Chapter 85 Nanqing Zhengxian's Challenge

Seeing that Lu Tianzi had been stunned into silence, Nanqing Zhengxian smirked haughtily.

"It looks like you finally understand the situation. Since that is the case, what are you still waiting around for? Go get me the best inscription master here right now!" Nanqing Zhengxian crossed his arms impatiently.

At this moment, many of the people in the crowd could not help but sympathise with Lu Tianzi and Yueya.

Of all people, they just had to encounter this arrogant Nanqing Zhengxian.

Yueya was an inscription assistant, so she was clearly not obliged to do the job of a counter staff. Yet Nanqing Zhengxian was still demanding her to do so, even going to the extent of threatening her.

Even though Nanqing Zhengxian was obviously stepping over the line here, the background behind him was truly too fearsome.

This was what led to nobody stepping out to intervene even though most of them feeling indignant for Yueya and Lu Tianzi.

If not for Nanqing Zhengxian's background, who would not want to take this chance and score some brownie points with the Heaven Constellations Inscription Tower?

The Nanqing Family was one of the top family clans in Bluenight City, and had always been around for the past thousands of years.

Being able to maintain their position as one of the top family clans for thousands of years meant that their foundation within the city was extremely solid. This also meant that the Nanqing Family would definitely have a certain level of influence in the city, and was definitely not a family clan that just anybody could afford to offend.

As for Nanqing Zhengxian's elder brother being an Inner Sect member of the Nine Suns Sect, was there still any need to talk further about this?

The Nine Suns Sect was the strongest influence within Bluenight City!

Who dared to go against them?

As Nanqing Zhengxian had said, even the Heaven Constellations Inscription Tower might choose to ignore the plight of the poor inscription assistants at this stage!

Of course, if Lu Tianzi had been wearing the robes of the Nine Suns Sect right now, then many of them might have reacted in a completely different manner.

In fact, even Nanqing Zhengxian might have given him some face.

Unfortunately, Lu Tianzi was not wearing the sect robes, and thus nobody knew that he was actually a member of the Nine Suns Sect as well.

"I finally understand the situation," Lu Tianzi sighed helplessly. "But I don't think you understand the situation. Since you already know that we are inscription assistants, you should know that we are not in charge of doing counter staff work. Or could it be that you are unsure of what we do exactly? If so, let me explain to you clearly. Inscription assistants are here to help inscription masters prepare for their inscriptions, usually in terms of materials. Every day at noon, we will go and collect the instructions from the inscription masters from something called the Wooden Deposit. Do you know what that is? It is a wooden shelf where…"

As the people in the crowd heard Lu Tianzi go on and on, they could not help but to suppress their laughters.

To think that this inscription assistant was actually this fearless, proceeding to mock Nanqing Zhengxian in such a manner even after learning of his identity and the background he possessed!

"Shut the fuck up!" Nanqing Zhengxian yelled out in rage, finally cutting Lu Tianzi off.

Since he was young, Nanqing Zhengxian had been nurtured as the young master of the Nanqing Family. After his elder brother joined the Inner Sect of the Nine Suns Sect, people's attitudes towards him had improved even further.

This was actually the first time in his life that he had encountered some random person who was this insolent towards him!

"I don't care what the fuck you do on a daily basis!" Nanqing Zhengxian roared. "You know what? Since you are so proud of that inscription assistant title of yours, I am sure that you are able to draw up inscriptions of your own, am I right?"

Speaking up to here, Nanqing Zhengxian took out a sabre and slammed in on the front counter.

The loud bang resounded across the entire front lobby, causing Yueya to jump up in fright.

"How about this? If either one of you is able to place an inscription on this sabre, no matter what kind of inscription it is, I will immediately admit my mistake and even apologise to your beloved senior!" Nanqing Zhengxian sneered as he glared at Lu Tianzi. "But if neither of you are able to do so, then I want to see both of you slap yourselves fifty times each, and admit that you should have listened to your grandfather Nanqing Zhengxian! Do you dare accept my challenge?"

Nanqing Zhengxian's words caused the people around to shake their heads in pity.

This Nanqing Zhengxian was truly asking for the stars.

Even though inscription assistants were usually aspiring inscription masters and had some basic understanding into the art of inscriptions, it was impossible for any of them to be able to place a complete inscription.

If they were able to, then they would have already taken the test to become a full fledged inscription master. Why would they lower themselves to be the assistants of others?

Of course, there was always that one-in-a-million chance that they could be inscription assistants who were already good enough, and were simply waiting to take the inscription master test.

But Yueya and Lu Tianzi both looked extremely young, and were probably still teenagers.

Considering their ages, unless they were absolute geniuses in the field, there was simply no way that either of them would be ready to take the inscription master test!

Lu Tianzi narrowed his eyes as he matched Nanqing Zhengxian's glare, "Why do I have to waste valuable inscription materials and even do you a favour by placing an inscription on your sabre?"

"Hahaha! Stop finding excuses for yourself! Just admit it if you are unable to do so!" Nanqing Zhengxian laughed out. "How about this then? If you manage to place a complete inscription on this sabre, not only will I give the completed sabre to you, but I will even pay for the inscription materials used. No, on top of that, I will even give you an additional five low ranked beast cores!"

What?

Lu Tianzi's eyes lit up in surprise.

This Nanqing Zhengxian would give him the inscribed sabre, pay for the inscription materials, and even pay him on top of that?

That was simply far too tempting!

Lu Tianzi had always been troubled by the fact that he did not have the even inscription materials to practise drawing out a full inscription, and this was the perfect chance to do so!

Of course, there was always the chance that he might fail. After all, it would be his first time trying to draw the complete inscription. However, if he did not have to worry about the effectiveness of the inscription, then Lu Tianzi was relatively confident of his chances.

"If that is the case, then I accept your challenge!" Lu Tianzi answered with a resolute light in his eyes.

His answer immediately caused the crowd to go wild in discussions.

"What? That inscription assistant actually accepted the challenge?"

"Is he crazy? Why would he do that?"

"Youths are truly hot-blooded creatures. I remember back in the day, I was just like that as well…"

"Tianzi…" Yueya muttered under her breath as she gave Lu Tianzi's clothes a light tug, as though trying to persuade him out of this.

"You truly do not know what is best for yourself!" Nanqing Zhengxian scowled. "If the inscription were to fail, then you will be the one to pay for the inscription materials!"

Even Nanqing Zhengxian was surprised that Lu Tianzi actually agreed.

He had issued the challenge merely as a taunt, trying to intimidate the other party into backing off. Who knew that this inscription assistant would actually accept the challenge?

"If I fail, I will naturally pay for the materials," Lu Tianzi nodded.

Lu Tianzi's composure did not escape Nanqing Zhengxian's eyes as his heart shook.

Could it be that this inscription assistant was truly capable of placing a complete inscription?

No, that was impossible!

He must be planning to pull off some trick here!

"I have one more condition!" Nanqing Zhengxian quickly added. "I want you to place the inscription where I can bear witness to the entire process!"

"You want to watch me place the inscription?" Lu Tianzi frowned.

"That's right! Otherwise, who knows if you would just ask some other inscription master to do it for you?" Nanqing Zhengxian harrumphed.

It had to be known that inscription masters rarely allowed others watch when they were placing down inscriptions. This was to protect their secrets and understandings into the art of inscriptions.

In that sense, asking to watch the entire process was almost equivalent to wanting inscription masters to reveal all their tricks.

But at this point, nobody thought that Nanqing Zhengxian's demand was unreasonable.

After all, not a single person present believed that as a mere inscription assistant, Lu Tianzi would have the ability to successfully place a complete inscription by himself. So Nanqing Zhengxian's worries were not unfounded.

At this moment, the crowd suddenly split apart to allow a group of three people to pass through and step into the front lobby.

An elderly man with short greying hair led the way in, emanating a powerful pressure that forced others to back away warily. Every step he took was filled with a noble demeanor, testament to the fact that he was a man of great stature.

Following behind him were a middle-aged couple, both of whom were giving off a similarly noble demeanor as well. On top of that, both of them had accompanying beasts.

The man had a blood red falcon perched proudly on his shoulder, while the lady had a small emerald snake that was wrapped tightly around her left arm, barely visible under her long robe.

With a single look, anyone could tell that they were members of the Nanqing Family.

"What is going on, Zhengxian? Why are you still here at the front lobby?" the elderly man walking in front of the group asked.

"Great grandfather!" Nanqing Zhengxian's tone turned polite immediately as he replied, even showing a hint of nervousness. "This is embarrassing to say, but the counter staff were all engaged when I arrived. When I approached an inscription assistant who happened to be free, she actually chose to snub my request. Another inscription assistant even showed up after that and supported her, and that was even after I stated that I am from the Nanqing Family. Not just that, but when I tried to make him back down so that I can just move on and get things done, he even accepted the challenge of placing an inscription all by himself!"

"Oh? There is such a thing?" the elderly man turned his glance towards Lu Tianzi and Yueya.

With just that one casual glance, Lu Tianzi felt a heavy pressure bearing down on him.

Pressure from an Origin Core realm martial artist!

Lu Tianzi was startled but was still able to resist the pressure due to his strong foundation. Yueya, on the other hand, faltered and broke out into cold sweat as her breathing quickened.

Thankfully, the pressure only lasted for a mere moment before the elderly man retracted his glance.

"An inscription assistant who accepted the challenge of placing an inscription all by himself?" the middle-aged man asked in surprise.

"I don't believe him either, Father. Right now, I am trying to get him to prove his words by placing the inscription in front of everyone. Otherwise, he might just ask some other inscription master to help him with it," Nanqing Zhengxian reported. "This might seem harsh, but I believe that it is necessary. If word got out that we allowed any random dog or cat to challenge the members of our Nanqing Family, how would we be able to lift our heads up high in the future?"

"Mm, do what you must," the middle-aged man replied with a nod, giving the green light for Nanqing Zhengxian to continue.

Upon gaining the approval of his father, Nanqing Zhengxian immediately regained his confidence and turned back to Lu Tianzi with a smirk on his face, "Now that the elders of my family are here, let's not waste anymore time. So what is it going to be? Do you dare show us the process of you placing the inscription?"

Lu Tianzi cursed in his heart.

What a tyrannical Nanqing Family!

With just a single complaint from his great grandson, the elderly man immediately pressured them with his Origin Core realm cultivation. As for the middle-aged man, instead of reining in his unruly son, he even blatantly gave his approval for Nanqing Zhengxian to continue!

But before Lu Tianzi could respond to Nanqing Zhengxian, a familiar voice suddenly sounded out in his mind.

"Are you truly confident of successfully placing an inscription?" Inscription Master Nanbai's voice sounded out.

Lu Tianzi was surprised by the sudden question that seemed to come from nowhere, but understood when he thought about it a little more.

As an Origin Core realm martial artist, how could Inscription Master Nanbai be oblivious to the huge racket at the front lobby of the Heaven Constellations Inscription Tower?

From the looks of it, Inscription Master Nanbai had been observing the situation from the shadows for a while now.

"I am not a hundred percent certain of my chances either. I would estimate that I have around an eighty percent chance of succeeding," Lu Tianzi responded with a voice conveyance as well.

"Eighty percent is good enough."

Since everyone was still silently waiting for Lu Tianzi's reply, the sound of footsteps was apparent as Inscription Master Nanbai slowly descended from the second floor.

"No matter whether he is an inscription assistant or an official inscription master, asking him to reveal the entire process of placing an inscription is going overboard!" Inscription Master Nanbai's voice bellowed out even as he was walking over.

Nanqing Zhengxian immediately felt a powerful pressure, forcing him to take a few steps back.

Even though the pressure only lasted for a moment, Nanqing Zhengxian's face was extremely ugly upon being treated in such a rough manner.

Clearly, Inscription Master Nanbai was taking revenge for what the elderly man did before.

"What does Inscription Master Nanbai suggest then?" the elderly man from the Nanqing Family asked calmly.

"This inscription assistant shall be given the privacy to place the inscription. I will personally vouch for the fact that he will be the one to carry out the entire process," Inscription Master Nanbai replied. "Nanqing Dingtian, even though you are the Head of the Nanqing Family, the Heaven Constellations Inscription Tower would still have to protect the secrets of our members. If the Nanqing Family is not willing to at least accept these terms, then I have no choice but to think that the Nanqing Family is trying to obtain the secrets of the Heaven Constellations Inscription Tower!"

Everyone in the crowd held their breaths in nervousness upon hearing those words.

Within the span of a few moments, this conflict between members of the younger generation suddenly erupted into a standoff between members of the upper echelons of the Heaven Constellations Inscription Tower and the Nanqing Family!