Courtyard House: Starting in 1938, kill enemies and loot equipment.

The morning light pierced through the dense forest, illuminating Zhou Ye's cross-legged figure. He circulated the "Mysterious Origin Demon-Slaying Technique," his inner energy surging through his meridians like a tide. Compared to before, his inner energy was now more condensed and profound, carrying a faint golden halo as it flowed. Reaching a crucial point in his cultivation, Zhou Ye suddenly opened his eyes, thrusting his palms forward. Two sharp streams of inner energy shot out, striking the rocks in front of him and instantly blasting them into dust. The flying debris did not touch him at all—this was a sign that his technique had broken through to the "Internal Energy Transformation Realm," not only doubling the strength of his inner energy but also allowing him to injure others from outside his body, controlling it at will.

As he finished practicing, a notification popped up on the system panel: "Host's internal energy has broken through to the Transcendent Realm, unlocking the 'Artifact Restoration' function. This function can consume a small amount of energy to repair damaged artifacts and ancient books." Zhou Ye was overjoyed and immediately entered the system space. The Song Dynasty edition of the *Shanghan Lun* that he had previously retrieved had slightly worn edges, and several bamboo slips had cracks. He selected these damaged artifacts, silently chanted "Repair," and a gentle energy surged within the system space, enveloping the artifacts. A moment later, the worn ancient books were restored to their original smoothness, the cracked bamboo slips were intact, and even the previously blurred seal script became clearly discernible.

"With this function, the national treasures can truly remain intact." Zhou Ye felt gratified. As he left the farm, Zhao Hu arrived with urgent intelligence, his expression anxious: "Brother Zhou, something terrible has happened! The Japanese army has learned that there is a Warring States period tomb near Fangshan. They have sent a special forces team with Miyamoto Ichiro to frantically excavate it. They have already unearthed many bronze ritual objects, jade discs, and bamboo slips with chronological inscriptions. It is said that they are even planning to blow up the tomb to take the treasure!"

"Destroy the tomb?" Zhou Ye's eyes turned cold. The artifacts in the Warring States period tombs were not only artistic treasures but also carried the historical context of the pre-Qin period. If bombed, not only would the artifacts be damaged, but the tomb itself would be reduced to ruins. "Where exactly is the tomb located? What is the Japanese defense deployment like?"

"Deep in the black pine forest on the southern slope of Fangshan," Zhao Hu spread out a map, "the Japanese special forces are well-equipped, with engineers carrying explosives, and Miyamoto Ichiro personally overseeing the operation. There are three lines of defense around the area, making it difficult even for birds to get close." He paused, then added, "The underground courier sent word that Miyamoto Ichiro has brought the Japanese 'Ninja Squad' this time, skilled in covert attacks, and they're coming for you."

Zhou Ye traced the terrain markers in the black pine forest with his fingertips, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Whether it's the ninja squad or Miyamoto Ichiro, we absolutely cannot let them destroy the ancient tomb and steal the national treasures. I'll set off tonight, before they blow up the tomb, to retrieve the artifacts and destroy the explosives."

That night, under a dark and windy sky, Zhou Ye changed into his night clothes and, aided by advanced stealth techniques and internal energy, slipped into the black pine forest like a ghost. The Japanese guard line was indeed tight, with sentries hidden in treetops and bushes, even their breathing deliberately concealed. But at this moment, Zhou Ye's senses were heightened to their peak; he could detect every change in atmosphere within a hundred meters. Avoiding the sentries' line of sight, he moved as if through an empty field, silently approaching the entrance to the ancient tomb.

The entrance to the ancient tomb had been blasted open by the Japanese army, revealing a brightly lit tomb. Several engineers were installing explosives, while Miyamoto Ichiro stood by, supervising the work. Behind him followed four members of a ninja squad dressed in black, their faces covered with black cloths. Inside the tomb passage, Japanese soldiers were carrying artifacts out one by one: a bronze tripod with a majestic shape, a jade disc with a warm luster, and bamboo slips neatly bound—each piece exuding a profound sense of history.

"Hurry up! The artifacts must be loaded onto the truck and the tomb blown up before dawn!" Miyamoto Ichiro's voice was impatient, and the samurai sword in his hand gleamed coldly under the lamplight.

Zhou Ye hid in the treetops not far away, circulating his inner energy and suppressing his aura to the extreme. He seized the opportunity, gathering his inner energy at his fingertips and flicking out several pebbles, which accurately struck the fuse of the explosives in the sappers' hands, extinguishing the fuse instantly. At the same time, he leaped down, his movements as fast as lightning, and unleashed a palm strike. Two Japanese soldiers had no time to react and were killed by the force of his inner energy.

"Who?!" Miyamoto Ichiro shouted angrily, pointing his sword at Zhou Ye. "It's you again! You won't escape this time!"

Four members of the ninja squad instantly scattered, attacking from four directions with poisonous daggers in their hands, their moves vicious and ruthless. Zhou Ye remained calm, activating the "Mysterious Origin Demon-Slaying Technique," a golden inner force barrier surging around him, dispelling the poisonous mist as it approached. He sidestepped the attack from the left, retaliated with a palm strike, shattering the opponent's dagger with his inner force, and simultaneously kicked out, sending the opponent flying, crashing heavily into a tree trunk, dying instantly.

Seeing this, the remaining three ninjas became even more ferocious, combining ninjutsu with swordsmanship, sometimes disappearing and sometimes creating clones, attempting to confuse Zhou Ye. However, Zhou Ye's internal energy perception had already covered the surroundings, and no matter how they concealed themselves, they could not escape his notice. He moved nimbly, alternating between palm and fist strikes, his internal energy flowing out of his body like sharp blades, each strike hitting vital points. In a short while, all three ninjas fell into pools of blood.

Miyamoto Ichiro's eyes widened in fury as he charged at Zhou Ye, sword in hand, shouting, "I will avenge my men!" His swordsmanship was even more ruthless than before, the wind from his blade carrying murderous intent as he slashed towards Zhou Ye's vitals. Zhou Ye no longer parried with his bare hands. He retrieved a bronze sword he had previously retrieved from his system space, channeling his inner energy into the blade, which instantly glowed with a golden light.

"Clang!" The bronze sword clashed with the samurai sword, sparks flying. Miyamoto Ichiro was jolted back several steps, his hands split open, his face filled with horror: "How could your inner strength have become so powerful?"

"Killing you invaders is enough!" Zhou Ye shouted coldly, swinging his sword to counterattack. The bronze sword was as easy to wield as an extension of his arm. The moves of the "Mysterious Origin Breaking Evil Technique" were integrated with his swordsmanship. His sword moves were fierce and sharp, yet also agile and varied. Each strike contained profound internal energy. Miyamoto Ichiro gradually found it difficult to resist, and the wounds on his body increased.

Upon seeing this, the Japanese soldiers inside the tomb passage raised their rifles and opened fire. Zhou Ye channeled his inner energy, wielding his bronze sword as a barrier, deflecting any bullets that came near. He leaped forward like a tiger descending a mountain, charging into the midst of the Japanese soldiers. His sword flashed, and Japanese soldiers fell in droves, their screams echoing throughout the tomb.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Miyamoto Ichiro tried to escape, but Zhou Ye's eyes turned cold. He concentrated his inner strength at his fingertips, unleashing a golden burst of energy that struck Miyamoto's hind leg. Miyamoto screamed and collapsed to the ground, unable to move. Zhou Ye stepped forward, sword tip pointed at his throat: "The national treasures you stole, you must return them all!"

Just then, the sound of Japanese reinforcements approached from afar—clearly, the commotion had alerted the Japanese troops on the perimeter. Zhou Ye no longer hesitated; with a thought, he stored all the artifacts, the bronze sword, and the explosives on the ground in his system space. Then, he kicked Miyamoto Ichiro unconscious and turned to retreat into the depths of the black pine forest.

When the Japanese reinforcements arrived, they found only corpses scattered all over the ground, the unconscious Miyamoto Ichiro, and the empty entrance to the ancient tomb. They were furious, but they couldn't even find any trace of Zhou Ye.

After escaping the black pine forest, Zhou Ye found a secluded cave and entered the system space to inventory the cultural relics: more than thirty bronze ritual vessels, more than twenty jade artifacts such as jade discs and pendants, more than two hundred bundles of bamboo slips with chronological records, and a batch of pottery and lacquerware that had not yet been moved—each piece a priceless treasure from the Warring States period. He used the system's repair function to restore some of the damaged relics, and looking at these intact national treasures, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

Through the telepathic connection, Zhou Ye contacted Xiao Cao. It was late at night in Yan'an, and Xiao Cao was already asleep. Startled awake by the sensation, she rubbed her eyes and asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"

"Little Grass, your brother has recovered many ancient treasures, including a bronze tripod that can hold a lot of things and bamboo slips inscribed with ancient characters," Zhou Ye said gently. "After the war is won, your brother will take you to the museum and donate all these treasures so that everyone can see the wisdom of our ancestors."

Xiao Cao's eyes lit up instantly, all sleepiness gone: "Great! Teacher Wang taught us history today, saying there were many powerful figures during the Warring States period. Are these treasures things they used?"

"Yes," Zhou Ye nodded with a smile, "so we must protect these treasures well and not let the Japanese devils take them away. Xiao Cao, you must study history hard in Yan'an so you can be your brother's little teacher in the future, okay?"

"Okay!" Little Grass nodded vigorously, her little face full of seriousness. "Brother, be careful. I'm looking forward to hearing more of your stories about my treasures."

After disconnecting, Zhou Ye exited the system space and returned to the base. Zhao Hu and the others were overjoyed to see him return safely, bringing back a large number of Warring States period artifacts. Zhou Ye handed some of the gold and silver coins to Zhao Hu, instructing him, "These supplies will be used to support the construction of the base area. I will keep the artifacts safe and hand them over to the state after the victory of the War of Resistance."

Meanwhile, the Japanese North China Command, upon learning of the failed tomb raiding, the theft of artifacts, and the annihilation of the ninja squad, was enraged. They ordered a city-wide manhunt for Zhou Ye, offering a huge reward for his capture. Upon waking, Miyamoto Ichiro harbored even deeper hatred for Zhou Ye, vowing to kill him with his own hands.

Standing atop the hill at his stronghold, Zhou Ye gazed at the distant night sky, a sharp glint in his eyes. He knew that as his strength grew and he recovered more national treasures, the Japanese army's encirclement and suppression would only intensify. But he was fearless—his inner strength had reached its peak, his martial arts had been perfected, his system space was his backing, and his sister's expectations were his motivation. He would not only drive the Japanese out of China, but also reclaim all the looted national treasures and protect the history and civilization of this land.

In the days that followed, Zhou Ye continued to cultivate the "Mysterious Origin Demon-Slaying Technique," consolidating his inner strength to the pinnacle, while simultaneously investigating the Japanese army's strongholds where cultural relics were stored. Like a guardian in the darkness, he traversed every corner of the enemy-occupied battlefield; wherever looted national treasures lay, there he was. The Japanese encirclement and suppression efforts repeatedly failed, yet the number of national treasures recovered continued to grow. Zhou Ye's name gradually became a nightmare for the Japanese army and a source of hope for the Chinese people.

This journey to protect the treasure and resist Japanese aggression has only just entered its most intense phase.