Chapter 5
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
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