Lu Yin felt the power of the Desolate Palm, as if it was draining the very life force from his body. Realizing its strength, he raised his hand, a gleam flashing in his eyes. Since his opponent sought death, he wouldn't hold back.
**Boom!**
Both fighters struck with full force simultaneously. The Desolate Palm, a formidable combat technique inherited from the dominion power Desolate Sect of the Primeval Territory, was immensely powerful, peerless in its might. Lu Yin countered with his Sky Palm, powered by five stars, which had previously defeated Tessin, a Fusion Realm expert, and was considered by Gulbach to be among the top ten in the Yu Hall.
The impact resounded like a storm tearing through the ground, dispelling the cold air and creating shockwaves. A group of exploration realm cultivators passing by was swept up in the tumultuous airflow, screaming in agony as they were severely injured. The ground split in two, and Lulu quickly evaded in astonishment.
The clash between the two exceeded the typical strength of ordinary Fusion Realm experts.
Meng Yue was shocked. The Desolate Palm, with which he had defeated multiple Fusion Realm experts, was blocked.
Both Lu Yin and Meng Yue retreated simultaneously, their clash nearly evenly matched.
Meng Yue's strength surprised Lu Yin. Few exploration realm cultivators could defeat Fusion Realm opponents, and Meng Yue wasn't even a talent cultivator.
"Good. There aren't many at our level who can block the Desolate Palm. What's your name?" Meng Yue asked excitedly.
Lu Yin frowned. "I don't have time to waste on you. Move aside."
Meng Yue pondered for a moment, looked at Lu Yin, and then restrained his star energy. Recalling Lu Yin's speed, he realized that with his attack strength combined with his speed, he wouldn't stand a chance if they fought seriously. "My name is Meng Yue, remember it."
Lu Yin was startled. Meng? Could it be an ancient, singular surname? The ones he knew were few and far between, so he wasn't sure.
"Hey, do you want to fight? I'll take you on," Lulu said, eager for a challenge. She was naturally combative.
Meng Yue glanced at her. "I'm not interested in fighting women."
Lulu frowned. "Look down on me, do you?" She disappeared abruptly, appearing right in front of Meng Yue and kicking out with a seemingly ordinary kick. Though Meng Yue couldn't match her speed, his reaction was quick, raising his arm to block. With a bang, the shockwave reverberated. Meng Yue's pupils shrank as intense pain shot through his right arm, and an unstoppable force sent him flying, smashing through three hills and embedding him in the ground.
Lu Yin winced and looked sympathetically at Meng Yue. He had underestimated Lulu, a member of the Mebius family known for their incredible strength. That kick must have been brutal.
"Dare to look down on me, huh? Serves you right," Lulu said, raising her head and beckoning Lu Yin as she leapt into the air and flew away.
Lu Yin glanced at the swirling dust where Meng Yue lay, then took off.
Underground, Meng Yue gritted his teeth. His arm was unnaturally bent, broken by that kick. "What a vicious woman," he muttered, quickly taking out a healing potion. Emerging from the ground, he saw they were gone and sighed, looking bitterly at his right arm. He had underestimated her—a freakish woman indeed.
"Lulu, wasn't your kick a bit too harsh?" Lu Yin asked.
Lulu snorted. "He deserved it for looking down on me."
Lu Yin chuckled, reminding himself never to provoke her. Her strength was terrifying, likely a natural talent.
In the following time, Lu Yin and Lulu encountered no enemies. The Tenth Institute's assessment was simply to reach the end of the road without a specified number of participants, so few would actively cause trouble. Meng Yue was an exception.
Though they had no enemies, they faced an increasing number of exotic beasts. In the dark, cold night, strange beasts roamed the land and flew in the air, killing many exploration realm cultivators.
Lu Yin and Lulu encountered a terrifying beast. Though it was at the exploration realm, it was impervious to weapons. Fortunately, Lulu's powerful punch eventually crushed its internal organs, leaving no visible damage on the outside, making Lu Yin shiver. Such defense was terrifying.
Another beast could breathe lightning, with speed and ferocious attacks far surpassing Gulbach's lightning arrows. Lu Yin and Lulu avoided it as it was too fast to attack effectively. Thankfully, the beast didn't pursue them, seeming to guard its territory.
Apart from beasts, there were many strange plants and harsh weather conditions. They frequently found bodies, highlighting the danger of this path. Only the best exploration realm cultivators could reach this point, yet death still loomed large.
Far behind Lu Yin and Lulu, Las cowered in fear, all his companions dead. He decided to hide until the assessment ended.
Time passed. The sky's frozen sun suddenly exploded, and the scorching heat and blinding light caused many to falter, some even losing their lives in battle due to the sudden change.
Lu Yin nearly fell for it, instinctively using Void Step to evade. The ground exploded, revealing a strange flower that spewed white substances at him. Lu Yin countered with his Threefold Triple Wave Palm, shattering everything and crushing the flower into fragments.
He exhaled and looked up. The temperature would rise for at least forty-eight hours.
"It's getting hotter. Look, the closer we get, the lower the sun is. At the core, it's almost level with the ground," Lulu complained.
Lu Yin gazed into the distance. Indeed, the sun's height was decreasing. The entrance region was manageable, but this area was extremely hot, suitable only for those at the Fusion Realm. Further in, even exploration realm cultivators might struggle. Combined with endless beasts, plants, and enemies, the assessment was incredibly harsh.
The competition on the exploration path was mild compared to the brutal competition on the fusion path. Jenny Auna and Fire Little Ling were eliminated immediately, saved only by Hughes' intervention. The ongoing assessment was too difficult, forcing them to withdraw.
Out of nearly eighty participants from the Great Yu Empire, over half were eliminated within a day, with thirty dead. This included top talents from both Yu Hall and other institutions, a significant loss that darkened Undying Yushan's face.
More shocking was the elimination of one of the five hall masters, Rock Auna, casting a shadow over the assessment.
"Golbach and Flame are together," someone reported.
Dolan Yushan nodded, unsurprised. Only some ignorant participants attempted attacks. If Flame Peak truly wanted to marry Wendy, Flame had to maintain good relations with the Great Yu Empire.
However, Flame's strength was far inferior to Golbach's, hopefully not dragging him down.
Time passed slowly. More and more spaceships appeared around the ten paths, with many star-traveling experts watching from the sky.
On the exploration path, far behind Lu Yin and Lulu, a young man clutched his left arm, groaning in pain. He was Wukai Maldo, the son of Siken Maldo, also participating in the exploration assessment. He had just been attacked by a strange plant, shattering his left arm, though he managed to destroy the plant.
Wukai Maldo had joined the assessment without his father's knowledge. He was strong, comparable to Las. Unlike Las, who hid in fear, Wukai pushed forward with astonishing determination, but eventually collapsed, unable to continue.
Bleeding and in pain, Wukai spotted strange markings on a wall, slowly becoming engrossed. It was an unnamed, originless set of fist techniques, buried for untold years and revealed through his struggle—his fortuitous encounter.
Lu Yin and Lulu flew onward, while several hundred kilometers ahead, a giant beast roared like a prehistoric dinosaur, over a hundred meters tall with sharp claws that tore the ground. Surrounded by dozens of exploration realm cultivators, it was enraged, gathering terrifying star energy in its maw and releasing a beam that destroyed everything.
"It's no use. Our attacks can't penetrate its defense."
"Let's try attacking together."
"We can't. It's too smart, attacking where we're most concentrated, giving us no chance to coordinate."