The warm temperature made Guo Shier feel very comfortable.The man from the Beast Pavilion led them to a small attic, where there was a large fire brazier. A whiff of charcoal was circulating within.
There were already five people waiting in the attic—three men and two women. The space felt even more cramped when they entered.
Guo Shier looked around and took off his big fur hat. “Who is looking for me? I’m Guo Shier from the North Rune Sect,” he announced.
The old man seated in the middle of the beast’s skin mat replied. “West Rune Sect Inner Door Elder, Chen Zhizhong.”
Wu Qing scrambled to make proper introductions. “Old Chen is a Beast Artificer Grandmaster. Hehe! Shier, the same job as you—an Artificer class.”
Guo Shier nodded and proceeded to introduce his followers.
Listening to the child speak, Chen Zhizhong could hardly contain his surprise. Although it was well known that Guo Shier had two Marked Warrior Grandmaster followers, he was still shocked to see them with his own eyes.
“Little Brother—you have already advanced to Artificer Grandmaster?” he asked.
“Only my combat power is at the Grandmaster level, but my overall skills as an Artificer practitioner is not quite there yet,” Guo Shier replied, smiling. He has never hidden the fact that he was not a Grandmaster. But no one could deny that he had Grandmaster-level combat powers.
Chen Zhizhong nodded. “I see. That sounds more reasonable.”
He then proceeded to introduce the people from his side. The two followers behind him were Beast Warrior Masters. Next to them was a young woman and a young girl who were curiously looking at Guo Shier.
“These are my female apprentices, the youngest Beast Artificer Master in West Rune Sect, An Bilan. Hehe! The little girl next to her is a Beast Warrior Adept, only eight years old this year. She’s called An Biyun.”
Guo Shier met the two a while ago in the Beast Pavillion. He nodded slightly and said, “Nice to meet you.”
An Bilan nodded and said hello.
“Shier elder brother, nice to meet you!” An Biyun chirped in.
She now seemed like a very polite child, but the first time she saw Guo Shier, she called him a bad man.
“Please, sit down,” Chen Zhizhong graciously instructed their group.
Guo Shier accepted the gesture, took off his big fur robe, and then sat down. Ying Mo and Luo Zhan sat behind him. Huo Bao and the rest sat behind those two.
“Grandpa Chen, do have anything in mind?” Guo Shier asked without hostility, trying to be very polite to the elders.
Chen Zhizhong liked the sound of grandpa. He smiled. “Hehe! I deliberately invited you, Little Brother. The Beast Pavilion is my main source of revenue. Has anything caught your eye? I was wondering if you had anything to exchange.”
“Grandpa Chen, you invited me here just to trade?”
“Yes—what do you think it is for?”
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “Oh, I have nothing to exchange, everything is with my master.”
He dared not take out the materials that he had gathered in the Secret Realm. For him, selling raw materials was the dumbest thing to do.
Chen Zhizhong pressed on. “I heard you and your master killed a Marked Insect Variant in one of the secret realms.”
News travels really fast, Guo Shier thought to himself. Even the people from the West Rune Sect already knew. He wondered if news of the altar was exposed.
Ying Mo chimed in. “Oh. Hehe! I wonder where elder brother Chen got the news?”
Chen Zhizhong laughed heartily. “How can the West Rune Sect not know what happened in the grasslands? Hehe!”
Guo Shier cleared his throat. “I cannot trade with you,” he said. “Everything is with my master. I have nothing with me.”
He would never foolishly exchange his materials with others.
Ying Mo secretly agreed. Guo Shier would certainly lose if he continued with the exchange because none of them knew the right market values.
Chen Zhizhong was disappointed. “Oh! That’s too bad,” he said. “I have a Spirit level Glyph that I wanted to trade with you. I didn’t realized that Little Brother here cannot trade. What a pity.”
Wu Qing’s eyeballs widened. He only had a single Spirit Glyph with him. “Shier, when did you meet a Marked Insect Variant?” he asked.
“After you separated from us!” Guo Shier said, laughing. “We found a Secret Realm and encountered Marked Insect Variant!”
Realizing his missed opportunity, Wu Qing gave himself a slap in the face (facepalm).
An Bilan and An Biyun giggled in amusement.
“Sister,” An Biyun whispered, “Why did he hit his face?”
“Maybe his face itches … hee hee,” An Bilan whispered back.
Wu Qing was full of regret. He missed a Secret Realm AND a Marked Insect Variant. In his distraught, he started hitting his face again.
Guo Shier couldn’t stop laughing. “You shouldn’t regret that you missed out. That Marked Insect Variant was very powerful. At that time, we had three Grandmasters and a bunch of people with us, but we had an extremely hard time killing it. It was a very tough insect.”
“For a bottle of Marked Insect Blood!” Chen Zhizhong suddenly jumped in, insisting on a trade. “A Spirit Glyph for a bottle of Marked Insect Blood—even if it’s just an ounce.”
“Grandpa Chen, it’s not that I won’t change my answer,” Guo Shier explained. “But I have no access to the raw materials. They’re with master.”
He won’t be fooled. Marked Insect blood is very precious. These creatures were relative small and didn’t have as much blood in them. A Marked Insect Variant would have slightly more blood, but they are hard to come by and are harder to deal with.
The quarter of a kilogram of the Marked Insect Blood has been reduced to an ounce, Guo shier thought. Chen Zhizhong is offering one ounce of Marked Insect Blood for a Spirit Glyph. How bewildering.
“Grandpa Chen, a Marked Insect Blood is not like a Marked Beast blood. It’s not something the people from the South Rune Sect are interested in. What are you going to do with it?” he asked.
Chen Zhizhong smiled bitterly. “It’s a neutralizing agent,” he explained. “A Marked Insect Variant is the best neutralizer. I need to do an experiment and I’m missing several materials. The Marked Insect Variant’s blood is one of the most important.”
Guo Shier thought about what the old man said. He knew he was severely lacking Spirit Glyphs. His Innate Rune Orb was very tricky; it won’t accept anything lower than a Spirit level Glyph.
“I can go and mention this to master. But if your Spirit Glyph is something that I do not need, the deal would be difficult to set up,” he told the Grandmaster.
Chen Zhizhong took out a Spirit Glyph and placed it in front of Guo Shier. “This is a Beast type Spirit Glyph. Check it out. You should be able to use it.”
Guo Shier already has a Bird Glyph, and its power is substantial. He had even the same expectations for this Beast Spirit Glyph.
To test it, he picked it up and placed it on his forehead. He felt it quietly disappear and enter the Innate Rune Orb within his soul.
This proved that the Glyph was truly at Spirit level.
“It’s good!” he said. “Let’s swap! I’ll give you the Marked Insect Variant blood when I get back. Hehe! You can send someone to come with me.”
Chen Zhizhong was overjoyed. “I’ll let my little disciples go with you. Bilan, follow Shier back and get the Marked Insect Variant’s blood. Then come back immediately.”
An Bilan nodded in response.
Guo Shier found that this Beast Spirit Glyph was lower in rating than his Bird Glyph. But it can be absorbed by the Innate Rune Orb—which means that it’s not that bad. Spirit Glyphs are very rare in this world, after all. They are some of the top Runes, second to Ancient Glyphs.
At the moment, he couldn’t see the beast soul was sealed within the Beast Spirit Glyph.
“Grandpa Chen, what’s the name of this Spirit Glyph?” he asked.
He knew that the Spirit Glyph grade was relatively low. He couldn’t identify the soul within.
Chen Zhizhong was quick to enlighten him. “This is called Bull Spirit Glyph. Sealed within is the soul of an Armored Bull that grew Rune lines on its body. Although not a Marked Beast, it’s much stronger that the average beast and can be used to block attacks. It’s a nice Spirit Glyph.”
Guo Shier nodded with satisfaction. Even with Marked Warrior Grandmaster escorts, one more powerful Bull Spirit Glyph would also be very good.
“Armored Bull, Hehe! This is the first time I heard of this beast,” he said.
“Little Brother, please give me the Marked Insect Variant blood as soon as possible,” Chen Zhizhong replied.
Guo Shier stood up and said, “No problem, I’ll take my leave.”
“Master, I’m going with him,” An Bilan declared.
An Biyun also stood up. “Elder Sister, I’ll go with you!”
…
There were many shops in Beast Plaza. Guo Shier entered the more interesting ones and purchased a number of specialty products from each of them.
He then returned to his dwelling contentedly.
He arranged accommodation for both An Bilan and her sister before meeting up with his master.
Luo Jie laughed at the sight of him. “Shier! You beat a Beast Caster Grandmaster from the West Rune Sect today?
Guo Shier nodded. “News travels so fast, eh?”
Qi NanShan laughed and recounted the story. “You caused a stir in the whole West Rune Sect. Hehe! Brat, you’re better than me!”
Guo Shier smiled. “He was careless. He just threw a few beasts out. Hehe! When I moved my Sword Glyph over his head, he just threw in the towel. I don’t know if I would have won if he got serious.”
Luo Jie was visibly amused. “This kid… you’re too deceptive. Even I don’t know your strength, let alone that Beast Caster Grandmaster. If anyone let their guard down, they would surely suffer from you.”
Guo Shier changed the subject. “Master, I met a West Rune Sect Elder called Chen Zhizhong in the Beast Pavilion. He wants to exchange items with me. I promised an ounce of Marked Insect Variant’s blood in exchange for a Spirit Glyph.”
“One ounce—so little?” Luo Jie asked, surprised. “What’s he going to do with the Marked Insect’s blood?”
“Something to do with experiment,” explained Guo Shier. “He’ll use the Marked Insect Variant’s blood as a neutralizing agent.”
“Neutralizer? Oh, I understand,” his master nodded. “That’s a good idea. In exchange for a Spirit Glyph he suffered a loss. Wait a minute. I’ll give it to you.”
He then handed Guo Shier a tiny crystal bottle. After purification, the Emerald Blade Mantis’ rich green blood turned to cyan. The crystal bottle was about a finger thick and a palm in length. The very beautiful light blue blood had a bit of little green light within it.
“Here, there are two ounces of purified blood in this bottle—not one,” Luo Shier said. “Let’s not take too much advantage of them. It’s not necessary.”
Guo Shier nodded and said, “Master, I know. But this was his price. I didn’t bargain nor speak. Hehe! Elder Chen Zhizhong himself reduced the amount from a quarter of a kilo to one ounce.”
“That’s what he wants!” Ying Mo laughed. “Guo Shier was very cunning. He never bargained nor spoke.”
“The blood is Master’s,” Guo Shier explained. “I had no way to decide its value. I guess my silence forced the Elder to keep on lowering his price.”
“I reckon Chen Zhizhong had a difficult time negotiating. You made a Grandmaster yield to your terms, Shier. You’re really amazing!” said Ying Mo.
Guo Shier looked haughtily at him. “Uncle Ying Mo, are you praising or mocking me!?!”
Ying Mo laughed. “Certainly, I’m praising you!”
“Well, quickly send it over, Shier,” Luo Jie ordered. “Oh right, what Spirit Glyph did you get?”
“I got a Bull Spirit Glyph that seals an Armored Bull’s soul.”
Luo Jie corrected him. “No, that’s not the same. For us Artificer Masters, even just one can be very useful. If there is a strong bull guarding you, you can use another Glyph to attack with ease.”Qi NanShan was surprised. “Whaaat? Just one Armored Bull? You should have asked for more,” he said. “I’ve seen an Armored Bull—it’s a very powerful beast. Although it can only attack by charging a target, its defense is super strong. But they are only unstoppable if there were dozens of them together. A single bull can only provide cover—equivalent to having a Shield Glyph. Not much more.”
Luo Jie then turned to apprentice. This Chen Zhizhong is not easy, Shier. He caught your weakness. It is not surprising since that he is also Artificer practitioner. Hehe!”
“Right,” Guo Shier agreed. He didn’t know it was a Bull Spirit Glyph at first because it was directly absorbed by his Innate Rune Orb. All he knew was that it was a nice Glyph. The Innate Rune Orb was very picky, after all—and only Spirit Glyphs and above will be absorbed into it. It ignores ordinary Glyphs. Because Guo Shier’s Hidden Storage Glyphs is at the Spirit Glyph level, he can let the Hidden Storage Glyph into his Innate Rune Orb.
***
Back in his yard, Guo Shier took out the crystal bottle. “Miss An,” he said. “This the Marked Insect Variant’s the blood. Hehe! My master didn’t want to put your master at a disadvantage with only one ounce of Marked Insect’s blood, so I’m giving you TWO ounces. In addition, my master would like to send his regards to your master.”
An Bilan grew very curious. This child was about the same size as her sister, but he spoke articulately, without the any of a child’s usual habits.
She took the crystal bottle and held it front of her eyes.
An Biyun jumped in. “Elder sister, it’s so beautiful! Ah, there’s a shiny green dot in there.”
“Thank you, Master Guo Shier,” An Bilan said. “By the way, how old are you?” she asked.
Guo Shier understood her curiosity. “I turned 10 years old this winter.”
The little girl couldn’t help but cover her mouth in awe. “Elder sister, he’s just two years older than me!”
An Bilan sighed. This child is scary, she thought. She then turned to her sister. “Yes, little Yun. You have to work harder.”
The girl pouted. “It’s no use trying. No one can beat Little Brother,” she said, referring to Guo Shier.
“Well, please give my regards to your master,” Guo Shier replied. “Uncle Ying Mo, kindly help them out.”
It was freezing and Guo Shier didn’t want to stay out long. He wanted to go back to his room.
An Bilan put away the crystal bottle. She was only curious about Guo Shier and nothing more.
Ying Mo sent the sisters out.
***
Back in his room, Guo Shier immediately picked up a book to start studying. That’s what he does—he studies whenever there is free time.
Now that he had time to study, he was starting to realize the benefits of his advancement. His soul grew; his memory became very powerful, almost to the degree of being photographic. This was an enormous help to him. He could completely memorize a book he has only read twice.
The growth of his soul also brought him unexpected benefits. He started to regain more memories of his past lives.
He vividly remembered the Scriptures he read during his first life. At that time, he was a very honest and very pious monk. He read every verse and had a deep understanding of their meaning.
These scriptures included a Six Word Mantra. An, Ma, Ne, Ba, Mi, Hong. (Note: This is a Tibetan Avalokiteshvara mantra)
The Scriptures must have an underlying mystery to them, he thought.
The Six Word Mantra seemed to have some connection to his Artificer class, but he couldn’t determine what it was.
After pondering for a long while, he was now sure that these six words could help cultivate the soul. As for their actual effect, those need to be validated slowly.
He then thought of Huo Bao’s exercises. He always felt that they were lacking in pure strength development. The exercises were obviously inadequate in terms of skill compared to the martial arts of his past life.
Guo Shier started practicing Tai Chi in his room. This method of martial arts he specifically learned after old age. It was an exercise without fighting.
He punched slowly and using plain Tai Chi movements. He immediately perceived the changes in the body. A set of punching movements made him sweat and invigorated his spirit.
He didn’t feel too cold anymore.
Guo Shier also reviewed Grappling in his previous incarnation. This was one of the skills he learned in the army.
***
A few days later, Guo Shier went to Huo Bao’s training grounds. Small pieces of green slate paved the ground, covering about a hundred square meters.
Ying Mo and Luo Zhan were also there. The two of them were conducting special training for the four children. Ying Mo held a Rune Rod, while Luo Zhan had a slender bamboo whip in his hand. The two men stood by the side of the field watching the four children exercise.
Huo Bao paired with Chen Bing, while Hong Shi was paired with Chen Hong for training exercises. The four of them were punching and kicking, going at each other at full swing.
Luo Zhan regularly used his bamboo whip to make them pay attention.
Pa! (whipping*)
“Use your thigh to block!” he would shout.
“Remember, your thighs and arms are important blocking tools!”
“The power of the Marks is at its greatest at those locations.”
“Faster! Any slower and you’re courting death!”
His voice was always commanding.
Meanwhile, Ying Mo pointed his Rune Rod on Huo Bao’s lower back, “Watch out and protect this area,” he reminded the student.
The four children were soaked in sweat. They had taken off their fur robes and were only wearing thin leather. Even Chen Hong—the only girl in the group—was no exception.
Guo Shier stood quietly watching. When Ying Mo saw him, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Shier, what are you doing here? Do you want to try?” he asked jokingly.
Surprisingly, Guo Shier nodded. “Yeah, I’d like to try Uncle Ying Mo!”
“Stop!” said Luo Zhan to the kids. “Go rest for a little while. Remember to put on your fur robes so you don’t get cold.”
Huo Bao happily ran over and asked, “Shier, do you want to be a Marked Warrior practitioner?”
“Bao-zi, you’re saying nonsense!” Chen Hong chimed in.
“What? I just asked Guo Shier if he wanted to try,” Huo Bao replied, meekly.
Guo Shier was bewildered at the little boy’s timidity. “Gee Bao-zi, are you afraid of Little Hong?”
Ying Mo laughed. “Of course he’s afraid! Bao-zi can’t beat Little Hong.”
“Really? How is that possible?” Guo Shier asked, shocked.
“Of course it’s possible,” Huo Bao whispered. “I know you’re giving Little Hong stronger cultivating Marks than us. Naturally, we’d lose.”
“Bao-zi!!! That’s not true!!!” Chen Hong protested.
Huo Bao got scared and ran behind Guo Shier. He continued to complain. “Shier, you don’t know. But Little Hong is simply an Earth Dragon Variant. I mean, how can I fight an Earth Dragon?”
Chen Hong started freaking out.
Guo Shier laughed. “I can’t help you with this one. You can’t even fight a little girl. This is embarrassing.”
“You don’t know how powerful she is!” Huo Bao insisted. “Oh, that’s right, you’re an Artificer practitioner. You don’t know the pain of a Marked Warrior Adept.”
Guo Shier wanted to try fighting physically. Although he was not a master in his past life, he was still proficient in grappling and fighting. This was the best time try. His body was much stronger than the one he had in his previous world.
“How about some practice?” he asked Huo Bao.
Huo Bao’s body has began developing. His height was now over 170 centimeters—nearly a head higher than Guo Shier. With regular exercise and cultivating mark stimulation, his body was in excellent shape. He was not worried about Guo Shier’s challenge; however, he was worried about hurting him.
“Do you really want to fight?” he asked , hesitating.
Guo Shier taunted him. “Why not? Scared?”
As the two were talking, Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan came over. They overheard Guo Shier’s challenge.
Qi NanShan could not help but wonder, “Shier, are you going to fight with Bao-zi?”
“I just want to try and see how powerful Marked Warrior Adepts are,” he replied, half-shy.
Luo Jie found the situation annoying and amusing at the same time. “Shier, you are Artificer not Marked Warrior. You’re going to get beaten,” he said.
Guo Shier was insistent. “Well, I won’t know until I try.”
Qi NanShan was curious about what would happen. “Bao-zi,” he said. “Go ahead and try Shier’s ability. Hehe!”
“Bao-zi, don’t hurt Shier,” Luo Jie ordered.
Huo Bao protested. “Old Timer, what kind of rule is this? Does that mean I should let him beat me and not fight back?
Chen Hong chimed in. “You deserve it!”
“Bao-zi, don’t worry so much,” Guo Shier said. “Let’s just try it.”
He walked within the training ground and posed with one hand in front of the other, his body squatting slightly. “Bring it on, Bao-zi!”
Qi Nanshan turned to the warrior. “Bao-zi, let’s see what Shier can do!”
Huo Bao came face to face with Guo Shier. “Okay, fine. You lose if you use your Sword Glyph to attack. That thing is too strong. I can’t fight that”
“When did I say I was going to fight you with Runes?” Guo Shier said. “Hurry up, stop dawdling around!”
Huo Bao was not afraid of dying or fighting. He was afraid he’d accidentally hurt Guo Shier. That would be a big sin—there would be no coming back from that. Guo Shier was still small but he was acting like a parent and providing everyone with food and clothing.
“Can you guess who wins?” Chen Bing calmly asked Hong Shi.
“Bao-zi is sure to win!” he replied. “He’s the strongest of the four of us—unless Little Hong goes crazy, of course. Then she becomes the strongest. Hehe!”
Chen Hong rolled her eyes, overhearing their conversation. “Shi-tou, you’re speaking ill of me again! Hmmmp!”
“But maybe Bao-zi won’t necessarily win,” Chen Bing mused. “After all, Guo Shier is almost supernatural.”
Ying Mo also joined in the fun. “I think Bao-zi will win!”
“We’ll know in a moment. Do you really have to guess?” Luo Zhan faintly said.
Meanwhile, Huo Bao thought the whole situation was funny. He looked at Guo Shier’s posture and said, “Are we really going to fight?!”
Guo Shier was feeling confident. “Yes! Come on!”
Huo Bao almost burst into tears, laughing.
His body jerked forward and went straight to Guo Shier.
The momentum was simply overwhelming.
Guo Shier grew nervous; he found himself underestimating the opponent.
Translator: Glasses TangGu
Editor: M
The warm temperature made Guo Shier feel very comfortable.The man from the Beast Pavilion led them to a small attic, where there was a large fire brazier. A whiff of charcoal was circulating within.
There were already five people waiting in the attic—three men and two women. The space felt even more cramped when they entered.
Guo Shier looked around and took off his big fur hat. “Who is looking for me? I’m Guo Shier from the North Rune Sect,” he announced.
The old man seated in the middle of the beast’s skin mat replied. “West Rune Sect Inner Door Elder, Chen Zhizhong.”
Wu Qing scrambled to make proper introductions. “Old Chen is a Beast Artificer Grandmaster. Hehe! Shier, the same job as you—an Artificer class.”
Guo Shier nodded and proceeded to introduce his followers.
Listening to the child speak, Chen Zhizhong could hardly contain his surprise. Although it was well known that Guo Shier had two Marked Warrior Grandmaster followers, he was still shocked to see them with his own eyes.
“Little Brother—you have already advanced to Artificer Grandmaster?” he asked.
“Only my combat power is at the Grandmaster level, but my overall skills as an Artificer practitioner is not quite there yet,” Guo Shier replied, smiling. He has never hidden the fact that he was not a Grandmaster. But no one could deny that he had Grandmaster-level combat powers.
Chen Zhizhong nodded. “I see. That sounds more reasonable.”
He then proceeded to introduce the people from his side. The two followers behind him were Beast Warrior Masters. Next to them was a young woman and a young girl who were curiously looking at Guo Shier.
“These are my female apprentices, the youngest Beast Artificer Master in West Rune Sect, An Bilan. Hehe! The little girl next to her is a Beast Warrior Adept, only eight years old this year. She’s called An Biyun.”
Guo Shier met the two a while ago in the Beast Pavillion. He nodded slightly and said, “Nice to meet you.”
An Bilan nodded and said hello.
“Shier elder brother, nice to meet you!” An Biyun chirped in.
She now seemed like a very polite child, but the first time she saw Guo Shier, she called him a bad man.
“Please, sit down,” Chen Zhizhong graciously instructed their group.
Guo Shier accepted the gesture, took off his big fur robe, and then sat down. Ying Mo and Luo Zhan sat behind him. Huo Bao and the rest sat behind those two.
“Grandpa Chen, do have anything in mind?” Guo Shier asked without hostility, trying to be very polite to the elders.
Chen Zhizhong liked the sound of grandpa. He smiled. “Hehe! I deliberately invited you, Little Brother. The Beast Pavilion is my main source of revenue. Has anything caught your eye? I was wondering if you had anything to exchange.”
“Grandpa Chen, you invited me here just to trade?”
“Yes—what do you think it is for?”
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “Oh, I have nothing to exchange, everything is with my master.”
He dared not take out the materials that he had gathered in the Secret Realm. For him, selling raw materials was the dumbest thing to do.
Chen Zhizhong pressed on. “I heard you and your master killed a Marked Insect Variant in one of the secret realms.”
News travels really fast, Guo Shier thought to himself. Even the people from the West Rune Sect already knew. He wondered if news of the altar was exposed.
Ying Mo chimed in. “Oh. Hehe! I wonder where elder brother Chen got the news?”
Chen Zhizhong laughed heartily. “How can the West Rune Sect not know what happened in the grasslands? Hehe!”
Guo Shier cleared his throat. “I cannot trade with you,” he said. “Everything is with my master. I have nothing with me.”
He would never foolishly exchange his materials with others.
Ying Mo secretly agreed. Guo Shier would certainly lose if he continued with the exchange because none of them knew the right market values.
Chen Zhizhong was disappointed. “Oh! That’s too bad,” he said. “I have a Spirit level Glyph that I wanted to trade with you. I didn’t realized that Little Brother here cannot trade. What a pity.”
Wu Qing’s eyeballs widened. He only had a single Spirit Glyph with him. “Shier, when did you meet a Marked Insect Variant?” he asked.
“After you separated from us!” Guo Shier said, laughing. “We found a Secret Realm and encountered Marked Insect Variant!”
Realizing his missed opportunity, Wu Qing gave himself a slap in the face (facepalm).
An Bilan and An Biyun giggled in amusement.
“Sister,” An Biyun whispered, “Why did he hit his face?”
“Maybe his face itches … hee hee,” An Bilan whispered back.
Wu Qing was full of regret. He missed a Secret Realm AND a Marked Insect Variant. In his distraught, he started hitting his face again.
Guo Shier couldn’t stop laughing. “You shouldn’t regret that you missed out. That Marked Insect Variant was very powerful. At that time, we had three Grandmasters and a bunch of people with us, but we had an extremely hard time killing it. It was a very tough insect.”
“For a bottle of Marked Insect Blood!” Chen Zhizhong suddenly jumped in, insisting on a trade. “A Spirit Glyph for a bottle of Marked Insect Blood—even if it’s just an ounce.”
“Grandpa Chen, it’s not that I won’t change my answer,” Guo Shier explained. “But I have no access to the raw materials. They’re with master.”
He won’t be fooled. Marked Insect blood is very precious. These creatures were relative small and didn’t have as much blood in them. A Marked Insect Variant would have slightly more blood, but they are hard to come by and are harder to deal with.
The quarter of a kilogram of the Marked Insect Blood has been reduced to an ounce, Guo shier thought. Chen Zhizhong is offering one ounce of Marked Insect Blood for a Spirit Glyph. How bewildering.
“Grandpa Chen, a Marked Insect Blood is not like a Marked Beast blood. It’s not something the people from the South Rune Sect are interested in. What are you going to do with it?” he asked.
Chen Zhizhong smiled bitterly. “It’s a neutralizing agent,” he explained. “A Marked Insect Variant is the best neutralizer. I need to do an experiment and I’m missing several materials. The Marked Insect Variant’s blood is one of the most important.”
Guo Shier thought about what the old man said. He knew he was severely lacking Spirit Glyphs. His Innate Rune Orb was very tricky; it won’t accept anything lower than a Spirit level Glyph.
“I can go and mention this to master. But if your Spirit Glyph is something that I do not need, the deal would be difficult to set up,” he told the Grandmaster.
Chen Zhizhong took out a Spirit Glyph and placed it in front of Guo Shier. “This is a Beast type Spirit Glyph. Check it out. You should be able to use it.”
Guo Shier already has a Bird Glyph, and its power is substantial. He had even the same expectations for this Beast Spirit Glyph.
To test it, he picked it up and placed it on his forehead. He felt it quietly disappear and enter the Innate Rune Orb within his soul.
This proved that the Glyph was truly at Spirit level.
“It’s good!” he said. “Let’s swap! I’ll give you the Marked Insect Variant blood when I get back. Hehe! You can send someone to come with me.”
Chen Zhizhong was overjoyed. “I’ll let my little disciples go with you. Bilan, follow Shier back and get the Marked Insect Variant’s blood. Then come back immediately.”
An Bilan nodded in response.
Guo Shier found that this Beast Spirit Glyph was lower in rating than his Bird Glyph. But it can be absorbed by the Innate Rune Orb—which means that it’s not that bad. Spirit Glyphs are very rare in this world, after all. They are some of the top Runes, second to Ancient Glyphs.
At the moment, he couldn’t see the beast soul was sealed within the Beast Spirit Glyph.
“Grandpa Chen, what’s the name of this Spirit Glyph?” he asked.
He knew that the Spirit Glyph grade was relatively low. He couldn’t identify the soul within.
Chen Zhizhong was quick to enlighten him. “This is called Bull Spirit Glyph. Sealed within is the soul of an Armored Bull that grew Rune lines on its body. Although not a Marked Beast, it’s much stronger that the average beast and can be used to block attacks. It’s a nice Spirit Glyph.”
Guo Shier nodded with satisfaction. Even with Marked Warrior Grandmaster escorts, one more powerful Bull Spirit Glyph would also be very good.
“Armored Bull, Hehe! This is the first time I heard of this beast,” he said.
“Little Brother, please give me the Marked Insect Variant blood as soon as possible,” Chen Zhizhong replied.
Guo Shier stood up and said, “No problem, I’ll take my leave.”
“Master, I’m going with him,” An Bilan declared.
An Biyun also stood up. “Elder Sister, I’ll go with you!”
…
There were many shops in Beast Plaza. Guo Shier entered the more interesting ones and purchased a number of specialty products from each of them.
He then returned to his dwelling contentedly.
He arranged accommodation for both An Bilan and her sister before meeting up with his master.
Luo Jie laughed at the sight of him. “Shier! You beat a Beast Caster Grandmaster from the West Rune Sect today?
Guo Shier nodded. “News travels so fast, eh?”
Qi NanShan laughed and recounted the story. “You caused a stir in the whole West Rune Sect. Hehe! Brat, you’re better than me!”
Guo Shier smiled. “He was careless. He just threw a few beasts out. Hehe! When I moved my Sword Glyph over his head, he just threw in the towel. I don’t know if I would have won if he got serious.”
Luo Jie was visibly amused. “This kid… you’re too deceptive. Even I don’t know your strength, let alone that Beast Caster Grandmaster. If anyone let their guard down, they would surely suffer from you.”
Guo Shier changed the subject. “Master, I met a West Rune Sect Elder called Chen Zhizhong in the Beast Pavilion. He wants to exchange items with me. I promised an ounce of Marked Insect Variant’s blood in exchange for a Spirit Glyph.”
“One ounce—so little?” Luo Jie asked, surprised. “What’s he going to do with the Marked Insect’s blood?”
“Something to do with experiment,” explained Guo Shier. “He’ll use the Marked Insect Variant’s blood as a neutralizing agent.”
“Neutralizer? Oh, I understand,” his master nodded. “That’s a good idea. In exchange for a Spirit Glyph he suffered a loss. Wait a minute. I’ll give it to you.”
He then handed Guo Shier a tiny crystal bottle. After purification, the Emerald Blade Mantis’ rich green blood turned to cyan. The crystal bottle was about a finger thick and a palm in length. The very beautiful light blue blood had a bit of little green light within it.
“Here, there are two ounces of purified blood in this bottle—not one,” Luo Shier said. “Let’s not take too much advantage of them. It’s not necessary.”
Guo Shier nodded and said, “Master, I know. But this was his price. I didn’t bargain nor speak. Hehe! Elder Chen Zhizhong himself reduced the amount from a quarter of a kilo to one ounce.”
“That’s what he wants!” Ying Mo laughed. “Guo Shier was very cunning. He never bargained nor spoke.”
“The blood is Master’s,” Guo Shier explained. “I had no way to decide its value. I guess my silence forced the Elder to keep on lowering his price.”
“I reckon Chen Zhizhong had a difficult time negotiating. You made a Grandmaster yield to your terms, Shier. You’re really amazing!” said Ying Mo.
Guo Shier looked haughtily at him. “Uncle Ying Mo, are you praising or mocking me!?!”
Ying Mo laughed. “Certainly, I’m praising you!”
“Well, quickly send it over, Shier,” Luo Jie ordered. “Oh right, what Spirit Glyph did you get?”
“I got a Bull Spirit Glyph that seals an Armored Bull’s soul.”
Luo Jie corrected him. “No, that’s not the same. For us Artificer Masters, even just one can be very useful. If there is a strong bull guarding you, you can use another Glyph to attack with ease.”Qi NanShan was surprised. “Whaaat? Just one Armored Bull? You should have asked for more,” he said. “I’ve seen an Armored Bull—it’s a very powerful beast. Although it can only attack by charging a target, its defense is super strong. But they are only unstoppable if there were dozens of them together. A single bull can only provide cover—equivalent to having a Shield Glyph. Not much more.”
Luo Jie then turned to apprentice. This Chen Zhizhong is not easy, Shier. He caught your weakness. It is not surprising since that he is also Artificer practitioner. Hehe!”
“Right,” Guo Shier agreed. He didn’t know it was a Bull Spirit Glyph at first because it was directly absorbed by his Innate Rune Orb. All he knew was that it was a nice Glyph. The Innate Rune Orb was very picky, after all—and only Spirit Glyphs and above will be absorbed into it. It ignores ordinary Glyphs. Because Guo Shier’s Hidden Storage Glyphs is at the Spirit Glyph level, he can let the Hidden Storage Glyph into his Innate Rune Orb.
***
Back in his yard, Guo Shier took out the crystal bottle. “Miss An,” he said. “This the Marked Insect Variant’s the blood. Hehe! My master didn’t want to put your master at a disadvantage with only one ounce of Marked Insect’s blood, so I’m giving you TWO ounces. In addition, my master would like to send his regards to your master.”
An Bilan grew very curious. This child was about the same size as her sister, but he spoke articulately, without the any of a child’s usual habits.
She took the crystal bottle and held it front of her eyes.
An Biyun jumped in. “Elder sister, it’s so beautiful! Ah, there’s a shiny green dot in there.”
“Thank you, Master Guo Shier,” An Bilan said. “By the way, how old are you?” she asked.
Guo Shier understood her curiosity. “I turned 10 years old this winter.”
The little girl couldn’t help but cover her mouth in awe. “Elder sister, he’s just two years older than me!”
An Bilan sighed. This child is scary, she thought. She then turned to her sister. “Yes, little Yun. You have to work harder.”
The girl pouted. “It’s no use trying. No one can beat Little Brother,” she said, referring to Guo Shier.
“Well, please give my regards to your master,” Guo Shier replied. “Uncle Ying Mo, kindly help them out.”
It was freezing and Guo Shier didn’t want to stay out long. He wanted to go back to his room.
An Bilan put away the crystal bottle. She was only curious about Guo Shier and nothing more.
Ying Mo sent the sisters out.
***
Back in his room, Guo Shier immediately picked up a book to start studying. That’s what he does—he studies whenever there is free time.
Now that he had time to study, he was starting to realize the benefits of his advancement. His soul grew; his memory became very powerful, almost to the degree of being photographic. This was an enormous help to him. He could completely memorize a book he has only read twice.
The growth of his soul also brought him unexpected benefits. He started to regain more memories of his past lives.
He vividly remembered the Scriptures he read during his first life. At that time, he was a very honest and very pious monk. He read every verse and had a deep understanding of their meaning.
These scriptures included a Six Word Mantra. An, Ma, Ne, Ba, Mi, Hong. (Note: This is a Tibetan Avalokiteshvara mantra)
The Scriptures must have an underlying mystery to them, he thought.
The Six Word Mantra seemed to have some connection to his Artificer class, but he couldn’t determine what it was.
After pondering for a long while, he was now sure that these six words could help cultivate the soul. As for their actual effect, those need to be validated slowly.
He then thought of Huo Bao’s exercises. He always felt that they were lacking in pure strength development. The exercises were obviously inadequate in terms of skill compared to the martial arts of his past life.
Guo Shier started practicing Tai Chi in his room. This method of martial arts he specifically learned after old age. It was an exercise without fighting.
He punched slowly and using plain Tai Chi movements. He immediately perceived the changes in the body. A set of punching movements made him sweat and invigorated his spirit.
He didn’t feel too cold anymore.
Guo Shier also reviewed Grappling in his previous incarnation. This was one of the skills he learned in the army.
***
A few days later, Guo Shier went to Huo Bao’s training grounds. Small pieces of green slate paved the ground, covering about a hundred square meters.
Ying Mo and Luo Zhan were also there. The two of them were conducting special training for the four children. Ying Mo held a Rune Rod, while Luo Zhan had a slender bamboo whip in his hand. The two men stood by the side of the field watching the four children exercise.
Huo Bao paired with Chen Bing, while Hong Shi was paired with Chen Hong for training exercises. The four of them were punching and kicking, going at each other at full swing.
Luo Zhan regularly used his bamboo whip to make them pay attention.
Pa! (whipping*)
“Use your thigh to block!” he would shout.
“Remember, your thighs and arms are important blocking tools!”
“The power of the Marks is at its greatest at those locations.”
“Faster! Any slower and you’re courting death!”
His voice was always commanding.
Meanwhile, Ying Mo pointed his Rune Rod on Huo Bao’s lower back, “Watch out and protect this area,” he reminded the student.
The four children were soaked in sweat. They had taken off their fur robes and were only wearing thin leather. Even Chen Hong—the only girl in the group—was no exception.
Guo Shier stood quietly watching. When Ying Mo saw him, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Shier, what are you doing here? Do you want to try?” he asked jokingly.
Surprisingly, Guo Shier nodded. “Yeah, I’d like to try Uncle Ying Mo!”
“Stop!” said Luo Zhan to the kids. “Go rest for a little while. Remember to put on your fur robes so you don’t get cold.”
Huo Bao happily ran over and asked, “Shier, do you want to be a Marked Warrior practitioner?”
“Bao-zi, you’re saying nonsense!” Chen Hong chimed in.
“What? I just asked Guo Shier if he wanted to try,” Huo Bao replied, meekly.
Guo Shier was bewildered at the little boy’s timidity. “Gee Bao-zi, are you afraid of Little Hong?”
Ying Mo laughed. “Of course he’s afraid! Bao-zi can’t beat Little Hong.”
“Really? How is that possible?” Guo Shier asked, shocked.
“Of course it’s possible,” Huo Bao whispered. “I know you’re giving Little Hong stronger cultivating Marks than us. Naturally, we’d lose.”
“Bao-zi!!! That’s not true!!!” Chen Hong protested.
Huo Bao got scared and ran behind Guo Shier. He continued to complain. “Shier, you don’t know. But Little Hong is simply an Earth Dragon Variant. I mean, how can I fight an Earth Dragon?”
Chen Hong started freaking out.
Guo Shier laughed. “I can’t help you with this one. You can’t even fight a little girl. This is embarrassing.”
“You don’t know how powerful she is!” Huo Bao insisted. “Oh, that’s right, you’re an Artificer practitioner. You don’t know the pain of a Marked Warrior Adept.”
Guo Shier wanted to try fighting physically. Although he was not a master in his past life, he was still proficient in grappling and fighting. This was the best time try. His body was much stronger than the one he had in his previous world.
“How about some practice?” he asked Huo Bao.
Huo Bao’s body has began developing. His height was now over 170 centimeters—nearly a head higher than Guo Shier. With regular exercise and cultivating mark stimulation, his body was in excellent shape. He was not worried about Guo Shier’s challenge; however, he was worried about hurting him.
“Do you really want to fight?” he asked , hesitating.
Guo Shier taunted him. “Why not? Scared?”
As the two were talking, Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan came over. They overheard Guo Shier’s challenge.
Qi NanShan could not help but wonder, “Shier, are you going to fight with Bao-zi?”
“I just want to try and see how powerful Marked Warrior Adepts are,” he replied, half-shy.
Luo Jie found the situation annoying and amusing at the same time. “Shier, you are Artificer not Marked Warrior. You’re going to get beaten,” he said.
Guo Shier was insistent. “Well, I won’t know until I try.”
Qi NanShan was curious about what would happen. “Bao-zi,” he said. “Go ahead and try Shier’s ability. Hehe!”
“Bao-zi, don’t hurt Shier,” Luo Jie ordered.
Huo Bao protested. “Old Timer, what kind of rule is this? Does that mean I should let him beat me and not fight back?
Chen Hong chimed in. “You deserve it!”
“Bao-zi, don’t worry so much,” Guo Shier said. “Let’s just try it.”
He walked within the training ground and posed with one hand in front of the other, his body squatting slightly. “Bring it on, Bao-zi!”
Qi Nanshan turned to the warrior. “Bao-zi, let’s see what Shier can do!”
Huo Bao came face to face with Guo Shier. “Okay, fine. You lose if you use your Sword Glyph to attack. That thing is too strong. I can’t fight that”
“When did I say I was going to fight you with Runes?” Guo Shier said. “Hurry up, stop dawdling around!”
Huo Bao was not afraid of dying or fighting. He was afraid he’d accidentally hurt Guo Shier. That would be a big sin—there would be no coming back from that. Guo Shier was still small but he was acting like a parent and providing everyone with food and clothing.
“Can you guess who wins?” Chen Bing calmly asked Hong Shi.
“Bao-zi is sure to win!” he replied. “He’s the strongest of the four of us—unless Little Hong goes crazy, of course. Then she becomes the strongest. Hehe!”
Chen Hong rolled her eyes, overhearing their conversation. “Shi-tou, you’re speaking ill of me again! Hmmmp!”
“But maybe Bao-zi won’t necessarily win,” Chen Bing mused. “After all, Guo Shier is almost supernatural.”
Ying Mo also joined in the fun. “I think Bao-zi will win!”
“We’ll know in a moment. Do you really have to guess?” Luo Zhan faintly said.
Meanwhile, Huo Bao thought the whole situation was funny. He looked at Guo Shier’s posture and said, “Are we really going to fight?!”
Guo Shier was feeling confident. “Yes! Come on!”
Huo Bao almost burst into tears, laughing.
His body jerked forward and went straight to Guo Shier.
The momentum was simply overwhelming.
Guo Shier grew nervous; he found himself underestimating the opponent.
Translator: Glasses TangGu
Editor: M
