Curious Object

Jia Yi gently stroked the box for a moment, then turned and handed it to Bai Yang. "Open it and take a look."

Bai Yang accepted it with reverence. The moment the box touched his hands, he could tell it was no light weight.

The entire box was made from a type of wood he didn't recognize, its lacquered surface exquisitely finished.

Even though he knew nothing about such craftsmanship, he could tell the box alone was worth a fortune—practically a work of art.

He looked closely. At the very bottom of the box's front face, a line of text was carved:

"Since you've entered Mount Hua, why not practice the sword? — Linghu Yi"

Bai Yang's heart jolted with shock. A flood of terms instantly surged through his mind: "Splitting Mount Hua," "Sword Debate on Mount Hua," "Sword Forged from Mount Hua"...

And especially that name, "Linghu Yi"—wasn't that way too familiar?

Holding the wooden box, the touch of his fingers told him there was more writing on the back.

Bai Yang flipped it over and saw a short poem inscribed there:

Mount Hua's sword rises, Ten steps, one kill, Bones ground to dust? Protect my Huaxia!

The poem wasn't even good enough to be called doggerel—clearly the author wasn't highly educated.

But the strokes were bold and unrestrained, carrying a palpable fervor of blood and passion, a sincere heart devoted to serving the nation.

Lu Ting seemed to be seeing the box in detail for the first time as well. He said in surprise, "So that poem in the main hall of headquarters came from here. I thought you wrote it yourself, Teacher."

Jia Yi said, "An old friend of mine carved that. He claimed to be from Mount Hua. Pity he fell too early—otherwise, his strength would never have been inferior to mine.

When nations began excavating civilization ruins, they found all kinds of exploration instruments. Beneath Mount Hua, they unearthed many good things.

Bai Yang, don't just stare at the box. That was fitted later. What's inside is the real point."

Following the instruction, Bai Yang pushed open the box. Everyone couldn't help craning their necks, eager to see what lay within.

The moment the box opened, a burst of light radiated outward, startling everyone.

How could a sealed wooden box emit light?

Bai Yang squinted briefly, quickly adjusting.

Focusing his gaze, he saw inside the box lay an extremely ornate long sword, glowing with radiance.

The sword was silver-white in tone, accented with pale gold ornaments and a lotus-shaped guard. From the twin ears of the scabbard hung flowing white gauze and a sword tassel, gently swaying, lending it an ethereal, otherworldly air.

In the era of base cities, to fight monsters, both people and weapons prioritized practicality.

No one had ever thought to make a sword so flashy and elaborate.

What use was that?

The blade was slender and long, unable to bear much force—a single claw swipe from a monster might snap it.

Jia Yi said, "This sword is the most precious item unearthed there. Not even I, nor all the 'Above War God' experts on Earth combined, could damage this sword in the slightest."

Bai Yang carefully lifted the sword, gripping it firmly in his hand, and casually flicked a few sword blossoms.

The blade's edge instantly conjured a curtain of silver-white light that lingered in the air, taking a long time to fade.

He spun the sword into a circle, waving it freely through the air. In moments, hollow cylinders of light appeared throughout the room, as solid as real objects.

Bai Yang's playful spirit surged. He quickened his sword speed, unleashing the pinnacle of his swordsmanship.

Shua shua shua shua!

In an instant, no one could count how many thrusts he had delivered.

Soon, a white-gold lotus bloomed within the conference room.

It had nine layers, every petal and leaf vivid and lifelike, dazzling the eyes and lingering in the mind long after.

"Hong and Thor have both seen this thing, but neither uses a sword, and they couldn't wield it well. At the time, they didn't know its true value.

Over these past few years, as we've organized the ruins' data more thoroughly, we've finally figured out how to use it."

Bai Yang had grown genuinely fond of this treasured sword. He hurriedly asked, "Elder Jia, what exactly is this thing?"

"It's actually a ceremonial sword! That's why its appearance is so beautiful. But no one knows who made it.

It seems to have some kind of image-storage function. As long as someone uses it to perform advanced sword techniques, it can project various light images—including scenes of extraordinary, otherworldly experts!

If you can learn even a fraction of it, your strength can skyrocket.

And the sword itself constantly emits trace amounts of radiation. People nearby, after prolonged exposure, sometimes unconsciously glimpse certain images.

The highest inheritance of [Mount Hua], the Mist Sword, came from here."

Bai Yang was stunned inwardly and began recalling the original text:

Mist Sword, Category: Sword Technique, Rating: S-Class. Price: 3 billion Huaxia dollars (full price), 1.5 billion Huaxia dollars (half price, requirement: Limit Dojo three-star contribution points).

This sword art was only rated S-grade, far inferior to the main cultivation techniques of Hong and Thor, yet it was appraised as ultimate.

Who would have thought it came from [Mount Hua]?

No one expected this sword to have such an illustrious origin—even Hong and Thor had missed out on this treasure!

And Jia Yi was actually willing to take it out!

Everyone looked at Bai Yang with shock and envy; this sword could only be described as a priceless treasure.

One of a kind, with no duplicate anywhere.

Whether to choose the Limit Dojo, which could be cashed in short-term, or [Mount Hua], which required long-term self-enlightenment to yield results, was up to him.

For Bai Yang, there was no need to choose at all.

No matter how good or abundant the resources of the Limit Dojo were, he knew full well they were all things that could be replicated, and money was just a number.

This sword was different!

If he wasn't mistaken, this sword was the ceremonial saber of the Silver Blue Empire fleet, the one instantly slain by Hu Yanbo!

It wasn't a mere weapon; it served a diplomatic ceremonial role.

Those so-called images were all "grand scenes" actively recorded by its user during interstellar voyages!

The Silver Blue Empire was only a low-level cosmic civilization.

But precisely because of that, if the Black Dragon Mountain Empire or the Ganwu Universe Kingdom had any events, wouldn't they have to attend to show support?

During peacetime, it might have even graced diplomatic celebrations of higher cosmic kingdoms.

Among those, there might have been Domain Lords, Sector Lords, and Universe-level powerhouses displaying their skills!

Anyway, putting himself in their shoes, if Bai Yang were from the Silver Blue Empire and invited to a higher cosmic kingdom, he would definitely film everything obsessively.

He'd want to record everything, especially the might of the strong.

I'm betting on this!

The potential of this thing was utterly incalculable; Earth's resources couldn't compare.

Bai Yang turned to Inspector Liu and said apologetically, "Thank you for your kind offer, Inspector Liu, but I still want to stay with [Mount Hua]. When I have the chance, I'll formally apologize to the Limit Dojo."

Inspector Liu quickly declined, saying he dared not accept; even he envied this sword, and Bai Yang's choice was only natural.

Lu Ting suddenly spoke up: "Actually, you can go next year. This year's War God Preparatory Camp slot for Huaxia is also yours."

Inspector Liu inwardly wanted to curse.

"You use the quota we allocated to you, then turn around and poach people from us? And you come to apologize in person?! [Mount Hua] old sixth, I've got my eye on you!"