Birth of the Demonic Sword

Chief Ash held back from revealing anything valuable even after realizing that Noah was above average newly ascended cultivators in terms of talent.

Of course, Noah didn't reveal the truth about his growth speed either. Her reactions had told him that his talent was a currency he could use once he found a suitable environment. Yet, her lack of cooperation had eventually forced him to leave the library.

Noah didn't want to remain entangled in organizations. He would consider them only after learning more about the environment of the Immortal Lands, but he would rather avoid them at all if he had the chance.

Still, it became clear that he needed money to obtain the information he needed to decide how to behave in the higher plane. Earning Soul Stones seemed hard for cultivators that didn't belong to organizations, but he had a few ideas on how to solve that issue already.

Noah had obtained many valuable materials during his voyage toward Vagona city. He didn't eat the entirety of the prey hunted through his journey, so he could trade some of them for that currency.

All the shops in the city required divine materials. Noah guessed that they had specific suppliers aware of their needs, but he predicted that he could sell his resources without joining any organization.

Noah expected the shops to lower his materials' price due to his lack of backing, but he didn't mind it as long as he could access the city's shops.

Another idea involved the inscription halls seen as he walked through the city. They always had large crowds of cultivators in the heroic and divine ranks staring at the gardens that encircled their main buildings. Experts performed inscriptions there, but Noah had ignored them before during his first exploration.

Still, his second exploration revealed that anyone could enter the inscription halls and show his expertise. The cultivators waiting outside could then place an offer for any finished product, and the inscription hall itself could take an interest in the experts involved in those procedures.

Noah had yet to understand if he could perform inscriptions in the Immortal Lands. He had completed a few quick tests during his voyage, but he had never attempted to create a proper inscribed weapon since his training had occupied most of his time.

However, the inscription halls could give him the chance to test his ability and compare it to other divine experts. He could even gain something out of it if he managed to build a stable product.

As for the experts belonging to the inscription hall, Noah didn't even consider the possibility of attracting their attention. The items in Vagona city had gone through multiple polishing, and the messy products of the Elemental Forging method didn't fit that haughty environment.

'It's better to avoid crowded inscription halls,' Noah thought as he walked through the white streets.

Fewer customers would give him fewer chances to sell his products, but Noah was still too wary of his surroundings to jump into proper competitions. Moreover, he didn't want to interact with the population of Vagona city too much due to his lack of knowledge about its political system.

Noah tried to study some of the inscription masters performing in the most crowded halls, but he soon discovered that he had to pay one Soul Stone to be part of the audience. The barriers around the structures also blocked most of his mental waves, so he couldn't even see which inscription methods the experts inside them used.

The idea to learn about his competition waned before even forming, but Noah used that discovery to approach the second phase of his plan more quickly.

Noah walked until he found a smaller inscription hall that didn't have any picture on its label. It only had a few runes that conveyed the function of that building.

A few old-looking rank 7 cultivators sat in front of the entrance and observed the single expert performing inscriptions on the other side of the short defensive walls. Noah could see what the master was doing, but he didn't dare to force the barrier to spy on the area.

"Three Soul Stones to join the auction," A rank 7 cultivator in the gaseous stage said as he placed himself between Noah and the entrance to the inscription hall.

"I'm not a buyer," Noah replied as he tried to sound as polite as possible, "I'm here to perform inscriptions."

Noah's words stirred the curiosity of the guard who inspected him from head to toe. It was hard for cultivators to recognize Noah's peculiar status when he didn't show his physical strength, but the gaseous stage expert didn't look for those features.

"This inscription hall is quite famous," The guard said when he understood that Noah was a newbie of the Immortal Lands. "We can offer you only a day free of charge. You will need to pay afterward."

Noah could only nod at those words. He didn't even want to ask about the price to join the insides of the inscription hall, but he didn't mind it for now.

One day was more than enough to understand if he could perform inscriptions, and he could always change building if that inscription hall were to refuse him at some point.

The guard sighed and let him pass after his positive answer. Noah lost contact with the outside world once he crossed the structure's barrier, but its insides became apparent when he stepped into the large garden around the central building.

Noah could finally see the expert performing inscriptions in one corner of the garden. He was a rank 7 cultivator in the gaseous stage with long white hair and a youthful appearance. The man had grey eyes and wore a grey robe with a large black rune drawn on its chest.

The man ignored Noah and remained focused on his inscription method. An azure gas flowed out of his head and fused with the crystals in his palms, slowly altering their shape and aura.

The process resembled the inscription method of the natives of the other world, but Noah could sense that the azure gas didn't carry simple meanings. It seemed to exude something more complicated, but a loud voice suddenly resounded in his mind and forced him to stop his analysis.

"Don't try to copy other's inscription methods," An ancient voice resounded inside Noah's head. "It's a crime to steal ideas from other masters. This will be your last warning."

'They always understand that I'm not from the place,' Noah thought as he diverted his gaze from the other inscription master and sat near the entrance to focus on his creation.

Noah didn't need to create a blueprint or invent a new product. The materials inside the separate space were too different from what he had used in the lower plane. Also, he already had the perfect idea for that procedure.

There was one inscribed weapon that had accompanied Noah since the events inside the Odrea nation. His bombs only required one material and his saber-shaped runes, making them the cheapest item in Noah's knowledge.

That made them perfect for his current situation. Noah could attempt to complete them without wasting too many materials. At worst, they could threaten to explode before stabilizing, but the separate space could cover for that feature.