"What now? Release us immediately. Otherwise, you won't be able to withstand Karon's wrath, and don't forget, there's also Dobo!" the grey-robed man threatened, looking at the twins.
The twins' eyes flickered. They looked at Lu Yin. This person was a lot of trouble.
"No need. It's fine here. I don't want to go out for the time being," Lu Yin spoke up casually.
The others immediately looked at him. "Hey, are you crazy? Don't talk nonsense!" Gass said anxiously.
The grey-robed man also glared at Lu Yin. He desperately wanted to fight for the Domain Master position; he didn't want to be frozen at the bottom of a lake.
Lu Yin sneered. He had no intention of being used, especially by someone from Shang Mai's group.
"Student Lu, as long as you help us, the Han Yue Sect will remember this favor," Can Xue said to Lu Yin with a smile, her eyes sparkling.
The grey-robed man glared at Lu Yin. "Think clearly. With Karon's backing, they don't dare to freeze you. As long as you lead us out, I can help you resolve your grudge with Van Kleed."
"Van Kleed? I know him, too. We've even spoken a few words," Gass chimed in.
The other few also spoke up; they didn't want to be trapped either.
Lu Yin was disdainful. "Van Kleed? What does he count for? Does he dare to touch me?"
The grey-robed man was furious, but for a moment, he was speechless. It was true. This guy now had Karon's backing. Van Kleed really wouldn't touch him.
The others were also helpless. The man's backing was "heaven-high"; no one could force him.
After a moment, Lu Yin looked at the twins' complicated expressions outside the ice and suddenly spoke, "Actually, it's not that hard to get out. I have a way, even without relying on Karon's backing. But... why should I take you out with me?"
"Just state your conditions," the grey-robed man said coldly.
Lu Yin said, "Twenty thousand cubic Star Crystals per person, and I'll get you out."
"Fine, no problem!" Gass agreed immediately. Twenty thousand cubic crystals was a lot, but for absolute elites of the Starry Sky Academy like them, it was affordable. A single mission for them could be worth more than that.
The others all agreed. Lu Yin wasn't afraid of them going back on their word. They were all experts, and breaking a promise would create an unnecessary burden on their state of mind, affecting their cultivation. No one was willing to jeopardize their path to power for a mere twenty thousand cubic crystals.
Lu Yin whispered the method to them. The five were stunned. This could work?
In truth, the method was simple, just like how the twins had lured them: create another anomaly at the bottom of the lake.
In a place like the Trial Zone, anomalies could appear at any time, let alone at a Trial Site like Blackwater Lake. As long as an anomaly appeared, even if the twins were 90% sure it was fake, they would still check. It was just too important. Any single anomaly could create a top-tier expert.
This was an "open plot". Even if Lu Yin told the twins the anomaly was faked, they would still break the ice to check for themselves. That's just human nature.
The method was simple, but if you didn't think of it, you'd never get out.
There were six people at the bottom of the lake. To avoid detection by the twins, they discussed and split up.
Above the Xuan Ice on the lake's surface, the twins were puzzled. They glanced at each other, staring at the lakebed. They were confident that those men couldn't break their Xuan Ice, but their sudden movements made them uneasy.
"When will the Young Sect Mistress arrive?" Can Xue asked, her voice a bit low.
Can Mei shook her head. "I'm not sure, but it should be soon."
"These people are all experts qualified to fight for a Domain Master position. Who knows what methods they have to break the fused Xuan Ice of our talent. I hope the Young Sect Mistress arrives soon," Can Xue worried.
Just as she finished speaking, a dazzling light flashed from the bottom of the lake. A phantom could be vaguely seen stirring the water, bringing with it an ancient and desolate aura.
Above the Xuan Ice, the void distorted, echoing the lakebed, forming a massive, raging waterspout.
Everyone around Blackwater Lake was stunned by this scene, staring blankly. This... was an anomaly?
At the bottom of the lake, Lu Yin was surprised. They're really going all out. Such talent... Wait, no. Lu Yin suddenly realized something. This anomaly felt a bit strange. Could it be a real anomaly? He immediately looked toward the lakebed.
Gass and the pale, grim-faced man hadn't come up. They were responsible for faking the anomaly. According to the plan, to avoid being discovered by the twins, they were supposed to surface immediately when the anomaly appeared. But they hadn't. Something was wrong. This was a real anomaly.
Lu Yin immediately dove down.
The others also realized it. The grey-robed man, in particular, thrust his spear into the current, parting the water and diving to the bottom.
On the lake's surface, the twins looked at each other in shock, then immediately shattered the Xuan Ice and jumped into the lake.
Many others from the surroundings charged in at the same time. An anomaly in the Trial Zone could create a top-tier expert, and this anomaly was massive. It was definitely a great opportunity.
At the lakebed, Gass and the pale-faced man stared excitedly at a spot not far away. The lake water was forming a condensed vortex. A phantom stood quietly within, its form unclear. It was affecting the lakebed more and more. Wisps of water broke from the vortex and fused into the phantom. Spatial cracks occasionally flashed past like lightning.
The pale-faced man suddenly rushed forward. He wanted to merge with the phantom and comprehend this peerless technique.
Gass also charged, but he was a fraction slower.
The instant the pale-faced man entered the vortex, he was shredded to pieces without any resistance. This scene caused Gass's expression to change drastically, and he immediately retreated. At the same time, Lu Yin and the others arrived just in time to see it, shocked. Everyone here was a near-Domain-Master-level expert, yet they were so easily killed by an ancient anomaly. How terrifying.
Soon, the twin sisters appeared behind them, but no one paid them any mind. All eyes were fixed ahead.
More and more people appeared, staring excitedly at the phantom in the distance, all hoping to receive the anomaly's inheritance, to "leap over the dragon's gate" and rise to prominence in the Starry Sky Academy.
The ancient phantom just stood at the bottom of the lake. The surrounding vortex grew larger and larger, gradually engulfing the entire Blackwater Lake.
Lu Yin and the others had long since retreated again and again, finally leaving the Blackwater Lake's area and appearing on the shore, their eyes locked on the phantom.
More people tried to charge through the vortex to merge with the phantom, but they all failed. Among them, the grey-robed man with the spear was also torn to pieces.
The twins probed with their Xuan Ice, but it too was torn apart by the water currents. At this moment, in the hands of the ancient phantom, that water had become the deadliest of weapons, which no one could shake.
Lu Yin had already been circulating the Heavenly Star Art. What others saw was water; what he saw was an indescribably terrifying killing intent. On the surface, it was a vortex, but in reality, it was filled with the boundless transformations of a battle technique. It "met all changes with no change." Anyone who entered the vortex, using any technique, would be countered and torn apart. This was the collective wisdom of an ancient expert, already possessing a hint of the "Great Dao's simplicity."
Lu Yin coveted it. If he could merge with that ancient expert and learn this technique, his strength would soar. At the very least, his application of various techniques would undergo a metamorphosis. Unfortunately, he had no confidence he could pass through the vortex.
Another student was torn apart by the vortex. Everyone could only watch, unable to touch it. Their anxiety was indescribable.
Lu Yin felt the same. He wanted to try. If I try, I try. The worst that happens is I die once. It's not a real death. Thinking this, Lu Yin shot toward the vortex. At the same time, Gass also rushed out. The phantom was beginning to fade. If they missed this chance, who knew when the next would be.
Many people charged out at once, like moths to a flame. They knew it was certain death but still chased that wisp of light. For a cultivator, becoming stronger was their only light.
It was cruel, and very real. But this was the universe. Sometimes, cultivation was seeking death.
Lu Yin circulated the Heavenly Star Art, his battle-qi emerging from his body, and dove directly into the vortex. He wanted to rush to the phantom, but he was swept up by an indescribably huge force. His battle-qi disintegrated instantly. The Heavenly Star Art did as well; the nine stars exploded, unable to form even a sliver of defense against the vortex. The next moment, extreme pain flooded his nerves. His body was being torn apart.
Gass was already in pieces. The other few experts who had been fighting for the Blackwater Lake's Domain Master position were also all dead.
Lu Yin roared. He lasted for one second. His calf muscles tore, and he forced a Flash-Step. At the same time, he slapped a palm against his own body, blasting out a Nine-Layer Shockwave. Combined with the Flash-Step, in the second second, he blasted himself out of the vortex's range, slamming hard onto the shore.
Aside from him, everyone else who had entered the vortex was dead. Not one escaped.
This scene stunned everyone else once again.
The twins' pupils shrank. They looked at Lu Yin in shock. This person was still alive. He had managed to survive in that vortex for two seconds, outlasting Gass and the others, and he was only a Melder. A prodigy!
Lu Yin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His body was covered in bloody gashes. This was the first time his body had been injured since he broke through to the Melder realm. His own physical limit was unknown even to him, something that had shocked Mentor Sha Hai, yet he was severely injured by the vortex in just two seconds. Fortunately, he had survived those two seconds, longer than everyone else.
Injuries in the Trial Zone healed quickly, so he didn't need to worry. As long as he didn't die.
At this moment, a white figure flashed past the crowd and leaped into the vortex. The white figure, which everyone thought would be torn apart, instead caused the vortex to automatically stop the moment she touched it. The white figure passed through the vortex and merged directly with the ancient phantom. The next second, the vortex began to spin again.
This change stunned everyone. Someone had obtained the inheritance. Or rather, this inheritance had been waiting for that person.
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. This opportunity belonged to that person? He couldn't see clearly. In that fleeting glimpse, he had only seen a thin veil and a stunningly beautiful side-profile. It was a woman.
"Young Sect Mistress!" the twins cheered in delight, looking into the vortex.
Lu Yin's eyes widened. Young Sect Mistress? Was this the Yue Xianzi from the Han Yue Sect that Gass and the others had mentioned? This inheritance actually belonged to her. It was fated that Blackwater Lake was hers.
Thinking of this, Lu Yin stood up, endured the pain, and left. This opportunity had nothing to do with him. There was no need to force it; that would only bring him misfortune.
Lu Yin recovered from his injuries not far from Blackwater Lake. Half a day later, his body was restored. As long as you didn't die, the recovery in the Trial Zone was powerful. This wasn't a real body, after all, and it was enhanced by the Trial Zone's properties. That's why in here, if you had a grudge, you usually didn't leave the person alive. It was either kill or be killed, or don't fight at all.
Two hours ago, the anomaly at Blackwater Lake had disappeared. And from that moment on, the Blackwater Lake's Domain Master was named Yue Xianzi—an expert who had joined the Starry Sky Academy because of the Ten Academies Tournament.