The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

The stone carvings on the walls depict scenes of ancient people worshipping, hunting, and praying to gods. The characters are ancient and mysterious, and no one can recognize them.

The palace beams and pillars are carved with dragon patterns, the dragon heads have nine branches, the shapes are strange, yet they are extremely majestic; the stone slabs on the ground are carved with complete star maps, echoing the stars in the sky.

The energy detector in Ying Wenjie's hand was now emitting a piercing "beep beep" alarm, and the energy value on the screen had gone off the charts!

At the deepest part of the ruins, before the wall, the energy detector's pointer reached its maximum value. Wu Qingya stopped and looked at the detector in Ying Wenjie's hand. "The core energy source is behind this wall."

The walls were built of huge bluestones, with no patterns on the surface, but a dark red light could be faintly seen through the cracks between the stones, as if something was burning behind the walls.

Wu Qingya stretched out his hand and placed his palm on the stone surface. The stone was cold, but the light shining through the cracks was warm.

"Captain, should we blow it up?" a teammate asked. Wu Qingya's hand paused on the stone surface for a moment, and he remained silent for three seconds.

This is an ancient site, possibly thousands of years old. The demolition means permanent damage to the walls, and the cultural relics are of immeasurable value, but what's behind the walls may be even more important.

"Bomb." He stood up and took a few steps back.

The team members acted immediately, without any hesitation.

Specially made small directional explosives were precisely attached to the bottom of the stone wall, ensuring that the wall could be blasted open while minimizing damage to the surrounding stone carvings and inscriptions. The setup was completed in just one minute.

"Three, two, one—detonate."

With a deafening roar, debris flew everywhere, and smoke billowed. A hole more than two meters high was blasted open in the center of the wall.

Dark red light surged out of the cave entrance, like magma that had been imprisoned for thousands of years finally finding an outlet.

The light shone on everyone's face, and everyone's expression froze at that moment.

Dark red stones were embedded in the mountain, the largest being the size of a washbasin and the smallest the size of an egg.

The surface is covered with golden patterns, the crystal is bright and dark, and exudes a hot temperature.

Wu Qingya squatted down, picked up a piece the size of an egg from the rubble, and placed it on the testing instrument... The instrument instantly exceeded its limit.

He picked up an even larger piece, the energy fluctuations of which nearly caused the pointer to hit the very end.

"This is the energy stone we've been looking for. It has the same origin as the residual energy fluctuations in the Shushan Xuantan Hall!" He put the stone into a sealed bag and labeled it.

In the battle at Mount Shu, Chen Hao took away the core essence, leaving only scattered fragments of aura. The Special Affairs Bureau and the professors analyzed it countless times and finally confirmed that this energy crystal was the source that triggered the appearance of the ancient Daoist temple.

Qin Xiaoyu broke off a fist-sized piece from the wall, weighed it in her hand, and could feel a warm sensation seeping from the stone. Her previously sluggish internal energy flowed smoothly instantly, making her feel warm all over, and her cultivation level was subtly improving.

Ye Chendong and Wu Tian each took one, exchanged a glance, and Ye Chendong gripped the Flame Spirit Stone tightly, thinking, "Such powerful energy..."

Wu Tian nodded, his sharp eyes filled with shock: "No wonder those people like Pan Feng and Xu Yunda could become strong overnight. With this, ordinary people can quickly step into the threshold of ancient martial arts!"

Ying Wenjie watched from the side, hesitated for a moment, and then took one as well.

Wu Qingya glanced at them but did not stop them.

The walls of the ruins were covered with inscriptions, the strokes intricate and the structure meticulous, unlike any script he had ever seen before. He took out his camera and photographed them frame by frame.

"Fall back." He stood up.

With no objections, the group, carrying their spoils, quickly left the ruins following the array route indicated by Qin Xiaoyu, heading towards the temporary command center at the foot of Laoshan Mountain.

In the temporary command center, bulletproof tents stretched out in rows, and monitoring screens, communication equipment, and scientific research instruments filled the entire hall. Cao Shoujun and Qin Zheng were sitting in the main seats, staring at the real-time monitoring in the mountains, their faces solemn.

Seeing Wu Qingya and his group return with sealed bags, the two immediately stood up and quickly went to greet them. "How was it?" Cao Shoujun asked first.

Wu Qingya immediately stood at attention and saluted, then began to report in detail: "Reporting to Director Cao and Director Qin, we have discovered a complete ancient site deep in the core of Laoshan Mountain, successfully broken through the Bagua maze, and found the core energy source!"

As he spoke, he gestured for his team members to open the bag, and a crimson energy stone instantly appeared before them, its intense energy emanating from it.

He then gave a detailed and complete account of the entire process, from the appearance of the ruins and the encounter with the giant python, to getting trapped in the maze and how Qin Xiaoyu broke the deadlock.

The tent was brightly lit. On a long table were more than a dozen dark red stones, the largest of which was placed in a transparent box, where several professors were examining it with various instruments.

Cao Shoujun stood in the middle of the tent, holding Wu Qingya's action report in his hand.

Qin Zheng sat beside him, his teacup having been refilled several times, the tea becoming weaker and weaker, but he didn't drink a drop.

The professors' preliminary analysis suggests that the stone contains an unknown energy that can significantly enhance a person's physical condition and internal strength.

It is used to assist in cultivation, and its effects far surpass any existing medicine or cultivation method.

Cao Shoujun put down the report and looked at the professors: "Are you sure?"

Professor Li adjusted his glasses. "The timeframe is too short; further research is needed. But based on preliminary data, its benefits to martial arts training are enormous."

Qin Xiaoyu, Ye Chendong, and Wu Tian sat cross-legged in the corner of the tent, each with a fist-sized energy stone in front of them. No one forced them to try; they requested it themselves.

Ying Wenjie stood outside the tent, his eyes filled with envy, holding a fist-sized rock in his hand, but he didn't go in.

He is not from an ancient martial arts family and has no inherited skills, so absorbing them would waste a lot of energy.

Although he could purchase martial arts techniques through his family, they were simply no match for the inheritances of these orthodox ancient martial arts families.

An hour later, Ye Chendong opened his eyes, flexed his fingers, and stood up. Cao Shoujun asked how he felt.

He looked at his clenched and unclenched fist and said, "I've reached the early stage of Dark Force, and now I'm at its peak. I'm just one step away from breaking through to the Transcendent Realm."

An hour and a half later, Wu Tian opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked incredulous.

Two hours later, Qin Xiaoyu was still continuing. Others gradually withdrew, but she remained motionless.

Only she and the special operations instructor remained in the tent; it was so quiet that the sound of the stone's energy pulsating could be heard.

Her aura was rising, and it took her less than half an hour to go from the initial stage of Dark Force to the peak of Dark Force, and then she began to break through to the Transcendent Realm.

Another hour passed. Suddenly, her body jolted, her clothes moved without wind, and an invisible force surged from within her, causing the tent flap to bulge outwards.

She opened her eyes, which were brighter than before, with a faint golden halo deep in her pupils.

"The Transcendent Realm." The instructor's voice was somewhat hoarse. "A Transcendent Realm expert in their early twenties."

There was a moment of silence in the tent. The Transcendent Realm—for the scions of ancient martial arts families, it was a height that most people could never reach in their entire lives.

Qin Xiaoyu is twenty-four years old this year. The level of mastery at twenty-four is unprecedented in the history of modern martial arts.

The special agents exchanged glances, their expressions complex.