Chapter 10: Who Is There?
White Sword Sect.
The disciples piled the treasures they brought back into the storage warehouse beside the Scripture Pavilion.
Liang Chuan, however, fixed his gaze on the quaint, old-fashioned little building before him.
This Scripture Pavilion, usually sparsely stocked, appeared to him as a veritable treasure trove.
In the modern era, cultivation techniques were the most valuable commodities.
With the advancement of industrialization, more reliance was placed on devices and weapons that integrated spiritual energy and industrial technology.
As history progressed, many cultivation techniques gradually vanished, leaving only those suitable for the majority to use.
This resulted in only 172 cultivation techniques existing worldwide, most of which were hoarded by the wealthy, never even glimpsed by outsiders.
The very reason Liang Chuan worked tirelessly to send Liang Xin to a top-tier academy was because it housed techniques that ordinary people could scarcely hope to access.
Yet here, cultivation techniques were as common as dust, and even casually taking a single volume into the modern world would be worth a fortune!
“A treasure! How can such a wonderful place exist in this world!”
To Liang Chuan, these were not mere cultivation techniques but piles of spiritual stones stacked high.
Grabbing even one volume could blow the minds of those outside.
Without hesitation, upon entering the Scripture Pavilion, he drew a volume from the sparse shelves — a yellow-grade technique.
The title read: Iron Bone Technique.
“You’re the one!”
This technique also existed in later times, but learning it required at least a hundred thousand spiritual stones.
And that was merely the cost to obtain the right to learn.
Original ancient copies were priceless, easily valued at over a million spiritual stones, yet with no market.
“Time is short. The urgent task is to let Xin Xin understand the function of this black wooden box!”
Although there were many cultivation techniques within the Scripture Pavilion, this one happened to have a modern-day counterpart, perfect for testing his suspicions.
Liang Chuan opened the black wooden box and without hesitation placed the Iron Bone Technique inside.
The moment it was placed in, the technique vanished from sight within the box!
“As expected!”
It was like an Ender’s Chest, capable of transferring items back and forth!
“How could I forget about the letter!”
Slapping his thigh, Liang Chuan suddenly remembered the letter.
He went to a table by the gate, casually grabbed a blank sheet of rice paper, picked up a brush, and quickly wrote.
After finishing the letter, he hurriedly placed it inside the black wooden box.
But this time, after putting the letter in, the envelope inside remained motionless.
“What’s going on?”
Liang Chuan stared at the letter, his mind blank. “Could this thing have usage restrictions?”
...
In the modern day, inside a cramped storeroom.
Liang Xin curled her legs and squatted before her father’s portrait, sobbing uncontrollably.
Seeing the black wooden box, she seemed to recall something and pulled a strawberry-flavored lollipop from her pocket.
This was Liang Chuan’s favorite snack.
She stepped forward, forcing down her emotions, and slowly opened the black wooden box.
Her hands trembled; she neither wanted to nor dared to see her father’s urn.
But the moment she opened it, the lollipop slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
Liang Xin stared at the box in a daze; even her grief was momentarily frozen.
“Where are the things?”
Everything inside had vanished—not just the handgun, but her father’s urn as well!
“Who?! Who stole my dad’s ashes?”
Panicked, Liang Xin glanced around; only a powerful cultivator could have taken them without anyone noticing.
Then, suddenly, the black wooden box burst forth a dazzling golden light!
When the light faded, a small booklet had appeared out of thin air inside the box.
Watching this unfold, Liang Xin’s mind went blank.
...
Time flowed relentlessly. Liang Chuan sat in his room, frowning as he tested the black wooden box, driven by his desperate need to reach his daughter, tirelessly working day and night.
This was his only way to return to the modern world and see his daughter; he had to cling to it tightly.
He repeatedly took out the letter, closed the box, then reopened it.
No matter how many tests he ran, the familiar envelope was always there.
He had even shrunk the letter down to tiny paper balls, but nothing changed.
“Something’s off!”
Liang Chuan stroked his chin, lost in thought. If there was a limit on usage, this thing would be too useless.
Then, suddenly, one of the paper balls disappeared.
!!!
Seeing the paper ball vanish, his eyes flew wide open.
“I get it! I get it!”
Excitedly pacing, he glanced at the time; twelve hours had passed since he first sent the Iron Bone Technique through.
That meant the box could transfer items once every half day.
And there was probably a quantity limit—only one item could be transferred each time!
The reason so many items had been transferred before was likely because the box could accumulate charges!
Either the total number of uses was capped, or only one item could be transferred per use on his side!
...
“Monster!”
Startled by the suddenly appearing book, Liang Xin stumbled back several steps.
She bumped into the stool behind her and sank down onto it.
She frantically looked around; the storeroom was deathly silent, only her rapid breathing audible.
Liang Xin shouted fiercely into the air, “I warn you, don’t mess around! If you don’t return my father’s ashes, I’ll call the police!”
But the surroundings remained utterly still, with no response.
Despite this, she watched fearfully, too scared to make any sudden moves.
If it wasn’t a powerful cultivator, then it must be a demon!
Either way, she, a mere early-stage Qi refining cultivator, was no match.
Don’t be fooled by the modern setting—some still abused their powers with impunity.
And since someone had even stolen her father’s ashes, there was nothing they wouldn’t do!
Curled up on the stool, memories of news reports she'd seen on TV surfaced in her mind.
[At 1 a.m., an unknown powerful cultivator defecated casually outside the street office and taunted the surveillance cameras.]
[A Golden Core stage man went mad and rampaged in a pig farm late at night.]
[A Nascent Soul stage man, relying on his strong body, shouted demanding black pepper chicken breast at a convenience store, arrested by police.]
Each recalled news item increased Liang Xin’s terror.
The stronger the power, the more twisted the mind.
“Senior, I’m just a little girl, please spare me. Our valuables are all in the safe.”
Liang Xin pleaded into the empty air, hoping the other party was merely greedy and would take the valuables and leave.
But there was no reaction.
“Could this be a hallucination?”
Summoning her courage, she stood and cautiously approached the black wooden box.
It was said that in moments of extreme pain, hallucinations were common.
She shook her head, took a deep breath, and looked inside the box.
What met her eyes was still that black-covered ancient text.
The bold words Iron Bone Technique were especially striking.
“This is the Iron Bone Technique?”
Liang Xin was stunned.
She had heard of this technique before—it was quite ordinary, but learning it was very expensive.
What lay before her was...
An ancient edition???
But why had it suddenly appeared here?
“Could it be...”
Her eyes widened, fear mounting as she looked around.
This had to be the doing of that strong cultivator, obviously trying to exchange this ancient tome for her father’s ashes and handgun.
She couldn’t help but imagine a man with a sinister laugh brewing tea with her father’s ashes.
An evil cultivator!