That's the Difference Between the Original and the Counterfeit!

Xiao Ran's image of his Master was that of a heroic and charismatic woman.

Even after several unexpected and exhilarating hot spring baths, the feeling remains the same.

Now, carrying my Master on my back feels like lying on a soft, cushioned boat floating in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by blue sky and white clouds.

It took him a long time to focus his attention on the stone tablet in front of him.

I glanced around instinctively; it was a spacious area, and no one seemed to be following me.

There is a small stone platform in front of us, and a tall, broken stele is embedded in the platform.

The stele is an irregular rhombus shape, more than ten feet tall, with neat cracks on the edges and no broken pieces, which shows the toughness of the material.

Its surface is as black as a mirror, engraved with lines of thick, ancient, yet incredibly clear white characters.

The white characters, one inch high and wide, were carved all over the broken stele, with some characters cut off at the edges.

Xiao Ran approached the broken stele and touched it.

It was ice-cold all over, and the material was not visible.

Look up at the white text.

The instant my gaze met the inscription on the monument—

My mind went blank for a moment, and I suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment, like after purchasing a system skill.

In an instant, body and mind were elevated, and the Sea of Consciousness became as clear as the starry sky.

Upon closer inspection, the seemingly complex and star-studded inscriptions reveal a profound truth so simple that even a child could understand it, conveying a fundamental logic concerning all things.

In comparison, the Jade Slip and stone tablet images that Liu Mingyang showed him didn't even have a tenth of the impact of the inscription.

This is the difference between genuine and pirated products!

Xiao Ran, holding the broken stele, attempted to place it into the System Space, but...

He had failed! He initially thought there was some special restriction on the stone tablet, but upon closer inspection, he discovered—

This is a completely Spiritual Power object!

Pure inorganic matter with absolutely no Spiritual Power cannot be placed in Space Ring or System Space.

Of course, you can imprint Spirit Runes on a spiritless object, which will transform it into a spirited object and make it easy to place it into the System Space.

Xiao Ran had never learned Spirit Runes engraving, so it was difficult for him to write restrictions or form hand seals, but engraving a spirit rune was easy for him.

Xiao Ran took a wood carving knife and tried to carve a simple line segment Spirit Runes in the blank area of the stele.

The result... it couldn't be carved!

Xiao Ran instinctively became alert.

Just in case, he took out sheets of bamboo film and pieced them together to make a copy of the inscription on the stone tablet.

Only then did they realize that although the replica was exactly the same, it contained less than 10% of the information! It wasn't that the Dao Alliance's replication skills were not exquisite, but rather that this inscription was the type that could prevent theft on its own.

The material is unknown, it has no Spiritual Power, and it cannot be imbued with Spiritual Power; the information cannot be copied 100%...

Aside from the relics of the immortals, Xiao Ran has no other explanation for the time being.

Such a heavy stone tablet, if forcibly carried away, the Spiritual Power probably won't last until the moment we leave the maze.

Besides, there are other people in the maze, and carrying it would make it easy for someone to intercept it halfway.

It must be placed in the System Space!

He tried to Resonance with the inscription and forcibly imprint Spiritual Power.

Let's see which is at a higher level: the Resonance Power or the inscription.

A tremor ran through my palm, ripples spread out, and I infused it with Spiritual Power...

Lingzhou Yue was startled awake by the recoil, her whole body jolted, and she opened her eyes groggily.

I found myself lying on Xiao Ran's broad back.

I thought to myself that this guy had delicate features, but his shoulders and back were quite broad, giving him a rather masculine air.

Why did you still secretly carry me on your back?

Xiao Ran said, "Master, take a look at this."

As she rolled down, Lingzhou Yue bumped into the inscription on the monument.

His brows furrowed slightly, his clear eyes narrowed as if deep in thought, and after a long pause he finally uttered, "What the hell is this thing?"

"What the hell?"

Xiao Ran was speechless, feeling that his Master's reaction was far inferior to his own.

He once doubted the power of the inscription, wondering if it was due to his own personal reasons.

Lingzhou Yue stared intently at the inscription, pondering it for a long time.

"This inscription is indeed awe-inspiring, but the language is obscure and lacks any Spiritual Power... Is there anything special about it?"

Is the text obscure and difficult to understand?

Do you know anything about this?

Xiao Ran tentatively asked her:

"Master, just use any mental cultivation technique to meditate and then take a look."

The Lingzhou Yue.

"Why use mental cultivation techniques? Can't swordsmanship do it?"

Xiao Ran suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Master, you wouldn't... have never even practiced a basic cultivation technique, would you?"

"How could this be! I..."

Besides the Art of Resonance, Lingzhou Yue racked her brains but couldn't come up with a name for the technique, so she simply stopped arguing and said nonchalantly:

"The highest way of swordsmanship is to achieve a state of mindless unity between the sword and the sword. Cultivating mental techniques is actually a step down from the highest level. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand."

Xiao Ran casually echoed.

He wondered how his Master had managed to master the Tidal Force Sword Art to near perfection without even practicing the inner cultivation method.

Is he truly born with Clear Sword Heart?

Xiao Ran didn't have time to think about these things; getting the monument was the priority.

"Master, I need to attach a spirit to this broken stele before I can put it into my Space Ring. I will Resonance with the stele while you use your sword to carve patterns on it."

Lingzhou Yue suddenly realized, and pointed at Xiao Ran:

"So, you came into the maze not to find your master, nor to find the National Teacher, but to find the inscription!"

Xiao Ran let go.

"If that's what you mean, then I don't want the stone tablet anymore. Let's go."

"Good."

Lingzhou Yue calmly replied, then pulled Xiao Ran along and turned to leave, her steps quick.

After walking ten paces, seeing that Xiao Ran showed no sign of lingering, she felt a warmth in her heart, suddenly stopped, and straightened Xiao Ran's clothes.

"At least you still have some conscience. This stone tablet looks quite valuable. If we sell it to the Dao Alliance, we'll be rich."

"Alright."

Xiao Ran said it very calmly.

He had already figured out this simple-minded Master; he didn't need to devise tactics, he could come up with them effortlessly.

The two turned back to the monument.

Xiao Ran placed his palm on the surface of the monument, and with a tremor in his palm, he infused it with Spiritual Power, creating ripples.

Lingzhou Yue drew her sword and carved patterns, demonstrating the swordsmanship she had mastered to the extreme, leaving nothing to be desired.

Unfortunately, it's still far from enough.

This is not a technical problem; it's simply that the Spiritual Pressure of Qi Refining Cultivation Level cultivator is too weak. Even with the assistance of Xiao Ran's Resonance Power, it's not enough to carve an inscription on the monument.

Lingzhou Yue sheathed his sword and sighed.

"It's still far from enough... If I had the Cultivation Level a Golden Core cultivator now, I should be able to inscribe it."

Xiao Ran had no choice but to prepare to carry the monument.

Just then, a voice came from afar.

"How about I help you two seniors?"

Xiao Ran turned his head to look.

An elderly National Teacher, dressed in a gray-white robe, with a bulky figure, striding with large steps and exuding Primal Chaos Sword Qi, slowly walked towards Xiao Ran and his companion.

His steps seemed slow, but each step covered a distance of ten feet, and in the blink of an eye he arrived in front of the two.

"The National Teacher?"

This aura... something's not right!

Xiao Ran took another closer look.

The Imperial Preceptor's body was filled with a high concentration of Netherworld Mist through a spiritual array, which was compressed into a Sea of Netherworld Mist within his dantian, thus achieving the cultivation level of the Golden Core Realm.

This guy...

So it really is related to the Apostle and the Wraith! Taking advantage of Xiao Ran and the other two's momentary lapse in attention, the National Teacher moved swiftly and unleashed a burst of Primal Chaos Sword Qi.

The sword energy went straight for the inscription, successfully carving a sword mark on it. At the same time, the sword energy also pushed the inscription far away, ten feet away from Xiao Ran.

The stone tablet crashed to the ground with a loud thud, the sound echoing through the maze, creating ripples that reverberated in circles.

This is the power of the Golden Core Realm!

Aside from fighting, Xiao Ran had no other options for the time being.

After carving the sword pattern and pushing away the stone tablet, the National Teacher relaxed his brows, stood with his hands behind his back, and his posture became much more relaxed.

"As expected of the Master of the Royal Grand-Aunt, without the senior, I would not have been able to find the inscription so quickly, let alone carve the sword pattern on the stone tablet with the power of the Golden Core."

Xiao Ran suddenly realized that while he had arrived at the center of the maze ahead of time by using the network of paths formed by the disciples of the National Teacher, he had also been located by the National Teacher through reverse positioning.

There was nothing that could be done; outside the Netherworld, Li Wuxie was about to draw his sword, and Xiao Ran couldn't delay any longer.

However, this True Person Baoguo is no ordinary person; she was able to locate herself so quickly using her disciples and strange soul techniques.

Moreover, the Primal Chaos Sword Qi from just now was quite powerful, capable of carving sword patterns on the stone tablet from a distance.

Lingzhou Yue didn't care at all, tilted her head back to drink, and asked with a smirk:

Who are you?

The National Teacher stood with his hands behind his back, keeping his distance from the two men.

"Who I am is not important. What is important is that as long as you two don't try to take the stone tablet from me, we are friends."

As the villain, why doesn't he explain the whole story? With too little information, Xiao Ran couldn't deduce the National Teacher's identity and allegiance, so he could only tentatively ask:

"If the Great Netherworld hadn't devoured Flamefree City, causing spatial disorder, neither of us would have been able to find the entrance to the maze. In other words, you started planning this as early as three years ago when you first Blazing Fire Kingdom, and you've been doing it ever since?"

The National Teacher stroked his beard and smiled.

"Not at all. Didn't you also wander around Zongzhi Mountain three years ago, and then attain enlightenment and ascend to heaven in broad daylight? Are you planning something, senior?"

Xiao Ran frowned slightly, sensing something was wrong. He quickly said to his Master, "This person talks too much and is not normal. Master, go get the inscription, I will deal with him."

Lingzhou Yue stepped forward.

Suddenly, they were trapped by a Wraith Fog.

He swung his sword and cleaved through the Wraith Fog.

The Wraith Fog, however, was layered upon layered, impossible to eradicate completely.

Turning around, he saw that Xiao Ran and the National Teacher were no longer there.

Turning back, the inscription in front of me was no longer visible.

Only a hazy, lingering Wraith Fog remained.

"Who?"

After a long while, a clear, cold yet tender and gentle female voice came from the Wraith Fog.

"An old friend."