From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

The barrier light curtain slowly dissipated.

It revealed the proudly standing Xuanyuan Po, and the limp, ashen-faced Zhao Zhongming.

The outcome was already decided, but the result overturned the expectations of most people.

A deafening cheer erupted from the outer disciples' area, engulfing the entire training ground.

Zhou Tiancan excitedly grabbed Wang Le's neck and shook him vigorously, his rugged face flushed.

"Hahaha! Did you see that!"

"The second-best student in the Foreign Languages ​​Department is awesome!"

"Even a peak-level Spirit Sea cultivator can be easily defeated!"

Wang Le was being strangled so badly his eyes rolled back, but he was equally excited.

"Let go...let go! I saw it!"

"Damn it, let go of me!"

"Let's see if those guys in the inner sect dare to be so cocky now!"

Mu Qingqing stood to the side.

Looking at Xuan Yuanpo, who was surrounded by people, his expression remained aloof, but his brows revealed an undisguised sharpness.

She glanced again at Yao Mengkang beside her, who remained calm and composed, seemingly in complete control of everything. A complex mix of emotions and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, often including regret or nostalgia) flickered in her beautiful eyes.

She gently tugged at Zhou Tiancan's sleeve and whispered...

"Tian Shen, Senior Brother Yao and Senior Brother Xuanyuan... they're moving too fast."

"I'm afraid... it's not something we can easily keep up with."

"I always felt that one day in the future, their names would resound throughout the five regions of the continent, and they would become truly towering figures."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tiancan scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile.

"So what? The stronger they are, the better! We'll just try our best to keep up! If we can't keep up, we'll just ask them for some resources!"

In contrast to the jubilation of the outer disciples, the inner disciples were completely silent.

The atmosphere was terribly oppressive.

Several inner disciples who were familiar with Zhao Zhongming quickly stepped forward and helped him up.

Zhao Zhongming was pale, and there was still blood at the corner of his mouth.

His gaze, however, was fixed on Xuan Yuanpo, who was preparing to leave the arena.

His eyes were filled with resentment, unwillingness, and a hint of defeat and fear that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

"How is this possible... how could he be so strong!"

Zhao Zhongming roared inwardly.

"Upon just entering the Spirit Sea realm... he already possesses such profound knowledge and combat prowess! When did the outer court produce such a monster?!"

An unprecedented sense of frustration swept over him.

Years of arduous training and the pride of inner disciples seemed to become a joke at this moment.

His gaze unconsciously swept towards the inner door area.

The direction where those two monsters, who are in seclusion year-round and possess even greater power, reside.

My heart felt ice-cold.

"Among the inner sect, only those two true 'freaks' can keep this Xuan Yuanpo in check..."

Amid the clamor of the crowd and the undercurrents of change.

No one noticed the shadowy corner at the edge of the training ground.

Dressed in a black robe, Li Han stood silently, seemingly blending into the darkness.

He looked in the direction Xuan Yuanpo had left, then glanced at Yao Mengkang, who was surrounded by people.

A faint flicker of emotion flashed in the sharp eyes beneath the black robe.

"Senior Brother Yao is unfathomable, and Xuanyuan Po is also soaring to great heights."

Zhou Tiancan and Mu Qingqing are also making rapid progress.

Li Han muttered to himself, a strong sense of urgency gripping him like a venomous snake. "I should break through too! Otherwise, I might not even be qualified to fight alongside them!"

He didn't linger; his figure vanished silently into the shadows like a ghost, as if he had never been there.

As night deepened, the outer disciples' residential area was still filled with an excited atmosphere.

However, the people in the core area have gradually calmed down.

Not long after Yao Mengkang returned to his small courtyard, a dark figure appeared silently in the yard as if it were weightless; it was Li Han.

"Senior Brother Yao," Li Han's hoarse voice rang out.

Yao Mengkang didn't seem surprised. He pointed to the stone bench opposite him and said, "Junior Brother Li, please sit down. Did you need something?"

Li Han didn't sit down, and went straight to the point.

"I wish to break through the Dragon Spine Meridian, and I have come to ask my senior brother about the sensations and key points when I try to open it up. I would also like to ask my senior brother to protect me."

Yao Mengkang glanced at him and nodded.

Li Han's accumulation is almost complete, and with the Crimson Blood Fruit obtained from the Hall of Punishments, he only needs an opportunity to break through.

Xuan Yuanpo's strong performance today has clearly provoked this assassin who is used to hiding in the shadows.

Yao Mengkang did not keep anything to himself.

He shared his feelings when he first connected the dragon's spine and the dangers he might have encountered.

He also shared his insights on guiding Qi and blood to impact the hidden meridians in detail.

Li Han listened very attentively, occasionally raising one or two key questions, which Yao Mengkang answered one by one.

Half an hour later, outside Li Han's simply furnished room in the corner.

Yao Mengkang sat cross-legged, his divine sense spreading out, isolating him from the internal and external energies.

Inside the room, Li Han took out the Crimson Blood Fruit, a gift from the Hall of Punishments.

The fruit is as red as blood, radiating a scorching energy.

Without any hesitation, he tilted his head back and swallowed it.

"boom!"

The Crimson Blood Fruit entered the stomach and instantly transformed into a raging torrent.

The scorching energy of blood and qi was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins.

It surged wildly through his limbs and bones, finally rushing towards the great dragon of his spine—the location of the dragon's spine vein!

Li Han grunted.

The veins on his forehead and neck bulged instantly.

Fine beads of sweat seeped out, and his body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably.

The pain of impacting the dragon's spine is far beyond imagination.

It was as if countless red-hot irons were repeatedly burning and pounding his spine, trying to crush and reshape it!

He clenched his teeth so tightly that a trickle of blood even escaped from the corner of his mouth.

Keep the key points of impacting the dragon's spine firmly in mind.

With unwavering willpower, he forcefully concentrated his soul and thoughts, like the most precise carving knife.

It guides the raging, scorching torrent of qi and blood, crashing against the resilient barrier.

Yao Mengkang, who was outside the room, could clearly feel the intense and oppressive energy fluctuations.

Like a volcano about to erupt.

He remained calm, closely monitoring any changes within the room.

As time passed, Li Han's breathing in the room grew heavier and heavier.

It was even mixed with suppressed, painful growls.

The violent fluctuations of qi and blood reached a peak, as if they were about to spiral out of control at any moment.

Just as Yao Mengkang was preparing to intervene at any moment—

"Buzz!"

A deep, resonant hum, seemingly emanating from the ancient wilderness, emanated from inside the room!

On Li Han's body, a blurry, dragon-like phantom of qi and blood flashed past his spine!

Immediately afterwards, the violent and scorching aura receded rapidly like a tide.

It transformed into a more solid, powerful, and forceful aura, settling down.

Dragon spine vein, connected!

A moment later, the door was opened.

Li Han came out.

His face was rosy, and his whole body was soaked in sweat.

The black robe clung to his body, highlighting his explosive muscle lines.

His eyes were incredibly bright, like a cheetah hunting in the dark, full of sharpness and strength.

He successfully broke through to the eleventh level of the Meridian Opening stage!

"How are you feeling?" Yao Mengkang asked with a smile.

Li Han stretched his limbs, feeling the surging blood and energy within his body and the seemingly endless power.

He said hoarsely, "My physical strength has nearly doubled, my meridians are wider and stronger, and my spiritual energy circulation speed has increased by at least 30%."

He paused, a cold, sharp glint of an assassin flashing in his eyes.

"Most importantly, with the support of this stronger body, my explosive power is far greater than before."

"If it were an ordinary mid-stage Spirit Sea cultivator, without special precautions... I am 70% confident that I could kill them with a single blow."

Yao Mengkang nodded. Li Han was already following the path of covert assassination, and the opening of the Dragon Spine Vein would be a qualitative leap in his combat power.

At this moment, Li Han looked at Yao Mengkang.

A rare moment of relaxation seemed to appear on his face beneath the black robe.

With a hint of barely perceptible relaxation and a touch of mischievous anticipation?

He said in a low voice.

"Senior Brother Yao, please keep my breakthrough a secret for now and do not tell anyone else."

"Oh?" Yao Mengkang raised an eyebrow.

Li Han's lips seemed to curl up very slightly.

"The Heavenly Dao Academy's assessment will be held in two days."

"I think I'll give everyone a 'surprise' then."

Looking into his eyes, I saw a rare slyness and expectation that belonged to a young man.

Yao Mengkang couldn't help but smile and nodded: "Okay."

As night deepened, the commotion of Li Han's breakthrough was perfectly concealed.

The outer sect was still immersed in the shock and joy brought by Xuanyuan Po.

Unbeknownst to anyone, another shadowy figure had also quietly undergone a transformation and was poised to strike.

Prepare to reveal its hidden sharpness in the coming storm.