Even though Spirit Forge University was the premier institution for training blacksmiths and artisans, it did not have a monopoly on the sale and manufacture of armaments. Rather, a good number of disciples from the Armament Sect enrolled in Spirit Forge University, and upon graduation, they would return to their sect before opening their own shops elsewhere.
Needless to say, the Seven Stars branch of the armament store was owned by the Armament Sect (not Spirit Forge University, because academic institutions weren't supposed to run shops and conduct businesses).
"What should I get?"
The armor was too unwieldy and I doubted it would help me. Since my skills focused on speed and evasion, wearing armor might weigh down on my body heavily, hindering my movements. Not to mention, I was heading toward a volcanic chain, which meant that the metallic armor was just as likely to burn me after being heated up by the high temperatures. As any elementary school textbook could tell you, metal was an amazing conductor of heat.
Besides, I preferred talismans. They were not as sturdy as armor and didn't provide permanent protection – the duration of their effects was limited and they were one-use. But they were lighter, much cheaper (in the short-term, anyway – in the long term, the armor actually helped me save more money) and more flexible.
Honestly, for someone like me who had just received a large influx of cash, it was better to buy armor and equipment, but I preferred the flexible and lightweight talismans. Also, as an array practitioner, I needed to learn how to carve talismans eventually. According to Instructor Su Yan, formations and talismans were closely linked – they both required the practitioner to learn spirit runes. Formations were composed of more complex combinations of spirit runes, but in theory, if I could do formations, I could more easily learn how to make talismans.
"Spirit arrays and talismans are two mutually beneficial arts that complement each other very well," Su Yan had explained to me. "In order to draw spirit formations, you will have to learn spirit runes and esoteric symbols, and the runes on spirit talismans are actually much easier than the arcane symbols you've learned for spirit formations."
Su Yan had already taught me the basics of how to make talismans, which required me to purchase enchanted brushes, enchanted ink and talismanic paper. They were all consumables, which meant I had to spend a lot of credits on procuring these materials. Worse, I would probably burn most of them out before I eventually succeeded, which meant that learning how to make spirit talismans would be an expensive endeavor.
Fortunately, I had solved that problem with the cash I received from the Na Lan clan and Xia clan. For now, I decided to buy some spirit talismans so that I could learn the spirit runes etched into them. It would be easier to practice if I had something to refer to.
But since I was here already…
"Can I buy an enchanted brush, several vials of enchanted ink and several reams of talismanic paper?" I asked the shopkeeper. He blinked and nodded.
"Practicing how to make spirit talismans?" he asked. I nodded.
"Yeah."
"Excellent." The shopkeeper grinned and leaned over. "Since you're a student, I'll give you a discount. If you do manage to learn how to make spirit talismans, you can sell them to me. I'll make sure you're paid handsomely."
"Okay."
Honestly, I would earn more if I sold the spirit talismans on my own, without a middleman. But that would mean getting a business license…not to mention, I didn't have time to open my own store and wait for customers. Giving the shopkeeper a cut of my profits was worth the trouble and time I would save on if he handled all the business stuff for me.
"But it's not guaranteed that I'll be able to master it…"
"You look like a smart guy, so I believe in you." the shopkeeper showed me a thumb's up. I laughed, embarrassed, and wondered where he found the reason to be so confident in me. He must have read the question on my face, for he continued. "I always have a sharp eye for people, and my gut feeling tells me you'll succeed. And I'm never wrong."
"Uh, thanks."
Kai Li Si had never told me that I was a spirit array or spirit talisman master in the future, which didn't bode well. Then again, he never said I wasn't a spirit array or spirit talisman master either, so I doubted I was wasting my time with a fruitless endeavor.
Besides, the future wasn't set in stone. The whole reason why the demonic cultivators went through such lengths and took such risks returning through time and space to my current world was because they truly believed they could alter the future. So how could I lose to them?
With a wave of my hand, I thanked the shopkeeper again and left the store to return to the dorm room. After dropping off my practice materials in my room, I packed whatever talismans and equipment I thought I needed and took the bus to the train station, which would bring me to Central in no time at all.
The Mystical Volcanoes weren't on Xing Hao Island. They were located on some mysterious continent elsewhere, in yet another isolated pocket of space. That meant I needed an alternative form of transport to bring me to that mystical continent. Fortunately, Xing Hao Island was full of flying cars and flying motorbikes. When I saw them, I resolved to get my license sooner or later.
I wanted my own flying motorbike. For now, I decided to just get on a regular shuttle toward the mystical continent.
"Over here!" the driver shouted. "Last call for passengers wanting to go to the mystical continent!"
I had booked my seat online and gotten an electronic ticket, which I stored in my smartphone. That saved me a lot of trouble, and I was able to grab a seat after flashing my e-ticket toward the driver. He let me on, and I dragged my luggage with me as I boarded the bus. To my surprise, I saw that there weren't that many people on board the shuttle. A couple of mercenaries, a small group of teenage hikers in boots and leather jackets, and a lone cultivator who seemed like he intended to increase his strength by diving straight into battle. For some reason, even though he was seated in a luxuriously cushioned seat designed for maximum comfort, he was hugging his sword to his chest even as he snoozed. His head was leaning close to the sword's black, white and golden hilt, and his hands were clutching the black scabbard.
Despite the contemporary attire of everyone else in the shuttle, the swordsman stood out because of his ancient robes that made him look like a cosplayer. He also had long hair, tied neatly into a ponytail. His appearance was drawing curious stares, especially from the group of teenage hikers. They were sniggering under their breaths, and a couple of them even snapped pictures, presumably to upload them onto social media for likes and laughs.
Shaking my head, I took out my Kindle and began reading. This time, I had chosen one of Er Gen's novels. A Will Eternal or something like that, which had caught my attention because Ten Cents just posted the animated adaptation online.
Damn…The King's Avatar season 2 had already finished broadcasting, and the current season of Spirit Fox Matchmaker was nearing its end. I was running out of donghua to watch. And actually, I was watching A Will Eternal mostly because I enjoyed listening to GAI Zhou Yan's "A Will Eternal (Yi Nian Yong Heng)" song. That had to be one of the best donghua opening songs I had heard, along with Spirit Fox Matchmaker's amazing collection. Oh, and I also enjoyed Our Glory Road.
While I indulged in my hobbies, I noticed that the teenage hikers had diverted their attention toward me now, sniggering as stealthily as they could. Evidently, they thought I was a nerd and were mocking me for it. Seemed like they had too much time on their hands. To be fair, they were stuck in a shuttle bus with nothing better to do except wait until we got there…but then again, they could have spent their time making fun of people doing something more productive…like reading, for example. Or sleeping like the swordsman, because it was going to be a tough hike through whatever mountain or forest they planned to trek on in the mystical continent.
The bus driver waited a few more moments, several minutes past the appointed time. When he saw that there were no other passengers arriving, he sighed and climbed to his seat. Activating the PA system, he made an announcement.
"All right, we will be moving off right away. Buckle up your seatbelts, everybody. It's going to be a turbulent flight."
He didn't wait for the teenagers to voice their complaints. There was a lurch and the shuttle bus surged forward. Glancing out of the window, I watched as the vehicle launched toward the air, the ground below rapidly shrinking into what looked like a toy city. Then a map viewed from above, the massive island (almost the size of a continent), fading from view as clouds drifted past. Then everything outside the window turned into a mixture of deep blue and white wisps.
"Whoa!"
The teenagers were mesmerized by the view, pressing their faces against the window excitedly. Was this the first time they were leaving Xing Hao Island or something? Probably by themselves, without any parents or adult supervisors. The mercenaries were more sanguine, most likely having gotten used to the amazing view after the hundredth or so trip. They leaned back in their seats, quietly discussing among themselves, but careful not to speak about sensitive details regarding their mission. The swordsman continued to sleep, letting out a snore as his head lolled against his sword from the movement of the shuttle bus in the sky.
I spared the panorama one last view before I returned my attention to my book. I was enjoying some of Bai Xiao Chun's antics, though I also found a few of his stunts quite cheesy, which caused me to cringe. Humor, as always, was a hit and miss...even if it was a comedy story penned by someone as revered as Er Gen.
Damn, to think I tried to write a parody of his story, I Shall Seal the Heavens, by changing the title to I Shall Steal the Heavens. No wonder I got a lot of hate online. Admittedly, most of it was down to my awful writing, though. I could never write a good story. Probably because I never planned things through and made stuff up as I went along.
The journey took a lot less time than I expected. Even though the flying shuttle bus – which operated on spiritual qi, as all cultivator vehicles did – had to cover a vast distance, the driver announced that we were nearing our destination when hardly an hour had passed.
"Oh! I can't wait!"
"This will be a great trip!"
"I want to visit those mountains already!"
The teenagers were being teenagers as always, nosily chattering among each other as they looked out of the window. I shut my Kindle and glanced out too, unable to suppress my curiosity. Already the mystical continent was coming to view. Mentally, I knew that it was supposed to be much, much bigger than Xing Hao Island, but I couldn't compare the sizes from what I saw through the window. Even Xing Hao Island was so large that I could only see part of it – the coastlines, patches of forests, the mountains and rivers – through the window.
So there really was no sense of scale. Even so, the view below was breathtaking. There were a lot more mountains on the mystical continent, and from the distance I could see the volcano chain. The mystical volcanoes – I was sure of it. Massive plumes of smoke were belched from their peaks, red-hot lava streaking through black rock. They were an impressive sight, the elemental fury of nature contained within titanic forms that towered over everything else.
And growing among those slopes was the Mystic Fire Fruit.
From this distance, I could barely make out anything else, but I thought I saw gargantuan winged forms flocking around the volcanoes. Dragons? Drakes? Uh oh…if I could see their shapes from this distance, that spoke a lot about their immense sizes. In order to obtain the Mystic Fire Fruit, I would have to get past those gigantic guardians.
I briefly wondered why I was going so far for Xia Xing Yue. Yeah, I found her physically attractive – she truly deserved her reputation as the most beautiful goddess in the six academies of Xing Hao Island. Even among the rumored Four Great Beauties, she was said to stand above the other three. Or was it Five Great Beauties? I couldn't remember, and I honestly couldn't care less. Zhang Ping had all the details, but I wasn't going to ask him unless he brought it up again.
Even so, only an idiot would risk his life just to butter up a beauty. I was no simp, or at least I didn't think I was one. As for the rewards…after saving Na Lan Jie and Xia Hong Yi, I didn't need the credits. I could have just focused on practicing creating spirit talismans.
But I remembered the icy qi rampaging inside Xia Xing Yue's body when I saw her, and the sense of foreboding I felt. She might be confident that she could suppress it until she mastered her Frozen Cloud Sword Palace skills, but I felt uneasy leaving it to chance. Even if I didn't know her that well, I considered her a friend at least.
"We'll be landing in a few moments."
The shuttle bus dipped and I felt as if the bottom of my stomach had given way. Seconds later, the transport hit the ground and skidded to a stop. I felt my seatbelt press me back to my seat, arresting my momentum, and then I exhaled while steeling my resolve.
Whatever the reason, it was all academic. I had finally arrived on the mystical continent, and for better or for worse, I was going through this mission all the way to its end.