The so-called Myriad Rune Box was actually a product born from the fusion of mechanics and runeology.
Unless one's professional knowledge was sufficiently profound, there was no hope of opening it.
The chasm in skills in this world was simply too vast, so much so that stages six or seven were already considered high-level knowledge...
As for this box, let alone Bu Wanxiao and the others, perhaps no one in the entire cultivation world could open it!
This was because the runes on the exterior alone involved runeology knowledge up to the fifteenth stage!
Fifteen stages were an absolutely despairing existence for them!
And this was merely the surface runes; the runes hidden within were likely no less significant.
As for Bu Wanxiao's mention of brute force, Ye Fan believed that if he wasn't mistaken, the material of the box's outer layer was fifteen-stage Soul-Devouring Stone.
Putting aside whether brute force would damage the contents within.
If Bu Wanxiao had actually dared to do so before, the grass on her grave would probably be severalzhang high by now...
With this thought, Ye Fan gave Bu Wanxiao a peculiar look: Her life was truly resilient...
"Young Master Ye, is there a problem?" Perhaps feeling uneasy under Ye Fan's strange gaze, Bu Wanxiao instinctively asked.
"Nothing," Ye Fan replied casually. "Where did you get this thing from?"
Ye Fan pondered for a moment, then decided not to tell her the truth.
He didn't want to frighten her further...
"I bought it at an auction half a year ago," Bu Wanxiao answered truthfully.
Originally, her desire to bid for the box wasn't very strong; she just thought it looked nice and planned to buy it for collection.
Then, another cultivator took an interest in the box, and the two of them entered into a rivalry...
In the end, because the other cultivator was short on funds, the financially robust Bu Wanxiao successfully acquired it.
For this, she spent a full thirty to forty thousand high-grade spirit stones!
Interestingly, Bu Wanxiao had no idea what this box was for from beginning to end.
The reason she bid such a high price was purely out of spite...
To this, Ye Fan could only helplessly say:
This is so very... female...
"Does Young Master Ye know what this is?" Bu Wanxiao asked curiously.
"Mm," Ye Fan nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, this should be a Myriad Rune Box."
"Elder Bu, see, I told you Young Master Ye would definitely know," Liang Ruijing said smugly, then curiously asked Ye Fan, "What does Myriad Rune Box mean?"
"It's a product that combines mechanics and runeology," Ye Fan replied. "In short, it's a very complex thing."
This wasn't Ye Fan bluffing.
In fact, this thing was indeed extremely complicated.
Even though the knowledge in his mind was sufficient to handle it, the process would still take a considerable amount of time.
"Can you open it then?" Liang Ruijing asked with curiosity, her large eyes blinking.
"I can try."
Ye Fan placed the Myriad Rune Box on the table and tapped his chin, deep in thought.
The literal meaning of Myriad Rune Box was that it was furnished with tens of thousands of runes.
These tens of thousands of runes, when combined, could produce tens, even millions, of different variations.
The degree of madness was evident.
The Myriad Rune Box was less an item and more like an exam.
This was because when Ye Fan was learning runes, he had encountered this thing more than once.
Take the one in front of him as an example.
The presence of fifteenth-stage runes on the outside meant that this thing contained almost all the tricky and obscure knowledge points within the fifteenth stage.
Some rune combinations even appeared to be contradictory.
But Ye Fan knew that contradiction was impossible.
Even the most outlandish-looking combinations used knowledge points that had already been learned.
One could only say that the 'examiner' was incredibly cunning, deliberately leading the solver astray...
Fortunately, Ye Fan wasn't a novice encountering the Myriad Rune Box for the first time; he was aware of some common traps.
"It will probably take a lot of time to solve this," Ye Fan indicated. "I wonder if Elder Bu is comfortable with me taking it back?"
"Young Master Ye is too kind," Bu Wanxiao replied. "Please, be my guest."
Despite not having seen him for so long, the shock Ye Fan had previously given her was still vivid.
Furthermore, Ye Fan and Liang Ruijing were acquaintances, so she naturally had nothing to worry about.
The most important thing was that this item was just a decorative piece in her hands; it was better to let Ye Fan try...
After bidding farewell to Bu Wanxiao, Ye Fan and Liang Ruijing returned.
When the Sect Master of the Qingxin Sect had examined Liang Ruijing's constitution, he had immediately accepted her as a personal disciple.
As the Sect Master's personal disciple, Liang Ruijing's residence was naturally not small.
Ye Fan chose an empty room and settled in.
For the next few days, Ye Fan was wholly engrossed in cracking the Myriad Rune Box.
If he truly had to try hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of combined variations one by one, Ye Fan would naturally not have brought the Myriad Rune Box back.
Fortunately, with the vast knowledge in his mind, he could eliminate most of the possibilities.
Even so, there were still over three thousand variations left for him to explore!
In just two or three days, Ye Fan's room was already piled with several stacks of draft paper.
These were his calculations before he started working.
Initially, Liang Ruijing had watched with great interest throughout the entire process, but after seeing the dense runes and formulas, she had decisively left...
She found those scribbles utterly incomprehensible...
She merely came to deliver meals to Ye Fan three times a day, punctual and on schedule.
Even though she had seen it before, she was still deeply shocked by Ye Fan's appetite!
He ate so much...
Ye Fan remained secluded for a full seven days.
The reason he did this, apart from personal interest, was also his curiosity about the contents of the box.
Whatever could be preserved in a Myriad Rune Box must surely be very interesting.
One noon, Liang Ruijing came as usual to deliver food to Ye Fan.
Given Ye Fan's appetite, the food certainly couldn't be brought in on a plate.
Fortunately, there were spatial rings...
Just in these seven days, several female cooks had been exhausted...
"Ye Fan, it's time to eat," Liang Ruijing reminded him, and simultaneously tidied up the draft papers on the floor.
When Ye Fan was in his working state, he was extremely focused.
He would start working as soon as he opened his eyes and fall asleep as soon as he was too tired.
If Liang Ruijing hadn't helped him tidy up, Ye Fan would probably have been buried by his own written papers by now...
Moreover, Ye Fan hadn't paid much attention to personal hygiene these past few days; his messy long hair was casually disheveled, and he hadn't bothered to shave.
At first glance, he looked like a savage...
Especially since he hadn't bathed or changed clothes for days; Liang Ruijing even suspected he was about to ferment...
"Hoo—!"
Ye Fan finally let out a sigh of relief and began to devour the food on the table.
"Ye Fan... there's really no rush with this box..." Liang Ruijing wrinkled her nose and tactfully said, "Why don't you take some time to take a bath and change your clothes? If you continue like this, you'll soon stink..."
"No need," Ye Fan replied during a pause. "It's already solved."
"Solved?" Liang Ruijing instinctively looked at the table.
Ye Fan hadn't just been calculating these past few days; he had already opened several layers of the box.
In fact, the item now looked nothing like a box.
The opened mechanical parts were scattered in a chaotic manner, appearing like a bizarrely shaped flower at first glance.
And the greatest secret was buried within the heart of this flower.
"I'll finish eating first,"
Ye Fan replied casually and continued to eat voraciously.
Liang Ruijing sat by the table, resting her chin on her hand, watching Ye Fan eat like a glutton.
As she watched, she muttered to herself.
He eats too much...
After finishing the last bite of food, Ye Fan finally stopped.
"It seems I really should take a bath..." he mumbled, sniffing himself.
"I'll arrange it right away," Liang Ruijing quickly replied.
After bathing and changing into new clothes, the two returned to the room.
Ye Fan took out his rune brush and sketched a few strokes at the heart of the flower.
A miraculous thing happened.
As Ye Fan drew his last stroke, the heart of the flower opened!
And the thing hidden within finally revealed its true form.
Several scrolls of paper, and a book.