Bamboo slips have been in use since the pre-Qin period. They vary in length, from a dozen centimeters to more than half a meter, and words are carved on them with a knife.

The piece in Wang Xuan's hand was golden in color, with a warm luster under the light.

It is eight centimeters long, three centimeters wide and two centimeters thick, and its length is shorter.

It was very heavy and weighed heavily on the hand, and as you might expect, it would sink the moment it entered the water.

What was engraved on the golden bamboo slips were not words, but several patterns, of a creature with a human head and a snake body, in different postures.

He has long hair and it is impossible to tell whether he is a man or a woman. There are carvings of him coiled in a snake's posture, there are carvings of him rolling on the ground, and there is another carving of him with his tail touching the ground and pointing straight up to the sky like a sharp sword.

There were no words on the bamboo slips, only a few engravings, and there was no apparent relationship between them and the old techniques. At least Wang Xuan did not discover their value.

"I can't understand it, and I can't comprehend it. It has been in my hands for many years, and I have always treated it as a jade toy." The middle-aged man wearing a green mask spoke.

He had short, thick hair and sat there quietly.

"I got too little. A pile of golden bamboo slips fell into the hands of the tycoons on the Xinxing side. I only won two pieces that year." He said calmly.

Wang Xuan was sure that this was a master and his achievements in the old arts were probably amazing.

It was not easy for him to snatch the food from the tiger's mouth, compete with the people sent by the chaebol, and take away two pieces.

This kind of bamboo slips are regarded as rare items even in Nova. After the major organizations obtain them, they are kept secret and studied in secret, making it difficult for outsiders to see them.

"Has anyone from Xinxing analyzed anything?" Wang Xuan asked.

"I don't know." The short-haired middle-aged man spoke briefly and was unwilling to talk about this topic anymore.

For a moment, the room fell into silence.

Wang Xuan had met him two years ago, and it was also at that time that he first knew and saw that there were dark areas in this peaceful city.

On the ninth floor underground of a landmark building, there is an old-school martial arts competition every Friday night. The contestants fight in an iron cage, and the scene is extremely bloody. The losers usually suffer broken hands and feet.

The stands outside the iron cage were filled with people of unknown identities, all wearing masks, both men and women, watching the fierce competition, roaring and screaming along, excitement and chaos blending together.

Wang Xuan rejected the middle-aged man on the spot and told him clearly that he would never walk in the gray area. He liked to study the old techniques, but he would not perform bloody shows for others.

The short-haired middle-aged man smiled and told him that he was just taking him to see another side of the city, and that the real world was far from what he usually saw.

The bloody actual combat in the iron cage had little to do with them; they only occasionally went to select promising youngsters.

As for them, they are a group of explorers.

What they are about to experience is far more thrilling, exciting, mysterious and even terrifying than this iron cage match, because they have entered the starry sky and are no longer confined to the old land.

The middle-aged man told him that explorers were very brilliant in terms of both prospects and strength, and were far from being comparable to those people and organizations operating in the gray area.

They talked several times during that period, but Wang Xuan still rejected him.

The short-haired middle-aged man left him a golden business card and told him that if he changed his mind after graduation, he could come find him there.

And as early as that time, that is, two years ago, the middle-aged man with short hair predicted that the old art experimental class would inevitably be disbanded and this investment project would be shelved.

"Why did you find me?" Wang Xuan once asked him seriously.

The short-haired middle-aged man told him that it was the investment project of the Traditional Arts Experimental Class that first attracted his attention. Then, he observed everyone in the class and finally only took a fancy to two people.

The other people in the class were not determined enough and were skeptical of the old methods. Even if they continued along the old path, their achievements would be limited.

In fact, after Wang Xuan embarked on the path of traditional techniques, he was unstoppable. In just a few years, he succeeded in gathering energy and nourishing his body.

The short-haired middle-aged man believed that Wang Xuan had great potential and would most likely achieve extraordinary success in the traditional arts.

This organization is relatively free and loose, but its strength is unquestionable. At the same time, it is very mysterious, and its tentacles have long reached into the starry sky and can reach new stars.

"Formally introduce myself, you can call me Aoki." The short-haired middle-aged man wearing a green mask spoke, breaking the silence.

"Does this mean I've joined?" Wang Xuan asked.

Qing Mu said: "Not yet. You are one of the promising talents I selected in the past few years, but not the only one."

"Is there any test to go through?"

"Yes, this is an existing rule. Although I am optimistic about you, I cannot change it."

Aoki, a middle-aged man with short hair, told him that there would be an expedition in two days, which would serve as a test for him, and asked him if he wanted to participate.

"Yes!" Wang Xuan nodded.

"You already have a rough idea of ​​what you will experience after joining us, but I still want to emphasize that exploration means danger, and you may even risk your life. You must consider it carefully."

Wang Xuan said: "No problem, I have thought it through."

Qing Mu was very serious and said, "You just stay here. We must make sure that no news leaks out before this because this operation is very important!"

Wang Xuan expressed his understanding and said there was no problem with staying there.

Holding the golden bamboo slips, he looked at Qingmu behind the mahogany desk and said, "Can I ask you some questions?"

Qing Mu said: "It depends on what the problem is. If it involves some shocking secrets, even if you succeed in joining us, you will need an equal exchange."

Wang Xuan asked: "I want to know, is the end of the old art road the top masters among the alchemists, and is there really no way forward?"

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