Lulu nodded and, along with Coco, the three of them flew towards the distant beam of light.
Along the way, Lu Yin checked his personal terminal. Aside from encountering some exotic beasts, they rarely saw any other cultivators continuing. Those who had survived were filled with despair, lacking the confidence to move forward.
After the sun had once again gone through cycles of cold and heat, the three of them finally saw the beam of light connecting the sky and the earth. "We're here, that's the end!" Coco exclaimed excitedly, her face flushed with excitement.
Lu Yin's eyes burned with anticipation. The Sky Academy, the greatest academy in the universe, subjected millions to life-and-death trials. How many would emerge victorious? How strong were those people? He was eager to find out.
There were three paths of exploration in total. At the end of another path, the scorching sun baked the earth. In front of the beam of light connecting heaven and earth, dozens of explorers stared in horror at a massive beast. No, it wasn't an exotic beast; it was a Wumeng Dragon.
In the universe, humans occupied one starfield, while starry sky beasts had their own starfield, constantly warring with the human domain. The Wumeng Dragon was a branch of the starry sky beasts' dragon clan. After one war, it defected to join the human domain.
The Wumeng Dragon had the antlers of a deer, the body of a snake, the eyes of a rabbit, the ears of a cow, sharp claws, large thin wings emitting a dark red glow on each side of its head, and a tail ending in a fleshy ball covered in tough armor. Its gaze was cruel and fierce, sending shivers down anyone who looked at it.
"What is this thing?" someone cried out in terror, their voice trembling.
The others were equally bewildered. The Wumeng Dragon was a species from the Inner Universe, and as a defector from the starry sky beasts, few in the Outer Universe recognized it.
Feeling the Wumeng Dragon's terrifying aura, all the cultivators hesitated to move forward.
Suddenly, two figures dashed towards the beam of light, attempting to bypass the Wumeng Dragon.
The Wumeng Dragon's vicious and cruel eyes turned menacing. Its massive body split into two, and with two resounding crashes, the two cultivators were sent flying back. One was torn in half, blood splattering the ground.
Everyone gasped in shock. The Wumeng Dragon, despite its size, was incredibly fast.
"Pathetic humans, you cannot pass. Go back," the Wumeng Dragon roared, whipping up a fierce storm.
Dozens of explorers were unwilling to give up. They had endured harsh weather, beast tides, and three attacks from the void to get this far. They didn't want to abandon their efforts.
"Everyone charge together. It's also an explorer. I don't believe it can stop all of us," someone shouted, their voice full of incitement. The next moment, dozens of explorers gritted their teeth and rushed towards the beam of light as fast as they could.
The Wumeng Dragon roared, its enormous body splitting into three, blocking the path entirely. With deafening crashes and violent attacks, figures were thrown back one by one. Every explorer who had reached this point was formidable, each possessing powerful battle techniques, yet they were useless against the Wumeng Dragon. Their attacks couldn't harm it.
The Wumeng Dragon roared towards the sky, its sharp claws dripping with blood, repelling all the explorers by itself. No one could get through.
"Humans, you will not pass," the Wumeng Dragon declared arrogantly, lifting its head and slashing the ground with its claws, extending towards the pale-faced explorers.
Suddenly, a silver streak flashed by. The Wumeng Dragon paused, and by the time it reacted, a figure had stepped into the beam of light, waving back at it before disappearing.
No one expected anyone to pass the Wumeng Dragon, especially so effortlessly, like a breeze rustling leaves, vanishing before the leaves had a chance to move.
The Wumeng Dragon stared blankly at the beam of light, then roared in fury. This was a humiliation; someone had actually bypassed its guard. It was a disgrace, but the person was already gone, leaving it helpless but to glare and prevent others from passing.
On the last path of exploration, at the end stood a man who was half-mechanical, half-flesh. His name was Manco, from the Inner Universe's Ross Empire. The Ross Empire claimed to inherit ancient technology, with the aim of mechanizing humanity for eternal life. Their experts were a fusion of mechanical technology and cultivation.
Facing Manco, a group of explorers couldn't pass either. Manco was even harder to deal with than the Wumeng Dragon. His technological weapons were everywhere, sealing off the area.
The weapons Manco carried were within the scope of explorer-level attacks, so it wasn't considered cheating, leaving even the Sky Academy unable to deal with him.
Zzzt.
Purple energy waves swept the ground, vaporizing the surface and forcing back dozens of explorers.
Manco had turned the end into a defensive fortress, using the sun's heat to generate terrifyingly high temperatures. Any ordinary explorer would die upon contact.
"Give up. The Sky Academy isn't for the trash of the Outer Universe," Manco declared arrogantly. This was the arrogance of someone from the Inner Universe; they looked down on the Outer Universe.
The explorers gritted their teeth in anger, helpless as they looked at the technological fortress ahead.
Just then, a figure streaked across the sky, heading straight for the end. He stood on an ancient-looking sword, exuding a sharp aura.
Manco had intended to stop him, but upon seeing the figure, he hesitated and let him pass into the beam of light. "A disciple of Wan Jian Mountain? Why are they here for the Tenth Academy?"
Lu Yin and the others reached the end of the path, feeling the scorching heat. Ahead, Aquino stood like a wall, preventing all the explorers who had arrived before them from passing.
Lu Yin quickly gathered information, then looked at Aquino in surprise. Fire Domain? He had heard of it, one of the powerful forces in the Inner Universe. Why block the way? Didn't they want the Tenth Academy to enroll students?
Lulu cracked her knuckles, excitedly eyeing Aquino. "Fire Domain, I didn't expect to encounter someone from the Fire Domain here. This is interesting. Leave this to me," she said, leaping into the air and rushing towards Aquino, throwing a punch.
Aquino was proudly surveying the crowd, planning to boast about the Fire Domain's strength. Suddenly, a green figure appeared before him, throwing a punch.
Which idiot dared to challenge the Fire Domain? Aquino was furious and struck back mercilessly. The ground burst into flames instantly. "Flames of the Fire Sea!"
Fire Domain Battle Technique—Flames of the Fire Sea. Aquino used the sun's heat to amplify the technique's power several times over. With a single upward swipe of his hand, the fire sea spread out, engulfing the entire area, intending to destroy everything in its path.
Faced with the terrifyingly high-temperature fire sea that would make even a fusion-level expert tremble, Lulu remained excited, throwing her punch. Despite appearing ordinary, her punch tore through the fire sea, reaching Aquino.
Though arrogant, Aquino wasn't foolish. The moment the fire sea was torn apart, he quickly dodged. Lulu's punch shattered the ground, sending intense winds and flames soaring, creating a fiery rain.
Aquino's eyes narrowed. This opponent was formidable. He unleashed his full power without hesitation. The ground ignited once more, the flames spreading for tens, hundreds, thousands of meters, seemingly endlessly. The sun's intense heat fueled his flames, affecting all the explorers, including Lu Yin and Coco, who both retreated.
But the fire sea spread rapidly. In an instant, aside from a few, most were severely injured, some even reduced to ashes.
Lulu remained calm, raising her right fist. She threw another punch. In her world, there seemed to be nothing a punch couldn't solve. No matter how terrifying Aquino's flames were, her punch brought him down. The boundless fire sea was extinguished with one punch, and Aquino was sent deep underground, lifeless.
Lu Yin was amazed. Lulu's punches seemed terrifying. This was the Mebius family, a true giant. She hadn't even used any battle techniques, just her fists.
"Wow, that's amazing," Coco exclaimed, her eyes filled with admiration. "Even stronger than Sister Zora. Is she really an explorer?"
Lu Yin and Coco flew towards the end. Lulu stood high above, looking down. "Did I use too much force?"
"Let's go, we've made it," Lu Yin said.
Coco nodded, admiring Lulu. "Sis, I think you shouldn't reveal your strength. Otherwise, you won't find a boyfriend."
Lulu snorted, "I'm naturally beautiful. The line of men chasing me stretches from the Inner Universe to the Outer Universe. It doesn't matter."
Coco believed her, then took out her giant syringe. "Sis, are you hurt? How about a shot?"
Lulu immediately refused. She felt Coco's syringe was more terrifying than Aquino's Flames of the Fire Sea.