Even among the guests who had arrived — each one a Heaven-rank powerhouse — the mention of the word "benefits" stirred some palpable interest.
If there was anyone in the mortal world who could offer benefits compelling enough to move them, it would undoubtedly be Young Master Jiang Chen of the Glazed Royal City.
"Gentlemen, I have here the opening passage of a mental technique. You are welcome to examine it."
With that, Jiang Chen reached out and produced a sheepskin scroll — a passage of text he had personally inscribed by hand on sheepskin.
However, the text consisted of only a few hundred characters, merely the opening portion of a mental technique.
Jiang Chen knew that Elder Crane was the most esteemed among all the Heaven-rank powerhouses present on this occasion. He therefore handed the sheepskin scroll to Xue Tong, gesturing for him to bring it before Elder Crane.
Elder Crane, seeing that Jiang Chen held him in such high regard, felt quite pleased. He accepted the sheepskin scroll with a smile, then casually produced an item of his own — a talisman — and handed it to Xue Tong. "Thank you for your trouble, young brother. This talisman is a Heaven-rank Body-Shield Talisman. Consider it a small token of appreciation from this old man, as thanks for your hospitality these past two days."
Over the past two days, Jiang Chen had entrusted the bulk of the hosting duties to Xue Tong. The young man was remarkably well-mannered and conducted himself in a most agreeable way.
As a result, Elder Crane had formed a favorable impression of him.
When Xue Tong saw that Elder Crane was giving him a gift instead, he was momentarily at a loss to accept it.
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Xue Tong, since it is Elder Crane's generous sentiment, go ahead and accept it. Elder Crane's gift is your good fortune. You should remember this well."
Only then did Xue Tong receive the talisman with the utmost courtesy. "This junior thanks Elder Crane for his generous gift."
Elder Crane burst into hearty laughter. "You and your master are both far too polite. At my age, I ought to show some appreciation to the younger generation, shouldn't I?"
With that, Elder Crane happily opened the sheepskin scroll and began studying it with care.
After reading just the first two lines, his brows knitted together. His eyes, which had been carrying a smile moments ago, instantly filled with a sharp gleam as he stared fixedly at the scroll — as though it harbored the boundless mysteries of heaven and earth, drawing him in completely.
After reading through the few hundred characters, Elder Crane's chest began to rise and fall with his breathing. His expression shifted from relaxed to solemn, as though he had discovered something of earth-shattering importance.
He could not help but read through it once more from the beginning.
A third time, a fourth time... Elder Crane read through it a full nine times in one sitting before reluctantly handing the sheepskin scroll to Liu Yuan.
"Liu Yuan, your comprehension is quite good. Take a look."
Elder Crane's tone was profoundly solemn. It was clear that this thin sheepskin scroll possessed some extraordinary power — enough to cause even a man as free-spirited as Elder Crane to experience such a dramatic emotional shift.
Liu Yuan accepted it with both hands in a solemn gesture.
Having witnessed Elder Crane's reaction, he guessed that this scroll was no ordinary thing.
The first reading, the second reading...
Liu Yuan initially read through it twice, understanding it only vaguely. Clearly, the contents of the sheepskin scroll were somewhat profound and obscure for him.
His reading speed was notably slower than Elder Crane's.
After finishing the first reading, he was still caught between comprehension and confusion. During the second reading, he moved even more slowly — after nearly every sentence, he would need to spend a considerable stretch of time before moving on to the next...
By the time he finished the second reading, nearly half a shichen had already passed.
The others, watching Liu Yuan struggle through the reading, were all astonished. They grew deeply curious about what exactly was written on this sheepskin scroll — what could possibly make a powerhouse like Liu Yuan read with such difficulty?
Was there truly text in this world that was that hard to understand?
After three readings, Liu Yuan finally came to a realization and noticed how much time he had consumed. With eyes full of reluctance, he passed the scroll to Zhu Yun beside him.
Zhu Yun scratched his messy, straw-like hair in some embarrassment. "I'll skip it. Brother Liu, your ability and knowledge both surpass mine, and even you needed that long. A rough fellow like me would surely understand even less. Brother Liu, once you've figured it out, tell me what it says, will you?"
Zhu Yun grinned with his characteristic good-natured honesty and casually passed the sheepskin scroll along to the next person.
Liu Yuan spoke in a measured, serious tone. "This appears to be a type of mental technique, but the content it contains is extremely profound. I was able to grasp some of it, but I haven't yet managed to fully integrate it. However, I can faintly sense that this technique must be a method for perceiving the laws of heaven and earth — of an extraordinarily high tier."
"How high?" Zhu Yun asked curiously.
Liu Yuan hesitated and turned to Elder Crane. "Elder Crane, what do you think?"
Elder Crane smiled. "Let's wait until everyone has finished reading, and then we can hear everyone's opinions. There is one thing I can say with certainty: this technique absolutely surpasses every cultivation method we normally practice. Although it is only the opening passage of a few hundred characters, the wondrous principles of heaven and earth it contains are absolutely exceptional. Perhaps this is a mental technique from the ancient era — or even from the primordial era."
Elder Crane knew full well that in this age, no one could create such a technique.
There were quite a number of people present, and with each person passing through once, the time each spent on the scroll was considerable. In this way, one or two shichen slipped by in silence.
As the host, Jiang Chen was perfectly at ease, leisurely savoring the fine wine he had brewed himself — a thoroughly pleasant experience.
He was waiting. Waiting for the reactions that would come once they had all finished reading.