Yet, after centuries of erosion, those strips were also somewhat decayed. With a casual tug from Wang Guan, the cloth disintegrated like fluttering butterflies, scattering down with a whoosh.

As the strips broke apart, a black leather sheath was revealed to their eyes. As Wang Guan continued to peel away the bindings, Yu Feibai, standing beside him, surmised, "This seems to be a weapon."

Sensing the weapon's straightness, Wang Guan speculated, "It feels like a sword."

"Could it be Zhang Xianzhong's personal weapon?" Yu Feibai frowned, showing a slight disappointment. After all, compared to an imperial seal, a weapon’s value was certainly several tiers lower.

"I don't know. But this doesn't seem to be a sword..."

As he spoke, Wang Guan pulled off the last strip binding the bottom of the sheath and discovered a slight, shallow curve.

"If it's not a sword, could it be a dao (saber)?" Yu Feibai shook his head. "Look, the weapon is straight; the scabbard has no slight curve at all. How could it be a dao?"

"Whether it is or not, we'll know once we draw it out," Wang Guan chuckled, quickening the pace of tearing the cloth strips apart. Soon, the object sealed away for hundreds of years fully revealed its true form.

It was indeed a long weapon, over a meter in length, perfectly straight. However, the grip featured a ring pommel, wrapped with gold thread and dotted with tiny dragon scales. Within the ring, there was a bird-shaped ornament, exquisitely and ornately crafted.

"Wang Guan, perhaps you guessed correctly."

Seeing it, Yu Feibai grew surprised and wary. "This type of ring pommel seems to match the form of an ancient Huanshou Dao (Ring Pommel Saber)."

"It should be a Huanshou Dao," Wang Guan nodded lightly. After all, he had recently studied Luo Rucai's replica of the Seven-Star Precious Saber; he couldn't forget it so soon.

It seemed that in ancient times, Chinese swords and sabers shared a common lineage. As early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the technology for forging bronze swords was already highly refined, reaching a peak of mastery. Many legends of famous swords still circulated today.

Later, as continuous warfare erupted, and with the discovery and application of iron, weaponry underwent a transformation. Changing the sword form to that of a dao was considered a major breakthrough in the history of weaponry.

One must remember that swords have edges on both sides; while flexible and maneuverable, they were not ideal for mounted combat, poor for hacking, and easily broken. However, a dao, featuring only one sharpened edge, gained increased thickness in the spine, delivering much more devastating force upon being swung.

Furthermore, on the battlefield, one often had only a single opportunity to strike. No matter how agile a sword was, its chopping power could not match that of a dao. Perhaps this was the principle behind "overcoming skill with strength." From that point onward, the sword gradually retreated from the battlefield, and the dao became the mainstream weapon of war.

However, since the dao was improved upon the foundation of the sword, for a considerable period in antiquity—from the Han Dynasty through the Tang Dynasty—the dao maintained a straight blade shape. The popularization of curved dao likely occurred only after the Yuan Dynasty.

"Let's see if we can draw it."

At this moment, Yu Feibai chuckled lightly. "Sealed for hundreds of years, perhaps the blade and scabbard have completely rusted together."

"Surely not that bad," Wang Guan laughed. "The blade feels quite new, and even the leather of the scabbard hasn't been damaged."

"I worry about gilt without substance!" Yu Feibai shook his head, not overly optimistic.

"Ssssh..."

Simultaneously, Wang Guan applied gentle force, drawing the Huanshou Dao handle. With a faint sound, a blinding streak of light suddenly shimmered in the air.

"Whoa, what's happening!"

Both Wang Guan and Yu Feibai were momentarily stunned. They instinctively blinked, averting their gaze from the brilliance.

After a few seconds, their vision returned to normal, and they realized the source of the blinding light was the straight blade held in Wang Guan's hand. The slender, perfectly straight weapon radiated a bright luster under the sunlight.

Observing closely, one could discern that this luster was not static; rather, it shifted like ripples in water, layer upon layer, undulating constantly—incredibly dazzling.

"What is this..."

Yu Feibai stared in astonishment, somewhat dazed by the radiant glow, his eyes slightly mesmerized.

"An ancient precious saber," Wang Guan murmured.

Wang Guan was also somewhat excited. He gently reached out to stroke the back of the straight blade, feeling its surface to be cool, incredibly smooth, yet possessing subtle grain, imparting an ineffable sense of beauty.

"Let me see it quickly."

Before Wang Guan could fully appreciate the grain patterns on the blade, Yu Feibai impatiently reached out to snatch it.

"Careful, don't move rashly..."

Wang Guan felt a surge of alarm. Holding the straight blade, he could directly sense the sharpness of the cutting edge. While its keenness might not be exaggerated enough to slice through iron, it was certainly capable of cutting flesh and bone.

Only after Wang Guan’s caution did Yu Feibai slow his movements. Once Wang Guan carefully placed the ring-pommel straight blade into his hand, Yu Feibai became instantly excited. With a swift motion, he swung the saber down through the air.

"Whoosh..."

The dazzling, bright edge effortlessly sliced through the air, emitting a faint whistle.

"What a treasure, absolutely priceless," Yu Feibai murmured, lightly tracing the surface of the blade as if caressing the smooth skin of a beautiful maiden, a look of intoxication on his face. "Look, the forging patterns on the blade are orderly, exquisitely detailed—it must be crafted from Huawen Gang (Pattern-Welded Steel)."

"Huawen Gang? What is that?" Wang Guan asked curiously. He was not a cold weapon enthusiast. He had learned some things about Han swords and Tang dao from reading materials, but he was unfamiliar with such specialized terminology.

"Huawen Gang is what Europeans call Damascus steel; in our ancient times, it was known as Bin Tie (Wootz steel)," Yu Feibai said, snapping back to attention. He explained, "It involves repeatedly folding and hammering the iron to form textures resembling flowing water, clouds, wood grain, or chrysanthemum flowers."

"The legendary precious swords, Gan Jiang, Mo Ye, Long Yuan, Yu Chang—they all had bronze Huawen edges," Yu Feibai lamented regretfully. "Unfortunately, the casting technique for this Huawen edge was extremely complex and arduous, and the manufacturers were highly