Inner Academy, Pan Gate
"So this is the phenomenon that appears when a Seventh-Grade pill is born, pill lightning?"
Xiao Yan stared intently at the lightning moving through the dark clouds like silver serpents. Sensing the immense power contained within it, a trace of astonishment and burning eagerness flashed through his eyes.
"Yes pill lightning! I haven't seen it in decades. It really is a nostalgic sight."
The figure of Yao Lao appeared beside Xiao Yan and Xun'er. Looking toward the sky, he chuckled.
"Little Yan, the day you can refine a pill capable of attracting pill lightning will be the day you qualify to graduate from my tutelage."
"A pill capable of attracting pill lightning?"
Xiao Yan murmured, then his face became filled with anticipation.
"I will. And it won't take me long."
"Haha! Good! That's the ambition my disciple should have."
Yao Lao stroked his beard with satisfaction.
Gu Xun'er, meanwhile, kept her eyes fixed on Lin Yuan's direction, waiting for him to use the demon puppet to deal with the pill lightning. She wanted to see whether the demon puppet could truly withstand the pill lightning and whether it could really use the energy of the pill lightning to advance.
Just then, the voices of the Grand Elder and Xiao Yixian came from afar, immediately startling the three of them.
"Someone has broken into Jia Nan Academy?"
Xiao Yan was shocked.
The Earth Demon Old Ghost had only recently died here. Jia Nan Academy's reputation was currently at its peak, yet someone actually dared to intrude directly.
Yao Lao sensed the situation slightly and immediately understood what was happening.
"Let this old man take a look. The people who came aren't weak. Two Dou Ancestors, along with dozens of experts at the Dou King level or above. They're currently confronting Su Qian and others."
"Four-winged unicorns, It seems they're not from the Black-Corner Region."
After saying this, Yao Lao glanced at Xiao Yan and Gu Xun'er, a faint trace of helplessness flashing through his eyes.
His figure then gradually faded and returned to the Bone Flame Ring.
His existence could not be revealed to these people yet.
Hearing Yao Lao's words, Gu Xun'er was immediately startled. She extended her spiritual perception slightly, and a solemn expression appeared on her exquisite face.
"It's the Black Annihilation Army. So many of them actually came this time."
"The Black Annihilation Army?"
Seeing Xun'er's solemn expression, Xiao Yan also became serious and asked in a deep voice.
"Xun'er, you know these people? Who are they?"
"They're the people from the clan who came to take me back."
Gu Xun'er looked gently at Xiao Yan. She lightly straightened his collar and reminded him,
"Xiao Yan-ge, try not to interact with them as much as possible. Even if you do, don't let them see how close we are."
At this point, her heart couldn't help but ache.
But it had to be this way.
That undisguised icy aura should belong to Gu Yao, a rather famous figure within the clan. His branch held a high position within the Gu Clan.
If he truly attacked Xiao Yan.
Gu Xun'er couldn't guarantee that she would be able to suppress Gu Yao through her identity.
Hearing the helplessness hidden within Xun'er's words, Xiao Yan couldn't help but furrow his brows.
"Xun'er, what's going on?"
"Xiao Yan-ge, don't ask any more questions. The time isn't right yet."
Gu Xun'er shook her head and spoke seriously.
"Trust Xun'er. I'm doing all of this for you. My heart belongs to you as well! I'll go to the plaza first. Xiao Yan-ge, don't follow me."
After saying this, she took a deep look at Xiao Yan, spread her golden wings, and flew toward the direction of the stone platform where Lin Yuan was.
Edge of the Inner Academy
The two sides stood facing one another.
"Five-Star Dou Ancestor?"
Looking at the white-haired young woman before him, a solemn expression flashed through Gu Yao's eyes.
She didn't look much older than Xun'er, yet her cultivation was frighteningly powerful. She was even somewhat stronger than a heaven's favored genius of the Gu Clan like himself.
Moreover, he could vaguely sense that, unlike the country bumpkin Dou Ancestor he had casually dealt with a few days ago, this woman truly possessed strength corresponding to her cultivation.
"Which clan are you from? The Lei Clan?"
Gu Yao calmly asked.
"None."
Xiao Yixian calmly looked at Gu Yao and replied indifferently.
"I'm merely an elder of Jia Nan Academy. Nothing more. If you want to provoke Jia Nan Academy, I don't mind teaching you a lesson."
"Teach me a lesson…"
A dangerous glint flashed through Gu Yao's eyes.
"What an interesting way of putting it."
Gu Zhen let out a silent sigh inwardly.
"What an unnecessary conflict."
Gu Yao was born with exceptional talent and had always focused on cultivation and combat. Everything had gone smoothly for him, so it was inevitable that he had developed an arrogant and self-willed personality.
Toward those with insufficient talent or inadequate strength, his attitude was extremely casual.
As for Ling Quan, that fellow had been selected from among the descendants of the Gu Clan. He was excessively proud of the Gu Clan's identity and bloodline and quite enjoyed provoking trouble.
The two of them, to varying degrees, had certain flaws in their personalities.
"Perhaps the elders anticipated this situation, which is why they specifically had me accompany them."
Shaking his head, Gu Zhen stepped forward and stood between the two sides. He first cupped his hands toward Su Qian and Xiao Yixian.
"Gu Zhen of the Gu Clan greets the two of you."
"I've long heard of the reputation of the continent's number-one academy. Seeing it today, it truly lives up to its name."
As he spoke, he took a deep look at Xiao Yixian.
Judging solely by cultivation, this woman was actually at the same level as Gu Qingyang.
For a genius of this level to appear in such a remote frontier region was truly astonishing.
"So you're distinguished guests from the Gu Clan. Welcome."
Su Qian glanced indifferently at Gu Zhen before speaking.
"However, I hope that the next time you visit, you can follow the procedure we agreed upon beforehand. Jia Nan Academy may not be large, but we still have our own rules."
"When you suddenly barged in just now, this old man thought an enemy had launched an attack. I nearly attacked immediately."
"Hehe."
Gu Zhen smiled lightly and offered an explanation.
"This junior's mistake. Upon seeing a Seventh-Grade pill being born in your academy, we became overly interested and neglected certain courtesies. I hope the Grand Elder can forgive us."
Hearing this, Su Qian raised an eyebrow and looked at Gu Zhen.
This young man was indeed different from the geniuses of the other ancient clans.
Just then, a clear and bright laugh rang out, bringing the confrontation to an end.
"Hehe, since that's the case, Grand Elder, why not invite the distinguished guests over to watch?"
"The Venerable Beginning Pill is about to emerge. This is a joyous occasion for Jia Nan Academy. Having several distinguished guests from the Gu Clan here to witness it should add a little more brilliance to the occasion."
The voice, carrying a hint of laughter, was transmitted precisely into everyone's ears.
Hearing the voice, a strange glint flashed through Gu Zhen's eyes.
"From such a great distance, yet he can transmit his voice precisely to so many people simultaneously. Regardless of his cultivation or his control over Dou Qi, this person is truly exceptional."
"And his voice sounds so young."
Thinking of this, he exchanged a glance with Gu Yao.
Both of them saw the solemnity in the other's eyes.
Su Qian, meanwhile, felt secretly delighted.
"With Lin Yuan and Xiao Yixian in Jia Nan Academy, we really do have plenty of face. Neither of them is inferior to the geniuses of the Gu Clan. If the Dean knew about what happened today, he would certainly be delighted…"
Thus, he generously waved toward Gu Yao and the others.
"Distinguished guests from the Gu Clan, come with me and witness the birth of the pill."
With that, Su Qian and Xiao Yixian turned around and flew toward the stone platform.
"Jia Nan Academy is rather interesting. I want to see exactly who that person is."
Gu Yao slightly raised his eyebrows.
He stepped into the air, and his figure instantly disappeared from the back of the four-winged unicorn, chasing after Su Qian and Xiao Yixian.
"What an impatient fellow. Did Gu Yao forget that welcoming the young lady is the primary purpose of our visit?"
Gu Zhen lightly rubbed his forehead and helplessly looked toward the distant blue figure.
"Big Brother Gu Zhen, let's go over as well!"
Ling Quan said.
Compared with the contempt he had shown toward Jia Nan Academy not long ago, his attitude now contained considerably more caution.
"You lead everyone. I'll go ahead first."
Gu Zhen nodded and spoke steadily.
"I've sensed the aura of our clan's Sacred Flame. It should be the young lady. She's flying toward the pill lightning."
After saying this, he led the others toward the Inner Academy plaza.
Inner Academy Plaza
At this moment, the pill fragrance from the stone platform had also reached its peak.
Within the medicinal cauldron, a perfectly round, emerald-like pill was slowly spinning.
A shocking energy continuously spread from within it before crashing against the inner walls of the medicinal cauldron, producing resounding metallic clangs.
The surrounding energy of heaven and earth was also being drawn toward the pill, creating circles of powerful energy ripples.
Above the stone platform, the thick dark clouds in the sky had already become so heavy that they seemed as though they might press down upon the earth, creating an extremely oppressive sensation.
Within the dark clouds, an astonishing amount of energy had already accumulated.
Silver lightning snakes darted in all directions, occasionally colliding with one another and erupting into tremendous peals of thunder.
That overwhelming heavenly might made everyone feel somewhat terrified.
Lin Yuan stood calmly on the stone platform with his hands behind his back, looking serenely at the layers of dark clouds less than a hundred zhang above him.
Silver lightning tore through the dark clouds, illuminating the faint curve of his lips.
The inexplicable sense of reassurance he exuded was enough to captivate anyone's heart, and it also put Xiao Yixian and Zi Yan, who were not far away, somewhat at ease.
"Is that the person who transmitted his voice just now?"
Standing in midair and looking at Lin Yuan's youthful face, the cold arrogance between Gu Yao's brows faded away. He stared at Lin Yuan solemnly.
"Hiss, is this really Lin Yuan from the intelligence reports?"
Gu Zhen's figure appeared beside Gu Yao, his voice filled with astonishment.
"A Dou Ancestor, a Seventh-Grade peak Alchemist. He's far more powerful than the intelligence reports claimed."
Before his voice had even faded, a thunderous roar suddenly exploded across the sky.
Immediately afterward, a silver bolt of lightning as thick as a water barrel, resembling a gigantic silver python, tore through the dark clouds and shot violently toward the Myriad Beast Cauldron on the stone platform.
The dazzling radiance illuminated the entire darkened sky.
"Heh…"
A clear laugh rang out beside the Myriad Beast Cauldron.
"Earth Demon Puppet, go!"
Lin Yuan lightly waved his sleeve.
A silver figure suddenly appeared before him out of thin air.
With a thought from Lin Yuan, the Earth Demon Puppet slightly bent its knees. Then, with a thunderous boom, it used the powerful force of its legs to shoot toward the silver lightning.
In almost the blink of an eye, the Earth Demon Puppet collided head-on with the gigantic silver bolt.
"Boom!"
The silver lightning slammed into the Earth Demon Puppet's body.
A deep sound rang out, causing the hearts of everyone present to jump violently.
Under the bombardment of the heavenly lightning, the Earth Demon Puppet was smashed several meters downward before finally stabilizing itself.
At this moment, its sturdy body was completely enveloped by dazzling lightning.
Countless silver currents continuously flowed across its surface, slowly seeping into its body.
That withered body gradually began to strengthen under the corrosion and tempering of the lightning, while its fierce aura also began to rise slowly and steadily.
Lin Yuan could naturally sense this subtle improvement.
Looking at the dark clouds above, where silver light constantly flashed, it was as though he were looking at a gigantic treasure trove.
"Devour it to your heart's content, Earth Demon Puppet!"
The Earth Demon Puppet once again shot into the sky. It spread its arms wide, seemingly intending to receive all those silver bolts of lightning descending like heavenly punishment.
The thunderclouds seemed to have been enraged and began to churn violently.
"Boom!"
Moments later, bolts of lightning even thicker than the previous one burst out from the dark clouds one after another, accompanied by deafening thunderclaps.
Under Lin Yuan's control, the Earth Demon Puppet was like a lightning rod, absorbing every bolt of silver lightning into its body.
On the stone platform, Lin Yuan gazed at the Earth Demon Puppet hovering amid the endless lightning. A sharp glint flashed through his deep eyes.
He could clearly feel that the Earth Demon Puppet's strength was rapidly increasing under the continuous baptism of the silver lightning.
The high-intensity bombardment of lightning continued for a full hour.
Just when everyone thought it was finally over, a thunderous roar that shook the heavens suddenly resounded across the sky.
Immediately afterward, a silver bolt of lightning nearly a zhang thick, resembling a silver dragon, tore through the sky with a sizzling sound before violently striking the Earth Demon Puppet.
"Boom!"
This most ferocious strike directly sent the Earth Demon Puppet crashing downward, smashing heavily into the enormous stone plaza.
As the smoke and dust dispersed, a huge crater more than ten zhang wide appeared in everyone's sight.
Centered around the crater, countless cracks as thick as an arm spread outward like a spiderweb.
Seeing this, everyone present couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
What terrifying power!
Lin Yuan immediately extended his perception to investigate. Only after confirming that the Earth Demon Puppet inside the crater was completely unharmed did he finally relax.
"Fortunately, this is the Earth Demon Puppet refined by the Earth Demon Old Ghost. If it had been another demon puppet, it might not have been able to withstand that strike."
That final strike was almost comparable to an attack from a Nine-Star Dou Ancestor.
Although the Earth Demon Puppet possessed the ability to absorb pill lightning for its own use, there was ultimately a limit to that ability.
Once the difference in strength became too great, even it would be unable to withstand the force.
Fortunately, the Pill Lightning had already ended.
With the final silver bolt descending, the dark clouds finally stopped churning. They gradually faded and dispersed.
The oppressive sensation that had enveloped the entire Inner Academy finally vanished completely.
As sunlight once again poured down from the sky, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Under that overwhelming heavenly might, the pressure had truly been suffocating.
With a thought from Lin Yuan, the Earth Demon Puppet shot out of the crater and landed steadily on the stone platform.
Looking at the puppet before him, whose body had now become an exceptionally pure silver, Lin Yuan carefully sensed its condition and smiled with satisfaction.
The Earth Demon Puppet's combat strength had already broken through to the Eight-Star level.
When his gaze landed on the faint, dark-golden radiance between the Earth Demon Puppet's brows, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"The silver has already reached its limit, and the transformation toward gold has begun."
"However, with only this much gold, it's still a considerable distance from becoming a Heavenly Demon Puppet."
"There is plenty of time ahead. I have plenty of medicinal ingredients as well. Later, all it needs is to undergo the tempering of more pill lightning."
His gaze shifted toward the Myriad Beast Cauldron.
There, a perfectly round pill radiating immense energy hovered within the cauldron. The rich pill fragrance made everyone feel refreshed and invigorated.
"The Venerable Beginning Pill has been successfully refined."
"Now, I can finally be considered a true Seventh-Grade peak Alchemist."
Lin Yuan smiled lightly and flicked his finger.
The lid of the cauldron automatically flew open.
Suddenly, a jade-green streak of light shot out from the Myriad Beast Cauldron.
Without the slightest hesitation, it flew toward the sky.
"Trying to escape?"
"As expected of a pill that has developed intelligence."
"Dragon Capture Hand!"
Lin Yuan swept his sleeve.
A dragon-shaped stream of energy shot out and easily wrapped around the Venerable Beginning Pill like a dragon playing with a pearl, pulling it back.
He then quickly took out a fine jade bottle and stuffed the pill, which was still leaping restlessly in his palm, inside it.
"And with that, the job is finally complete!"
Lin Yuan smiled with satisfaction and placed the jade bottle into the Nether sea Ring.
"Next…"
His gaze swept across the Black Annihilation Army and Gu Xun'er in the plaza. He then glanced toward the direction of Pan Gate in the distance, a trace of amusement flashing through his eyes.
"Everyone is here now. I wonder if you can give me a good show to enjoy?"
Down in the plaza, Gu Xun'er looked at the demon puppet on the stone platform, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly.
"This puppet really did become much stronger after withstanding the pill lightning. It seems Lin Yuan really didn't deceive me."
"That's good. With this puppet protecting Xiao Yan-ge, I can leave without worrying."
Thinking of this, her gaze swept toward the direction of Pan Gate before finally settling on the two figures standing in midair: Gu Yao and Gu Zhen.
At the same time, two gazes descended from the sky.
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