Chapter 401: Fourth on the Battle Rankings

Lu Yin attempted to probe his opponent with a flick of his finger. Even if he shot out some energy with just his physical strength, a normal Explorer would not be able to ignore it.

Contrary to expectations, his attack struck the Second War King straight on, but he only casually patted the place he was hit and waved at Lu Yin again.

Lu Yin took a deep breath. He was now certain that this person was truly powerful.

Lu Yin seldom met anyone who could ignore his attacks, which was something only those on the Top 100 Rankings could do amongst the younger generation. He just didn’t know where this person stood in the rankings.

He did not hesitate, and five-lined battle force covered his entire body, illuminating even the skies. He completely unleashed his domain as star energy filled his eyes. He could see traces of lines in the void, which were actually runes.

When those lines appeared, Lu Yin’s pupils shrank, and he stared at the Second War King in shock. At that moment, the runes representing the Second War King in Lu Yin’s eyes went far beyond what he had imagined, and they were even repelling the void.

Mere star energy could not accurately represent the Second War King’s strength, and even power levels might not be able to do so. But the number of rune lines was a clear representation of his power, and it was extraordinarily formidable.

It was simple—the more runes it took to represent a person, the more powerful they were. And the amount of runes that represented the Second War King greatly surpassed those that represented Lu Yin.

The Second War King looked at Lu Yin with interest, and then he waved again.

Lu Yin knew that this battle did not bode well for him. Hiding his star energy and power level might be enough to deceive others, but Lu Yin could not be fooled since he could see the rune lines. This person was way stronger than him, but there was no way he could retreat since this was a ported battle.

Lu Yin inhaled deeply. His body then vanished only to reappear right in front of the Second War King. He knew that this person would not hide, but still, he had to use his strongest attack here.

The Second War King’s eyes abruptly went wide, and an intense excitement appeared in the depths of his eyes. What a ferocious attack! Not bad, not bad at all.

Boom!

Shockwaves spread out in all directions as the rocks were shattered and the sky was sundered. Thirty Stacks Fortyfold Shockwave Palm.

This was currently Lu Yin’s strongest attack, and he held nothing back as he slammed his hand against the Second War King’s body.

The relaxed Second War King was sent crashing into the rock that he had been sitting cross-legged upon moments earlier. His clothes were shredded, and his sturdy muscles underneath were exposed. Lu Yin’s strongest strike had firmly connected with the Second War King’s body, and it had left a deep imprint.

The Thirty Stacks had completely suppressed the void, and they all erupted within the Second War King’s body one after another.

Lu Yin leaped up and pulled back a hundred meters before taking a serious look at the Second War King in the rock. Although it had been a strong attack, there was no way it would be enough to defeat this person, especially since the runes representing him had not been reduced by much.

Lu Yin guessed that the rune lines represented not only a person’s power, but also their vitality. If the runes disappeared, then it meant that that person no longer existed. If Lu Yin’s guess was correct, then the Second War King had only been slightly injured.

Within the rock, the Second War King opened his eyes as his upper body slowly rose up. He looked down on the palm print on his body, then at Lu Yin. He slowly clapped.

A coldness flashed across Lu Yin’s eyes; he was being looked down upon.

The Second War King slowly stood up and patted the dust off of his body. He looked at Lu Yin, then his lips suddenly curled as his body leaned backwards. He took a deep breath, to the extent where it seemed like he was trying to suck in all of the air in a given area.

Lu Yin frowned and closely stared at the Second War King; was this a battle technique?

As he inhaled, the Second War King’s body visibly swelled up, and the palm print from before disappeared. No trace of Lu Yin’s attack could be seen any longer.

Lu Yin watched in astonishment. The area surrounding him started to distort, and he felt a strong sense of crisis.

Suddenly, the Second War King looked at Lu Yin and ferociously opened his mouth, releasing a loud howl. Lu Yin only felt the void around him shatter before seeing a vast expanse of pure white. The Second War King seemed to have reincarnated as a devil as the void shattered. Everything that Lu Yin could see or hear vanished into nothingness, and by the time he blinked again, he had already reappeared at the trial zone entrance.

Defeated, Lu Yin looked down at his own hands. He had been easily annihilated; the Second War King was just way too powerful. Not only had he perfectly withstood Lu Yin’s strongest attack, but he had even instantly eliminated him. Facing off against the Second War King felt like facing Wendy Yushan; he had once again been rendered completely powerless.

That person was definitely an expert within the top twenty of the Top 100 Rankings, and Lu Yin even had a vague feeling that he surpassed Wendy Yushan.

“Lu Yin: 164 victories, 109 defeats,” the Trialmaster suddenly announced, his aged voice reverberating through the area.

Near the teleportation stone, Michelle was stunned at the announcement, and she looked at Lu Yin. “You were defeated?”

Lu Yin had not expected Michelle to be here, but he nodded. “That’s right.”

Michelle was incredulous, as there were extremely few people in the younger generation who could defeat Lu Yin. “Did you meet a Top 100 Rankings expert?”

Lu Yin shrugged. “Not sure, but probably.”

“What was their name?” Michelle asked.

“It was a ported battle. I only know their nickname, not their real name.”

“Then what was their nickname? I might know who it is.” Michelle was very curious, as Lu Yin had definitely been matched against one of the top experts of the younger generation if he had been defeated.

“The Second War King.”

Michelle squinted, then shook her head. “No wonder you lost. It should have been a complete loss.”

“Do you know who it was?” Lu Yin was curious.

Michelle nodded and looked at him before faintly answering, “I pity you, because you met the fourth on the Top 100 Rankings, Avery.”

Lu Yin was blown away. He knew that the Second War King must be ranked very highly on the list, but he had never expected it to be to such a degree. Someone who was ranked fourth was firmly positioned to become one of the next Ten Arbiters. As long as the top ten experts on the rankings were still considered a part of the younger generation when the Ten Arbiters withdrew from their positions, the position of the Ten Arbiters would be as good as theirs.

Being fourth also meant that no more than twenty people in the entire universe’s younger generation could defeat him, even including the Ten Arbiters.

“Losing to Avery is nothing too strange. He should have allowed you to attack him, right? Were you able to injure him?” Michelle asked curiously.

Lu Yin thought about it before answering, “I don’t think so.”

It was not an unexpected answer, and Michelle directly stepped into the range of the teleportation stone while Lu Yin was still immersed in his surprise. His luck had just been too bad. No, it would be better to say that it had been too good. He had already experienced the strength of the top five. Avery, huh? We’ll definitely have another match in the future.

Lu Yin’s hopes of winning another teleportation stone had been dashed after being defeated by Avery. Of course, he could continue fighting in the ported battles, as the probability of running into a perverted powerhouse like Avery was not that high. He should be able to seize a few more teleportation stones, but he had no motivation to continue doing so.

He walked to the Trialmaster. “Mentor, I’ve won a teleportation stone.”

The Trialmaster grunted. “Ask.”

Lu Yin retrieved the halved strange white fruit from his cosmic ring. “I wish to ask what the use of this fruit is.”

The Trialmaster looked at the white fruit in Lu Yin’s hand, and his eyes seemed to become more tranquil. After a while, he replied, “It’s brimming with vitality, and it’s a treasure that was used to treat serious injuries in an older age when we were not so technologically advanced. But now, with our advancements in science, we are able to treat illnesses and injuries much more effectively. At its current potency, this fruit isn’t too valuable, and it can at most be used as an ingredient to manufacture medicines.”

Lu Yin asked, “What does mentor mean by ‘not too valuable?’ Is it because there’s only half of it left?”

“First of all, it hasn’t grown for long enough. Second of all, there’s only half. Thus, it’s not too valuable.”

Lu Yin asked again, “If a fruit like this that brims with vitality was grown for a long time, then would that be valuable?”

“I’m unable to determine that. There are some vitality fruits that can even resurrect people, but it’s a pity that it takes much too long for a fruit to reach that level. Currently, only superpowers might have such objects, as a regular person will never see one.”

Lu Yin’s eyes flashed as he put the white fruit away. “I understand. Thank you, mentor, for educating me.”

To others, this half of a fruit was indeed useless, but it was very valuable for Lu Yin. As long as he had enough money, he could upgrade the fruit to the point where resurrection was no longer a dream. This plaything was equivalent to a second life! Trading one of his strengthening fruits for this had been a great deal.

Lu Yin felt like he should continue searching for more natural treasures when he could.

But when he thought about it, there was no point to that since he had no money right now. He did not even have enough resources to cultivate right now, so his first priority was to find a way to make some money.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The Great Yu Empire had expanded in all directions within Frostwave Weave, and while they had gained a great deal of resources, the war efforts had also consumed a great deal of them. They had just barely recovered from the budget deficit of the earlier battle with the Ross Empire, so it was temporarily impossible to get any money from the Great Yu Empire.

Lu Yin returned to the trial zone mountain, as he was now planning on crossing the Ocean of Death and discovering what lay on the other side.

“Cross the Dao of Heaven’s Ocean of Death and ascend the Dao of Purgatory’s Sky Platform.” This saying did not come from nowhere. Since Lu Yin had returned to Astral-10, he naturally had to make an attempt at both. Otherwise, as soon as he broke through to the Explorer realm, he would not even be allowed to set foot in the trial zones.

“Brother Lu, are you heading to the Dao of Heaven?” Coco walked over from close by with Zora accompanying her.

Lu Yin nodded. “I want to take a look at the Ocean of Death.”

Coco was moved. “That’s great! let’s go together.”

Lu Yin was stunned. “You want to go too?”

Coco nodded. “The Ocean of Death isn’t the Sky Platform, and you can get help there. Both Sister Zora and I want to go.”

Lu Yin did not refuse their request. He was reminded of the Cosmic Sea; perhaps the Ocean of Death could help him adjust to the conditions of the other. One person alone might not be able to achieve much.

“Since you’re all going to the Ocean of Death, why don’t I come along as well?” Xia Luo walked over with a smile.

There were only these four present at the trial zone mountain, and Lu Yin nodded. “Alright, I’ll see you all at the shore of the Ocean of Death.”

“Alright, let’s go!” Coco became excited.

Xia Luo looked at Lu Yin’s back and smiled. He sat down cross-legged and entered the Dao of Heaven.

Ever since Lu Yin had ascended the Sky Platform, many students had assumed that he would next head to the Ocean of Death. Given his strength, it was possible for him to break through and become an Explorer at any time. Then, he would require the academy’s approval if he wanted to attempt to challenge the Ocean of Death. It was a rather inconvenient process, so there was a strong possibility that he would soon head over.

Because of this guess, many students were preemptively waiting at the shore of the Ocean of Death.

Their patience was rewarded, as they finally saw Lu Yin appear today.

The Ocean of Death’s water was murky, and everything that landed in it sank into its depths, and even flying birds found it difficult to cross over it. It was rumored that, on the other end of the ocean, there was an island with the buried skeletal remains of ancient powerhouses and even inheritances. No one could prove the rumors, however, as even the Arbiter who had crossed the Ocean of Death had remained silent about what was on the other side.

Kuang Wang felt that it was a tragedy, as out of the nine trial zones, the Ocean of Death was the most useless. Even the Sky Platform had a better chance of giving Dao Bo an inheritance. At the Ocean of Death, Kuang Wang could only enjoy the view, as there was nothing else to be done here.

The entire time, Kuang Wang had held a grudge against the Ocean of Death. He had tried to cross it multiple times, but he had failed every attempt.

This time, he planned to try together with Lu Yin.