Chapter 33: Inscription Guild
Zhang Ruochen withdrew the Flash Soul Sword and swiftly thrust it out again, passing through the gaps between the claws to strike the black giant cat’s brow. A metallic clash rang out, and sparks flew.
“Bang!”
The Flash Soul Sword, a fourth-rank True Martial Treasure, could not breach its physical defense.
The black giant cat’s cultivation was not strong, equivalent to the Small Extreme Position of the Yellow Extreme Realm. How could its defense be so terrifying?
“Haha! Though my cultivation is one minor realm weaker than yours, I possess an indestructible body, superb martial skills, and ruthless techniques. I can easily fight across three minor realms. With my current strength, even battling a martial artist at the Great Perfection of the Yellow Extreme Realm, I can hold my own. Young lad, prepare to die! Meow!”
The black giant cat charged at Zhang Ruochen again, leaping two meters high, opening its massive mouth to bite his shoulder.
“Heart-Piercing Plum Blossom!”
Zhang Ruochen channeled true qi throughout his body and thrust his sword, unleashing seven sword qi streams.
As the Flash Soul Sword reached the black giant cat’s face, the seven sword qi streams converged into one, striking the cat’s chin.
The black giant cat let out another scream, crashing heavily to the ground. “It hurts! It hurts me to death! Young lad, how can you be so strong? You’re only at the Middle Extreme Position of the Yellow Extreme Realm—how can you unleash the power of the Great Perfection of the Yellow Extreme Realm?”
“You have a powerful physique—do you think I don’t? If we were at the same realm, I might be slightly weaker than you. But now that I’m one realm higher, you are no match for me.” Zhang Ruochen walked over, sword in hand.
The black giant cat was indeed formidable. If they were at the same realm, Zhang Ruochen might not have been its match. After all, it had an indestructible body, impervious to blades and spears.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen approach, the black giant cat quickly said, “Young lad, I think since neither of us can defeat the other, why keep fighting? Even if we continue, it’s a waste of time. Why not sit down and have a proper talk?”
The black giant cat’s defense was truly strong. Even the Flash Soul Sword couldn’t break its physical defense. If the fight continued, Zhang Ruochen might defeat it, but he couldn’t kill it.
Zhang Ruochen stopped. “If you can answer a few of my questions, I’ll agree to a temporary truce.”
The black giant cat sat on the ground, puffing out its round belly, and said leisurely, “Ask away! I know everything from a hundred thousand years ago to a hundred thousand years in the future, above the heavens and below the earth, in the vast world—there’s almost nothing I don’t know!”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Why did Xumi Saint Monk seal you inside the Cosmic Divine Wood Map?”
“That’s a long story! Back then, I committed a heinous crime. Xumi Saint Monk deemed my sins too heavy, so he sealed me inside the Cosmic Divine Wood Map.” The black giant cat’s large ears swayed gently, its eyes rolling.
Zhang Ruochen said, “What heinous crime?”
“Killing without mercy, slaughtering the masses, wreaking havoc on the world, slaying dragons for their gall, burning the heavens and boiling the seas… well, roughly that sort of thing!” the black giant cat said.
Zhang Ruochen stared at the black giant cat’s fat body. “Doesn’t look like it!”
“Exactly! I don’t think so either. That monk was very unreasonable, falsely accusing me of crimes and sealing me in the scroll world space. Sigh! I don’t even know where to go to reason!” The black giant cat lay on its back, belly up, shaking its head and sighing.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Those who don’t look like bad people can be thoroughly evil. Those who don’t look like good people can sometimes do great and righteous deeds.”
“I’m just a cat—don’t think of me as so bad… Hey, kid, what are you doing?” the black giant cat said.
With a “whoosh,” the black giant cat was sucked back into the Cosmic Divine Wood Map.
“Just as I suspected, the power of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map can suppress you. I am now its master. With a single thought, I can pull you back into the scroll world space.” Zhang Ruochen held the Cosmic Divine Wood Map and smiled faintly.
“Young lad! You must stay calm. Let me out quickly. I swear loyalty to you and will never have second thoughts. If you tell me to catch fish, I won’t dare to chase mice,” the black giant cat said anxiously.
It had been trapped in the Cosmic Divine Wood Map for a hundred thousand years. Having just regained its freedom, it naturally didn’t want to be pulled back into the scroll.
Zhang Ruochen ignored it, setting the Cosmic Divine Wood Map aside to study the eight basic space inscriptions.
“Young lad! To engrave basic space inscriptions, you need at least a spiritual power of the twentieth rank. How old are you? There’s no way you have such strong spiritual power! Let me out, and I’ll teach you how to cultivate spiritual power,” the black giant cat’s voice came from the scroll.
“Twentieth rank? My spiritual power has already reached the thirty-second rank. Basic inscriptions are not difficult for me.”
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged, opening the Space-Time Secret Scripture and placing it before him, studying it carefully.
“Impossible! An ordinary adult’s spiritual power is only around the tenth rank. For a youth like you, reaching the eighth rank would be impressive. Even those naturally strong in spiritual power rarely exceed the fifteenth rank before age twenty. How could your spiritual power reach the thirty-second rank?” the black giant cat said skeptically.
Zhang Ruochen ignored it and began studying the first basic space inscription: the Dot-Type Inscription.
The black giant cat’s voice came from the scroll again. “Did you start cultivating spiritual power as a child? That doesn’t make sense either. At your age, even if you started young, reaching the twentieth rank would be impressive. How could you reach the thirty-second rank? Young lad, you’re an even bigger braggart than me!”
For ordinary basic inscriptions, one only needed a spiritual power of the fifteenth rank to have a chance at engraving them successfully.
But basic space inscriptions were special—more complex and unstable than ordinary ones. One needed a spiritual power of at least the twentieth rank to have a chance at engraving them.
“Whoosh!”
Zhang Ruochen condensed true qi at his fingertip and pointed outward, forming a light dot, attempting to engrave the Dot-Type Inscription in the air.
He tried over thirty times, all ending in failure.
“Haha! I told you were bragging! For ordinary martial artists, reaching a spiritual power above the twentieth rank is as hard as reaching the heavens. Engraving basic space inscriptions is even harder,” the black giant cat mocked.
Zhang Ruochen stopped and muttered to himself, “Engraving inscriptions for the first time is indeed very difficult. I’ll practice with spirit paper and an inscription brush first.”
When alchemists and artifact refiners first learn inscriptions, they all practice on spirit paper with an inscription brush. To engrave the first inscription on spirit paper usually takes at least a year of practice.
Zhang Ruochen, learning inscriptions for the first time, had tried to engrave one in the air with his finger—naturally, it couldn’t succeed.
Zhang Ruochen stood up, intending to buy an inscription brush and spirit paper.
“Young lad, take me out with you! I promise I won’t cause trouble. I’ll do whatever you say…”
Before the black giant cat could finish, Zhang Ruochen rolled up the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, stored it in his brow, and stepped out of the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal.
Then, Zhang Ruochen left the palace and headed toward the Martial Market.
No sooner had Zhang Ruochen left the palace than a palace maid rushed to the queen’s residence and reported the news to Han Qingluo.
“He’s finally left the palace? Excellent! Assemble a squad and follow me out of the palace. Tonight will be the night a young genius falls.” Han Qingluo’s eyes gleamed with cold light, a sinister smile curling her beautiful lips.
…
Zhang Ruochen arrived at the Martial Market and headed straight for the Inscription Guild.
The Inscription Guild was one of the most powerful organizations in the Kunlun Realm, with an ancient history. It had existed even before the First Central Empire was founded.
Under the Inscription Guild were four major alliances: the Alchemist Alliance, the Artifact Refiner Alliance, the Beast Tamer Alliance, and the Extraordinary Talents Alliance.
Only at the Inscription Guild could one purchase “inscription brushes” and “spirit paper.” These two items were completely monopolized by the guild and unavailable elsewhere.
In the Kunlun Realm, every city had a branch of the Inscription Guild. As the royal capital of the Yunwu Commandery, the guild’s building was naturally grand, resembling a fortress.
Outside the Inscription Guild, carriages and people flowed endlessly at all times. Not only martial artists but also alchemists in blue robes could be seen.
On the back of an alchemist’s robe, a cauldron was usually embroidered.
On the back of an artifact refiner’s robe, a hammer was usually embroidered.
Besides alchemists and artifact refiners, some beast tamers rode barbarian beasts openly into the Inscription Guild.
A middle-aged man in an artifact refiner’s robe, appearing to be in his thirties, puffed out his chest and walked proudly toward the Inscription Guild.
“Greetings, Master Zorn the Artifact Refiner!”
The guards standing outside the Inscription Guild all bowed to him, their eyes filled with respect.
“Hmm!” Zorn nodded, not even glancing at the guards, and strode straight through the guild’s entrance.
“That’s Master Zorn the Artifact Refiner! I heard his spiritual power has reached the twenty-sixth rank—a very accomplished second-rank artifact refiner.”
“Master Zorn has taken on seventeen disciples, eight of whom have become first-rank artifact refiners. In the royal capital, countless martial artists want to become his disciple.”
“I heard Master Zorn’s requirements for taking disciples are very strict. Those with spiritual power below the twelfth rank are not accepted. Those over twenty years old are not accepted.”
“To reach the twelfth rank of spiritual power before age twenty—how easy is that? Only true geniuses can do it.”
…
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen spotted two familiar figures: the Eighth Prince Zhang Ji and Shan Xiangling, the daughter of the Red Cloud Sect’s sect leader.
They, too, had arrived outside the Inscription Guild.
After the year-end assessment, the Eighth Prince’s status in the palace had plummeted.
His birth mother, Consort Xiao, had been sent to the cold palace, and he had become the weakest among the nine princes. Under this double blow, the Eighth Prince had fallen into despair.
Today, he was accompanying Shan Xiangling to the Inscription Guild to seek apprenticeship, hoping to become a disciple of Master Zorn, the second-rank artifact refiner.
In martial arts talent, he couldn’t match Zhang Ruochen.
So, he sought to surpass Zhang Ruochen through other means and reclaim his position.