"Buzz—"
With a deep hum, the space at the entrance to the Dragon Locking Secret Realm began to distort, and a light gate exuding an ancient aura slowly emerged, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth as if it were being drawn in.
An elderly man with white hair and beard—said to be the most senior rogue cultivator in the Southern Region—stepped forward and spoke in a loud voice: "Everyone, please be quiet! The Dragon Locking Secret Realm has an ancient restriction. Cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage and above are not allowed to enter. Anyone who forcibly enters will be killed by the power of the secret realm!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several Nascent Soul cultivators who tried to squeeze forward were indeed repelled by the restrictions at the edge of the light gate. Their faces turned pale, and they dared not try again.
"Alright, those below the Nascent Soul stage, please enter in order!" the old man called out.
The crowd surged forward, with cultivators rushing toward the portal, afraid that if they were too late, all the good stuff would be snatched away by others.
The Xuantian Sect members also made their move. Zhao Feng, leading Su Wanqing and several disciples, walked ahead arrogantly. When passing the Zidian Sect members, he deliberately slowed down and looked at them with disdain.
Xiao Chen and Jiang Li mingled in the crowd, following at a leisurely pace, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily—the Shadow Pavilion members had not yet shown themselves, clearly intending to make their move within the secret realm.
...
In the courtyard of Qingyun Sect.
Lin Zhou was lying in a rocking chair, stroking the stray dog, when suddenly he felt a sudden, inexplicable panic, as if something bad was about to happen.
"Hmm?" He frowned and sat up.
His cultivation level is now unfathomable, having already reached the realm of "interaction between heaven and man," so this premonition is by no means unfounded.
"Could it be..." Lin Zhou's gaze unconsciously turned south, "...that something happened to those two little ones?"
He stroked his chin, thinking to himself: It shouldn't be that bad, right? Xiao Chen just broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, and Jiang Li is already in the late Nascent Soul stage. Even if they can't beat him, running away shouldn't be a problem, right?
But that ominous premonition grew clearer and clearer, like a needle pricking his mind.
"That's strange." Lin Zhou scratched his head. "I've never felt this way when my disciples used to wander around aimlessly..."
He stood up and paced a couple of steps in the yard. No, he just couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
"System, show me the status of Xiao Chen and Jiang Li," Lin Zhou shouted in his mind.
[Eldest Disciple Xiao Chen: Stable condition. Has entered the Dragon-Locking Secret Realm and is currently exploring the outer area. No danger has been detected.]
[Second disciple Jiang Li: Stable condition, traveling with Xiao Chen, abundant spiritual energy.]
Lin Zhou breathed a sigh of relief: "It's nothing... Maybe I was just overthinking it?"
He lay back down in the rocking chair, but couldn't fall asleep. He felt that there was some unknown variable hidden in that secret place.
...
Inside the Dragon Locking Secret Realm, clouds and mist swirl, ancient trees reach for the sky, and the air is filled with rich ancient spiritual energy.
As soon as Xiao Chen entered the secret realm, he felt the rusty iron spear on his back getting slightly hot, and a faint pulling sensation emanated from the spear shaft, pointing it deeper into the secret realm.
"Junior sister, I think I sense something," Xiao Chen said to Jiang Li.
“Let’s go take a look.” Jiang Li nodded; she was also very interested in ancient traditions.
Following the pull of the current, the two ventured deeper into the secret realm. The further they went, the thicker the surrounding fog became, and occasionally they could hear the roars of demonic beasts or the sounds of other cultivators fighting in the distance.
After walking for about half an hour, the pull of the rusty iron spear suddenly became stronger. Xiao Chen pushed aside the vines in front of him and was shocked to see a vast valley. In the center of the valley stood a broken stone tablet, and in front of the stone tablet lay a complete skeleton.
The skeleton was dressed in tattered armor and held a broken spear in his hand. Although the spearhead was rusty, it still exuded a sharp edge.
Just as Xiao Chen approached the skeleton, the skeleton suddenly moved!
Two eerie blue flames ignited in his eye sockets, and the skeleton slowly sat up. His voice was hoarse and ancient, like two stones rubbing together: "Finally... someone has come."
Xiao Chen and Jiang Li immediately went on alert, gripping their weapons tightly.
"Don't be afraid, I'm just a remnant soul." The skeleton waved its bony hand, and the eerie blue flames looked at the rusty iron spear behind Xiao Chen. "Your spear... has the aura of 'Wildfire'."
Xiao Chen's heart skipped a beat: "Senior, do you recognize this gun?"
"More than just acquaintances." The voice of the skeleton carried a hint of reminiscence. "Let's not talk about the prototype of this gun."
Xiao Chen and Jiang Li exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes—to be able to forge a gun of this level, this skeleton must have been at least a Great Ascension Realm expert in his lifetime!
"Young man, since this spear has recognized you, it means you are destined for the way of the spear." The ghostly blue flames of the withered bones flickered. "I have a copy of the 'Wildfire Spear Intent' here. Do you want it?"
Xiao Chen's breath hitched, and he suppressed his excitement: "Please speak, senior!"
"I can give you the inheritance, but you must pass my test." The withered voice suddenly became serious. "The test is not difficult. You only need to withstand three of my shots. If you can withstand them, the inheritance is yours; if you can't... you can stay here and keep this old bone company."
Before he finished speaking, the skeleton suddenly grabbed the broken spear from the ground, and a powerful spear intent erupted instantly, which was no weaker than the pressure of a peak Nascent Soul cultivator!
Xiao Chen took a deep breath, gripped the rusty iron spear tightly, and said with a firm look in his eyes, "Disciple Xiao Chen is willing to accept three spear strikes from Senior!"
Then, Xiao Chen said to his junior sister, "Junior sister, I plan to pass on my skills here on the streets. Why don't you go and see where your opportunities lie?"
He knew this was a golden opportunity for him to improve his marksmanship, and he had to seize it, even if it was dangerous!
Jiang Li stood aside, showing no intention of interfering—this was Xiao Chen's opportunity, and it was up to him to seize it.
Everyone has their own destiny, and she didn't want to help or disturb them.
In the valley, the intent of the spear suddenly coalesced, and a test of inheritance spanning millennia was about to begin.
Seeing that Xiao Chen and Senior Kugu were about to begin their test, Jiang Li's eyes flickered slightly. She said to Xiao Chen, "You focus on dealing with it. I'll go check the surrounding area. If there's anything unusual, I'll send you a message."
She wasn't particularly interested in inheriting the art of spearmanship; she was more interested in finding relics related to the "Empress" in this ancient secret realm—after all, ancient powerhouses had been imprisoned here, and perhaps she could find clues to her past life.
Xiao Chen nodded: "Junior sister, be careful."
Jiang Li nodded, turned around and transformed into a red shadow, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest. Her figure was light and graceful, and her spiritual power was well concealed, clearly not wanting to disturb other living beings.
In the valley, only Xiao Chen and that skeleton remained.
"Ready?" The skeleton grabbed the broken spear, and a ghostly blue flame flickered. An ancient and powerful spear intent instantly locked onto Xiao Chen.
"Ready!" Xiao Chen stood with his spear held horizontally, the rusty iron spear trembling slightly in his hand, as if echoing the ancient and timeless resonance of the spear's way.
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