"How do you know?" Michelle's tone was cold, and a little anxious.
Lu Yin casually dispersed his battle-qi. "I was the one who helped her comprehend it, back on the second level of the Sea of Reminiscence Sands."
Michelle stared at Lu Yin. "Your condition."
Lu Yin smiled faintly. "Help me seize a Trial Site."
Michelle frowned. "You should be clear on how terrifying a Domain Master is. You've seen Van Kleed's strength."
A cold glint flashed in Lu Yin's eyes. Everyone knew he had been killed by Van Kleed. This debt would be repaid sooner or later. It was a pity Shang Mai's path wasn't suitable for him, or he would have seized it this time. "Are you scared?"
Michelle was cold. "It's just one death. I don't care." At this point, she said seriously, "But I will only help you once. I can't keep helping you endlessly."
"Deal. Once is enough," Lu Yin said with a smile.
"Where are we seizing?" Michelle asked.
Shuz also looked over.
Lu Yin's eyes flashed, and he said lightly, "Purgatory Path, the Bottomless Pool."
The Bottomless Pool was the smallest Trial Site in the Purgatory Path. "Smallest" only referred to its area; in reality, its function was significant because it could help cultivators train their battle-qi. The deeper one went into the Bottomless Pool, the greater the pressure. Unfortunately, because it was too small, it could only accommodate two people at most each time, leading to very few students cultivating there.
Other Trial Zones also had places suitable for cultivating battle-qi, making the Bottomless Pool seem a bit "like a chicken rib". Apart from its Domain Master, Uro, almost no one cultivated there.
Lu Yin had another reason for choosing the Bottomless Pool: Uro... was Gall's good friend.
"Although the Bottomless Pool only has Domain Master Uro, Uro himself is very strong and possesses a spirit-type talent. His battle-qi is also rumored to have reached the One-Pattern realm. He's difficult to deal with. Who else are you recruiting?" Michelle asked.
Lu Yin looked at Shuz.
Michelle frowned. This person is useless.
"The second level of the Sea of Reminiscence Sands... can you cultivate battle-qi there?" Shuz suddenly asked.
Lu Yin nodded. "That's where I grasped battle-qi."
Shuz said in a deep voice, "I can't help you seize the Trial Site this time."
Lu Yin sighed. Shuz had the will, but not the power. "You want to go to the second level of the sand sea?"
Shuz nodded. "I'll come help you after I comprehend battle-qi." With that, he walked out.
Lu Yin frowned. The second level of the sand sea was no joke. Back then, even Xi Yue had to rely on his help to survive the body-tearing winds. With Shuz's strength, he absolutely wouldn't last. But he knew saying anything was useless. Shuz had the heart of an expert, just like Zhang Dingtian.
"If this is the kind of person you're recruiting, then forget it. Uro is a true Domain Master-level expert, and his spirit-type talent is strong. He's no easier to deal with than Van Kleed. The two of us are no match," Michelle said indifferently.
"Don't look down on him. Who knows, maybe he'll have battle-qi when he comes out," Lu Yin said.
Michelle glanced away, clearly not taking it to heart.
Although that girl's words were harsh, they were true. Right now, in the Tenth Academy, the only ones who could help him against a Domain Master-level expert were the few at the very top: Xia Luo, Yin, Hei Xu, and Lulu. He had to find them.
"You go to the Purgatory Path first. Wait for me twenty miles north of the Bottomless Pool. I'll gather everyone, and then we'll attack," Lu Yin said to Michelle.
Michelle was puzzled. "Twenty miles north of the Bottomless Pool? Where is that?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know, and you're telling me to go there?"
"Then you pick a spot. Are you familiar with the area around the Bottomless Pool?"
Michelle was speechless. She walked directly into the Zone Mountain. "I'll wait five days at most. If you don't show up after five days, the deal is off. And you still have to help me comprehend battle-qi."
Lu Yin was exasperated. So high-maintenance.
After Michelle entered the Trial Zone, Lu Yin circled the Zone Mountain and found that Xia Luo, Yin, Lulu, and Hei Xu were all inside. That was good; he wouldn't have to go out and find them.
With that, Lu Yin sat down at the entrance of the Zone Mountain and waited for them to wake up.
Half a day later, someone woke up, but it wasn't them. It was Keke and Zahra. Both were disciples of the Xuanfeng Hall, and Xuanfeng Hall had experts in the Trial Zone. Although not a Domain Master, protecting them was not a problem. Moreover, Xuanfeng Hall had an excellent reputation in the universe, and Keke was kind and lovely, so she wouldn't be bullied after entering.
Seeing Lu Yin, Keke was very happy. "Big Brother Lu, I haven't seen you in so long! Where did you go?"
Lu Yin smiled, "I went out for a mission. Keke, congratulations on completing the hundred wins in the Transmission-Field-War."
Keke stuck her tongue out. "My record is terrible. Big Brother Lu, don't laugh at me."
"Completing a hundred wins is progress. Keke, which path are you on?" Lu Yin asked.
"We were on the Heavenly Path. Next, we plan to check out the Slaughter Path, or maybe the Purgatory Path," Keke said.
Lu Yin was envious. Having backing really made a difference. Look at him: if it weren't for Karon, he'd be hunted wherever he went.
"Keke, let's go. Mentor is waiting for us," Zahra said, then nodded to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin watched them leave. He didn't plan on recruiting them. Healing was important, but not in the Trial Zone. As long as you didn't die, you recovered extremely quickly. With their strength, they'd be even less help against a Domain Master than Shuz.
Not long after, Hei Xu woke up. He glanced at Lu Yin, then coldly walked out of the Zone Mountain.
Lu Yin spoke, "Hei Xu, interested in seizing a Trial Site with me?"
"Not interested," Hei Xu said. He rarely spoke.
"I can help you comprehend battle-qi, and I can let you cultivate in White Bone Valley," Lu Yin tempted.
But Hei Xu was unmoved. He walked step-by-step out of the Zone Mountain and disappeared from Lu Yin's sight.
Lu Yin was exasperated. If this were Hui Baiye, he would have just beaten him up first. But with Hei Xu, honestly, Lu Yin felt helpless. This person was like a stone; no one knew what he was thinking.
The status of Academy Top Student allowed him to monitor and judge students within a "reasonable range," but the prerequisite was "reasonable." Lu Yin didn't think forcing others to complete a mission with him fell within that reasonable range.
Failing to recruit Hei Xu didn't disrupt Lu Yin's state of mind. He hadn't been counting on Hei Xu in the first place. The key was the other few; he had to succeed.
Another day passed, and Lu Yin waited for Yin.
This person, always smiling, was just like a fox, impossible to read. During the new student competition, he had dealt with Hui Baiye with ease. The trajectory of that round of "butterfly knives" was something Lu Yin still couldn't understand. It wasn't fast, yet it had severed Hui Baiye's technique. A very bizarre attack method.
Lu Yin would never forget the clash on Earth, under the moonlight, when his Heavenly Star Palm met the butterfly knives. In that instant, their fates seemed to have intertwined.
"Long time no see, Student Lu," Yin said with a grin, stretching.
Facing Yin, Lu Yin didn't need to be polite. "I'm going to seize a Trial Site. In?"
Yin rolled his eyes and smiled. "Alright, I'll reluctantly use three-tenths of my strength to help you."
Lu Yin scoffed. "I only need two-tenths."
"I can do it with one-tenth," Yin joked.
This pointless banter was meaningless. Lu Yin got straight to the point. "Go to the Purgatory Path. I want to seize the Bottomless Pool. Wait for me twenty miles north of it."
"Twenty miles north? Where's that?" Yin was puzzled.
"I don't know. Just picked a random spot," Lu Yin said.
Yin shrugged, then sat down just a few dozen meters from Lu Yin, closed his eyes, and re-entered the Trial Zone.
After Yin came Lulu. She woke up quickly. The moment she saw Lu Yin, her eyes lit up. "Come on, let's compete in strength again."
"Sure. Loser agrees to one condition," Lu Yin said.
Lulu was very straightforward. "No problem."
The two walked out of the Zone Mountain and to the Zone entrance.
There were many ways to compete in strength, but for Lulu and Lu Yin, arm wrestling was the simplest.
Once again grasping Lulu's small, white, and soft hand, a trace of surprise flashed in Lu Yin's eyes. It felt different. Her hand had an added layer of toughness, and also... a very familiar power. This power... was it battle-qi?
Lu Yin suddenly looked up at Lulu in shock. Lulu grinned, her already beautiful face appearing even more vibrant. "Come on! The Mebis clan doesn't lose to others in strength!" With that, her battle-qi flared, distorting the air.
Lu Yin subconsciously activated his own battle-qi. The two streams of battle-qi intertwined and clashed. In an instant, a terrifying force formed a dull boom. With the two as the center, the ground suddenly sank. The surrounding space sparked. There was no wind, yet a current of air swirled downwards from above, exploding a hundred meters in the air and flattening the grass.
Lulu's strength had increased a lot, like a monster. But Lu Yin was even more terrifying. He still didn't know his own body's limit. He could withstand the vortex that shredded near-Domain-Master-level experts like Gass for two seconds, proving his physical toughness surpassed even a Domain Master. And a Domain Master was a Top 10 expert from the major academies. It showed how terrifying his body was.
Moreover, Lu Yin's body was still strengthening. Lulu had the Mebis clan's talent, her strength constantly increasing. Lu Yin was the same. Ever since that seal was broken, his physical talent had astonished even Mentor Sha Hai.
Lulu's eyes widened, looking at Lu Yin as if he were a monster. She had used her full strength, but she still couldn't win.
Their battle-qi was similar, with Lulu's perhaps even a tiny bit stronger—she had trained with Mentor Sha Hai for nearly four months, after all. Even so, with the battle-qi enhancement, she was still no match for Lu Yin and was gradually being pulled over.
Suddenly, with no warning, the two were pushed apart by a force. In the distance, the Zonal Mentor was displeased. "How many times have I said, don't ruin the lawn! Don't fight here!"
They both shook their hands, looking at each other, their eyes filled with mutual bewilderment.
"I lost. Say it, what do you want me to do," Lulu said decisively.
Lu Yin said, "I want to seize the Bottomless Pool in the Purgatory Path. Help me."
Lulu was surprised, then excited. "You want to seize a Trial Site? Great! I've been wanting to grab one for ages. The Bottomless Pool? Sure. I hear it's a good place to cultivate battle-qi."
Michelle, Yin, Lulu, and himself. That was four people. Now, all that was left was Xia Luo.
Lu Yin never underestimated any Domain Master. In a one-on-one, he was confident he could remain undefeated, but winning was unlikely. Only by joining forces could they seize it.