The ancestral hall fell silent, the kind of silence that pressed down on the chest.

  Only Han He Ling’s voice broke it.

  “Alright, little Yi. You may now go inside the Forbidden Archive.”

  A gentle wave of his hand summoned a creature from the shadows.

  A snow-white fox emerged, nine tails flowing like rivers of moonlight. Its fur shimmered faintly, as if lit from within, and its eyes carried the calm intelligence of ancient ages. The fox stepped forward, silent and purposeful.

  “Follow it. It will lead you there.” Han He Ling said. “We still need to discuss something.”

  Han Tian Yi bowed low, saying his gratitude, before walking behind the fox.

  Its paws made no sound on the stone floor, and his own footsteps echoed softly, swallowed by the vast emptiness of the hall. Behind him, unspoken matters lingered like a weight in the air.

  The underground passage grew colder as they descended. Light dimmed, shadows stretching along the walls, carrying the faint, dry scent of ancient stone. The fox’s tails swayed, silent guides through the narrowing corridor.

  After nearly ten minutes, the passage opened onto a massive door, carved with countless runes and faded formations that pulsed with a faint, dormant energy.

  The fox paused, head tilting as though to confirm they had arrived, and then dissolved into shimmering light.

  Han Tian Yi inhaled deeply, then his hands pressed against the door. A low, resonant sound rolled through the chamber as it parted.

  The Forbidden Archive lay before him.

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  Unlike the Han Clan’s vast library, this place was sparse.

  Stone shelves held barely fifty scrolls and books, each wrapped in faint spiritual light. The air carried a weight of centuries, as though the very walls had absorbed the history of every guardian who had ever stood here.

  Han Tian Yi stepped inside.

  His fingers traced the spines of the first scroll, then the next.

  The characters were ancient, profound, yet the knowledge unfolded naturally in his mind. He compared, memorized, analyzed, and absorbed, every principle sinking into his consciousness.

  Days blurred into weeks. Weeks into months.

  Half a year passed before he finally looked up, eyes sharper, deeper, carrying the weight of countless revelations.

  When he emerged, he went straight to the ancestors, bowing respectfully.

  “HAHAHAHA! Did you find something interesting, little Yi?”

  Han Shin Tao’s voice boomed, curiosity was written all over his face.

  Those are the scriptures even them failed to decipher.

  Han Tian Yi shook his head, the faintest shadow of melancholy touching his features.

  “I couldn’t find what I was searching for,” he admitted softly, “but I discovered many powerful spiritual arts of different paths, Grandfather.”

  He began to reveal them properly.

  A wave of his hand produced jade slips, each radiating faint spiritual energy.

  Han Shin Tao’s eyes flickered toward the first.

  Blood Path.

  Han Tian Yi handed him the Blood Absorption Spiritual Art—a demonic fusion of Blood and Death Paths.

  Once activated, it would force the enemy’s blood to leave their body, draining them of life. Unless they possessed powerful defensive arts, killing them instantly would be a piece of cake. It was a wide-range, terrifying technique.

  Han Shin Tao’s eyes instantly lit up. None of them possessed a Heaven-tier spiritual art. Such techniques were said to be legendary yet here was Han Tian Yi, casually handing one to him.

  "It seems... what we're guarding are heaven-tier techniques." Everyone seeing this have the same thoughts.

  The others’ anticipation grew, despite years of detachment. Heaven-tier techniques were rare, and yet here they were, materializing at the hands of the young prodigy.

  Han He Ling and Han Tian Long followed next, both wielders of the Sword Path.

  Han He Ling’s Unseen Sword Spiritual Art formed an invisible blade, piercing at lightning speed. A single strike could bypass nearly every defense.

  Han Tian Long’s Infinite Swords Spiritual Art rained countless blades from the sky, overwhelming enemies with sheer scale.

  Fairy Han Tie’s hands brushed the slip he gave her. She cultivated Seduction and Poison Paths, but only a Seduction-type Heaven-tier art was available inside the Forbidden Archive.

  Its effect resembled the Mind-Seizing Demonic Art, letting her manipulate foes through charm alone, perfectly suited to her abilities.

  Finally, Han Yaoyao accepted the last jade slip. Transformation Path. Thousand Beasts Transformation Art.

  As its name implied, it allowed the user to transform into a thousand different ferocious beasts, one at a time, each with their own terrifying abilities.

  One by one, Han Tian Yi handed them out, bowing respectfully when finished.

  The ancestors stood frozen, faces betraying shock despite their centuries of composure.

  Heaven-tier techniques. In their lifetimes, they had rarely seen one, and here was an entire collection, distributed casually by the boy.

  A single thought echoed in every mind:

  Since when did Heaven-tier techniques become so… common?