Chapter 75 Art of Inscriptions (2/2)
Since that was so, why not just directly dive into the sea of information?
As he expected, the information stored within the jade slip introduced the very basics of the art of inscriptions.
There were three main types of inscriptions.
They were namely weapon inscription, material inscription, and the medicinal inscription that Nanqing Haowen had wanted for his Darkwater Grape.
By placing an inscription on a weapon, the might of the user could be amplified multiple times when wielding it in battle.
By placing an inscription on a material, the properties of the material could be altered, and even making metal become twice as hard as before was not out of the question.
By placing an inscription on medicinal herbs, the efficacy of the herb could soar to the heavens, providing an effect that was impossible to replicate.
However, each complete inscription was actually a combination of countless inscription runes, all of which had to be completed at one go.
Drawing up each inscription rune required large amounts of energy, and combining them into the form of a complete inscription required impeccable control.
After the successful combination of the inscription runes into a complete form, there was still the final step of placing the inscription onto the target item. This step could be considered the easiest, yet many still failed at doing so due to an overly eager heart.
All in all, there were tens of thousands of these inscription runes that formed the basic building blocks of inscriptions.
Inscription masters were required to know exactly which inscription runes to draw in order to form the complete inscription that they wanted. Similarly, they needed in-depth knowledge of the traits of each completed inscription, so as to understand which one would be the most suitable in each situation.
This was how Inscription Master Nanbai managed to quickly determine that the Thousand Winters Inscription was ideal for the current situation as well.
That being said, the number of complete inscription forms was countless, and it was simply impossible to remember them all.
Thus, most inscription masters only stuck to a selected few inscriptions, making sure that they were sufficiently proficient in them.
In fact, through their own accumulated understandings and insights, many accomplished inscription masters were able to invent their own completed inscription forms, achieving effects that others could only dream of.
With focus equivalent to when he was perusing books on herbalism, Lu Tianzi dove completely into the world of inscriptions.
Nanqing Haowen looked from the side with a helpless smile, reminiscing over the times when he was just as passionate about the art of inscriptions.
Being in his early twenties, he was not much older than Lu Tianzi. However, he had already determined that he had no talent in the art of inscriptions, and thus had completely given up on becoming an inscription master.
Seeing how focused Lu Tianzi was, Nanqing Haowen let out a sigh before sitting down in meditation.
Two hours passed quickly.
Nanqing Haowen opened his eyes only to see Lu Tianzi still fully engrossed in the jade slips.
Even though Lu Tianzi had a powerful perception and was already going through the information at a terrifying pace, each jade slip simply contained far too much information. Even after two hours, Lu Tianzi was still only on his third jade slip.
At this point, Lu Tianzi opened his eyes as well.
He was yet to be done with the third jade slip, but he had retained a sliver of his consciousness on tracking the time, and knew just as well that time was up.
Over the past two hours, Lu Tianzi's understanding of the art of inscriptions had skyrocketed from zero.
As he read on, Lu Tianzi realised that just like the field of herbalism, the art of inscriptions was far deeper than what it seemed to be on the surface.
Thus unlike what most others would do, Lu Tianzi did not simply accept the facts that were contained in the jade slips. Instead, he sought to understand the intricacies and rules that governed these facts, finding out how these facts came to be in the first place.
As a result of that, he had to spend a longer time digesting the information within the jade slips, but this was not done in vain. Thanks to his different method of approach, Lu Tianzi formed a far stronger understanding of the subject and even managed to glean some deep insights into the art of inscriptions.
The current Lu Tianzi had already far exceeded the level of a beginner, and was fast approaching that of a proper inscription master!
Having to stop while he was only halfway done, Lu Tianzi was filled with a sense of unwillingness.
If he was given the time to finish perusing the entire open library, how much more would he be able to learn about the subject?
”Let's go, Brother Nanlu,” Nanqing Haowen laughed as he saw the reluctant look on Lu Tianzi's face. ”There is always a chance to return here in the future.”
”Brother Nanqing is right. Let's go,” Lu Tianzi nodded before following Nanqing Haowen back to the private room.
Back in the room, Inscription Master Nanbai sat comfortably in his seat with the jadebox placed before him. Seeing that the duo had returned, he gave a slight nod before glancing at the jadebox.
”See if you are satisfied with it,” Inscription Master Nanbai spoke with an air of confidence.
”Since Inscription Master Nanbai is the one who worked on it, I am sure that I will be satisfied with the product,” Nanqing Haowen laughed as he picked up the jadebox. ”Now, it is only a matter of either being pleasantly surprised, or being even more pleasantly surprised!”
Nanqing Haowen opened the jade box to reveal the black fruit within.
It looked exactly the same as before, only that there was now a small blue symbol on the fruit, displaying the form of the Thousand Winters Inscription.
After the placement of the Thousand Winters Inscription, the sweet fragrance from the Darkwater Grape was now even stronger than before.
”As expected of Inscription Master Nanbai, this is perfect!” Nanqing Haowen exclaimed in satisfaction.
”It is good that you are happy with it,” Inscription Master Nanbai's tone carried a tinge of pride. ”If there is nothing else, then I wish you a safe trip back.”
Nanqing Haowen kept the jade box in his spatial ring and was just about to bid his farewells when Lu Tianzi suddenly spoke out.
”Inscription Master Nanbai, I have something that I don't understand,” Lu Tianzi said.
”What is it?” Inscription Master Nanbai gave a wave of his hand, as though giving Lu Tianzi permission to continue with his question.
Having obtained the permission to continue, Lu Tianzi naturally went ahead with his question.
”Why did Inscription Master Nanbai decide to place the Thousand Winters Inscription on the Darkwater Grape when, no matter how I look at it, the Dual Stars Inscription seems to be the better option in this case?”
Inscription Master Nanbai's amiable expression vanished in an instant as he glared at Lu Tianzi, ”Are you doubting my expertise as an inscription master right now?”