The beast skin book was about a foot square, shimmering with a silver sheen. It was covered in hundreds of characters, not written with ink but carved into the surface.
Wang Xuan ran his hand over it, feeling the intricate patterns and the exquisite craftsmanship. Each character seemed to hold meaning and beauty, yet he recognized none of them!
What kind of bizarre script was this? The strokes were numerous and incredibly complex; he tried to relate it to seal script but found no similarities. It wasn't oracle bone script either—what era did this writing belong to that he couldn't recognize a single character?
Wang Xuan employed a memorization technique, focusing on the hundreds of characters as if they were photographs, imprinting them in his mind. Not recognizing them now didn't matter; he could look them up later or find someone to decipher them. The key was to remember them firmly.
For the sake of secrecy, everyone was prohibited from bringing devices that could contact the outside world. Otherwise, Wang Xuan could have just taken a photo. Although he had a tiny scanner the size of a button, it was provided by the exploration organization and would likely need to be submitted later.
As he committed the characters to memory, he found it quite challenging. With hundreds of complex characters he didn't know, he could only memorize them like a dead language. Fortunately, over the years, he had trained his mind by practicing various complex scenes in the old techniques without any oversight.
He treated the entire silver beast skin book as a complex painting, engraving it in his heart and continually envisioning it. Wang Xuan was confident he had captured everything in his mind.
Ultimately, he still activated the tiny scanner to scan the characters from different angles, wary of any hidden meanings. "Even if I have to submit it, I hope Qingmu allows me to keep a copy."
Wang Xuan didn't think of monopolizing it; first, he felt this was something everyone had contributed to. Second, he believed that hoarding resources rarely ended well. Since he had a scanner, it might have already automatically started recording everything from this mission.
There were many miraculous techniques in the world, and countless treasures. Financial magnates had dug up everything from ancient relics, even gold bamboo slips, but no one had been reported to master any of them.
Ultimately, it depended on the individual; the last word lay in who could comprehend and truly master the essence of what was recorded.
Wang Xuan seriously suspected that this scripture wouldn't be mastered by anyone in a short time, nor would anyone decipher its profound secrets.
After all, even that figure in feathered garments, considered the strongest among the practitioners, had been studying this beast skin scroll until death. His strength and continued research spoke volumes.
Next, he took out the jade box.
The jade box was mostly white and smooth, made from beautiful jade with patches of bloodstains on one side—it was an antique. Inside were several pieces of gold foil, nailed together like a few pages forming a thin golden book.
Wang Xuan looked it over; it contained only five pages, each adorned with human figures but lacking textual annotations. The images flowed together, providing sufficient detail.
He was certain this was a body technique that seemed profound, involving complex movements of the organs and was likely not simple.
He began memorizing again; overall, the familiar human figures were much easier to remember than the characters on the silver beast skin scroll.
Finally, he used the scanner to record the entire golden book.
He knew the beast skin scroll might not yield insights anytime soon—at least not in the short term, as only top practitioners could study it. Perhaps, at that moment, the golden book was more valuable to him than the beast skin scroll.
Wang Xuan found a hidden spot, leaning against the stone wall, holding his energy gun, and once again carefully examining the golden book and silver scroll.
Time quietly passed. Qingmu, Black Tiger, and the others had not returned, evidently struggling through the complex underground passages that resembled a spider's web.
After an unknown amount of time, Wang Xuan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Without thinking, he raised his energy gun and swept it, the blinding beam shattering rocks and sending debris flying.
A figure moved with the agility and ferocity of a leopard, dodging quickly, evading the intertwined beams, and leaping like an eagle behind a rock, disappearing from view.
Wang Xuan's expression grew serious; this was definitely a formidable opponent!
Moments ago, the person had come within five meters of him before he sensed it, and with lightning speed, had evaded his gunfire.
An average person could not have done that; this individual was likely not weaker than Qingmu, having mastered exceptionally powerful old techniques, and was terrifyingly strong.
"Friend!" a voice called from behind the rock, revealing a middle-aged man in a protective suit like Wang Xuan's.
Wang Xuan remained silent, hiding behind the rock, ready to fire his energy gun at any moment.
That person was dangerous, especially since they had silently approached so close. Wang Xuan's instincts were on high alert; the individual clearly intended to attack him.
Figures emerged outside the underground chamber, around ten people holding energy guns, hiding behind rocks and corners.
A woman spoke up, "We're old acquaintances of Qingmu. Don't misunderstand; you must hurry and hand over the items. The discoveries here are crucial and cannot be lost. We're the ones responsible for the rescue and need to take you quickly through the underground palace. If we delay, the Zhou family and Ling family reinforcements might arrive."
Wang Xuan asked, "If you're responsible for the rescue, then why did you try to attack me just now?"
He was certain that if he hadn't kept his energy gun ready and reacted so quickly, he might have fallen prey to the ambush.
The middle-aged man who had struck earlier replied, "You misunderstood. We need to stay alert while entering the cave. I led them in stealthily, so I had to check for dangers. I didn't realize at first you were one of our own, but your reflexes are truly impressive, young man!"
Wang Xuan remained unmoved, adopting a hoarse voice, "If you're one of us, then let's wait for Qingmu and Black Tiger to return."
The woman seemed impatient, saying, "Why won't you listen? I told you, the Zhou family and Ling family people are coming. If you don't want to leave, hurry and hand over the beast skin scroll so we can get out of here first."
Wang Xuan instantly felt even less trust in them. They had seen the beast skin scroll, yet still attempted to approach him stealthily to ambush.
He remained silent, using the rocks for cover as he began to stealthily move deeper into the underground palace.
Upon noticing his actions, the group hurriedly picked up their pace to chase after him. Wang Xuan wasted no time; he aimed his energy gun at them, firing as a warning.
"Qingmu! Black Tiger! Are you back yet?" Wang Xuan shouted, still using a hoarse voice.
Noises came from afar, indicating Qingmu, Black Tiger, and the others were on their way back after some time.
"Chase him!" the woman commanded, and her group quickly followed suit.
The powerful middle-aged man was particularly alarming, silently and swiftly trying to close the distance to Wang Xuan, but he kept repelling him with his energy gun.
"Roar!" a shout echoed from deeper within the underground passage, indicating Qingmu had sensed something was wrong and was rushing over.
The underground passages were complex, resembling a spider's web. Wang Xuan suddenly halted, quickly finding a hidden spot to hide and then began shooting forward.
Indeed, amidst the brilliant beams of light, he spotted the middle-aged man who had maneuvered around from another fork in the path, preparing to ambush him.
"Jinchuan, what are you doing here?" Qingmu's voice rang out, as he quickly arrived and confronted the middle-aged man.
Wang Xuan immediately spoke up, "Qingmu, I obtained the silver beast skin scroll left by the pre-Qin practitioners. These people claim they're here to rescue us and want to take the scroll from me."
He straightforwardly relayed the situation.
"Jinchuan, you really went too far coming here to ambush us!" Qingmu exclaimed, clearly angry.
At the same time, he felt some relief; while they had only obtained an empty jade box, Wang Xuan had found the real inheritance.
Jinchuan expressed mild regret, saying, "Qingmu, we both know this is no ordinary find; don't hold it against me."
"You came armed to steal it and expect me not to be angry?!" Qingmu retorted with a cold laugh.
Jinchuan replied solemnly, "Don't worry; I'll just take a quick look and return it immediately. I swear I won't steal it."
"No way; you've crossed my line. I won't let you see it," Qingmu flatly refused.
With a wave of his hand, Jinchuan's group began to surround Wang Xuan's hiding spot.
Qingmu warned frostily, "You really dare to act against us? Don't forget, our exploration organization despises internal strife. Anyone who does that will be jointly hunted down by the others, no matter if you hide in the old lands or escape to the New Star—there will be no way out!"
Jinchuan shook his head, smiling lightly. "No, you misunderstand. I only wish to spar with you; my people want to spar with young Wang, and there won't be any bloodshed."
Saying this, he ordered his people, "Don't draw your guns. To show sincerity, lay them down."
At that moment, Black Tiger, Feng Zheng, and others were not far behind, shouting warnings to Jinchuan's group not to act recklessly.
Qingmu shouted, "Wang, protect what you've obtained! According to our organization's agreement, you only need to submit half of what you find during the expedition, so that's your own trophy. Don't let them steal it!"
Wang Xuan nodded; he was quite displeased with these newcomers. If he hadn't been vigilant enough, he might have been dealt with, and while he might have survived, the golden book and silver scroll would surely have been taken from him.
He wasn't about to go easy on them. They wanted to ambush him and now didn't even ask for his consent, treating him like he was nothing.
Those who had thrown down their energy guns were closing in on him, surrounding him more closely.
Wang Xuan said nothing, quietly waiting. When someone suddenly lunged at him, he raised both hands with his gun and swept it across.
Thud! Thud!
Several people fell to the ground, knocked unconscious, while others quickly retreated, successfully avoiding his attack.
"This young man doesn't play fair; we said we'd spar bare-handed with old techniques, but he used a gun!" someone complained.
Wang Xuan ignored them. Why should he care about their so-called rules? They had intended to ambush him and steal his spoils—what right did they have to complain now?
Finally, Black Tiger and Feng Zheng rushed back first, "playing fair" by launching an attack using old techniques against Jinchuan's group.
"Wang, show them what you've got," Qingmu encouraged, maintaining his stance against Jinchuan while seeming unconcerned about the situation.
Wang Xuan observed that a few young men among Jinchuan's group hadn't engaged yet, and they were unarmed.
Wang Xuan stepped out, without hesitation, unleashing a thunderous wave with his fists. He charged into the group, employing the Vajra Fist technique.
In an instant, the area was filled with powerful punches, cracking the ground beneath his feet. His sheer strength astonished everyone; it was rare to see such a young master of old techniques!
Bang!
In moments, one woman took a kick to the face, spitting blood as she flew back, collapsing against the rock wall, motionless.
Crack!
Next, a young man was hit by Wang Xuan's Vajra Fist on the shoulder, his bone shattering with a grunt as he fell into the rubble.
Thud!
In the fierce exchange, a third person was kicked into the air, suffering three broken ribs, blood oozing from his mouth as he lay there unable to rise.
In a very short time, Wang Xuan had taken down five people and was charging toward the opponents facing Black Tiger and Feng Zheng.
Black Tiger and Feng Zheng had run fast, each already engaged with several adversaries.
Now Wang Xuan charged in, sending one opponent flying about seven or eight meters, causing him to cough blood and struggle to get up.
These were middle-aged practitioners, in their thirties and forties, well-versed in old techniques, yet they were still taken down by Wang Xuan, with some suffering broken arms or ribs.
"Stop fighting!" Jinchuan shouted, realizing the situation was turning against him. "I didn't expect this rookie to be so fierce! The key is he fights dirty; my seasoned men can't handle it. This was a miscalculation; I didn't bring any experts aside from myself."
"Qingmu, how about we call it even? I owe you a favor for next time!" Jinchuan lowered his stance.
Qingmu nodded, "Alright, next time let me take a look at the scriptures of the White Tiger True Solution that your family passes down."
"Get lost!" Jinchuan led his group away.
"We're leaving too!" Qingmu called everyone together, and they swiftly exited the underground palace. Soon after, they boarded their spaceship and successfully departed from Qingcheng Mountain.