A Hard-Fought Battle

A full half a minute passed before the two separated, both panting heavily.

This was the first time Lu Yin had felt that fighting a Reaching Realm cultivator could be so difficult.

Hart felt the same. It was a pity that in this space, only he could hear his own words; otherwise, he would have wanted to ask who this person was, to be able to fight him, Hart Phoenix, to this extent. But it was time to end it. No one could defeat a member of the undying phoenix family.

With a boom, golden flames soared into the sky, forming a soaring, undying phoenix.

Lu Yin was surprised; the other person clearly hadn't used his full strength. At this moment, he revealed an unbelievably surging power. That golden flame shocked him.

Following a loud cry, the rubble platform instantly evaporated. The world was filled with golden flames, and Hart, like a Flame Emperor, emerged. Under the pressure from both sides, the golden flames rumbled and swept towards Lu Yin.

Lu Yin's expression turned solemn. He raised his palm, and six stars circulated. It wasn't enough. Facing Hart's golden flames, the six-star Heavenly Star Palm was still a bit lacking. Lu Yin roared, and as the surrounding golden flames descended, the final star, the seventh star, faintly appeared. It hadn't fully circulated, but because there was a faint image of it, the power of the Heavenly Star Palm surged again.

He forcefully rushed towards Hart and struck out with a palm. The seven stars tore through the flames and descended before Hart's eyes. Hart's pupils contracted, and he instinctively protected himself with the flames. The flames from all directions rumbled down, and a shockwave shot out in all directions. The attack of the two caused the ground to sink. Lu Yin's Heavenly Star Palm couldn't hit Hart, but it scattered the flames around him. He raised his left hand, and the Sixfold Six-Wave Palm fiercely struck Hart's abdomen. Hart spat out a mouthful of blood, roared, and turned with a side kick that sent Lu Yin back. Lu Yin retreated a few steps, used Void Flash to disappear, and reappeared behind Hart, raising his hand for a Heavenly Star Palm.

Hart turned, gritting his teeth, and a flame bird appeared on his body, letting out a loud cry. This was the undying phoenix. He, Hart, would not be so easily defeated.

This Heavenly Star Palm from Lu Yin landed squarely on Hart, not only scattering the flame bird on his body but also sending his true body flying.

Hart roared, and the golden flames merged into his body, which then quickly recovered.

Lu Yin was shocked. This feeling reminded him of Qing Yu, also someone who couldn't be killed. No, I absolutely cannot let him have a chance to catch his breath. With this thought, Lu Yin immediately used Void Flash to appear in front of him, executing the Heavenly Star Palm with both hands.

The golden bird in Hart's palm shot out and clashed with Lu Yin. The Heavenly Star Palm and the golden bird collided more than ten times. Lu Yin was having a hard time, and so was Hart. His talent was very high, but a talent was not something that could be used endlessly; using it too many times would cause consumption.

After the golden bird and the Heavenly Star Palm clashed one more time, Hart couldn't take it anymore, his mind dizzy. The Star Energy in Lu Yin's body was also almost depleted. The moment Hart revealed an opening, he once again struck out with the Sixfold Six-Wave Palm, shattering his entire body. A win.

This battle made Lu Yin clearly feel the terror of the Innerverse geniuses. That person was only in the Reaching Realm, yet he could push him to this extent. If not for his greatly increased control over Star Energy and Mentor Guan Yu helping him deduce the force stacking, this battle would have been more dangerous than fortunate. He had originally thought he was truly invincible in the Reaching Realm. Too arrogant.

He didn't know what level that person was in the Innerverse, but he must be very high!

After winning the battle, Lu Yin opened his eyes and glanced outside, seeing Michelle's probing gaze and Meng Yue's astonished look. This battle of his had taken a relatively long time, but it wasn't over yet. A win meant he could continue. He had to go in again.

At the same time, in the Innerverse, in the dark forest of the Fifth Academy, below the Realm Spirit Stone, Hart Phoenix stood up, his face extremely ugly. He had lost, actually lost to an expert of the same realm. This was a humiliation. He was the heir of the undying phoenix family, that person's younger brother, yet he had actually lost. That person was called Seventh Bro? He must wash away this humiliation.

As he walked out of the range of the Realm Spirit Stone, many people looked over. "Junior Brother Hart, how was it? Did you complete the three-win streak?"

"No need to ask, Junior Brother Hart must have completed it."

...

Hart ignored these people. He was going to cultivate. That Seventh Bro was definitely a person from one of the ten great combat academies. The other major clans and forces that possessed a Realm Spirit Stone all had clear characteristics; this person did not. He was ninety percent a person from a combat academy. In the academy competition, this person would probably appear. He must defeat this person.

Lu Yin once again entered the battlefield of the Realm Spirit War. This time, it was a swamp. There was already someone in front of him.

Seeing the opponent, Lu Yin's heart sank, and he had the feeling of wanting to vomit blood. Da Feng Ge. He had encountered the first opponent he had met when entering the Realm Spirit War, the supreme expert who had instakilled him, again.

The moment Lu Yin appeared, Da Feng Ge attacked. Star Energy swept across the void. Then, Lu Yin was killed again, as expected. He couldn't even put up a slight resistance. So frustrating.

Walking out of the range of the Realm Spirit Stone, the old man's announcement of his record sounded in his ear. "Lu Yin, 1 win, 7 losses."

"You actually won?" Meng Yue was surprised.

Lu Yin ignored him and looked at Michelle. "You're from the Innerverse. Have you heard of the surname Phoenix?"

Michelle was surprised. "You ran into someone from the Phoenix family?"

Lu Yin nodded.

Michelle said calmly, "That is one of the powerful clans of the Innerverse. It's normal to lose." With that, she stepped into the range of the Realm Spirit Stone.

Lu Yin was about to tell her that he had won, but then he thought better of it. Phoenix, huh? It really deserved the title of a powerful clan. A Reaching Realm clan member had made him fight so hard. He couldn't imagine how terrifying their Melting Realm or even Limiteer Realm clan members would be.

A hundred wins in the Realm Spirit War to enter the Trial World was indeed very tempting, but everyone had recognized their own strength. Before they were confident, most of them were quietly cultivating. Only a few like Lu Yin were at the entrance of the world.

Before long, Meng Yue also left. He hadn't gotten a single victory yet.

At the world entrance, only Lu Yin and Michelle were left to challenge the Realm Spirit War.

Unconsciously, Lu Yin had fought twelve matches and won two, which shocked Michelle. Her win rate was about the same. A Reaching Realm cultivator's win rate in the Realm Spirit War was actually similar to hers, which she found hard to believe.

Sometimes, a person had to rely on luck. In Lu Yin's thirteenth and fourteenth matches, he consecutively ran into Reaching Realm cultivators, and he had a feeling they were all new students who had just entered the Academy. This luck was heaven-defying. But the opponent in the fifteenth match was very troublesome: a Great Underworld Netherdragon.

During the entrance assessment of the Tenth Academy, the three major powers had ambushed them, including the Great Underworld Netherdragon. But Lu Yin hadn't encountered it and didn't know. At this time, his fifteenth opponent in the Realm Spirit War was a Great Underworld Netherdragon.

Looking at the huge monster in front of him, Lu Yin was stunned. There were even strange beasts in the Realm Spirit War? The ghostly thing was that this strange beast even had a handle on its head: Long Eight.

With a whoosh, Long Eight rushed towards Lu Yin, a claw pressing down. The terrifying Melting Realm Star Energy swept out, directly suppressing the space, attempting to make Lu Yin unable to move.

If it were a Limiteer Realm expert, Lu Yin would indeed be unable to move, having to either attack the Star Energy or the opponent's body. But facing a Melting Realm cultivator, with Lu Yin's level of control over Star Energy, he easily dodged and escaped the opponent's suppression.

Long Eight seemed not to have expected Lu Yin to be able to dodge. It was stunned for a moment, its huge body standing up straight, then splitting into two. Two Great Underworld Netherdragons covered the sky, their sharp giant claws sealing all directions with a bizarre route, forcing Lu Yin to face them head-on.

Lu Yin raised his palm, Sixfold Six-Wave Palm.

Boom!

The earth shattered. The environment of this battle was a swamp. Lu Yin and Long Eight clashed head-on, and his body was blasted to the bottom of the ground.

Long Eight retreated a few steps, its sharp claws trembling. It had been hit by the rebound of that attack, and its heart was shaken. A Reaching Realm cultivator could actually injure it. Unbelievable. Could it be a disciple of a top-tier great clan from the Innerverse?

Lu Yin leaped out of the swamp, staring at Long Eight solemnly. In his palm, six stars circulated. This strange beast was very strong, not an ordinary Melting Realm cultivator, worthy of being an opponent in the Realm Spirit War.

Lu Yin had made a guess that his six-star Heavenly Star Palm was enough to pose a threat to Gurbach. And when his control over Star Energy reached the realm of myriad changes, the six-star Heavenly Star Palm he executed would definitely surpass Gurbach, even surpass Shuz. In other words, his current strength in the Great Yu Empire was number one. Even so, facing the Realm Spirit War, he still lost more than he won—no, it was extremely rare to win. The battle with Hart Phoenix, in particular, had left a deep impression on him; it was extremely difficult.

Hart Phoenix's strength definitely surpassed Shuz's, and he was only in the Reaching Realm. This was the terror of the Innerverse prodigies.

Although the strange beast in front of him had not reached the level of a prodigy, it was not an ordinary Melting Realm cultivator. It would be a bit difficult for him to defeat it, especially with its terrifying extreme speed.

Suddenly, Long Eight's body flickered, splitting in two. It was extreme speed again. Just as Lu Yin was about to make a move, his pupils suddenly contracted. Long Eight's body split again, dividing into five.