The Origins of the Withered Wood

"So you're a Great Grandmaster! I was disrespectful in my earlier words. Please forgive me, Great Grandmaster."

The man spoke.

Ning Wangshu waved a hand and said calmly, "It's fine. You should get to the point."

"Of course, of course!"

The man hurriedly agreed, then said, "To be honest, Great Grandmaster, that withered piece of wood really does have an extraordinary origin. I found it several months ago in a mysterious place deep in the Kunlun Mountains."

"A mysterious place in the Kunlun Mountains? What was so mysterious about it?"

Ning Wangshu asked.

The man took a small breath and replied, "I called it mysterious because I was searching for medicinal herbs in the Kunlun Mountains when the ground suddenly shook violently beneath my feet. Right after that, a valley not far ahead split open, and strange lights began to pour out."

"I thought some kind of treasure had appeared, so I hurried over to investigate. But as soon as I got close, I felt an incredibly dense Spiritual Qi gushing out of the fissure."

"The Spiritual Qi was so dense that it fell like misty rain. A great deal of gravel and other things were swept along with it and sprayed out as well."

"But I wasn't the only one there at the time. People from the Qi City Meng Family were there too. As it happened, that withered piece of wood flew straight toward me."

"I was afraid the Meng Family would spot me and come after me, so after picking up the wood, I ran off immediately. I didn't dare linger. The other things swept out with it were probably all taken by the Meng Family."

"As for what those things were, I have no idea."

"After I got away, I examined the withered wood carefully. I