At that moment, Yu Feibai saw this and immediately strode toward the stage. Seeing that Elder Hou made no move to stop them, Wang Guan also called to Bei Ye and followed them up the steps, arriving beside the table on the stage.

As the group moved closer, they could see an exquisite box placed upon the table as well.

"Elder Hou, is there some treasure hidden in the box?"

Yu Feibai was instantly brimming with excitement. "Can we open it and see?"

As he spoke, without waiting for Elder Hou's reply, Yu Feibai simply lifted the lid. In that very instant, a dazzling, ineffably magnificent radiance burst forth from within the box.

In a flash, Wang Guan and the others instinctively squinted, and only after a long moment did they adjust to the brilliance. Then, they quickly peered into the box, where they saw a jade seal resting inside—one with a remarkably translucent texture, smooth and white as snow.

"That looks awfully familiar," Yu Feibai muttered after a glance, feeling a sudden dryness in his throat. He questioned in disbelief, "The Imperial Seal of the Realm, again?"

Having been burned once, he was now wary of jumping to conclusions.

"This is real. The genuine Imperial Seal of the Realm."

At the same time, Wang Guan’s eyes shone with pleasant surprise, his conviction absolute.

"Are you certain?"

In truth, Yu Feibai already believed it, but he still needed confirmation.

"Nonsense. Could an ordinary object make the entire room blaze with light like that?" Wang Guan laughed. "Besides, if it weren't the Imperial Seal, why would it be displayed here with such fanfare?"

"That's true," Yu Feibai readily agreed. "Only the Imperial Seal deserves such a grand presentation."

"That’s both true and not entirely true."

Just then, the others walked up, and Elder Hou smiled. "We designed this space like this not merely to house the Imperial Seal of the Realm."

"Then what else is kept here?" Yu Feibai was sharp enough to catch the unspoken implication.

Elder Hou chuckled but offered no immediate words, merely clapping his hands lightly. The crisp sound echoed loudly in the vast space. As Wang Guan and Yu Feibai looked on in confusion, the floor tiles surrounding the platform suddenly shifted, and sections of the flooring began to sink, revealing gaping holes.

"What's happening?"

Wang Guan and Yu Feibai were momentarily startled, quickly surveying the scene. A moment later, they saw objects slowly rising from the recesses below.

"Ah!"

In no time at all, one item after another emerged. Yu Feibai stared, greatly astonished. "They look like... Dings..."

"The Nine Tripods?"

Wang Guan's eyes widened instantly, a mixture of excitement and profound disbelief washing over him.

"What? Are those really the Nine Tripods?"

Yu Feibai snapped back to attention and began counting them one by one. Sure enough, nine large tripods were arranged around the platform. These massive vessels possessed designs characterized by five being round and four being square, featuring two handles and three legs, all exuding an aura of ancient simplicity.

At first glance, they appeared no different from the bronze Dings of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. However, a bronze Ding is one thing; the legendary Nine Tripods are another entirely. Even if both were cast in bronze, their conceptual significance was vastly divergent.

There are numerous legends surrounding the Nine Tripods, but the most widely accepted story credits Yu the Great with casting them to permanently secure the dominion over the Nine Provinces.

In the early years of the Xia Dynasty, Yu the Great divided the realm into Nine Provinces. He commanded the governors of each province to contribute bronze, from which the Nine Tripods were cast. The famous mountains and rivers, as well as unique objects from the Nine Provinces, were then engraved upon the bodies of the Dings, with each Ding symbolizing one province. These nine tripods were subsequently centralized in the capital of the Xia Dynasty. Thus, the Nine Provinces became a synonym for China, and the Nine Tripods became the ultimate symbol of supreme royal authority and national unity and prosperity.

To possess the Nine Tripods meant one was the supreme ruler of the world, acting in accordance with Heaven's mandate.

Consequently, after the fall of Xia, the Dings moved to Shang; after the fall of Shang, they moved to Zhou. However, during the Spring and Autumn period, as the power of the Eastern Zhou royal house waned, ambitious feudal lords began to covet the Nine Tripods.

Foremost among the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period was King Zhuang of Chu, who, after three years of silence, made a stunning impact. He implemented drastic reforms, strengthening his state and army, pushing his military might right up to the Eastern Zhou capital. He openly sent envoys to inquire about the size and weight of the Nine Tripods.

This action alone revealed King Zhuang's ambition to usurp the Zhou royal house and become the sovereign lord of all under Heaven. It was from this time that the act of a successor seizing the throne began to be referred to as "questioning the cauldrons" (wen ding tianxia).

Yet, King Zhuang's ambition was never realized; the Zhou Dynasty managed to retain the Nine Tripods. But by the Warring States period, historical records mention Qin and Qi both vying for the Dings. However, due to the mutual checks between the two states, neither succeeded.

After that, the whereabouts of the Nine Tripods became a historical enigma.

Some suggest that during Qin's conquest of the six states, Lü Buwei, upon annihilating Zhou, took the Nine Tripods back to Xianyang. Others argue that the Dings had already vanished before Qin conquered Zhou.

Another theory posits that as the Eastern Zhou royal house declined, it lost the ability to protect the Nine Tripods. Meanwhile, the powerful feudal states during the Warring States period eyed them menacingly, striving to unify the Central Plains and replace Zhou.

Under these circumstances, the Zhou court, seeing the situation as irreversible, made a drastic decision: they threw the Nine Tripods into the Yangtze River. Hence, there are records from the time of Qin Shi Huang detailing his dispatching men to dive and search for the Dings.

Of course, later historians, considering the financial state of the Zhou royal house at the time, proposed a novel viewpoint. They speculated that the Zhou court was bankrupt, heavily in debt, and unable to sustain itself, so they destroyed the Nine Tripods to mint copper coins, publicly claiming the Dings were lost to prevent vassal states from mobilizing armies to "question the cauldrons."

However, while this conjecture has some merit, it lacks any supporting historical material to prove it, making it unconvincing. Thus, the fate of the Nine Tripods remains a subject of varied and conflicting theories.

From the beginning of Xia to the end of Zhou—a span of roughly two millennia—the Nine Tripods were consistently passed down in an orderly manner, their sudden disappearance at the end of the Warring States period has always been a matter of profound regret. But here, in this very moment, seeing the Nine Tripods suddenly appear, it was no wonder Wang Guan and Yu Feibai were so shocked and eager to know if they were real or fake.

As they spoke, Elder Hou chuckled and asked in return, "What do you think—real or fake?"

"We certainly hope they are real," Yu Feibai replied, forgetting about admiring the Imperial Seal of the Realm for a moment as he hurried down the steps to examine a large tripod closely.

Wang Guan followed suit, naturally approaching another tripod to observe it. Yet, after only a moment’s inspection, he paused slightly. "These don't seem to be the legendary Nine Tripods."

"Did you find something?" Yu Feibai quickly rushed over.

"Look here, there are inscriptions..."

Wang Guan softly began to read: "Xi Nong first emerged, Xuan Hao took the mandate... The high heavens witness from above, thus establishing the grand foundation."

"This is Empress Wu Zetian's Ode to the Tripods," Wang Guan realized suddenly. "These are not Yu the Great's Nine Tripods, but the nine tripods cast by Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty."

It should be noted that after the original Nine Tripods disappeared, later emperors did indeed attempt to recast them. The most famous among these were the sets cast by Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty and Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji.

The Ding symbolized power. As a female emperor, Empress Wu Zetian considered solidifying her authority a paramount concern, making the casting of nine tripods entirely understandable. As for Emperor Huizong of Song, his motivation was purely driven by megalomania.

Not just these two; it is said that during the Republic of China era, someone also cast nine tripods and presented them to Chiang Kai-shek, but after Chiang retreated to Taiwan, the Republican Nine Tripods also vanished.

Regardless, discovering that the objects were the Tang Dynasty's set of tripods brought Wang Guan and Yu Feibai a measure of happiness, overshadowed by a greater sense of disappointment. After all, a replica is not the original; the significance is worlds apart, incomparable.

"Wang Guan, you can't judge everything by one instance," Elder Qian interjected with a gentle smile. "This one is from the Tang Dynasty; that doesn't mean all the others are the same."

"What?" Wang Guan blinked, then caught on. He immediately abandoned the tripod before him and continued his inspection. After careful appraisal, he discovered that the nine great tripods were a veritable jumble of ages—not only Tang tripods but also Song tripods, even ones from the Republican era, and even some cast in modern times.

But amidst this mixed collection of nine tripods, there was one vessel whose sheen was deep and whose ancient aura was strikingly evident. Just looking at it made Wang Guan’s heart pound, his blood surge with excitement, and his spirits lift immensely.

"This is..."

Wang Guan closely examined the large tripod, even reaching out to touch the faint, ghostly inscriptions on its surface, trying to feel the passage of time and weathering. An intense, almost spiritual feeling told him that this must be one of the true Nine Tripods, cast by Yu the Great.

This particular tripod possessed none of the opulent surface or glittering radiance of the others; it was profoundly archaic and plain. Even its inscriptions were dim and indistinct. Yet, it was this very object that stirred Wang Guan to such intense excitement, bringing with it a sudden impulse to bow down in reverence.

At that moment, Elder Qian smiled lightly and asked, "Quite a find, isn't it?"

"More than just a find, it’s practically a divine artifact of the nation!" Wang Guan sincerely admired it, feeling the legacy of Chinese civilization within the bronze, the cultural accumulation of millennia, making the object feel as weighty as Mount Tai to him.

"Since you feel that way, are you interested in collecting the complete set?" Elder Qian's face beamed. "As you’ve seen, although they are called the Nine Tripods, only one is genuine; the other eight are just there to make up the number. Don't you want to find all the real ones?"

"Complete the Nine Tripods?"

Wang Guan was momentarily stunned. After a pause, a brilliant smile suddenly spread across his face. "That sounds rather interesting... Then... I think I'll give it a try..."

"Oh, how could such a challenging quest happen without me!" Yu Feibai exclaimed. "Wang Guan, the final showdown is here! I challenge you—let’s see who finds the most tripods, or who finds them first!"

"A competition it is. Who’s afraid of whom," Wang Guan chuckled lightly. "But you need to think clearly; this is a lifelong pursuit. I fear you lack the patience..."

"Hmph, underestimating me? I’ll prove you wrong..."

As Yu Feibai spoke with unshakeable confidence, Elder Qian and the others showed gratified smiles. Young people should possess such vigorous vitality and such soaring ambition; otherwise, how could they write brilliant chapters?

Talents emerge in every generation, and the new generation always surpasses the old.

To see successors rising—what could be more gratifying!