The training ground was silent.
Gu Chen and Gu Feng stood several meters apart.
A faint wind swept across the stone platform.
Neither moved.
After their first exchange, the expressions of the surrounding disciples had changed.
Gu Chen had avoided Gu Feng's attack and successfully counterattacked.
Although the strike had been blocked, it proved something important.
Gu Chen was not as easy to defeat as they had expected.
Gu Feng slowly lowered his arm.
"Your reaction speed has improved."
Gu Chen said nothing.
He could feel the difference as well.
The trials within the Ancient Flame Hall had not given him overwhelming strength.
But they had refined him.
His control over World Energy had improved.
His mind had become clearer.
Even his ability to observe an opponent's movements had changed.
But—
Gu Chen knew his limits.
Gu Feng was still stronger.
And that difference could not be ignored.
"Again."
Gu Feng's voice was calm.
This time, he moved first.
Whoosh!
His figure flashed forward.
Gu Chen's pupils narrowed.
The same attack.
No.
It was faster.
Gu Chen immediately circulated World Energy through his legs.
He stepped sideways.
Bang!
Gu Feng's fist struck the ground.
But before Gu Chen could counterattack, Gu Feng suddenly changed direction.
His elbow swept toward Gu Chen's chest.
Gu Chen raised his arm.
Bang!
The impact forced him back several steps.
A sharp pain spread through his arm.
Gu Chen steadied himself.
The difference was clear.
Gu Feng was only one minor level above him.
But that didn't mean the gap was insignificant.
The surrounding disciples began whispering.
"Gu Chen blocked it."
"That was only one attack."
"Gu Feng is stronger."
Gu Qing frowned.
He understood that better than anyone.
Gu Chen's improvement was obvious.
But improvement wasn't the same as becoming invincible.
Across the training ground, Gu Feng's expression became more serious.
"You improved more than I expected."
Gu Chen flexed his arm.
"So did your attacks."
A faint smile appeared on Gu Feng's face.
Then World Energy surged.
The atmosphere changed.
Gu Chen immediately became alert.
A faint crimson glow appeared around Gu Feng's hands.
Several disciples recognized it.
"Crimson Palm Art!"
"It's a Mortal-Grade Martial Technique."
"Gu Feng has already reached Minor Success."
Gu Chen's gaze became serious.
Techniques mattered.
Two cultivators could possess similar cultivation, yet the difference between having a technique and simply using raw World Energy was enormous.
Gu Feng raised his palm.
Crimson energy gathered.
"Be careful."
Then he attacked.
Boom!
Gu Chen immediately retreated.
The palm struck the ground.
A faint mark appeared upon the stone platform.
Gu Chen didn't stop.
He moved continuously.
Gu Feng's attacks followed one after another.
Each palm strike was stronger than ordinary attacks.
Gu Chen narrowly avoided the third.
The fourth.
Then—
he was forced to block.
Bang!
His body slid backward.
Gu Chen's expression darkened.
If this continued, he would eventually lose.
He needed to change.
Gu Chen took a deep breath.
World Energy began circulating through his body.
But he didn't gather it into his fist.
Instead, he focused on controlling its movement.
Slowly.
Precisely.
He remembered the feeling inside the Ancient Flame Hall.
The flow of energy.
The smallest changes.
Gu Feng noticed.
"You're still holding back?"
Gu Chen didn't answer.
He moved.
This time, he took the initiative.
His fist shot forward.
Gu Feng raised his palm.
Bang!
Their attacks collided.
Gu Chen immediately twisted his body.
His second attack followed.
Then a third.
His attacks weren't particularly powerful.
But they flowed together.
One movement connected naturally to another.
Gu Feng's expression gradually changed.
Gu Chen's technique—
wasn't a technique at all.
At least, not one Gu Feng recognized.
He was simply using basic movements.
But his control over World Energy made every attack precise.
The surrounding disciples gradually fell silent.
Gu Qing stared.
"His control..."
Gu Chen attacked again.
Gu Feng blocked.
But this time, Gu Chen had already anticipated his movement.
His foot swept toward Gu Feng's leg.
Gu Feng jumped backward.
For the first time, he had been forced to retreat.
The training ground became quiet.
Gu Feng looked at Gu Chen.
Then he smiled.
"Interesting."
The crimson energy around his hands intensified.
Gu Chen immediately understood.
Gu Feng was becoming serious.
The difference in their cultivation would soon become more apparent.
Gu Chen steadied his breathing.
He had no intention of pretending otherwise.
Gu Feng was stronger.
His World Energy was more abundant.
His body had been tempered for longer.
And he possessed a Martial Technique that had reached Minor Success.
If they continued exchanging attacks, Gu Chen would eventually be overwhelmed.
But Gu Chen didn't need to defeat him.
This was a spar.
And more importantly—
he wanted to understand his current limits.
"Come."
Gu Feng's figure disappeared.
Gu Chen's eyes narrowed.
Fast!
He immediately turned.
A crimson palm appeared beside him.
Gu Chen raised both arms.
BOOM!
The impact sent him sliding backward.
His arms went numb.
Before he could stabilize himself, Gu Feng attacked again.
Gu Chen avoided the first palm.
The second grazed his shoulder.
The third—
Bang!
Struck his chest.
Gu Chen was sent backward.
He landed several meters away.
The crowd remained silent.
Gu Feng didn't continue attacking.
He stood where he was and slowly lowered his hand.
"Do you want to continue?"
Gu Chen slowly stood.
His chest hurt.
But the injury wasn't serious.
He looked at Gu Feng.
Then at the crimson energy surrounding his hands.
A technique.
Minor Success.
The difference between them wasn't simply cultivation.
It was also experience.
Gu Chen took a deep breath.
Then smiled faintly.
"No."
Gu Feng raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"I've already learned what I wanted."
For a moment, Gu Feng didn't understand.
Then he looked at Gu Chen's expression.
There was no frustration.
No unwillingness.
Gu Chen had accepted the result.
Because he understood something important.
A battle wasn't simply about winning.
Every loss could reveal weakness.
Gu Feng slowly nodded.
"Fair enough."
The supervising elder stepped forward.
"The spar is over."
Only then did the surrounding disciples begin talking again.
"Gu Chen lost."
"Of course he did."
"But he performed better than expected."
"He actually forced Gu Feng to retreat."
"Maybe something really changed after the ancestral trial."
Gu Chen ignored the discussion.
Gu Qing immediately approached him.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"You call that fine?"
Gu Chen touched his chest and smiled.
"Nothing a few days of rest won't solve."
Gu Qing looked toward Gu Feng.
"He was stronger than I expected."
Gu Chen nodded.
"That's because I underestimated the difference between us."
Gu Qing frowned.
"But you're only one level apart."
Gu Chen looked at him.
"One level is still one level."
He had felt it clearly.
Gu Feng possessed more World Energy.
Greater physical strength.
And a stronger foundation.
The difference wasn't impossible to overcome.
But Gu Chen lacked the techniques necessary to compensate for it.
At least for now.
Gu Feng walked away from the training ground.
Two younger disciples followed behind him.
"Brother Gu Feng, you won."
Gu Feng remained silent.
The disciple continued.
"That Gu Chen doesn't seem very special."
Gu Feng suddenly stopped.
The disciple froze.
Gu Feng turned.
"Not special?"
The disciple immediately lowered his head.
"I only meant—"
"Before yesterday, I could predict almost every movement he would make."
Gu Feng looked back toward the training ground.
"Today, I couldn't."
The two disciples became silent.
Gu Feng's expression was thoughtful.
Gu Chen's cultivation hadn't increased significantly.
Yet his control had changed.
His reactions.
His judgment.
The way he used World Energy.
It was as though Gu Chen had suddenly found something he had lacked before.
Gu Feng clenched his hand.
"He's changing."
Then he continued walking.
That evening.
Gu Chen returned to his courtyard.
The sun was already disappearing behind the mountains.
He sat beneath the old tree.
His body still hurt from the spar.
But his mind remained clear.
He replayed the entire battle.
Gu Feng's attacks.
The movement of his World Energy.
The way the Crimson Palm Art increased the power behind every strike.
Gu Chen slowly raised his hand.
World Energy gathered above his palm.
Then he attempted to shape it.
The energy immediately dispersed.
Gu Chen frowned.
Again.
The same result.
A third time.
Nothing.
After several attempts, Gu Chen stopped.
Creating a technique wasn't easy.
He had seen Gu Feng use the Crimson Palm Art.
But simply observing it didn't mean he could replicate it.
Every technique required a method.
A specific circulation of energy.
Precise movements.
And most importantly—
understanding.
Gu Chen lowered his hand.
"I need a technique."
His current cultivation method was an ordinary Mortal-Grade Cultivation Art passed down to most outer members of the Gu Clan.
As for combat techniques, he only knew several basic moves.
That was his greatest weakness.
But just as Gu Chen was thinking about this—
the faint warmth inside his body suddenly stirred.
Gu Chen froze.
He immediately closed his eyes.
Deep within his body—
the tiny flame flickered.
Once.
Then again.
A faint image appeared within his consciousness.
Ancient words.
Only a few.
They were incomplete.
Yet the moment Gu Chen saw them—
he understood their meaning.
Ember Scripture.
Gu Chen suddenly opened his eyes.
The courtyard was silent.
Nothing had changed.
But his heartbeat accelerated.
"Ember Scripture..."
Was this—
the inheritance left by the Ancient Flame Hall?
Gu Chen closed his eyes again.
The ancient words remained.
Only a few lines.
Nothing more.
He tried to comprehend them.
A faint warmth spread through his body.
Then the words disappeared.
Gu Chen opened his eyes.
He remained silent for a long time.
Finally, a smile appeared on his face.
He didn't know what the Ember Scripture truly was.
He didn't know what level of Cultivation Art it would eventually become.
But he knew one thing.
For the first time—
he finally possessed a path to explore.
Far above the courtyard, night gradually descended.
And beneath the silent sky—
a tiny ember began its journey.