"Sister, this ginseng is excellent. Take it for your use," Ning Beichen handed the jade box to Nangong Feiyan.
"Junior Brother, I don't need such a heavenly treasure yet. You should keep it," Nangong Feiyan shook her head, refusing to accept it.
Ning Beichen then spoke about the ginseng, explaining that such natural treasures were beyond monetary value. He then opened the second jade box.
The moment the lid was lifted, Ning Beichen and Nangong Feiyan exclaimed in unison, "Jiu Gong Ce!"
Ning Beichen's face lit up with joy as he took out the Jiu Gong Ce from the jade box. He had finally found it, which was also the reason Nangong Feiyan had accompanied him here. If Ning Beichen hadn't accidentally discovered the mechanism of the throne, they might not have found the secret chamber or obtained the Jiu Gong Ce.
"Junior Brother, we finally found it," Nangong Feiyan said, looking at the Jiu Gong Ce with excitement.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sister," Ning Beichen said, feeling grateful. He knew that finding the Jiu Gong Ce was largely due to Nangong Feiyan's efforts.
"It's not hard work. This is one of the few things this elder sister can do for you," Nangong Feiyan replied. She had been looking for the Jiu Gong Ce for Ning Beichen's sake and didn't particularly want it herself.
"Regardless, finding the Jiu Gong Ce is all thanks to you, Sister. Oh, right, Sister, I have a cultivation technique that might suit you well. I'll teach it to you when we get back," Ning Beichen said emotionally.
"Junior Brother, no. Master has his reasons for not letting me join the sect. I cannot secretly learn our sect's techniques, and I certainly don't want to implicate you," Nangong Feiyan said hastily.
"Don't worry, Sister. The technique I'll teach you isn't from our sect. It's something I obtained from an ancient sect's ruins. This technique is no less inferior to ours," Ning Beichen explained to Nangong Feiyan.
"If that's the case, then this elder sister thanks Junior Brother," Nangong Feiyan did not refuse. Her current strength was too low, and sometimes she felt powerless to help Ning Beichen. Only by becoming stronger herself could she better assist her junior brother.
"Junior Brother, there's still one more box. Shall we open it and see what's inside?" Nangong Feiyan pointed to the third jade box.
"Alright." Ning Beichen was also very interested in the third jade box. The first contained a 500-year-old ginseng that could induce transformation, and the second held the Jiu Gong Ce. The item in the third jade box was surely no ordinary treasure.
Upon opening the third jade box, a jade seal appeared inside.
"What is this?" Nangong Feiyan asked curiously.
Ning Beichen took out the jade seal and examined it. He felt it was extraordinary, then flipped it over to look at the inscription.
"This is the jade seal of the former King of Annan," Ning Beichen said with some disappointment. If this were considered an antique, it would be priceless. However, to Ning Beichen, it was no different from a piece of scrap rock. The era of the King of Annan had ended centuries ago; what use was his jade seal now?
"Hmm, the energy in this secret chamber is a bit strange," Ning Beichen said, putting down the jade seal. He suddenly sensed a faint, elusive energy within the chamber. His intuition told him that if he could absorb this energy, it would greatly benefit his cultivation.
"Sister, please wait for me outside. I want to cultivate here for a while," Ning Beichen said to Nangong Feiyan.
Nangong Feiyan readily agreed, nodded to her junior brother, and left the secret chamber. Ning Beichen wasted no time. He immediately sat cross-legged, circulated his cultivation technique, and began to absorb the mysterious energy from the secret chamber.
In truth, reaching the Grandmaster realm marked the end of cultivation in this world. There were no further techniques to guide one, otherwise, this world wouldn't have only Grandmasters, as the realm beyond is oneness with heaven and earth. Ning Beichen had never heard of any cultivation methods for achieving oneness with heaven and earth. If such methods existed, there would surely be powerful cultivators of this level in the world, even if they were in decline. However, Ning Beichen couldn't be absolutely certain. Who knew if some ancient powerhouse achieving oneness with heaven and earth might suddenly appear from some forgotten corner? But even if they existed, their numbers would be extremely rare, and they likely wouldn't be bothering with the trivial matters of youngsters in this world. They would surely be pursuing higher realms.
"A technique for oneness with heaven and earth?" The Jiu Gong Ce came to Ning Beichen's mind. It was the only legend circulating in this world. It was said that by collecting all nine volumes of the Jiu Gong Ce and deciphering its mysteries, one could obtain the method to advance to oneness with heaven and earth, or perhaps the cultivation technique itself was hidden within. However, no one had succeeded over the years, leading many to believe the Jiu Gong Ce was a hoax. Consequently, few people cared about it anymore. Even veteran Grandmasters like the ancestor of the Chen family didn't set their sights on the Jiu Gong Ce. Otherwise, with their seniority, immense family wealth, and influence, they would have been able to collect all nine volumes.
"Does the Jiu Gong Ce contain it or not?" Ning Beichen wondered. But soon, he stopped dwelling on the Jiu Gong Ce. Regardless of whether it held the key to oneness with heaven and earth, once he collected all nine volumes, he could study it at his leisure. For now, the most important thing was to quickly advance his cultivation to the peak of the Grandmaster realm. Otherwise, even if he collected all nine volumes of the Jiu Gong Ce, it would be useless.
Ning Beichen dismissed his scattered thoughts and began to cultivate. The mysterious energy soon entered his body, bringing him a great surprise. After an unknown period, Ning Beichen finished cultivating and stood up comfortably, stretching his limbs. The absorbed mysterious energy was equivalent to his entire year's worth of cultivation.
"This is wonderful! It's a pity there's so little mysterious energy here. If only there were more," Ning Beichen said greedily. Anyone would be greedy if an hour of cultivation yielded a year's worth of progress.
However, just as Ning Beichen was about to go find his senior sister, he suddenly heard a loud bang. The door to the secret chamber was flung open from the outside.
"Huh? Could it be that Sister had a premonition and knew I had finished cultivating?" Ning Beichen was surprised and prepared to walk towards the exit. But the next moment, his expression turned ferocious. He saw Ruan Jinzhu enter from outside, holding Nangong Feiyan captive.
"Don't move, or I'll kill her!" Ruan Jinzhu held a knife to Nangong Feiyan's neck. Truth be told, she had been quite unlucky. Upon entering the passageway, she hadn't seen the old man with the goatee, nor Ning Beichen and Nangong Feiyan. Furthermore, she had taken a path that led completely opposite to the underground palace.