Gu Jianlin looked at the stone stele. "What's the effect of the Qilin Forbidden Curse?"

Jing Ci turned his head and looked at the old man.

Huai Yin didn't move at all, but the shadow behind him suddenly trembled and silently rose from the ground!

For a moment, an eerie shadow appeared behind the old man, with a pitch-black appearance and outline, its entire body shrouded in black mist, sinister and terrifying, like an Evil Spirit!

The black shadow raised its hand, and pitch-black light gathered at its fingertips, ready to erupt!

"This is the Qilin Forbidden Curse. Its effect is that you can create a shadow clone with all the abilities of your real body, and it can even replicate your body's spirituality. Essentially, it's like having a second self. Moreover, the clone is immortal. Even if it endures fatal damage, it will disperse and require about twelve hours to coalesce again."

Jing Ci spoke calmly, "And there's no side effect at all. The moment you create the shadow clone, there isn't even any consumption of spirituality, as it draws from the natural forces around it. However, there's one drawback—its distance from the real body cannot be too far; otherwise, it will directly dissipate. The range is within one kilometer."

The shadow clone behind Huai Yin raised its hand and aimed at itself.

Bam!

The shadow clone's head was suddenly shattered, dispersing into nothingness.

Gu Jianlin saw this scene, and his heart burned with excitement. This was truly a divine technique for reasoning with others!

Double the firepower.

He immediately tried to focus his mind, staring at the ancient Fallen Stele.

For a fleeting moment, countless eerie and twisted lines surfaced on the stone stele in front of him, seemingly converging into numerous bizarre symbols. Ancient whispers filled his mind, driving him to the brink of madness.

Because he held the Ancient God Position, his mind was unaffected by external interference.

The pitch-black Qilin within his mind awakened, opening a sliver of burning golden eyes.

Even the fragment of the Qilin Wedge suspended deep in his consciousness seemed to tremble slightly.

At the same time, behind the Black Qilin, the darkness suddenly boiled over, trembling like a living thing, extending sharp edges that danced wildly like demons, chaos and fervor running rampant.

The process was so seamless.

It felt as if it was destined.

Like the natural order of the sun rising and setting, the rotation of day and night.

It was the law of nature.

"Take a guess, how long will it take for the wayward disciple to master the Qilin Forbidden Curse this time?"

Huai Yin smiled mischievously. "A week?"

Jing Ci recalled the last incident. "Three days?"

When an expert makes a move, you can instantly tell.

There are only two ways to master forbidden curses:

Either one observes the mythical body of an Ancient Supreme at close range.

Or one seeks out these Fallen Steles, which carry innumerable Spiritual Imprints from predecessors.

If someone lacks talent, even staring at it for a hundred years will yield nothing. Conversely, if they possess innate aptitude, a single glance can elicit a reaction.

Gu Jianlin's reaction had already made it quite clear.

"This isn't like Breathing Techniques. The essence of Breathing Techniques can be grasped naturally as long as the individual has talent and reaches the right emotional state. When performed, it manifests as a domain—simple yet brutal. Forbidden curses, however, are different. They require not only the cultivation of spirituality and mental strength but also a fusion with one's own soul, especially the Qilin Forbidden Curse."

Huai Yin gestured with confidence. "The essence of the Qilin Forbidden Curse is akin to nurturing another self."

Jing Ci thought for a moment. "Indeed, it's not that easy."

But just as his voice dropped, something trembled in the Void.

Huai Yin and Jing Ci seemed to sense it and simultaneously lowered their heads.

Gu Jianlin's shadow began trembling violently as well, showing signs that it was about to materialize a clone!

"This is possible?"

Huai Yin's eyes widened with shock.

Jing Ci crouched down, staring at his shadow intently, his expression perplexed.

Meanwhile, Gu Jianlin didn't hear their conversation.

Because within the depths of his consciousness, a bizarre scene unfolded.

The phantom representing the Inheritance Path trembled violently.

The Divine and Ghost Slayer phantoms were forcibly separated.

The golden eyes of the pitch-black Qilin suddenly turned blood-red and swallowed the Ghost Slayer Path phantom whole.

In an instant, the wildly dancing shadow transformed dramatically into a twisted phantom. Its body was pierced through by blades, drenched in crimson blood, trampling upon a mound of bones, clutching a sinister blade in each hand!

Ghost Slayer Path!

Gu Jianlin's second path had astonishingly fused with the shadow created by the Qilin Forbidden Curse!

Boom!

Gu Jianlin regained consciousness, breathing heavily.

As soon as he came to his senses, his first reaction was to lower his head and inspect his shadow.

Sure enough, his shadow was no longer the same as before.

The cluster of darkness was vibrating madly at an almost imperceptible frequency.

It seemed ready to break out of its cocoon.

"Awake?"

Jing Ci shoved his hands into his pockets with a casual expression and looked at him. "Hmm, half a minute—decent enough."

Huai Yin, sitting in a wheelchair, glanced faintly at the boy's shadow and murmured to herself, "The shadow has already begun hatching. Before long, it'll be usable in combat. This level of comprehension is okay. Although it's just a notch below what we achieved back then, among the younger generation of today, it's peerless."

Gu Jianlin froze, not expecting that as the Qilin Venerable, his comprehension was still insufficient.

He analyzed the situation—it must be related to the mutation of the shadow.