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

"You're really playful!" Lin Ran said with a smile.

Shangguan Mengqing knew perfectly well that Lin Ran had noticed her embarrassment. She gave a light snort and replied, "You're not allowed to come here again tonight. I'm going to cultivate by myself!"

"Fairy, don't be so heartless! How can I cultivate without you, Fairy!" Lin Ran cried out.

Just as the two were engaging in their underground flirting, the massive black stone tablet, which was not shrouded in the light barrier, began to glow with a pale golden light, and strings of characters appeared on it…

……

165. Lin Chong's Battle

"Look, there are words on that black stone tablet!"

Someone shouted this from the crowd, instantly drawing everyone's attention. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, but this time…

"What are these crooked, worm-like things on top of me? They're giving me a headache!"

Many people shouted this, and Lin Ran also looked at the black stone tablet. Although she couldn't quite understand it, the first time she saw the black stone tablet, Lin Ran couldn't help but subconsciously say, "Ancient script!"

"Yes, it is indeed the ancient script they used during that period!"

Shangguan Mengqing nodded in agreement, her eyes fixed on the ancient characters on the black stone tablet. These ancient characters, which seemed obscure and difficult to understand to others, were as easy for her to understand as beating up Lin Ran.

After carefully reading the text above, and combining it with the knowledge she had gained from Emperor Jingyue, Shangguan Mengqing understood the purpose of this place.

She glanced at Lin Ran beside her out of the corner of her eye, then transmitted her voice, "Friend, you guessed right this time. This is indeed a competition arena. And it says that only victory or defeat matters here, not life or death. The kids you brought are all on the list..."

Hearing Shangguan Mengqing's words, Lin Ran, though he had a premonition, still couldn't help but feel nervous. He wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants and frowned as he looked at the black stone tablet.

The enormous building in front of us is like a Gu poisonous creature, waiting for these creatures to fight each other inside. The last ones to survive are naturally the best.

Seeing Lin Ran like this, Shangguan Mengqing said gently, "That's how the path of cultivation is. If they want to become stronger, they must take on the corresponding risks, including the danger of death. If they stay comfortable all the time, they can't go any further."

"I know... I'm just worried about those kids... Sigh, we've developed feelings for them, it's not so easy to cut ties, to just say you don't care anymore..." Lin Ran said helplessly.

He has never been a cold-hearted person. Even when he kills, he kills guilty people who threaten his life.

A glint flashed in Shangguan Mengqing's eyes, and she couldn't help but smile slightly beneath the veil. Perhaps this was one of the things that attracted her to the older man!

……

The enormous structure within the mountain wall, the minor incident at the entrance to the secret realm, the strangeness of the black stone tablet, and the ancient characters emerging from it—every single event captivated the group present.

Soon, the ancient characters on the stone tablet were deciphered one by one, and the content of the ancient characters made everyone realize the special nature of this Qianlong Secret Realm.

Lin Yi, the dean of Canglong Academy, took out the scroll that he had originally stored in his ring once again, and surging azure spiritual power quickly poured into the scroll.

The scroll transformed into a streak of azure light and crashed into the black stone tablet. Originally the size of a scroll, the scroll unfurled above the black stone tablet, expanding to a full twenty meters in length and width. The blank spaces on the canvas were gradually filled in by an invisible hand using a colored brush.

When Lin Ran looked up at the scene that appeared on the scroll, her pupils contracted involuntarily, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Xiao Chong!"

Upon hearing Lin Ran's voice, Shangguan Mengqing and Mu Shishuang immediately looked at the scroll. The scene displayed on the scroll was Lin Chong's handsome face, his eyes fixed firmly ahead. Soon, the scene shifted to the opponent Lin Chong was facing.

It was a man, shirtless, his upper body filled with strong, explosive muscles, the scars on his muscles like medals of honor, symbolizing his power.

The two were in a desolate wilderness, with no one around and sandstorms raging, like cowboys in the West. They were about to decide who would live and who would die in this battle.

Lin Ran wasn't familiar with who was on the other side, but Elder Heng knew them well and explained, "That's an affiliated force of the War God Temple. Zi Kuang is the leading figure of the younger generation in the Battle Gang. His strength should be around the seventh or eighth star of the Spirit Core Realm. It's said that after this secret realm ends, we can go to the War God Temple!"

"A level seven or eight in the Spirit Pill Realm, a leading figure among the younger generation of the Combat Gang..." Lin Ran murmured to himself.

Although he was confident in Xiao Chong, he was still somewhat worried. His concern was not that Xiao Chong would be unable to defeat his opponent, but rather the trouble that would follow if he did.

Before Lin Ran could think any further, the battle between Lin Chong and that madman had already begun.

Lin Chong raised his Azure Spirit Sword and charged toward Zi Kuang with ghostly speed, streaks of azure sword energy slicing through the air with a piercing sound.

In less than an instant, the cyan sword energy sealed off the space where Zi Kuang was hiding.

Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Zi Kuang mobilized the powerful earth-yellow spiritual energy within his body, which surged into the surface of his skin. His naked upper body lit up with numerous patterns, like some kind of mysterious runes.

"That is……"

Lin Ran couldn't help but ask a question.

"That's their Battle Clan's signature technique, the Prajna Coiling Dragon Technique, a technique focused on body refinement."

Elder Heng continued, "It is said that this Zi Kuang is the most talented person in their combat gang to cultivate this technique. The more patterns that cover the surface of his skin, the more profound his cultivation of the technique is."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Lin Ran exclaimed in surprise.

Seeing Lin Ran's reaction, Mu Shishuang became somewhat displeased. She tugged at Lin Ran's sleeve and said with some dissatisfaction, "Can't you trust Xiao Chong a little more? He is..."

Originally, Mu Shishuang wanted to talk about Xiao Chong's physique, but noticing Shangguan Mengqing's gaze, she changed her words and said, "With my guidance, he definitely has the ability to defeat his opponent."

"Oh, no matter how small the matter, those who care will make a fuss!" Lin Ran smiled, then turned his gaze back to the painting.

The sword energy released by Lin Chong landed on Zi Kuang in the blink of an eye. The sword energy collided with Zi Kuang, and the two completely different energies suddenly exploded. The strong impact spread in all directions, and dust was swept up in it, blurring the scene.

Lin Chong erected a protective barrier, blocking all the flying sand and stones. Just as he was trying to find Zi Kuang, a dark figure suddenly appeared beside him, so fast that even the sound came almost immediately.

"Lin Chong, what are you looking at!"

"what!"

Lin Chong exclaimed in surprise, quickly holding his Azure Spirit Sword horizontally in front of him. A huge fist, enveloped in powerful spiritual energy, rapidly magnified before Lin Chong's eyes.

The casually formed protective barrier shattered instantly, and the fist slammed into the Azure Spirit Sword.

The reaction force from the sword made Lin Chong's hands go numb, and his feet left two muddy marks on the ground.

"Zi Kuang, your power is still terrifying!" Lin Chong couldn't help but grin.

The guy opposite him, from the Battle Clan, was someone he'd gotten into a fight with in the secret realm when they were vying for the same treasure. After that, the guy had been frantically searching for him, and the two of them had fought countless battles, big and small.

Upon hearing Lin Chong's words, Zi Kuang, who had emerged from the dust, wiped the several bloody wounds on his upper body inflicted by Lin Ran's sword energy, and grinned, saying, "You brat, your sword energy is even more exaggerated than before. Looks like you've consumed quite a few treasures!"

"Aren't you the same?"

Lin Chong smiled and said, "If it were before, I would have cut off your arms long ago. Now it's just a wound."

Zi Kuang laughed wildly, then suddenly turned serious and said to Lin Chong, "Lin Chong, give it your all! Let's have a fight with all our might, so that even if I die, I will have no regrets!"

"Fight! Lin Chong, take my talisman!" Zi Kuang laughed loudly.

Seeing Zi Kuang's frenzied state, Lin Chong couldn't help but think to himself, "What a fighting maniac!"

Even so, a surge of power within Lin Chong was ignited by Zi Kuang's words, and he wanted to test what level he could reach if he went all out.

Outside the space, everyone was watching Lin Chong and Zi Kuang engage in another fierce and wild battle, one that was even more intense than before.

Lin Chong had expected Zi Kuang to be at a disadvantage due to his lack of weapons, but to his surprise, Zi Kuang actually took out a long spear and fought against Lin Chong.

The leader of the fighting gang, seeing Zi Kuang use his spear to overpower Lin Chong, stroked his beard and said with some pride, "Our Zi Kuang is actually really good with the spear. Just watch, Zi Kuang will easily defeat such an unknown junior."

A small group of students from Tianli Academy who had been eliminated looked somewhat dissatisfied. Given the distance and the fact that the other side wasn't trying to hide their disdain for Lin Chong, they felt indignant.

Wen Ling, on the other hand, seemed quite calm. He glanced at the group of children behind him and said with a smile, "Lin Chong is indeed a nobody, but he will soon make a name for himself."

Sometimes, face isn't given by others, but earned by yourself. Learn to face these unpleasant things!

Hearing Wenling say this, the students of Tianli Academy felt much better. Looking at Lin Chong fighting in the painting, they cheered him on.

After watching the two exchange dozens of blows, Shangguan Mengqing felt a little strange.

Using sword energy is quite taxing on spiritual power, and Lin Chong used many powerful sword moves, but he showed no signs of weakness. On the contrary, he became more and more courageous, gradually turning the tide and gaining the upper hand, relentlessly attacking Lin Chong.

"The old man's wife is a member of the Spirit Clan, so Lin Chong, as their child, should have Spirit Clan blood, and might even be able to use Spirit Clan techniques..."

Shangguan Mengqing pondered in her heart. She thought of Mu Shishuang's sudden change of words and suddenly understood. The Spirit Clan had many methods, and even the knowledge in the inheritance of the Mirror Moon Saint Emperor rarely touched on them.

Mu Shishuang was also a member of the Spirit Clan, so she must have discovered Lin Chong's bloodline and then provided him with guidance.

"We're going to win!" Shangguan Mengqing said calmly.

"What do you mean by winning?" Lin Ran asked nervously.

Seeing Lin Ran's anxious expression, Shangguan Mengqing smiled, pointed to the scroll, and said, "They've arrived!"

Lin Ran couldn't help but look over, only to see that the two who were originally locked in combat suddenly had a flash of cyan light, and no one could see what happened.

All that could be seen was that Zi Kuang's spear was cut in two, and Zi Kuang's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, finally crashing heavily to the ground.

Seeing this, Shangguan Mengqing sent a message to Lin Ran, teasingly saying, "Your son's swordsmanship has already surpassed that of his old father, aren't you going to work harder?"

"That's because I taught you well!" Lin Ran said shamelessly.

Shangguan Mengqing remained unmoved by Lin Ran's shameless words. She had seen enough of this guy's thick skin, as evidenced by his elaborate attempts to take advantage of her.

She finally understood the saying, "A man's words are a liar's," but she also seemed to be...enjoying it, because older men couldn't fool her.

……

166. Continental Alchemist Competition

After Lin Chong defeated Zi Kuang, the two seemed to have a conversation for a while. Unfortunately, the scroll could not transmit the sound in sync, so it was unclear what they were saying. All that was seen was Zi Kuang handing Lin Chong a radiant purple-gold talisman.

Immediately after shaking hands, the two were each enveloped in a silver light and disappeared without a trace.

Just as everyone was wondering where the two young people had gone, a silver light emerged from the huge building and transformed into a shooting star, crashing down in front of the black stone tablet.

In that area, everyone involuntarily took a few steps back, fearing some kind of danger. But their wide-open eyes and raised heads worked together in perfect unison, focusing on the silver ball of light.

As the silver light gradually dissipated, Zi Kuang, heavily injured and coughing up blood, appeared before everyone present.

Many people were amazed and discussing the matter. When the leader of the battle gang saw that it was Zi Kuang, he almost teleported to Zi Kuang's side and took Zi Kuang away in the blink of an eye.

This disappointed everyone. He was the first person to emerge from the secret realm after a series of strange events, and he was just about to find out what had happened there. But he was taken away by the Battle Gang, which dashed their hopes.

"That was quick... But as long as more people come out, they can still find out about the secret realm. It's just a matter of order, but it doesn't matter in the current situation." Lin Ran didn't use telepathy this time, but Mu Shishuang and the others naturally heard her.

Mu Shishuang had been watching the changes on the black stone tablet. When she saw the name "Lin Chong," she tugged at Lin Ran's sleeve and quickly said, "Lin Chong's ranking has changed!"

"Hey, what's Xiao Chong's ranking now?" Lin Ran asked quickly.

As for the black stone tablet, Lin Ran naturally wouldn't look at it. This "wouldn't" has two meanings: one is that she wouldn't look at it, and the other is that she wouldn't understand it. Sometimes, written language is really interesting.

"He's currently in first place; the ancient script at the top of the list belongs to him," Mu Shishuang pointed and explained.

Lin Ran quickly looked at the black stone tablet, and saw that the top part was shining with golden light and even in bold, followed by a long string of ancient characters that Lin Ran did not understand.