Suddenly, a long spear appeared in Young War King’s hand. He slowly raised it, pointing it at Lu Yin’s distant form. “Name, origin, and purpose.”
Lu Yin was stunned. “Huh?”
Young War King repeated himself. “Name, origin, and purpose.”
Everyone nearby backed even farther away, each one gloating while quietly discussing the scene.
Lu Yin was speechless. “I’m here to participate in the vine-climbing contest.”
Young War King’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Lu Yin, seemingly weighing him.
Lu Yin asked, “I’m not bothering you, am I?”
Young War King’s eyes suddenly flared, and he stared at Lu Yin in surprise. Just then, loud laughter echoed from the distance. “I was wondering why you looked so familiar! So it’s Chang He. Chang He, it’s been a long time.”
Young War King turned his head to look over. His name was actually Chang He.
Lu Yin also glanced over at the two young men approaching. They appeared to be a bit older than Young War King, but were still part of the younger generation. Most likely, they younger than Lu Yin himself.
From the muttered whispers around him, Lu Yin learned the identities of the two men. One was Chang Yi, and the other was Chang Qi. Both came from a Slaughterheart Enclave and were quite famous, their reputations not inferior to that of the Young War King.
The Slaughterheart faction was one of Chang Tu’s forces and was also among the most terrifying groups within the Longevity Civilization.
Chang Tu himself resided at the Slaughterheart Seat, while his disciples lived across various Slaughterheart Enclaves. Any location where his disciples resided was considered a Slaughterheart Enclave.
There were many such Slaughterheart Enclaves scattered throughout the Longevity Civilization.
The place where Lu Yin and Awe Gate had lived for the past two years was the nearest Slaughterheart Enclave.
From the looks of things, these two men had come from the same place that Lu Yin had just left.
Young War King glanced at the two newcomers, only to quickly refocus back onto Lu Yin. The man’s eyes were full of scrutiny.
Chang Yi and Chang Qi walked up and greeted the man. “Chang He, what’s going on? Did you see us and act like you didn’t? Have we offended you somehow?”
Young War King’s voice was frigid. “We will talk later.”
Chang Qi chuckled. “The vine-climbing contest is about to start. How much later can you talk?”
He then looked over at Lu Yin, his eyes glimmering. “Brother, do you have some grudge with Chang He? The contest is about to start, so why not settle things after it’s over?”
Chang Yi added, “Using up any energy at all right now would be bad for the competition. Chang He, you are definitely capable of winning a slot. You gave up on the vine-climbing contest several times before, so since you’re participating this time, do not waste the opportunity.”
Chang He turned to look at Chang Yi and Chang Qi, giving them an intense stare. “Why have you two waited so long to join the contest?”
Chang Qi laughed. “You’re smart enough. Take a guess.”
Chang He withdrew his gaze. “I’m not interested.”
Chang Qi shrugged. “Still as boring as ever.”
Chang Yi looked at Lu Yin. “Brother, would you like to chat?”
Lu Yin smiled. “I won’t impose on you.”
With that, he moved away.
Many people nearby felt regretful that they were not able to watch a more entertaining show.
Several thousand people had gathered around the one vine, and there was no doubt that Chang He and the other two were the center of attention. Even Lu Yin had managed to draw quite a few gazes due to the recent incident.
Young War King continued to chat with Chang Qi and a few others, seemingly already forgetting his earlier conflict.
At that moment, the vine swayed, and everyone looked up. The void around the vine started to warp, and the distortion stretched all the way up out of sight into the sky above.
“It has begun. Brothers, let’s go!” someone shouted in a low voice.
People immediately started rushing towards the vine.
Every vine hanging down was enormous, to the point where each one could easily accommodate more than 10,000 climbers. Several thousand people charged towards the same vine as Lu Yin from every side, young and old alike. Excitement filled their eyes, as did determination. Everyone was determined to climb as high as possible to fight for a slot.
Young War King also sprang forward. As he grabbed hold of the vine, his shoulders noticeably sank beneath some unseen pressure. His expression grew solemn as he began climbing upward.
Chang Yi and Chang Qi exchanged looks, but still they rushed forward and joined in. They grabbed the vine and began the upward climb.
The distortion in the void that had surrounded each person was unique. For those whose cultivation was weaker, the distortion surrounding them was small enough to be nearly invisible, while for those with stronger cultivation, such as Young War King, Chang Yi, and Chang Qi, it was quite pronounced. The most striking distortion surrounded a middle-aged man, around whom it looked like the void was flowing down like a curtain of water.
That man was an Ortuser, though no one had noticed him earlier.
Young War King and the others took special notice of that man. An Ortuser would be considered a powerhouse no matter where they went. The young men could not understand how such an expert had never won a slot to learn Divine Sight during a previous vine-climbing contest.
Determination grew in the middle-aged man’s eyes. He had attempted the vine-climbing contest countless times before, but he had failed every single attempt. It was all because he had taken a shortcut with his cultivation, though it had not been a path he had chosen for himself. His physique and the opportunities he had encountered had inadvertently led him down that shortcut, allowing him to become a peak powerhouse, a sequence powerhouse, and then an Ortuser far faster than any other.
But while his cultivation made him an Ortuser, his mental state and will were far from matching his cultivation.
The vine-climbing contest did not judge cultivation, only one’s mental state and will. The pressure that each person faced was relative to their own power, which was why the man had been defeated countless times. He had watched as his juniors, some of whom had even been mere teenagers, had obtained slots, while he had failed again and again. He had grown frustrated enough to cough up blood, but there was nothing that he could do aside from continuing to try.
Lu Yin looked up. Young War King and the others were climbing very quickly, yet the higher they reached, the greater the pressure that they faced.
He waited until everyone else had climbed a fair bit of distance before he headed for the vine himself.
If his guess was correct, he would cause quite the commotion as soon as he tried to climb the vine.
Lu Yin approached the vine, raised a hand, and grabbed onto it.
Despite anticipating a big disturbance, his expectations failed to match reality.
The moment that he made contact with the vine, the void did not merely distort and warp; even the vines that filled the starry sky suddenly shuddered. The distorted void poured down upon him like a waterfall from the heavens themselves.