Duel

After looking over the Tianyuan Ranking, Gu Changge and his group continued deeper into the Tianyuan Forbidden Land.

This place was almost the area with the densest Spiritual Power in the entire Tianyuan Forbidden Land. This also meant that it was nearly the core of the forbidden land.

At that moment, Gu Changge noticed a stone stele standing ahead.

The stele read, "Ahead lies the sealed resting place of the Old Ancestors. Dao Children, halt."

"Oh? So the sealed resting place of Tianyuan Academy's Old Ancestors is up ahead."

Gu Changge said.

He had originally wondered whether the Old Ancestors, who were all sealed beneath First Peak, might overlap with the Tianyuan Forbidden Land at the foot of First Peak. It turned out his guess had been right.

However, at that very moment, an unexpected change erupted.

"Roar!"

A spirit lion condensed from Spiritual Power lunged at Gu Changge.

Gu Changge's eyelids twitched wildly. He could not see through the cultivation of this spirit lion at all, which meant its cultivation was at least one major realm above his own.

Gu Changge gritted his teeth and said, "My apologies, Old Ancestors. Please forgive this offense."

Then, bracing himself, he charged toward the place where the Old Ancestors were sealed.

"Who dares disturb our slumber!"

At that moment, a powerful voice resounded from afar.

Gu Changge knew that he had awakened the Old Ancestors sealed here.

"This junior, Gu Changge, is the current Dao Child of Tianyuan Academy. I did not know the Old Ancestors were sealed here. I beg your forgiveness."

An Old Ancestor broke out of a blood-sealed stone coffin beneath the forbidden land and looked at Gu Changge.

"Oh, so you are this generation's Dao Child."

The Old Ancestor said.

When he saw the spirit lion pursuing Gu Changge, he merely swept his hand, and the lion was instantly scattered into Spiritual Power.

"Not bad. At such a young age, you are already a qualified Beast Tamer and Puppet Master, and also..."

The Old Ancestor gave Gu Changge a meaningful look and said.

"Boy, if you have nothing else to do, remember not to set foot here when you come to train in the forbidden land in the future."

He said.

"Yes, this junior understands."

Gu Changge cupped his hands in salute and said.

The Old Ancestor then burrowed back into the blood-sealed stone coffin, and the coffin sank back underground with him.

"Whew."

Gu Changge let out a breath. He had finally managed to deal with the Old Ancestor.

Afterward, Gu Changge, along with his Spirit Beasts and puppets, resumed hunting Spirit Beasts in the inner region of the Tianyuan Forbidden Land. Another month passed.

"I'm already at the ninth level of the Tendon Lengthening Realm."

Gu Changge had now reached the bottleneck of the Tendon Lengthening Realm. With just one more step, he would break through it and enter the Skin Scraping Realm.

Gu Changge sat cross-legged on the ground and circulated the Qianyuan Emperor Scripture. The vast Spiritual Power within the forbidden land surged toward him as its center, pouring into his body.

Gu Changge guided the Spiritual Power to temper his tendons and meridians. Once they had been fully tempered, he began guiding the Spiritual Power toward the surface of his skin, beginning the process of skin scraping.

"I've finally broken through to the Skin Scraping Realm."

Gu Changge thought.

The hallmark of the Skin Scraping Realm was that one could completely temper the blood, bones, and tendons within a cultivator's body, then begin tempering the skin.

"At the first level of the Skin Scraping Realm, coupled with the Primordial Supreme Body, I now have the strength to fight a cultivator of the Marrow Cleansing Realm."

Gu Changge said as he felt the breakthrough in his realm.

"By my calculations, it should have been two months already. It's time to take a look at Tianyuan Academy's mountain gate."

Gu Changge thought.

He put away his Spirit Beasts and puppets, left the forbidden land, and headed for Tianyuan Academy's mountain gate.

Just then, a booming voice rang out.

"Gu Changge, the three months are up! Come quickly to the mountain gate and duel me!"

Gu Changge knew Xiao Yan had arrived.

"I've cultivated for so long. You'll do nicely to test my skills."

Gu Changge thought.

"That's the youth who defeated Senior Sister Ye Muqing before."

"Yes, three months ago, he even made a battle pact with Senior Brother Dao Child and declared that he would defeat him."

"Hmph, he's nothing more than a clown hopping on a stage."

Because of Xiao Yan's arrival, the outer disciples, inner disciples, and core disciples all rushed to Tianyuan Academy's mountain gate once more to watch.

The ones who had just spoken were all core disciples.

Xiao Yan stood proudly at Tianyuan Academy's mountain gate, without the slightest trace of the bedraggled state he had been in after his Spirit Fire had been taken.

"Perfect. This Dao Child has just emerged from seclusion today, so I'll use you to loosen up."

Gu Changge walked calmly to Tianyuan Academy's mountain gate and said.

"Damn you, Gu Changge! You stole my woman and seized my fortuitous encounter! This hatred between us is irreconcilable!"

Xiao Yan said furiously.

"Enough nonsense. Let me see just how much you've improved over these past three months."

As Gu Changge spoke, he formed a seal with one hand and launched a Qianyuan Seal at Xiao Yan.

"Hmph, I've found other fortuitous encounters now and have already advanced to the seventh level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. You are merely at the first level of the Skin Scraping Realm. How can you possibly contend with me?"

Xiao Yan said as he dodged Gu Changge's attack.

"What a joke. Back when this Dao Child was in the Tendon Lengthening Realm, I could utterly defeat you and seize your fortuitous encounter. Now that I've advanced to the Skin Scraping Realm while you still linger in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, killing you would be like butchering a dog."

Gu Changge said calmly.

"Damn it! Then take this—Fierce Lion Heart Fire!"

Xiao Yan took out the Flame Swallowing Pot and released a fire seed. The instant it emerged, it blazed fiercely, unfurling into a flaming lion that charged toward Gu Changge.

"That is the forty-first-ranked Spirit Seed on the Spirit Seed Ranking, Fierce Lion Heart Fire!"

A core disciple recognized the fire seed Xiao Yan had released.

"It seems you've gained something again since we last met."

Gu Changge's eyes shifted slightly as he spoke.

As expected of a Son of Heaven's Mandate. He can obtain fortuitous encounters wherever he goes.

Gu Changge could not help thinking.

Xiao Yan then used the Flame Swallowing Pot again, releasing the three Spirit Seeds he had possessed before.

"Primordial Supreme Art."

Gu Changge parted his lips slightly and recited.

In an instant, all the spectators could sense the ten kinds of Spiritual Power throughout the Tianyuan Mountain Range endlessly surging into Gu Changge's right hand.

"What a terrifying Dao technique. Formless and traceless, yet it seems to possess the might to destroy heaven and earth."

"Senior Brother Dao Child is the strongest!"

The disciples whispered among themselves.

"Void Swallowing Flame, Pure Lotus Demonic Flame, come forth!"

Xiao Yan shouted, and a transparent white flame and a demonic green flame emerged from the Flame Swallowing Pot.

"Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus!"

Xiao Yan made a move that shocked everyone: he actually fused all three Spirit Fires together.

"Spirit Fires naturally repel one another. If he does this, he's courting death."

"Yeah, so he was only a rash fool after all."

Seeing this, the core disciples could not help commenting.

"Ah! Damn it! Swallowing Flame Body, fuse for me!"

Xiao Yan unleashed his constitution, the Swallowing Flame Body.

The Swallowing Flame Body was also a constitution not to be underestimated. It was said to be capable of absorbing Spirit Fires and improving one's cultivation through devouring them.