Chapter 2525 – Card Tap
Lu Yin respectfully answered, "Yes, Senior. This junior would like to attend the Lost Clan School next."
Xu Xiangyin immediately rejected the idea. "No, your talent for voidforce is phenomenal. It would be a waste of time for you to bother learning from other universes. That old ghost from the Lost Clan, Zhi Bing, will also never agree to it."
Lu Yin explained, "During this junior"s visit to Cliff Town, I had the opportunity to witness the fighting style of the Lost Clan. It struck a chord with me. Senior, as you are aware, on the path of cultivation, there are moments of profound enlightenment. I firmly believe that studying the Lost Clan"s methods will grant me valuable insights and inspire my cultivation, which could potentially lead to a breakthrough."
Xu Xiangyin was doubtful. "What sort of connection does the Lost Clan have with our Voidforce Universe? Can observing their battle style possibly deepen your understanding?"
Lu Yin replied, "I"m also not certain, just like how I can’t say why I have talent for cultivating voidforce."
Xu Xiangyin considered Lu Yin"s reasoning. He carefully observed “Xuan Qi” while trying to determine whether the youth was lying. It was hard to tell. Even setting aside the possibility that the youth might be lying, could the Lost Clan actually offer any inspiration?
The world of geniuses was frequently incomprehensible to ordinary people. As far as most people were concerned, there was only only a thin line separating genius from madness.
Xu Xiangyin considered himself an ordinary cultivator who could not come close to comparing with true geniuses. He could not fathom the thoughts of such people.
Lu Yin continued to say, "I’ve heard that Xu Ji is in the Arboreal School. I wonder if it’s possible that the Arboreal Realm’s power serves as inspiration for him."
Xu Xiangyin was taken aback, but then he nodded. "That"s true. I found it strange when Xu Ji asked to attend the Sixverse Academy. Given his talent for voidforce, there was no reason for him to learn from any other universe, but it seems that there might be a reason for it."
The old man stared at Lu Yin for a moment before asking, "Are you certain that the Lost Clan’s power can provide you with some sort of inspiration?"
"Absolutely," Lu Yin confirmed.
Xu Xiangyin still hesitated. "Still, it"s very difficult to pa.s.s the required threshold for cultivating the Lost Clan’s power. Do you know how low the success rate is?"
Lu Yin smiled. "If I fail to reach the threshold, it will dispel any thoughts that I have about learning from other universes. Then, I would be able to focus my full attention on cultivating voidforce without any regrets."
Xu Xiangyin sighed. "Very well. I"ll speak to Zhi Bing and tell him that you want to attend the Lost Clan School. However, let’s make a deal: no matter how long you spend in that school, even if it"s just one day, if Zhi Bing determines that you have no chance of reaching the threshold, then you will return straight back to me."
"I understand. Thank you, Senior."
"Continue to train here for now. You"ll make your way over to the Lost Clan School soon enough," Xu Xiangyin instructed. The truth was that the best way for Lu Yin to continue cultivating Voidforce was to absorb more voidforce energy. However, he had already absorbed as much as an average cultivator would in multiple years within just a few short months. Remaining in the Voidforce School was really just a waste of Lu Yin’s time. Xu Xiangyin wanted to take the youth to the Voidforce Universe as soon as possible, but he was still waiting for a decision from his superiors.
It did not take Xu Xiangyin long to reach the Lost Clan School.
"What? You want your precious treasure to join my Lost Clan School?" a shriveled old man exclaimed in shock.
Xu Xiangyin explained, "He submitted an application himself, claiming that he received inspiration from your methods. I can’t even begin to understand where he might have received such inspiration."
The shriveled old man was named Zhi Bing, and he was the Lost Clan"s representative in the Sixverse Academy, their equivalent of Xu Xiangyin for the Voidforce Universe. The withered man stared at Xu Xiangyin for a moment before speaking. "Given your talent, of course you can’t understand. The Lost Clan holds the very essence of human development. Your cultivation method, on the other hand, is nothing more than an accessory."
Xu Xiangyin lost his patience. "Enough. Allow Xuan Qi to attend your Lost Clan School for just two days and then help me by providing an a.s.sessment of him. If he can"t pa.s.s your school’s threshold, then send him back to me early. You already understand just how incredible his talent for voidforce is. With the threat of Aeternus, humanity cannot afford to lower our guard for even a moment. People like him are the pillars supporting humanity, and they cannot be allowed to waste their time."
Zhi Bing grumbled, "How is learning our cultivation methods a waste of time?"
Still, he agreed to Xu Xiangyin"s request in the end.
Despite their disagreements, they had some shared, specific goals. This was true not only of the two old men, but also of the entire Sixverse a.s.sociation. This was the same reason why the Transcendent Universe had been willing to allow Lu Yin to go, as well as why the Sixverse Academy had been established to begin with.
The Sixverse Academy’s purpose was not merely to integrate the different universes’ various civilizations and enhance humanity’s overall strength, but also to match geniuses to the cultivation methods that they had the greatest talent for.
Lu Yin was one of the exceptionally few prodigies who possessed an unparalleled apt.i.tude for voidforce. According to Xu Xiangyin, Lu Yin was the greatest talent that they had found since the inception of the Sixverse Academy.
A short while later, Lu Yin received a notification informing him that he could leave for the Lost Clan School.
Luo Lao"er was reluctant to part ways. "Brother-in-law, if you leave the Voidforce School, what will I do?"
"You should hurry up and try to meet the requirements here so that you can head over to the Lost Clan School."
"Are you sure that you"ll even be allowed to stay there? Senior Xu Xiangyin won"t allow you to waste your time, so if you can"t make any progress, you might be sent back here after just a few days," Luo Lao"er speculated.
Lu Yin slapped him on the head. "How dare you curse me!"
Luo Lao"er felt offended. "I wouldn"t dare! Brother-in-law, if the Lost Clan School kicks you out, where will you go next? Will you come to the Voidforce School or try another school?"
Lu Yin had not even considered the question. He stood up and looked back at the Void Ground.
He had created many miracles in the Voidforce School that had astonished everyone, which had also prevented Xie Wu and the others from making any trouble. However, Lu Yin had never actually explored the Voidforce School. He had spent all his time cultivating in the Void Ground, so the rest of the school actually felt quite unfamiliar. He did not actually know what the Voidforce School looked like.
Given Lu Yin’s current cultivation realm, it should not be overly difficult for him to meet the Lost Clan School’s requirements!
Off in the distance, Xie Wu and many others heaved sighs of relief as they watched Lu Yin leave the school. He had been suppressing all of them the moment he arrived, and even just his presence prevented them from visiting the Void Ground. Finally, he was gone.
"I heard that he’s headed to the Lost Clan School. It’s too bad that we don"t have any people there, so we still can"t get even with him. How many people does that school have?" someone commented reluctantly.
Xie Wu frowned. Did these people still want to deal with Xuan Qi? That was no different from asking to be punished. The only exception would be if he entered the Central School, where Young Master He Shu would be able to take action. Beyond that, it would be difficult for anyone to deal with Xuan Qi, especially in a place like the Lost Clan School.
Wait, the Lost Clan School?
Xie Wu’s eyes suddenly lit up. Isn’t that troublemaker, Jiang Xiaodao, in the Lost Clan School? Xie Wu muttered to himself, "If I let Jiang Xiaodao find out that Xuan Qi entered the Lost Clan School, he’ll most likely be very interested."
Xiao Fei was standing close enough to hear the comment, and her head picked up. That"s right, Jiang Xiaodao. Hmph, Xuan Qi, let"s see whether you"ll have a good time in the Lost Clan School!
Many of the Voidforce School’s students watched as Lu Yin left. The person escorting him to the Lost Clan School was the same person who had originally brought him to the Sixverse Academy.
The escort occasionally glanced over at Lu Yin. Who could have guessed that this youth would possess such an incredible talent for voidforce? This was not even close to the average genius.
"The Lost Clan is a very peculiar civilization. This is where I’ll leave you. Take care of yourself."
Lu Yin expressed his grat.i.tude, "Thank you, Senior."
The Lost Clan School had a gloomier atmosphere than the Voidforce School. The air was heavy with a dense gray mist, and the ground underfoot was a muddy mire. There were numerous weapons stabbed into the ground with their sharp blades hidden so that only their handles stuck out.
Ma.s.sive creatures occasionally flew past, their presence only marked by random strange sounds.
If the Voidforce School was on an ordinary continent, then the Lost Clan School was on a continent with a harsh and treacherous environment where the unexpected lurked at every turn.
Suddenly, a streak of light shot towards Lu Yin. He caught it and found that it was a jade slip.
He immediately examined it.
He soon put it back down and started making his way in a specific direction.
The starting point for the Voidforce School was the Void Ground, as it was only possible to reach the school’s required threshold by perceiving voidforce energy before one could actually start cultivating. In a similar manner, the Lost Clan School had a starting point as well, and it was known as Card Tap.
The name sounded strange, but the meaning very literally portrayed the place’s function.
Lu Yin arrived at Card Tap and found a vast, desolate prairie that was covered with yellowed wild gra.s.s that swayed in the breeze. The sky was a dark, eerie shade of yellow, and there was something that resembled black smoke in the distance. Overall, the area had a solemn aura.
He could see dozens of people scattered across the gra.s.sland. Some were sitting, while others were standing. However, the majority of people seemed to be chasing after things, as they were striking at the air with various weapons.
If not for the jade slip, Lu Yin would have had no idea what was going on.
These people were literally tapping cards.
The Lost Clan used their cards to battle. Lu Yin had understood this after seeing Jiang Xiaodao’s card drag Mu Mu into it before hiding within the void. The minimum threshold for the Lost Clan School was to find cards that were hidden in the void in a process known as card tapping.
A powerful gust of wind appeared from behind, and Lu Yin quickly dodged to the side. A ma.s.sive stick slammed down, narrowly missing Lu Yin.
"Apologies, Brother! I wasn"t paying attention. I"m really sorry!" A man apologized profusely as a greeting to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin smiled. "No worries."
The man truly had not intended any harm, and the stick that he wielded possessed no destructive power. The only thing special about it was its size.
"I"ve been here for over a month, and I still haven"t tapped a single card. I don"t even know if there really are any cards here, or if I’m just looking in the wrong place," the man commented in a dejected manner as he tossed his stick to the ground.
There was a good number of people nearby who were attacking the air, hoping to find a card.
Lu Yin shook his head. The cards were hidden in the void, which meant that they could not be easily found.
He glanced around. While the people who were searching were unable to detect the cards, he could sense them fluttering all around him. However, even if these people struck the cards with their weapons, the weapons would phase right through the cards, as was the nature of the void.
"Please, carry on. Sorry for the trouble." The man rose back to his feet and psyched himself up as he grabbed his stick and continued striking at the air.
The prairie was quite vast. After spending a bit of time observing the people who were searching for cards, Lu Yin finally noticed a familiar face: Mu Duo.
Mu Duo was surprised to see “Xuan Qi.” "What are you doing here?"
"The same as you."
Mu Duo"s eye twitched. "I heard about what happened in the Voidforce School, but even so, aren"t you here a bit too quickly?"
"Not really, voidforce energy was pretty easy for me to pick up," Lu Yin replied.
Mu Duo was stunned. Was this true?
This prairie was the place where the Lost Clan School’s new students from both the first and second cla.s.ses started studying the Lost Clan’s cultivation method. There were other people present who had recently left the Voidforce School, and from one of them, Mu Duo had heard that voidforce energy was not much easier to cultivate than the Lost Clan’s power. Why did Xuan Qi make it sound like it had been a walk in the park?
"Have you not tapped a card yet?" Lu Yin asked.
Mu Duo grumbled, "I can"t find any. It"s too difficult."
Lu Yin nodded. Instead of fostering growth and education, the Lost Clan School seemed to be more like an arena to eliminate the students. There was no guidance or support offered to the students, and instead, they were only given the challenge of finding a card. How could anyone who lacked a level of understanding of the void ever hope to succeed? It was practically guaranteed that the vast majority of the students would be eliminated.