The Han Yue Sect was not comparable to the Fire Realm. The universe had a characteristic: the closer one was to the Innerverse, the more experts were born, and the more monstrous prodigies were likely to appear. The Fire Realm's Flame Billow Flow-Zone was at the very border of the Innerverse. Even the Ross Empire and the Great Witch's Web-Dragon clan were in the Flame Billow Flow-Zone. To the Innerverse, although the Flame Billow Flow-Zone was one of the eight largest Flow-Zones, it wasn't much different from the Outerverse; it was merely a gatekeeper.
But the White Night Flow-Zone, where the Han Yue Sect was located, was in the deepest part. Even if the Han Yue Sect was rumored to have survived in the White Night Flow-Zone only through methods like marriage alliances, the ability to survive there was telling. That Yue Xianzi, in terms of status, was even above Gall, comparable to the genius disciples of Sword Mountain and the White Night clan.
Lu Yin had no intention of fighting Yue Xianzi for Blackwater Lake. Who knew what inheritance she had received from the anomaly. But this person made Lu Yin's heart heavy, because she... was here for the Ten Academies Tournament.
Getting his bearings, Lu Yin headed toward White Bone Valley.
A day later, Lu Yin finally arrived at White Bone Valley. He looked at the gloomy and cold valley ahead, where white bones covered the earth. This place made one feel an unconscious sense of dread.
Karon was the Domain Master here.
White Bone Valley was filled with endless skeletons. Legend had it that on the night of every full moon, the "White Bones Dance." It could be a display of techniques, a ritual, or just a normal dance. No one knew why this anomaly occurred, but White Bone Valley was the only mysterious place among all of the Purgatory Path's Trial Sites with a confirmed anomaly time.
Through Karon's memories, Lu Yin knew how tragic the battle for White Bone Valley had been. Even Van Kleed and others had made a move, along with other Domain Master-level experts from other academies. There were no less than ten of them in total. That battle shook the Ten Academies. In the end, it was the Purgatory Path's Zone Master, Dobo, who stepped in and drove the others away, allowing Karon to become the Domain Master of White Bone Valley. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult for him to succeed.
The status of a Lockbreaker was high, but it wasn't above all others, especially not in the Trial Zone, a place of combat.
Karon was a genius Lockbreaker, and most of those who cultivated in White Bone Valley were also Lockbreakers from the Starry Sky Academy. Their numbers were few, but every one of them was an elite.
Lu Yin's appearance quickly attracted the attention of White Bone Valley. When Karon saw the smiling Lu Yin, his face visibly darkened. He forced a smile, "Brother Lu, welcome to White Bone Valley."
Lu Yin looked at Karon's "smiling on the outside but not on the inside" expression and walked up enthusiastically, "Brother Karon, I thought you had forgotten me."
"How could I? When I learned Brother Lu had joined the Tenth Academy, I, as your brother, immediately announced that no one was to lay a hand on you, or it would be a feud 'to the death'," Karon said, putting special emphasis on the words 'to the death', as if speaking of a deep-seated hatred. It was clearly aimed not just at others, but also at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin smiled brightly, "Then many thanks to Brother Karon. Oh, by the way, my uncle asked me to send his regards to you."
Karon's face twitched. He unconsciously grabbed Lu Yin's lapel, but immediately realized his mistake. He let out a dry laugh and patted Lu Yin's shoulder, "That... is your uncle well? He's not... dead, right?"
Lu Yin chuckled and patted Karon's shoulder in return, "Of course. Uncle is doing great. The darkness is his blanket, the starry sky is his bed. When he's bored, he finds a black hole to slide down a few times. Very leisurely."
Karon stared into Lu Yin's eyes, trying to see something, but unfortunately, he saw nothing.
"Convey my message to your uncle. Tell him to take care, and not get swept away by a black hole one day. The universe is vast; it's not just the Human Domain," Karon said through gritted teeth, every word distinct, all while maintaining a smile. His expression was incredibly unnatural, making the surrounding people shudder and quickly retreat.
After the others had left, Karon glared at Lu Yin and hissed in a low voice, "Kid, I'm warning you, don't talk nonsense! Otherwise, I'll show you the terror of offending a genius Lockbreaker. Hiding in the Tenth Academy won't save you!"
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow, "Oh? You mean, after those letters are made public, you'll still be a genius Lockbreaker?"
"You!" Karon fumed.
"Alright, I'm not interested in your sordid affairs," Lu Yin pushed Karon away and looked at him sideways. "Although your love life is a bit unfortunate, as long as you cooperate, I won't do anything to you."
Karon snorted, extremely annoyed. He was trapped, and he could never get free, not unless he one day dared to make his inner feelings public. Otherwise, he would forever be under Lu Yin's control.
Lu Yin looked around at the scenery of white bones. For some reason, these bones gave him a feeling of sorrow. He could faintly hear countless people roaring, but it quickly disappeared. This place was very strange.
"Karon, what did you comprehend here?" Lu Yin asked curiously.
Logically, this question was very rude and could easily provoke hostility, as he was prying into someone's secrets. But Lu Yin already knew Karon's biggest secret, so it didn't matter. "A Domain."
Lu Yin was surprised. A Domain. A power comparable to battle-qi and talent. Zhuo Baiye's technique was similar to a Domain, as was the war soul he had encountered earlier. When he had fused with Karon before, time was tight, so he had only recalled the Lockbreaking part of his memory. He only had a vague impression of his combat memories and didn't know what this guy's Domain was like.
A Domain was very mystical; only a true top-tier expert could comprehend it. "Within a square inch, all is under control." That was a Domain.
Unlike battle-qi, a Domain couldn't be described, because everyone's Domain was different. However, it was said that someone proficient in a Domain could hear everything in their surroundings, enhance their five senses, reduce their heart rate, blend into the environment, and even bestow strange powers. These were just rumors.
Mentor Guan Yu had given Lu Yin a star chip that recorded the introduction to Star Energy. From the first step of absorbing Star Energy to removing impurities, then to forming substance, and after that was the Myriad Changes realm that Lu Yin had grasped. After the Myriad Changes realm was "infusing one's will," which could change the color of Star Energy. And the final step... was Domain, the power of "me alone."
The star chip only had one sentence about Domain. Obviously, very, very few people had grasped a Domain, perhaps even fewer than those with battle-qi. But every single one was a top-tier expert.
Lu Yin thought back to seeing Karon lockbreak the sword-shaped Origin treasure. No wonder he had succeeded by relying on his familiarity with Star Energy; his Domain was probably a factor as well.
"What's your Domain like?" Lu Yin asked curiously.
Karon's eyes snapped up. "Don't push your luck."
Lu Yin turned his head, not asking again. That question was indeed over the line.
Karon suddenly remembered something, his eyes narrowing. "You really want to know what my Domain is like?"
Lu Yin turned back, his eyes surprised.
"Fine. We can spar. You can experience it for yourself," Karon said, a strange, unfriendly curve appearing on his lips.
Lu Yin shrewdly refused. He didn't have a habit of getting beaten up. Although he really wanted to spar with a Domain expert, it could wait. He had his die. The next time he rolled a six, he might be able to fuse with a Domain expert.
Karon was disappointed. "You don't have the heart of a warrior."
Lu Yin ignored him. Compared to the cultivation attitudes of people like Zhang Dingtian and Shuz, his was indeed lacking.
"By my calculations, Shuz should have entered by now," Lu Yin muttered to himself. "Karon, is it okay if I walk around White Bone Valley?"
"Do whatever you want. Just don't bother me," Karon said impatiently and turned to leave.
Treading on the endless bones, Lu Yin again heard those roars—fervent, sorrowful, desperate. All kinds of emotions enveloped the entire White Bone Valley. He didn't know if others could hear it, but he could. This environment was not suitable for living. One would be driven mad.
Lu Yin found a raised part of the valley, sat down, and circulated the Heavenly Star Art, waiting for Shuz.
Two days passed. In these two days, no one bothered Lu Yin. Karon had also left the Trial Zone. The people cultivating in White Home Valley were all spread far apart, with no contact with each other.
Lu Yin still hadn't seen Shuz. Feeling it was strange, he left the Trial Zone and appeared on the Zone Mountain.
He opened his eyes and saw Shuz in the distance, wiping his battle-blade.
"You haven't entered yet?" Lu Yin was surprised.
Shuz didn't even turn his head. "I did. And died."
Lu Yin was speechless. "That fast?"
Shuz stopped wiping and said in a helpless tone, "I appeared in the middle of a group of war souls. What do you think?"
Lu Yin's eyes widened. That was too unlucky. War souls were all strong. A group of war souls... he would be finished too. Watching Shuz helplessly wipe his blade, Lu Yin fell into thought.
Although the students of the Tenth Academy had all completed the hundred wins in the Transmission-Field-War and were not weak compared to students from other academies, they were only "not weak." People like Shuz, Keke, and Zahra were not much stronger than same-level students from other academies. They could easily be defeated if they met someone with good talent. Only a small number of them could contend with the absolute top experts from other academies.
To seize a Trial Site, bringing Shuz along was probably not a good idea. His presence wouldn't be of any help. Moreover, it was too easy for them to die upon entering the Trial Zone. He couldn't just wait for them all the time.
Lu Yin had a headache. Of the twelve new students, less than half could truly contend with the experts from other academies. Even Hui Baiye wasn't qualified.
Having thought this through, Lu Yin no longer planned to summon Shuz for this battle to seize a Trial Site. But he had already invited him... rescinding it now? It would hurt the man's pride.
Right at that moment, Michelle entered the Zone Mountain. She was as beautiful and captivating as ever. Her pair of red pupils swept over Lu Yin and Shuz, and she coldly walked toward another part of the Zone Mountain.
"Wait," Lu Yin called out.
Michelle stopped and looked at Lu Yin. "What is it?"
Lu Yin stood up and walked in front of Michelle. Looking into her red pupils, he said sincerely, "I'm going to seize a Trial Site. Are you interested in joining?"
"Not interested," Michelle replied curtly.
"Battle-qi? Not interested in that either?" Lu Yin said lightly.
Michelle stopped and looked at Lu Yin, her red pupils bright. "Battle-qi?"
The corner of Lu Yin's mouth curled up. He raised his hand, and a flow of qi swirled around it, making Michelle's gaze turn fiery. No one didn't want to comprehend battle-qi. "Xi Yue... has comprehended battle-qi."
That one sentence made Michelle's expression change drastically. She had previously replaced Xi Yue to enter the Decablan Council. Because of that incident, the two had a huge fight not long ago, which ended in a draw. Michelle acted indifferent on the surface, but she had already acknowledged this rival. She had thought that her hard work during this period would be enough to easily surpass Xi Yue, but it would be a different story if Xi Yue had battle-qi. That was a power that could change the outcome of a battle.