An ordinary person would be frozen in fear as if they were locked down by chains if they saw a tiger with such a murderous aura approach them in such an imposing manner, much less this vastly more dangerous Elder Xu who looked like he could launch an attack at any time. But Lin Ming had still not revealed a single hint of fear or dread on his face, even though Elder Xu's strength surpassed him by hundreds, if not thousands of times. Lin Ming had seen flying sages and kings in the dreams of the Magic Cube. These ancient elders had parted seas and smashed mountains; compared to these warriors, Elder Xu was just an ant beneath their boot. In addition, if Lin Ming was to act like a fearful ant, then how could he have the qualifications to pursue the peak of the martial artist's path?
Seeing that his imposing manner and murderous intent failed to oppress Lin Ming, Elder Xu became somewhat angry. Before he could step forward again, a shadow flashed, and a man passed Elder Xu like a ghost out of nowhere.
"Xu Fengyuan, are you planning to make a move and bully a little junior? Heh, that really is the superior air of a true master." As Elder Xu's nemesis, Sun Sifan could not let him do as he pleased, and he had already arrived in front of Lin Ming's body.
With such an elder standing in front of him, Lin Ming felt the immense pressure on him being lifted.
From the point when Wang Yanfeng had used his superior martial skills to assault Lin Ming, to the sudden change in fortune, and to when Lin Ming had severely wounded Wang Yanfeng and then the two elders had appeared on stage, the truth was that it had only been a very short period of time. Under the stage, the candidates and other guests that surrounded them were already reacting, and their voices filled the entire with chatter.
This Lin Ming, he had undergone a complete metamorphosis!
However he had managed to simultaneously offended Wang Yanfeng and Elder Xu; his future days would not pass in peace.
The majority of those present came from humble backgrounds, so they had several points of sympathy and compassion for Lin Ming. After all, their families were all similar, and some of them were the talents of their generation. Yet how many of them had suffered losses when faced against aristocratic family juniors that had vastly more resources behind them?
Seeing Sun Sifan defending Lin Ming, Elder Xu gave a cold snort and waved his voluminous sleeves. He signaled the severely injured Wang Yanfeng to follow him off stage. But at this moment, Lin Ming said, "Elder Xu, please stay a moment."
"Mm?" Elder Xu frowned. He didn't think that this Lin Ming would have the guts to call him. Any normal candidate who saw a Houtian elder of the Seven Profound Martial House would be submissive and timid, but this Lin Ming had actually compelled himself to call him out, how stupidly courageous of him. He coldly said, "What do you want to say?"
"Before I and Wang Yanfeng agreed to a duel, we made a bet. If I won, not only would I keep the first place candidate position, but I would also obtain the Golden Snake Scarlet Pill that was the second place prize. Since Elder Xu is bringing Wang Yanfeng away, when the prizes are handed out, I will receive it myself."
Lin Ming said all these things now, as it was a matter that had to be made absolutely clear. Otherwise as soon as Wang Yanfeng left, then the prize would probably not be given to him. Away from the eyes of all those present, it was unlikely that Wang Yanfeng would so easily send him the Golden Snake Scarlet Pill.
Wang Yanfeng had been unconscious until now. This loss of face truly made him wish he hadn't woken up. Hearing these words of Lin Ming almost made him cough up more blood. Exactly how precious and rare was the Golden Snake Scarlet Pill? Yuelu City's Wang Family was an old aristocratic family with massive wealth, deep ties to the country, and a long and storied history. Yet no matter how much money or power they had there was no way they could buy a Golden Snake Scarlet Pill. It just wasn't something that could be purchased by money. Moreover, all these years Wang Yanfeng had used many resources of his family and the council of elders had already been keenly critical of him. If he lost this Golden Snake Scarlet Pill, to Wang Yanfeng this was a truly deadly blow.
"He deserves death!" Wang Yanfeng cursed in his heart. He glared at Lin Ming with unmasked hatred in his eyes. But he had already made a promise, and it had been heard by everyone. In the presence of so many people, it was impossible to renege on a promise.
He spat out several words between clenched teeth. "The Golden Snake Scarlet Pill belongs to you. I wish you good fortune and luck in taking it! I hope nothing wrong goes wrong in the absorption and your veins don't implode, tearing you to shreds!"
Lin Ming heard the naked threat in Wang Yanfeng's words.
"I really have offended too many people. Until now, there is Zhu Yan, Wang Yigao, Wang Yanfeng, and all these people are from aristocratic backgrounds. Even Zhu Yan and Wang Yanfeng are talented martial artists. Wang Yigao is another matter; after last time he probably pissed his pants and would be too afraid to do anything, but Zhu Yan and Wang Yanfeng will also be studying in the Seven Profound Martial House with me and will look for every opportunity to get revenge on me. Not matter what, it seems I can't put an end to all these future troubles.
"I offended so many people and yet could not properly clean up the mess, now it's become a huge omen. But they provoked me, it was just impossible for me to swallow all the insults and let others humiliate me as they pleased, otherwise it would wear away my heart and spirit of martial arts.
"Since it's come to this, what's most important is that I enhance my own strength as soon as possible. I am definitely not Zhu Yan's match. Not even Zhu Yan, but this Wang Yanfeng also luckily underestimated me and I also underestimated him. I thought that because I defeated two vicious beasts on the fifth floor of the Exquisite Pagoda that I was much stronger than him, but I didn't think that his strength would increase so much by combining his rare treasure and family's martial skill. Even if I could see the circulation of true essence in his saber, it was not necessarily my victory. Perhaps I should also go to buy a rare treasure of some sort."
Lin Ming thought about all of these things. Tomorrow he would officially enter the Seven Profound Martial House and most likely encounter Zhu Yan at some point. Half a year ago, Zhu Yan had relied on his peak Third Stage of Body Transformation cultivation to enter the Heavenly Abode, which all of the most talented students would go to. His strength most likely had its own specialty, Lin Ming would not underestimate him.
After seeing Elder Xu walk away, Sun Sifan gave Lin Ming a deep look, as his eyes were traced with surprise and a hint of disbelief.
In that fight a moment ago, if Lin Ming had used some amazing and almighty martial skill to defeat Wang Yanfeng, then he would not have been surprised, but what he used was nothing but an ordinary fist and foot. Using nothing but his own body, he had hit the exact point of the snake-like true essence seven inches up the saber and disrupted Wang Yanfeng's true essence!
To achieve this would require extraordinarily keen judgement and remarkable accuracy. To hit a saber that was being wielded with such speed and on such a precise spot was no less difficult than catching a speeding arrow in mid flight.
It could be said that if one practiced their basic skills enough then they would be able to do this. But how Lin Ming found the weakness in Wang Yanfeng's true essence was unclear.
This could only come from an extremely high soul force strength and a breadth of experience.
This type of experience could only be accumulated by years of actual combat. This boy was only fifteen years old; it was impossible for him to have this kind of experience. Was he some genius talent?
Some martial artists were geniuses at fighting. By virtue of their intuition and godly monstrous perception, they would be able to see any opening on a battlefield. Any sort of great and awe inspiring martial skill, to them, would actually be full of holes. Meeting someone like this and not being able to understand how they would suddenly close in on you, with their sword in your face, this sort of person was truly terrifying.
Is it possible that… this Lin Ming was also this kind of talent?
It was a bit odd…
Elder Sun thought this and looked at Lin Ming, "You, come with me."
"Mm?" Lin Ming found that Elder Sun walked in a direction that was away from where the rewards were being handed out and he had some doubts in his heart.
"Lin Ming, measure your soul talent with me."
…
"To reach the fifth floor of the Exquisite Pagoda and also defeat Wang Yanfeng…"
In a quiet room patterned with a blue stone tile floor, Zhu Yan stood in the center, on top of a wooden pillar. He was topless, exposing the solid and strong muscles of his upper body. By his side stood a thin, old servant. Although the servant looked a little baggy, his breathe was even and long, which was the culmination of practicing the Third Stage of Body Transformation, Viscera Training.
Zhu Yan's servant and Wang Yigao's servant were like heaven and earth. This was because the Zhu Family were relatives of the emperor and their influence was bigger, and also because of Zhu Yan's status within his family; it was not something that the useless Wang Yigao could possibly compare with.
Although Zhu Yan had not been present to watch Lin Ming's exam, he had sent his old servant to pay attention to the situation. As soon as Lin Ming and Wang Yanfeng's competition ended, the old servant had come back to report the situation to Zhu Yan.
"This little bastard, I hadn't thought he had hidden so many secrets!"
"Bang!" Wang Yanfeng punched out a fist and smashed apart the wooden pillar. This kind of pillar was extremely hard, as it had been soaked in medicines that increased rigidity and density, and was several times more tenacious than normal, but it was actually smashed apart by Zhu Yan's fist. This was a sign that Zhu Yan's fist strength had reached a high stage.
It was absolutely above 4000 jins! Compared to Ling Sen it was just a little bit worse, but not by too much.
"Wang Yanfeng was too arrogant, but he did have some ability. As far as I can tell he had already practiced the 'Nine Paths of Truth' to forming nine green runes, and he also had the 'Seven Despairing Steps' movement skill. Yet he still lost to Lin Ming? Did Lin Ming use some sort of martial skill?"
The old servant said, "Young master, Lin Ming did not use a martial skill, he only used punches and kicks. His movements were straight and basic; there were no flashy moves that he used."
"What? Then how could he possibly win?" Zhu Yan could not believe this.
"This old servant has poor vision and did not see what methods Lin Ming used, but he managed to break that little Wang boy's 'Nine Paths of Truth' and then used a series of moves to gain the upper hand. He relentlessly pursued to the end and defeated the little Wang boy without giving him the slightest opportunity to retaliate."
"He broke the 'Nine Paths of Truth'?" Zhu Yan felt shocked. Each kind of martial art of had weaknesses that could be exploited, but these were absolute secrets that were never divulged. Lin Ming was only a junior of the branch family of the Ling Family. His background was normal, it was impossible for him to know any sort of decent martial skill, how could he possibly have the experience to defeat the 'Nine Paths of Truth'?
Was this a dream?
Zhu Yan was unable to understand the reason why. Then, the old servant said, "Young master, this older servant also discovered that Lin Ming's true essence was very pure. He is unlike a normal martial artist at the Second Stage of Body Transformation."
Zhu Yan responded, "I have already discovered this. There's nothing too strange about it, this boy probably found some valuable material and ate it. In addition to diligent studying and hard work and practice, even a rabid dog could show some degree of success."
"Because he had a fortuitous encounter, his strength suddenly rose to a new level. Because his talent was originally garbage, this will slowly fade away. This sort of happening is too rare; that this Lin Ming could encounter such luck, that boy is truly an eyesore…"
Zhu Yang slowly clenched his first. He did not care at all about Lin Ming, and did not even think he had the qualifications to be remembered by him. He was after all, two years younger and at a lower level of cultivation. It was only because of Lan Yunyue that Zhu Yan felt this Lin Ming was such an eyesore.
"This is the soul talent test…" Lin Ming thought, as he was presently standing in front of the large stone tablet. This stone tablet was similar to the one used to measure strength but with one small change, the color was different. The stone tablet to measure strength was a deep obsidian black, but this stone tablet to measure soul force was actually red, a deep crimson red that was somewhat like fresh blood.
Lin Ming was a junior of the Lin Family, and had his soul talent and martial talent grade measured as soon as he was born, and both were at medium third-grade. This talent level was decent; if Lin Ming were born in the Lin Family then he would have been worthy to raise and cultivate, but it was a pity that he had been born in the branch family. This medium third grade soul talent and martial talent was insufficient to make him an exception that was directly added into the line of male family direct descendants.
To a child, between soul talent and martial talent, the cultivation of martial talent was more important, as it directly related to that child's future achievements as a martial artist.
As for soul talent, that was negligible. This sort of talent was mainly related to occupations that needed soul force, such as inscription masters, refiners, apothecaries, alchemists, and so forth. Generally speaking, only an outstanding soul talent, such as a superior fourth grade of fifth grade would be worthy of having massive amounts of money spent by the family to raise into an inscription master, apothecary, or other niche occupations. A decent soul talent and below would be completely neglected.
Lin Ming knew this, that soul talent was completely useless in the Physical Transformation Stage. It would gradually become more useful after one reached Xiantian and began to cultivate their soul.
In Sky Fortune Kingdom, the majority of low level martial artists and warriors would not use their soul force at all.
However some of those who broke through the Pulse Condensation Period might begin to practice inscription. They would then learn soul law formulas, begin to condense their soul force, and become able to see certain things, such as the flow of true essence in treasures and would then be able to define and understand their weaknesses.
Elder Sun suspected that Lin Ming was a genius talent at soul force because of this, and brought him here to examine.
"Although you already said that you had your soul talent measured by your family, I think it might be good to measure again just in case. This sort of soul talent things is usually neglected and most of the time is a formality. Coupled with the fact that stone tablets aren't necessarily accurate, there might be a mistake in the measurement.
As Elder Sun said this, he placed a small true essence stone in the center of the stone tablet. Although it looked somewhat similar, the cost of this small stone was much higher. This small true essence stone was actually a lavish consumable.
Lin Ming placed his hand on the stone tablet and felt the array activate with a flash. In the vast ocean of his mind he suddenly saw countless phantasmal images, a kaleidoscope of world images, and felt a tingling sensation in his innermost soul. This sort of feeling continued for several dozen breaths of time until he heard Elder Sun say, "Measured."
Lin Ming opened his eyes and looked. He saw that the light beam of the stone pillar had risen to the fourth position and overflowed by about one-third. Primary fourth-grade talent?
Lin Ming looked a bit listless. He knew that his own soul talent had been measured at medium third-grade, how could it have randomly increased by so much?
It was just as Elder Sun said, was it a mistake when he had his soul talent measured before?
…
A sudden thought suddenly rose in Lin Ming's mind.
Is it possible that this talent change was related to the Magic Cube?
Was it because he had swallowed that soul fragment, that his own soul talent had risen from medium third-grade to primary fourth-grade?
Lin Ming didn't know anything about souls, but there was one thing he clearly knew. In the entirety of Sky Spill Continent's knowledge, talent was immutable and unchangeable. This was a fact!
Regardless of if they cultivated their martial talent or soul talent, it would never change again after birth. There were no rare material in the world that could change one's talent.
As for the memories that he had absorbed, they also did not contain any knowledge of any way this could be possible. But because the memories were incomplete, Lin Ming did not dare to affirm this as truth.
Was it possible that his soul talent had been measured incorrectly at birth? If swallowing souls could increase one's soul talent grade, then if those powerful elders of the Realm of the Gods might do so, then would everyone be sixth, seventh, or eighth-grade talents?
As Lin Ming thought this, he subconsciously traced his own chest where he could feel the Magic Cube. After the last time that he swallowed and absorbed a soul fragment, Lin Ming had been unable to enter the dreamland of the Magic Cube again.
Although he did not entertain any hope, if he did have a future opportunity to absorb a soul fragment again, then he would have to measure his soul talent to see if there was no growth.
Elder Sun naturally did not know these circumstances of Lin Ming, and he frowned as he looked at the results of the stone tablet. This primary fourth-grade talent left him feeling unsatisfied.
He originally had a little bit of hope that Lin Ming was a rare soul force talent genius, such as fifth-grade, or even the legendary sixth-grade.
If that was the case then Lin Ming would be sent to study inscription, alchemy, and no amount of effort or resources would be spared to raise them. When that time came, then the Seven Profound Martial House would be able to raise and cultivate Qin Xingxuan and Lin Ming, two genius martial soul talents, and their Seven Profound Martial House would obtain accolades and praise from the main sect. They might even have some hope to obtain precious medicines or elixirs. But now that small hope was dashed.
Elder Sun shook his head and sighed lightly with one small breath. He said to Lin Ming, "Come, I will lead you to receive your rewards."
….
"These are the Crimson Gold Dragon Marrow Pill and the Golden Snake Scarlet Pill?"
As he returned to his housing at the Seven Profound Martial House, Lin Ming looked at the two pills in the box on the table. His mood was inevitably excited. The harvest this time was just too great!
Of these two pills, one was refined from the marrow of a Crimson Gold Dragon and the other with the hundred year old gallbladder of a Golden Scarlet Snake. The Crimson Gold Dragon was a vicious beast of the fourth-grade. Even a Houtian expert would not even be a match for one. As for the hundred year old Golden Scarlet Snake, although it was a third-level vicious beast, it lived at the apex of third-level vicious beasts and was also extremely scarce and correspondingly extremely rare.
These two precious pills were objects that had no market price, they could just not be purchased in the entirety of the Sky Fortune Kingdom. Even the Royal Family would be startled and moved by these!
"If I take these two pills, then my strength would increase by leaps and bounds, but…taking such a precious pill like this directly is too much of a waste. The memories of the elder had not only inscription techniques to increase the strength of treasures, but also to increase the effect of pills. He had studied them and learnt the inscription symbol to double the effect of a pill. He would just have to apply it to the pill and then take it…
The Realm of the Gods had unsurpassed inheritances and legacies. Regardless of whether it was Body Transformation, skills of martial arts or weapons, every skill and array had already been developed to the peak of possibility. It was not something that anything or anyone on the entirety the Sky Spill Continent could compare with, and the inscription techniques were also the same.
Inscription techniques in the Realm of the Gods were divided into four general categories; object inscription, medicinal inscription, body inscription, and soul inscription.
Object inscriptions were placed on rare treasure; it was the most simple and obvious.
Medicinal inscriptions were inscriptions for pills, elixirs, and other medicines; it would increase their effect or eliminate their side effects.
Body inscriptions were inscriptions that were placed on the body. It required absolute knowledge and attainments in inscription to use, and could increase the speed of cultivation and practice of a martial artist, and even their combat prowess.
Soul inscriptions were inscriptions of the soul. These techniques belonged to the absolute highest boundary and pinnacle realm of inscription techniques. Even the elder's memories of soul inscription were blank, perhaps they were incomplete, or perhaps he had no experience with them at all.
Sky Fortune Kingdom's inscription techniques were limited to object inscription. The overwhelming number of inscription masters had never given much thought to the idea that inscriptions could also be used in other places.
With Lin Ming's current skill, there was no need for him to even think about body inscription or soul inscription, much less try to attempt them. Medicinal inscription might be possible with more study, but first of all Lin Ming had been busy these days with his martial arts cultivation, and thus didn't have enough time to practice, and second of all, Lin Ming did not have enough money to buy materials so he had shelved that idea for future reference.
But now he had managed to obtain the Crimson Gold Dragon Marrow Pill and the Golden Snake Scarlet Pill. These two pills were miracle medicines; if he could earnestly study his inscription techniques then he would be able to greatly increase their efficacy.
Suddenly Lin Ming heard a knock on his door sound out like lightning. If not for the fact that the Seven Profound Martial House's door quality was very good, Lin Ming suspected that it might even be smashed apart!
"Brother Lin, Brother Lin, quickly open the door!"
Lin Ming smiled when he heard this voice. It was Lin Xiaodong.
"Holy Crap! Brother Lin is my life's idol! Dude, First place! You're way to amazing!"
Lin Xiaodong had not been able to go to the second trial, therefore he didn't know what sort of situation Lin Ming had been in, and had only just found out the good news.
"Mm. I was able to display some good results yesterday, and my recent progress was quite good, so I was able to attain first place."
"Let's walk, us brothers will drink."
"Mmm, good idea! But now I don't have time to have a meal, we have to go buy some things first."
Lin Ming took out a piece of paper and began to write down the materials he needed for the medicinal inscription symbol. There were a great number and many different kinds of inscription symbols, but Lin Ming had decided on the simplest one, named the 'Lower Spirit Cure Symbol'. This type of medicinal symbol could only be used on lower-grade pills. In the eyes of the ancient elder, the priceless Crimson Gold Dragon Marrow Pill and Golden Snake Scarlet Pill that could not be purchased anywhere in the entire Sky Fortune Kingdom could only be considered lower-grade pills.
With Lin Ming's current ability, even drawing this 'Lower Spirit Cure Symbol' was already his limit. Beyond that, the many materials needed for higher quality medicinal symbols, Lin Ming had never heard of at all.
Even this 'Inferior Spirit Cure Symbol' had many materials that were exceedingly rare.
Although Lin Xiaodong did not know much about inscription techniques, as soon as he saw Lin Ming write an entire page of materials, he was able to recognize a few of them, for instance 'fourth-grade vicious beast blood'.
"Brother Lin, you want to buy fourth-grade vicious beast blood? As if!"
It had to be known that the Crimson Gold Dragon was also a fourth-level vicious beast. Fourth-level vicious beasts were at least equal to a Houtian master. Although the rare vicious beast blood was not unable to be purchased in Sky Fortune Kingdom, it would be sold at an absolutely astronomical price. This sort of thing would only be shipped in from abroad, even one or two vials would be a thousand taels of gold.
Lin Ming continued to write, and the increasing numbers of materials made Lin Xiaodong feel increasingly fearful and apprehensive. He finally could not bear it and asked, "Brother Lin, do you have that much money?"
Lin Ming nodded. "Mister Muyi gave me 15,000 gold taels in banknotes a few days ago. It was early payment for future 'Overwhelming Rune' inscriptions. I just need to deliver them to him later.
"1…15,000….heavens!" Lin Xiaodong gulped down his saliva. The last time was 9000 gold taels, this time was 15,000. He suddenly felt numb; it was as if gold had just become a number.
…
There was one place in Sky Fortune City that sold the most inscription materials. It wasn't the Hundred Treasure Hall nor was it any auction house. It was Sky Fortune City's Inscription Association.
In there were many rare and precious materials that couldn't be bought anywhere else, and the price was also a bit cheaper than the market price.
"What? Such a good place exists?" Lin Xiaodong felt this was inconceivable, even after hearing it straight from Lin Ming's lips. "This is impossible, unless the person in charge of the Inscription Association's trade union was crazy. If I were the one in charge, I would definitely hike the prices up."
Lin Ming shrugged, "This is what I heard."
They spent some time visiting several high-end shops and also the official auction houses, but really didn't find the rare materials that they needed there.
"Then I guess we go to the Inscription Association."
"Mm…seems like that's the only plan left. Lin Ming suspected that shopping that the Inscription Association required the high status of an inscription master. Until his strength and cultivation had caught up to his inscription technique level, Lin Ming did not want to expose the existence of his skill at inscription. This might cause much trouble for himself and even place him in dangerous situations. Although he had Muyi's protection, Lin Ming did not want to trouble him too much.
…
"Not only do I need an inscription master certificate, but I also need contribution points to purchase any items?" After Lin Ming arrived at the Inscription Association, he had inquired to an elder sister there about how to buy rare and precious materials, and had received this sort of reply.
"I knew it! There was no way such a good deal could exist! Lin Xiaodong crossed his arms in satisfaction. This was normal.
"What are contribution points?" Lin Ming asked.
"Mm…it seems your master is not an inscription master of Sky Fortune Kingdom," said the elder sister who managed the reception desk, as she thought that Lin Ming was here to purchase materials for his master. "Contribution points are from contributions made by inscription masters that are recorded down at our office. For instance, if they completed some tasks, or duties, or missions that the Inscription Association issued, then you could obtain some contribution points. Or, you could hold a post or office such as association president and receive some points too. Certainly you could also give and trade contribution points with other inscription masters. There are also several different ways to obtain contribution points. If you would have a look at the rules of the Inscription Association you can see them. If your master intends to join the Inscription Association, he is welcome to.
The Inscription Association was a loose organization. Many inscription masters were old men who were only interested in learning and knowledge. They were usually recluses who did not have much contact with the outside and lived sheltered lives. If they had not set up a contribution points system, then the Inscription Association's existence would be very dreary, and probably not have many inscription masters that would have joined. Even if they did join, very few would come to the trade market.
Lin Ming flipped through the Inscription Association's rules. As long as he joined the Inscription Association, he would be able to immediately obtain 100 contribution points. There were also many other ways listed to obtain contribution points, such as selling rare and precious materials to the Inscription Association.
"Pfft. If there are rare materials then you would use them, why would you sell them to the Inscription Association." Lin Xiaodong snorted contemptuously.
Lin Ming said, "Sometimes there are too many of some materials and they cannot be all used, and are just sitting around uselessly. In that case, it's better to trade for something useful. But this way of getting contribution points doesn't suit me. The only road possible seems to be completing some sort of mission."
Lin Ming turned to the reception elder sister and asked, "This elder sister, where would I go to complete missions?"
"To find missions to complete, you have to go to the mission hall. But, you can only enter the mission hall if you have an inscription master qualification certificate. If your master has any interest in this, he could personally come to have a look. There are many benefits to joining the Inscription Association." The reception elder sister said with a very warm smile.
Lin Ming thought about it and asked, "Does the Inscription Association keep member identities confidential?"
"This is certainly a possibility. If your master has need of privacy then we can guarantee that we can keep all information pertaining to him secret."
"Mmm. That's good. How is the examination, could you take me to participate?"
"Mm?" The reception elder sister stared at him with wide eyes.
Lin Ming shrugged and said, "I'm the inscription master."
"…." The reception elder sister took a step back and sized Lin Ming up from head to toe. She slowly opened her mouth and asked, "Could I… ask… what your age is?"
"15."
"15 years old…?" The reception elder sister heard this and was left speechless. She guessed that the boy in front of her was under the tutelage of some mighty inscription master and had a certain level of talent, and probably also many achievements. But a 15 year old inscription master was just a bit too exaggerated. In these 80 years of the Sky Fortune Kingdom's records, the youngest had only been 18 years old.
The only ones who had any hope of breaking this record were Qin Xingxuan of the Martial Quarters and Wang Yuhan of the Inscription Association.
"This little brother, if you want to participate in the examination to be an inscription master, you need to prepare the treasure and materials." The reception elder sister had only good intention as she kindly reminded him. Only after creating the inscription symbol could one see its quality and effects. Generally speaking, a new inscription master's inscription symbols would have a very poor effect, and placing it on a rare treasure would be an utter waste of resources. The Inscription Association was wealthy, but they could not afford such a wanton waste of resources and materials. Therefore, the examination required that all examinees bring their own treasures and materials, as they did not want some random half-baked inscription apprentice to come and test his luck. After all, materials for inscription symbols were very pricey.
"Mm. I knew that. If possible I'd like to purchase some good rare treasure for this examination. I can disburse the costs of purchase." As Lin Ming said this, he reached into his clothes and withdrew several shiny gold banknotes, all of which were worth 1000 gold taels.
Seeing Lin Ming casually bring out so many gold banknotes, the reception elder sister was astonished. This was an amount of gold that not even the juniors of aristocratic families would have.
She looked to Lin Ming and saw that he wasn't treating this as some joke. The reception elder sister said, "Since you insist, please come along with me."
Lin Ming followed the elder sister and entered the interior of the Inscription Association. Lin Xiaodong also followed along. As they passed through the halls, they saw all kinds of glowing and complex symbols and runes along the walls; Lin Xiaodong was very excited by everything he saw.
The decoration of the Inscription Association was not luxurious, but it had a very spacious atmosphere. There were no murals or ornaments on the walls. Instead, there were complex and unique runes dotted around everywhere. Each rune was a metal sculpture that was full of texture and seemed as if it had come to life; it gave off a very ancient and mystical feeling.
"We're here." The reception elder sister opened a door and waved them in.
Here was the Inscription Association's inscription room, which also served as the examination space.
"Mmm, thank you elder sister."
As Lin Ming walked in, he saw that the inscription room was about 100 feet long and wide. There were several stone platforms suspended in the room. In the center was a stone platform that was covered with many different materials. Above this one was a young girl of about 15 or 16 years of age who was drawing symbol after symbol in the air.
The young girl's ten slender and jade-like fingers jumped and weaved in the air. The girl's watery eyes were fully focused on each symbol as she traced them, and her full attention was devoted to her work. She simply did not notice Lin Ming and Lin Xiaodong's arrival. The manner in which she drew the inscription symbol was extremely skilled. She was like a superbly skilled musician, and each symbol was a beat in the air that she was nimbly handling.
Near the young girl was also an old man. He sat behind her on a large round-backed wooden chair looking as if he were meditating with his eyes closed. But Lin Ming could see the reality of the situation; the older man's soul force had been placed on the girl's body to assist her, and each rune the girl drew was within the grasp of the old man.
"What a strong soul force." Lin Ming thought with a hint of shock. Even Muyi's soul force was inferior to this old man in terms of precision. Muyi was certainly someone who focused the majority of his life's efforts on cultivating the martial path; being an inscription master was only an occupation he had on the side. But this old man was a professional inscription master. To a true lifelong inscription master, cultivating on the martial path was only a means to extend their lifespan and give them more time to study the infinite mysteries of inscription techniques. Such a person is truly awe inspiring in the achievements that they would accomplish in inscription.
Lin Ming stopped watching after a while and turned around to see Lin Xiaodong unblinkingly staring at the young girl. What a piggy little brother! Lin Ming felt a big headache coming as he saw Lin Xiaodong's enraptured appearance. He immediately elbowed Lin Xiaodong. Lin Xiaodong was startled with some embarrassment. He was clever but had a slow mind, and scratched his head innocently.
By now Lin Ming had noticed a change in the fluctuations of the young girl's soul force; there was a glimmer of volatility. The brilliant overlapping inscription symbols in front of her began to spark and smoke. It suddenly exploded into a cascade of colorful lights that shot out everywhere.
The young girl looked spent, and she said with a frustrated sigh, "Grandpa, I failed again."
The old man who had been sitting peacefully as if he were meditating opened his eyes and said with a smile, "Yuhan, you already did very well. If this continues, after another few months or a year, you will be able to attain the certificate to become an inscription master. Before, grandfather here had attained his certificate when he was 18 years old. You will probably be 16, or 17 years old at the latest.
This girl was the Inscription Association's talented inscription genius, Wang Yuhan, and the old man was her grandfather, the President of the Inscription Association, Wang Xuanji.
"Mmm… but compared to Qin Xingxuan, she is half a year younger than me and yet is already equally matched in inscription techniques with me. Also in these past few months there has been a significant reduction in the speed of my inscription progress and I don't know why."
Geniuses and talents would always end up comparing themselves with each other. Wang Yuhan admitted that there was no way she could pass Qin Xingxuan in terms of martial arts cultivation, but inscription was her main occupation and she did not want to lose to her in this.
Seeing Wang Yuhan and Wang Xuanji talking, the reception elder sister respectfully walked over and said, "Association President."
"Mm? What's the matter?"
The reception elder sister hesitated before he turned to Lin Ming and said, "This young man would like to participate in the inscription master examination."
"What's your name? How old are you?" Wang Xuanji asked.
Lin Ming hesitated a moment. He had not thought that this old man would be the Inscription Association's president. In his capacity as president of the Inscription Association, it was unlikely that he would covet anything of Lin Ming's. As long as he didn't reveal his knowledge of medicinal inscription or body inscription that the Sky Fortune Kingdom did not possess, then he should have no problems.
Lin Ming was wary against the gangsters and criminals who would covet possessing him over a few tens of thousands of gold taels. As for Wang Xuanji and Muyi and other characters like them, they would only see Lin Ming as a talented inscription genius of the younger generation.
Thinking this, Lin Ming truthfully said, "Lin Ming, 15 years old."
Hearing 15 years of age, Wang Yuhan's eyes widened as she looked over Lin Ming up and down several times. Was this young boy also a genius? His age was younger than herself and his cultivation was not high; was this young boy just whiling away his time for some entertainment?
However the Inscription Association did not provide the materials or the rare treasure, and people who looked to mess around would not come here, as it would take several thousand gold taels. If they did then they would have to have some serious brain damage.
"You will need to provide your own materials and rare treasure, do you know this?"
"Mm. I know. I would like to purchase them from the Inscription Association." Lin Ming took out a piece of paper with a small list of materials as he said this.
Lin Mind had decided upon the 'Overwhelming Rune', actually a simplified version. The simplified version did not need Sky Worm Silk and was naturally much easier. However, its effect was a bit weaker and it did not have an inscription technique in it.
His goal was only to pass the examination; there was no need to create a scene and shock everyone. The 'Overwhelming Rune' also contained some inscription techniques that had been lost in the Sky Fortune Kingdom, and Lin Ming did not want to expose these.
"If I could purchase these materials, thank you." Lin Ming handed the detailed list to the reception elder sister.
The reception elder sister took the list in hand and received a nod of confirmation from Wang Xuanji. She said, "Very well. May I ask what sort of rare treasure you will use?"
"I want to use a sword. Yes, would the rare treasure belong to me after I place an inscription symbol on it?"
"Certainly. The treasure and the material are originally purchased by you for the examination. Please come and choose a sword with me."
"Mm. Good."
As Lin Ming left, Wang Yuhan was still looking at his back until he vanished, and she muttered, "Grandfather, this youth is only 15 years old and wants to test as an inscription master. If he passes the examination, then I will lose out not only to Qin Xingxuan but to him."
Wang Xuanji replied with a smile, "The examination to be an inscription master is not some easy test. Since this young boy dares to take the test as an inscription master, then he must have his own unique ability, and is probably not someone from the Sky Fortune Kingdom. He might be a disciple of some reclusive master. Since his natural talent is outstanding and he practices diligently, he wishes to take the inscription master examination at 15 years of age and sweep away the younger generation of Sky Fortune City's inscription talent, and create his own legacy and fame. Haha, but this is not that easy."
As Wang Xuanji said this, he lit a sound transmitting talisman and passed a message to the two inscription masters who were usually responsible for the inscription examination, and bid them to come together.
Wang Yuhan bit her lip and whispered, "Mm, I will not lose to him. I will not lose to Qin Xingxuan."
…
The Inscription Association had rare treasures they specifically kept to use in the examinations. Lin Ming looked at his options until he selected a very good long sword and said, "This one."
This sword was valued at 3600 gold taels and was one of the more expensive treasures in the storehouse. The reception elder sister was a bit surprised; generally those that participated in the inscription master examination would choose a more modest and less expensive treasure. This young boy actually chose something so expensive; it must be that his family was ridiculously wealthy or he was confident in himself.
Lin Ming had his own ideas. Since he had to choose a rare treasure to use, he could not naturally choose something that would be wasted. It was best to choose a superior quality treasure to combine with a good inscription symbol to sell at a high price.
"Our treasures, once sold, cannot be exchanged." The reception elder sister said. She did not want Lin Ming to feel as if he would be cheated, and wanted to make sure that this sword was the one he wanted.
Lin Ming took out four gold banknotes and said with a shy smile, "This I certainly know."
"Mm. Then come along with me."
After the payment had concluded, the reception elder sister brought Lin Ming to return to the examination room before she left.
After re-entering the inscription room, Lin Ming saw that two other people were in the room who looked to be about 40-50 years of age. One was a middle-aged man wearing a long green robe, and the other was a smiling man, who looked somewhat like a perpetually happy, very kind and very fat old man.
These two were the examination officials of the Inscription Association that were responsible for the inscription master examination. Wang Xuanji usually did not join these examinations, but this time had had some interest in staying and observing.
"Are you ready?" Wang Xuanji asked.
"Mm." Lin Ming nodded. He placed the long sword on the inscription stone platform. The materials for this symbol began to unfold one at a time. The Inscription Associations materials had already been processed quite well, and did not require Lin Ming to grind, purify, melt, or do anything else to them.
The middle-aged man who wore a long green gown gave Lin Ming a blank look and said, "The time limit for this examination is two hours. If you have three consecutive failures then you will fail. If the end product has less than a 20% increase in strength, then that is also a fail."
"Understood."
"Good. You may begin." The middle-aged man turned over an hour glass, and the sand within began to silently pass.
Lin Ming sat in repose with his eyes closed for a moment. He revolved the true essence in his body until it reached an optimal condition, and then placed his hands outwards. A few small drops of blue colored juice jumped to his palm as if they were under Lin Ming's control.
This was only a simple gesture, but the people present were able to feel the young man wrap the blue colored juice in a strong soul force.
"This soul force… I'm afraid this young man might be a fifth-grade talent." Wang Xuanji said with surprise.
"No wonder he dares to take the test at only 15 years of age, he has some ability." The middle-aged man said as he slowly nodded.
Wang Yuhan pursed her lips. She naturally also noted Li Ming's soul force and she muttered in her heart. "Fifth-grade soul talent!? That's the same as me. Before now the only rival I had was that Qin Xingxuan, now there is another!"
Fifth-grade talent was very rare. Generally speaking, a martial artist's soul talent and martial talent did not have too large of a difference, but the soul talent was usually lower than the martial talent. Therefore a high grade soul talent was especially rare. If a fifth-grade martial talent was only seen once every decade, then a fifth-grade soul talent would be seen once every two, or even three decades.
Wang Yuhan's martial talent was only fourth-grade, but her soul talent was actually higher than her martial talent. This was likely something that she inherited from her grandfather.
Wang Yuhan's medium fifth-grade talent was absolutely the top tier of inscription talents that was only seen once every several dozen years. In addition, Wang Xuanji had been gently guiding Wang Yuhan since childhood. Now in terms of inscription techniques and talent, she was similar to Qin Xingxuan, but she was also older.
Lin Ming did not have a fifth-grade soul talent, but the soul law formula that he used was the 'Overbearing Soul Tactic', which originated from the Realm of the Gods. Therefore he was able to congeal his soul force well and give the impression that his arms had strings on them.
If that initial movement of Lin Ming's had made Wang Xuanji feel startled, then the following movement made everyone doubt its possibility.
When the blue colored drops reached Lin Ming's fingertips, his fingers moved in a series of movements like a blur. The droplets were gently pulled apart with the stretches of his fingers like they were glimmering azure meteors in the night sky. Faint afterimages followed each movement, like the tails of glistening meteors as they traced through the air.
In the time of a few blinks, a complex symbol had already been completed.
Wang Xuanji inhaled a sharp breath, and the smiling old man's smile also froze.
"Bright Buddha Plucking the Lotus!"
A layman would only watch for fun, but an expert would see the way. Lin Ming's hand movement was like the passing clouds and flowing rivers. There was a special term for this among inscription masters, called the 'Bright Buddha Plucking the Lotus'. The Bright Buddha was an myth of ancient times called the Thousand Finger Buddha. The fable said that the Buddha had ten hands, each with a thousand fingers. Every year in the Bright Buddha's garden, the water lotuses would bloom and he would collect the seeds. In a single move, the Bright Buddha was able to pick out hundreds of water lotus seeds. Therefore the ancient religious texts described this as 'Bright Buddha Plucks the Lotus', and the inscription masters co-opted this word to describe peerless great masters of inscription who would draw inscription symbols so speedily that there would be shadows left behind.
Certainly if they discussed only the speed of drawing, then some inscription masters with a higher cultivation in martial arts would be quicker, but if they wanted to maintain their soul force at such a high speed and not lose any stability or accuracy, then that would be more difficult than ascending to heaven. This sort of shadow that was created, one would only be able to practice it with heaven defying perception and painstaking effort!
This young boy was how old? Even if he started to practice inscription techniques from within his mother's womb, he would not be so adept at such finger speed!
Wang Xuanji was able to quickly discover that this youth's drawing technique did not originate from any school of learning in the Sky Fortune Kingdom. His techniques looked more complex, and were incomparably smoother.
"This youth's master's sect is not from roots of the Sky Fortune Kingdom!" The middle-aged man said.
"Mmm. And moreover, their school of training is much more progressed than we are."
Colorful lights blossomed together in midair. Their paths interweaved trails of light in the audience's widened irises, leaving a bright and shimmering blur behind. Wang Yuhan held her breath, the soul force in that symbol gave a feeling of the most exquisite and careful changes of energy.
When drawing an inscription symbol, the most difficult task to grasp was to assure that the soul force was carefully calculated for every slight nuance; the smallest inaccuracy could cause complete failure. But in this young man's hand, each small change was as if it were instinctively exact. Under his deft hands, he drew symbol like a painter who was free-hand drawing the flowers and birds, as those small birds were spreading their wings in a wish to fly.
At first, in Wang Yuhan existed a secret fear that she would be surpassed by this young boy. She had hoped that he would not be able to pass this examination. But at this point, she was already thoroughly enraptured in utter admiration and amazement. On the contrary, now in her heart she wished that he would never stop, that this perfection could continue until the end of time and in her heart was not even the tiniest shred of regret
This feeling, it was the same as musicians that longed to hear the sounds of the divine songs of nature and gods in full bloom, or the artist who yearned to see the most marvelous and splendid painting that had been handed down by the greatest painters of the past generations. Only this sort of feeling could cause a human to abandon all distractions and pursue the peak of their craft.
Seeing the dedicated facial expression of this meticulous young man, Wang Yuhan finally was able to understand why the cultivation growth of her inscription technique had come to a standstill. It was exactly because she cared too much about Qin Xingxuan, and feared that the path she walked on would be overtaken by a girl who was half a year younger than she was.
But now, seeing Lin Ming's perfect inscription technique, she was suddenly enlightened with the truth. This land was endless and boundless; there were countless peerless talents and geniuses like herself. Being number one among the youths of Sky Fortune Kingdom in inscription techniques was merely idle vanity. There was no significance in whether she was surpassed by Qin Xingxuan or not.
What she pursued would no longer be Qin Xingxuan's shadow, but beyond her. What she would pursue was not being the number one inscription talent in the Sky Fortune Kingdom, but to reach the pinnacle of inscription.
One minute and one second had passed. In front of Lin Ming, the number of symbols and runes was increasing, as they began overlapping in midair with light and dark twinkles, as if they had a living, breathing rhythm. Lin Ming was already familiar with the 'Overwhelming Rune', and drawing it was easy. The peak of the Second Stage of Body Transformation allowed Lin Ming to have enough true essence to support the entire process; he did not need to suffer hardship like he had a few months ago.
Today, Lin Ming's inscription drawing had gone especially smooth. He had invested his total attention into creating the symbol, and had forgotten that this was an examination. He fully finished the dozens of colorful and brilliant symbols and runes, and then after a flash of light, Lin Ming's soul force brought them all together as one, and they condensed into a square inch of a flame symbol.
This time Lin Ming did not place this symbol onto a piece of symbol paper, but instead took it to the table with the longsword, and with a flick of his finger, the symbol fell onto the longsword with a 'chi chi' and branded itself onto it. Its final appearance was like a raging flame.
Completion.
Seeing that sword in Lin Ming's hand, Wang Xuanji's heart was enraptured and gave endless praise. His eyes fell on the blade of the sword and he could naturally see the potential of that flame symbol as it exuded a sense of nature. He immersed his soul force into it, and felt that the true essence circulated as easily as breathing.
Wang Xuanji was able to affirm that it was a perfect inscription symbol. But the one who drew it was a mere young boy whose true essence was at the Second Stage of Body Transformation. How much could this symbol increase the strength of the weapon?
The inscription symbol's talk of 'increased strength' was not the sharpness of the blade, but the circulation and flow of true essence. If the inscription symbol was on symbol paper, no one would be able to determine how much it would increase the strength. If it was on a rare treasure like a weapon, then an experienced inscription master would be able to pour his true essence into the treasure and see how the flow of true essence was affected by the inscription symbol. They would then be able to tell what percentage of strength the inscription symbol would increase the rare treasure by.
Wang Xuanji raised the long sword in his hand and concentrated his true essence into it. He closed his eyes and let the sensations wash through him. A moment later his eyes opened, and although he had already expected this in his heart, he was still surprised.
The inscription symbol's increased strength amounted to about 32%. This was the standard of a master class inscriptionist!
"32% increased true essence strength…." Wang Xuanji exclaimed.
"Oh?" The middle-aged man's eyebrows rose and he took the long sword in his hand. Generally, the primary beginning inscription master would find even a 20% increase in strength difficult. That this youth could reach 32%… it had it be known that after 20%, every little bit further was much more difficult.
The middle-aged man had worked as an examination official for many years now. When it came to evaluating an inscription symbol, he was faster than Wang Xuanji and could obtain a more precise result. "Between 32% and 33%."
The middle-aged man laid down the long sword on the table and sized up Lin Ming. Where did this kid come from? He just came out of nowhere. Did he have any friends? Companions? Is it possible that he is the disciple of a master from some ancient sect? By why would the disciple of an ancient sect come to a small place like this Inscription Association at Sky Fortune City to apply to become an inscription master?
"Congratulations, Lin Ming. You've thoroughly passed the examination." Wang Xuanji said.
"Thank you, Association President."
"Mm. Are you willing to join our Sky Fortune City Inscription Association?" Wang Xuanji casually asked. In his view, disciples of these ancient clans would not join the Sky Fortune City's Inscription Association. If ten were asked, ten would turn it down. He hadn't imagined Lin Ming would nod and answer, "Yes, I want to."
"Oh?" Wang Xuanji's eyebrows rose. "You want to join our Inscription Association?"
"Mm. I came here to participate in the examination for this reason."
"This…" Wang Xuanji felt strange in his mind, he could not understand Lin Ming's reasons.
"Mm. To tell Association President honestly, I joined the Inscription Association to earn contribution points to buy materials."
Buy materials? If you needed rare and precious materials then you would need contribution points. There were countless ways to use these materials. Was it this boy that wanted them? Or his master?
His master must be some senior of unfathomably high skill. Why would that sort of person look for materials in a small trade union in a small place like Sky Fortune City's?
Wang Xuanji thought about this for a long time, and with a bit of hesitation said, "You, if you sell this sword to the Inscription Association, I will trade you 3000 contribution points to purchase materials."
Lin Ming startled and was immediately overjoyed with happiness. He had worried that he would have to complete a number of missions. He didn't think he would be so lucky that Wang Xuanji would propose to trade this sword for 3000 contribution points. Before, he had looked through the list of precious materials that he needed for his medicinal inscription, and 3000 was not a small amount. It was enough to purchase the materials that he needed.
"This Association President old man probably wanted to buy my sword to study it. But the inscription techniques are complicated and diverse. Even someone well versed in inscription techniques would find it difficult to examine, even if they were careful and spent a lot of time. Perhaps he wanted to unravel some mysteries of the inscription symbol and reproduce it, but even that is impossibly difficult. If he buys this sword, he probably won't be able to find anything." Thinking like this, Lin Ming said, "Thank you Association President, I was sorely lacking contribution points."
"There is no need to be polite. If any day your teacher comes to Sky Fortune City, please welcome him to our Sky Fortune City's Inscription Association as an honored guest." There were two reasons Wang Xuanji gave Lin Ming such favorable conditions at the start. First, he wanted to study the sword, and second, he wanted to win over Lin Ming, and possibly have the opportunity to know the mysterious sect behind Lin Ming.
…
"Fourth-level vicious beasts blood, 1 jin. 1100 gold taels, 150 contribution points."
"Sky Blue Cloud Flower Seeds, 12. 600 gold taels, 80 contribution points."
"Dragon Bloodroot Juice, 1 jin. 600 gold taels, 60 contribution points."
…
The one in charge of the sale of rare and precious materials was a 40-50 year old middle-aged woman. She was comparing her supplies as she read down Lin Ming's list, and quoted the price each time it matched. For every match, she would stop and look at Lin Ming. This little boy, he was buying so many rare and precious things, what was he planning on doing with them in the end?
Lin Ming had listed dozens of materials, including several precious and rare ones. For instance, the fourth-level vicious beast blood, a small vial would be able to match up against a rare treasure in price. If he had left the Inscription Association to buy it at market price, it would have been at least 3000 gold taels, and even then he would not necessarily have been able to purchase it.
If this was half a year ago, Lin Ming would not even dare to dream about such things.
The amount of gold required quickly accumulated to 10,000. The contributions points needed also almost reached 2000. As Lin Xiaodong saw the required amount of gold rise, all he could hear was the unceasing drone of the abacus as it made pop pop sounds. Each pop made him feel fearful and apprehensive of the next item, but soon all he felt was numbness. He had finally seen what people called spending money like running water.
"Total price, 10,000 gold taels and 2100 contribution points. Would you like to confirm this purchase?" The middle-aged woman let down her abacus and asked Lin Ming. Even an inscription master of Sky Fortune City who was of great learning and fame, and was also noble, would not buy so many rare and precious materials. Who was this little guy? Where did he come into possession of so many contribution points?
"Mm. Yes, I would like to purchase these." Ling Ming said and he pulled out the gold banknotes from his sleeves and also a points card. This points card had a card number that showed how many contribution points he had in the records.
"Ok…"