Even so, people like Wu Tuo were more curious than amazed or impressed. They wondered how the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect would fare, now that another so-called genius had popped up. Little did they know, I was no genius. I just used my literary knowledge to a.n.a.lyze it like any proper literature student in graduate school would.

And even then, I could only a.n.a.lyze three of the nine. Clearly I was lacking a great deal.

Anyway, none of the major sects cared about the news, and very few of them – if any – paid any attention to it. They just thought Nine-Tailed Fox Sect made a fuss over nothing. Come to think of it, when Tang Qi Hong triggered a response from two of the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars, it wasn"t very big news outside of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. I personally didn"t register the news, though admittedly at that time I was more occupied with more…urgent matters.

Such as staying alive in the abyss of Sen Lin Forest that I fell into…

To the less major sects, however, they took some interest. Throughout these nine hundred years, master blacksmiths had all been amazing people who had pioneered new inventions and revolutionize technology, leading the way to a brighter future after they comprehended the Spirit Engraved Pillars, and almost without exception (other than the lamentable fate of the late Liang Shao Yang, but he deserved it), they walked down the path of being a legend.

The founder of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect in particular, was known for triggering a response from four of the nine Spirit Engraved Pillars. This single action had established his near mythical status in the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect.

Unfortunately, I was not Qin Lie, and I was far from being a Mary Sue genius protagonist who went around pulling off so-called "unprecedented" stunts, so I wasn"t able to trigger a response from all nine Spirit Engraved Pillars. In fact, my achievement still paled in comparison to the founder of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect.

Not that I cared, to be honest. It had never been my intention to compete with him. On the other hand, few people throughout the forty or so Spirit Engravers who triggered a response from the Spirit Engraved Pillars had succeeded in awakening three, so I was still pretty much up there. Just not on the same level as the Mary Sue Qin Lie.

And unlike Qin Lie (or Qin Bing as he was known when he was in Armament Sect), n.o.body outside of Tushan City really cared about my "achievement." The other seven major sects couldn"t care less if I triggered a response from zero or nine Spirit Engraved Pillars. Yeah, they probably would take up some notice and monitor Nine-Tailed Fox Sect in fears that it would become too powerful and influential, but otherwise the action of comprehending the wonders of the Spirit Engraved Pillars and lighting them up meant nothing to them.

On the other hand, thanks to social media and the Internet, the news spread faster than was thought possible, but just like every piece of news, the excitement died out as people indulged themselves in reading about other news. Like those regarding demonic sects, or gossip involving the other major sects, or the most popular martial artist in Snow Valley Sect, or the biggest transfer budget of a sect trying to buy a trohy in a martial arts league…the usual stuff. Or the fact that Doom: Eternal was going to be released, and Google Stadia was promising a new streaming platform for gamers. Or the latest shooting incident on the other side of the world, where the Republican president insisted that gun laws did not need to be regulated because he was in league with the Rifle a.s.sociation while unsincerely expressing his condolences for the victims.

The usual, as I said. I might have triggered a response in the Spirit Engraved Pillars, but life outside the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect went on as per normal, and within a day or two, any news regarding me had all but been forgotten.

The world didn"t revolve around me, after all. I wasn"t a typical xianxia protagonist where I needed to be showered by praises and admired by random strangers who I probably would never meet in my entire life.

*

At the back of the Flame Volcano area, the woods were shrouded by a dark fog. Even though it was early morning, the sun was unable to pierce the gray veil that hung over the forest, which sort of gave the place a secretive impression.

The outer sect of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect largely resided at the base of Flame Volcano, which was at the front of the mountain, while the inner sect of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect inhabited the slopes and peak of Flame Volcano.

But there was also a vast forest behind Flame Volcano that was only known to a few. It was also where the Blood Blades dormitory were built, and being one of the Blood Blades, I of course knew about it. I had been living there all this while.

Next to the dormitory was the forest where we Blood Blades usually carried out our training. This was where Elder Zhao and sometimes Sect Lady Da Ji would instruct me in the Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula, and where the martial arts training facility were held. You know, the one left under the charge of Elder Xun Lian.

There were strong restrictions and barriers surrounding the forest, keeping not just outsiders out but even the outer sect and inner sect disciples away. Even the outer sect and inner sect disciples were not allowed to enter this place.

Actually, strictly speaking, Elder Zhao and Elder Cheng Ping were outer sect Elders and they were not part of the Blood Blades. They did have some authority because they were elders, which explained their links to Blood Blades, but they were technically not Blood Blades despite Elder Zhao being the acting vice-commander. Despite that, the Blood Blades obeyed him because of the authority Sect Lady invested in him, but Elder Zhao was more occupied with the running of the outer sect than actually commanding Blood Blades.

Even he would be forbidden from entering this area unless it was an emergency.

"Sect Leader and Sect Lady."

"Sect Leader and Sect Lady."

At the entrance to the ghostly forest, the silhouettes of a familiar couple appeared. Zi Shou De and his wife, Zi Da Ji, were strolling into the forest, only for four Blood Blades martial artists to suddenly appear and kneel before them, bowing their heads respectfully. Dressed in their black garbs that somehow made them look like ninjas or shin.o.bi, complete with that traditional-looking straw hat and cloth masks that concealed most of their features except their piercing eyes, the four Blood Blades martial artists retained some air of mystery.

Sect Leader Zi nodded at them, and the four rose to their feet swiftly, disabling the Spirit Diagrams that powered the barrier and qi defenses at the entrance to the forest, allowing the two highest-ranking members of Nine-Tailed Fox Sect in.

"It"s been a while since I"ve been here," Sect Lady Da Ji remarked, looking around with a tinge of nostalgia.

"Didn"t you train Fei Wu here just recently?" Sect Leader Zi asked. He was aware that Sect Lady Da Ji was teaching me Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula, and even if he didn"t know before, he had seen me use the technique against Liang Shao Yang.

"No. I trained Fei Wu somewhere else." A smile flitted across Sect Lady Da Ji"s lips. "Speaking of which, that boy has improved tremendously since the last time I taught him."

"I"m not surprised." Sect Leader Zi"s smile broadened. As they walked into the forest, he glanced at one of their escorts. "Where is Lang Xie?"

"Sire is inside," the masked Blood Blade replied.

"Good." Sect Leader Zi nodded again, and then headed for the interior, flanked by his wife. He frowned when he saw nothing but more trees and fog. "Uh, where are the blood pools?"

Sect Lady Zi stared at him. "What blood pools?"

"Um, you know…the blood pools that Blood Blades train in. they"re supposed to be soaking in these pools filled with bubbling b.l.o.o.d.y liquids in order to temper their bodies, improve their cultivation and grow stronger."

"What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?" Sect Lady Da Ji demanded, her brow furrowing. "We don"t have blood pools."

"Eh?" Sect Leader Zi"s mouth was hanging open. "Then why do you guys call yourselves the Blood Blades if you don"t practice techniques related to blood and blood pools? And how do you train without blood pools?"

"Uh, we train normally?" Sect Lady Da Ji looked as if she was getting a headache. "And I don"t know. You should ask the person who created the Blood Blades division centuries ago. I suspect he read too much Spirit Realm."

"At least he didn"t rip off the name Blood Spear…" Sect Leader Zi muttered. Sect Lady Da Ji sighed and cleared her throat.

"Anyway, this has nothing to do with what we"re here for. Focus."

The couple continued venturing deeper into the forest, escorted by the masked and robed guards.

Streams of deadly qi swirled around the forest, blanketing the place in an aura of violence and bloodl.u.s.t. Even from this far away, both Sect Leader and Sect Lady could hear the noises of clashing blades and the aggressive exchanges of techniques as Blood Blades sparred against other Blood Blades. They weren"t holding back, with ma.s.sive surges of qi and flashes of light blinking out in the distance. Several of the trees even fell over, collateral damage in the intense duels as the wielders" blades easily cleaved through their thick trunks.

And then, deeper within the forest were dangerous places where the miasma of qi were the thickest. Here, many Blood Blades sat cross-legged, their expressions scrunched in intense concentration as they sought to draw upon the rich, dense qi that permeated the forest. Here the qi was so pure and volatile that any mistake could prove deadly. If they slipped up and were unable to control their qi, they could accidentally blow themselves up, ripping their bodies apart from the inside. Even so, the result was a natural purification of qi and the considerable strengthening of their const.i.tutions, so they braved the danger willingly.

Being Blood Blades and living a life full of b.l.o.o.d.y battles, they were no stranger to immense risks and terrifying dangers. If there was a method where they could get stronger, they would choose that path without hesitation.

Sect Leader Zi observed that place of miasma for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "This must be where Fei Wu trained his Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula," he murmured softly, almost as if he was speaking to himself.

"Nope." Sect Lady Da Ji corrected. "The latest batch of Blood Blades haven"t been granted access to the Will"o Wisp Forest yet. They only have clearance for the training facility." She gestured toward the training facility under Elder Xun, the one where I visited with Tang Qi Hong just a few days ago. "When they get a bit stronger, they"ll get their clearance and authority updated, then they"ll be able to access the Will"o Wisp Forest."

"Ah…that"s why you said you trained Fei Wu somewhere else." Sect Leader Zi nodded in understanding, recalling the lines they exchanged less than a minute ago. "A pity, wouldn"t he have benefited from training here?"

"He would need to reach a certain level before we grant him – and the other new Blood Blades – access to this area. But…" Sect Lady Da Ji frowned. "That child exceeded our expectations. To think he attained Absolute Zero even before setting foot in here. I have no idea how he did it…that boy continues to surprise us."

"Heh…our little Qi Hong sure has an eye for guys." Sect Leader Zi chuckled. "Although she probably didn"t realize it when she…um, befriended him."

"I don"t think their relationship is that shallow," Sect Lady Da Ji chided him. "Qi Hong isn"t interested in strength, power or charm. I think she was drawn to him because of his personality, and because he"s nice. She probably never thought of developing her relationship with him for anything as superficial as benefits."

"Qi Hong never was one to harbor such ambitions," Sect Leader Zi agreed. His expression darkened. "Unlike that Liang Shao Yang. I"m glad we"re rid of him. I was having a headache trying to find a way to persuade half the Great Elders to stop favoring him. That boy just wouldn"t change his character and even committed such atrocious crimes in the sect!"

"In contrast, Fei Wu accepted his punishment without complaints and went through with it." There was a respectful awe in Sect Lady Da Ji"s voice. "He set an example and a precedent. In future, n.o.body would be excempt from punishment, regardless of his or her status, or how many Spirit Engraved Pillars they triggered a response from."

"That kid sure is amazing…and I don"t mean the fact that he triggered a response from three Spirit Engraved Pillars." Sect Leader Zi smiled wryly. "He might be on the ordinary side, and doesn"t seem to have talent, but he more than makes up for it through sheer grit and determination."

"And the force of his personality," Sect Lady Da Ji added. Sect Leader Zi nodded in agreement.

"That too."

As the couple continued deeper into the forest, the huge, muscular man who appeared two days ago in the plaza emerged from the depths of the forest. His body was smoldering, despite the blood-red armor he wore, fumes of qi pouring off his glowing body. Apparently he was in the middle of soaking up the miasma and training, but had halted it to tend to the two leaders of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect without hesitation.

"Sect Leader, Sect Lady."

When he stepped out of the shadows, the dark fog of qi seemed to tremble. Ghostly visages and images appeared in the mist, howling soundlessly and creeping the duelists out. Those who were cultivating and absorbing the pure qi shuddered violently, expressions of pain flashing across their determined faces.

However, none of them made a sound. Sect Leader Zi nodded his head in approval as he studied them.

Nine-Tailed Fox Sect had invested a significant amount of resources to train and equip their Blood Blades division, sparing no expense in finances and Spirit Artifacts. They also poured quite a bit of money into maintaining this training area, particularly the defenses and the miasma, growing potent Spirit herbs and medicinal plants in the area to saturate the fog with natural qi. There were a lot of people who coveted this area, and even more people who sought to step into this place to benefit from its rich, training environment, but only the elite Blood Blades were allowed here.

Even the new Blood Blades, the f"ing new guys like me, Tong Xue and Pang Feng, were not allowed to set foot in here yet. We needed a bit more experience and strength before the vice-commander approved our access to this fearsome place.

"What brings the both of you here?" the muscular man asked, his head lowered in deference. Sect Leader Zi snapped out of his stupor and returned to the present.

"Lang Xie, we have something to ask of you."

"Please speak."

Sect Leader Zi nodded. "As you know, there are people from the Divine Shadow Sect who reside in our sect. There are also many people in Tushan City who belong to the Divine Shadow Sect. I am worried that they might seek revenge and kill Fei Wu because of what he did to Liang Shao Yang. You"re most likely aware of how skilled the a.s.sa.s.sins of Divine Shadow Sect are in the way of murder and sabotage."

The middle-aged man nodded. "In other words, Sect Leader wishes to…?"

"Keep an eye on them, but don"t provoke them unnecessarily." Sect Leader Zi paused for a moment. "I do not want any incident to befall Fei Wu. If any of them make a move against him, eliminate them."

"I know what must be done," Lang Xie replied simply.

"Uh, do you really?" Sect Lady Da Ji looked a little concerned. "We"re not asking you to carry out a purge, you know? Don"t go around killing people just because they come from the Divine Shadow Sect. Even among the Divine Shadow Sect, they"re divided into factions, and not all of them are working with Liang Shao Yang."

"To my knowledge, Liang Shao Yang was only acting in concert with Hao Ying and probably Hu Mei Er, but the latter is not from the Divine Shadow Sect." Sect Leader Zi looked grave. "That"s what I meant by not provoking them unnecessarily. If they don"t pose a threat, leave them alone. No point killing people for no good reason. That will force the Divine Shadow Sect to move against us."

"Yeah, this is the twenty-first century. Being too ruthless will backfire. And we are supposed to adhere to the laws of the Great Zhou Empire. We can"t go around wiping out large numbers of people just because we"re afraid that they will attack one of our most promising disciples. That"s basically genocide." Sect Lady Zi was solemn.

"And we don"t want to attract the attention of the Imperial Guard and the Arbites enforcers," Sect Leader Zi added. He then smiled faintly. "But I trust you, Lang Xie. Both Da Ji and I know you will be able to handle this matter well."

"This lowly officer obeys," Lang Xie replied as he cupped his hands. Sect Leader"s smile widened.

"Good. We only came here to tell you of this matter."

They could have done it with an email or phone call, but personal meetings were the best, and most secure. You could never know who was tapping your line or hacking your emails.

"If there"s nothing else, we"ll take our leave," Sect Lady Zi responded politely. She and her husband were about to turn away when Lang Xie suddenly spoke up.

"Sect Leader, Sect Lady, I have a presumptuous request."

"What is it?" Sect Leader Zi asked, turning back around. Both he and his wife watched the vice-commander of the Blood Blades curiously.

"When Fei Wu finishes serving his three-day imprisonment, Sect Leader, please have him come here so that I can train him." Lang Xie"s tone was cold and his expression gravely serious. "Blood Blades will definitely protect him, but if he has some combat capability, then it will make things a lot easier for us, not to mention he"ll be safer."

Sect Leader Zi raised an eyebrow. "Um, you do realize that Fei Wu is already a member of the Blood Blades, right? You"re the one who hasn"t given him and the rest of the Blood Blades disciples in his batch clearance to enter this area. That"s totally up to you."

As the vice-commander of Blood Blades, Lang Xie had total command and jurisdiction over this secret training area, more so than Sect Lady Da Ji. Of course, Sect Lady Da Ji could legally overrule him and give us all clearance, but that would be an affront to Lang Xie"s authority and it would break the unspoken agreement that they had about who ruled over what.

While Sect Lady Da Ji was the overall commander of Blood Blades, most of her activities were confined to the inner sect, where she served as the bodyguard of her husband. The main duties of running the Blood Blades fell to Vice-commander Lang Xie, and Sect Lady Zi was careful not to overstep her boundaries.

Don"t ask me why. Politics were a complicated matter that cofounded me. That was why I was a literature student, not a political science major.

In any case, because Lang Xie was absent from the sect for almost a year, carrying out a vermillion-level secret mission, the bulk of the job of running the Blood Blades fell to the individual squad commanders, and Elder Zhao who was the outer sect elder ended up handling the administrative duties. However, there was always a need to continue recruiting new Blood Blades members to replenish the inevitable losses they sustained during missions and combat, so Elder Zhao ended up carrying out the entrance exams and recruitment. Fortunately, Sect Lady Da Ji was around to approve the process and the members who pa.s.sed the exam, but in order to not overstep the boundaries of her authority, she was careful to leave the final approval to Lang Xie.

So my batch, which included me, Tong Xue and Pang Feng, would only officially become Blood Blades and gain access to this Will"o Wisp Forest after Elder Zhao cleared it with Lang Xie. But Lang Xie had been so preoccupied with the situation that sprang up after I pulled the whole Spirit Engraved Pillars stunt that he hadn"t had time to look through the doc.u.ments and officially approve of our membership into the Blood Blades.

Fortunately, we still had access to the sect"s resources regarding spirit pills, armaments and equipment, thanks to Sect Lady Da Ji, or we would be in trouble. And the training facility was open to us, also courtesy of Sect Lady Da Ji, so it wasn"t all that bad.

"I personally taught him," Sect Lady Da Ji added with a frown. "Did you not recognize the Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula that he used? I was the one who imparted that technique to him, and guided him. Of course, there are limits to what I can do, since I practice Nine-Tailed Fire Fox Formula, which is the complete opposite, but considering the situation, what that child has achieved is very impressive."

"Of course. That"s why I want to train him." Lang Xie looked up to meet Sect Lady Da Ji"s gaze evenly. "I am aware of the limitations holding you back when you practice Nine-Tailed Fire Fox Formula as opposed to the Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula Fei Wu is practicing. That is why I believe I would be able to help him more than Sect Lady."

Lang Xie was not bragging or being arrogant. He was simply stating a fact. Aware of this, Sect Lady Da Ji was not offended.

"You"re right, of course. I"ll leave his training to you then." She merely nodded, and smiled in relief. "Even though he managed to execute Absolute Zero, it"s far from complete. I think that was a fluke. Still, it showed that child"s potential. Please ensure that he will be able to execute it at will in future, and improve his strength."

"This lowly officer obeys."

Lang Xie lowered his head again in deference. A hint of a smile curved across his weather-beaten face.

"I am surprised, however."

"Hmm? About what?" Sect Leader Zi looked puzzled.

"I thought you would object and insist that he should not waste time on the martial way."

"The Great Elders will surely say that." Sect Leader Zi laughed. "But I suspect that Fei Wu is more suited for this than blacksmithing."

"Elder Tie did complain about him s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up in smithing and Spirit Engraving." Sect Lady Da Ji looked amused. "It"s a miracle that child comprehended the three Spirit Engraved Pillars at all. I have no idea how he did it."

"He said something about literature instead of smithing." Sect Leader Zi was thoughtful. "Perhaps the Spirit Engraved Pillars are not necessarily what we imagine them to be. If what Fei Wu says is true, then they hold much greater potential than merely smithing."

"That child is an excellent martial artist," Sect Lady Da Ji agreed. "I"ll make sure he stays in Blood Blades, the Great Elders be d.a.m.ned. I will not be handing my precious subordinate over to them."

"I"m sure they already know that," Sect Leader Zi replied dryly. He then turned back to Lang Xie. "All right. Once Fei Wu comes out of Fire Prison Cliff tomorrow, I will tell him to come here and train. In the meantime, you can speed up the process and start approving all the other Blood Blades in his batch. Fei Wu is not the only new Blood Blade."

"Yeah, don"t just focus on him that you forget about the others," Sect Lady Da Ji added, her tone bordering on a reprimand. "There are a few promising candidates this time, like Tong Xue from the Smart Shadow Sect and Pang Feng from Cloud Sky Mountain. They also happen to be friends with Fei Wu, and I don"t think that child will take it too kindly if you neglect his friends and cla.s.smates."

"Of course." Lang Xie nodded. "As talented as Fei Wu might be, the Blood Blades do not revolve around only one person. I"ll take care of that matter right away."

"See that you do." Sect Leader Zi smiled and turned away. "We"ll go check on Fei Wu now."

"Many thanks, Sect Leader, Sect Lady." Lang Xie bowed deeply once again.

*

While all that was occurring, I was busily inscribing Spirit Diagrams into the tablet that Elder Cheng provided.

"Hmm, I think that"s about it."

That was all the Spirit Diagrams I could think of. Thankfully I had a recording device in my gla.s.ses, or I would never have remembered all of them. That was one of the disadvantages of not being a genius. I didn"t have perfect memory.

Modern technology sure as h.e.l.l made things a lot easier for me.

"Okay, maybe I should take the chance to train."

Two of the three days had pa.s.sed, and I would be let out tomorrow. Unfortunately, I wasn"t able to do anything inside my prison cell except draw those Spirit Diagrams that I saw while communing with the Spirit Engraved Pillars. And now that I had completed the task, I had a whole day of nothing to do. Well, less than a day, but you know what I mean.

"I should train…hmm?"

Before I could begin training, I caught sight of something interesting. It was one of the images I had recorded with my gla.s.ses while communing with the Spirit Engraved Pillars, but clearly wasn"t a Spirit Diagram for Spirit Artifacts.

"Eh…isn"t this…a martial arts manual?"

I recognized the patterns and Spirit Engravings. As I said before, martial arts manuals were Spirit Artifacts in their own right, with the writings within them a kind of Spirit Engravings. It wasn"t surprising that some of the Spirit Diagrams weren"t Spirit Diagrams for Spirit Artifacts but for martial arts manuals. Well, technically, martial arts manuals are Spirit Artifacts, so they were essentially Spirit Diagrams for Spirit Artifacts, just not the ones you would usually imagine…ugh, you know what I mean. I was just confusing myself further.

In any case, I understood that this was different from all the other Spirit Diagrams I had come across.

"Heh."

A grin flickered over my face. This was why it was useful being a literature student. Had I been completely invested in a.n.a.lyzing and comprehending the Spirit Engraved Pillars as a blacksmith or Spirit Engraver, I would have completely missed this.

I should inscribe this into the tablet as well, and then replicate it. Furthermore, it seemed that there were three different martial arts manuals from the three different Spirit Engraved Pillars. Obviously I wasn"t going to learn all three of them. I wasn"t Li Fu Chen or some xianxia protagonist who went around learning every martial arts I encountered, and the water one especially didn"t seem useful for me. Even though water element was close to ice element, there was still a distinct difference between the two, so I couldn"t just learn water element martial arts.

However, the snow one seemed closely linked to the Nine-Tailed Frost Fox Formula I was learning. If my suspicions were correct, the two martial arts would prove to be compatible and complement each other, allowing me to raise my ice element martial arts to a whole new level!

As for the constellation or stars-themed martial arts, it seemed similar to my Heavenly Draconic Meteor Swordsmanship, but I wouldn"t be able to tell until I looked at it in greater detail. For that to happen, I needed to inscribe it down as a martial arts manual first. As it was, an image in my gla.s.ses, it wasn"t yielding the necessary information I required.

"Well, I"ll begin that soon enough, but first…"

I turned toward the shadows, my eyes narrowed.

"You don"t have to keep hiding there. I know you"re there."

There was a harsh, guttural laughter, and then suddenly the ground exploded as a dark silhouette drilled his way up to the surface. Recognizing that familiar drill weapon, a smile crept across my face and I stood up to face my visitor.

"Black Shadow," I greeted him cordially. "It"s been a while."

"You…" Black Shadow snarled, his ordinary-looking face twisted in feral rage. "I"ll definitely take revenge on you for killing Young Master."

Then, with a murderous roar, he charged at me with his drill.