"Senior Brother Lu, here to sell Law Artifacts again?"
"Yes. Help me see how much contribution and how many Spirit Stones these Law Artifacts are worth."
Deep inside the Artifact Hall, Lu Li stood before the disciple on duty.
He deftly took four first-tier low-grade Law Artifacts from his Storage Bag.
"Four first-tier low-grade Law Artifacts... exchanged entirely for contribution, that comes to sixty points. Exchanged for Spirit Stones, that's... 120."
"Mm, the usual arrangement, then. Exchange two for contribution and two for Spirit Stones."
"Certainly, Senior Brother. Please wait a moment."
The disciple on duty seemed familiar with Lu Li's habits.
He deftly accepted Lu Li's identity Jade Slip.
He put all four tier-four Law Artifacts behind the counter.
A moment later, the identity Jade Slip and sixty Spirit Stones were laid out before Lu Li.
Having received the contribution and Spirit Stones, Lu Li let out a small sigh of relief.
The Azure Pool Sect accepted only contribution as payment for lessons in crafts, and contribution was far more precious than Spirit Stones.
He had spent most of the contribution he had saved over the past year on Artifact Inscription classes.
Although Master Wu let me sit in on his lessons, he didn't say much about Artifact Inscriptions.
If I want to master more Artifact Inscriptions and take on more commissions, I can't stop attending these classes...
Shaking his head, Lu Li put the Spirit Stones into his Storage Bag but did not leave the Artifact Hall.
Instead, he headed straight for a side hall within it.
A disciple stood guard at the entrance to the hall.
Upon seeing Lu Li, the disciple greeted him like an old acquaintance.
"Senior Brother Lu, here for a lesson?"
"Mm. You're on duty again today, Junior Brother Wang."
"Here, this is my Jade Slip..."
After they exchanged a few pleasantries, the disciple on duty took Lu Li's identity Jade Slip and deducted a full thirty contribution points.
The expense made Lu Li's heart ache.
He cursed the Azure Pool Sect's prices inwardly as utterly inhuman.
Selling a first-tier Law Artifact to the sect barely gets me twenty contribution points.
And they charge me thirty contribution points for one lesson!
Even capitalists would weep if they came to the Azure Pool Sect.
What was this?
Was this the legendary fearlessness that came from controlling the means of production?
The power of knowledge?
"Pah!"
Spitting inwardly, Lu Li entered the side hall.
More than twenty disciples were already inside.
All of them were craning their necks in anticipation, waiting for the lesson to begin.
Seeing that the front rows were all occupied, Lu Li had no choice but to squeeze in behind the others.
Once he had settled in, an old man in a green robe, his hair streaked with white, slowly emerged from the back of the hall.
"Greetings, True Person Zhang!"
"Greetings, Master Zhang!"
"Greetings, True Person..."
"..."
At the sight of the newcomer, the disciples all bowed and called out in greeting.
Lu Li was no exception. This was not his first time attending True Person Zhang's Artifact Inscription class.
He knew a little about the man.
This True Person Zhang is said to be one of the few second-tier artifact-refining masters in the sect... yet he doesn't like refining artifacts.
He loves nothing but studying the Dao of Artifact Inscriptions, and once even declared that the Dao of Artifact Inscriptions was secretly in accord with heavenly principles...
Thoughts flickering through his mind, Lu Li straightened up.
This True Person might be a little different from ordinary people.
But his understanding and knowledge of the Dao of Artifact Inscriptions were indeed beyond imagination.
The breadth of his knowledge was just as vast.
Even after a year of lessons, Lu Li felt he had only scratched the surface.
"Rise, everyone. Today, as usual, we will first review the origins of Artifact Inscriptions, then use that to introduce one of the most commonly used inscriptions from those origins... Shatter!"
True Person Zhang's voice rang through the hall.
Every Qi Refinement disciple listened with ears pricked.
With a wave of his sleeve, spiritual light gathered in the air.
It manifested as the image of a vast, ancient scroll.
"Artifact Inscriptions can be traced back to humanity's earliest days of ignorance, to the ancient age when darkness shrouded the earth."
"At that time, Jie, an ancestor of humanity, appeared. Seeing humanity's suffering, he felt great compassion."
"He observed the principles by which heaven and earth moved and studied the signs of all things coming into being and passing away. With his finger as a brush and the earth as his scroll, he carved wondrous symbols..."
A point of spiritual light appeared at True Person Zhang's fingertip.
One ancient, abstruse symbol after another appeared in the air.
Though simple, they seemed to contain some profound truth.
"When he carved 'rain,' sweet rain fell from the heavens, nourishing the parched earth."
"When he carved 'dawn,' the night receded, and daybreak came at once."
"And when he carved 'quake'..."
"The earth rumbled and split open into countless chasms and ravines, blocking the onrushing beast tide and opening a path to survival for humanity!"
The ancient symbols turned into images. The earth shook, the mountains trembled, and chasms suddenly opened.
Every disciple in the hall, Lu Li included, held their breath.
It was as though they could feel firsthand that world-opening power.
"This was the beginning of the Shatter Artifact Inscription!"
"It was not an inscription of slaughter, but one our human ancestor prayed to heaven and earth for in a moment of peril... an inscription of survival, an inscription of protection!"
"Now... take your time and sense the inner resonance of this Shatter Artifact Inscription."
"How much you comprehend depends entirely on your own ability."
When he finished speaking, no one made a sound.
Everyone was immersed in comprehending the Artifact Inscription.
Lu Li was no different.
The Shatter Artifact Inscription... this inscription's effect has quite a few uses.
It can break weapons and disperse force... if used well, perhaps... it could even have a penetrating effect!
When it came to understanding Artifact Inscriptions, Lu Li's perspective was somewhat more distinctive than that of the cultivators here.
He could always analyze and break them down on a deeper level.
The Shatter effect is essentially more like a high-frequency vibration...
It can be inscribed not only on Law Artifacts. If it could be inscribed on Law Armor, it would provide protection... and even the ability to displace oneself.
Artifact Inscriptions... truly wondrous!
Lu Li drew a deep breath, his gaze flickering.
The Artifact Inscription class was expensive, but fortunately, it was worth it.
Today he had comprehended another one. After all, the quality of a Law Artifact depended not only on its materials.
It also had a great deal to do with one's understanding and inscription of Artifact Inscriptions.
With each additional inscription he mastered, his foundation in the Dao of artifacts grew deeper.
He wasted no more time and carefully contemplated the image of the symbol.
Half a shichen later, True Person Zhang withdrew his Law Power and left the hall. Only then did the others reluctantly begin to leave...
"Phew... the Shatter Artifact Inscription..."
"Mm, I'll send it back to Great Xia later, so Elder Wang and the others can study it properly too."
He left the Artifact Hall with the others.
Lu Li's plain, uneventful day was drawing to a close.
For more than a year, he had studied diligently and practiced assiduously.
Only then had he gained the fulfilling life he now led, even setting aside a few days each month to collect furnace slag from Master Wu.
The rest of his time was spent refining artifacts, cultivating, taking commissions, and attending lessons...
Now that Xu Xiong had left the sect, he could no longer sit in on Master Wu's lessons.
However... the extra time gave Lu Li a chance to try his hand at some of the other hundred arts of cultivation.
The Dao of pills and the Dao of formations would both be extremely useful to me.
There are also talismans and beast taming... since I have time now, I might as well learn them all.
Then I can pass them back to Great Xia in the future. Perhaps...
Lu Li's gaze flickered, as though he had thought of something.
Perhaps... Great Xia can produce some results in these fields too!