The first cultivator to arrive at the ruins was a rough-looking man with an overly eager expression. He channeled his true qi into the violation token, forming a protective barrier around himself as he charged toward the shimmering wall of the formation.
BOOM!
His body was still ten meters from the formation when a devastating wind blade erupted from the barrier of light, slicing him into several pieces before he could even cry out!
Horrifying!
"What just happened?"
"He clearly possessed a violation token—why did this occur?"
"Could the violation tokens we purchased be counterfeit?"
This gruesome scene immediately sobered the hot-headed cultivators, causing them to halt their advance and speak in shocked whispers.
"Hmph! Such a gathering of fools, forcing entry before the formation's vulnerability period has properly begun—are you all seeking death?"
At that moment, a massive bronze carriage slowly descended from the sky, the voice emanating from within the ornate vehicle.
"A Xuan-level flying artifact!"
"That appears to be the Imperial Bronze Carriage of the Tianque Sect!"
"The Tianque Sect? Isn't that the premier sect in all of Liang Province?"
As the bronze carriage touched down, every eye turned toward it with a mixture of awe and wariness.
A young man who appeared to be around twenty years old was the first to emerge from the bronze carriage, followed by five or six other disciples of similar age. Finally, an elderly man stepped out and, with a casual gesture, stored the entire bronze carriage within his storage ring.
"What are you gawking at!"
After securing the bronze carriage, the old man expressed his displeasure at their stares with obvious irritation.
A tremendous aura erupted from his body, instantly pressuring everyone present and forcing them to avert their gazes, not daring to offend him in the slightest.
This elderly man was a Spirit Forging Realm expert!
In the cultivation world, the realms progressed as follows: Meridian Opening Realm, Qi Sea Realm, Yuan Condensation Realm, Spirit Forging Realm, and Core Formation Realm...
This old man had reached the Spirit Forging Realm, meaning he had successfully forged his own natal weapon. His strength placed him at the absolute pinnacle throughout the entire Liang Province region!
"I didn't expect him to be a Spirit Forging Realm expert. Even within the Tianque Sect, there can't be many individuals of his caliber," Su Zhan observed with surprise.
Su Zhaoyue nodded thoughtfully. "Although Spirit Forging Realm experts are highly revered, they rarely leave their sects personally. If one does venture out, it must be to protect someone of tremendous importance. If I'm not mistaken, that young man who first stepped from the bronze carriage must be Yang Tiangui, the number one genius in all of Liang Province! It makes sense to dispatch a Spirit Forging expert to escort such a prodigy."
"What about Yang Tiangui's strength?"
"His cultivation is quite formidable—he's twenty-two years old and has already reached the middle stage of the Yuan Condensation Realm!"
After speaking, Su Zhaoyue glanced at Su Zhan and thought to herself, Of course, no one here could compare to a monstrous genius like you!
So the so-called number one genius has only reached the middle stage of the Yuan Condensation Realm...
Su Zhan felt momentarily surprised, realizing he had probably overestimated the caliber of geniuses in Liang Province.
Soon, more cultivators continued arriving at the ruins.
Half an hour later, the barrier of light surrounding the formation became semi-transparent, and immediately a cultivator brandishing his violation token broke through successfully and entered.
After witnessing his successful passage through the formation, the crowd behind him suddenly became restless, scrambling to follow in his wake.
"A bunch of trash—what's the point of entering so hastily?"
Yang Tiangui looked down upon the rushing cultivators with obvious disdain. "The opportunities and treasures within these ruins belong to this Young Master! Do even refuse like you dare to compete with me? Oh? There are actually those at the Qi Sea Realm present?"
His gaze registered mild surprise when it fell upon Su Zhan and Su Zhaoyue.
Due to the formation's restrictions, virtually everyone who entered the ruins was a Yuan Condensation Realm cultivator, with many being powerful individuals at the middle stage or even peak of the Yuan Condensation Realm.
For Qi Sea Realm cultivators, entering and facing so many Yuan Condensation Realm opponents was tantamount to suicide.
Therefore, almost every opening of the ruins—which occurred once every three years—saw no participation from cultivators below the Yuan Condensation Realm.
Naturally, Yang Tiangui was surprised to see Su Zhan and Su Zhaoyue present.
"How utterly greedy! What could Qi Sea Realm cultivators possibly hope to accomplish in these ruins? How laughable!" Yang Tiangui burst into loud, mocking laughter.
Yang Tiangui dismissed them with a contemptuous glance, not taking Su Zhan seriously at all as he declared with arrogance, "Let's proceed and show this trash who the true rulers of Liang Province are!"
He swept his sleeve dramatically and led several young disciples toward the formation's barrier of light.
"Is this person... mentally unstable?" Su Zhan asked with a furrowed brow. "His cultivation is only at the middle stage of the Yuan Condensation Realm. Why does he show such complete disregard for everyone else?"
"It's normal behavior for someone in his position," Su Zhaoyue explained with a shake of her head. "Although he's only at the middle stage of the Yuan Condensation Realm, with the support of powerful martial techniques, cultivation methods, and spiritual weapons, his actual combat strength may not be inferior to ordinary peak Yuan Condensation Realm cultivators!"
Su Zhan replied matter-of-factly, "But that's still not particularly impressive."
Su Zhaoyue looked at Su Zhan and recalled witnessing him defeat the late-stage Yuan Condensation Realm Bloodfang beast while possessing only middle-stage Qi Sea Realm cultivation.
She found herself unable to argue with his assessment.
"Alright, let's enter! This formation is highly unstable. When we pass through, we'll be affected by the spatial arrays inside and randomly transported to a location within the ruins. However, the destination won't be too far from our entry point, so we need to maintain physical contact to avoid being separated by the formation's power."
"Understood."
Su Zhan immediately grasped Su Zhaoyue's hand.
"Ding! Achievement task 'First Hand-Holding with a Girl' completed! Unlocking a new halo: [Protagonist's Mental Fortitude Halo]!"
What? Even this can unlock a new halo?
Su Zhan felt momentarily surprised, then examined the description of the Protagonist's Mental Fortitude Halo.
[Protagonist's Mental Fortitude Halo]:Resist demonic influences and evil temptations! Maintain mental clarity even in the face of overwhelming seduction! Even if confronted by a group of beautiful, unclothed women, as a true protagonist, you would... hmm, the effectiveness of this halo is somewhat unstable, so use with caution!
This halo was indeed highly useful. The higher one's cultivation level, the more susceptible they became to corrupting influences, and it would be particularly effective against various forms of hypnotic magic. However, its unstable nature was concerning...
Su Zhan then looked at Su Zhaoyue.
Her features were delicate and beautiful, her skin was porcelain-pale, and her hair was lustrous black.
The halo's description was accurate. Even if he activated this ability now, if Su Zhaoyue were to remove her clothes and embrace him, he genuinely wasn't certain he could maintain his composure...
"Su Zhan, what's wrong with you?"
Su Zhaoyue felt uncomfortable under Su Zhan's intense gaze and asked with concern.
"It's nothing. Let's proceed!"
Su Zhan shook his head quickly and entered the ruins with Su Zhaoyue.
The scenery around them shifted dramatically, and they materialized on the bank of a small river.
"Follow me," Su Zhaoyue instructed as they began walking along the waterway.
"Don't you need to consult a map?"
"Don't worry. Since I was bold enough to invite you to explore these ruins with me, naturally I have methods for locating treasures. Furthermore, after years of exploration, the surface treasures have been almost completely plundered. What I'm seeking isn't ordinary items like those."
"I understand!"
Su Zhan nodded and didn't press further.
Before arriving, he had already researched extensive information about the ruins. Su Zhaoyue was correct—unless one possessed specific information about treasure locations or specialized hunting techniques, finding valuable items through random exploration was extremely difficult.
The pair walked alongside the river for approximately half an hour before arriving at a dark, foreboding forest.
"Be careful—someone is watching us!"
Su Zhaoyue stopped abruptly and surveyed their surroundings with alert caution.
Su Zhan had already sensed the faint presence ahead but hadn't considered it particularly threatening.
"Interesting... Even though my concealment skills aren't exceptional, I can't even fool two mere Qi Sea Realm scraps?"
A towering man nearly two meters tall, wielding a massive blade, emerged from behind a giant tree and stared at Su Zhan and Su Zhaoyue with obvious surprise.
"Middle stage of the Yuan Condensation Realm," Su Zhan assessed calmly, sensing the man's cultivation level.
"Are you treasure hunters as well?" the massive cultivator asked with a predatory grin. "Perfect timing! I was just growing bored. Hand over all your treasures and storage artifacts, and I might consider sparing your lives!"
Su Zhaoyue's expression turned cold. "A bandit cultivator who ambushes people to steal their possessions... How despicable!"
"Despicable?" The man laughed harshly. "Little girl, you clearly don't understand how this world operates! In these ruins, strength is the only law! Since you two are merely at the Qi Sea Realm, you should have known better than to enter such a dangerous place!"
As he spoke, the massive blade in his hands began emanating waves of spiritual energy. This was clearly a genuine spiritual weapon!
"Su Zhan, this person's cultivation exceeds ours, and he possesses a spiritual weapon. We should retreat!" Su Zhaoyue whispered urgently.
"Retreat?" Su Zhan shook his head with a slight smile. "Why would we retreat when we can simply eliminate the threat?"
"What did you say?" The bandit cultivator's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You arrogant brat! Let me show you the consequences of your overconfidence!"
Raging Tempest Blade Technique!
The bandit channeled his true qi into his massive weapon, creating a whirlwind of blade energy that swept toward Su Zhan and Su Zhaoyue with devastating force!
Su Zhan drew his pale crimson sword in response, his movements fluid and precise.
Heavenly Frost Sword Intent!
The temperature in the surrounding forest plummeted instantly as ice crystals began forming in the air. Su Zhan's sword energy manifested as a crescent of pure frost that cleaved through the bandit's tempest attack and continued toward its target.
The bandit's confident expression transformed into one of shock and terror.
Sword Intent! This Qi Sea Realm brat had actually comprehended Sword Intent!
He tried desperately to evade, but the frigid sword energy moved too swiftly. The crescent blade of ice struck him directly in the chest, freezing his entire torso solid before shattering his body into countless ice fragments.
"One strike..." Su Zhaoyue stared in amazement. "You killed a middle-stage Yuan Condensation Realm cultivator with a single sword strike!"
Su Zhan retrieved the bandit's storage ring and spiritual weapon before responding casually, "He was careless and underestimated his opponent. In a real fight between experts of similar levels, such a quick resolution would be impossible."
Despite his modest words, Su Zhaoyue remained thoroughly impressed by his display of power.
As they continued deeper into the dark forest, neither noticed the pair of glowing red eyes that had been observing their battle from the shadows of the ancient trees.