Before long, her hair was completely dried. Xi Xi even felt a little too hot. While fixing her hair, she involuntarily took a few steps back, away from the center of the heat.

Then, Xi Xi knelt down and began packing her hiking backpack.

She greedily picked up all the glittering gems and valuables around her and stuffed them into her backpack.

"Why not take it if it's free?" Xi Xi thought to herself, and quickened her pace, not missing a single item. In no time, her backpack was bulging.

After a busy period, Xi Xi finally completed all the collection work.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Xi Xi's forehead, and she felt slightly tired.

She found a relatively flat spot to sit down, took out water from the side pocket of her backpack, and drank it in large gulps.

Just then, she inadvertently lowered her head and froze for a moment.

Xi Xi was surprised to find that there was a small, breathtaking mural painted on the bottom of the rock wall on the side of the stone gate!

The rock face has a dark orange hue, a color that has been etched by time, which complements the dim environment inside the cave. It is as if it is a work of art sculpted by nature and human wisdom, weathered by time yet full of charm.

The mural is dominated by varying shades of red, occasionally punctuated by vibrant colors formed from mineral pigments. These colors shimmer under the dim light, making it appear even more mysterious and unpredictable.

The murals depict a wide variety of subjects, including birds of prey and wild animals, trees and flowers, and even some abstract human figures and vague geometric totems.

These patterns intertwine to form imaginative story scenes, as if telling legendary tales from ancient times, mysterious and thought-provoking.

Suddenly, Xi Xi's gaze was drawn to a familiar pattern.

It was a totem shaped like a tall tower, with bold and mysterious lines.

Xi Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned her gaze to the pattern on the top of the treasure chest, carefully comparing it back and forth.

At first glance, the two patterns look very similar, but upon closer inspection, they are not quite the same. They have similar outlines, but there are obvious differences in the details.

Xi Xi was somewhat taken aback, her heart filled with suspicion. She cautiously extended her right hand and gently stroked the mysterious totem.

In an instant, a dazzling golden light suddenly converged rapidly along the patterns of the totem and flowed swiftly to her fingertips.

Xi Xi felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, followed by a strong sense of dizziness. In an instant, the entire cave turned pitch black, and everything around her was swallowed up by endless darkness.

Terrified, her heart pounding, she frantically groped around on the ground. Finally, relying on her memory, she found the head-mounted searchlight she had just taken off and placed aside.

Xi Xi grabbed the searchlight and quickly pressed the switch. With a soft "click," the light suddenly turned on.

The warm light that had filled the surrounding rock walls disappeared completely, replaced by the cold white light of the searchlight.

The white light beams projected onto the golden treasure chest even gave it a somewhat lonely and desolate feel.

Xi Xi gasped for breath, gripping the searchlight tightly, and began nervously shining it around. However, all she saw was desolation.

To her surprise, the strange patterns on the rock face had disappeared, along with the faint light that had been emanating from them.

The mural in the right corner of the cave also quietly disappeared, and a new stone door appeared in the place where the mural used to be!

Filled with doubt, Xi Xi was about to step into the new stone gate when the system voice suddenly rang in her ears...

[A stroke of genius: Congratulations, host, for discovering the , which has been added to the system's database...]

[A stroke of genius: The system is upgrading, please wait...]

What? What's going on?! Xi Xi was filled with astonishment. Before her brain could even react, she suddenly felt a sharp burning sensation on her left wrist.

She subconsciously looked down and discovered that the dark green tattoo on her wrist had started to burn fiercely!

Instantly, pain swept over her like a tidal wave. Xi Xi clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms. She bit her lower lip, trying her best not to cry out.

The scorching sensation was like a fire dragon, raging along the strokes of the totem, mercilessly roasting every inch of skin.

Finally, as the last glimmer of light gradually faded, Xi Xi let out a long sigh of relief, finally recovering.

[System notification: The recognition database has been upgraded. Congratulations to the host for successfully upgrading to the second stage.]

Huh? Xi Xi quickly looked down and saw that the lush, dark green vines that had surrounded the quill pen had disappeared, replaced by a wisp of misty blue smoke rising up.

[System Notification: Based on the system imprint, the number of times the host can summon the divine brush to draw will increase from once per day to twice per day.]

Xi Xi was first startled, then an overwhelming joy welled up within her.

She carefully extended her finger, gently stroking the new tattoo, feeling its mysterious power. Just then, Xi Xi suddenly realized something and hurriedly summoned the light screen.

The light screen instantly appeared before her eyes, with the time "[23:58]" clearly displayed in the upper left corner. Xi Xi's heart suddenly raced. If it could be done twice a day, wouldn't that mean she could draw it again today?

As Xi Xi focused intently on her calculations, the number on the screen suddenly changed without warning, becoming [23:59]...

"What? Only one minute left? Time is flying by!" Xi Xi exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes wide. Adhering to the principle of "not wanting to be at a disadvantage," she hurriedly summoned her magic brush. "What should I draw?! What should I draw?!" She hadn't even seriously considered it yet…

Xi Xi muttered to herself anxiously, pacing back and forth while looking around anxiously.

However, apart from the bare, lifeless rock walls, there was nothing else of value to be seen, and inspiration inevitably dried up.

Finally, Xi Xi's gaze involuntarily fell on the chains of the golden treasure chest.

"Right, the key, the key, the key!!" Xi Xi muttered rapidly, but her mind went completely blank, as if it had crashed.

How do I draw a key? I have absolutely no idea...

Sigh, I can't wait any longer.

Without time to hesitate, Xi Xi took a deep breath, picked up the magic pen, and first drew an irregular circle. Then, she quickly sketched a vertical line below the circle, and finally added two horizontal lines of different lengths to the right of the vertical line...

[…Identifying, please do not modify]

[...]

[System Notification: Congratulations, host, you have obtained 1 Universal Key]