Instant Kill

All Marked Warrior Adepts are strong; they have superior fighting skills because of the Rune Energycultivation. Their bodies are also emblazoned with strength-enhancing Marks. They can certainly attack with impunity.

(Note: Okay, this is where I get confused. I’m not sure this time if the FuZhou the author is referring to the Artificer class or an Energy related to Runes/Spells being absorbed. In this instance, I’m guessing he refers to the energy instead of the class. I’ll try to backtrack to the first few chapter later, but for now I’ll use Rune Energy until I find the correct term or find a cooler name. Kindly share if you have thoughts about this FuZhou.)

Huo Bao’s presence as a Marked Warrior Adept was imposing. With matchless strength, he opted for a direct attack.

In response, Guo Shier moved slightly sideways and let the punch in. He then quickly stretched out his hands to seize Huo Bao’s wrist, pulled hard, and tripped him with his outstretched foot.

Huo Bao flew and fell on all fours.

Bang! (falling*)

He hit the floor hard. This got him angry. He was about to stand up when he heard someone shout, “Be careful!”

As it turned out, Guo Shier has rushed to Huo Bao’s side to attack his turning face with a knee dash. Huo Bao felt Guo Shier’s knee crashing directly into his head. Before he could process what just happened, he found himself laying on the ground again.

While Huo Bao was trying to recover from the dizzying hit, Guo Shier quickly pointed a sharp knife on his neck. “You lose!”

Confused, Huo Bao looked at the dagger. “That doesn’t count! You’re shameless!” he complained.

“Oh, tell me—why do you say I’m shameless?” Guo Shier replied, putting the dagger away.

Huo Bao got up. “You dare not fight me!”

“What, am I stupid?” Guo Shier said, half laughing. Why would I exchange hits with you? You’re Marked Warrior Adept—an inherently combat-type profession. I will surely be defeated in a head-on exchange. But with my method, didn’t you lose?”

“That doesn’t count!” cried the Huo Bao. “That’s not counted! Let’s try again! ”

Luo Jie nor Qi Nanshan didn’t say anything. They couldn’t conceal the amazement in their eyes.

Ying Mo was dumbfounded. He certainly could see that Huo Bao was riled up. Guo Shier’s moves were really weird and seemed to have been set up like a trap—a trap that Huo Bao fell for. The moves were clean and tidy. They were skillfully executed. He couldn’t wait to see how Guo Shier would deal with Huo Bao again. No—now was not the time to interfere.
Hong Shi and Chen Bing couldn’t hide their amazement, either. They didn’t expect Guo Shier to win. As for Chen Hong, she was all for Guo Shier. She didn’t only applaud—she also cheered. “Shier, come on! Knock over Little Bao!”

Winning have Guo Shier a burst of confidence. “Bring it on!” he dared his opponent, laughing.

Not this time, Huo Bao thought as he raised his hands for the next match. He was still in disbelief.

Guo Shier sprang up first, taking advantage of his rival’s inattentiveness. He suddenly rushed towards the warrior’s chest, expertly angling his feet to obstruct his legs.

Huo Bao sneered as he felt Guo Shier slam into his chest. He was planning to step back and smash him down, but he never thought that he would trip from his obstructing foot. He fell on the floor, flat on his buttocks.

Guo Shier once again used a knee dash on Huo Bao’s face. The warrior was momentarily disoriented. Before he knew it, he was feeling a cold dagger being pointed under his jaw.

“You lost again!” declared Guo Shier.

Huo Bao shouted angrily. Unbelievably, he was knocked down twice in row. It was too hard to swallow. He felt like a fool falling for his opponent’s tricks.

Guo Shier proudly put away his dagger and pulled up Huo Bao. Grinning, he cheekily said, “Do you submit?”

Huo Bao howled. “I’m not submitting. You’re too insidious!”

Guo Shier didn’t expect that answer. He took a step back. “Okay, then. Let’s go again!”

Huo Bao was going crazy. He didn’t want to let Guo Shier achieve victory by ‘cheating.’ He refused to submit and wanted to continue fighting.

His goal was to show Guo Shier that Marked Warrior Adepts were powerful.

As for Guo Shier, all he wanted to do was fight Huo Bao a few times to test if he can destabilize a Marked Warrior Adept’s body. If Huo Bao’s strength proved too overwhelming to shake with his skills, then he would stop—there was no sense in continuing the fight.

Fortunately for him, he defeated Huo Bao in succession. He felt relieved.

Now he had the confidence to confront the warrior head-on.

Huo Bao held back his tears. Strength was his identity. He has always possessed superior vigor even as a child and never imagined that he would ever lose in his field of expertise. How could he accept this? The fact that Guo Shier only had rudimentary knowledge in martial arts made the situation even more embarrassing.

I have to be more careful this time, he thought. After all, he already lost twice. Although Guo Shier used the element of surprise—a tactic that he considered ‘cheating’—it was still his fault that he fell for it. He was careless.

Guo Shier called out him. “Come on! Come on!”

Stepping forward, Huo Bao stared intently at his challenger, who seemed indifferent—even relaxed.

He didn’t know why, but a sudden surge of anger went straight to his forehead. He almost burst into tears.

This time, he did not spring out as usual. Instead, he slowly controlled his swelling anger and anxiousness, determined not to mess up. His plan was to slowly apply direct pressure on Guo Shier.

Meanwhile, Guo Shier looked as stable as Mt. Taishan. He stared seriously at Huo Bao, but deep inside, he really wanted to laugh. He thought that Huo Bao looked funny, grinding his teeth and looking all vicious.

It was obvious—Huo Bao was hell bent on winning.

He suddenly rushed forward to trample Guo Shier, immediately took two steps to cross the distance between them, then let out a punch.

Guo Shier couldn’t possibly trick me this time, Hu Bao thought. This punch contained all of his strength.

Guo Shier knew he would not survive this hard punch. His bones would not be able to handle it. He swiftly reacted, stretching out his hands gently upwards, his palm resting on Huo Bao’s arms, while turning his body slightly sideways and stepping away from the strike zone. With minimal effort, he let his opponent punch empty air.

Huo Bao had some foresight this time, though. He had a plan in case this punch failed.

So he suddenly twisted his waist, pulling back his punching arm. And like a steel whip, it drew an arc towards Guo Shier.

But Guo Shier’s instincts took over. He ducked forward, out of Huo Bao’s attack range. He dodged the blow with minimal movement and just went opposite Huo Bao’s rotation.

The next few minutes showed a battle of juxtapositions. Huo Bao’s wild and violent attacks strongly contrasted with Guo Shier’s graceful ducking and dodging. Each burst of full-on strength was effortlessly evaded using precise sidesteps.

Huo Bao kept attacking, but none of his hits landed where he wanted.

He knew that once his strength was depleted, he would have no room to maneuver. And true enough, in less than 10 minutes, he was panting like a dog, wheezing with each breath. His exhaustion was evident.

Guo Shier’s combat strategy was very simple: He wanted to drain the opponent’s physical strength.

Huo Bao, after all, only recently advanced to Marked Warrior Adept and had not learned efficient ways of attacking. Most of his moves were straightforward punches that required strong physical exertion.

Guo Shier has long figured out some of the flaws of the Marked Warrior profession. With the dodging techniques that he learned from his previous life, he had no problems skillfully deflecting Huo Bao’s attacks with minimal effort.

When it became evident that his opponent was worn out, Guo Shier launched an attack.

Huo Bao nearly fell on his face.

Disappointed and tired, he sat on the ground and cried.

Guo Shier was suddenly dumbfounded. He walked to Huo Bao’s side and sat down.  “Bao-zi, what are you crying about?”

The spectators did not speak—they were just looking at the two.

Luo Jie smiled slightly, while Qi Nanshan looked bit unhappy.

As for Ying Mo, he had never been more stupefied. He couldn’t figure out how an Artificer beat a Marked Warrior Adept in a physical exchange. What was going on?

“I have no use,” cried Huo Bao. “Even you can beat me.”

Guo Shier was dismayed. ”Should I lose, then? Why—because I am not a Marked Warrior Adept?”

“That’s right,” said Huo Bao. “Wu wu.”  (crying sounds) “You… I… Wu wu, this is too embarrassing… ”

Cold sweat started to come out of Guo Shier. “Do you know why you lost?” he asked.

“I don’t know why I lost!!” replied Huo Bao. This time he could no longer say that Guo Shier was shameless, because from start to finish, he was fighting one on one with him until he got exhausted.

Chen Bing, Hong Shi, and Chen Hong sat down with their fellow warrior. The all reached for Huo Bao’s shoulder to comfort him.

Guo Shier smiled. “Little Hong, give him a handkerchief.”

Chen Hong grinned and took out a silken handkerchief. She passed it to Huo Bao and said, “Stop crying, you big man. Wipe it off.”

Huo Bao turned purple due to embarrassment.

“Losing is nothing to be feared,” Guo Shier said. “”What is terrible is the absence of confidence. What is terrible is not knowing why you lost.”

He then went on to lecture Huo Bao.

“You lost because of three reasons. First, you lost because of carelessness. You underestimated your opponent. Second, you lost because you were unconvinced instead of analyzing why you just failed. And finally, you lost because you only applied physical strength without a strategy to back it up.”

Huo Bao just sat silently.

Guo Shier continued. “Use your head when you fight, especially if you have not advanced to a Grandmaster level,” he said sincerely. “Your strength is still very weak. Maybe you have this power to suppress me. But if you meet someone stronger than you, how will you deal with it?”

Huo Bao let the words sink in. He wiped out his tears and said, “Shier, I was wrong.”

Guo Shier smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “When I win against you… you don’t lose face because we are partners. Regardless of winning or losing, this has nothing to do life or death. But outside, winning or losing is dangerously connected to your life.”

Huo Bao, now convinced, was finally open to suggestions. “Shier, I couldn’t figure it out. Why can’t I hit you?”

“Idiot, I don’t want to get hit!” Guo Shier chided him. “Of course, I’ll try to avoid your punches. I’m not stupid. You’re a Marked Warrior Adept, and I know that your strength is greater than mine. Your skin is thick and able withstand my blows. If I don’t dodge, I’ll be dead, won’t I?”

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

Huo Bao smiled bitterly. “I felt bad that I couldn’t even hit you—not once. Ugh!”

Qi Nanshan joined the discussion. “Shier, what else can you do that I don’t know? I was surprised to see that you can overcome a Marked Warrior Adept. Where did you learn these skills?”

Guo Shier smiled. “You can win fights with sharp eyes and nimble hands. What’s so strange about that?”

Luo Jie, sensing what Qi Nanshan was getting at, stepped in. “Da-Shan, don’t even think about it. You cannot fight Shier,” he said.

Qi Nanshan chuckled. “Why, old timer? Are you protecting your precious apprentice?”

“I am not guarding him–I’m protecting you,” Luo Jie replied, smiling. “Be careful when you’re speaking with Shier. You might anger him.”

Qi Nanshan laughed. “Alas,” he said. “What a pity!”

“Pity what?” asked Luo Jie.

“Unfortunately, Shier doesn’t have the potential to be a Marked Warrior Adept,” Qi Nanshan said, clarifying what he meant.

“But even without the potential to be a Marked Warrior Adept, if Shier exercises seriously, his fighting ability will be very strong,” Ying Mo said.

“If Shier and Bao-zi had a real life and death struggle, I’m afraid Bao-zi can’t even get a hit,” Luo Jie said.

Huo Bao knew that Luo Zhan’s evaluation was accurate and fair, but he complained, anyway. “Uncle Luo, I’m not that bad!”

“Bao-zi, just accept that Luo Zhan is right,” Qi Nanshan quipped. The moment Shier held the Rune Dagger on your neck, you were done. Guo Shier’s real attacks were hidden behind all the teasing.”

“That’s too much,” Guo Shier interrupted. Don’t batter him anymore. I believe that after this battle, Bao-zi will make great progress.”

Appropriate setbacks were okay. But Guo Shier didn’t want to make Huo Bao completely lose his confidence. That was not his purpose.

Qi Nanshan laughed. “Bao-zi is not so fragile. He’s just confused. He’ll work hard again soon.”

Luo Jie hesitated. “Shier I have no objection if you want to acquire Marked Warrior Adept skills. But your main focus should be on being an Artificer.”

“Master, don’t worry” Guo Shier replied. “I just have some ideas for a Mark Warrior Adept practitioners. Hehe! In addition, I also want to be able to exercise my body. As for the direct fights, don’t I have two Grandmaster level followers?”

“Wait, you have ideas?” Qi Nanshan asked. “Let’s hear it.”

Guo Shier started to hesitate. He couldn’t possibly show off in front of a Marked Warrior Grandmaster—someone who has experienced countless battles, with an extremely rich fighting experience. Who was he to be talking about ideas? All he had was a recollection of martial arts dodging skills from his previous lives. After all, he is not Marked Warrior Adept practitioner.

“Hehe! Grandpa Nanshan, I don’t have much to say now,” he politely replied. “The idea is not mature enough. Anyway, master, why are you guys here?”

Guo Shier didn’t dare to continue on the topic and quickly change the subject. Truth be told, he did not know what to say.

Qi Nanshan let it go for now. “The West Rune Sect’s trade fair started” he said. “We came over so we can all go together.”

“Everybody tidy up, quickly,” Luo Jie ordered.

“What is a trade fair?” asked Guo Shier.

“You can trade some of your unwanted Runes there,” his master replied. But if you want to look for something good, just follow me to the Grandmaster level trading grounds. That’s where you’ll find some really rare items.”

Everyone quickly cleaned up and followed Luo Jie outside.

Guo Shier still used the carriage while other people rode their horses towards the trading grounds.

After sitting for half an hour inside the carriage, Guo Shier started to hear commotion outside. As they got nearer their destination, the noise got louder and louder. The hoofs of the horses and the voices of the crowd created a lively atmosphere.

In addition to the West Rune Sect and the North Rune Sect, a handful of individuals from the South Rune Sect also participated in this trade fair.

Bulk transactions were organized by the Sect Chamber of Commerce Faction. They mainly dealt around each sect’s specialty. While they handled the sale of general and luxury goods, they did not involve themselves with the personal trading of practitioners.

Practitioners had specialized exchange locations of their own. And for Grandmaster level transactions, the West Rune Sect opened a separate special venue.

Guo Shier didn’t know that Beast Caster Grandmaster Ou Chu—the grandmaster he defeated—was a well-known figure in the West Rune Sect. He was also unaware that Ou Chu would be participating in the Grandmaster level trading grounds.

When Guo Shier got off the carriage, Luo Jie said to him, “We’ll look into the Grandmaster trading grounds first. We might find something interesting. Hehe! Then later, we can look around the general market outside.”

In accordance with the rules of the Grandmaster level trading venue, only Grandmaster level practitioners can get in, regardless of their class or identity. Each Grandmaster can bring two people to enter.

“We have enough slots,” Luo Jie said. “Everyone can go in.”

Luo Jie himself had three Grandmaster level followers while Guo Shier had two. As each Grandmaster can bring two of people into the venue, and they had a total of seven Grandmasters. They can therefore take fourteen people inside, which was more than enough for their group.

(Note: Huh seven? I guess they’re counting Guo Shier as a Grandmaster.)

“Shier! Guo Shier!” someone said.

Guo Shier was surprised to see two people that he knew in the crowd.

“Oh, it’s An Bilan and An Biyun! Can I help you with anything?”

An Bilan came to Guo Shier’s side while holding her little sister’s hand. She said, “Shier, can you help me?”

Guo Shier wondered. “What’s the matter? Please tell me. Oh by the way, this is my master…”

But before he could finish introducing his master, Luo Jie turned to both of the girls and appeared to know both of them.

“Little Lan, little Yun, why are you not with your master?” Luo Jie said.

An Bilan quickly smiled. “Grandpa Luo! Hello! My master went in with two clan businessmen. Um, Shier, do you have extra entry slots?”

Guo Shier nodded, “Yes we do.”

Luo Jie gestured with his hands, “Let’s go in together.”

Just then, another person called.

“Shier!”

It was Wu Qing. He suddenly ran over and said, “Wait up, little brother Shier! Do you have an extra place in your group?”

Guo Shier couldn’t help laughing. “Yes, yes. Do you want to go in?”

Wu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. “Of course I want to go in! Little brother, please take me with you. This is a rare opportunity.”

“Then let’s go in together.”

Wu Qing thanked him.

Countless people from the West Rune Sect wanted to enter the Grandmaster level trading hall, but the two-person-per-master rule limited their opportunities. The Inner Door management was extremely strict—there was no getting around the law. You needed to know a Grandmaster-level individual to get a chance to see what was inside.

(Note: I’ll start using Inner Door, so that term can be used for sects, clans and schools)

Luo Jie entered the venue with a line of people. An Bilan and her sister both thanked their group, then turned away to find their master Chen Zhizhong. Wu Qing also went his own way, as he seemed to have a group of his own.

Outside the venue, there was a sea of people looking for a chance to get in. In contrast, the trading hall was quiet. After all, there were only few Grandmaster level professionals. A Sect Faction generally had no more than fifty Grandmasters. This included the old men from the Inner Door who lived in seclusion.

The Grandmaster level trade fair attracted all the Grandmasters of the West Rune City. There were also a lot of foreign Grandmasters, including nomadic Grandmasters wandering the grasslands. The fair gathered a nearly a hundred of top-level masters in total, each one bringing two guests. There were almost three hundred people present.

The service staff of the West Rune Sect Inner Door was composed of two hundred people. A dozen big businessmen who were willing to spend a lot of money were also invited. But the only way these merchants could ever purchase anything from the trade hall was if no Grandmaster was interested in it. Not only that—they also needed permission from the auction master.

The rules say that each Grandmaster has the right to auction three items. The right to auction can also be transferred to someone else. Since there were seven Grandmasters in Luo Jie’s group, they can auction a total of twenty-one items.

Grandmasters don’t bid on items with Rune money since money means nothing to them. What they do is exchange their goods with other items.

Guo Shier had his own goal. He wanted Spirit or Ancient level Glyphs. If he could acquire ten pieces of Spirit Glyphs and adsorb them in his Innate Rune Orb, he could advance into a beginner Artificer Grandmaster.

But Spirit Glyphs and Ancient Glyphs were rare in this world. True Treasure Glyphs and True Spirit Glyphs—which are more valuable—are even harder to find.

Luo Jie got seven number plates. He smiled and said, “Oh, we have seven auction opportunities. Hehe! Who wants to take part?”

Guo Shier got excited. “I’d like to participate!”

“What are you going to do?” his master asked him.

“I have something to auction!”

“Really? Do you have anything good to auction?”

Guo Shier proudly answered. “I have the blood of an Earth Dragon Variant. I want to exchange it for a Spirit Rune. Of course, if there is an Ancient Rune, that would be better. Hehe!”

Within the Secret Realm, Guo Shier was able to acquire a great quantity of blood from an Earth Dragon Variant. The raw materials from that Earth Dragon Variant even caught the fancy of the mysterious Li Ran. Guo Shier himself has no ability to use the blood, so he wanted to exchange it for a Spirit Glyph.

Luo Jie smiled bitterly. “Ah, you’re recklessly wasting this heavenly material.”

Qi Nanshan laughed. “Let him learn from his own mistake. Aside from the blood of the Earth Dragon Variant, what else do you have?”

“I intend to take out three bottles of blood—a bottle from a Marked Bear, a bottle from an Earth Dragon Variant, and a bottle from the Marked Insect Variant, the Emerald Blade Mantis. Each bottle would contain an ounce of blood. I will only exchange for a Spirit or Ancient level Glyph. Hehe!”

Luo Jie can’t help but laugh while scolding his apprentice. “You little black sheep! Ah, never mind and just use it the way you want. It’s not that many anyway. Since I’ve given them to you, you can exchange it for the things you want.”

Guo Shier was elated. “Thank you master. You are always good to me.”

His horse fart flattery always works like a charm.

Luo Jie laughed. “The things that you’re taking out are very rare treasures. Be careful not to lose too much on your exchanges, okay?”

“Don’t worry, master. I have a sense of how much they’re worth. In fact, many of us don’t know how to process the materials from the Marked Insect Variant’s body. Keeping it would also be a waste. Why not see if there’s an Insect Smith Grandmaster from the South Run Sect this time? Hahaha! That would be interesting.”

Qi Nanshan chuckled. “Old timer, you see? Shier is a sly little fox and wouldn’t be at disadvantage.”

Luo Jie handed Guo Shier a number plate, plate number 37.

Luo Jie asked, “Who else wants a number plate? Ying Mo, are you interested?”

“I’m a pauper,” said the Ying Mo with a chuckle. “I have no use for the number plates.”

The venue was within a very large indoor space. Hundreds of people have come inside, but it still looked empty.

There were multiple circles within the grounds with three sitting mats within them—one red mat and two black behind it. The Grandmaster would take the red sitting mats while his followers take the black ones.

As Luo Jie and the rest entered the venue, several Inner Gate disciples acted as guides and showed them to their corresponding cushions.

The people were lead to sit according to their number. Guo Shier sat on the left side of his master Luo Jie. Qi Nanshan sat on the right, and behind him is Chen Hong and Huo Bao. Ying Mo and Luo Zhan sat at the back rows with Chen Bing and Hong Shi.

Gradually, more and more people entered the venue.

Rune Smith Grandmaster Qian Ziwang also came with his group. They said hello to Luo Jie before sitting down.

Guo Shier met several acquaintances in the venue, but far less than his master’s.

Many Grandmasters have come to greet Luo Jie. Guo Shier noted that the majority of them were Marked Warrior Grandmasters and Beast Warrior Grandmasters. Very few of them were in the Artificer Grandmaster profession.

A coquettish woman walked to the center of the hall and gave the drum a few slaps. She said, “Please be quiet! The Grandmaster level trading will start now.”

Guo Shier curiously asked, “Who is this person?”

Luo Jie squinted his eyes. “This person is a Grandmaster…”

Translator: Glasses TangGu
Editor: M

All Marked Warrior Adepts are strong; they have superior fighting skills because of the Rune Energycultivation. Their bodies are also emblazoned with strength-enhancing Marks. They can certainly attack with impunity.

(Note: Okay, this is where I get confused. I’m not sure this time if the FuZhou the author is referring to the Artificer class or an Energy related to Runes/Spells being absorbed. In this instance, I’m guessing he refers to the energy instead of the class. I’ll try to backtrack to the first few chapter later, but for now I’ll use Rune Energy until I find the correct term or find a cooler name. Kindly share if you have thoughts about this FuZhou.)

Huo Bao’s presence as a Marked Warrior Adept was imposing. With matchless strength, he opted for a direct attack.

In response, Guo Shier moved slightly sideways and let the punch in. He then quickly stretched out his hands to seize Huo Bao’s wrist, pulled hard, and tripped him with his outstretched foot.

Huo Bao flew and fell on all fours.

Bang! (falling*)

He hit the floor hard. This got him angry. He was about to stand up when he heard someone shout, “Be careful!”

As it turned out, Guo Shier has rushed to Huo Bao’s side to attack his turning face with a knee dash. Huo Bao felt Guo Shier’s knee crashing directly into his head. Before he could process what just happened, he found himself laying on the ground again.

While Huo Bao was trying to recover from the dizzying hit, Guo Shier quickly pointed a sharp knife on his neck. “You lose!”

Confused, Huo Bao looked at the dagger. “That doesn’t count! You’re shameless!” he complained.

“Oh, tell me—why do you say I’m shameless?” Guo Shier replied, putting the dagger away.

Huo Bao got up. “You dare not fight me!”

“What, am I stupid?” Guo Shier said, half laughing. Why would I exchange hits with you? You’re Marked Warrior Adept—an inherently combat-type profession. I will surely be defeated in a head-on exchange. But with my method, didn’t you lose?”

“That doesn’t count!” cried the Huo Bao. “That’s not counted! Let’s try again! ”

Luo Jie nor Qi Nanshan didn’t say anything. They couldn’t conceal the amazement in their eyes.

Ying Mo was dumbfounded. He certainly could see that Huo Bao was riled up. Guo Shier’s moves were really weird and seemed to have been set up like a trap—a trap that Huo Bao fell for. The moves were clean and tidy. They were skillfully executed. He couldn’t wait to see how Guo Shier would deal with Huo Bao again. No—now was not the time to interfere.Hong Shi and Chen Bing couldn’t hide their amazement, either. They didn’t expect Guo Shier to win. As for Chen Hong, she was all for Guo Shier. She didn’t only applaud—she also cheered. “Shier, come on! Knock over Little Bao!”

Winning have Guo Shier a burst of confidence. “Bring it on!” he dared his opponent, laughing.

Not this time, Huo Bao thought as he raised his hands for the next match. He was still in disbelief.

Guo Shier sprang up first, taking advantage of his rival’s inattentiveness. He suddenly rushed towards the warrior’s chest, expertly angling his feet to obstruct his legs.

Huo Bao sneered as he felt Guo Shier slam into his chest. He was planning to step back and smash him down, but he never thought that he would trip from his obstructing foot. He fell on the floor, flat on his buttocks.

Guo Shier once again used a knee dash on Huo Bao’s face. The warrior was momentarily disoriented. Before he knew it, he was feeling a cold dagger being pointed under his jaw.

“You lost again!” declared Guo Shier.

Huo Bao shouted angrily. Unbelievably, he was knocked down twice in row. It was too hard to swallow. He felt like a fool falling for his opponent’s tricks.

Guo Shier proudly put away his dagger and pulled up Huo Bao. Grinning, he cheekily said, “Do you submit?”

Huo Bao howled. “I’m not submitting. You’re too insidious!”

Guo Shier didn’t expect that answer. He took a step back. “Okay, then. Let’s go again!”

Huo Bao was going crazy. He didn’t want to let Guo Shier achieve victory by ‘cheating.’ He refused to submit and wanted to continue fighting.

His goal was to show Guo Shier that Marked Warrior Adepts were powerful.

As for Guo Shier, all he wanted to do was fight Huo Bao a few times to test if he can destabilize a Marked Warrior Adept’s body. If Huo Bao’s strength proved too overwhelming to shake with his skills, then he would stop—there was no sense in continuing the fight.

Fortunately for him, he defeated Huo Bao in succession. He felt relieved.

Now he had the confidence to confront the warrior head-on.

Huo Bao held back his tears. Strength was his identity. He has always possessed superior vigor even as a child and never imagined that he would ever lose in his field of expertise. How could he accept this? The fact that Guo Shier only had rudimentary knowledge in martial arts made the situation even more embarrassing.

I have to be more careful this time, he thought. After all, he already lost twice. Although Guo Shier used the element of surprise—a tactic that he considered ‘cheating’—it was still his fault that he fell for it. He was careless.

Guo Shier called out him. “Come on! Come on!”

Stepping forward, Huo Bao stared intently at his challenger, who seemed indifferent—even relaxed.

He didn’t know why, but a sudden surge of anger went straight to his forehead. He almost burst into tears.

This time, he did not spring out as usual. Instead, he slowly controlled his swelling anger and anxiousness, determined not to mess up. His plan was to slowly apply direct pressure on Guo Shier.

Meanwhile, Guo Shier looked as stable as Mt. Taishan. He stared seriously at Huo Bao, but deep inside, he really wanted to laugh. He thought that Huo Bao looked funny, grinding his teeth and looking all vicious.

It was obvious—Huo Bao was hell bent on winning.

He suddenly rushed forward to trample Guo Shier, immediately took two steps to cross the distance between them, then let out a punch.

Guo Shier couldn’t possibly trick me this time, Hu Bao thought. This punch contained all of his strength.

Guo Shier knew he would not survive this hard punch. His bones would not be able to handle it. He swiftly reacted, stretching out his hands gently upwards, his palm resting on Huo Bao’s arms, while turning his body slightly sideways and stepping away from the strike zone. With minimal effort, he let his opponent punch empty air.

Huo Bao had some foresight this time, though. He had a plan in case this punch failed.

So he suddenly twisted his waist, pulling back his punching arm. And like a steel whip, it drew an arc towards Guo Shier.

But Guo Shier’s instincts took over. He ducked forward, out of Huo Bao’s attack range. He dodged the blow with minimal movement and just went opposite Huo Bao’s rotation.

The next few minutes showed a battle of juxtapositions. Huo Bao’s wild and violent attacks strongly contrasted with Guo Shier’s graceful ducking and dodging. Each burst of full-on strength was effortlessly evaded using precise sidesteps.

Huo Bao kept attacking, but none of his hits landed where he wanted.

He knew that once his strength was depleted, he would have no room to maneuver. And true enough, in less than 10 minutes, he was panting like a dog, wheezing with each breath. His exhaustion was evident.

Guo Shier’s combat strategy was very simple: He wanted to drain the opponent’s physical strength.

Huo Bao, after all, only recently advanced to Marked Warrior Adept and had not learned efficient ways of attacking. Most of his moves were straightforward punches that required strong physical exertion.

Guo Shier has long figured out some of the flaws of the Marked Warrior profession. With the dodging techniques that he learned from his previous life, he had no problems skillfully deflecting Huo Bao’s attacks with minimal effort.

When it became evident that his opponent was worn out, Guo Shier launched an attack.

Huo Bao nearly fell on his face.

Disappointed and tired, he sat on the ground and cried.

Guo Shier was suddenly dumbfounded. He walked to Huo Bao’s side and sat down.  “Bao-zi, what are you crying about?”

The spectators did not speak—they were just looking at the two.

Luo Jie smiled slightly, while Qi Nanshan looked bit unhappy.

As for Ying Mo, he had never been more stupefied. He couldn’t figure out how an Artificer beat a Marked Warrior Adept in a physical exchange. What was going on?

“I have no use,” cried Huo Bao. “Even you can beat me.”

Guo Shier was dismayed. ”Should I lose, then? Why—because I am not a Marked Warrior Adept?”

“That’s right,” said Huo Bao. “Wu wu.”  (crying sounds) “You… I… Wu wu, this is too embarrassing… ”

Cold sweat started to come out of Guo Shier. “Do you know why you lost?” he asked.

“I don’t know why I lost!!” replied Huo Bao. This time he could no longer say that Guo Shier was shameless, because from start to finish, he was fighting one on one with him until he got exhausted.

Chen Bing, Hong Shi, and Chen Hong sat down with their fellow warrior. The all reached for Huo Bao’s shoulder to comfort him.

Guo Shier smiled. “Little Hong, give him a handkerchief.”

Chen Hong grinned and took out a silken handkerchief. She passed it to Huo Bao and said, “Stop crying, you big man. Wipe it off.”

Huo Bao turned purple due to embarrassment.

“Losing is nothing to be feared,” Guo Shier said. “”What is terrible is the absence of confidence. What is terrible is not knowing why you lost.”

He then went on to lecture Huo Bao.

“You lost because of three reasons. First, you lost because of carelessness. You underestimated your opponent. Second, you lost because you were unconvinced instead of analyzing why you just failed. And finally, you lost because you only applied physical strength without a strategy to back it up.”

Huo Bao just sat silently.

Guo Shier continued. “Use your head when you fight, especially if you have not advanced to a Grandmaster level,” he said sincerely. “Your strength is still very weak. Maybe you have this power to suppress me. But if you meet someone stronger than you, how will you deal with it?”

Huo Bao let the words sink in. He wiped out his tears and said, “Shier, I was wrong.”

Guo Shier smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “When I win against you… you don’t lose face because we are partners. Regardless of winning or losing, this has nothing to do life or death. But outside, winning or losing is dangerously connected to your life.”

Huo Bao, now convinced, was finally open to suggestions. “Shier, I couldn’t figure it out. Why can’t I hit you?”

“Idiot, I don’t want to get hit!” Guo Shier chided him. “Of course, I’ll try to avoid your punches. I’m not stupid. You’re a Marked Warrior Adept, and I know that your strength is greater than mine. Your skin is thick and able withstand my blows. If I don’t dodge, I’ll be dead, won’t I?”

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

Huo Bao smiled bitterly. “I felt bad that I couldn’t even hit you—not once. Ugh!”

Qi Nanshan joined the discussion. “Shier, what else can you do that I don’t know? I was surprised to see that you can overcome a Marked Warrior Adept. Where did you learn these skills?”

Guo Shier smiled. “You can win fights with sharp eyes and nimble hands. What’s so strange about that?”

Luo Jie, sensing what Qi Nanshan was getting at, stepped in. “Da-Shan, don’t even think about it. You cannot fight Shier,” he said.

Qi Nanshan chuckled. “Why, old timer? Are you protecting your precious apprentice?”

“I am not guarding him–I’m protecting you,” Luo Jie replied, smiling. “Be careful when you’re speaking with Shier. You might anger him.”

Qi Nanshan laughed. “Alas,” he said. “What a pity!”

“Pity what?” asked Luo Jie.

“Unfortunately, Shier doesn’t have the potential to be a Marked Warrior Adept,” Qi Nanshan said, clarifying what he meant.

“But even without the potential to be a Marked Warrior Adept, if Shier exercises seriously, his fighting ability will be very strong,” Ying Mo said.

“If Shier and Bao-zi had a real life and death struggle, I’m afraid Bao-zi can’t even get a hit,” Luo Jie said.

Huo Bao knew that Luo Zhan’s evaluation was accurate and fair, but he complained, anyway. “Uncle Luo, I’m not that bad!”

“Bao-zi, just accept that Luo Zhan is right,” Qi Nanshan quipped. The moment Shier held the Rune Dagger on your neck, you were done. Guo Shier’s real attacks were hidden behind all the teasing.”

“That’s too much,” Guo Shier interrupted. Don’t batter him anymore. I believe that after this battle, Bao-zi will make great progress.”

Appropriate setbacks were okay. But Guo Shier didn’t want to make Huo Bao completely lose his confidence. That was not his purpose.

Qi Nanshan laughed. “Bao-zi is not so fragile. He’s just confused. He’ll work hard again soon.”

Luo Jie hesitated. “Shier I have no objection if you want to acquire Marked Warrior Adept skills. But your main focus should be on being an Artificer.”

“Master, don’t worry” Guo Shier replied. “I just have some ideas for a Mark Warrior Adept practitioners. Hehe! In addition, I also want to be able to exercise my body. As for the direct fights, don’t I have two Grandmaster level followers?”

“Wait, you have ideas?” Qi Nanshan asked. “Let’s hear it.”

Guo Shier started to hesitate. He couldn’t possibly show off in front of a Marked Warrior Grandmaster—someone who has experienced countless battles, with an extremely rich fighting experience. Who was he to be talking about ideas? All he had was a recollection of martial arts dodging skills from his previous lives. After all, he is not Marked Warrior Adept practitioner.

“Hehe! Grandpa Nanshan, I don’t have much to say now,” he politely replied. “The idea is not mature enough. Anyway, master, why are you guys here?”

Guo Shier didn’t dare to continue on the topic and quickly change the subject. Truth be told, he did not know what to say.

Qi Nanshan let it go for now. “The West Rune Sect’s trade fair started” he said. “We came over so we can all go together.”

“Everybody tidy up, quickly,” Luo Jie ordered.

“What is a trade fair?” asked Guo Shier.

“You can trade some of your unwanted Runes there,” his master replied. But if you want to look for something good, just follow me to the Grandmaster level trading grounds. That’s where you’ll find some really rare items.”

Everyone quickly cleaned up and followed Luo Jie outside.

Guo Shier still used the carriage while other people rode their horses towards the trading grounds.

After sitting for half an hour inside the carriage, Guo Shier started to hear commotion outside. As they got nearer their destination, the noise got louder and louder. The hoofs of the horses and the voices of the crowd created a lively atmosphere.

In addition to the West Rune Sect and the North Rune Sect, a handful of individuals from the South Rune Sect also participated in this trade fair.

Bulk transactions were organized by the Sect Chamber of Commerce Faction. They mainly dealt around each sect’s specialty. While they handled the sale of general and luxury goods, they did not involve themselves with the personal trading of practitioners.

Practitioners had specialized exchange locations of their own. And for Grandmaster level transactions, the West Rune Sect opened a separate special venue.

Guo Shier didn’t know that Beast Caster Grandmaster Ou Chu—the grandmaster he defeated—was a well-known figure in the West Rune Sect. He was also unaware that Ou Chu would be participating in the Grandmaster level trading grounds.

When Guo Shier got off the carriage, Luo Jie said to him, “We’ll look into the Grandmaster trading grounds first. We might find something interesting. Hehe! Then later, we can look around the general market outside.”

In accordance with the rules of the Grandmaster level trading venue, only Grandmaster level practitioners can get in, regardless of their class or identity. Each Grandmaster can bring two people to enter.

“We have enough slots,” Luo Jie said. “Everyone can go in.”

Luo Jie himself had three Grandmaster level followers while Guo Shier had two. As each Grandmaster can bring two of people into the venue, and they had a total of seven Grandmasters. They can therefore take fourteen people inside, which was more than enough for their group.

(Note: Huh seven? I guess they’re counting Guo Shier as a Grandmaster.)

“Shier! Guo Shier!” someone said.

Guo Shier was surprised to see two people that he knew in the crowd.

“Oh, it’s An Bilan and An Biyun! Can I help you with anything?”

An Bilan came to Guo Shier’s side while holding her little sister’s hand. She said, “Shier, can you help me?”

Guo Shier wondered. “What’s the matter? Please tell me. Oh by the way, this is my master…”

But before he could finish introducing his master, Luo Jie turned to both of the girls and appeared to know both of them.

“Little Lan, little Yun, why are you not with your master?” Luo Jie said.

An Bilan quickly smiled. “Grandpa Luo! Hello! My master went in with two clan businessmen. Um, Shier, do you have extra entry slots?”

Guo Shier nodded, “Yes we do.”

Luo Jie gestured with his hands, “Let’s go in together.”

Just then, another person called.

“Shier!”

It was Wu Qing. He suddenly ran over and said, “Wait up, little brother Shier! Do you have an extra place in your group?”

Guo Shier couldn’t help laughing. “Yes, yes. Do you want to go in?”

Wu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. “Of course I want to go in! Little brother, please take me with you. This is a rare opportunity.”

“Then let’s go in together.”

Wu Qing thanked him.

Countless people from the West Rune Sect wanted to enter the Grandmaster level trading hall, but the two-person-per-master rule limited their opportunities. The Inner Door management was extremely strict—there was no getting around the law. You needed to know a Grandmaster-level individual to get a chance to see what was inside.

(Note: I’ll start using Inner Door, so that term can be used for sects, clans and schools)

Luo Jie entered the venue with a line of people. An Bilan and her sister both thanked their group, then turned away to find their master Chen Zhizhong. Wu Qing also went his own way, as he seemed to have a group of his own.

Outside the venue, there was a sea of people looking for a chance to get in. In contrast, the trading hall was quiet. After all, there were only few Grandmaster level professionals. A Sect Faction generally had no more than fifty Grandmasters. This included the old men from the Inner Door who lived in seclusion.

The Grandmaster level trade fair attracted all the Grandmasters of the West Rune City. There were also a lot of foreign Grandmasters, including nomadic Grandmasters wandering the grasslands. The fair gathered a nearly a hundred of top-level masters in total, each one bringing two guests. There were almost three hundred people present.

The service staff of the West Rune Sect Inner Door was composed of two hundred people. A dozen big businessmen who were willing to spend a lot of money were also invited. But the only way these merchants could ever purchase anything from the trade hall was if no Grandmaster was interested in it. Not only that—they also needed permission from the auction master.

The rules say that each Grandmaster has the right to auction three items. The right to auction can also be transferred to someone else. Since there were seven Grandmasters in Luo Jie’s group, they can auction a total of twenty-one items.

Grandmasters don’t bid on items with Rune money since money means nothing to them. What they do is exchange their goods with other items.

Guo Shier had his own goal. He wanted Spirit or Ancient level Glyphs. If he could acquire ten pieces of Spirit Glyphs and adsorb them in his Innate Rune Orb, he could advance into a beginner Artificer Grandmaster.

But Spirit Glyphs and Ancient Glyphs were rare in this world. True Treasure Glyphs and True Spirit Glyphs—which are more valuable—are even harder to find.

Luo Jie got seven number plates. He smiled and said, “Oh, we have seven auction opportunities. Hehe! Who wants to take part?”

Guo Shier got excited. “I’d like to participate!”

“What are you going to do?” his master asked him.

“I have something to auction!”

“Really? Do you have anything good to auction?”

Guo Shier proudly answered. “I have the blood of an Earth Dragon Variant. I want to exchange it for a Spirit Rune. Of course, if there is an Ancient Rune, that would be better. Hehe!”

Within the Secret Realm, Guo Shier was able to acquire a great quantity of blood from an Earth Dragon Variant. The raw materials from that Earth Dragon Variant even caught the fancy of the mysterious Li Ran. Guo Shier himself has no ability to use the blood, so he wanted to exchange it for a Spirit Glyph.

Luo Jie smiled bitterly. “Ah, you’re recklessly wasting this heavenly material.”

Qi Nanshan laughed. “Let him learn from his own mistake. Aside from the blood of the Earth Dragon Variant, what else do you have?”

“I intend to take out three bottles of blood—a bottle from a Marked Bear, a bottle from an Earth Dragon Variant, and a bottle from the Marked Insect Variant, the Emerald Blade Mantis. Each bottle would contain an ounce of blood. I will only exchange for a Spirit or Ancient level Glyph. Hehe!”

Luo Jie can’t help but laugh while scolding his apprentice. “You little black sheep! Ah, never mind and just use it the way you want. It’s not that many anyway. Since I’ve given them to you, you can exchange it for the things you want.”

Guo Shier was elated. “Thank you master. You are always good to me.”

His horse fart flattery always works like a charm.

Luo Jie laughed. “The things that you’re taking out are very rare treasures. Be careful not to lose too much on your exchanges, okay?”

“Don’t worry, master. I have a sense of how much they’re worth. In fact, many of us don’t know how to process the materials from the Marked Insect Variant’s body. Keeping it would also be a waste. Why not see if there’s an Insect Smith Grandmaster from the South Run Sect this time? Hahaha! That would be interesting.”

Qi Nanshan chuckled. “Old timer, you see? Shier is a sly little fox and wouldn’t be at disadvantage.”

Luo Jie handed Guo Shier a number plate, plate number 37.

Luo Jie asked, “Who else wants a number plate? Ying Mo, are you interested?”

“I’m a pauper,” said the Ying Mo with a chuckle. “I have no use for the number plates.”

The venue was within a very large indoor space. Hundreds of people have come inside, but it still looked empty.

There were multiple circles within the grounds with three sitting mats within them—one red mat and two black behind it. The Grandmaster would take the red sitting mats while his followers take the black ones.

As Luo Jie and the rest entered the venue, several Inner Gate disciples acted as guides and showed them to their corresponding cushions.

The people were lead to sit according to their number. Guo Shier sat on the left side of his master Luo Jie. Qi Nanshan sat on the right, and behind him is Chen Hong and Huo Bao. Ying Mo and Luo Zhan sat at the back rows with Chen Bing and Hong Shi.

Gradually, more and more people entered the venue.

Rune Smith Grandmaster Qian Ziwang also came with his group. They said hello to Luo Jie before sitting down.

Guo Shier met several acquaintances in the venue, but far less than his master’s.

Many Grandmasters have come to greet Luo Jie. Guo Shier noted that the majority of them were Marked Warrior Grandmasters and Beast Warrior Grandmasters. Very few of them were in the Artificer Grandmaster profession.

A coquettish woman walked to the center of the hall and gave the drum a few slaps. She said, “Please be quiet! The Grandmaster level trading will start now.”

Guo Shier curiously asked, “Who is this person?”

Luo Jie squinted his eyes. “This person is a Grandmaster…”

Translator: Glasses TangGu

Editor: M