168: Chapter 168 You bark wildly at the door, I level up inside.

The door of the secret room slowly closed, completely sealing off the light from the outside world.

Gu Yan sat cross-legged on the floor paved with 'Meditation Stones,' with the phantom of the System furnace burning with black-red flames floating before him. He held the rusty iron shard between two fingers, then tossed it into the center of the fiercest flames.

There was no sight of the metal melting as expected.

The shard, which looked like mere scrap metal, remained completely unmoved under the scorching heat of the Blood Evil Fire. It even emitted a sound like a mocking hum, forcing the surrounding flames back by three inches.

[Warning: High-grade spiritual material 'Asura Refined Gold' detected.]

[Ordinary Blood Evil Qi cannot smelt it. Host's essence blood is required as a catalyst to forcibly awaken the tool spirit within.]

"You don't respond to soft tactics, huh?"

Gu Yan looked at the stubborn iron shard, raised his right hand, and with fingers shaped like a blade, slashed hard across his left wrist.

Swoosh.

Fresh blood sprayed out, but instead of hitting the ground, it was enveloped by Gu Yan's spiritual power into a red sphere of blood and directly cast into the furnace.

Boom!

Nourished by Gu Yan's essence blood, which contained the domineering Aura of the Wild Tyrant Body, the previously withered black fire instantly surged ten meters high, transforming into a ferocious blood dragon that swallowed the iron shard in one gulp.

"Sizzle— sizzle—"

The iron shard finally reacted. The rust peeled away, revealing the dark golden body beneath. An ancient, vicious, and murderous Aura, as if from an asura battlefield, instantly filled the entire secret room.

Veins bulged on Gu Yan's forehead, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.

This was not just blood loss; it was the excruciating pain of having his Divine Soul torn apart. The iron shard was using the connection through his blood to attempt to backlash against his will.

"You want to eat me?"

Gu Yan sneered, the blazing fire reflected in his pitch-black pupils: "Aren't you afraid of breaking your own teeth?"

He formed seals with both hands, and the blood river bead within his body spun crazily. A more domineering suppression force surged along his Meridians and into the furnace.

"Give it to me, melt!"

Meanwhile, outside the mountain gate of Qingyun Peak.

The foot of the originally tranquil spiritual mountain was now bristling with tension.

Thirty-six Disciples from Wan Jian Peak, dressed in white and carrying long swords on their backs, formed a sword array. Hundreds of sharp Sword Qi surged into the sky, churning the clouds above until they were torn to shreds.

In front of the sword array, Little Sword God Ye Gucheng floated in the Void Realm, his robes fluttering.

After a few days of recuperation, he seemed to have walked out of the shadows of the Fallen Demon Valley. At this moment, his face was cold and stern, and he was surrounded by a sharp Sword Intent that made people afraid to look directly at him; it was a sign that his Foundation Establishment Great Perfection was about to undergo Core Formation.

"Gu Yan! Get out here!"

Little Sword God Ye Gucheng's voice, wrapped in spiritual power like rolling thunder, struck the protective Formation of Qingyun Peak again and again.

The red light barrier rippled slightly under the impact of the sound waves, but showed no signs of breaking.

"Coward!"

Seeing no movement inside, the rage in Little Sword God Ye Gucheng's eyes intensified.

As the Sect Master's own nephew and the Chief of Wan Jian Peak, he had actually had his original dojo snatched by an outsider with no background. He could not swallow this insult.

"Senior Brother, this Formation is a bit strange."

A Disciple of Wan Jian Peak rode his sword forward, his expression grave: "This is the modified Four Symbols Heaven-Locking Array. Last time, several of our Junior Brothers fell to the 'bewitching' effect of this Formation and couldn't find their way out for three days and three nights."

"That's because they are trash."

Little Sword God Ye Gucheng snorted coldly, and the long sword in his hand left its sheath.

Clang!

A stunning white sword light illuminated half the sky.

"Today, I want to see if your turtle shell is harder, or if the 'Dragon-Slaying Sword' in my hand is harder!"

"Ten Thousand Swords as One, Slash!"

Following his sharp shout, the thirty-six Disciples behind him simultaneously summoned their Flying Swords. Dozens of Flying Swords converged in the air, merging into the main sword in Little Sword God Ye Gucheng's hand, transforming into a giant light sword over a hundred meters long, which slashed fiercely down at the red light barrier with the power to destroy heaven and earth.

Boom—!!!

The earth shook and the mountains swayed.

Rocks around Qingyun Peak rolled down, and birds and beasts scattered in fear.

The red light barrier buckled violently, emitting a teeth-grinding squeezing sound, as if it would shatter in the next second.

Inside the main hall.

Jiang Wanrou was organizing Medicinal Pills. Feeling the vibration beneath her feet, the jade bottle in her hand almost dropped to the ground. Her expression changed, and she rushed toward the secret room in the back hall.

"Gu Yan..."

She was about to knock on the door, but her hand stopped in mid-air.

Through the crack in the secret room door, a wave of heat that made her feel suffocated was seeping out. It was not ordinary heat, but a kind of extremely dangerous Aura that carried the scent of blood.

He was at a critical moment.

Jiang Wanrou gritted her teeth, withdrew her hand, and turned to walk out of the hall.

"You want to disturb his closed-door cultivation? Ask me if I agree first."

With a flip of her palm, a dozen black yin thunder beads appeared between her fingers.

Inside the secret room, Gu Yan remained deaf to the roaring outside.

All his focus was concentrated on the furnace.

After a half-hour tug-of-war, the 'Asura Refined Gold' finally melted completely, turning into a pool of dark golden liquid.

"Receive."

Gu Yan gave a low shout.

The liquid flew out of the furnace and stuck directly onto his left arm.

Sizzle—!

Excruciating pain.

It was as if someone had poured boiling molten iron directly onto his skin.

White smoke instantly rose from Gu Yan's left arm, his flesh and skin scorched by the high temperature, then rapidly regenerated under the powerful recovery ability of the Blood River Battle Body.

Under the infiltration of the liquid, the skin on his left arm began to change. On his originally bronze-colored skin, a layer of fine, dark golden patterns resembling fish scales emerged. These patterns spread rapidly, finally covering his entire lower arm from wrist to elbow.

It did not form heavy armor, but rather an extremely thin armguard that seemed to grow into his flesh.

Gu Yan tried clenching his left fist.

Hum.

The dark golden patterns lit up instantly, and a feeling of indestructible power filled his entire arm.

[Ding! Refining successful.]

[Obtained Equipment: asura armguard (Left).]

[Attribute: Absolute Defense. Can ignore all physical/Spell attacks below the Early Golden Core Stage; reduces damage from Golden Core Mid-Stage attacks by 50%.]

[Attached Skill: Asura Block.]

"Good stuff."

Gu Yan looked at his left arm, which seemed to have turned into the limb of some Vicious Beast, and nodded with satisfaction. With this thing, the next time he encountered an opponent of Lin Canghai's level, he would even dare to catch their blade with his bare hand.

Just then.

Boom!

Another loud noise came from outside, more violent than before, causing even a few stones to fall from the ceiling of the secret room.

Gu Yan frowned slightly, the joy in his eyes instantly turning into coldness.

"Never-ending, are you?"

He stood up. The massive energy absorbed while refining the armguard surged within his body. The Bottleneck of his cultivation, which was already at the Peak of Foundation Establishment Level 6, gave a crisp 'crack' under the impact of this external force.

Breakthrough.

Without any suspense.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi poured crazily into the secret room, forming a small spiritual energy vortex above his head.

Ten breaths later.

Gu Yan's Aura surged, and he officially stepped into Foundation Establishment Level 7—which was the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Feeling the True Essence surging like the sea within him, he glanced at the still-vibrating stone door and reached out to tidy his somewhat messy clothes.

"It seems some people don't learn from their beatings."

Gu Yan pushed open the stone door and walked out with long strides.

Outside the mountain gate.

The red light barrier was already covered in cracks, teetering on the edge of collapse.

Little Sword God Ye Gucheng floated in mid-air, his face pale; clearly, that last sword strike had consumed a lot of his spiritual power. But the exhilaration in his eyes could not be hidden.

"Gu Yan! Is this your reliance?"

Little Sword God Ye Gucheng laughed: "Without the Formation, you are just a piece of trash who only knows how to hide behind a woman! Break for me!"

He raised his long sword, preparing to launch the final blow.

Just then.

Creak.

The tightly closed gates of Gu Mansion slowly opened.

There was no earth-shattering Aura, nor the charge of a thousand troops.

There was only a man in a black robe, his hands behind his back, walking slowly across the threshold as if strolling in his own back garden.

He looked up at the giant light sword in the sky, then at the panting Little Sword God Ye Gucheng.

Then, he did something that took everyone by surprise.

Gu Yan raised his left hand, extended his little finger, and picked his ear.

"Early in the morning, whose dog hasn't been tied up properly?"

The voice was not loud, but it clearly spread throughout all of Qingyun Peak.

The whole place fell into dead silence.

The smile on Little Sword God Ye Gucheng's face froze instantly, then turned the color of a pig's liver.

"You... seek death!!!"