Chapter 161: Opportunity and Crisis (1/2)

Master Wusheng had told Lu Yin to contact him before he performed his first lockbreaking attempt. Now that he had obtained his first sourcebox, Lu Yin considered it for a moment before deciding to contact Master Wusheng first.

A while went by, but the gadget was unable to connect to Master Wusheng. Lu Yin canceled the call since the man seemed busy. Since he couldn’t contact Master Wusheng, Lu Yin was so impatient that he decided to immediately begin unlocking the sourcebox. He also started recording the scene as he wanted to upload his entire lockbreaking process of the clump of dirt onto his own Sourcebox Catalog channel.

Whenever someone succeeded in a lockbreaking attempt, they were also unlocking a secret of the universe since the sourceboxes were sealed and locked away by the universe. Lockbreakers were the key to unsealing these treasures, so every time someone succeeded, they were also contributing to the Lockbreaker Society; it didn’t matter if the lockbreaking attempt was paid for by an outside party or if the Lockbreaker was doing it for themselves. Each successful contribution was graded by stars, and there were many bright-eyed Junior Lockbreakers who still had zero contributions like Lu Yin. Technically, they were not true Lockbreakers just yet. Only individuals who had successfully unlocked a sourcebox could be considered to be a true Lockbreaker. Even with just one success, that was a one star contribution, and with that single contribution, they would have taken their first step as a true Lockbreaker.

A Lockbreaker with contributions was entirely different from one without any. One could only obtain a contribution by sending in a lockbreaking video. It could be recorded by the individual themselves or by a third-party. Since the sourceboxes were all unique, it was impossible to create a forgery. Generally speaking, if someone paid a Lockbreaker to unlock a sourcebox, then they were allowed to observe the process at the side of the Lockbreaker. It was rather convenient since they could help record the process, and it also removed any possible suspicions since the unsealed object would be handed over to the original owner right after.

If a Lockbreaker secretly hid something that they unlocked, they would face the wrath of the entire Lockbreaker Society. This was one of the professional codes of the Lockbreakers.

Lu Yin had finished preparing everything. He placed a hand on the sourcebox, closed his eyes, and then allowed his star energy to seep out of his body and onto the surface of the item in his hand.

That instant it made contact with the sourcebox, Lu Yin felt stupefied. The various energies that formed the seal covering the treasure were just too complicated, chaotic, and tangled. It wasn’t exactly big, but when he observed it with his star energy, it felt as immeasurable as a giant ocean, perhaps even another whole world.

Bazeer was right; this sourcebox was indeed not dangerous. But as the one unlocking it, Lu Yin had to use his Cosmic Art. Otherwise, it would be as hopeless as an illiterate person trying to operate a spacecraft.

This was the true challenge that a Lockbreaker had to face when unlocking sourceboxes. This sourcebox was of the lowest grade, but it was already so complicated. With this experience, Lu Yin found the complexity of that towering sourcebox in the very first Sourcebox Catalog video that he had watched unfathomable. An amateur could only see the theatrics, but an expert would be able to appreciate the Lockbreaker’s true skill.

Lu Yin was helpless in his current state, and he hurriedly activated his Cosmic Art. Eight stars revolved around him and enveloped the sourcebox. Suddenly, the seal on the sourcebox’s surface became as clear as day to him. It was still chaotic, like randomly interweaving lines. If he wanted to unlock it, he would have to unravel these complicated lines of energy one by one. He took a deep breath and then started.

Since he could see each individual line of energy, untangling them was more time consuming than difficult. Moreover, each twisted line was composed of materialized energy, and there were an overwhelming number of them.

Five hours quickly passed, and the surface became a little smoother. This was evidence that Lu Yin’s lockbreaking attempt was progressing positively. He raised his head and released a pent up breath. He needed at least twenty-some more hours to completely unseal the sourcebox. He grimaced at the thought but soon continued.

Without his Cosmic Art, Lu Yin had no hopes of succeeding. But even with Cosmic Art, he still spent twenty seven hours painstakingly working at the seal before finally succeeding.

When the final layer of thin, materialized energy vanished, an unremarkable piece of grey metal fell onto the ground with a dull thump.

Lu Yin’s body swayed and he almost collapsed to the ground. Continually using his Cosmic Art for twenty seven hours had driven him to his limits, and he couldn’t take it anymore. Luckily, he had succeeded in the final moment.

He picked up the unidentified grey metal, which seemed to have been a component of some machine once. However, too much time had passed, and the machine had disappeared, only leaving this single piece of metal behind. But since it had withstood the passing of eons, there was no way that this metal was something simple.

Lu Yin stored the metal shard away before activating his gadget and uploading the entire lockbreaking process onto the Sourcebox Catalog for review. With all the pressing concerns completed, he closed his eyes and fell into a long awaited deep slumber.

Time quickly passed, and Lu Yin was awakened by a beep from his gadget. His eyes sparkled when he saw that his lockbreaking video had been reviewed and successfully approved. He had officially obtained his first shining star on his personal page on the Lockbreaker network. Lu Yin was delighted as this was proof that he was now a real Lockbreaker with contributions; a bright-eyed, one-star Junior Lockbreaker.

The single star seemed so resplendent that it nearly blinded Lu Yin. With this star, his status had just spiked upwards again.

A Lockbreaker’s status and contributions were not only important for their status towards outsiders, but it was also important within the Lockbreaker Society itself. A key reason for this was the protection they received. Any Lockbreaker with contributions was invaluable to the society. If such a member was killed, then their killer would face the wrath of the entire Lockbreaker Society. To say that the Lockbreaker Society was just “very protective” was an understatement. And Lu Yin was precisely looking for this sort of overprotective organization. In fact, after he had earned his first star as a Lockbreaker, the Lockbreaker Society had immediately sent its congratulations along with twenty Sourcebox Catalog videos. Each one was done by a fellow Junior Lockbreaker, which suited his skill level and thus were very precious for him.

At that point, Lu Yin received a soft notification; someone else was trying to contact him—Master Wusheng. He accepted the call, and Master Wusheng immediately appeared on the display with a stern expression. “Student Lu Yin, you were too reckless.”

Lu Yin smiled. “My apologies, tutor. I couldn’t wait.”

“Do you know that every lockbreaking process is essentially gambling with your life? Lockbreaking is unlocking the universe’s secret treasures and snatching resources from the universe itself. It is a very dangerous matter,” Master Wusheng lectured strictly.