they had returned to the origin of life. It enveloped the study as well as the Explorer who had attacked them, freezing him mid-motion. He sluggishly looked at Grandini, then moved to one corner of the room, and stood there silently.

This scene made Starsibyl’s pupils shrink. Even if she had a guess as to what the Mavis family’s secret power was, she could have never imagined the true terror of the Mavis family’s innate gift. This was something that was able to even influence an Explorer’s consciousness! This was the power that allowed the Mavis family’s to be peerless and dominating throughout the universe.

Suddenly, another vast pressure descended upon the two trialtakers; there was another Explorer.

Starsibyl raised her head and extended a jade white finger that tapped against the void. The surroundings transformed into a starry sky that extended endlessly into the distance. At this moment, it felt like they were not in the imperial study, but rather the boundless heavens.

Battle technique—Astral Banishment!!

This finger caused Grandini’s blood to run cold. Even with the Mavis family’s powerful innate gift, she was not confident in her chances of beating Starsibyl. This woman was just too mysterious, and she had been completely confident throughout the entirety of the Astral Combat Tournament. Although she had also been secretive at that time, she had still at least been within one’s sight. Now, everything seemed like an illusion, as if Starsibyl was no longer Starsibyl, but rather a completely different woman.

The second Explorer’s pupils dilated and contracted, and it seemed as if he was trying to sense something as he remained there, frozen stiff. He was lost in the Astral Banishment.

The two girls exchanged glances, each feeling that the other was difficult to deal with.

The deferment of the Astral Combat Tournament’s final four battles was indeed very beneficial to Lu Yin. Regardless of whether it was Starsibyl or Han Chong, all other three members had more unknown hidden trump cards. Even Grandini had an unrevealed secret of the Mavis family. If the battle amongst the top four had continued as scheduled, Lu Yin would have been defeated first. Even his five-lined battle force would not have been enough to win against a single one of them.

Ming Zhaotian’s study had two Explorers guarding it, and it should have been secure. However, these two girls had easily gained access to it.

And here, they saw the greatest secret of the Shenwu Continent. “The Tower of Resonating Light doesn’t hold a control node—it’s actually Ming Taizhong’s tomb! Those people are done for!” Grandini cried out in shock.

Starsibyl’s face turned ugly, and she silently memorized some more information about the Tower of Resonating Light before she sped away.

Grandini did not stay long either and hurriedly left soon after.

Within the Tower of Resonating Light, the materialized energy seal cracked open slightly. Lu Yin’s eyes brightened as he tipped his head to one side, casually dodging yet another energy surge. His hand produced a soft thump as he said, “Brother Han, you can come out now.”