Volume 1

Chapter 6: In the Martial Training Grounds, Shaking the Ancient Puppet with Force

On the square, the brief dead silence was broken by heavy breathing.

The scene before them was too shocking. The glowing rocks on the dome cast a cold radiance, illuminating this vast space that had been sealed for an unknown number of years. Beneath their feet were heavily worn black stone slabs with dark red moss growing in the crevices, stretching toward the hazy shadows of buildings in the distance. The Spiritual Qi flowing in the air was ancient and pure; inhaling it into the lungs actually produced a slight burning sensation, as if it carried the taste of metal.

"Ancient God Martial Training Grounds..." Sun Miao murmured, repeating the characters on the stone tablet. A flush of excitement rose on his withered face, and his eyes swept across the surroundings with heat. "As expected, it's an Ancient Body Cultivator Ruins! Such a scale is definitely no ordinary Trial Grounds! Chen Feng, immediately record the Spiritual Qi attributes and spatial structure of this place! Su Qingyue, lead the others to set up a simple early-warning Formation!"

The Yunni Sect Disciples moved quickly, well-trained. Most of the Loose Cultivators and strongmen were still immersed in shock and greed, their eyes burning as they sized up those broken yet still majestic giant stone buildings.

Li Dali leaned in close to Lin Xuan and whispered, unable to hide his excitement: "Brother Lin, we've hit the jackpot! An Ancient Body Cultivator Ruins! I've heard they used Heaven And Earth Treasures for Body Refining. Finding even a few scraps would be enough for us to Cultivate for several years! Look at those houses; they might be ruined, but there could still be good stuff inside!"

Lin Xuan did not respond; his attention was focused on his own perception. The moment he stepped into this space, the dark-gold vortex formed by the eight hundred strands of [Source Martial Spiritual Energy] within his body began to spin faster of its own accord, faintly resonating with the surrounding environment. That ancient, burning Spiritual Qi in the air seemed exceptionally "close" to him; without any deliberate guidance, strands of it seeped into his skin and merged into his blood and Qi. Although the efficiency wasn't high, it was much smoother than absorbing ordinary Spiritual Qi in the outside world.

What concerned him even more was a faint throbbing originating from deep within his Bloodline, seemingly calling him toward the depths of the square, in the direction of those building shadows. It was the natural resonance of the Martial Dao Origin toward a place of the same source.

"Junior Martial Uncle Sun, although the Spiritual Qi here is thick, it contains hidden Evil Qi and Metallic Sharpness Qi. Long-term absorption might damage the Meridians," Chen Feng reported after testing with a jade-plate-shaped Magical Artifact.

"No matter, it won't be a big problem in the short term. Just pay attention to protection." Sun Miao waved his hand, his gaze scanning ahead like a hawk. "The priority is exploration. This place has been silent for too long and may not be safe. Everyone, stay alert. In groups of three, explore the building complex ahead. Your primary goal is to search for ancient books, Jade Slips, special Ores, intact Magical Artifacts, or Medicinal Pill residues! If you find anything unusual, signal immediately!"

The order was given, and the team moved once more. The Yunni Sect Disciples naturally formed groups, and the Loose Cultivators also banded together. Lin Xuan originally wanted to act alone, but Li Dali grabbed him: "Brother Lin, let's be a team! I've spent my time gathering herbs in the mountains and have some experience with traps and mechanisms. You're strong and can handle things! Don't worry, if we find anything, we'll split it fifty-fifty!" Beside them, the tower-like Martial Artist Wang Mang also grunted: "Count me in too."

Lin Xuan looked at the two of them. Li Dali's eyes were cunning but lacked malice, while Wang Mang had a face of blunt honesty. After a brief deliberation, he nodded. Having two more people might save some trouble at certain times.

The three formed a small team and chose a relatively wide path on the left side of the square, leading toward a complex of low stone platform buildings that resembled a Martial Arts Arena. Other groups also chose their own directions and scattered.

The stone slab road beneath their feet was full of cracks, and occasionally they would step on heavily rusted metal fragments that looked like the remains of weapons. Besides the dense, ancient Spiritual Qi, the air was also filled with a faint smell of dust and decaying metal.

After walking about a hundred zhang, a relatively open area appeared ahead. Broken stone pillars and giant metal spheres were scattered on the ground. The surfaces of the spheres were pitted and covered in strike marks. This place looked like a practice field.

"Be careful, something feels off here." Li Dali sniffed and pulled a small compass out of his herb basket; the needle trembled slightly.

No sooner had he spoken than a sudden change occurred!

"Crackle... Crackle..."

A tooth-gritting sound of metal friction rang out from those scattered metal spheres! Three of the rust-stained, dark-red metal spheres, each over a zhang in diameter, suddenly lit up with faint and chaotic red light. The spheres deformed and stretched, transforming in the blink of an eye into three metal humanoids about two meters tall, rugged in appearance, and looking as if they were clad in heavy armor! They had no facial features, only two holes flashing with red light in the head position, like eyes. Their joints emitted ear-piercing "creaks," and their movements were slightly stiff, yet they carried a heavy sense of pressure. In their hands, they even condensed giant, blurry shadows of sabers and axes made of dark-red light!

"It's Ancient Guard Puppets!" Li Dali cried out. "Quick, retreat!"

But it was already too late! The red light in the eyes of the three metal Puppets locked onto the three approaching people, and they charged over with heavy steps, thud-thud-thud! Their speed was surprisingly not slow, and the ground shook accordingly!

Wang Mang roared and, instead of retreating, advanced. His muscles bulged, his skin took on a bronze hue, and he threw a punch at the chest of the foremost Puppet! "Clang!!!" A massive sound rang out, like a great bronze bell! Wang Mang felt as if he had smashed into an iron mountain; his fist stung, and the Puppet's chest dented slightly, but it only swayed. Then, it swung a saber shadow back at him! Wang Mang dodged clumsily as the saber light swept across the ground, carving out a deep trench!

"Careful! These Puppets have immense strength! And their material is hard!" Wang Mang shouted urgently.

Another Puppet charged at Li Dali. Li Dali's movement was agile, jumping away like a monkey while scattering a handful of green powder. The powder landed on the Puppet, making a "sizzling" sound, but it only corroded a bit of the surface rust. Instead, it enraged the Puppet, making its attacks even more fierce.

The third Puppet came straight for Lin Xuan, the giant axe shadow in its hand carrying a dull sound of breaking air as it chopped down! The momentum was terrifying!

Lin Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. The moment the Puppet activated, his "Spirit Qi Perception" had already captured a faint, chaotic yet stubborn energy driving it from its core. Its power attribute leaned toward pure blood-Qi and earth power; it was slow to react to spiritual power but extremely resistant to physical impact.

Seeing the giant axe shadow about to hit his head, Lin Xuan did not meet it head-on. With a shift in his footwork, his body moved half a step to the side like a ghost, avoiding the axe blade by a hair's breadth. At the same time, he pressed the five fingers of his right hand together, a dark-gold light flowing at his fingertips. No longer hiding his [Source Martial Spiritual Energy], he delivered a hand-blade strike with incomparable precision to the joint where the Puppet's axe-holding wrist connected!

"Clang—Pfft!"

First came the loud crash of clashing metal, followed by the dull sound of a fragile structure being forcibly torn apart by high-frequency vibration! The giant axe shadow formed of dark-red light instantly collapsed, and a deep crack appeared at the Puppet's metal wrist. The connection structure was damaged, and the entire arm slumped down, its movements immediately losing balance!

The red light in the Puppet's eyes flashed rapidly as it swung its other arm in a punch. Instead of retreating, Lin Xuan advanced, crouching low and lunging forward. His shoulder was like a battering ram, slamming hard into the Puppet's exposed chest and abdomen, which had been left open due to the damaged arm!

"Boom!!!"

This time the sound was even more muffled, like rolling thunder! The Puppet's heavy body was actually sent flying off the ground by Lin Xuan's collision, crashing hard into a broken stone pillar behind it, causing stone fragments to fly! Its chest was clearly dented in a large section. The red light in its eyes flashed violently a few times before suddenly extinguishing. It slumped to the ground with a loud clatter, no longer moving.

Having dealt with his side, Lin Xuan did not stop. He exerted force with his feet, causing a small pit to explode on the ground, and shot out like an arrow toward the Puppet chasing Li Dali. Sensing the ill wind behind it, the Puppet turned and swung its arm in a horizontal sweep. Lin Xuan twisted his body in mid-air and whipped out his right leg like a steel whip, kicking precisely at the side of the Puppet's knee pit!

"Crackle!" The Puppet's leg joint made a sound of being overstrained, and it fell to one knee. The moment Lin Xuan landed, his left palm was like a blade, dark-gold light flickering as he chopped hard at the energy core connection behind the Puppet's neck!

"Sizzle..." The red light extinguished, and the second Puppet fell forward onto the ground.

[part:deepseek-chat]

At this moment, Wang Mang was still locked in combat with the first Puppet. Although he possessed great strength, he struggled to inflict fatal damage on the Puppet. Instead, the clashes left his Qi and blood roiling, putting him in constant peril. Having dealt with the second Puppet, Lin Xuan didn't pause. He darted in from the side and punched a seemingly intact spot on the Puppet's ribs—a node that, in his perception, had a slight sluggishness in its energy flow!

*Thud!* The Puppet's movements froze. Seizing the Opportunity, Wang Mang roared and delivered a full-force punch to its head!

*CLANG!!!* The Puppet's head was knocked askew, the red light in its eyes flickered chaotically, finally dimming as it collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

The battle was over. The three ancient Puppets had become three piles of scrap metal. Wang Mang panted like an ox, his arms trembling slightly as he looked at Lin Xuan with shock and awe. Li Dali wiped cold sweat, his heart still pounding. "Good heavens! Those iron lumps packed a real punch! Brother Lin, your skills... they're practically tailor-made for this place!"

Lin Xuan didn't respond. He walked over to the Puppet he had taken down first, crouched, channeled Source Martial Spiritual Energy into his fingers, and forcefully pried open a relatively weak piece of armor on its chest. From inside, he pulled out a fist-sized, dark red crystal. It was already covered in cracks, its luster dim, and within its complex internal structure, a faint trace of energy fluctuation remained.

"This should be the drive core. Its energy is almost depleted," Lin Xuan said, tossing the crystal to Li Dali. "See if it has any research value."

Li Dali received it as if it were a priceless treasure, carefully storing it away. Wang Mang imitated the action, breaking open the other two Puppets and retrieving similar damaged crystal cores.

"These Puppets were guarding this area, which means this place might be relatively important, or it leads to an important location," Lin Xuan said, looking towards the depths of the training grounds. The call from his Bloodline felt clearer.

Just as the three prepared to continue exploring, sounds of combat and shouts came from other directions in the distance. Clearly, other groups had encountered similar Puppets or other dangers.

"Let's go, check ahead," Lin Xuan said, taking the lead. Li Dali and Wang Mang hurried to follow.

Passing through the dilapidated training grounds, they came upon a relatively well-preserved, tall stone hall ahead. Its doors stood wide open, revealing darkness within, but the summoning sensation was emanating precisely from inside the hall.

At the entrance of the stone hall lay the wreckage of two completely destroyed Puppets, dealt with by other groups. Faint light and voices could be heard from within the hall.

The three entered. The interior was vast, soaring over a dozen zhang high, supported by dozens of massive carved stone pillars. The carvings depicted unimaginable Cultivation scenes: a person running while carrying a mountain on their back, another bathing in lightning, yet another shattering stars with a fist... Though blurred, one could still sense the will within—brutal, direct, pursuing the ultimate limits of the Physical Body.

The hall was already occupied by many. Sun Miao, Chen Feng, Su Qingyue, and others were there, along with several other groups of Loose Cultivators who had arrived first. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the deepest part of the stone hall.

There, a raised stone platform stood. Upon it was a three-zhang-tall, dark golden stele! Its surface was smooth as a mirror, devoid of any text or patterns, yet it emanated a heart-palpitating, heavy pressure. It felt less like stone and more like the solidified core of a star.

On the ground before the stele lay several fresh human corpses. Judging by their attire, they were a few rash Loose Cultivators. Their deaths were gruesome—every bone in their bodies shattered, as if crushed by an invisible, tremendous force.

"This stele is strange!" a pale-faced Loose Cultivator shouted. "Old Wu and the others just tried to get closer for a look. The moment they stepped within three zhang, they were blasted back by an invisible force and died on the spot! Even Senior Sun's protective Talismans didn't work!"

Sun Miao's expression was grave. Holding a compass and various detection Magical Artifacts, he slowly moved around the perimeter three zhang from the stele, constantly testing. "A very strong force field... It's not a Spiritual Qi Restriction, but a pure Domain of force! It repels all external attempts to approach. The more one uses Spiritual Qi or Qi and blood, the stronger the rebound! Those men just now died from the backlash of their own power."

He attempted to send out a gentle strand of probing Spiritual Qi. The moment it entered the three-zhang range, it was as if it had hit an invisible iron wall, rebounding back at an even faster speed. Had he not been prepared and promptly dissipated it, he might have suffered a setback.

"Could it be that this Legacy stele is only for looking, not touching?" Chen Feng frowned.

"Perhaps certain conditions need to be met?" Su Qingyue mused thoughtfully, her gaze inadvertently drifting towards Lin Xuan, who had just entered the stone hall. Not just her—many others' eyes followed Su Qingyue's and landed on Lin Xuan.

This freak who could withstand the entrance Restriction and make it to the end... could he...

Sun Miao also saw Lin Xuan. A glint flashed in his eyes as he said solemnly, "Young friend Lin, why don't you step forward and try? Don't employ Spiritual Qi or Qi and blood. Just approach slowly, as you did at the entrance."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lin Xuan's expression remained calm as he stepped towards the dark golden stele.

As he drew closer, the oppressive sensation from the invisible force field grew stronger. This feeling differed from the repulsive force of the entrance Restriction. It leaned more towards a pure sense of 'weight' and 'majesty,' as if testing the Physical Body Foundation and will of those who approached.

Lin Xuan did not circulate his Source Martial Spiritual Energy. He merely adjusted his body to its most natural and relaxed state, each step firm and steady.

Three zhang... two and a half zhang... two zhang...

Upon entering the two-zhang range, the pressure increased dramatically! The air seemed to turn into viscous molten iron, requiring immense effort for each step forward. His bones emitted faint creaks, and his muscle fibers tensed.

Lin Xuan's gaze remained placid. Though his pace slowed, it never stopped.

One and a half zhang... one zhang...

When he stepped into the one-zhang range from the stele, another change occurred!

The surface of the dark golden stele suddenly rippled like water, revealing dense, incredibly complex pale golden patterns! Simultaneously, a will—desolate, ancient, vast as a sea of stars—descended like a waking Dragon, slowly enveloping the entire stone hall!

Everyone, including Sun Miao, felt their Souls tremble, an involuntary urge to kneel and prostrate washing over them!

Only Lin Xuan, the moment this will descended, felt his martial Origin resonate violently within! The dark golden vortex spun at an unprecedented speed. Source Martial Spiritual Energy surged uncontrollably from his body, forming a faint, golden halo around him that shared the same Origin as the patterns on the stele!

The patterns on the stele suddenly blazed with dazzling light, transforming into a beam that instantly enveloped Lin Xuan!

Countless fragments of information, ancient images, and profound Cultivation methods flooded into Lin Xuan's mind like a torrent!

[*Ancient God Body Refining Technique*... Foundational Chapter... Use the Evil Qi of earth veins to temper bones, draw upon the clear spirit of the Nine Heavens to cleanse marrow... Qi and blood as fuel, will as fire... Forge a supreme martial body...]

At the same time, the stone platform beneath the stele shook. A hidden compartment opened, revealing three items inside: a dull, greyish ring made of neither metal nor jade; a palm-sized, dark red metal plate engraved with mountain and river textures; and a sealed, ancient scroll made of an unknown beast hide.

The Legacy had chosen its master! The treasures revealed themselves!

Inside the stone hall, dead silence fell instantly. Everyone's eyes were locked onto the figure enveloped in golden light and the three clearly extraordinary items on the stone platform.

Shock, greed, jealousy, disbelief... a myriad of emotions churned wildly in their eyes.

Su Qingyue's cherry lips parted slightly, utterly speechless.

Sun Miao's breathing suddenly grew noticeably heavier.

(End of Volume 1, Chapter 6)

[Next Chapter Preview]:

Within the training grounds, a clash of strength against ancient Puppets! Lin Xuan resonates with the stele; the core Legacy of ancient Body Cultivators, the *Ancient God Body Refining Technique*, chooses its master! Three secret treasures appear, instantly becoming the focal point for all!

A tremendous Opportunity comes with towering danger! Faced with a Legacy and treasures that could stir the heart of even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, what choice will Sun Miao make? How will the Disciples of the Yunni Sect conduct themselves? Will the other Loose Cultivators simply accept it?

The exploration of the ruins has only just begun; greater dangers may lie deeper within. For Lin Xuan, who obtained the Legacy, is this fortune or misfortune?

Have Zhao Long's spies already infiltrated the group? Threats in the shadows are drawing near!

Next Chapter: Contest for the Legacy, Undercurrents Surge!

Lin Xuan: "I've taken the Legacy. Anyone who objects can test how much power remains in this stele's force field."