TDG : rise of shadow army

Seeing the delicate pastries quickly devoured by Chan Wei, Nie Li, Du Ze, and Lu Piao, the noble children felt dejected and heartbroken. Why didn't they receive such treatment?

Xiao Ning'er also ate a few pieces of pastries. Watching her quietly eat was a sight that warmed the heart and pleased the eyes. After chatting with Chan Wei for a while, Xiao Ning'er returned to her seat.

Lu Piao patted Chan Wei's shoulder, winked at him, and asked, "Since when did you get hooked on our goddess Ning'er? Explain yourself."

Chan Wei turned to Lu Piao and looked at him with a pleading expression, "Brother Lu, could you wait until we are at the library, please?"

Nie Li gave Lu Piao a light tap to stop him from pursuing the matter and smiled at Chan Wei. As the lesson bell began to ring, Shen Xiu swayed her hips as she entered the classroom. Unlike her usual arrogant attitude, the smile on her face resembled a blooming chrysanthemum.

"Everyone, return to your seats!" Shen Xiu commanded while glancing at Nie Li, Du Ze, and Lu Piao. Then she noticed that Chan Wei had returned to her class but spared him only a brief look. There were VIPs here to observe her lecture, so she naturally didn't dare to act recklessly.

"Today, I will be discussing inscription patterns. Whether one is a fighter or a demon spiritualist, inscription patterns are extremely important. Inscription patterns are divided into two parts: enchantment patterns and combat patterns. Enchantment patterns can be inscribed on armor and weapons," she proclaimed.

"Since they can significantly enhance the combat abilities of these armors and weapons, especially when used by a demon spiritualist, they can unleash far more power than their base strength. As for combat patterns, they are used with inscription pattern scrolls. By inscribing them onto a scroll and activating it, one can experience a sudden surge in combat strength!"

"Inscription patterns are incredibly profound and mysterious. They have existed since the era of the Snow Wind Empire. Over time, they have continuously improved. However, during the Age of Darkness, the continent was under the relentless attack of numerous demon beasts. Glory City only managed to inherit a small portion of three categories—Snow Wind Patterns, Sacred Flame Patterns. These include the attributes of Snow Wind, Fire, and Neutral."

"Today, we will discuss enchantment patterns," Shen Xiu said gently, her tone much softer than usual.

Outside the classroom, three elderly men sat together, listening to the lecture.

"The knowledge of the Sacred Family is quite deep. Having her teach these students is certainly more than sufficient!" one of the elderly men said with a smile. This was Ye Sheng, the vice principal of the Holy Orchid Institute.

"Some students in this class are quite promising, whether it's Ye Ziyun, Shen Yue, or Xiao Ning'er," said another elderly man, appearing quite pleased. He was Lu Ye, a teacher at the Holy Orchid Institute.

Looking at his list, he murmured, "Strange, there is a student without a test result next to his name—Chan Wei."

Aside from Ye Sheng, a gray-robed elder sat beside them. Lu Ye did not know the identity of this elder. The gray-robed elder sat casually but exuded a powerful aura of prestige, making Lu Ye choose his words carefully. He did not dare to make even a slight mistake in his speech.

"What do you think?" Ye Sheng asked, looking at the gray-robed elder.

"Mhm," the elder responded noncommittally.

"Why is there a Bronze-ranked demon spiritualist in this class?" he asked calmly.

Although Nie Li could easily conceal his soul fluctuations, even in front of an expert, Chan Wei could only suppress his presence against those up to two levels higher than himself. If an expert at the Black Gold rank examined him, they would immediately see his true level.

Lu Ye murmured in his heart, "What is the identity of this gray-robed elder? He actually treated Vice Principal Ye Sheng with such indifference. His status must be high. I fear his rank may even surpass that of the Holy Orchid Institute's principal."

"I don't see what you mean. Normally, none of the students should have reached the Bronze rank; otherwise, at this age, they would be in the genius class," said Vice Principal Ye Sheng calmly.

"We shall see after the class. For now, let's observe quietly," the gray-robed elder stated, sensing the fluctuations. This student was already at least at the Bronze 2-star rank.

The students in the class were unaware that people outside were observing the lecture. It was hard to imagine that Shen Xiu was actually speaking about something important, so everyone paid attention and listened.

Shen Xiu slightly raised her chest. Her face, full of pride, declared, "Today, I want to talk about Sacred Flame Patterns! In the research on Sacred Flame Patterns, the Sacred Family is undoubtedly at the forefront!"

Shen Xiu continued speaking incessantly. However, Chan Wei was truly surprised at the sheer audacity of the Sacred Family in their blatant plagiarism.

Back on Earth, it was like someone claiming Leonardo da Vinci's discoveries as their own just because no one understood the language he wrote in. Despite everything, he felt a certain ease in understanding inscription patterns. It seemed similar to mathematical equations from his world—once balance was achieved, the result would be easy to predict.

"I should conduct some experiments designing inscription patterns and ask Nie Li to verify if they are viable. If I succeed in some, I should focus on them," Chan Wei thought to himself.

Most students in the class listened with great interest, but Nie Li was the only one who paid no attention. He had no interest in these basic patterns. Moreover, Shen Xiu was wrong in her explanations.

Shen Xiu's gaze swept across the class, finally landing on Nie Li.

Previously, Nie Li had contradicted and humiliated her. He even made a bet with her. She had been hating him in her heart all this time. When she saw Nie Li not paying attention to the lesson, she laughed internally. She had finally found her chance!

Shen Xiu continued rambling about the 36 foundation patterns. Nie Li had absolutely no interest and simply lay down on the table.

At that moment, Vice Principal Ye Sheng, who was sitting outside, was not pleased when he saw this. He glanced at the gray-robed elder beside him.

There was an important figure here today to observe the lecture, and yet this student was actually sleeping in class. He was simply throwing mud on the reputation of the Holy Orchid Institute!

He didn't know this student's name, but if he did, he would definitely expel him from the institute and never allow him to return!

Seeing that the gray-robed elder had no reaction to Nie Li's actions, Vice Principal Ye Sheng secretly sighed in relief.

Lu Ye, who was sitting beside them, spoke sternly, "In the apprentice fighter class, there will inevitably be good and bad students mixed together. I will certainly punish this student later! Parents spend so much money to send them to school, not to let them sleep!"

Ye Sheng nodded. Lu Ye knew his responsibilities well.

Because Nie Li had fallen asleep, the entire class saw Shen Xiu's face darken. A student sleeping in class meant her lecture was boring?

"Nie Li!" Shen Xiu spoke in a heavy tone as she walked toward Nie Li, but she hesitated when she passed by Chan Wei, who was now staring at her. His icy gaze made her extremely uncomfortable.

Nie Li was happily sleeping, having lacked rest over the past week. He barely opened his eyes, still feeling quite drowsy, and asked, "What is it?"

Seeing Shen Xiu waking Nie Li, a group of noble children secretly laughed. They wanted to see Nie Li in trouble.

"Professor, far be it from me to criticize you, but I believe you made an error earlier," Chan Wei remarked without taking his eyes off her.

"Oh? Would Student Chan Wei be so kind as to show me where?" she replied sarcastically. If there weren't people observing outside, she might have exploded at such a comment, but she held herself back.

"This is a low-level Sacred Flame Pattern. It can barely be considered a Bronze pattern with 38 foundational patterns in its structure," replied Chan Wei, aiming to take some of Nie Li's prestige to gain a bit of protection.

"Haha, I almost died laughing. He really didn't listen to what the professor said. He actually claims the Scarlet Sunburst pattern has 38 foundation patterns in its structure when earlier, Professor Shen Xiu clearly stated that it has 36 foundation patterns!" said one of the nobles.

"So what? He just pointed out that she made a mistake, so of course, he wouldn't repeat what she said, right?" replied another.

Among all the students, only Xiao Ning'er remained calm. She believed that Chan Wei had surely learned this from interacting with Nie Li through books. These people did not know Nie Li's true talent.

At that moment, outside the classroom, Lu Ye also laughed. "This student is really amusing. This 'intelligent' student actually claims that the Scarlet Sunburst pattern has 38 foundation patterns."

As he laughed, he noticed that Vice Principal Ye Sheng and the gray-robed elder had not laughed along. He suddenly stopped, swallowing his laughter.

"What's so funny? The Scarlet Sunburst is indeed composed of 38 foundation patterns," said Vice Principal Ye Sheng calmly. At his level and that of the gray-robed elder, with thorough investigation, they had discovered that there were two foundation patterns within the Scarlet Sunburst pattern that were not just composed of two foundation patterns but actually derived from four foundation patterns. However, what shocked them was that this information had actually come from a student.

Had this student simply guessed at random? For experts like them, the Scarlet Sunburst—such a useless inscription pattern—was only good for boiling water; its actual combat effectiveness was very low.

A flicker of light passed through the gray-robed elder's eyes, but he remained silent, thinking, So it's that Bronze-ranked student… There's something unusual about him.

"Nonsense!" Shen Xiu growled angrily, her face darkening. As a member of the Sacred Family, she naturally couldn't tolerate anyone degrading the Scarlet Sunburst pattern in front of them.

"Nie Li, you agree with me, don't you?" Chan Wei said with a smile, looking toward him. With a sly grin, Nie Li picked up the conversation.

"Absolutely, brother. This inscription pattern was originally created from the seventh volume of the Divine Lightning Fire Book. The original name of this pattern was the Lightning Flame Burst Pattern. It consisted of 60 foundation patterns. It could be considered somewhat complex, but then a so-called 'intelligent donkey' decided to cut part of the inscription pattern, modify it slightly, and turn it into this unremarkable Scarlet Sunburst pattern," he said with a mocking smile before continuing.

"Since it lacked any real combat capabilities, it was merely given to practitioners of the Sacred Flame pattern for study."

Nie Li had just implied that the first-generation head of the Sacred Family was an "intelligent donkey"!

Shen Xiu was beyond furious. She had never heard of any Divine Lightning Fire Book or the contents recorded in its seventh volume.

"Ridiculous! Such a book doesn't exist in this world!" Shen Xiu paused for a moment before retorting. "What seventh volume of the Divine Lightning Fire Book? This must be another one of Nie Li's absurdities!"

Seeing how furious Shen Xiu had become, Nie Li chuckled slightly and said, "Professor Shen Xiu, you seem to be so well-informed. You claim the book doesn't exist simply because you've never seen it before. Does that mean you've read every book in the world?"

"Divine Lightning Fire Book? Oh, I remember now! I think I borrowed such a book from the library!" Chan Wei suddenly said with a wide grin.

He had borrowed the book specifically for this day and had even stopped another commoner from bringing it up earlier by giving him a knowing glance. The student understood and remained silent, not wanting to be targeted by Shen Xiu.

The voice of this particular student darkened Shen Xiu's face.

Chan Wei opened the Divine Lightning Fire Book. This book was a copied version, not the original. It was written in the language of the Snow Wind Empire. Only the first volume had been translated, while the other volumes remained untouched.

The written language from the era of the Snow Wind Empire was very obscure. Ordinary people couldn't understand it.

Not expecting such a book to actually exist, even Vice Principal Ye Sheng and Lu Ye exchanged surprised glances.

Although they were the vice principal and a professor of the Holy Orchid Institute, the library contained easily over a hundred thousand books, 90% of which had been left untouched since ancient times. Even they couldn't recall the names of every book.

There were also many books they themselves couldn't translate.

Even the gray-robed elder sitting beside Ye Sheng and Lu Ye showed a hint of surprise on his face. Even he had never read the Divine Lightning Fire Book before.

"Ye Sheng, send someone to the library to retrieve the Divine Lightning Fire Book!" ordered the gray-robed elder.

"Yes!" Ye Sheng looked at Lu Ye beside him. Lu Ye didn't dare delay and quickly ran off.

Every student in the class focused their eyes on the Divine Lightning Fire Book that Chan Wei was holding.

Ye Ziyun and Shen Yue were also very surprised.

As members of the three major families, they had read many books, but they had never heard of a book called the Divine Lightning Fire Book.

This book was too obscure, so very few people had ever taken the initiative to learn from it.

Shen Xiu's face turned icy cold as she said, "You probably found this book in some corner of the library and don't even know what's written in it. Yet, you dare claim that the Scarlet Sunburst pattern comes from this book! Arrogant child, you dare to sully the ancestors of my Sacred Family! If you can't find the inscription pattern, I will take this matter to the Holy Judgment Hall and sue you for defaming my ancestors!"

Nie Li burst into laughter and said, "Teacher Shen Xiu, it's still too early for you to say such things. This book dates back to the era of the Snow Wind Empire, existing for several thousand years. The time of its creation is far longer than the existence of the Sacred Family, isn't that right?"

"Correct!" Shen Xiu replied with a nod. This was an undeniable fact.

"Then it's simple." Nie Li looked at Chan Wei with a smile and said, "Turn back thirty pages from volume seven. Look at the sixth diagram on page thirty. Compare it with the Scarlet Sunburst inscription pattern."

Seeing the confidence on Nie Li's face, Shen Xiu's heart tightened. If Nie Li truly uncovered the origin of the Scarlet Sunburst inscription pattern, it would be a devastating blow to the Sacred Family. The Sacred Family had publicly declared that the Scarlet Sunburst pattern, along with sixteen other inscription patterns, had been created by the first-generation head of the Sacred Family.

This announcement had greatly boosted the reputation of the Sacred Family. If the public were to discover that these inscription patterns were actually plagiarized from an ancient book, the Sacred Family's reputation would suffer immensely.

Seeing the traces of fear appear on Shen Xiu's face, Nie Li secretly smiled. The Sacred Family's fame was largely built upon its status as the holder of the Sacred Flame inscription patterns, which had been claimed by many past family heads as their original creations.

"I need to help him as in the original, but I think I'll take this chance to secure some protection for myself as well, just in case." Chan Wei thought.

Quickly retrieving the book, he flipped to the marked page.

"The pattern is exactly the same, except that the one in the book is more complex. It looks like you were right, brother—it's missing half of it."

A collective gasp of surprise came from the students. The Lightning Fire inscription pattern consisted of two parts, with one part looking exactly like the Scarlet Sunburst pattern. The Scarlet Sunburst pattern was far simpler than the Lightning Fire pattern, which was essentially just half of the original.