16: Chapter 16 It's not too late to settle accounts now.

Soon, Disciples from the various top Great Families took the stage one after another to compete.

As the duels unfolded, more and more people were either injured or killed in battle, dejectedly withdrawing from the race for the rankings.

Right then, Qin Muchuan cast his gaze toward the Gu Family's seating area, and his eyes happened to meet Gu Feng's.

The two locked eyes for a moment, then simultaneously leaped up and landed steadily upon the arena stage.

"Qin Muchuan, today I will make you understand that from beginning to end, you have been nothing more than a joke."

Battle Intent surged around Gu Feng, his eyes as sharp as knives as they locked onto Qin Muchuan.

The two families had been competing for thousands of years without ever truly determining who was superior.

Perhaps today, a final resolution could be reached in this battle.

Qin Muchuan simply gave a low shout.

"Come and fight!"

Before his voice had even faded, the two were already locked in combat.

Both were at the Early Golden Core stage with similar cultivation, making it difficult to determine a victor for a time.

On the other side, after winning five consecutive matches and stepping down to meditate and recover his Spiritual Qi, Su Fuguang walked over to Lu Jinghan's side.

"Xiao Chuan has prepared for this battle for a long time; he will surely be able to defeat Gu Feng today."

He watched the two figures clashing fiercely on the stage, a high-spirited Battle Intent also igniting in his eyes.

Then, Su Fuguang turned to look at Lu Jinghan.

"Brother Lu, your strength is so formidable; you will surely secure a massive amount of points for the Qin Family this time. It's a pity—why wasn't it me who met you first back then?"

Lu Jinghan smiled at those words, but his gaze returned to Qin Muchuan's battlefield.

In his previous life, Xiao Chuan and Gu Feng had also been locked in a struggle like this.

Their strengths were evenly matched, and it eventually ended in a draw.

In this life, the result would likely be the same.

But since he had experienced Rebirth, he would not let everything proceed exactly according to the trajectory of his past life.

This time, he would ensure that none of the Disciples from the Gu, Zhu, and Jin families could walk off the stage.

Before long, the battle between Qin Muchuan and Gu Feng reached its conclusion.

Just as Lu Jinghan expected, both sides were evenly matched and ended in a draw.

The two of them leaped down from the stage, their faces filled with unwillingness.

Subsequently, Lu Jinghan also took the stage to compete against other Great Family Disciples.

Although he was only at the Golden Core Stage, he possessed the combat techniques and instincts of a powerhouse who had survived Undergoing Tribulation.

In the first three matches, he didn't use his full power at all—not even half—and won easily.

Furthermore, Lu Jinghan concealed his aura; to those watching the battle, he appeared to only have an Early Golden Core cultivation.

As a result, the various top Great Families did not take him seriously.

At this moment, his fourth opponent took the stage.

This person was the Zhu Family Disciple Zhu Gui, a man of the same ilk as Gu Feng and the others.

Although he was also at the Early Golden Core stage, his strength was far beyond that of the previous three.

He had come onto the stage precisely because he saw Lu Jinghan fighting for the Qin Family, and he naturally wanted to defeat him.

Seeing Zhu Gui take the stage, a hint of coldness rose in Lu Jinghan's heart.

In his previous life, it was this man, Gu Feng, and the others who had ambushed Xiao Chuan and Xiao Guang in the Purple Bamboo Forest.

That debt had never been fully settled, but it wasn't too late to settle accounts now.

Opposite him, Zhu Gui saw Lu Jinghan's expression and felt he was being utterly disdained.

He directly swung his Black Iron Saber, slashing toward Lu Jinghan.

Seeing this, Lu Jinghan made a stroke with the Jinghan Sword, easily parrying the blow and using the momentum to thrust toward Zhu Gui.

After three exchanges, Lu Jinghan didn't want to waste any more time with Zhu Gui.

He unleashed a set of sword techniques he was extremely proficient in from his past life, the Frost Art, leaving Zhu Gui completely unable to resist.

Just as Zhu Gui realized things were going south and wanted to surrender, Lu Jinghan gave him no such chance.

With a direct combo, he destroyed his Dantian and severed his Meridians, turning him into a crippled man.

Then, he walked off the stage with a leisurely pace.

The Zhu Family powerhouses were all filled with rage at the sight.

However, constrained by the rules of the ranking battle, they didn't dare to explode, nursing their anger in silence.

Seeing the Zhu Family suffer a loss, everyone in the Qin Family celebrated.

"Brother Lu, that battle of yours was absolutely brilliant!"

Qin Muchuan and Su Fuguang praised Lu Jinghan.

In his first appearance on the stage, Lu Jinghan had drawn everyone's attention with his outstanding performance.

Several gazes were cast toward Lu Jinghan from the crowd.

They all came from those top-tier powers, and even Zhao Zhenyue and the other two on the high platform looked toward Lu Jinghan.

They all felt this youth's strength was extraordinary and his background must not be simple.

On the spectator seats at the edge of the square, Jiang Changge and Lin Yanzhou had been watching quietly for a long time.

"Master, Eldest Senior Brother is so amazing!"

"Against everyone, he only needs a few easy moves to win."

Lin Yanzhou looked toward the Qin Family's direction where Lu Jinghan was, his eyes full of admiration.

He sincerely yearned for such strength.

"Naturally. Your Eldest Senior Brother has an extraordinary Physique and Cultivates extremely hard; how can ordinary people compare?"

As Jiang Changge spoke, he began painting visions of the future for the little Lin Yanzhou again.

"Focus on your Cultivation, and in the future, you will surely be able to surpass your Eldest Senior Brother."

Despite his words, Jiang Changge knew in his heart that it was still unknown when Lin Yanzhou would even be able to step into the Qi Refinement Stage.

At this moment, his gaze swept across the square. The Great Family ranking battle continued incessantly, attracting the attention of almost everyone in the Zhouwu Imperial Capital.

The time had come; it was a perfect opportunity to sneak into the imperial palace and investigate that ancient ruin.

"Yanzhou, Master has something to attend to and needs to leave for a moment. You can go find your Eldest Senior Brother later."

After Lin Yanzhou agreed, Jiang Changge's figure shifted slightly.

Like a wisp of light smoke, he quietly vanished from the jade square, flitting toward the Zhou Martial Imperial Palace without a sound.

Just a moment ago, he had vaguely sensed a certain abnormal fluctuation coming from deep beneath the palace.

As Jiang Changge activated the Creation Sutra, his powerful Divine Soul energy instantly covered the entire palace.

He quickly found a hidden tunnel leading underground.

After walking through a long bluestone tunnel, he finally found the ancient ruin.

At this moment, outside the entrance of the ruin, there were several guards at the Body Integration Stage.

However, for Jiang Changge, he could completely ignore them.

When Jiang Changge concealed his aura and form to enter the ruin, the guards seemed to sense a slight abnormality.

But with no aura fluctuations around them at all, they continued to guard the entrance of the ruin.

As Jiang Changge entered the ruin, the scene before his eyes suddenly opened up.

It was a vast, open space.

The ceiling was deep and dark, with blue crystals embedded in the rock walls emitting a faint glow, illuminating the surroundings like hazy stars.

The ground was paved with massive blue-gray stone slabs, their ancient patterns already blurred, yet still exuding the solemnity of ages past.

In the depths stood several mottled stone pillars, their bodies wrapped in reliefs of snake-like dragons that seemed to stir faintly in the dim light.

The air was thick with the scent of cold, damp, and long-sealed Spiritual Qi; in the silence, the echo of dripping water could be heard from afar.

Broken stone platforms and the silhouettes of statues were half-hidden in the gloom; though their features were blurred, they still seemed to be keeping a silent watch.

The entire ruin was empty and solemn, as if time itself had slowed down here.

Jiang Changge's gaze swept across, his Divine Sense quietly spreading out; the aura here was indeed completely different from the outside world.

[Ding! Host detected at the ancient ruin, Cave of Years (One-Quarter). Would you like to sign in?]