Star Odyssey

Dao Bo had to take a more tortuous path, since his ability to sense star energy was clearly inferior to Casanova’s. Dao Bo could perceive the energy wave when it was about three meters away from him, whereas Casanova could sense them from about five meters away and was thus able to alter his pace in advance. 

But what really caught Lu Yin’s attention was Xi Qi, as this girl was actually able to sense the waves earlier than Dao Bo and was at about the same level as Casanova. Her perception was likely due in large part to the fish’s assistance. 

When Casanova turned around to look at Lu Yin, he saw that Lu Yin was no longer waiting and that he was now making his way forward as well. 

Tong Mi'er closely watched Lu Yin, hoping that he would become a dried corpse like so many others and would suffer a miserable fate of overestimating his own capabilities. 

Tong Mi'er wasn’t alone, as many others were also carefully watching Lu Yin. He was only a two star Discerning Elementary Lockbreaker, and the disparity between him and the other three was simply too vast in their minds. 

Fortunately, Lu Yin’s performance seemed rather normal, but this did not mean much as a few of the Lockbreakers from before had moved at the same pace as Lu Yin, and some had gone even faster. The most critical stretch was the last hundred meters. That was where accidents were most likely to occur. 

The four of them approached the tree-shaped sourcebox, and as they approached closer, the energy fluctuations became both more frequent and faster. Lu Yin could only vaguely make out the waves now, but he was not worried since he could still easily avoid them. Only the last ten meters required a more serious effort from him. 

To the east, a smear of light appeared. The sun was rising, and it illuminated this side of the planet. 

At this moment, Casanova had already drawn within a hundred meters of the tree-shaped sourcebox, and the two dried corpses nearby were very eye-catching and horrifying. 

Even Casanova had to pay more attention at this time, since any single distraction could be fatal. 

There was no definite safe road when it came to the path of lockbreaking, and even Boundless Advanced Lockbreakers could die during their lockbreaking attempts. This was the price that one had to pay as a Lockbreaker. 

“The next part will depend entirely on your own ability. You can back out now if you’re not confident. The closer we get, the more dangerous it’ll become. Take care of yourselves,” Casanova exhorted the other three once again before he stepped forward. 

Dao Bo, Xi Qi, and Lu Yin did not hesitate and also stepped past the hundred meter point. 

The moment they did so, the energy waves underwent a qualitative transformation. Lu Yin saw the image of a python twisting across the area, forcing him to occasionally dodge to the side. Dao Bo and Xi Qi seemed to have met a similar difficulty level as Lu Yin. 

The onlookers could only see four people constantly shifting about, and it looked rather strange to them. Still, no one was bothered by their movements since this was a lockbreaking attempt and battling the unseen was a normal part of these attempts. 

“That two-legged beast isn’t bad. For him to reach this point is no simple matter.” From atop Xi Qi’s head, the fish looked at Lu Yin in amazement. 

Xi Qi had a serious expression, and she spoke with a rather grudging tone. “Can you stop talking! I’m already friendless because of you.” 

“Bah! With Lord Fish here, why do you even need any friends? That’s why you two-legged beasts are all maggots—you all have to live in social groups.” 

As Casanova stepped forward and evaded the erratic energy rushing at him from time to time, he also looked back at the others, especially Lu Yin. He knew how strong Dao Bo and Xi Qi’s lockbreaking abilities were, but he was very curious about Lu Yin’s. This person’s fighting strength was shocking, but Casanova did not know how Lu Yin measured up as a Lockbreaker. 

However, since Lu Yin had followed the three of them to this point, his ability to perceive the movement of star energy in advance must be pretty decent. It might even be possible that Lu Yin could rival Dao Bo. 

Eighty, seventy, fifty… thirty meters. 

The four gradually started slowing down, and at times, they even completely stopped, only moving forward once more after stretching out their senses. 

No other Lockbreaker had reached where the four of them were currently at, so no one knew what would happen next. Master Jun had a serious expression on his face since it was possible that even he might not be able to rescue these youths if something happened at this junction. The Lockbreaker Society would definitely suffer a great loss if something happened to any one of these four young Lockbreakers. 

Another hour passed, and the four of them were now within twenty meters of the tree-shaped sourcebox. They had taken half the night to reach this point, but all the progress they had made was only in approaching the sourcebox; they had not even started actually lockbreaking yet. 

Dao Bo could not advance any further. His perception of star energy was heavily reliant on his domain, but the star energy ahead of him flowed in such a strange manner that he was no longer able to find a path to proceed along any further. 

Xi Qi’s face was pale, and the fish’s eyes flitted about. “It’s troublesome. Why are there so many?” 

Casanova frowned and turned around. 

Lu Yin squinted, as there were too many energy waves in this area. If they wanted to approach any closer, then someone would have to act as bait and draw out the flow of star energy, luring the powerful waves that almost completely permeated the space before them. Only in this manner could the others approach. This was also the reason why Casanova had looked for other people to cooperate with. Lu Yin looked towards Casanova, and coincidentally, Casanova looked at him as well, and they exchanged glances. 

“Who here has the confidence to proceed?” Casanova asked as he carefully studied the other three. 

Dao Bo looked up before looking at Xi Qi and Lu Yin. He then shook his head. “I’m not confident.” 

Xi Qi pursed her lips, but the fish spoke up for her. “Lord Fish is confident.” 

Casanova looked at Lu Yin. “What about you?” 

Lu Yin nodded. “I’m also confident.” 

The fish was grumpy. “Two-legged beast, are you trying to pit yourself against Lord Fish!? You’re by yourself, but you think that you can approach this thing? Dream on!” 

“Seventh Bro, that fish is too despicable. Let’s throw it in a stew and cook it!” the Ghost Monkey shrieked. 

Not too far away, Casanova gave Lu Yin a serious look. “Do you realize what you’re saying?” 

Lu Yin smiled. “I do. I said, ‘I’m also confident.’” 

Casanova’s eyes flickered. “Fine, then tell me right now which directions I can travel in.” 

Lu Yin raised a finger and replied, “Three directions.” He then pointed out in three directions. 

Atop Xi Qi’s head, the fish was shocked. “Damn! They’re all correct. This two-legged beast is very strange. Could there be a similar life-form to Lord Fish helping him? No, that’s impossible; Lord Fish is unique!” 

Casanova also looked at Lu Yin in shock, as this person was much better than he had originally expected. 

“Brother Lu and Xi Qi can continue on, so I’ll help everyone with what I can.” Dao Bo was smart, and he had already guessed what Casanova’s plans were. He raised a hand and caused the air to vibrate in a peculiar pattern, causing all the surrounding star energy to rush towards him. The movement triggered a chain reaction, and a majority of the energy waves in front of them were attracted towards Dao Bo, allowing Casanova, Lu Yin, and Xi Qi to charge forward. 

Dao Bo had opened a path for them, but his help only allowed the trio to move forward another ten meters. At this point, the energy waves were no longer drawn towards Dao Bo since he was too far away. 

Casanova looked at Lu Yin and Xi Qi. 

“That two-legged beast, know your place and be the bait!” The fish arrogantly pointed a fin at Lu Yin. 

Lu Yin did not have a chance to speak before the surrounding waves suddenly surged and enveloped the three of them. 

Casanova’s eyes widened. Not good! 

In the sky, Master Jun was similarly caught off guard. “Be careful!” 

Lu Yin’s gaze trembled, but he merely shifted his head to the side, easily avoiding the wave as he effortlessly moved aside. He never shifted more than a meter from his original spot, but he was able to evade all of the energy waves that swept over him, escaping each one by a hair’s breadth. 

His movements caused Casanova’s pupils to shrink. “Secret Sidestep?” 

It wasn’t just Casanova; Master Jun, Xi Qi, Dao Bo, and everyone else watching from outside were all stunned. Tong Mi'er could only look on blankly. Someone who could use the Secret Sidestep had appeared in the Outerverse. 

To a Lockbreaker, there were several important aids to their profession, such as a domain, lockbreaking tools, and the Secret Sidestep technique. Of the three aids, the Secret Sidestep technique held a supreme position. Comprehending the movement technique would increase a Lockbreaker’s abilities by a hundred-fold, or even a thousand-fold in some cases. Its worth to Lockbreakers was unimaginable for a normal person. Any Lockbreaker who knew the Secret Sidestep technique would become a great Lockbreaker in the future, as long as they didn’t die. 

No one could have guessed that the Secret Sidestep, which was something that not even Casanova had comprehended, would be displayed by a mere two star Discerning Elementary Lockbreaker. The shock caused by this reveal was no less than when one of the Distinguished Five had first appeared, and even Master Jun was stunned. 

Xi Qi was also flabbergasted, and although fish atop her head opened its mouth, nothing vile came out. It knew full well what comprehending the Secret Sidestep indicated. 

Lu Yin stopped moving and looked around before releasing a pent-up breath. He looked at Casanova. “This is troublesome. It looks like we’ll need another person to act as bait.” 

Then, he and Casanova simultaneously looked at Xi Qi. There was no contest, as Xi Qi was the best candidate to be bait compared to Lu Yin, who could use the Secret Sidestep technique. 

Left with no choice, Xi Qi replied, “Alright, I’ll do it.” 

“Hold on, that two-legged beast has no grace! How could you let a feminine two-legged beast be the bait? After all, you’re a masculine two-legged beast,” the fish shouted as its tail flailed about. 

Lu Yin’s face darkened. 

“Seventh Bro, that fish is too much! What feminine and masculine things, it’s clearly male and female!” the monkey screamed. It seemed as if he wanted to fight the fish. 

“Shut up!” Lu Yin barked. 

Xi Qi hurried to apologize, “I’m sorry, really sorry. I’ll be the bait!” She then stimulated the star energy, causing all the waves within twenty meters of them to speed towards her. 

There was an unspoken rule among all Lockbreakers. In cases where they joined forces, whoever was weaker would act as bait when needed. 

As the waves surged towards Xi Qi, the fish shrieked before hurriedly whispering in her ear. Xi Qi immediately started moving and retreated from the energy waves. 

Casanova and Lu Yin rushed towards the tree-shaped sourcebox, and their speed was about the same. Casanova no longer looked down on Lu Yin, since his ability to use Secret Sidestep meant that Lu Yin could match and even possibly surpass the senior Lockbreaker’s survival skills. 

The two quickly moved another ten meters, and they were now only ten meters away from the tree-shaped sourcebox. 

At this moment, neither one would give way for the other, so Casanova did not count on Lu Yin acting as bait to give him a better chance of unlocking this sourcebox. Now, everything was dependent on their individual abilities. 

At a distance of ten meters, the energy waves were at their densest. Lu Yin could use Secret Sidestep and move even closer, but moving around was one thing while unlocking this sourcebox was something else entirely. Lu Yin held no confidence of achieving any success with this sourcebox. 

The tree-shaped sourcebox could evidently only be unlocked by Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreakers, which was why Master Wusheng had advised Lu Yin to use this gathering to gain some experience. He had never expected that Lu Yin would not only be able to gain experience from observing more experienced Lockbreakers, but that he would even have the opportunity to come in contact with the target sourcebox. 

Lu Yin looked at Casanova and hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t certain if he should charge across the final distance. 

At that moment, Casanova pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his cosmic ring, ones that seemed very flashy. He put them on, smiled, seemingly pleased with himself, and then charged in towards the tree-shaped sourcebox. 

Lu Yin was stunned. Is that also a lockbreaking tool? 

“Wah, what a flirty lockbreaking tool! Seventh Bro, your spotlight’s been stolen! Hurry up and move!” the Ghost Monkey cried. 

Lu Yin frowned, but he did not hesitate any longer. Since he had reached this stage, then could he really just watch on as Casanova attempted to unlock this sourcebox? Even if Casanova would share some of the rewards with him in the end, that was not what Lu Yin was aiming for. 

Under everyone’s gazes, one of the two youths put on a pair of sunglasses before walking towards the tree-shaped sourcebox in a dazzling manner. The other youth displayed the Secret Sidestep and moved forward like a fish swimming through the ocean as he also charged forward. 

The two reached the tree-shaped sourcebox at almost the same time, and they even reached out to press against the tree-shaped sourcebox simultaneously. 

Suddenly, a complicated world of star energy appeared before Lu Yin. The sealed energy made the tree-shaped sourcebox greatly surpass any sourcebox that he had encountered before. In just an instant, the sensory overload nearly knocked him unconscious. 

“Don’t force it. Sourceboxes of the Perceptive Intermediate level are completely different from those of the Discerning Elementary level. Given your experience, you probably won’t be able to successfully unlock this one,” Casanova said in a pleased manner.