Chapter 397 - Valley of Finesse (1/2)
The young inscription master Lu Tianzi accepted Grandmaster Xiqin's terms, and the two would be competing in terms of their inscriptions skills in two months' time.
This was a piece of news that took the entire Timeless Flame Sect by surprise, even more so than when Grandmaster Xiqin first issued the challenge to Lu Tianzi.
For a member of the younger generation to accept such a challenge from the Head Inscription Master of the Yellow Spark faction, many people believed that Lu Tianzi was simply taking a gamble.
The information gathering ability of the Timeless Flame Sect was pretty good. By now, even most of the ordinary sect members had already heard of Lu Tianzi's accomplishments back at Sacred Cliff City.
It was indeed rather impressive, but that was only considering the fact that he was young and still had the potential to improve.
As he was right now, Lu Tianzi could hardly compare to someone like Grandmaster Xiqin who had honed his skills through centuries of hard work and research.
However, some still admired Lu Tianzi for accepting the challenge.
In pursuit of improvement, young talents had to continuously challenge themselves to reach a greater height. On top of that, Grandmaster Xiqin was actually putting up such wondrous rewards.
It would be a shame not to try for it!
This matter quickly became the hottest topic within the sect, and even the sect leader got to know about it.
However, Sect Master Xuan Yongheng chose not to interfere. If anything, he was actually rather amused by the matter.
With his decree, the Timeless Flame Sect officially approved of this competition between Grandmaster Xiqin and Lu Tianzi, further expanding it into a full blown Inscription Master Meet!
An open invitation was announced to the world, welcoming every inscription master to join in the fun.
The Timeless Flame Sect promised great rewards for those who performed well in the Inscription Master Meet. In exceptional cases, perhaps there would even be a chance to join the ancient sect!
This announcement spread like wildfire, and inscription masters from all over the continent began to get ready for the event.
If they somehow managed to impress everyone and join the Timeless Flame Sect, they would be set for life!
Because of how big the matter had become, the elders of the Blue Ember faction could no longer sit back and watch.
On top of putting their hopes on Lu Tianzi, they started preparing their in-house inscription masters for the event as well.
After all, even if Lu Tianzi were to lose the competition against Grandmaster Xiqin, their faction would not lose face as long as another of their inscription masters ended up shining during the event!
”Here it is, the Valley of Finesse!” Young Master Xuan Hao exclaimed emotionally as he looked at the scene before him.
After obtaining the approval from the elders, Young Master Xuan Hao had brought Lu Tianzi to the Blue Ember faction's sacred land.
In fact, they were not the only ones here.
While they were busy making their preparations, other inscription masters of the Blue Ember faction had already arrived before them.
As for Ruan Ling and Nanlan Qianxue, the elders did not allow them to enter.
No matter what, the Valley of Finesse was still a sacred land of the Blue Ember faction, and not just anyone would be allowed to enter. Lu Tianzi's case was an exception made solely because of the current situation.
”So this is the Valley of Finesse,” Lu Tianzi looked at the thick greenery before him.
The Valley of Finesse existed outside of Eternal Flame City, but it was still near enough that nobody would dare to try intruding into the area. After all, not many would be able to bear the wrath of the Timeless Flame Sect.
It covered a huge area, its ends stretching beyond what the eyes could see.
Even before entering, Lu Tianzi could already see that there was a plethora of rare plants within the lush greenery, perhaps due to the much denser World Origin Energy here.
”Impressive, isn't it? The Valley of Finesse is known to be able to hone a person's psyche, which makes it especially beneficial for improvement in auxiliary arts that require inspiration. Once you enter, you will be even more surprised!” Young Master Xuan Hao said with pride. ”Compared to the sacred lands of other factions, our Valley of Finesse doesn't pale in comparison at all. In fact, it is even comparable to Frostguard Mountain!”
”Frostguard Mountain?” Lu Tianzi asked.
”Sigh... Brother Tianzi is excellent in most aspects, but you really need to start reading more,” Young Master Xuan Hao shook his head in disapproval. ”Frostguard Mountain is a famed sacred cultivation ground in the north, controlled by an influence with the same name. Regardless, Brother Tianzi doesn't have to worry about that for now. There will be chances to check it out in the future. Now, it is more important to focus on the Inscription Meet.”
”Mm,” Lu Tianzi nodded before turning his attention back to the greenery before them. ”Shall we enter then?”
”Actually, I will pass on that,” Young Master Xuan Hao shrugged. ”I still have quite a few things that I need to tend to, so I will be sending you off here. But do be careful while you are in there. Because it has been kept in a pristine condition, there are also powerful beasts that roam free within the valley. With Brother Tianzi's strength, you should be fine even if you encounter most of them, but don't push yourself too hard. There is also a powerful formation set up to prevent these beasts from leaving the valley. If possible, try not to enter too deep so that you can escape from the valley if necessary.”
”Understood,” Lu Tianzi clasped his fists towards Young Master Xuan Hao. ”If there's nothing else, I will see you in two months' time.”
”Farewell,” Young Master Xuan Hao returned the greeting.
After parting ways with Young Master Xuan Hao, Lu Tianzi ventured alone into the Valley of Finesse.
As he ventured deeper, Lu Tianzi could not help but feel more and more surprised.
Perhaps it was because the Valley of Finesse had been preserved in a pristine condition, but on top of the dense World Origin Energy, there was also a thick layer of spiritual energy in the air. This spiritual energy was extremely beneficial to spiritual plants, allowing them to grow in abundance.
Lu Tianzi might have a rather decent amount of knowledge in the field of herbalism, but there were still countless species of spiritual plants here that he had never come across before.
There was another important point though.
Spiritual energy was not just beneficial to spiritual plants, but also to martial artists who practised the Spiritual Essence cultivation system!