The Mages’ Guild! Soon, everyone in the Demon Metropolis would realize that among all the major guilds, only the Mages’ Guild, unlike the others, had failed to hand over authority to Master Rushing Mirror of Flow.

For the President of the Grand Mages’ Guild, this fact was a source of agonizing pain. The fact that the other great guilds had all been brought under the control of this half-breed demon was eloquent proof of the demon's immense value.

But confound it, this half-breed demon possessed absolutely no spiritual power whatsoever! There wasn't even a plausible excuse to invite him to join the Mages’ Guild.

While all the other guilds had extended invitations, the Mages’ Guild was rendered exceptionally awkward by its inability to do so.

If that were the extent of it, it might be tolerable. The problem was that Rushing Mirror of Flow controlled the Inscription Guild. Mages could ignore the other professional guilds, but they absolutely could not ignore the Inscription Guild. Almost every piece of equipment a mage possessed—staves, rings, circlets with special abilities, jewelry, and robes—originated from the hands of these Inscriptionists.

It wouldn't matter if Inscriptionists left the Mages’ Guild; they could still craft magical weaponry for the Demon-Warrior class. But if mages were separated from Inscriptionists, their combat effectiveness would certainly take a massive hit. Although the Inscriptionists wouldn’t stop supplying magical equipment just because the Mages’ Guild refused to recruit Rushing Mirror of Flow, no one could guarantee that the Inscription Guild members would remain pleased with the situation.

If these fellows were truly vexed, or if Rushing Mirror of Flow himself felt slighted by the Mages’ Guild’s omission, even a slight increase in the price of all the magical gear supplied to the Mages’ Guild would accumulate into a terrifying sum.

Who was Rushing Mirror of Flow? A half-breed demon! Furthermore, half of his lineage belonged to the Luciferian line. And what was the Luciferian lineage known for? Unparalleled pride!

Given this, whether Rushing Mirror of Flow would feel resentment was truly an open question.

While various echelons of the Demon Metropolis were inquiring whether Rushing Mirror of Flow would participate in the Imperial Tournament, they quickly received the same answer: "Master Rushing Mirror of Flow, who commands immense and colossal power, has decided to enter the Imperial Tournament as a retainer to Princess Lucifer Flowing Stream."

The moment this news broke, all tiers of society reacted immediately. Almost every prince participating in the Imperial Tournament, along with their respective power bases, felt an overwhelming headache.

If Rushing Mirror of Flow were merely the president of a grand guild, that would be one thing. Once on the stage, who cared what title he held? To showcase oneself before His Great Demon Lord, one must first strike first. At worst, one could later present a generous gift and engage in some diplomacy. After all, one’s status was that of a prince—surely not inherently inferior to a guild president’s.

But this Master Rushing Mirror of Flow now held sway over four major guilds, and the matter of the Demon-Warrior Guild was likely to be settled within a few days, meaning he would effectively command five colossal forces. Even a prince?

Let alone a mere prince, even the Crown Prince had little standing to act arrogantly before this Master.

His comprehensive strength was simply too overwhelming, too absolute!

The princes had to consider matters more deeply. If such a powerful entity were offended, it truly wouldn't be a matter solvable by simply smiling apologetically while delivering vast quantities of treasure to mend the relationship.

Once the news spread, the various princes busied themselves attempting to secure an audience with Master Rushing Mirror of Flow for an advance discussion, hoping to prevent a potentially more difficult situation should they meet him directly during the Imperial Tournament.

However, the princes soon discovered they couldn't contact the Master at all. Master Rushing Mirror of Flow seemed to have vanished into thin air, only occasionally releasing statements that confirmed the rapidly rising half-breed demon was currently living quite prosperously.

“These past few days, aside from the Imperial family not officially dispatching envoys, every other faction in the entire Demon Race has sent members to make contact. However, I hear that the other two ultimate bloodline families are also beginning to show signs of restlessness; it seems they are trying to dispatch envoys to initiate contact.”

Duan Fengbuer, chewing on a withered, yellowed straw, leaned against the wall, gazing at the sky as he muttered to himself, “I wonder what my comrade is up to. He immediately locked himself in his room upon returning and won't allow anyone to disturb him.”

In the Endless World, Qian Jin stood before Akenash’s Inscription Chamber, scratching his scalp. Since the very first day he began studying inscription, the thing his teacher emphasized most was that after mastering the basics, one must engage in extensive self-study; following others blindly would yield no future.

For two straight days, Qian Jin had buried himself in research until his head ached and his eyes turned red, yet he still hadn't grasped a complete clue.

In those two days, Qian Jin finally understood a hard truth: extracting the inscribed magical device from the underground ruins was likely beyond his current capabilities. Although he had spoken quite grandly in front of Lucifer Sirig, when it came to the actual execution of creation, his current skill level might only be sufficient to fool Sirig.

It’s impossible, truly impossible! Qian Jin stood before Akenash’s Inscription Chamber, vexed.

“Teacher…”

“What trouble have you run into now?” Akenash spoke without even lifting his gaze. “Solve it yourself at the bookshelf.”

Qian Jin offered a wry smile and said nothing, swiftly beginning the inscription carving for the largest coffin on a sand table designated for basic practice.

Akenash didn't notice at first, but as his occasional glance swept over the sand table, his expression instantly grew rigid. His eyes, usually indifferent to everything, flickered with faint surprise.

“What is this… a whole line of coffins?”

“Yes,” Qian Jin nodded, showing little surprise. Only those who had truly interacted with Akenash would know how formidable his skill in inscription was; he could grasp the entirety of a creation by merely observing a corner of it.

“Trying to extract what’s stored inside?” Akenash asked with apparent nonchalance, and Qian Jin nodded without concealment.

“Haven't encountered any undead?”

“I did.”

“And you killed them?”

“Mhm.”

Akenash nodded. “Be careful with the collection.” Qian Jin desperately wanted to inquire further about the undead, but he recalled the previous few times he had asked about them, his teacher had always remained silent and offered no answers.

“There’s a schematic on the bookshelf,” Akenash said, pointing to a corner of the shelf, then walked aside with a grim expression to ponder an impossibly complex runic sequence.

Qian Jin quickly located the schematic and slowly unfolded it, realizing it was far more troublesome than he had imagined. The main issue was its sheer size! To reduce it to a palm-sized model was extremely, extremely, extremely difficult.

Go back to Akenash? Qian Jin shook his head. Completing it independently was also a form of tempering. If he relied on his teachers for everything, his growth would be limited.

Reducing the scale meant many structural tolerances would shift! Qian Jin sat facing the schematic for an entire day before beginning his first attempt at construction the next.

Two more days passed… A laboratory room in Akenash’s backyard exploded more times than Qian Jin could count, and countless times he was blasted right out of the Endless World.

Even with the formidable bodies granted by the Wind-Cloud Golden Body and the Supreme Void Soul, being repeatedly blasted out of the Endless World made Qian Jin understand more deeply why Inscriptionists were so rare. This craft was no less dangerous than alchemy or mystery potion-making. His Wind-Cloud Golden Body and Supreme Void Soul, powered by two Golden Core Hearts, still couldn't withstand it.

If this were in the Demon Race or the True Strategy Dynasty, he would have died on the spot, with no chance to continue his research.

Inscriptionists, Alchemists, Mystery Potion Masters—they weren't just created through an accumulation of vast materials; they truly needed to possess unyielding vitality.

In just two days, Qian Jin couldn't help but marvel at how deep Akenash’s coffers must be. Such consumption, if carried out at the Demon Race's Grand Inscription Guild, would likely force the guild’s demon inscriptionists to go dumpster diving just to prevent bankruptcy.

Without materials for countless studies and experiments, one could only solidify knowledge slowly, bit by bit, failing to achieve true mastery or rapid advancement. No matter how talented, it was difficult to produce truly exceptional masters.

Resources! The severe lack of resources severely limited the Inscriptionists, Alchemists, and Mystery Potion Masters of the True Strategy Dynasty, the Demon Race, and the Barbarian Tribes.

Looking at the finished product in his hand, Qian Jin closed his eyes and replayed every step of the process that led to this success, recalling it again and again.

This was one of Akenash's teaching methods: after every success, one must immediately recall the process of success, firmly etching the reasons for that success into memory.

"If a person doesn't even know how they succeeded, they will surely fail next time!"

Qian Jin would never forget those words from Master Akenash.

Several hours of recollection were no less arduous than carving and crafting the inscription itself.

"Player Qian Jin, Inscription Experience Skill increased. Title of Inscriptionist acquired..." A mechanical, emotionless voice suddenly sounded near Qian Jin's ear. He opened his eyes just in time to see his surroundings becoming distorted, accompanied by a second burst of mechanical sound: The player's log-out time has been reached...

Qian Jin sat up in bed, reviewing everything that had just transpired. He hadn't expected to actually achieve the rank of Inscriptionist under these circumstances, no longer the inscription novice he once was. This complex receiving magical device had truly propelled his growth in inscription to an unforeseen degree.

"It’s time to truly forge that receiving magical device." Qian Jin hopped out of bed, tucked away his magic hat, and walked out the door. Seeing Duan Fengbuer and the others outside holding their battle weapons, he sighed. Stealing or robbing for those items—who knew if it would lead to a life-or-death battle?

If it truly came down to a deadly fight, having a good battle weapon was infinitely better than having none. After the Imperial Tournament, he needed to stretch the time out as much as possible to reforge equipment for his companions; these items would be crucial for saving their lives at a critical moment.