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

Chen Hao was still on the balcony.

The tea was changed, and Xiaoyue changed her position—from lying on her back to lying on her side, but her tail was still wagging.

Xiaoqing stood on Xiaoyue's head, standing on one leg, her eyes closed as if she were dozing off.

Chen Siyao walked over and gave a brief report on her experiences that day.

After listening, Chen Hao only said two words: "Not bad."

Then continue drinking tea.

Chen Siyao was already used to her brother's reaction. In his eyes, these were probably just "not bad".

She turned and went back to her room, ready to get some rest.

Tomorrow... no, I'm not going tomorrow.

Everyone needs to rest.

The next day.

Chen Siyao was able to sleep until she naturally woke up, which was a rare occurrence for her.

She drew back the curtains, and the sunlight was blinding. She squinted at her phone... 10 a.m.

Yesterday's battle was too exhausting; my body is still a bit sore. Pills can heal injuries, but the fatigue needs time to subside.

After she finished washing up and went downstairs, she found that everyone else also looked like they hadn't slept enough.

Wu Tian leaned back on the sofa, a plaster on his ribs, and he grimaced with every slight movement.

Ying Wenjie's left arm was still in a sling, and he was eating breakfast with one hand.

Yang Wanqing seemed to be in good spirits, but the bruises on her back meant she could only sit prone.

"Let's not go today?" Ye Chendong walked over with a bowl of porridge, the wound on his forehead scabbed over.

"No, I'm not going." Chen Siyao sat down. "I'll rest for a day. There's no rush with the 34th Island."

No one objected.

Qin Xiaoyu walked in from outside, holding a tablet in her hand: "Take a look at this."

She placed the tablet on the table; the screen displayed the homepages of major news platforms.

Every single headline—without exception—is about Penglai Island.

"An ancient mechanical beast, ten meters tall and capable of walking on water, has been discovered in the Penglai Islands of China."

"The lineage of the disciples of the Tongtian Sect Leader has been revealed, and the figures from the Investiture of the Gods have been confirmed to have existed."

"Live stream viewership surpasses 400 million, drawing global attention to ancient Chinese civilization relics."

Netizens around the world are discussing it heatedly. Some are amazed, some are skeptical, some are speculating about conspiracy theories, and some are even begging to be taken on a cultivation journey.

South Korean netizens are still insisting that Penglai belongs to them, but few people in the comments section are paying attention to them anymore.

The comments from South Korean netizens were folded up by the system, and the replies below were all from Chinese netizens—"Ah, right, right, Penglai is yours, the universe is yours."

It's not just the media in China.

CNN, BBC, NHK, Reuters—the world's mainstream media are all reporting on it.

Ying Wenjie leaned over for a look: "The number of viewers in the live stream exceeded 300 million yesterday?"

"The peak audience reached 420 million," said Qin Xiaoyu. "Over 40% of them were from overseas."

Wu Tian whistled: "We've become international internet celebrities!"

Chen Siyao scrolled through the news comments section.

The comments from Chinese netizens were basically a celebration—

"Our ancient Chinese civilization is awesome!"

"If even an inner disciple of the Tongtian Sect Leader is this strong, what level must the Sect Leader himself be at?"

"Grand Tutor Wen Zhong's ink-black unicorn! My childhood dream of watching Investiture of the Gods has come true!"

"Chen Siyao's team is amazing! Six people defeated a ten-meter-tall mecha beast!"

The comments from overseas netizens were much more complex—

"This can't be real, it must be special effects."

"If it was special effects, why was it a three-hour live stream without any editing?"

How many secrets is China still hiding?

"Does our government know about this? Why didn't they tell us?"

"We demand that the United Nations intervene and investigate! This is a legacy for all humanity!"

The last comment was entirely from Chinese netizens:

"Your legacy? Where's your face?"

"The heritage of all mankind is in your country's museums. Return it first."

"Want it? Come and get it."

Chen Siyao smiled slightly and handed the tablet back to Qin Xiaoyu.

"Any new information from Director Han?"

"Yes." Qin Xiaoyu sat down. "He sent me a message this morning. He said that the pressure from various countries is increasing, and seven countries have formally requested a joint investigation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is holding them back, but the information war has already begun."

"There's one more thing," Qin Xiaoyu said in a lower voice. "Director Han said that as news of Penglai spreads, countries can no longer suppress the news of its mysterious resurgence."

Chen Siyao raised an eyebrow: "Can't suppress it anymore?"

"Yes. People from various countries have begun to spontaneously explore famous mountains and rivers. In Japan, Mount Fuji has shown unusual phenomena, and Yellowstone National Park in the United States has also reported the discovery of unidentified energy fluctuations. In the Alps of the United States, climbers claim to have seen 'glowing runes'."

"It's global," Chen Siyao said.

"It's a global phenomenon." Qin Xiaoyu nodded. "The mysterious resurgence isn't unique to China; we're just at the forefront of it."

The table was silent for a few seconds.

Ying Wenjie broke the silence: "Doesn't that mean... there will be cultivators all over the world in the future?"

"It's only a matter of time," Qin Xiaoyu said. "But we have a first-mover advantage. The heritage of Penglai, the guidance of our mentors, and the system of the Special Affairs Bureau—these are things that other countries cannot catch up with in a short period of time."

Chen Siyao did not respond.

She was thinking about something else.

Of the thirty-six islands of Penglai, they've only conquered two. How many legacies, magical treasures, and ancient secrets remain on the remaining thirty-four islands?

If other countries also begin to realize this, then these things will no longer be just "research value"—they will become strategic resources.

We need to speed things up.

She glanced out the window.

On the balcony, Chen Hao was still drinking tea.

Xiaoyue had chewed up a chair on the balcony at some point, scattering wood fragments all over the floor. Chen Hao didn't even look; Xiaoyue was huddled in a corner with its tail between its legs, looking guilty.

Xiaoqing stood on the railing, tilting her head to look at Xiaoyue, her eyes filled with disdain.

Chen Siyao looked away.

Her brother is always the same. He acts like nothing's wrong with him, even if the sky falls.

But she knew that if anything really happened, he would be the first to step forward.

"Alright." She stood up. "Get some rest today, we'll continue tomorrow. Island Thirty-Four—"

She paused.

"I wonder what awaits us this time."

at the same time.

In the conference room of the command center, Han Songyue was having a video call with Beijing.

The screen showed the faces of several high-ranking officials.

"The situation in Penglai has attracted global attention," an elderly man with gray hair said on the screen. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is under a lot of pressure, but that's not your concern. You only have one task—to take over the inheritance of the remaining islands as soon as possible."

Han Songyue nodded: "Understood. Mr. Chen's disciples are making rapid progress and have already captured two islands."

"Not fast enough," another person chimed in. "Intelligence indicates that Japan and the United States have already discovered similar ruins at their respective mountain nodes. Although their progress is slower than ours, it won't be much longer."

Han Songyue's fingers tightened slightly under the table.