Chapter 128: Washing Board   Lu Yin’s palm couldn’t move forward anymore once the Darksoul Song started. It felt like the music was exploding in the depths of his mind, trying to blow his head apart. “SHUT UP!” he roared, using Nine Stacks to shatter the music and cover Xi Yue’s mouth. Her glare threatened to melt him within its rage, but he sighed and looked at her in surprise. This woman was very powerful, certainly beyond a normal student, “I’m saying this one last time. I was here first, you came afterward and even stepped on me.”

Xi Yue grabbed his arm trying to push him away, but he was someone who had beaten even Lulu in a competition. He voiced a threat, “I won’t be nice if you’re rude again, you understand?”

She glared at him angrily, suddenly grabbing his palm and biting down. “OW! ARE YOU A DOG?” he pulled back, at which point she punched him in frustration. She had never been bullied in her life before, and it was unfair that she couldn’t even defeat him.

Lu Yin caught Xi Yue’s fist and pulled her closer, his heart stirred by a soft fragrance. He was about to say something, but suddenly realized they had descended further amidst their battle. Before he could react, both of them were falling down.

Unknown to Lu Yin, there were seven levels to the Sand Ocean, the first being thirty meters deep. Between the first two levels was a thousand-meter drop, and as he fell down with Xi Yue in his arms, he was buffeted by endless pressure. The girl promptly fainted, while even he was dazed and had to endure it with great effort as they crashed into the second level.

Up above, the Sandmaster was shocked, “They actually fell to the second level. Haha, those old coots from the Eighth will be outraged if they find out that their flower was caught by one of ours. Haha, interesting. Very interesting!”

It was completely silent in the dull desert. Rubbing his head with his one free arm, Lu Yin felt a terrifying pressure all around him and laughed bitterly. What was even happening? He didn’t even know about this woman, and they were suddenly in this unknown place. The introduction from Big Pao mentioned nothing about multiple levels.

His gaze started to flicker from waves of dizziness, the enormous pressure starting to get to him. However, all that was snapped away as he heard a gale-like whistle in the distance. Why would there be a gust underground? He turned to look, and his eyes suddenly shrank as he hugged Xi Yue and turned back around. Moments later, a fierce storm tore the skies apart, ripping his shirt to pieces. The strong winds cut into his body like knives ripping apart his nerves, forming trails of blood on his back. This was clearly a gale of blades!

The gale ended quickly. Lu Yin panted as he took out some medicine from his cosmic ring and applied it to his back. Fortunately, his body was strong and he only had some superficial wounds. The woman in his arms would probably have been ripped apart.

He hadn’t even started looking around when he heard another whistle that left him stunned. Again? It was too quick! He promptly placed himself in front of Xi Yue, but this time there was almost no physical pressure at all. Instead, his mind felt like it was being crushed, forcing him to spit out a mouthful of blood and almost fell unconscious. It had felt like he’d spent an eternity locked in a dark room, filling him with a boundless amount of loneliness and oppression.

Sometimes, pressure didn’t have to be caused by external factors. The pressure exerted by one’s self could be even more terrifying. Lu Yin was currently feeling the pressure that he had exerted on himself, and it was an overwhelming feeling of despair. If not for his strong will, he would have fainted long ago.

The gale left as quickly as it arrived, leaving a pale Lu Yin staring up at the sands above. He had to leave quickly; this place was too strange.

But how was he supposed to leave? He tried flying, but a fierce wind buffeted his body once he reached the sky and forced him to descend. The situation repeated a few more times, leaving him worried that he wouldn’t be able to leave this place at all.

……

At the same time, Big Pao smacked his forehead elsewhere within Astral-10, “I forgot to tell Junior Xi Yue not to go too deep. It’ll be troublesome if she falls into the second layer.”

Little Pao waved it off, “Don’t worry, she can just call for help from the Sandmaster, it’s not a problem.”

“That’s true. Junior Xi Yue is so smart, she’ll definitely know to ask for help. Haha, let’s go listen to some songs.”

“Let’s go.”

……

When Xi Yue’s eyelids slowly twitched open, all she saw was darkness. The sand and dust were still rubbing against her, but she also felt a pair of arms reaching around her behind her back. She turned around and was stunned by the sight of a guy she didn’t know.

“AH!” she pushed away reflexively, but her own body fell onto the sand.

Another gale blew over only moments later, and Lu Yin grabbed her urgently, “Careful!”

“Let go of me, you pervert!” Xi Yue glared at him furiously and slipped away, but the gale arrived and her expression changed instantly. Her top was torn apart and traces of blood started to appear on her fair skin before Lu Yin dragged her behind him. She spat blood due to the excruciating pain, but still managed to take out another set of clothes and wear them as she looked on in disbelief. She definitely couldn’t survive this gale; if not for this guy in front of her, she would have been heavily wounded.

“The next wave is coming. It targets your soul this time, careful not to die,” Lu Yin’s voice rang out. Xi Yue was confused, but the next gale swept past them and it felt like something had rammed into her mind; she almost fainted again. Lu Yin wasn’t feeling comfortable either, but he clenched his fists with a determined gaze and a strange yet weak current of air appeared on his body. Neither of the two noticed it for now; they were more occupied with Xi Yue spitting out another mouthful of blood.

“It’s over,” Lu Yin heaved a sigh of relief, finally looking at the pitiful girl who’d had to endure the pressure the moment she woke up.

Xi Yue panted heavily, her body covered with sweat. She backed away from Lu Yin automatically, her gaze sweeping past their surroundings for a moment before landing on him once more, “Who are you?”

“I’m Lu Yin, a student here.’

“From Astral-10?” She was astonished, finally remembering that this person had actually defeated her even after she used the Darksoul Song she’d prepared for that person. Was there really a student like this in Astral-10? He was definitely stronger than Michelle!

Lu Yin looked at Xi Yue, finding her stunning even in the dim light. The disheveled state seemed to do nothing to diminish her beauty. “Who are you?”

“None of your business,” Xi Yue answered coldly.

“Rude.”

“Pervert!”

“Shut up about that. How many times should I tell you? I was there first, you came later!” he said exasperatedly.

Xi Yue had no response to that, so she closed her mouth and looked around before asking, “What is this place?”

“Dunno.”

“You’re a student here and you don’t know?” she glared at him.

Lu Yin rolled his eyes, “I’m a new student, I don't know much either.”

“You’re a new student?!”

“Don’t I look like one?”

Xi Yue’s eyes gleamed. She’d initially thought this was an old student of Astral-10, left behind like Big Pao and Little Pao. It was difficult to believe that there was such a powerful new student in Astral-10, but she suddenly recalled something she’d heard. Wasn’t Lu Yin the person who completed the Sentinel mission?

“Why are you staring at me?” Lu Yin asked.

“We’re below the desert,” she looked up.

Lu Yin ignored her and checked the time on his gadget. It had already been seven hours since they’d arrived at this place, and there was a pair of gusts every ten minutes. One targeted the body, while the other targeted the soul. There were only a few minutes left until the next wave.

Xi Yue’s eyes were gleaming. She was just about to ask for the Sandmaster’s help when she suddenly recalled that the Sand Ocean was supposed to be one of the best places to learn battle force. The pressure she’d felt above wasn’t enough, only about as good as in other training grounds. However, this place was different. She could feel constant pressure here, and there were those gales as well. It might be the true Sand Ocean, the best place to learn battle force.

The only problem was the pervert next to her. Xi Yue glanced over and matched Lu Yin’s gaze, snorting and turning her back to him with a pale face. Lu Yin was left speechless. He was the victim here; although he’d seen a bit that he shouldn’t have, this woman was crazy.

“Stay far away from me,” Xi Yue said coldly.

Lu Yin raised a brow, “Are you sure?”

She was about to say something when she thought about the gales she’d just experienced. She would certainly have been hurt if not for the pervert’s help, but she would rather die than ask for his help. This left her torn; she hadn’t encountered anything like this in her life.

Xi Yue looked up and saw the dull sand drifting above, wondering whether she should ask for the Sandmaster’s help. However, she suddenly heard a distant whistle at the same time as Lu Yin turned to her, “The next gale is coming, are you going to take it yourself?”

She gritted her teeth and moved closer. Lu Yin laughed and stood in front of her as the gale arrived, allowing it to leave traces of blood on his back. However, some of the wind went past him and left trace wounds on her arms and calves, leaving her trembling. He pursed his lips and pulled her into his arms out of sympathy, but Xi Yue’s eyes opened wide and screamed, “Let me go, perv!”

Lu Yin grew annoyed. “Stop calling me that, I have a name! I’m Lu Yin, or you can call me Brother Seven.”

A furious Xi Yue spat out yet another mouthful of blood. She directed her palm towards Lu Yin just as the gale paused, but he dodged it and she fell forwards. The whistle rang out again, and the next gust caused her to faint. Lu Yin paled and endured the endless pressure, the translucent current around his body growing slightly more obvious. Once the gale was over, he panted heavily and sat on the ground and looked at the unconscious Xi Yue. This place really wasn’t meant for people, she was looking for trouble.