With his palm gently caressing the dark scroll, Xiao Yan sighed softly. The graceful image of the maiden, as elegant as a lotus, slowly came to mind, lingering there, indelible. "Xun'er, wait for me..." He murmured softly, then shook his head vigorously, trying to push the emotions from his mind. Focusing entirely on the black scroll in his hands, he began to ponder how to open it. "How is this to be unrolled?" After carefully examining the scroll from top to bottom, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows. Clearly, he couldn't force it—otherwise, he risked damaging whatever was within, and that would be regrettable indeed. After a moment of thoughtful silence, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a spark of inspiration. He gently summoned his internal battle energy and began to weave it around the scroll. Yet, as the first strand of qi touched the dark scroll, something remarkable occurred—the energy was not only absorbed but taken in by the scroll itself. Xiao Yan was slightly astonished by this situation, but soon calmed himself. As his mind stirred, a steady flow of qi began to surge from within his body and gradually flowed up his arms, pouring into the dark scroll. Facing such a vast influx of qi, the dark scroll only saw its surface glow grow slightly more intense, yet it remained otherwise motionless. Xiao Yan, however, did not grow impatient. Since Xun'er had mentioned that it required the strength of a Duke-level warrior to open it, he believed that, with his current strength, opening it should not be particularly difficult. The continuous infusion of qi lasted nearly thirty minutes. As this unending flow continued, Xiao Yan's expression gradually grew serious—this scroll's unusual nature indeed exceeded his expectations. "Crack!" As Xuanyin's thoughts were shifting, the previously unresponsive dark scroll suddenly emitted a subtle crackling sound. Though the sound was faint, it caught Xuanyin's attention and caused him to turn his gaze toward the scroll. At this moment, a fine crack had quietly formed on the scroll's surface, and the earlier crackling sound seemed to have originated from there. With this initial success, Xuanyin finally eased his concerns. Powerful qi surged from every corner of his body, flowing like a tide, and under his precise control, poured entirely into the dark scroll. As more and more qi flowed into the scroll, the cracks on its surface gradually multiplied, and faint golden glimmers began to radiate between the fissures. As another surge of powerful qi flowed into the scroll, Xiao Yan suddenly noticed that the scroll's ability to absorb qi seemed to have vanished. He then observed the cracks on the dark scroll spreading rapidly, eventually covering the entire surface of the scroll. At the very moment the cracks became dense and widespread, a brilliant golden light suddenly burst forth from within the scroll. The intensity of this light was so strong that even Xiao Yan felt a sharp stinging in his eyes, forcing him to quickly close them. "Boom!" While Xiao Yan was closing his eyes, the dark scroll suddenly exploded, spilling out vast amounts of golden light that illuminated the entire chamber with a splendid, radiant glow. Upon hearing the sound of the scroll's explosion, Xiao Yan promptly opened his eyes, gazing at the scattered fragments of the broken scrolls. Before he could even begin to cry out in dismay, he noticed a large expanse of golden light swirling in the space before him, within which various forms were swirling—appearing to be some kind of text. These dense, shimmering golden characters caused a dizzying sensation simply upon a glance from Xiao Yan. He promptly shifted his eyes aside, slowly extending his hand, and eventually dipped it into the pool of golden light. As Xiao Yan's hand moved deeper, the golden light surged violently, swirling before finally condensing into a beam of golden brilliance that struck directly at his head. Upon contact, the light flowed seamlessly into his mind without any resistance. The moment the golden light entered his brain, Xiao Yan seized his head, emitting a piercing, agonized cry. His mind felt as though it had been forcibly flooded with countless substances, creating a sensation of swelling and bursting. Fortunately, this intense pain came swiftly and subsided just as quickly—within just a few seconds, it gradually faded away. As the intense pain subsided, Xiao Yan felt as though his entire body had been drained of strength, collapsing onto the bed with a sigh, his chest rising and falling steadily, his face pale—clearly, the piercing golden light that had entered his skull had caused him considerable discomfort. "Damn it, what in the world is this?" After lying on the bed for a while, Xiao Yan gradually regained some composure, his hands gently patting his still slightly aching head, speaking weakly. The empty chamber offered no one to answer his question. After humming and groaning on the bed for a while, he finally had to push himself up, sit cross-legged, focus his mind, and swiftly send his consciousness into his mind to search for the golden light that had previously surged through him. … As the spirit just entered his mind, a brilliant golden light surged forth instantly. Turning his gaze around, he found himself in a world almost entirely bathed in golden radiance. Suspended before him, countless golden characters coalesced and interwove, twisting and bending into a luminous screen in the air. Upon this screen, massive golden characters shone so brightly that Xiao Yan found it slightly painful to look at. "Such a commanding name..." Staring in a daze at those large, imposing characters, each one seemed to radiate a profound aura of dignity and strength. Created by a Supreme Battle Emperor, this was undoubtedly the most distinguished among the battle techniques that Xiao Yan had ever encountered. "It requires a Battle King-level strength to even begin practicing—doesn't that seem rather demanding?" Upon seeing the final sentence, Xiao Yan couldn't help but marvel, his mouth agape. This unusual battle technique was the first of its kind he had ever seen. While Battle Kings were considered true powerhouses on the continent, here they merely qualified as eligible practitioners. "That explains why Xu'er treated it so seriously back then. Clearly, the Imperial Seal Technique is no ordinary thing." Now, recalling Xin'er's serious demeanor at that time, Xiao Yan felt a sudden clarity. With that clarity came a deeper affection for the girl. Such a top-tier, elite combat technique—capable of making continent-level masters go wild—had been so effortlessly bestowed upon him. This feeling... "But... how come the technique is described only in a few simple words? How should one practice it?" With a light sigh, Xiao Yan looked up,茫然 at the golden text floating before him, utterly puzzled. Though powerful, the technique felt profoundly abstract, offering no hint at how to cultivate it at all. Gently closing his eyes, a steady flow of information surged in, and Xiao Yan carefully sipped through it. Indeed, within these details, he discovered the cultivation methods for the Imperial Seal Technique—though surprisingly, only the methods for the Opening Mountain Seal and Turning Sea Seal were recorded. The cultivation techniques for the subsequent Ground-Covering Seal, Sky-Annihilating Seal, and Ancient Emperor Seal remained entirely absent. After thoroughly investigating the information, still finding no trace of the last three seals, Xiao Yan sighed with mild frustration. It seemed that the combat technique Xu'er had given him was incomplete. As Xiao Yan finished his review, a soft, familiar, and pleasant voice—unexpectedly gentle—emerged from the end of the information. The familiar tone sent a sudden tremor through Xiao Yan's spirit. "Xiao Yan brother, if you've managed to unfold the scroll and heard my message, then you must have already advanced to the Battle King rank. Hehe, Xu'er would like to extend her congratulations to Xiao Yan brother here." "There isn't much time left—there won't be room for many words. Brother Xiao Yan, please remember Xun'er's words. The Imperial Seal Technique is one of our clan's most profound combat arts. I haven't yet mastered the last three seals, so I can only pass on the first two to you. To cultivate the 'Opening Mountain Seal,' one must reach at least the Battle King level. As for the 'Turning Sea Seal,' it's best to begin practicing once you've reached the Battle Emperor rank. Moreover, if Brother Xiao Yan masters the 'Opening Mountain Seal' and promises Xun'er that he'll use it sparingly—except in critical moments—the Imperial Seal Technique is a closely guarded clan secret. Should it be revealed, our clan will certainly send someone to retrieve it. Therefore, Brother Xiao Yan, please use it with care! And... Brother Xiao Yan... Xun'er misses you deeply. Take good care of yourself!" A soft voice echoed slowly in his mind, gradually fading away. Yet Xiang's heart was profoundly stirred by the very last words—how much this lovely girl had already done for him. As his mind slowly withdrew from within, Xiang in the chamber gently lifted his eyes, gazing blankly at the scattered scrolls on the ground. After a moment, his fists clenched tightly, and his murmured words resonated softly throughout the chamber. "Xun'er, wait for me. I will find you! No one can stop me!"