"He's the grandson of the Master," Zhou Yi'an replied as he gently removed Yang Guixiang's hand from his collar. "But don't tell the young master about the old master. The old master doesn't want him to know right now."
Hearing this, the blood-red color in Yang Guixiang's pupils gradually faded. He turned his gaze to two disciples in red and white robes, who were preparing to enter the portal, and transmitted a soul message to them.
"Ensure the safety of the young man in white robes with a Sky Realm, Aerial Stage cultivation named Lin Qian. If he doesn't make it out alive, neither of you need to return."
As soon as Yang Guixiang finished speaking, the two Blood Spirit Valley disciples glanced at each other, clearly surprised by their patriarch's orders. However, they knew well enough that if the patriarch gave an order, it had to be followed, or the consequences would be dire.
After bowing to Yang Guixiang, the two disciples turned and rushed into the portal.
Having given his instructions, Yang Guixiang then turned back to Zhou Yi'an, his brow furrowed. "If you knew his identity, why did you let him enter the ruins? This is an unknown place where life and death are uncertain. If anything happens to the young master, can you bear the responsibility?"
"This was the Master's will. He wants the young master to grow through experience and trials, not interference," Zhou Yi'an responded calmly to Yang Guixiang's accusations. "Besides, do you really think the young master is weak? In my opinion, even if your two disciples from Blood Spirit Valley team up, they won't be able to match him."
"You asked them to protect the young master? Hmph, it remains to be seen who will be protecting whom."
After finishing his soul transmission, Zhou Yi'an ignored Yang Guixiang's stunned expression and simply closed his eyes, sitting cross-legged in the air, waiting patiently.
The next year would belong to the geniuses inside the ruins.
After entering the portal, Lin Qian found himself enveloped in white light, unable to see anything around him. He felt as if the world was spinning, and the hand he had been holding—Ye Xin's—disappeared.
When Lin Qian's vision finally cleared, he found himself in a strange space.
He was surrounded by dark, silent void, with only a path extending before him, faintly illuminated by a dim light that revealed a limited space.
The pathway, made of a grayish metal known as Spirit-Repelling Silver, was incredibly sturdy, especially against soul power.
Spirit-Repelling Silver had a strong defensive and repelling effect against soul power. Any soul power attack would be weakened by half when it hit this material. However, due to this trait, it couldn't be used as a material for soul weapons or artifacts.
After surveying his surroundings, Lin Qian didn't rush forward. He first checked his own state and found nothing amiss.
There was an invisible barrier about fifteen meters above him, preventing him from flying higher. Similarly, there were barriers behind him and on both sides of the pathway.
In other words, Lin Qian had only one option: to move forward.
"This small world is quite interesting," Lin Qian thought. Although he didn't understand why he had ended up in such a space after entering the small world, he accepted it calmly and began to walk down the path.
As he moved forward, the massive pathway beneath him, about sixty meters wide, began to glow with array patterns. In the air ahead of him, a series of words appeared.
"The Path of Battle?" Lin Qian was taken aback by the name, finding it rather crude.
The words also explained the rules of this so-called Path of Battle.
To enter the true small world, one had to walk this path and face a series of opponents—puppets created through the fusion of the art of refining and arrays.
Only those who won three battles would be granted entry into the true small world.
Moreover, winning three battles wouldn't immediately transport them to the small world. They would have to continue fighting, and the more victories they accumulated, the higher their performance score would be.
This performance score could later be exchanged for various items or even requests that the sect would fulfill.
If one failed to win three battles, they would be transported out of the trial, losing their chance to participate.
After reading through this information, Lin Qian understood the situation.
Clearly, this small world was a trial ground specifically designed for the disciples of this ancient sect.
No wonder the formations surrounding it only allowed cultivators below the Life and Death Realm to enter, with an age limit of thirty years.
This entire small world was a testing ground for disciples of the ancient sect, so such restrictions made sense.
An entire small world dedicated to training disciples—what an impressive display of power.
And based on the rules of this trial, failure would simply result in being expelled, rather than facing fatal danger.
However, nothing was absolute. Given the passage of countless years, the formations maintaining this trial could have deteriorated, and who knew what might happen?
"Let's see what these puppets on the Path of Battle are like and how strong they are," Lin Qian mused as he began walking forward.
As he advanced, the barrier behind him moved with him, pushing him onward.
There was no retreat—only forward to battle.
It didn't take long before Lin Qian spotted a figure in the distance.
As he drew closer, Lin Qian finally saw what it was.
The figure before him was a puppet, its entire body made of gray metal that gleamed coldly.
Its body was constructed from Spirit-Repelling Silver!
Spirit-Repelling Silver couldn't be used to create soul weapons because soul power couldn't penetrate it, but it was perfect for building puppet bodies, with arrays controlling the joints.
"A body made of Spirit-Repelling Silver... Soul power attacks will be weakened by half. If I try to confront it head-on, I'll only suffer," Lin Qian thought, his gaze shifting to the puppet's joints. "Attacking those areas should be the key to victory."
As he considered this, the puppet suddenly charged at Lin Qian.
The puppet, similar in size to Lin Qian, thundered across the metal path, its footsteps echoing loudly, a testament to its immense weight.
Even a direct collision with it would be unbearable.
Facing the charging puppet, Lin Qian's eyes remained fixed on it, his expression calm and silent.