Mace Strikes Three Prefectures and Six Administrations, Horse Treads Both Banks of the Tai River!

"Curious, aren't you?" Jiang Lie asked with a smile, cradling a hand warmer.

Jiang Zhe nodded repeatedly.

"These two weapons are both Ancient Civilization Relics."

Old Master Jiang had already decided to reveal the broader side of the world to his extraordinarily gifted young grandson.

As more was revealed, Jiang Zhe cooperatively showed the appropriate look of shock. After listening to his grandfather describe fragments of the ancient civilization, he then listened as his grandfather introduced the two weapons before them.

"Exploring ancient civilization ruins is something only major powers are permitted to do, unless you possess absolute strength like Hong and Thunder God. Naturally, I couldn't get involved, nor could I gain any benefits from it."

"But the Jiang Family has been passed down for long enough. In ancient times, some treasures that came out of ancient civilization ruins happened to fall into our ancestors' hands and were passed down through the generations. After the Great Nirvana, when humanity found the Path to Heaven, these treasures began to shine as well."

Old Master Jiang suddenly asked, "Do you know Qin Qiong?"

"Mace strikes Three Prefectures and Six Administrations, horse treads both banks of the Tai River!" Jiang Zhe's eyes widened. Looking again at the two weapons, they really did resemble Qin Qiong's equipment.

"Haha, good that you know."

The old man smiled and revealed their names.

"This is the Four-Sided Tiled Gold-Plated Bronze Mace!"

"And that is the Water-Absorbing Skull-Lifting Spear, also known as the Eight Treasures Alligator Dragon Spear."

"Come, feel their weight." The old man suddenly pushed the pair of golden maces before Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Zhe picked one up and weighed it in his hand. The overly light feel made him frown and shake his head. "Each one is only around fifteen to twenty kilograms. That's too light—not even as heavy as a Series 2 Battle Saber. It wouldn't feel right to use."

"How heavy do you want it?"

After estimating for a moment, Jiang Zhe answered, "A little over two hundred kilograms."

The old man smiled, set down the hand warmer, and picked up the other mace from the table. Primal energy flowed from him into it. The simple patterns on its surface lit up, then dimmed, and only then did he hand the mace to Jiang Zhe.

"Try again."

Jiang Zhe accepted it. This time, the weight was exactly to his liking, and he appropriately showed a look of surprise.

"Is this their... Special Ability? Is there anything else?"

Jiang Zhe was somewhat expectant.

After all, these were Primal Energy Weapons. Until he became immortal, he would probably be using this type of weapon.

"Even I find their maximum weight handy to use. Does that count?"

"Uh..."

The answer was written all over Jiang Zhe's face.

A little underwhelming. This probably didn't even count as a first-tier Primal Energy Weapon, did it?

"You greedy little brat!" Old Master Jiang laughed and scolded him. "Here, that one is yours. Take it and practice your whip techniques."

"Really? Thank you, Grandpa!"

Jiang Zhe happily swung his suitably weighted "new toy" twice.

Usually, they came as paired maces and a single whip.

A whip was supposed to be longer, but this golden mace was already 1.1 meters long. It was relatively long and felt very comfortable to use.

After waiting for a while, Jiang Zhe realized his grandfather had no intention of discussing the Eight Treasures Alligator Dragon Spear. The conversation seemed to end there abruptly.

How could Jiang Zhe be satisfied with that? He took the initiative to ask, making no attempt to hide the fact that his target was the Alchemy Furnace.

The old man's gaze grew distant. "That thing... I don't know either."

Turning around, he removed the Alchemy Furnace from its chain, placed it on the table, and pushed it before Jiang Zhe.

"Take a look using your Psychic Master methods. The slag our family uses is formed when I activate it to absorb Cosmic Energy."

After a pause, he continued, "But I think the way I use it is wrong. It takes too much effort and isn't worth the cost..."

The old man's voice grew softer and softer until it was no louder than a mosquito's buzz.

Jiang Zhe did not press him further. He held the Alchemy Furnace and began studying it. He had the "experience" of theoretical knowledge from his Past Life; perhaps he really could spot something.

The monkey-head-sized Alchemy Furnace was cast from an unknown metal. Though covered in rust, the exposed portions revealed intricate secret patterns, proving that it was certainly no low-level item.

The spherical furnace body had four wrist-wide circular openings facing in four directions. Through them, Jiang Zhe could see a pure white crystal core inside the Alchemy Furnace.

Jiang Zhe asked, "Grandpa, have you tried destroying the core inside?"

"No. It produces an energy shield."

Jiang Zhe nodded and did not attempt it. Instead, he turned his attention to another suspicious part of the Alchemy Furnace.

The Furnace Lid!

Unlike the furnace body, it was smooth and pristine, without the slightest trace of corrosion.

It was covered in dense markings that evenly divided it into sesame-seed-sized squares.

Jiang Zhe frowned. "I have a feeling these squares can move?"

He did not believe it was an illusion. He immediately reached out with Psychic Power and indeed detected something different.

With a forceful tug!

Countless sesame-seed-sized metal sheets, thin as cicada wings, rose from the Furnace Lid into the air.

Old Master Jiang could no longer remain calm. His expression stirred, and his fists clenched slightly. Could its secret finally be solved?

Jiang Zhe was excited as well, though he had a different thought.

Was this a Psychic Weapon?

But he was soon disappointed and dismissed the idea.

Although the countless metal sheets were hard, and although patterns covered their reverse sides, they were not Law Markings. They could not be linked together and possessed no destructive power whatsoever.

"There are exactly 10,081 sheets."

"The patterns on the backs of the sheets are all different, yet they seem connected. They can be pieced together... The eight layers of sheets stripped from the Furnace Lid can form eight pictures?"

With his powerful Psychic Power, even the fine patterns on the backs of sesame-seed-sized sheets were perfectly clear to Jiang Zhe.

He thought of the jigsaw puzzles he had played in his Past Life, the kind where countless identically shaped cardboard pieces were assembled into an anime image.

"It seems to be a combination lock. Once the puzzle is complete, the lock can be opened and the Furnace Lid lifted." Jiang Zhe voiced his guess to his grandfather.

The old man asked hopefully, "More than ten thousand pieces... can you put them together?"

"I don't know. I'll need a great deal of time and many attempts to trial and error it."

Jiang Zhe thought of Barabata. In the early stages, an Intelligent Life Form's computing ability surpassed humanity's. With its help in trial and error, the time required could definitely be greatly reduced.

He sighed inwardly. Sigh, it's still the same old problem. I have secrets, so I'm not suited to partnering with Barabata.

He completely dismissed this Shortcut.

The old man shook his head as well. "A great deal of time? No, that won't do. Your time cannot be wasted."

He then promised, "Little Zhe, restore it to its original state for now. Once you advance to Councilor Level, it will be yours. Then you'll have all the time you need to study it."

"Understood, Grandpa."

Using Psychic Power, Jiang Zhe guided the metal sheets back onto the Furnace Lid. He marveled inwardly. He had not expected even "barren" Earth to hold some small opportunities.

Looking forward to it~

While the train was moving, Jiang Zhe asked his grandfather why he had brought him out for training in such a hurry.

"If I didn't leave now, people would be blocking my door."

"The news that I killed the Tridacna King and advanced to Councilor Level has already spread. It's like standing in the eye of a storm. Every faction will come to bother me, trying to recruit me or force me to choose a side."

"I hate that sort of insincere socializing. I don't even want to go to the War God Palace. I might as well bring you out to hide somewhere quiet."

"Oh, right. The War God Palace is a virtual organization. All warriors above War God level across the world are members. You'll understand later."

"Rumble—" The train stopped at a station in the Southern Military Region.

Old Master Jiang began acting as a guide for his grandson, who was visiting the Wilderness Zone for the first time.

"See that tower? It's a lighthouse. You've read books from before the Great Nirvana, so you should know what it's for, right?"

"Come this way with me. The Martial Warrior Supply Base is over there. Our Jiang Family has businesses here."

"Villa A8 is the Jiang Family's exclusive resting area. A Steward is specifically responsible for this place. When you come here on your own in the future, just tell him directly if you need anything."

"..."

After spending half a day in the Martial Warrior Supply Base, Jiang Zhe entered the Wilderness Zone behind his grandfather with a sack of soybeans on his back.

That was right, soybeans—not bullets!

Jiang Zhe was completely bewildered. He had not expected this to be his starting setup.

Grandfather and grandson proceeded along an abandoned railway toward County-Level City No. 0177. As far as the eye could see, both sides of the road were in ruins, a scene common in post-apocalyptic games appearing in reality.