Star Odyssey

Chapter 914: Xin Nu And The Platform of Inception

The Innerverse Lockbreaker Society did not have that many Boundless Advanced Lockbreakers either. Additionally, strength was wholly unrelated to one’s Lockbreaker level, but this woman also had the strength of a Realmling, which indicated that she should also be in the Hunter realm. It was rather terrifying that she was also a five star Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker, and her previous words even insinuated that she was on the verge of breaking through to the Boundless Advanced level. Despite all that, just how young was this girl?

The most innately talented Lockbreaker that Lu Yin had ever heard of was Tutor Wusheng, who had become a five star Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker while still in the Explorer realm. However, Tutor Wusheng was over a hundred years old, and he had attained the five star Perceptive Intermediate level as an Explorer not because his lockbreaking talent was too extraordinary, but rather because his cultivation talent was too lacking.

This woman was truly talented at cultivating while also being extraordinarily talented at Lockbreaking.

Once she reached the Boundless Advanced level, she would step into another world, where she would be able to compete with the likes of Saul. At that moment, her strength would greatly surpass Lu Yin’s.

“What about you? Are you also a Lockbreaker?” the girl asked curiously. Those who knew her would definitely be confused by her behavior at this time. To start, she rarely spoke, and when she did, she never took the initiative to inquire about anything, and she certainly did not ever give anyone any respect. But on this day, she had asked Lu Yin several questions in a row and even revealed a strong curiosity.

Lu Yin coughed awkwardly. “I’m not.”

The girl murmured an acknowledgement and then stopped asking questions.

Lu Yin heaved a sigh of relief, embarrassed. He did not dare to reveal anything about himself.

“Seventh Bro, actually you’re quite impressive,” the Ghost Monkey said.

Lu Yin was speechless. He obviously knew that he was impressive. Even though this girl was just an Explorer, her lockbreaking level might not be any lower than his own. However, he merely did not want to say that since it would embarrass him. More importantly, he did not dare to ask how old she was, as it would be even more embarrassing if she turned out to be the same age as him.

“Do you want me to take you to the Platform of Inception? If your luck is good enough, you might be able to improve your lockbreaking skills.” The girl looked at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin replied, “But I’m not a Lockbreaker.”

“I know.”

“Then?”

“Just treat it as a trip.”

Lu Yin was speechless, as this woman had definitely assumed that he was a Lockbreaker, and she also knew that he was unwilling to say anything out of embarrassment, which was because of her attempt to help him. But just why was she helping him? Lu Yin was rather confused. “Are you helping me?”

The girl shook her head. “Nope. I just want to take you on a trip to the Platform of Inception.”

“Why?” Lu Yin asked blankly.

She thought about it. “I don't know.” action

“You’re quite kind.”

“Thank you.”

“Right, what’s your name?” Lu Yin asked.

“Xin Nü, and you?” She asked, evidently not believing the name “Huang San” that he had given before.

Lu Yin was too embarrassed to lie to her now. “Could you not ask?”

Xin Nü nodded. “Alright.”

Why was she so straightforward about everything? Lu Yin felt that this girl was quite eccentric, but for some reason, he had a good feeling about her. He felt that she was a good person!

With Xin Nü paving the way forward, the surrounding fog was not able to stop the two of them no matter how it transformed.

“Can very few people reach the Platform of Inception? Is that place very dangerous?” Lu Yin asked.

Xin Nü replied, “Mm.”

“Are you confident that you can reach that place?” Lu Yin asked. He was suspicious that this woman had the same motivations that White Knight once had in the past; perhaps she was asking Lu Yin for his help in a matter that was impossible to complete alone.

Xin Nü replied, “I’ve been there once, and it’s not difficult, though it would be extremely difficult for you to get there.”

Lu Yin stopped speaking.

Xin Nü was right, as it would indeed not be easy for Lu Yin to proceed through the fog on his own. Although he had been able to make it through the initial part, the further they proceeded, the stronger the white fog’s attacks became. Eventually, the attacks reached the level of a Realmling-level powerhouse. If not for Xin Nü, then Lu Yin might not have been able to break through.

After taking one last step, they emerged from the fog, and the two people ascended onto a square platform.

It was large and very spacious, but there was nothing actually there.

“Is this the Platform of Inception?” Lu Yin was puzzled.

Xin Nü explained, “In the ancient Daosource Sect, Master Lockbreakers would perform their lockbreaking attempts here, and their experiences would be pulled into the fog, which then preserved those lockbreaking scenes. These scenes have not dissipated despite the countless years, and those who are lucky enough can experience those fog traces, which is the same as experiencing those lockbreaking sessions for yourself, which will upgrade your understanding of lockbreaking by a great deal.”

Lu Yin quickly understood the point of this platform, as it was similar to how he watched videos of lockbreaking sessions. It was just that this form of observation was on an even higher level, and it was the same as personally experiencing those sessions.

“Is there a lot of that fog?” Lu Yin asked.

Xin Nü shook her head. “I’m not sure, as very few people can reach the Platform of Inception in any given year. Only those with the strength of a Realmling can get here, and there are very few Lockbreakers among the Realmlings.”

“Few is few, but even after so many years, the total number of visitors will still be quite high.” Lu Yin sighed.

Xin Nü did not respond, as that was a simple fact. Even if only one person arrived at this place every hundred years, there would still be an uncountable number of cultivators who had visited this place over the countless years. It all depended on how many lockbreaking experts had existed within the original Daosource Sect, as well as how many ages this place had endured through.

“When I was here before, I was able to absorb a strand of grey fog, which increased my lockbreaking experience significantly.” Just as Xin Nü uttered those words, a strand of grey fog appeared in the white fog surrounding the platform. It swam through the air like a small snake, and Xin Nü’s eyes lit up. She waved a hand, pulled that grey fog over, and then pushed it over towards Lu Yin. “For you.”

Lu Yin was stumped, and he looked at Xin Nü. “Is this a strand of ancient lockbreaking experience?”

She nodded.

Lu Yin was puzzled, as this shouldn’t be happening. This experience was extremely precious, especially to this girl, who was on the verge of breaking through and becoming a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker. For her, this experience was valuable beyond measure, so could she be willing to just give it to him like that? He was rather incredulous; this strand might be poisoned!

Xin Nü likely noticed Lu Yin’s hesitation, so she waved her hand again and absorbed the grey fog with her body. After that, she sat down and looked like she was comprehending something.

Lu Yin observed her as she sat there.

As time passed, Xin Nü lifted her hands and involuntarily moved them around, as if she was lockbreaking. However, she merely went through the motions without using any star energy.

After some time, Xin Nü opened her eyes, her expression bright. She turned to face Lu Yin’s curious expression and said, “There’s still a bit more I have to do before I can break through and become a Boundless Advanced Lockbreaker, but thank you for letting me have it.”

Lu Yin was rendered speechless. She had found that grey fog in the first place, and he had not absorbed it because he had been worried about being poisoned. But now, he was unexpectedly being offered gratitude for some reason. This woman was too much, and she made even him feel a little embarrassed.

There was now less than a day remaining before Lu Yin’s time in the Daosource Sect's ruins expired.

According to Xin Nü, the odds of more grey fog appearing was not very high. She had once stayed on this platform for more than a month, but she had only found and absorbed two strands of the grey fog during that time. This time, their luck proved to be much better, as a strand had appeared almost as soon as they had arrived.

Lu Yin did not hold any hopes of seeing more grey fog since he had so little time remaining.

However, his luck was quite good, and a couple of hours later, another strand of grey fog swam out. Xin Nü’s eyes grew bright, and she waved a hand to pull the grey fog towards Lu Yin. “This time it’s yours.”

Lu Yin did not hesitate and forcefully sucked the grey fog into his body. It entered from his nostrils, flooding his brain and jostling his consciousness. He quickly sat down, as everything he was perceiving had changed. He became another person, or more accurately, his perspective had changed to that of another person who was currently in front of a triangular sourcebox that was dozens of meters tall.

There were strange designs covering the surface of the sourcebox, but they had not been carved or branded on. Rather, they were formed by the sourcebox’s overly dense energy that had been gathered in specific patterns. All around the sourcebox, there were dozens of ethereal figures standing in a formation. They released an indescribable killing aura that shot into the sky, and not even space itself was able to fully endure it.

Lu Yin was overwhelmed, as these empty figures were actually the danger zone that the sourcebox naturally emanated, and the space around the sourcebox could not quite endure its danger zone. He did not know what sort of power level these ethereal figures possessed, but based on what he could see, their power levels should exceed 200,000 at the minimum. This sourcebox was definitely at the Boundless Advanced level.

At this moment, from Lu Yin’s perspective, the person who he had merged with moved. He lifted a hand, swatted at one of the ethereal figures, and grabbed it. The figure then exploded, and at the same moment, one of the layers of energy covering the triangular sourcebox cracked.

Lu Yin was shocked, as he simply could not understand how or what this person had done, or even how he had determined what needed to be done. Lu Yin could not make sense of anything at all.

As time passed, the triangular sourcebox was quickly unlocked, and the sealing energies that formed the sourcebox’s surface were constantly stripped away. Lu Yin gradually saw something, and it seemed as though the experience he was gaining from this merged perspective allowed him to comprehend this lockbreaking experience.

After Lu Yin observed for some time, although the triangular sourcebox had not been successfully unlocked yet, the scenery changed before his eyes. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the face of a curious Xin Nü.

Lu Yin did not speak. Instead, he directly raised a hand. Above his outstretched hand, his star energy converged before dissipating; it converged, and then dissipated once again. He was able to observe some changes in his star energy, but those changes were ineffably profound. In the past, he had been able to observe the various changes in the surface energy of sourceboxes. His eyes had then been transformed due to an inheritance from the Rune Civilization, allowing him to see rune lines. Those rune lines were like the inner layer whereas the energy that he had been able to observe earlier had been the surface layer. Now, Lu Yin felt that he was able to see an even deeper level.

His degree of control over his star energy had reached the Skywise realm.

Lockbreakers were mostly concerned about improving their star energy control, and from lowest to highest, they had been categorized into distinct realms: Intricacy, Cloudwalk, Skywise, Divine Gaze, Worldliness, and Creation. He did not know what level that Master Lockbreaker who had unlocked the triangular sourcebox had attained, and he could not even guess. However, after experiencing that lockbreaking session, Lu Yin’s star energy control had already reached the Skywise realm.

That meant that, if Lu Yin returned to the Innerverse at this moment, then with the cosmic phenomenon suppressing everyone’s power level to under 200,000, Enlighters would hold no advantage over Lu Yin with their experience of wielding and using star energy. He would no longer have to use his secret technique or Truesight to reduce their rune lines, and he could actually challenge them head on in a one-on-one battle. In fact, Lu Yin might even be able to go against Enlighters whose power levels were at 300,000 or even 400,000.

If he had another duel with Elder Song, Lu Yin would not struggle nearly as much. This was one of the many benefits to improving one’s star energy control.

Unfortunately, he had not been able to see what was inside that triangular sourcebox. Lu Yin was still very curious about the results, as that killing aura had felt like a battlefield.

“How long?” Lu Yin asked Xin Nü.

Xin Nü answered, “Seven hours.”

Lu Yin calculated the time and was overwhelmed. It had been just seven hours, but the person whose perspective he had shared had already unlocked that triangular sourcebox more than halfway. That person’s lockbreaking level was probably absolutely terrifying.

During the last bit of time that Lu Yin had left in the Daosource Sect’s Ruins, the two youths merely waited quietly, hoping to find some more of the grey fog once again.

“Sorry, but my time is about up,” Lu Yin told Xin Nü.

She nodded and calmly responded, “Come again when you have time. I’ll likely stay at the Platform of Inception during this period, at least until I break through to the Boundless Advanced level.”

Lu Yin grunted in acknowledgement before turning around and looking around the area as the scenery changed before his eyes. He had left the Daosource Sect's ruins and returned to King Zishan's palace.

The first thing Lu Yin did after standing up was to lift his hand. This time, he was not sensing how fine his star energy control was, but rather observing—First Sun.

He had completely absorbed all of the cauldron energy from one of the cauldrons, and the First Sun of the Ninesuns Cauldron Transformation had been completed.