Only Han Yu remained silent, his face an impassive mask.

He alone knew the truth. The Mist Eye Sect had not stumbled upon this place by chance. Their ambush, while not deliberate, their path here had been intentional. But this was knowledge he could not share. To reveal it would raise questions he could not answer, and suspicions that might turn toward him.

Better to remain quiet.

Elder Qing raised a hand, settling the murmurs. "The corpses of the Mist Eye Sect disciples have been secured," he said. "They will be taken back for investigation. For now, our focus must remain on the task at hand. This repository must be catalogued and safeguarded. What lies here may well change the standing of our sect for generations to come."

With that, he turned his gaze fully upon the chamber.

For a moment, even a man of his composure seemed taken aback. His eyes swept the rows upon rows of shelves, the endless stacks of books, scrolls, jade slips, and boxes containing sealed pills. His expression softened into awe.

"This… this is extraordinary," Elder Qing whispered, more to himself than to anyone else.

The Junior Elders stepped forward as well, their eyes widening as they took in the sight.

One of them reached for a scroll and carefully unrolled it, his lips parting in surprise as he read the elegant script. Another examined a pill bottle, pulling out a single pill that still radiated medicinal fragrance even after millennia. The third Elder brushed his fingers across the spines of the books, reverence etched upon his face.

"This is not just a repository," one Elder murmured. "This is a treasury. No, it is more than that. It is a legacy."

The disciples accompanying them looked equally stunned, many of them whispering in disbelief. Even those who were not alchemists could sense the weight of the discovery.

Elder Qing exhaled slowly, turning to his companions. "Do you understand what this means? The wealth contained in this chamber alone surpasses the combined harvests of every sect across this expedition. Pills, texts, research… and all of it intact."

The words carried the heavy truth of it.

Even the elders, who had long since tempered their emotions, could not hide their excitement. Their inner scholars, buried beneath years of responsibility and duty, stirred restlessly at the sight of so much forgotten knowledge.

One Junior Elder laughed suddenly, shaking his head as he held up a jade slip. "This… this is a complete formula! I cannot believe it! Back in the sect, I had only fragments of this very pill. I spent years trying to reconstruct it and failed. And now here it lies, whole and perfect before me!"

His voice trembled with elation, his joy shining through unrestrained. The others chuckled at his outburst, but none of them thought it unseemly. They felt the same thrill in their own hearts.

Another Elder stepped forward, lifting a leather-bound tome and flipping through its pages. His eyes narrowed, then widened in recognition. "These records are experiments in pill refinement. Failures, adjustments, insights. It is the working mind of an ancient alchemist preserved for us to study. The lessons in these pages alone are worth decades of trial and error."

Elder Qing allowed himself a rare smile. "Truly, the heavens favor us. The sect has long pursued lost knowledge, scraps of ancient formulas. Yet here lies a sea of it, waiting to be rediscovered."

The disciples looked on, humbled. To them, it was as though they were witnessing the sect's history being rewritten before their eyes.

Han Yu, standing quietly at the back, watched as Elder Qing and the others marveled.

He tightened his grip on his sleeve, the hidden book within his storage bag pressing against his thoughts. Their joy was genuine, their awe unfeigned. And yet, the most ancient treasure of all remained in his possession, unseen.

The group quickly set to work, disciples with Spatial Storage tools fanning out under the guidance of the Elders.

Cataloguing began, shelves marked, texts carefully removed. Every motion was carried out with reverence. For they all knew that this repository was not merely a find of wealth, but a find of heritage.

Han Yu lowered his gaze, hiding the flicker of a smile. Let them celebrate. Let them count the wealth and praise the heavens. He had already claimed the inheritance that mattered most to him.

The elders wasted no time once the initial survey of the repository had been completed.

With practiced efficiency, they began directing the disciples to remove the treasures in a systematic manner. The value of what lay before them was beyond estimation, and none of it could be allowed to degrade through carelessness.

From the storage pouches, satchels, and ornate cases carried by the disciples, came an array of preserving containers. Jade boxes lined with sealing talismans, porcelain vials polished to a glassy sheen, wooden chests inscribed with preservative arrays, and even a few crystalline tubes that shimmered faintly with protective qi.

Each item had been brought specifically for the purpose of securing ancient discoveries without allowing them to spoil or decay. The elders knew that even pills which had lasted for millennia could crumble into dust if mishandled.

Han Yu and the others were immediately roped into the effort.

Elder Qing and the Junior Elders oversaw every step, directing which container should hold which item, and instructing the younger disciples on the importance of precise handling, turning this into a learning activity of sorts.

The pills were packed first, since their medicinal essence was considered the most delicate. Each bottle was uncorked with care, the pill removed with spiritual force rather than fingers, and then transferred into a new vial inscribed with modern sealing methods.

Han Yu found himself holding his breath during the process.

Watching an elder place a pill worth more than his entire fortune into his hand was nerve-racking. Yet he carried out his part with steady motions, his qi forming a fine layer around the item until he deposited it into its new vessel. The elders offered him curt nods of approval, recognizing his precision.

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