As Lu Yin was about to start climbing, a man stepped out and blocked his path, curiously sizing him up. "Brother, which level are you heading to?" he asked.
"Where is Gurlbach?" Lu Yin inquired.
Everyone was surprised and looked at Lu Yin in disbelief.
"You're looking for the Hall Master?" the man asked, astonished.
"He's looking for me," Lu Yin replied indifferently.
The crowd scrutinized Lu Yin, most trying to probe deeper, but among them, a slightly shorter man glared at Lu Yin. He was one of the elite members of the Astral Hall, headed for Earth's trial, and had been robbed by Lu Yin before. He vividly remembered Lu Yin and was one of the few who knew his identity. He wanted trouble with Lu Yin but thought better of it in the face of Lu Yin's status as the Purple Mountain King.
"The Hall Master is on the top level," the man who blocked Lu Yin said.
"Thank you," Lu Yin replied and continued his ascent.
At intervals, there were large spaces indicating each level. As he ascended, fewer people were around, and no one stopped him.
When he saw the clouds outside, he knew he was close to the top of the tower. Here, there was no one around.
At the top of the tall tower, Gurlbach stood by a stone window, the strong wind blowing.
Lu Yin leapt up and arrived at the topmost level. At a glance, he saw the young man standing not far away, with a straight posture exuding a fierce aura. This was Gurlbach, one of the top young powerhouses of the Great Yu Empire, one of the Hall Masters, and reputedly a formidable figure among the younger generation.
Lu Yin surveyed Gurlbach, who suddenly turned around, his gaze sharp as an arrow piercing the void, sending chills down Lu Yin's spine.
This man resembled Gurlace, Lu Yin thought to himself.
Both were Hall Masters. While Tianming was gentle and courteous, Gurlbach was imposing and aggressive, like an arrow poised to strike.
"My sister was under your care during the trial," Gurlbach began, his eyes fixed on Lu Yin.
Lu Yin frowned slightly, staring back unwaveringly. "Survival of the fittest."
Gurlbach smirked. "True. Since you know that, why did you help her?"
Lu Yin was puzzled. Help her? When did he do that? Didn't he rob her instead?
Gurlbach continued coldly, "Although the Earth trial wasn't successful, my sister's personal results were far ahead, even surpassing Erd. I don't believe she could achieve such results with her own strength. It was you who helped her. You kidnapped dozens of students, and those achievements were enough to put her ahead of everyone else."
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. Gurlace didn't seem to have told Gurlbach about being robbed by him. It made sense; with her unwillingness to be taken advantage of, how could she tell Gurlbach? Although Gurlbach wielded considerable power within the Hall, he had no authority over the trials and thus couldn't know the details of his robbery of Gurlace. It was a wonderful misunderstanding.
"Is that why you refused to let me study the top twenty styles of the Beastmaster's Claw?" Lu Yin asked.
Gurlbach looked out beyond the tower. "I just want to meet you. Although you are the Purple Mountain King, you participated in the trial as a native. A mere native could defeat dozens of students, including Astral Hall elites like Las. I am very curious about you," he said, turning his gaze back to Lu Yin, full of fighting spirit. "I'm more interested in experiencing your strength. Rumor has it that you can learn the Beastmaster's Claw in actual combat, but I don't believe it."
Lu Yin smiled faintly. "Then let's try."
Gurlbach nodded curtly. "Okay," he said, suppressing his star power to Exploration level. "Be careful. Once the battle begins, I won't hold back."
"Me neither," Lu Yin replied, and both launched towards each other.
Bang!
Their fists collided, sending shockwaves in all directions. Both of them stepped back simultaneously, then rushed at each other again. Gurlbach truly didn't hold back, raising his hand and unleashing the Beastmaster's Claw, far surpassing his previous opponent, Tisten. This was Gurlbach—able to perform techniques surpassing those of the Melding Realm even when restrained.
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed, abruptly stopping. He stared at Gurlbach's Beastmaster's Claw, and suddenly, outside his body, five stars began to rotate, forming a unique defensive force field. When Gurlbach's claw entered the celestial power field, the distance that had seemed instantaneous became incredibly distant, so far that Lu Yin could see every change in the Beastmaster's Claw clearly.
One, two, three... up to fifteen styles. Gurlbach's single strike with the Beastmaster's Claw contained fifteen styles, terrifying in power, and the roar of a void beast shook the air, freezing everything around.
Lu Yin's pupils contracted, and with an incredible angle, he dodged. The Beastmaster's Claw covered a hundred meters, but Lu Yin managed to evade it, causing the claw to strike the ground and leave a huge imprint.
Gurlbach looked surprised. "You actually managed to dodge it. Good."
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed. He had just learned nine styles, not enough. He tried again.
Gurlbach also used the Beastmaster's Claw, covering all directions, trying to defeat Lu Yin with it. Unfortunately, in Lu Yin's eyes, the Beastmaster's Claw wasn't flawless. Every blow was avoided until Gurlbach used it for the fifth time. Lu Yin's eyes brightened, and he understood. Fifteen styles changed, and at the next moment, Lu Yin raised his hand. Exploration turned into claws, "Beastmaster's Claw."
Gurlbach was shocked, and the Beastmaster's Claw was also launched.
Boom!
A vibration shocked, attracting many people under the tower's attention.
Lu Yin and Gurlbach stepped back at the same time, leaving deep marks on the ground.
When the smoke cleared, Gurlbach looked at Lu Yin in shock.
"You, actually can imitate it, no, learn the Beastmaster's Claw, you have only seen it five times, and you have mastered the fifteen styles of the Beastmaster's Claw," Gurlbach said in surprise.
Lu Yin was panting heavily, his palms were sore, and Gurlbach was a master of the Fusion Realm. Even though his realm was suppressed, his body was still of the Fusion Realm. He was at a disadvantage when he collided head-on with him.
"I didn't expect you to have such a talent, the Beastmaster's Claw is engraved on the stone wall. Even if the Astral Hall's elites want to learn it, it takes a long time, and some people can't learn the fifteen styles of the Beastmaster's Claw in their lifetime. You can learn it in such a short time," Gurlbach praised.
Lu Yin didn't see jealousy in his eyes and felt much better about him. "Just right, this combat technique suits me."
Gurlbach nodded, feeling a little "Yes, if you meet the right combat technique for yourself, you can learn it quickly."
"Do you want to fight again?" Lu Yin asked.
Gurlbach grinned, "The Beastmaster's Claw is not what I'm good at. Since I said I wouldn't end it with you in one fight, be careful, and next, I will use my combat skills to fit myself, and don't blame me if I die."
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed, and Gurlbach, as a Hall Master, the peak of the Fusion Realm, was definitely terrible for his combat skills.
"Come on."
Gurlbach grinned, and a strange fruit appeared in his palm, with lightning patterns on top. This kind of fruit can provide electricity like natural energy crystals.
As Gurlbach crushed the fruit, thunderous flashes and high temperatures burned the ground and even struck the outside world through the stone window, shocking many people.
"The Hall Master is fighting. Who is it with?"
"Isn't it just the guy who went up just now?"
"It's impossible. That guy just explored."
...
Lu Yin felt the violent thunder, subconsciously retreating, and this scene reminded him of Gurlace's armor, but it was much more terrible than Gurlace's armor.
Can't wait, take the initiative to attack. Lu Yin's eyes narrowed, raising his hand, crack the palm, hit hard, and Gurlbach sneered, waving his hand in a cold, attacking the man with a roar, and he quickly moved the wall was pierced, the hot wave pushed him violently, and it's power to the thunder.
"My combat skills are called Lightning Arrows, let me see your strength," Gurlbach shouted, stepping forward, with lightning, just to push Lu Yin to the outside, appearing in the sharp ground lightning storm, hit a first challenge.
Below the tall tower, Bronson's gaze was heavy, tightly fixed on the high sky. Within the Astral Hall, as long as it wasn't deliberate murder, he couldn't intervene in matters of life and death. He hoped that the Purple Mountain King wouldn't die. Facing the Hall Master of the Astral Hall, even with his realm suppressed, he was not comparable to ordinary Fusion Realm powerhouses.
Lu Yin stared intently at the fierce aura amidst the endless thunderous strikes. At this moment, Gurlbach's threat to him surpassed even that of Qingyu back then. Qingyu's combat power had been suppressed to Exploration due to severe injuries, making many of his techniques unusable. Gurlbach, on the other hand, had no such restrictions; he could unleash his Exploration-level power to its fullest extent.
Seeing that fierce aura approaching, Lu Yin knew he couldn't dodge it. He raised his palm, the five stars rotating, and unleashed the Heavenly Star Palm, forming stars with his palm.
Boom!