The Thunder Fire Sacred Codex

Watching one exquisite pastry after another disappear into Nie Li, Du Ze, and Lu Piao, the scions of the noble families felt utterly miffed. Why couldn't they get the same treatment?

Xiao Ninger had eaten a few pieces too. She ate with such easy grace that it was a pleasure to watch.

After chatting with Nie Li for a while, Xiao Ninger returned to her seat.

Lu Piao patted Nie Li on the shoulder and waggled his eyebrows. "When did you start seeing our Goddess Ninger? Come on, spill."

Nie Li shrugged. "We're just ordinary friends!"

"Yeah, right. Who'd believe that?" Both Du Ze and Lu Piao shot Nie Li a scornful look.

"If you're just ordinary friends, why would Goddess Ninger bring you breakfast?"

No matter how Nie Li tried to explain, Du Ze and Lu Piao wouldn't believe him. Many of the noble-family scions in the class looked at Nie Li with intense hostility. He'd quietly stolen one of the class's two great beauties from under their noses. How could they possibly look kindly on him?

"Maybe she needs my help with something," Nie Li said calmly.

That Nie Li was one tight-lipped fellow. No matter how Du Ze and Lu Piao tried to fish for information, they couldn't get a word out of him. In the end, they could only give up, disgruntled. They decided they'd have to dig deeper and find out what was really going on between Nie Li and Goddess Ninger.

The bell rang, and Shen Xiu came swaying in, her face beaming. She wasn't nearly as aloof as usual; she was smiling like a chrysanthemum in full bloom.

"You three, get back to your seats!" Shen Xiu glanced at Nie Li and the others. An important figure was coming to observe the class today, so she naturally didn't dare act out of line.

"Today I'm going to teach you about inscriptions. They're extremely important to both Fighters and Demon Spirit Masters. There are two major types of inscriptions: equipment inscriptions and battle inscriptions. Equipment inscriptions are engraved on armor and War Blades, greatly enhancing their power. Demon Spirit Masters in particular can use weapons and armor engraved with high-grade inscriptions to unleash power far beyond their own. Battle inscriptions, meanwhile, are used on inscription scrolls. Once inscribed on a scroll, they can unleash tremendous fighting power when activated." Surprisingly, Shen Xiu was actually teaching something practical today.

"Inscriptions are profound and mysterious. They first appeared in the latter part of the Snowy Wind Empire and have been refined over thousands of years. But during the Dark Era, the continent was ravaged by savage demon-beast hunts, and our City of Brilliance inherited only a small portion of the inscriptions. There are three categories: Snowflake Inscriptions, Sacred Fire Inscriptions, and War Blade Inscriptions. They correspond to the snow and wind element, the fire element, and no element, respectively."

"Today, we'll be discussing equipment inscriptions," Shen Xiu explained, her tone much gentler than usual.

Outside the classroom, three old men sat together, listening intently.

"The scions of the Sacred Family are certainly well-educated. They're more than capable of teaching this group of students!" one of the old men said with a smile, stroking his beard. His name was Ye Sheng, and he was the vice principal of Sacred Lan Academy.

"There are several good students in this class, whether it's Ye Ziyun, Shen Yue, or Xiao Ninger," another old man said ingratiatingly. He was a professor at Sacred Lan Academy named Lu Ye.

Besides Ye Sheng, a gray-robed old man sat beside them. Even Lu Ye didn't know who he was. The old man had merely taken a seat, yet he exuded the commanding aura of someone accustomed to power, an imposing presence that made Lu Ye speak with the utmost care.

"What do you think?" Ye Sheng asked, turning to the gray-robed old man.

"Mm," the gray-robed old man replied, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Lu Ye wondered to himself who this gray-robed old man could be. He treated Vice Principal Ye Sheng with such indifference that his status had to be extraordinary—perhaps even higher than the principal of Sacred Lan Academy. Lu Ye didn't dare say a word.

The students in the classroom had no idea anyone was listening outside. Since Shen Xiu was teaching something practical for once, they all listened attentively.

Shen Xiu lifted her chest slightly, a hint of pride on her face. "Today I'm going to teach you about Sacred Fire Inscriptions! The Sacred Family is unquestionably the leading authority in the study of Sacred Fire Inscriptions!"

"There are sixty-six basic Sacred Fire Inscriptions. For example, this one..." Shen Xiu drew a totem made up of many shapes on the blackboard. "This is a Crimson Flame Explosion Inscription, created by the first head of the Sacred Family. It's the most powerful Bronze inscription! It consists of thirty-six basic inscriptions and is also the most complex Bronze inscription. Next, we'll go over these thirty-six basic inscriptions."

Shen Xiu continued at length.

The other students listened with rapt attention. Nie Li alone seemed rather distracted. He had no interest in these basic inscriptions—and besides, there were more than six hundred basic Sacred Fire Inscriptions, not sixty-six.

If not for Ye Ziyun and the few treasures at Sacred Lan Academy, Nie Li wouldn't have stayed here to listen to Shen Xiu drone on about such boring things. In his eyes, Shen Xiu's lessons were riddled with mistakes and simply not worth listening to. To call a Crimson Flame Explosion Inscription the most powerful Bronze inscription was sheer ignorance.

Shen Xiu's gaze swept over the class and landed on Nie Li. He'd talked back to her before, completely disregarding her, and even made a wager with her. She'd held a grudge ever since. Seeing him pay no attention to her lesson, she sneered inwardly. At last, she'd found her chance!

Shen Xiu droned on about the thirty-six basic inscriptions. Nie Li had no interest at all, so he simply laid his head on the desk and fell fast asleep.

At that moment, Vice Principal Ye Sheng outside the classroom grew displeased. He glanced at the gray-robed old man beside him. An important figure had come to observe class today, and Nie Li was fast asleep right then. He was bringing shame on Sacred Lan Academy! Ye Sheng didn't know the student's name, but if he found out, he'd expel him from the academy and never admit him again!

The gray-robed old man showed no reaction, and only then did Vice Principal Ye Sheng secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Lu Ye said sternly, "It's inevitable that a beginner Fighter class will have some bad apples. I'll make sure to discipline this student properly when we get back! Their parents spent so much money sending them to Sacred Lan Academy, not so they could come here to sleep!"

Ye Sheng nodded. Lu Ye certainly knew how to read the room.

Nie Li had actually fallen asleep, and Shen Xiu's expression darkened even further. If a student was sleeping below, didn't that mean her lesson was boring?

"Nie Li!" Shen Xiu walked over to him and called out sharply.

Nie Li had been sleeping like a log. He hadn't slept properly for a whole week, so he was terribly tired. He forced his eyes open. "What is it?"

Seeing Shen Xiu wake Nie Li, the noble-family students all snickered to themselves. What they wanted most was to see Nie Li get disciplined. Who told him to steal the goddess of their dreams?

"Nie Li's in for it now!"

Du Ze and Lu Piao exchanged rueful smiles. No matter what, they'd never dare sleep in class.

Nie Li's attitude infuriated Shen Xiu even more. She said in a low voice, "You actually fell asleep in my class. Are you saying you already understand everything?"

"Yeah!" Nie Li replied without a trace of hesitation.

"You..." Shen Xiu was almost choked speechless. Nie Li had been sleeping the whole time, yet he claimed he understood everything. Only a fool would believe that!

Shen Xiu let out a few mocking laughs. "If you understand everything, then explain the inscription up there!"

Nie Li glanced at the inscription. "It's a low-grade fire inscription, barely Bronze rank. It's made up of thirty-eight basic inscriptions, and it has very little power. It might be useful for boiling water, though!"

The whole classroom burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, I'm dying! He obviously wasn't listening at all. He says the Crimson Flame Explosion Inscription is made up of thirty-eight basic inscriptions, when Teacher Shen Xiu clearly just said it was made up of thirty-six!"

"I'm laughing so hard I've got tears in my eyes. He actually says this inscription is for boiling water!" one of the noble-family scions guffawed.

Ye Ziyun couldn't help smiling, while Shen Yue was somewhat furious. Nie Li had actually said the Bronze inscription passed down through the Sacred Family was for boiling water—that was simply intolerable! Of everyone there, Xiao Ninger was the calmest. She thought Nie Li was just keeping his abilities hidden; the others had no idea how talented he really was.

Outside the classroom, Lu Ye also laughed. "That student is ridiculous. He actually acts clever and says Crimson Flame Explosion is made up of thirty-eight basic inscriptions, and that it's for boiling water!"

As Lu Ye struggled to hold back his laughter, he suddenly noticed that neither Vice Principal Ye Sheng nor the gray-robed old man was smiling. His laughter stopped abruptly, and he swallowed it down.

"What's so funny? Crimson Flame Explosion really is made up of thirty-eight basic inscriptions," Vice Principal Ye Sheng said calmly. With research at their level, one eventually discovered that two of the supposed basic inscriptions in Crimson Flame Explosion weren't basic inscriptions at all; each was made up of four other basic inscriptions. He was a little surprised that a student had pointed this out. Could Nie Li have just guessed?

Besides, to experts at their level, a garbage inscription like Crimson Flame Explosion really was only good for boiling water. It had little practical use in a fight.

A glint flashed through the gray-robed old man's eyes, but he said nothing.

"Showing off for attention!" Shen Xiu gave an angry snort, her face darkening. As a member of the Sacred Family, she naturally couldn't tolerate anyone disparaging the Crimson Flame Explosion Inscription in front of her.

Nie Li paid no attention to the students' mockery and continued speaking at length. "This inscription was first recorded in Volume Seven of the Thunder Fire Sacred Codex. Its original name should have been the Thunder Fire Flame Explosion Engraving, and it was made up of sixty inscriptions. It was somewhat complex. Later, some idiot removed the thunder element and changed a few strokes at random, turning it into this neither-fish-nor-fowl Crimson Flame Explosion Inscription. It has no practical use in combat and is only fit for Sacred Fire Inscription practitioners to use for practice."

The Thunder Fire Sacred Codex? What was that? The students looked at one another, baffled.

Nie Li had actually called the first head of the Sacred Family an idiot? Shen Xiu flew into a rage. She had no idea what the Thunder Fire Sacred Codex was, let alone what was recorded in its seventh volume.

"That makes no sense! There's no such book as the Thunder Fire Sacred Codex!" Shen Xiu thought for a moment, then immediately retorted. What was this about the seventh volume of the Thunder Fire Sacred Codex? Nie Li had to be making it up!