The news spread faster than Gu Chen expected.
Although the Clan Head had ordered everyone present at the ancestral grounds to keep silent, secrets were difficult to contain.
Especially within a clan.
By the following morning, almost every member of the younger generation had heard some version of what happened.
Some said Gu Chen had awakened an ancient inheritance.
Others claimed he had received a heaven-defying cultivation technique.
There were even rumors that the Ancient Flame Hall had chosen him as the future Clan Head.
Gu Chen ignored all of them.
Inside his small courtyard, he sat cross-legged beneath an old tree.
His eyes were closed.
World Energy slowly gathered around him.
After the trials within the Ancient Flame Hall, Gu Chen had immediately noticed a difference.
His cultivation had not increased dramatically.
But his foundation had changed.
The World Energy he absorbed now flowed through his body more smoothly.
His control had become more precise.
It was like walking along a road filled with obstacles for years—
only to discover that someone had quietly removed the stones.
Gu Chen opened his eyes.
He raised his hand.
A faint stream of World Energy gathered around his fingers.
He carefully controlled it.
The energy moved.
It formed a small circle.
Then a second.
Finally, it dispersed.
Gu Chen frowned.
His control was indeed better.
But that wasn't what concerned him.
He closed his eyes again.
His consciousness slowly moved inward.
There.
Deep within him.
The tiny flame remained.
Silent.
Gu Chen tried to approach it.
Nothing happened.
He attempted to circulate his cultivation technique.
The flame didn't respond.
He directed World Energy toward it.
Still nothing.
After several attempts, Gu Chen finally opened his eyes.
"It really doesn't listen."
He shook his head.
Whatever the flame was, it clearly wasn't something he could understand yet.
There was no point forcing it.
Gu Chen stood.
Just as he was about to continue cultivating, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.
"Gu Chen!"
He recognized the voice.
A young man appeared at the entrance.
He wore the gray robes of the Gu Clan's younger generation and had a familiar smile on his face.
Gu Chen raised an eyebrow.
"Gu Qing."
Gu Qing walked into the courtyard.
"You're finally out."
"I never went anywhere."
Gu Qing rolled his eyes.
"You've been hiding here since yesterday."
"I'm cultivating."
"That's basically hiding."
Gu Chen smiled faintly.
Gu Qing was one of the few people within the younger generation who had always treated him normally.
Unlike others, he never cared much about talent or background.
He simply enjoyed talking.
Gu Qing suddenly moved closer.
His expression became serious.
"So?"
Gu Chen looked at him.
"So what?"
"What happened inside the Ancient Flame Hall?"
Gu Chen was silent.
Gu Qing immediately raised both hands.
"Fine, fine. Don't tell me."
He looked around before lowering his voice.
"But you should know something."
Gu Chen frowned.
"What?"
"The entire clan is talking about you."
"I expected that."
"It's worse than you think."
Gu Qing's expression became serious.
"Some people are unhappy."
Gu Chen wasn't surprised.
"Who?"
Gu Qing hesitated.
Then he answered.
"Gu Feng."
Gu Chen's expression remained calm.
Of course.
Gu Feng.
One of the more talented members of the younger generation.
Unlike Gu Chen, Gu Feng had always progressed quickly in cultivation.
He was also the grandson of an elder.
Within the younger generation, he had a considerable reputation.
Gu Qing continued.
"He thinks the ancestral trial should have been given to someone stronger."
Gu Chen smiled faintly.
"And?"
"And he's been saying that the Ancient Flame Hall's reaction doesn't prove you received anything."
"He's not wrong."
Gu Qing blinked.
"What?"
Gu Chen looked toward the distant mountains.
"I don't know what I received."
That was the truth.
Apart from the strange flame, he had nothing to show.
Gu Qing studied him carefully.
Then sighed.
"You really haven't changed."
Gu Chen smiled.
"Should I have?"
Before Gu Qing could answer, another voice came from outside.
"Gu Chen."
The smile disappeared from Gu Qing's face.
Gu Chen turned.
Several young men stood outside the courtyard.
At the front was Gu Feng.
He wore dark red robes.
His hands rested behind his back as he looked calmly at Gu Chen.
Gu Chen had seen him many times.
But the two had rarely spoken.
"Gu Feng."
Gu Feng stepped into the courtyard.
His gaze briefly moved toward Gu Qing before returning to Gu Chen.
"I heard you've been cultivating since returning from the Ancient Flame Hall."
Gu Chen nodded.
"Is there a problem?"
"No."
Gu Feng smiled.
"I'm simply curious."
"About what?"
"What the Ancient Flame Hall saw in you."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Gu Qing frowned.
"Gu Feng, what are you trying to say?"
Gu Feng ignored him.
His eyes remained on Gu Chen.
"The clan has many talented descendants."
"Some have spent years preparing for opportunities."
"Yet you—"
He paused.
"A person whose cultivation has barely progressed for years—entered the Ancient Flame Hall and awakened all Nine Pillars."
Gu Chen's expression remained calm.
"What do you want?"
Gu Feng smiled.
"A spar."
Gu Qing immediately stepped forward.
"You're already stronger than Gu Chen."
"I know."
Gu Feng answered calmly.
"That's why I won't use my full strength."
Gu Qing's expression darkened.
"What kind of excuse is that?"
Gu Chen raised his hand, stopping him.
He looked at Gu Feng.
"A spar?"
Gu Feng nodded.
"Just to see whether something changed after the trial."
For several moments, Gu Chen didn't answer.
Then he slowly smiled.
"Alright."
Gu Qing turned toward him.
"Gu Chen?"
Gu Chen stretched his arms.
He had spent the entire morning examining the changes within his body.
Perhaps this was an opportunity.
Not to prove anything.
But to understand himself better.
"When?"
Gu Feng's eyes flickered.
"Now."
The news of the spar quickly spread.
Within half an hour, dozens of younger clan members had gathered at the training grounds.
Gu Chen and Gu Feng stood facing each other.
Gu Qing stood among the crowd.
His expression wasn't particularly pleasant.
"Why did you agree?"
Gu Chen glanced toward him.
"Because I wanted to."
"He's stronger than you."
"I know."
"Then—"
Gu Chen smiled.
"That's why it'll be interesting."
Across from him, Gu Feng slowly raised his hand.
World Energy gathered around his body.
The surrounding disciples immediately became quiet.
Gu Chen narrowed his eyes.
Gu Feng was indeed stronger.
His cultivation was a level above Gu Chen's.
More importantly, he had spent years practicing combat techniques.
Gu Chen couldn't afford to be careless.
An elder responsible for supervising the training grounds stepped forward.
"This is a spar."
"Neither side is permitted to deliberately cause serious injury."
Both young men nodded.
"Begin."
The moment the elder stepped away—
Gu Feng moved.
His speed was impressive.
He crossed the distance between them in moments.
His fist shot toward Gu Chen.
Gu Chen immediately stepped aside.
Boom!
The fist struck the ground.
Dust rose.
Gu Chen's eyes narrowed.
Gu Feng didn't give him time to recover.
Another attack came.
Then another.
Gu Chen retreated continuously.
Several disciples began whispering.
"It looks like nothing changed."
"I knew it."
"Gu Feng is holding back."
Gu Qing remained silent.
He continued watching.
Gu Chen suddenly stopped retreating.
Gu Feng's fist approached.
At that moment—
Gu Chen moved.
Instead of stepping backward, he stepped forward.
His body twisted.
He avoided the attack by the narrowest distance.
Then his fist struck toward Gu Feng's ribs.
Gu Feng's expression changed.
He immediately blocked.
Bang!
The impact caused both of them to retreat.
The training ground became silent.
Gu Feng looked at Gu Chen.
His eyes had changed.
That attack wasn't powerful.
But Gu Chen's timing had been nearly perfect.
Gu Chen lowered his arm.
He could feel it.
The difference.
Before entering the Ancient Flame Hall, he might not have seen that opening.
His body and mind had become more coordinated.
Gu Feng slowly smiled.
"Interesting."
This time, he didn't hold back as much.
World Energy surged around him.
Gu Chen's expression became serious.
The real spar had only just begun.
And from the edge of the training ground—
an elder silently watched.
His gaze remained fixed upon Gu Chen.
Nobody noticed when he arrived.
But unlike the younger generation, he wasn't interested in who would win.
He was observing something else.
The way Gu Chen moved.
The way he controlled his energy.
The subtle changes that could not be seen by ordinary eyes.
After a moment, the elder quietly turned and left.
Far from the training grounds, within the main hall, the Clan Head slowly opened his eyes.
An elder had arrived before him.
"Clan Head."
"What is it?"
The elder hesitated.
Then he answered.
"Gu Chen is sparring with Gu Feng."
The Clan Head frowned slightly.
"And?"
The elder lowered his head.
"His strength hasn't increased significantly."
The Clan Head remained silent.
"But his foundation..."
The elder paused.
"It has become considerably more stable."
For the first time since Gu Chen entered the Ancient Flame Hall, the Clan Head showed a faint smile.
"Then let him grow."
Outside, the sound of battle echoed across the training grounds.
Gu Chen didn't know that the attention surrounding him was increasing.
He only knew one thing.
For the first time—
cultivation no longer felt like an impossible wall.
And somewhere deep within him—
the tiny flame silently flickered.