Before the old man could say anything, Karl opened the wooden box.
Inside was a piece of cloth made from an unknown material, its surface covered with strange patterns and ancient characters that were impossible to decipher.
Karl took out the Mind Stone from his system space.
Holding the glowing gem in his palm, he began drawing upon its energy and slowly infused that power into the cloth.
As the energy flowed into it, the cloth gradually floated into the air.
The mysterious patterns on its surface began to emit a soft blue glow.
Then suddenly—
The cloth shot forward like a streak of light.
It flew directly toward a woman in a suit standing not far away and pressed itself against her forehead.
Blue symbols and ancient words began flowing from the cloth into her mind.
Karl looked slightly stunned.
He had never expected the cultivation technique to choose its own master.
Even more surprising—
The chosen candidate had been standing right there the entire time.
The elderly leader beside him suddenly became anxious.
His brows furrowed with worry as he watched the scene unfold.
Karl chuckled lightly.
"Hehe, congratulations."
"It seems this cultivation method has found a suitable successor."
He looked at the woman who had just been chosen.
"It should be that woman in the suit."
Karl turned to the old man.
"I wonder who she is?"
The old man finally relaxed slightly after hearing Karl's calm tone.
He let out a long breath before speaking slowly.
"To be honest…"
"She is actually my granddaughter."
Karl raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Her parents sacrificed their lives many years ago."
The old man's voice softened.
"I originally hoped she would live a normal life."
"But she insisted on joining the army."
"She was eventually selected into the special forces."
The old man shook his head helplessly.
"I had no choice but to transfer her back to work by my side."
He glanced at the young woman again.
"I never expected this child to be so fortunate."
He turned back to Karl.
"Thank you, Mr. Karl."
"I see."
Karl nodded quietly.
But inwardly, he felt something was strange.
The system description had never mentioned that this cultivation technique could select its own master.
Yet it had chosen the old man's granddaughter.
Karl began thinking carefully.
In ancient times, based on status—
The old man would be equivalent to an emperor.
His son and daughter-in-law had already sacrificed their lives.
Leaving only this granddaughter behind.
That meant she was essentially a princess and possibly the future heir.
Could there be some deeper explanation?
Could the legendary concept of national destiny truly exist?
Was the cultivation technique attracted by the national fate surrounding her?
Karl pondered silently.
But the idea felt somewhat far-fetched.
There was no clear explanation for why the cloth had chosen her.
Could it be related to the Mind Stone?
Karl frowned slightly.
But even he still did not fully understand many of the mysterious objects that had been unsealed through the Mind Stone before.
In the end, Karl could only shake his head helplessly.
After a while, the glowing patterns completely entered the woman's mind.
The cloth then slowly fell to the ground.
The woman opened her eyes.
Her expression looked puzzled as she picked up the cloth, clearly processing the information that had just appeared in her mind.
At that moment, the old man spoke.
"Girl, come here."
"Let Mr. Karl examine your condition and make sure nothing is wrong."
He gestured for her to come closer.
The woman walked forward.
The old man then introduced her.
"Mr. Karl, this is my granddaughter, Zhou Yinyin."
"Could you please check her condition and see whether there are any problems?"
Karl nodded.
He turned toward Yan.
"Yan, why don't you check her using your Angel Eyes?"
"I'm not suitable for this."
If Karl used his own mental power to examine her, it would inevitably trigger mind control effects.
Yan rolled her eyes slightly.
But she still activated her Angel Eyes.
Her pupils turned white as streams of data appeared within her vision.
Zhou Yinyin's physical condition was immediately analyzed in detail.
After a moment, Yan spoke calmly.
"Her body is completely normal."
"However, her brain appears to be protected by those patterns."
"My scans cannot penetrate that protection."
Karl nodded.
As expected.
The cultivation technique was clearly protecting her consciousness.
"Your body appears to be fine," Karl said to Zhou Yinyin.
"You can begin cultivating according to the instructions in your mind."
He thought for a moment before adding:
"It would be best if you practice in a place with abundant energy."
"Or consume high-quality medicinal herbs."
"Those things will accelerate your cultivation speed."
Cultivation techniques were essentially just methods of storing and utilizing energy.
The difference lay only in the type of energy required.
Karl's own abilities—such as his freezing power—also relied on energy.
But he could naturally absorb residual energy from the surrounding environment.
He could even draw energy from the Shadow World.
In addition—
Karl now possessed the Dog Charm and the Horse Charm.
This meant his physical condition was almost always at peak performance.
As long as his mind could endure it, he could maintain extremely intense combat for a very long time.
"Okay, thank you, Mr. Karl."
Zhou Yinyin bowed slightly in gratitude.
Karl blinked in mild surprise.
Zhou Yinyin had the appearance of a cool and mature woman.
But her voice sounded unexpectedly soft and youthful.
Karl couldn't help thinking—
Was this the legendary "mature woman with a loli voice"?
Karl cleared his throat.
"Yes."
"The origin of this cultivation method dates back to ancient mythology."
"Its original owner was the Moon Goddess—the Taiyin Star Lord of the Guanghan Palace."
Zhou Yinyin and the old man both looked shocked.
Karl continued calmly.
"Train well."
"And when possible, try cultivating under moonlight."
"It may resonate with the technique."
The old man suddenly clapped his hands.
"Come, come!"
"We've been talking for so long and haven't eaten anything."
"This banquet was meant to welcome you, yet we've been busy discussing other matters."
He laughed warmly.
"You must try this dish."
"You definitely can't find something like this in America."
Everyone finally began eating.
Later that evening, Karl and the others returned to their courtyard residence.
Karl collapsed comfortably into a rocking chair.
Just as he was enjoying the quiet moment—
Zhou Yinyin arrived.
She handed Karl another box.
"These are my grandfather's words," she said.
"He told me that no matter how valuable this item may be…"
"You must accept it."
"And absolutely must not return it."
Karl sighed helplessly.
In the end, he accepted the box.
Over the next few days, Zhou Yinyin was assigned to serve as Karl's personal security escort.
The real reason, of course, was so she could remain close to Karl and ask for guidance if she encountered difficulties during her cultivation.
Meanwhile, the elderly leader convened an emergency meeting with the country's top officials.
He informed them about Zhou Yinyin obtaining the ancient cultivation technique.
The Standing Committee members, secretaries, and other leaders were all overjoyed.
However, the old man also delivered an important warning.
"This technique cannot be explained."
"It cannot be written down."
When they returned earlier, he had asked Zhou Yinyin to write out the cultivation method.
But something strange happened.
She could not remember the contents.
Whenever she attempted to write it down—
Her mind went completely blank.
Even when she tried to speak the words, she could not utter a single sentence.
And yet—
Whenever she entered a cultivation state, every detail of the technique became perfectly clear in her mind again.
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