As Elder Tongxuan's voice fell, the entire audience's gaze instantly focused on that striking figure.
Within this ancient clan, Gu Xun'er was a true jewel.
"Hey, Chen boy, are you alright? How could this ancient demon force you to this point?"
Elsewhere, as Chen Guan had just taken his seat, Mang Tianchi asked with a look of doubt, completely devoid of the poise he had previously displayed.
Mang Tianchi's doubts were understandable; he had witnessed the battle on Dragon Island firsthand, and Chen Guan's performance today fell far short of his expectations.
A win, indeed, but not the crushing victory he had imagined.
Chen Guan offered no explanation, merely a hearty laugh, though his gaze flickered in the direction of Hun Ya and the others.
Noticing this subtle movement, Mang Tianchi suddenly understood, his eyes widening as he gave a thumbs-up.
"That's despicable, I like it!"
Clearly, after calming down, he understood that in this ancient clan's territory, no matter how much the difference in combat power, it was impossible to truly defeat the ancient demon. Chen Guan's status compelled him to accept the challenge; he couldn't back down.
Therefore, it would be better to use this opportunity to let down the guard of those opponents who hadn't yet jumped out.
The real battlefield was within the Heavenly Tomb!
Chen Guan rolled his eyes. What's despicable? That's called strategy. Can you even speak?
"Hey, what rank do you think this Gu Xun'er bloodline can reach?"
Without dwelling on the established facts, Mang Tianchi raised his chin towards the center of the square.
"Probably ninth rank, I trust the dean's judgment," Xiao Yan said first, his little flattery making Mang Tianchi feel welcome.
"I think it's about right," Chen Guan said.
Although he knew the outcome, there was no need to elaborate at this point. There was no point in guessing correctly.
"I thought so a few minutes ago, too. But now that Tongxuan is personally presiding, I think Gu Xun'er might be more than that."
Mang Tianchi chuckled, further elevating his opinion of Gu Xun'er and taking pride in his own unique vision.
In the center of the square,
Elder Tongxuan gazed at the ready Gu Xun'er. With a wave of his hand, a star disk roughly ten feet in size appeared before her.
"Xun'er, begin."
Gu Xun'er nodded slightly, slowly stepped forward, and gently touched the disk
with her delicate hand, her beautiful eyes closing slightly. As Gu Xun'er's eyes closed, a faint glow slowly emanated from her hand. Under this radiance, stars on the disk quietly emerged one by one.
The entire audience's attention was fixed on the disk at that moment, and the appearance of each star made many hearts beat with excitement.
One, two,
five, seven, eight.
As the star disk grew larger and larger, the breathing in the square grew heavier.
Chen Guan even felt the sky ripple slightly, and faint, powerful auras emanated.
Clearly, these were the unseen masters of the Ancient Clan, yet now, they too could not sit still and began to pay close attention to the square.
Under the gaze of countless people, not long after the eighth star appeared on the disk, another burst of intense light converged, and then another star slowly formed amidst gasps of shock.
"Nine stars, ninth-grade bloodline!"
Beholding the nine dazzling stars on the disk, nearly every member of the Ancient Clan took a deep breath. Even the three elders who had presided over the ceremony clenched their hands on the armrests of their chairs, staring intently at the disk, their eyes pulsing with excitement.
Ninth-grade bloodline meant that, as long as one survived, the possibility of ascending to the rank of Dou Sheng was limitless!
While this was merely potential, possessing such potential, coupled with sufficient time, would truly forge a new Dou Sheng!
Dou Shengs, now symbolizing the pinnacle of existence in this world, were held in high regard by even the most powerful forces like the Ancient Clan. For forces like them, the competition was ultimately based on the number of Dou Shengs possessed by each clan! The one
with the most Dou Shengs was the true pinnacle!
As for Gu Xun'er's passing midway through…
just treat it as a joke.
"It's indeed a ninth-grade bloodline! Xun'er's bloodline power is truly unparalleled."
From atop a towering tree in the distance, the silver-robed man observed the scene, smacking his lips in awe and envy.
"But it's not over yet. If it were merely ninth-grade, it wouldn't be enough for Elder Tongxuan to personally preside over the event," the green-robed man said calmly.
Upon hearing this, both the silver-robed man and the burly man were struck with a jolt of shock. They exchanged glances, each catching a glint of disbelief in the other's eyes.
Just as the green-robed man finished speaking, the light emanating from the ninth star on the star disk in the square grew ever brighter under Elder Tongxuan's ecstatic gaze.
"Ninth-grade peak!"
Elder Tongxuan stared intently at the dazzling star. Even with his usually calm mind, his heart couldn't help but beat wildly.
Under the gaze of countless gazes, Gu Xun'er's jade hand suddenly trembled. Her arm seemed to become transparent. Blood flowed rapidly through her veins, and tiny specks of golden light, along with the veins, quickly converged on the hand that touched the star disk.
"Swish!"
The golden light grew increasingly intense, until Gu Xun'er's entire arm seemed cast in gold. Just as the brightness of the light reached its peak, the star disk suddenly trembled violently. Tiny cracks quietly appeared, then rapidly spread.
"Such a terrifying bloodline power! Even the star disk can't withstand it!"
Seeing this scene, not only the ordinary ancient clan members, but even the elders who had been watching secretly, were horrified. Relying on the power of bloodline to shatter a star disk—even they had never heard of such a thing!
"Buzz!"
As the cracks spread, a faint golden glow suddenly appeared in the dark area behind the ninth star.
With the appearance of this golden glow, all sounds in the world were instantly silent. Even the obscure auras swirling in the sky quietly paused. A faint sense of surprise spread.
As soon as the golden fluorescence appeared, it spread rapidly. In just a few blinks, the fluorescence became about the size of a thumb. Soon, the fluorescence began to wriggle. After a while, a completely golden, slightly dim star appeared completely under the gaze of countless people.
"Bang!"
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The moment the tenth golden star appeared, the star disk exploded with a bang. A golden beam of light shot out from Gu Xun'er's jade hand, shooting into the sky. An extremely powerful pressure emanated from the beam of light. Under this pressure, most of the people present were shocked to find that their fighting spirit had actually stopped flowing. Even from the depths of their souls, a sense of awe spread.
This was the awe of the inferior for the superior!
Even Chen Guan, who had already known the outcome, had a change of expression at this moment. It was the first time he had felt such pressure from a peer.
If Gu Xun'er really faced her...
I'm afraid the only way out would be to "flee with all my might"!
"Ten-star. Divine-grade bloodline!"
All the members of the Ancient Clan stared in amazement at the golden beam that shot straight into the sky. Sharing the same bloodline as Gu Xun'er, the pressure seemed even more intense. Many, unable to bear the overwhelming pressure, fell to their knees with a thud, their faces brimming with fervor.
Chen Guan and the others watched as the majority of the Ancient Clan members instantly knelt, including Lin Xiu and the others.
Only the three elders, formidable in strength, remained standing, but they bent slightly, unable to gaze directly at the golden figure in the arena.
"Unexpected, yet seemingly expected. What an extraordinary girl... Divine-grade bloodline! The Ancient Clan is truly blessed!"
Mang Tianchi sighed softly, his voice tinged with unconcealed envy. As a member of the Thunder Clan, he was well aware of the significance of this so-called divine bloodline to such an ancient race.
It's no exaggeration to say that this will allow the Ancient Clan to maintain its current status for thousands of years!
When she grows up, she'll be another Ancient Yuan!
"Divine Grade."
Atop the towering tree, the silver-robed man and the sturdy man exchanged glances, both feeling a bitter taste in their mouths. Although they had previously speculated, even they found it hard to believe when their speculations became reality. After all, a divine grade bloodline hadn't appeared in the Ancient Clan in a thousand years.
A golden beam of light shot straight into the sky. After a long moment, it finally dissipated, transforming into a wisp of golden light that returned to Gu Xun'er's body.
At this moment, she slowly opened her beautiful eyes, but she wasn't the slightest bit surprised by the silence surrounding her. Instead, she stared calmly at the enthusiastically radiant Elder Tongxuan before her.
"It's truly a divine bloodline."
Under Gu Xun'er's gaze, Elder Tongxuan muttered excitedly twice before gradually calming down. He smiled at her, then, with a solemn expression, he extended his hands respectfully and gently clasped them in the air before him.
As Elder Tongxuan's hands clenched, a dragon pen shimmering with a rainbow luster appeared in his hand. The moment the pen appeared, a look of reverence washed over the faces of all the ancient clan members.
Gazing at the shimmering dragon pen, Mang Tianchi sighed softly and muttered,
"The Seven-Colored Heavenly Emperor Pen, an artifact of the ancient clan that has remained unused for millennia, is finally being unleashed."
Elder Tongxuan held the pen respectfully, his heart filled with excitement. The ancient clan's Seven-Colored Heavenly Emperor Pen, unused for millennia, is finally about to be unsealed!
"Xun'er."
Holding the Seven-Colored Heavenly Emperor Pen tightly in his hand, Elder Tongxuan glanced at Gu Xun'er, who nodded slightly before closing her beautiful eyes.
Seeing Gu Xun'er nod, Elder Tongxuan's expression grew solemn. A monstrous aura surged from his body. Then, his grip on the Seven-Colored Heavenly Emperor Pen suddenly tightened, his arm abruptly dancing. Mysterious paths rapidly formed beneath his palm.
As the Seven-Colored Heavenly Emperor Pen danced, a series of colorful clan crests appeared, stroke by stroke, across Gu Xun'er's smooth forehead.
As the crests emerged, Elder Tongxuan's expression grew increasingly solemn. His hand, gripping the Pen, trembled slightly, and the Dou Qi within him rapidly dissipated like a tide.
"What a terrifying Heavenly Emperor Pen! No wonder no one has been worthy enough to wield it for millennia. Just the rate at which it consumes Dou Qi—if one lacks Dou Sheng strength, they'd be drained dry in an instant!"
Elder Tongxuan's expression darkened as he felt the Dou Qi rapidly evaporating from his body. He then quickly focused his mind, controlling the perfect trajectory of his strokes.
"Swish!"
The colorful Heavenly Emperor Pen danced in the air, about half an inch from Gu Xun'er's forehead. A stream of colorful marks continuously appeared on her forehead.
"Huh!"
Under the gaze of countless people, the task of painting the clan crest lasted nearly ten minutes before finally concluding. When the final stroke finally landed, even with Elder Tongxuan's immense strength, a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Despite the immense consumption, his eyes were filled with excitement.
"Alright."
Hearing this voice, Gu Xun'er's half-closed eyes slowly opened. The moment they did, the colorful clan pattern on her forehead suddenly erupted with a powerful, rainbow-colored light!
Plop!
Under this burst of colorful light, even the three ancient clan elders, unable to withstand the pressure from the depths of their souls, fell to their knees in front of Gu Xun'er, faces filled with fervor.
The colorful light lasted only a moment before merging into the colorful clan pattern on Gu Xun'er's smooth forehead. After a few subtle ripples, the pattern gradually vanished.
This clan pattern normally remains hidden, appearing only when its master intentionally summons it.
"Haha, the coming-of-age ceremony concludes. Thank you all for your presence. Let's disband. Xun'er, come with me."
Suppressing his inner excitement, Elder Tongxuan's hearty laughter echoed throughout the room, his joy palpable to everyone.
Gu Xun'er nodded gently, following Elder Tongxuan's lead and leaving first. Guests who had come to watch the ceremony also began to leave one after another, leaving only the hustle and bustle of discussion.
"Master Dean, Xiao Yan and I are leaving as well."
"Well, I'll sit for a while."
Mang Tianchi waved his hand. Witnessing the emergence of the Ancient Clan's divine bloodline with his own eyes, he felt a rare sense of melancholy.
Divine bloodline, with the qualities of a peak Dou Sheng!
Not only Mang Tianchi, but also people like Huo Zhi of the Yan Clan, did not leave immediately, their expressions not dissimilar to Mang Tianchi's.
Chen Guan and Xiao Yan did not interrupt, but with a slight bow, they withdrew first.
In a corner of the square, Hun Ya, shrouded in a black robe, gazed at Xun'er's retreating figure with a flickering gaze, a faint cold glint in his eyes.
"I didn't expect the Gu Clan to have a divine bloodline. This person will become a formidable enemy of the Soul Clan in the future. Furthermore, he might even interfere with our plans. It seems we must inform the clan quickly and secretly find an opportunity to eliminate him."
Clearly, Hun Ya was self-aware, knowing that he alone was no match for Gu Xun'er.
However, the "also" in his words revealed a great deal.
The Soul Clan also possesses divine bloodlines!
(End of Chapter)