Chapter 374 - Attending the Artificers’ Conference

Housekeeper Changyu might not have dealt with inscriptions for decades, but the memory of a martial artist could not be underestimated.

He quickly picked up where he left off, and it did not take long before he was able to perform the basic handling of inscription materials with relative ease.

Unfortunately for the three female servants, they were unable to enjoy such an advantage, for they had absolutely no prior contact with inscriptions whatsoever.

Because of that, they had to first spend most of their time reading up on the art of inscriptions. Whatever they were unsure of, they clarified with Lu Tianzi.

It was an extremely tedious process, but the three young ladies were thrilled to say the least.

When they first arrived at Sky Snow Manor, all they had been hoping for was a peaceful job with a kind master.

Who would have known that this job would actually give them the opportunity to learn about the art of inscriptions?

This was not only a chance to increase their knowledge, but also a potential ticket to escape their fate of being a lowly servant for life!

If they ever managed to become an inscription master, it might actually be possible for them to save up enough to buy themselves out of slavery!

Since such a golden opportunity had literally been served up to them on a silver platter, they would have to be fools to not give it their all!

During this time, news started to spread, stating that the matter between Sky Snow Manor and the Sacred Cliff City Guards had been a mere misunderstanding.

The various influences in Sacred Cliff City were surprised to see such an outcome.

In the past, the Sacred Cliff City Guards would almost always choose to simply demolish any opposition to assert their dominance, especially if the opposition was one that appeared to be as powerless as the Sky Snow Manor.

To be able to make the Sacred Cliff City Guards compromise, the depths of Sky Snow Manor must be deeper than it seemed!

Because of that, other influences started paying even more attention to Sky Snow Manor.

It was then that another piece of news was leaked to the public – the Sacred Lotus Treasury had contracted Sky Snow Manor as an inscription service provider.

With that, everyone understood.

Even though some had not been convinced by the invention of the Glorious Soul Inscription, this piece of news alone was more than enough proof that Sky Snow Manor's inscription capabilities were the real deal!

More and more visitors started showing up at Sky Snow Manor, requesting to have some form of inscription placed upon their equipment.

Of course, the main reason why they approached Sky Snow Manor instead of the other inscription masters out there was still because they wanted to witness for themselves the inscription techniques of Sky Snow Manor.

Lu Tianzi understood as much, but there was no reason for him to reject paying customers.

This increase in work requests not only allowed Lu Tianzi to further refine his understandings in the art of inscriptions, but also provided more opportunities for Housekeeper Changyu, Ningxi, Linrou, and Feifei to practise their handling of inscription materials.

At the end of each day, Lu Tianzi would allow the four of them to watch him place a simple inscription on one of these equipment, answering whatever questions they had.

This was how Inscription Master Nanbai had instructed Lu Tianzi in the past, and Lu Tianzi was now doing the exact same thing for them.

The week passed in a flash, and it was finally the day of the Artificers' Conference.

Just like previous years, the Artificers' Conference was being held at the headquarters of the Sacred Cliff City Guards – the Sacred Flame Palace.

On this day, even though many guests were being allowed into the premise, the security of the Sacred Flame Palace was not compromised the slightest bit.

On the contrary, it could be said that the security had been heightened to the maximum level.

Members of the Sacred Cliff City Guards patrolled the perimeters in squads of five, and this was on top of the many layers of detection formations that already shrouded the entire area.

Everything was arranged perfectly such that nothing could go wrong on this important date, though it was also hard to imagine who would ever dare to cause trouble here.

After all, the Sacred Flame Palace was also the residence of the Burning Titan Overlord!

Lu Tianzi joined Grandmaster Tiequan's entourage, which was comprised of Grandmaster Tiequan, Young Master Xuan Hao, and two disciples of the Grandmaster Artificer.

Because each invited guest was only allowed to bring along a maximum of four companions, Ruan Ling and Nanlan Qianxue were unable to come along.

Not that Nanlan Qianxue was interested in the first place.

After getting their identities verified by the guards, they were escorted through a maze-like network of corridors before they finally arrived at the actual venue of the Artificers' Conference.

It was a huge chamber furnished with numerous tables, each laid out with a spectacular variety of dishes.

Under any other circ.u.mstances, the sheer quality of the food served would have excited the guests.

However, the level of prestige wielded by the guests attending this event was far too high, such that their standards were beyond what most others could even imagine.

It was simply too difficult to impress people like them who had already experienced most of what the world had to offer.

Of course, the food was not the focus of the event anyway.

Right now, the only things on everyone's mind were the discussions and exchanges that would be taking place here in just a few moments' time.

Since the event had yet to officially start, most people were standing around in small pockets, engaged in private discussions of their own.

When Grandmaster Tiequan led the group to their assigned table near the very front of the chamber, they instantly drew attention from others who had arrived before them.

"Grandmaster Tiequan! You have finally arrived!" someone immediately came over to greet them.

It was a lady who looked to be no more than twenty years old, with skin as smooth as silk and a figure to die for. She smiled coquettishly as she walked towards their table, bringing with her a floral fragrance.

There were two people following her – another teenage-looking girl as well as a proud-looking young man.

"Grandmaster Xiangling," Grandmaster Tiequan stood up and nodded towards the newcomer. "Even after so many years, you still look as beautiful as always."

"Hehe, Grandmaster Tiequan is as humourous as always. What do mean by many years? I am still young, so it is only natural for me to look my age," Grandmaster Xiangling giggled. "Anyway, who are these two young men with you? Are they your new disciples?"

Lu Tianzi and Young Master Xuan Hao exchanged glances. It was obvious that Grandmaster Xiangling was referring to them.

"Them?" Grandmaster Tiequan turned to looked at the duo. "Why don't you two introduce yourselves to Grandmaster Xiangling?"

But before they could answer, the proud-looking young man standing behind Grandmaster Xiangling spoke up first. "Grandmaster Xiangling, haven't you heard of Sky Snow Manor? This man here is none other than the famous manor lord!"

"Sky Snow Manor?" Grandmaster Xiangling looked at Lu Tianzi in surprise. "I can't say I've heard of it, but I guess this means this handsome young man is actually the leader of his own influence? How impressive!"

"Senior is too kind with your words," Lu Tianzi clasped fists towards Grandmaster Xiangling. "Mine is but a small residence, nothing compared to an actual influence."

"How can it be as simple as that?" the proud-looking young man scoffed. "How can a mere small residence even dream of chasing out members of the Sacred Cliff City Guards, agreeing to pay taxes only after getting a personal visit from a Lieutenant?"

Lu Tianzi took note to control his facial expression.

He would have to be really oblivious to still not sense the hostility coming from the proud-looking young man.

"Oh? Did that really happen?" Grandmaster Xiangling's interest was piqued.

"That is just a misunderstanding, Senior," Lu Tianzi shook his head. "To start with, I am nowhere near strong enough to stand against the Sacred Cliff City Guards. Moreover, I have always respected the Sacred Cliff City Guards, so there is no way that I would have done that in the first place!"

"How can there be smoke without fire?" the proud-looking young man refused to let it go. "If Sky Snow Manor has been cooperative from the start, why would there be such news at all?"

"This brother here must not be updated on the latest news," Young Master Xuan Hao spoke up this time. "The matter has already been cleared up, and the Sacred Cliff City Guards said that it is nothing but a misunderstanding."

"And who is this brother here?" the proud-looking young man's tone carried a hint of contempt as he narrowed his eyes at Young Master Xuan Hao. "What influence do you belong to?"

"Xuan Hao from the Timeless Flame Sect," Young Master Xuan Hao answered with a smile.

Since he had already revealed his identity to Lieutenant Qingquan before, there was no reason to hide it any longer.

Moreover, Young Master Xuan Hao understood that without a suitable title, he would only be acting as a burden to Grandmaster Tiequan here.

They might not comment outrightly, but some could still be offended by the fact that Grandmaster Tiequan brought a nameless martial artist to such a prestigious event.

After all, the Artificers' Conference was supposed to be a gathering of the top echelons of Sacred Cliff City.

What would happen to it if everyone just started to wilfully bring along their family and friends simply because they were curious?

At that point, the Artificers' Conference would be prestigious only in name.

When the proud-looking young man heard Young Master Xuan Hao's words, he was shocked for a moment, but managed to quickly regain his composure.

"So it is Young Master Xuan Hao of the Timeless Flame Sect, what a surprise..." the proud-looking young man forced out a bitter smile. "I am Squad Leader Sanlong of the Sacred Cliff City Guards. Pleased to meet you."

Lu Tianzi sighed in his heart.

So the other party was a Squad Leader of the Sacred Cliff City Guards. No wonder he was being targeted.

Squad Leader Lingmu who visited Sky Snow Manor before before was probably an acquaintance of this Squad Leader Sanlong.

"Oh?" even Grandmaster Xiangling revealed a look of surprise. "So you are Xuan Hao! You look much better than your older brother Xuan Wen!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Senior," Young Master Xuan Hao answered with a smile.

"To think that the youngest heir candidate to the Timeless Flame Sect will also be here today, what a surprise!" a voice came from behind the group.

At this moment, everyone in the group froze as a chill ran down the back of their spines, causing goosebumps to appear on their skin.

All of them were martial artists at the Origin Core realm and above, with Grandmaster Tiequan and Grandmaster Xiangling even having entered the Overlord realm.

Yet none of them had so much as noticed the presence of this person standing right behind them.

If this person had meant them any harm, all of them could have died without even realising it!

How could they not feel terrified?

Grandmaster Tiequan and Grandmaster Xiangling were the first to react.

They took a quick step back and, with a wave of their hands, forcibly pulled the juniors along with them.

At the same time, they glanced warily at the newcomer.

But when they saw who it was, the wariness in their gaze dissipated immediately, replaced by a look of reverence.

The two Grandmaster Artificers quickly clasped their fists towards the newcomer. "Greetings to Your Excellency!"

Everything happened in a flash, and it was only now that Lu Tianzi was able to react.

He looked at the two Grandmaster Artificers, then looked at the newcomer.

Your Excellency...

Considering how they addressed this person, it could only mean that this newcomer here was the lord of Sacred Cliff City, the Burning Titan Overlord!