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

The celebratory cheers at the Langshan stronghold had barely subsided when the Japanese troops inside Beiping descended into a final frenzy. The following morning, an underground courier delivered urgent intelligence: the Japanese North China Command had decided to abandon the strongholds surrounding Beiping and transport the last batch of core cultural relics stockpiled in the city—including a copy of Gu Kaizhi's "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, a Tang Dynasty tri-colored horse, and a Qing Dynasty Qianlong imperial enamel gourd-shaped vase—overnight via the Beijing-Shanhaiguan Railway to Tianjin, from where they would be transferred to ships for escape to Japan. This transport was overseen by the elite Japanese railway guard unit, equipped with armored vehicles and heavy artillery, and overseen by Sasaki Kenichi, a martial arts master and junior disciple of Miyamoto Ichiro. Sasaki Kenichi, who practiced the "Netherworld Blade Technique," possessed a chilling aura and was no less powerful than Miyamoto Ichiro at his peak.

"This is the Japanese devils' last act of madness in Beiping. We absolutely cannot let them take national treasures out of the country!" Zhao Hu slammed the intelligence report on the table, his eyes filled with determination. "The Beijing-Shanhaiguan Railway passes through the Yanshan Mountains, and the 'One Line Sky' tunnel is a necessary passage. The tunnel is narrow, making it impossible for armored vehicles to deploy, and it's the perfect ambush location!"

Zhou Ye's spiritual sense had already quietly covered the entire Jingshan Railway line, and the terrain inside the tunnels and the Japanese army's deployment were as clear as yesterday. He lightly tapped the tunnel entrance on the map with his fingertip: "Brother Zhao, you lead the main force to ambush at the north entrance of the tunnel, responsible for blowing up the rails and intercepting the main force of the garrison; I will infiltrate the train, seize the artifacts, and take care of Sasaki Kenichi. The signal is cut off inside the tunnel, and the Japanese army cannot support each other from both ends, which is the perfect time to strike."

"Brother Zhou, it's too dangerous for you to go alone!" Zhao Hu said worriedly. "Sasaki Kenichi is said to be invulnerable to swords and spears, and he also has elite guards from the garrison. How about I send two squads of brothers to infiltrate with you?"

Zhou Ye shook his head, his tone calm: "Having too many people would only make us more vulnerable. The tunnel is cramped, so I can move more easily alone. Don't worry, I'm confident I can handle a martial arts master like this." He didn't explicitly mention the power of the Golden Core, but patted Zhao Hu on the shoulder, "You guys proceed according to plan. Once I've succeeded, I'll detonate a signal flare inside the tunnel. Then we'll attack from both inside and outside, annihilating the Japanese in one fell swoop!"

That night at midnight, under a dim moon, the Jingshan Railway was eerily silent. Zhou Ye activated his Qi Concealment Technique, his figure transforming into a semi-transparent phantom, silently lurking in the woods at the southern entrance of the tunnel. Soon, a Japanese military train equipped with armored vehicles roared in, its headlights piercing the darkness, the rattling of the tracks carrying for miles. Zhou Ye's eyes narrowed, and the instant the train entered the tunnel, he leaped up, his spiritual energy coalescing beneath his feet, landing as lightly as a swallow on the armored vehicle atop the train, without making a sound.

He extended his spiritual senses and instantly located the carriage where the artifacts were stored—located in the middle of the train, guarded by four elite Japanese soldiers and Sasaki Kenichi himself. Zhou Ye gathered his energy at his fingertips and flicked them lightly. The latch on the carriage ceiling snapped, and he silently slipped into the carriage, landing as easily as a falling leaf.

Inside the carriage, dozens of brocade boxes were neatly arranged, emanating spiritual energy—the very top-tier cultural relics. Sasaki Kenichi, dressed in a black martial arts uniform and holding a long, narrow katana, was meditating with his eyes closed. Sensing someone's intrusion, he abruptly opened his eyes, a chilling, eerie blue aura emanating from the blade: "Yours... is that Zhou Ye? Miyamoto-senpai's enemy!"

"Killing you invaders, why bother remembering your names!" Zhou Ye coldly shouted, his golden core power surging slightly, his protective primordial yang quietly unfolding, isolating him from the opponent's chilling blade energy. With a thought, the brocade boxes inside the carriage were enveloped by an invisible suction force, all flying towards the system space.

"Baka! How dare you steal artifacts from the Great Japanese Empire!" Sasaki Kenichi roared, swinging his sword with a chilling, ghostly aura that aimed directly at Zhou Ye's vitals. Wherever it passed, a layer of frost formed on the carriage walls. Zhou Ye dodged to the side, his bronze sword flashing as it was drawn. The power of his golden core flowed into the blade, causing it to gleam with a dazzling golden light. It collided with the ghostly sword aura with a loud clang, sparks flying, and the chilling aura was instantly dissolved by the golden light.

Sasaki Kenichi was horrified: "Your internal energy can actually counter my Netherworld Blade Technique?" Unconvinced, he swung his blade again, his attacks becoming increasingly vicious, attempting to freeze Zhou Ye's meridians with his blade energy. Zhou Ye calmly responded, circulating the "Taiyan Golden Elixir Technique." Golden sword light and ghostly blue blade light intertwined within the narrow carriage. Each collision caused the carriage to tremble violently, yet not a single detail was damaged—Zhou Ye deliberately controlled his strength to avoid harming the artifacts.

"Golden Core Breaks Through Evil!" Zhou Ye seized the opportunity, his golden core in his dantian suddenly spun, and a golden energy condensed at the tip of his sword, thrusting out fiercely. Sasaki Kenichi tried to block, but found that the blade was firmly locked by the golden light, unable to move. The golden energy pierced through his protective sword aura, striking him squarely in the chest. Sasaki Kenichi screamed, spitting out black blood, and flew backward, crashing heavily into the carriage wall, his katana flying out of his hand.

After eliminating Sasaki Kenichi, Zhou Ye immediately stored the remaining artifacts into his system space. He then pulled a signal flare from his pocket, lit it, and threw it out of the carriage. The red flare exploded inside the tunnel, illuminating the darkness. Seeing this, Zhao Hu at the north entrance of the tunnel immediately ordered, "Fire! Blow up the tracks!"

The sounds of artillery fire and explosions echoed through the valley. Explosives severed the railway tracks, and a train locomotive crashed into the broken rails, derailing and overturning. The defending Japanese troops jumped from the train to fight back, but were met with fierce fire from the base troops, suffering heavy casualties. Zhou Ye rushed out of the carriage, channeling his inner energy, and unleashed bursts of qi from his fingertips, killing the resisting Japanese soldiers one by one, thus forming an encirclement with Zhao Hu's forces.

The battle lasted an hour. As dawn approached, the Japanese railway garrison was completely annihilated, Sasaki Kenichi was captured alive, and the Jingshan Railway's transport line was completely severed. His comrades cheered and surrounded Zhou Ye, praising him profusely: "Brother Zhou, you were amazing! You single-handedly took down the Japanese antique carriage and captured that formidable samurai alive!"

Zhou Ye smiled, saying nothing more. He simply had his comrades inventory the spoils of war, while he found a secluded spot and entered the system space to examine the artifacts. The Eastern Jin Dynasty copy of "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River" was exquisitely detailed and imbued with a profound artistic conception; the Tang Dynasty sancai (three-color glazed) horse was powerfully shaped and brightly colored; the Qing Dynasty cloisonné gourd-shaped vase was intricately colored and exquisitely crafted—each piece was in perfect condition. He activated the power of his golden core, combined with the system's "Primordial Yang Purification" function, to thoroughly remove the faint traces of yin and cold energy remaining on the surfaces of the artifacts, and then stored them in the meticulously categorized storage compartments.

After a short pause to catch his breath, Zhou Ye contacted Xiaocao through his telepathic connection. It was recess time in Yan'an, and Xiaocao and her classmates were playing hide-and-seek in the yard. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she hid under an old locust tree and whispered in response, "Brother, did you succeed again?"

"We succeeded," Zhou Ye's divine sense said with a smile. "This time we retrieved a very famous painting and a horse made of colored ceramic. I'll take you to see them later. Has anything unusual happened to Xiao Cao lately?"

"Yes," Xiaocao said excitedly. "Teacher Wang took us to visit the temporary cultural relics exhibition hall of the base area. There were many treasures that were taken back from the Japanese devils. Teacher Wang said that these are the pride of our nation and we should protect them well in the future. I also secretly used my spiritual sense to take a look. Some of the treasures still had a faint aura of yin energy, but I didn't dare to touch them or tell anyone."

Zhou Ye inwardly praised her and instructed, "Xiao Cao did the right thing. Without my permission, you can't use your spiritual sense to probe other people's things, and you certainly can't reveal your abilities. That Yin energy might have been contaminated by the Japanese; I'll find a way to purify it later. Did you see any treasures you particularly liked in the exhibition room?"

"I love that pottery jar!" Xiao Cao's thoughts were full of innocence. "There are lots of little fish painted on it. Teacher Wang said it's from the Neolithic Age, something our ancestors used. I think it's so amazing."

"After the war is won, your brother will take you to see more treasures like these," Zhou Ye said gently. "Also, you've reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and your spiritual energy is getting stronger. You must remember to conceal your aura and not show anything unusual in front of others, understand?"

"I know!" Little Grass's thoughts were full of obedience. "My classmates all think I'm very good at hide-and-seek. I can always find a hidden place. They don't know that I sense it with my spiritual sense. I just say it's good luck."

After losing contact, Zhou Ye gazed in the direction of Yan'an, his eyes filled with relief. His sister's understanding and prudence made him even more at ease. And the victory before him brought the dawn of the liberation of Beiping ever closer. The Japanese army had lost its last route for transporting cultural relics and had suffered continuous blows from the base area troops. Their morale was low, and they were no longer able to organize effective resistance.

When Zhou Ye returned to his unit, his comrades were clearing the battlefield and escorting captured Japanese soldiers. Zhao Hu stepped forward excitedly and said, "Brother Zhou, news from headquarters is that our main force is about to launch a general offensive against Beiping. We are to cooperate with the main force to cut off the Japanese army's external reinforcements and liberate Beiping from within and without!"

"Excellent!" A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Ye's eyes. "After liberating Beiping, we can recover all the looted cultural relics and bring them back to life!"

In the days that followed, Zhou Ye and his comrades advanced together, successively capturing several Japanese outposts around Beiping, completely cutting off the Japanese army's external reinforcements. Zhou Ye remained hidden within the ranks, using his spiritual sense to scout enemy positions, secretly sabotage Japanese fortifications, and aid wounded comrades, silently contributing to the liberation of Beiping. His presence was like a pillar of strength, filling his comrades with confidence, making them invincible in every battle.

The Japanese troops inside Beiping were trapped, like turtles in a jar, forced to hold out in the isolated city and await their doom. Meanwhile, the artifacts within Zhou Ye's system space had accumulated to hundreds of pieces, ranging from Neolithic pottery jars to Qing Dynasty enamelware, from Qin and Han Dynasty bamboo slips to Tang and Song Dynasty calligraphy and paintings, covering thousands of years of Chinese civilization and becoming important witnesses to national rejuvenation.