My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

Fu Yuemei nodded, her gaze drifting towards the cluster of tents. She bit her lip, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Upon seeing this, Lin Ran patted her apprentice's head and said, "You heard that noise, didn't you?"

Fu Yuemei quickly turned her head to look at Lin Ran, her face flushed, and said, "Master...did you hear that too?"

"I think anyone who isn't asleep should be able to hear it!"

Lin Ran smiled and comforted her little apprentice, saying, "Don't take it too seriously. That's other people's business. We just need to do our own thing."

"But...but they've only known each other for a short time..."

Fu Yuemei said in a low voice, still finding it hard to accept how a girl could be so casual.

“Child, as you see more of the world, you’ll encounter even more absurd things. The Nine Provinces Continent is so vast, there are bound to be all sorts of people. You may see a lot of filth, but I hope that you won’t let this filth corrupt your heart that still yearns for purity and beauty!” Lin Ran said slowly.

Looking into Lin Ran's eyes, Fu Yuemei's eyes lit up again, and she smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Master!"

"No need to thank me. I was just showing off my limited skills in front of you, nothing more. You'll learn these things sooner or later without me teaching you!"

"That's not true, Master!"

Fu Yuemei's voice suddenly rose a few decibels as she stood up and said to Lin Ran, "Without Master, there would be no Yuemei today, and in my opinion, Master is the most amazing!"

Fu Yuemei still remembers that a little over a month ago, when her master faced the barbaric and unreasonable oppression of the Dragon Transformation Realm expert from the Holy Sky Academy, his straight spine was a scene she would never forget and an example she would strive to become for the rest of her life.

Lin Ran was somewhat surprised. He began to understand the meaning of being a teacher. Perhaps it was the sense of satisfaction and emotion that welled up from the heart when students thanked him. This old man almost cried.

"Alright, Yuemei, you go keep watch. I'm going to rest for a bit. Call me if you need anything!"

Lin Ran fled back to his tent. He was afraid that Yue Mei would say something touching to him again and he would burst into tears. It's true that the older he gets, the less he can bear it.

.....

As dawn broke, the problem with the Fierce Lion that Lin Ran had been worried about did not appear all night. After tidying up their campsite, their convoy resumed their journey to Qianlong Mountain.

However, as they venture deeper into the heart of Qianzhou, those sparsely populated and unexplored places also conceal many unknown dangers. For all the teams heading to the Qianlong Mountain Secret Realm, the real battle actually begins as soon as they set off from Qinglong City.

After all, not everyone has a Dragon Transformation Realm expert to escort them. Those teams without a Dragon Transformation Realm expert to escort them should worry about the dangers on their way.

Without trump cards, without certain skills and experience, there might be no need to even go to that secret realm, because the entire team would have been wiped out on the way...

……

120. Ancient Dragon Gate

"The ancient Dragon Gate, what stories does this place hold?"

Lin Ran sat at the front of the carriage, looked at Mulan who was driving it, and continued to ask questions.

Just now, Mulan said that there is a very interesting ruin in the place they are about to pass through, and the ruin is called the Ancient Dragon Gate.

Lin Ran racked her brains but couldn't recall such a place in the original work, so she could only categorize it as a plot point that wasn't particularly important.

But this made Lin Ran even more curious. "Dragon Gate," such a domineering name, it must be a place with great treasures.

"Mr. Lin, it's best not to have too high expectations!"

Mulan knew what Lin Ran was thinking. Anyone who came to Qianzhou from outside would feel the urge to explore upon hearing this name. Who wouldn't want to discover a treasure that could make them stronger and then become famous overnight?

"That ancient dragon gate, along with the surrounding ruins, has been thoroughly explored. There are no valuable treasures left; the only thing of value might be its scenic ruins..."

Lin Ran, who had been quite interested, lost interest upon hearing Mulan's words. Just as she was about to move this place from her "original notebook" to an unimportant spot, the image of Fan Hua in her mind suddenly piqued her interest.

"Lin Ran, let's go take a look later, I know these places well!" Fan Hua called out.

"You understand now?" Lin Ran replied.

"Hey, I'm a know-it-all!"

Fan Hua recalled the words Lin Ran had used before and used them to describe herself.

Lin Ran was unsure whether to laugh or not, but if this word appeared in this world, then let's just take it as a compliment!

Their convoy continued on its way, encountering other convoys along the way. Lin Ran and her group didn't greet them, but the other convoys greeted them instead.

Only after asking did they learn that the other party came from Xingzhou in the Southern Region. They had heard about a secret realm competition in Qianzhou and came to join in the fun. When they learned that Lin Ran and his group were from Linghua Academy, one of the five great academies, their attitude changed. It wasn't that they became hostile, but rather that they became more respectful.

The reason for this is quite easy to understand. Those who can look down on Linghua Academy are only those like Canglong, Shengqiong, or the Qin family of the War Alliance, whose forces have members at the Undying Realm and more than one at the Dragon Transformation Realm. Naturally, they are qualified.

Linghua Academy is just average, nothing special. If any Tom, Dick, or Harry dares to challenge it, Lin Ran might have to step in to prove them wrong.

The convoy took a break along the way. Lin Ran stood under a large tree, looking through binoculars towards the northwest, where Mulan had mentioned the ancient Dragon Gate.

"This storefront is truly magnificent!"

Lin Ran sighed softly.

Judging from the view through the telescope, the ancient Dragon Gate seems to have been built against the valley, and the entrance to the valley is the gate. On both sides of the gate are stone pillars that are so thick that it would take several people to hug them, and on each side of the stone pillars, a giant dragon climbs around the pillar.

Although the base is covered in moss and there are some gaps and breaks on the stone pillars, the lifelike dragon makes people even more eager to see the interior of the ruins.

Seeing Lin Ran holding the binoculars and looking around, Mu Shishuang couldn't help but tiptoe to reach for the binoculars, but Lin Ran noticed her and grabbed her wicked little hand.

Lin Ran glanced at Mu Shishuang, showed her the evidence in her hand, and said, "What are you trying to do now?"

“I also want to take a look at that ancient Dragon Gate with that thing!” Mu Shishuang said bluntly.

"That's it!"

Lin Ran, thinking something was wrong, placed the binoculars in Mu Shi's hands and said, "Here, take a look, but use it carefully and don't damage it."

"Ok!"

Mu Shishuang nodded and took the binoculars, handling them carefully like a child getting a new toy.

Lin Ran then walked over to Mulan. Mulan was chatting with the boy from Songling Academy from the previous night. When Mulan saw Lin Ran coming, she waved for the boy to leave. The boy from Songling Academy glanced at Mulan reluctantly, said hello to Lin Ran, and then left.

Lin Ran looked at the young boy, then at Mulan, and couldn't help but tease, "Looks like that's the young man who fell for you last night!"

Mulan wasn't shy at all, and said frankly, "Mr. Lin, please don't joke with me. You were on night watch last night, how could you not know? But don't worry, Mr. Lin, I will definitely not delay this mission!"

Lin Ran nodded. He wouldn't interfere in Mulan's personal affairs; all he wanted was for Mulan to be absolutely serious and professional when it came to missions.

Skipping over that question, Lin Ran asked, "I think we shouldn't be too far from that ancient dragon gate, right?"

Mulan nodded and smiled, "It's not far, just a short distance away. Mr. Lin can take the students to visit this ruins. I personally think the murals inside are definitely worth seeing!"

"Then I really need to see it for myself!" Lin Ran said.

After the convoy finished its repairs, it continued its journey. Around noon, when the sun was at its strongest, Lin Ran and the others arrived at the ancient Dragon Gate.

When you get a closer look at the huge stone pillars standing on both sides of the valley, you can feel the realism of the dragon even more.

When Lin Ran looked ahead, she was surprised to find that the so-called ruins were actually hollowed out from the sides of the mountain, revealing many ancient and stylish buildings inside.

"Judging from the way this building looks, it's definitely from my era!"

The sound of blooming flowers quickly echoed in Lin Ran's mind.

This gave Lin Ran a clear understanding. Although the era in which Fan Hua and the others lived was certainly far removed from their present time, it was still considered to be the medieval period, which was even more ancient.

"There's no way a building would be built here for no reason. What do you think the reason might be?" Lin Ran asked Fan Hua.

After all, who would be so idle as to build such a large complex of buildings in such a place? It must be for some purpose.

“We’ll have to investigate that carefully. Let’s go straight to the most important places; these other places are just child’s play!” Fan Hua replied.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ran looked at Mulan, who was slowly driving the carriage, and asked, "Mulan, this place is too big. Why don't you take us directly to the most worthwhile place to see?"

"The most worthwhile part to see?"

Mulan was taken aback. She frowned and thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then I'll take you to that square up ahead. It's a bit dilapidated, but there are indeed many things recorded there!"

After saying this, Mulan brandished her whip, urging her horse to speed up the journey.

Soon, the ground they were walking on turned into a road paved with blue bricks with indistinct patterns, but when they reached a fork in the road, Mulan stopped the carriage.

Mulan pointed to the fork in the road on the left and said, "Turning that way will lead you to Qianlong Mountain. The other way is blocked by a lot of huge rocks, so the carriage can't go any further. You'll have to climb over those ruins to see that place."

Lin Ran didn't rush to make a decision. He got off the carriage, went to the back of the caravan, and after talking to Yue Lei for a few words, Lin Ran clapped his hands and shouted, "Anyone who wants to come with me to see the ruins inside can come with me. If not, stay here and watch the carriages with Vice Dean Yue!"

As soon as Lin Ran said this, all the students from both academies, except for a few scattered students from Songling Academy who were unwilling to come, joined Lin Ran's group.

"Mulan, go lead the team!" Lin Ran said.

"Okay, come with me!"

Mulan stepped down from the carriage and nimbly climbed up the boulders, with the others following suit.

Just as Lin Ran was about to fly up, she was pressed down by an invisible force after only a short distance from the ground. Although it wasn't very strong, Lin Ran definitely felt it.

"There's a no-fly zone here?!"

Lin Ran immediately sensed something was wrong. This place didn't look like what Mulan had said; it had been completely excavated.

"master?!"

Just as Lin Ran was pondering, Fu Yuemei ran over to Lin Ran with a somewhat panicked expression. Before she could say anything, Lin Ran said, "Did you feel a force pressing down on you when you were about to take off?"

"Hmm, Master, what's going on?"

Fu Yuemei was a little confused, as she hadn't seen anyone attack her nearby.

"This is a restriction. You can think of it as a huge magic array in this world. The one we just saw was a no-fly restriction. Be extra careful when you encounter it in the secret realm!"

Lin Ran explained, pointing to Chi Sinian's peaks that were almost at the top, "Let's go after them first!"

Lin Ran and Fu Yuemei nimbly climbed over the rubble. When Lin Ran stood on the rubble, she saw a dilapidated square in ruins. In the center of the square was a dried-up pool, and there should have been a statue on the platform in the center of the pool, but the statue was broken in half, and the other half was nowhere to be found.

At the end of the square is an ancient hall, and the steps in front of the hall are also ruins, as if this place has been the site of a war.

After landing in the square, Lin Ran was very cautious. He told all the students to stay close to him and not wander around. Because of the no-fly zone, Lin Ran no longer felt that this place was safe, as Mulan had said. There must be some secret hidden here.

The group of students listened to Lin Ran very well. In this kind of place, only by staying with their elders could they ensure their safety to the greatest extent.

"Fan Hua, remember to tell me if you find anything!"

Lin Ran mentioned it so that he could promptly discover any problems with the ruins.

After responding, Fan Hua watched Lin Ran's image in the Liusu Palace while searching for information in the palace's collection of books.

When she first saw the square, a sense of familiarity washed over her, as if she had seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place it. So she was frantically searching through her notes, forcing herself to remember.

Meanwhile, Lin Ran led her team across the ruins, preparing to enter the main hall.