Chapter 686: Treasure Hunt

Chapter 686: Treasure Hunt

The legends said that the Hall of Insight’s star energy was frozen and that one had to rely on various techniques to overcome it. The four trees were actually sourceboxes that formed an array that had been arranged by an ancient Lockbreaker from the past. Many Lockbreakers studied the layout of Hall of Insight in hopes of gaining some kind of comprehension. If a Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker managed to understand the sourcebox array, they would become a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker. This Hall of Insight was a shortcut. 

The Hall of Insight was also the core of Sourcepeak Planet.

The location for the Lockbreaker Competition this time around was the mountain range behind the Hall of Insight.

There were more than three hundred Lockbreakers registered to compete, and they entered the mountain range behind the Hall of Insight one after another. Cries could occasionally be heard from members of the audience as well as hoots of laughter. 

“He hasn’t managed to successfully unlock a single sourcebox yet, though he actually dared to compete! This season’s Lockbreaker Competition is just too pathetic!” someone in the crowd jeered loudly. 

Those around the person roared in laughter. 

“The Lockbreaker Competition has no limit for the number of participants, so I should try and join too! Although I’ve never tried to lockbreak before, this’ll be a good way to get a taste of it, and in the future, I can even tell people that I’m someone who participated in the Lockbreaker Competition,” someone shouted, and after that, they leaped up and flew towards the mountain range. 

This person’s words moved several others, and a few more novice Lockbreakers entered the mountain range as well, causing more in the audience to laugh. 

Saul, Fiend Li, Felynn, Yi Feng, Mr. Jun, and a few other Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreakers were all seated inside the Hall of Insight, and they all had ugly expressions. 

“Vice president, should we throw out those who have not succeeded in a lockbreaking session?” one Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker asked. 

Saul shook his head. “Forget it. There’s no precedent of Lockbreakers being barred from joining the Lockbreaker Competition. Just let them join, as they won’t even be able to pass through the first stage.” 

Felynn smiled. “No more than a hundred will pass through the first stage, so it makes no difference even if they are allowed to participate. There are already more participants than there were registered at the start, and more are constantly joining. I believe, in the end, there might be more than a thousand participants.” 

“Hmph, there aren’t even 20,000 Lockbreakers in the entire Outerverse, and those who have been given stars don’t even reach a thousand. If we don’t consider the starless Lockbreakers who are not here to actually compete, then there are at most 300 starred Lockbreakers who are participating in this competition. The bulk of these participants are rookies who have not succeeded even once in lockbreaking. This is simply embarrassing,” Fiend Li said seriously. 

The crowd fell silent. 

The previous Lockbreaker Competitions had been jointly held by both the Innerverse and the Outerverse, and the number of participating Lockbreakers had similarly exceeded a thousand in those competitions, but those competitors had almost all at least been three star Discerning Elementary Lockbreakers or higher. If anyone was randomly picked from one of those previous competitions and placed in this competition, then they would instantly be placed near the top of the list of potential winners. This current Lockbreaker Competition had caused the Lockbreaker Society to lose some prestige. 

“Keke, Senior, there’s no need to be angry. There are still some outstanding people. Look.” Mr. Jun smiled and pointed at a youth below them. Straight Metallic Man had entered the mountain range, and his image appeared on the screen. 

Straight Metallic Man was a five star Discerning Elementary Lockbreaker, and his arrival aroused a great deal of attention. 

After that, the Serpent Queen appeared, and also Tong Mi’er and Xi Qi. Each one of them caused Fiend Li to look happier, for at least their participation was not too embarrassing. There were still people putting up a good front for the Lockbreaker Society, especially Xi Qi, who had reached the Perceptive Intermediate level. She was one of the strongest contenders to become this season’s champion. 

When he saw Xi Qi appear, Saul’s expression briefly changed before quickly returning to normal. Nobody noticed this change other than Felynn. 

Felynn stared at the mountain range, as she was looking for Lu Yin. 

Lu Yin and Aden exchanged a few words, and then Lu Yin charged into the mountain range.

The moment he passed the towering trees, the star energy within his body was sealed off, and he was unable to circulate or move it at all. It felt as though his entire being had been split in two: an internal and external self. 

Back during the contest on Planet Pyrolyte, perhaps those space-exploring powerhouses had felt the same way when they had worn those star essence skins.

He waved his hand about. The ambient star energy in the air was very low, and although it could not be absorbed, it could still be used.

This was the so-called phenomenon of star energy scrambling. Anyone who entered within the range of the Hall of Insight would have their star energy sealed, which ensured the Hall of Insight’s safety. 

Lu Yin did not stop as he headed straight into the mountain range.

There were many Lockbreakers participating in this competition, but they were all scattered throughout the mountain range, which made their numbers seem negligible. Along his way, Lu Yin saw many Lockbreakers roaming all about, but the majority remained hidden.

In the skies, a youth streaked by, and Lu Yin’s eyes flashed. It was Deng Pu. Lu Yin had seen pictures of this person before, and if everything went according to plan, then Deng Pu would be the champion of this competition, which would follow along with the crowd’s expectations. 

Suddenly, Lu Yin turned around to look behind, and his face changed. Why was there a Hunter here? 

10,000 meters away from Lu Yin, a young-looking man with an experienced look in his eyes had just stepped into the mountain range. The man occasionally looked up at the Hall of Insight with a complex look in his eyes. 

Lu Yin remained in place high above to watch the youth. 

That youth also looked back at Lu Yin, but he didn’t bother with Lu Yin and headed in another direction.

Lu Yin was surprised. That person was a Hunter, and he did not seem like an average Hunter either, since he had given Lu Yin a sense of danger. Lu Yin actually felt the same level of danger from this Hunter that he had from Mr. Jun with his lockbreaking tool. This Hunter was very strong. 

Outside of the Hall of Insight, images of the Lockbreakers began appearing on the screen. When the young Hunter appeared, someone shouted, “Cai Jianqiang!” 

The people around him were confused. “Bro, what are you shouting about?” 

That person stared at the screen in astonishment and pointed. “Cai Jianqiang! That’s him, definitely!”

“Who’s Cai Jianqiang?” A woman raised her gadget as she moved over, her eyes filled with curiosity. She was someone who worked with a news company, and she wanted to take note of this competition’s major attractions to raise her company’s viewership.

The person who had shouted stared at the screen and solemnly explained, “There’s a pair of brothers from the Innerverse: the older brother is Cai Jianwen, and the younger is Cai Jianqiang. This pair of brothers are very famous because they are the polar opposite of each other. The older is extremely gifted in lockbreaking and became a five star Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker before reaching a hundred years of age, and he even became a member of the Innerverse Lockbreaker Society who can evaluate others. He’s known as his generation’s most gifted Lockbreaker, and he was even labeled as the Innerverse Lockbreaker Society’s president’s successor. However, his talent for cultivation is too pathetic, and he’s still an Explorer despite becoming a five star Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker, finding it difficult to improve any further. 

“The younger brother, Cai Jianqiang, is the exact opposite. His talent for cultivation is astounding, and he became a Hunter in just a short few decades, and that’s not even mentioning the fact that he is an incredible Realmbreaker who can easily fight against those beyond his realm. In the past, he even used his strength to suppress his generation’s Youth Councilors, and he is an absolute expert of his generation. However, his talent for lockbreaking is very poor, and he only became a Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker quite recently. In addition, people have evaluated him as being unable to advance any further. 

“These two brothers are complete opposites, which is why they’re a topic that’s often discussed among Innerverse Lockbreakers.” 

The girl beside the man was surprised. “There’s actually such a strange coincidence. Wait, that’s not right. We have some understanding of the Innerverse’s most powerful Lockbreakers, and for someone to be labeled as the president’s successor as well as the most gifted Lockbreaker of his generation, how could we not have heard about Cai Jianwen?” 

“Because he changed his name. You guys must have heard his other name: Wusheng,” the person said solemnly. 

“Wusheng?” the crowd cried, and it was evident that they were all rather familiar with this name. 

The girl was surprised. “Are you talking about Master Wusheng? The person who can casually decide whether or not someone can join the Lockbreaker Society and is allowed to evaluate anyone at any time as he pleases?” 

“That’s right—Wusheng is Cai Jianwen. That person who just entered the mountain range is Wusheng’s younger brother, Cai Jianqiang.”

After the person spoke, the way the crowd looked at the young Hunter changed, and it was no longer calm after discovering that he was an important character.

Inside the Hall of Insight, Saul’s gaze trembled as he looked at Cai Jianqiang. “He’s actually in the Outerverse too.” 

Fiend Li and the others also looked over. “That’s right. What a pity. If he had just half the lockbreaking talent his brother has, then he wouldn’t amount to just this.” 

Mr. Jun said, “Actually, his future would be very bright if he simply forsook the path of lockbreaking. There are only a few who can rival his talent for cultivation, and he can even be called the strongest of his generation. But despite that, he chooses to pursue lockbreaking.” 

Although Cai Jianqiang’s appearance had surprised the crowd, Saul didn’t care about him. This person’s talent for lockbreaking was truly too lacking, and Cai Jianqiang was of absolutely no threat to Deng Pu. 

After surveying all of the various contestants, Saul could not see Lu Yin, which caused him to nod in satisfaction. There were only a select few people in this season’s Lockbreaker Competition who could pose any sort of threat, and he had eliminated all those who had caught his eye. Lu Yin was one of them, and although the operation had failed and had caused him a bit of worry, in the end, Lu Yin was just a five star Discerning Elementary Lockbreaker. However, Lu Yin’s progress was incredibly fast, and he also had a lockbreaking tool, which made him a worthy opponent for Deng Pu. 

Fortunately, Lu Yin had not appeared, and Saul looked over at Mr. Jun with a satisfied expression. 

Mr. Jun’s face was actually rather confused, as he had not managed to track down Lu Yin despite searching the route that Lu Yin would have taken to get to Planet Taiyun from the Frostwave Weave for two whole days. Mr. Jun believed that Lu Yin had somehow slipped through, so he felt lucky that Lu Yin still had not appeared. 

Within the mountain range, Lu Yin watched as Cai Jianqiang left, and his face was serious. This Hunter was not simple, and he might turn out to be his greatest opponent in this Lockbreaker Competition. 

As the clock in the sky rang out, the Lockbreaker Competition formally began as the mountain range shook violently. Immediately after that, a voice rang throughout the sky, “Within the mountain range, there are hidden sourceboxes that have been sealed within Spiritual Thread. You have three days’ time: during this time, those who find and open more sourceboxes will obtain better results.” 

Lu Yin was shocked; in the end, this was the Lockbreaker Society. This competition was taking place on a huge scale, and according to Felynn, only a hundred people would be able to pass the first round, which meant that at least a hundred Lockbreakers were capable of unlocking a sourcebox during these three days. That also meant that there were more than a hundred sourceboxes as there were likely to be Lockbreakers who could finish unlocking more than a single sourcebox. This was a scale that Lu Yin had never seen before. 

However, the items that were obtained from these lockbreaking attempts would belong to the society, which meant that the society was getting the contestants to lockbreak for them free of charge. 

No matter what, to be able to pull out so many sourceboxes in one go showed the unfathomable depths of the Lockbreaker Society. 

Lu Yin stood up high and looked around. He could not see any rune lines revealing any sourceboxes. He could only sense things through his star energy, which was similar to the field raffles where everything depended on the contestants’ own judgement. 

There was a thump, and Lu Yin heard a loud noise from somewhere nearby. Someone had crashed onto the ground from the sky, and they did not bother to look around at all. 

Lu Yin looked over and saw that the ground had not shifted a single inch. That indicated that the impact had been made with a Limiteer’s power level, as Limiteers could not break through the ground since the mountain range was terrifyingly sturdy. This put an end to any possibility of bombarding the mountain range, as not even a Cruiser would be able to blast a mountain apart given that the already reduced ambient star energy was being fought over by so many people within the mountain range. 

Lu Yin crouched down and exerted a growing amount of force until he displayed an amount of strength that could rival a Cruiser. Finally, at that point, he was able to cause the ground to start to split. Using this much strength would take a long time to shatter the ground. 

It seemed like Lu Yin would have to search around by chasing after traces of star energy, but unfortunately, he did not know how. Nobody had ever taught him how to search for sourceboxes. 

As he thought about it, he activated the Cosmic Art and expanded its scope. Gradually, it enveloped the entire mountain peak, and he was able to see things much more clearly as long as it was within the range of Cosmic Art. The Giant Emperor’s third eye appeared in his hand, and he focused his sight downwards to observe both the spatial fluctuations and the flow of star energy in specific areas. He saw that there was an abnormal spatial fluctuation at an area at the base of the mountain. There was a sourcebox in that place.