Having tidied everything in the grand hall, leaving it utterly bare, Mo Han nodded in satisfaction, likely pleased with his own efficiency; it hadn't taken long at all to clear out the messy great hall so spotlessly—a personal record for room cleaning, perhaps.

(Though, truth be told, those treasures were the main driving force, hehe.)

Seeing that everything was prepared, Mo Han began a meticulous search of every corner of the hall, leaving no spot unchecked. Heaven helps those who help themselves; after a thorough sweep, Mo Han finally spotted a floor tile whose color was just fractionally fresher than the surrounding ones. Unless one looked very closely, the difference would be imperceptible due to how subtle it was.

Mo Han was overjoyed. He immediately began examining the tile closely, realizing it seemed depressible. Mo Han quickly tried pressing down on the tile with his hand. Under his pressure, the entire brick began to slowly sink inward until it couldn't go any further. At this point, the tile was lower than the surrounding ones by the height of a single brick. But to Mo Han’s disappointment, the entire hall remained unresponsive; none of the secret doors or rising platforms he had imagined appeared.

Seeing this, Mo Han felt an urge to curse out loud. After all his hard work, he had nothing to show for it. However, this only stoked Mo Han’s temper, hardening his resolve to uncover the hall’s secret, no matter what.

Mo Han returned to studying the tile with renewed intensity, but still found nothing. Furthermore, the tile, once depressed, remained stuck in place. He couldn't pull it back up, and trying to force it risked triggering some unknown mechanism, so he gave up on that notion.

Mo Han recommenced his search, tracing the perimeter of the hall once more. It was near the wall directly in the center of the hall that Mo Han suddenly sensed an extremely faint magical fluctuation. Had he not been searching so intently, he likely wouldn't have noticed it at all.

Mo Han immediately and carefully focused his senses on the location of the fluctuation; indeed, it became slightly more distinct. However, Mo Han had already searched this spot previously. He was certain there had been no magical signature there before, so the sudden appearance of one must be connected to the tile he had pressed down.

With this realization, Mo Han’s heart soared. He surmised that this fluctuation was likely caused by a highly sophisticated illusionary spell, designed to fabricate virtual scenery to conceal the reality hidden within the magic. Though the spell was masterful, since Mo Han had detected it, dispelling it wouldn't be overly difficult.

A faint smile touched Mo Han’s lips as he began to chant in a low tone: "The Great Radiance shall be my key, to open the door that bars my path. The unseen wall I shall shatter, breaking all illusion; the true image shall appear before my eyes—Barrier Dissolution."

As Mo Han finished his incantation, the space before him immediately rippled with strange, water-like waves. Slowly, a magical barrier materialized in front of him. Mo Han sensed its magical properties carefully and immediately noted that while this barrier was woven from Fire, Water, and Earth magic, its nature was entirely different from the magical barrier he had encountered before.

This barrier completely defied magical convention. Most magical barriers were primarily defensive; yet, this one was entirely offense-oriented. Any stray trace of external mana or Dou Qi coming into contact with it was certain to trigger a violent counter-attack from the energy within. There was no way to peacefully neutralize it with magic, as he had with the previous one. This discovery excited Mo Han immensely. This was entirely new knowledge, distinct from any magic he had previously studied, and its power was clearly far greater than the spells he currently knew. This solidified his determination to uncover the secrets of these magical barriers to further elevate his own magical proficiency.

Since peaceful resolution was impossible, Mo Han decided to use the power of the Holy Sword of Light, combined with his own Dou Qi, to forcibly break through the magical barrier. Combining the Light energy with his own Dou Qi made breaking such a barrier quite feasible.

With this thought, Mo Han no longer hesitated. He raised the Holy Sword of Light in his hand, then slowly channeled his internal Dou Qi into the sword, activating its innate energy. As Mo Han’s Dou Qi spurred it, the Holy Sword began emitting waves of white light, growing brighter as Mo Han accumulated more and more power.

When the Dou Qi reached its peak intensity, Mo Han roared and struck the magical barrier with the intensely luminous Holy Sword. The two energies clashed—the fierce magical energy within the barrier meeting Mo Han’s Dou Qi imbued with the power of the Holy Sword. A deafening boom erupted, sending a powerful shockwave sweeping outward across the hall, causing the entire structure to shake violently.

Then, with a flash of blinding light, the formidable tri-colored barrier could not withstand the sheer combined force of the Holy Sword and Mo Han's Dou Qi. It immediately fractured and vanished without a trace. Where the barrier had stood, a simple stone door slowly emerged, its plain color and design sharply contrasting with the hall's former opulence.

Seeing this sight, Mo Han’s expression turned ecstatic. His guess had been correct: the resplendent hall concealed a deeper secret. Thinking of the miraculous fusion magic he might soon encounter, Mo Han’s face shone with excitement. He gently tried to push the stone door, which yielded without resistance and swung slowly inward.

The first thing that met Mo Han’s eyes was an ancient-looking chamber, immediately followed by a wave of delicate, refined fragrance that cleared his mind and refreshed his spirit. In the center of the room was a bed draped with pink curtains. In one corner stood a round stone table, upon which rested an incense burner. Looking at the arrangement, Mo Han couldn't help but feel it was a woman’s chamber; its former occupant must have been female.

What puzzled Mo Han, however, was that everything in the room looked strikingly new, as if arranged only recently. Given the hall’s long history, these items should have shown their age, perhaps even degraded to dust. Yet, this room bore no mark of time. Even preservation via a magical barrier, Mo Han reflected, could not achieve this effect. Magic, even his own, had a finite lifespan; a few hundred years would be cause for satisfaction, yet this hall was at least two thousand years old, and the barrier at the entrance still functioned perfectly. These preserved effects must be linked to those unique, merged-attribute magics. This thought only intensified Mo Han’s eagerness to learn the secrets of fusion magic.

Yet, his gaze swept the room; it was entirely bare save for the incense burner on the table and two small stone stools. There were no books. That left only the bed shrouded in red curtains. Could the secrets be hidden on the bed? Mo Han wondered to himself.

Since he had come this far, Mo Han was certainly not going to pass up any opportunity. He slowly approached the bed and reached out to draw back the pink curtains. Upon seeing what lay within, even the usually bold and fearless Mo Han gasped and stumbled two steps back.

There, lying on the bed, was the statue of an exquisitely beautiful young woman. From Mo Han’s vantage point, it appeared as if the woman was staring intently at him. The statue was incredibly lifelike. The material used was not the common stone or metal of this era, but an unknown substance resembling the wax figures from Mo Han’s own time, making the statue seem utterly animate.

Mo Han observed closely: the woman had bright eyes and pearly teeth, skin like smooth jade, gracefully curved eyebrows, and a pair of eyes sparkling with clear, subtle allure. A tranquil, clear radiance shone from her gaze. Her raven hair was styled high in a cloud-like bun, held by a simple wooden pin, giving her an unadorned elegance. Her neck was swan-like, gracefully long, exuding an indescribable air of refinement. Her shoulders were sharply defined, her waist slender and captivating, and her bosom full and firm. She wore a simple, pure white gauze dress, yet it did nothing to diminish her sacred, poised, and enchanting nobility—it was utterly intoxicating.

Mo Han was captivated, stunned that such beauty could exist across the ages.