Brutality
Lu Yin felt the power of the Desolate Palm drawing out the life in his body, and immediately knew that this was a powerful technique. His eyes glinted as he raised his own hand; since this guy was courting death, he didn’t need to hold back.
BOOM! The two engaged at full-force. The battle technique passed down by the Vastdearth Sect had immense power, but the five-star Cosmic Palm had once defeated a Melder in Yu Academy and given Lu Yin a top ten ranking in the school according to Gerbach. Shockwaves split the earth like a typhoon and dispersed the frost, while a group of Sentinels that were unlucky enough to pass by at this moment were gravely injured by the shockwave. The earth split apart, and Lulu quickly dodged away in surprise; this exchange between the two of them was more powerful than even a Melder interaction.
When the Desolate Palm that had defeated numerous Melders was blocked, Meng Yue was astonished. However, he and Lu Yin retreated at the same time, with this one exchange not deciding a victor. Lu Yin was just as surprised; there were few Sentinels that could defeat Melders, and this person didn’t seem to have an innate gift, either.
“There are very few Sentinels that can block the Desolate Palm. What’s your name?” Meng Yue asked excitedly.
Lu Yin wrinkled his brows, “I don’t have time to waste on you. Out of the way.”
Meng Yue thought it over and gave Lu Yin a long look before withdrawing his star energy. Recalling Lu Yin’s speed, he understood that he couldn’t win in a true fight. He nodded, “My name is Meng Yue; remember it.”
Meng? Lu Yin was startled. Was that one of the primeval surnames? He knew very little about the primeval surnames and wasn’t sure if this was one of them.
“Hey, do you want a fight? I can fight you!” Lulu was eager to give it a go, trembling with excitement as she stared at Meng Yue.
However, the youth just glanced past her, “I’m not interested in fighting girls.”
“You’re underestimating me,” she said with a frown, her body suddenly blinking right in front of him. She kicked out quite ordinarily, and while Meng Yue wasn’t as fast as her, he was still quick enough to raise an arm to block. BOOM! Shockwaves rattled the area once more, and Meng Yue’s eyes narrowed as he felt intense pain from his right arm. The blow sent him flying through three little hills and buried him into the ground.
Lu Yin grimaced at the sight, watching Meng Yue with a hint of pity. He’d really underestimated Lulu’s strength; that kick must have been pretty powerful.
“How dare you underestimate me? Hmph, let’s go.” Lulu looked up and waved to Lu Yin, leaping into the distance. Glancing at Meng Yue who was covered in dirt, Lu Yin left as well.
“What a vicious woman.” Underground, Meng Yue gritted his teeth. His arm was bent in an unnatural manner; that kick had been powerful enough to break it. He downed a healing potion, but by the time he walked out, the two had already left. He sighed and looked bitterly at his right arm; he’d really underestimated that monster.
“Lulu, don’t you think you were a little harsh?” Lu Yin asked as they flew along.
The girl snorted, “It’s his fault for looking down on me. Serves him right.”
He burst into laughter and reminded himself not to ever provoke her. This woman was just way too strong, perhaps that was her innate gift.
After that, Lu Yin and Lulu didn’t meet any enemies along the way. The Astral-10 exam wasn’t competitive, any number of people could enter as long as they passed the assessment. Few people would go out of their way to cause trouble in such an environment; Meng Yue really was one of a kind.
However, that didn’t mean there weren’t any dangers. The number of beasts increased the further one went, and all sorts of strange creatures roamed the frozen path. Quite a few were flying in the sky as well, and had killed many Sentinels. Lu Yin and Lulu were unfortunate enough to run into a terrifying beast; while it was also at the Sentinel level, its defences were impenetrable. Lulu managed to smash its innards to bits with a punch, but it didn’t actually seem injured on the outside at all. That kind of defense sent a chill down his spine.
There was also a quick mutant beast that could launch lightning from its mouth, its attacks more powerful than Gerbach’s lightning arrow. The two managed to dodge those easily, but the creature was too quick to pin down. Fortunately, it only seemed to be protecting its territory and didn’t pursue them.
Alongside the mutant beasts were a lot of strange plants, as well as terrible weather. Every once in a while, they’d see a few more bodies on the ground. Those who could take part in the Sentinel examination were the best in their realm. Even the weakest were at Eddy’s level, but the shadow of death was ever present. It wasn’t too far from there that a trembling Raas was hidden away in an alcove, abandoned by all the people he’d arrived with. He didn’t have the courage to keep going, and was thus waiting for the assessment to end.
Eventually, the frozen suns in the sky suddenly exploded, the blazing heat coming all at once and too much for a few people to bear. Some of those who’d been in the middle of fights lost their lives to the sudden distraction. The mix of cold, warm, and glaring light even confused Lu Yin for a moment, and he had to flash away as the earth cracked apart. Strange flowers peeked out from the ground, cut apart by horrifying gusts. He looked up and sighed; things had changed again. The heat would be around for at least 48 hours.
“It’s getting warmer. The longer you look, the lower the suns get. They’ve nearly fused with the ground already,” Lulu complained.
Lu Yin gazed into the distance. It was true that the suns were descending and the entrance was still quite far away. Some stronger people could deal with warmth, but the heat in this area was already at a point where only Seekers could take it. Perhaps even Sentinels would find it difficult to withstand the heat near the end, and there was still the endless array of mutant beasts and plants alongside hidden enemies. This assessment was a brutal one.
While the Sentinel paths were still quite competitive, the Melder routes were downright cruel. Jenny and Xiaoling had been disqualified from the get-go, having run into Melder beasts that could have killed them right upon landing. If it wasn’t for Schutz saving them, they truly would be dead; it was clear immediately that they had no choice but to give up. Nearly eighty Melders from the Great Yu Empire had participated in this assessment, but most of them had been eliminated in just one day. Thirty had even died; these were the true elites of the Great Yu Empire, hailing not just from Yu Academy, but also the other top institutions of the Empire. Even The Undying Yushan would feel terrible after such losses. Even more terrifying was the fact that even one of the five hall masters—Logan— had been disqualified. That left Dorren and the rest grim. The hall masters were the most powerful youths in the Great Yu Empire, and his elimination was certain to cause fear among the rest.
“Gerbach and Yan Gang are moving together,” someone reported, but Dorren simply nodded without surprise. Few people knew of the attack on the Sentinel routes; if Yan Feng truly wanted to marry Wendy, Yan Gang needed a good relationship with the Empire. Yan Gang was thankfully almost as powerful as Gerbach. Hopefully, he wouldn’t bring Gerbach down.
More and more spaceships arrived at the ten paths as time passed, the powerhouses within gazing at the roads that stretched into the distance.
Near Lu Yin and Lulu on the Sentinel path, a young man was currently clutching his left arm as he cried out in pain. This was Wukai Mathers, Sigmund’s son. He had come to participate in the assessment without his father’s knowledge, but an attack from a strange plant had shattered his arm. He managed to kill the thing, but this seemed to be where he would fall. While a near-equal Raas was quivering in fear somewhere, he had proceeded with astounding perseverance until he could go no further.
Wukai felt very bitter as his blood stained the hilly ground below him. Was this how things would end? However, his eyes suddenly fell on something within the walls of the cave, strange carvings that he was quickly lost in. This was a fist technique that had no name and no origin; lost in the dust and sand for a long time. It had been revealed in the aftermath of his battle, and it seemed like this would be his chance.
Lu Yin and Lulu flew ahead, but hundreds of kilometers away, a hundred-meter-tall dinosaur beast roared and tore the ground with its sharp claws. Surrounded and being attacked by dozens of Sentinels, it was beyond frustrated and opened its mouth to launch a beam of star energy that razed everything in its path.
“No, our attacks are useless against it. We can’t get through its defenses.”
“Let’s work together!”
“It won’t work. It’s smart enough to attack the side with more people. It’s impossible to work together like this.”