The truth was, Lin Ming hadn't ignored the memories about the Inscription Master because he intended to abandon them. He was simply too fixated on Martial Cultivation. Merging memories was an arduous task, equivalent to cramming an entire tome in a short time, and it took a heavy toll on his mind. Lin Ming didn't have the energy to research things like Arrays while practicing Martial Cultivation. But now, he had changed his mind. He had to study these memories of the Inscription Master because he was broke!
When it came to herbs for Body Cultivation, there was no 'best,' only 'better.' The ones he was currently using were all cheap Healing Medicines. Some medicinal herbs could even directly increase one's Cultivation and help break through bottlenecks. Unsurprisingly, this category of herbs was ridiculously expensive.
On top of that, Weapons, Martial Skills, and Soft Armor all required money. Lin Ming's one thousand taels of gold wouldn't be nearly enough to support his Cultivation until the Meridian Condensation Stage.
He needed to earn money by becoming an Inscription Master. Lin Ming made his decision on the spot: he would rent a private room and begin merging the remaining memories from the Unowned Soul Fragment in his mind.
This segment of memories made up the bulk of the Unowned Soul Fragment and was exceedingly obscure and difficult to comprehend. Lin Ming spent several hours just on the merging process, leaving Lin Xiaodong to wander the trade fair by himself. As he roamed, he grumbled inwardly, 'Coming to a trade fair just to practice Cultivation? Doesn't he have anything better to do?'
By the time afternoon arrived, Lin Ming finally opened his eyes. Though his head was splitting with pain, his eyes were filled with pure elation.
'The Inscription Technique from the Divine Realm… its sophistication is far beyond anything these lower planes can compare to!'
'This Inscription Technique can not only enhance the abilities of equipment but also amplify the effects of Elixirs! And if I practice it to the extreme, I can even apply Inscriptions to my own body to speed up my Cultivation!'
'This is the culmination of countless Great Abilities in the Divine Realm, who researched and accumulated this knowledge bit by bit over myriad ages! The Inscription Technique of the lower planes, by contrast, has only been passed down for a few thousand years—ten thousand at the absolute most. Moreover, much of its precious information has been lost over time as Sects were destroyed.'
The Inscription Technique of the Celestial Derivation Continent could only enhance equipment. Even in that single aspect, the gap between it and the Divine Realm's Inscription Technique was as vast as the difference between the clouds and the mud.
Lin Ming pushed himself to his feet, a wave of dizziness washing over him. The sensation of having such a massive amount of information forcibly crammed into his mind was deeply unpleasant. He had just spent three hours and had only managed to merge half of the memories, but he already had a clear idea of what he needed to do.
'First, I need to buy materials and start practicing from the very basics! I have to learn this Inscription Technique.' The methods for amplifying the effects of Elixirs and applying Inscriptions to the body were what he yearned for most.
'After all, some precious Medicinal Herbs can't be bought with money. If I could use the Inscription Technique to amplify their effects, one stalk would be as effective as two. Just imagine what that means!'
'And as for body Inscriptions that increase Cultivation speed, that goes without saying. It would be like forcibly raising the grade of my own talent!'
However, the thought of buying materials turned Lin Ming's excitement into a wry smile. 'The eight hundred-odd taels of Gold I just got my hands on are going to be spent before they've even warmed my pockets!'
The juice of Celestial Wind Grass, the blood of a Third-Level Ferocious Beast, the molted shell of a Long-tailed Cicada, the antennae of an Icebound Shrimp... Lin Ming began frantically purchasing materials. He could find very few of the ingredients from his memories. Many were likely exclusive to the Divine Realm, and even for those that did exist on the Celestial Derivation Continent, they weren't necessarily available in Tianyun Country.
Still, Lin Ming managed to gather the materials to create a few types of low-level Inscription Talismans. At least he would have something to practice with when he returned. 'Practicing the Inscription Technique is such a money sink,' he thought. 'I have to successfully create at least a few talismans with these materials and sell them, or I won't have any more capital.'
Lin Ming was in the middle of his calculations when Lin Xiaodong returned. Seeing the mountain of materials piled in front of Lin Ming, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Dude, what is all this?"
For a moment, Lin Ming was at a loss for words. He could only answer truthfully, "I want to learn the Inscription Technique."
"Learn... learn what?" Lin Xiaodong's normally small eyes went as wide as eggs. He could scarcely believe what he was hearing.
"Learn the Inscription Technique," Lin Ming repeated, bracing himself.
"Holy hell! Bro, my dear bro, did you hit your head this morning or something? You're going to learn the Inscription Technique with less than one thousand taels of gold? And you don't even have a teacher!"
"I bought a Secret Manual," Lin Ming said with a sigh, pointing to a book on the table titled *Introduction to Inscription Technique*. He had mostly bought the book to get an overview of the Inscription Technique on the Celestial Derivation Continent, giving him a basis for comparison and a general understanding.
Lin Xiaodong stared at the copy of *Introduction to Inscription Technique*, which looked like a cheap knock-off, and nearly coughed up blood. He was completely speechless. He deeply regretted ever bragging to Lin Ming about how amazing Inscription Masters were. 'This is just great,' he thought. 'The guy's gone completely insane.'
Looking at all the materials, Lin Xiaodong felt his heart bleed. He really didn't want to know the answer, but he still looked at Lin Ming and asked haltingly, "H-how much... did all these materials cost...?"
Lin Ming replied with a sigh, "Seventy taels of gold..."
Lin Xiaodong let out a sigh of relief. Seventy taels of gold was still acceptable. However, he hadn't even finished exhaling when Lin Ming's next words nearly made him pass out.
Lin Ming said, "I *only* have seventy taels left."
Lin Xiaodong's vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.
...
...
"Young Master, take a look. A top-quality Inscription Talisman Paper, a work by Master Bai Hong himself! Use it on a Treasure Artifact, and I guarantee its power will increase by at least twenty percent!"
In the inner trading hall of the trade fair, an attendant in formal attire was speaking to one of the Noble Family Members. Generally, after an Inscription is created, it is infused into talisman paper for sale. To use it, one simply has to activate the paper, and the Inscription will automatically brand itself onto a Treasure Artifact. It's incredibly convenient.
This inner trading hall wasn't a place just anyone could enter. It required an entrance fee of five taels of gold. To an ordinary Martial Artist, this was no small sum—it was enough to buy Medicinal Herbs for half a month of Cultivation.
Lin Ming had paid the fee to get in just to broaden his horizons. Now, his entire net worth was down to sixty-five taels of gold. He had to tread carefully in the inner trading hall. 'If I accidentally knock over one of these vases or jars,' he thought, 'I couldn't afford to pay for it even if I sold myself.'
Lin Ming wanted to find out just how profitable the Inscription Technique really was. Since products made with the Inscription Technique could only be found in the inner trading hall, he had no choice but to pay the fee to get in.
"A work by Master Bai Hong?" The Noble Son paused, clearly intrigued by the name. "Do you have a certificate?"
"Of course. This is the certificate of authenticity issued by the Inscription Master Guild. Rest assured, Young Master, everything sold in our trading hall is guaranteed to be authentic. If you find a fake, we will compensate you ten times its value."
"Hm. How much gold?"
"One thousand five hundred taels. However, if you have a VIP card, you can receive a ten percent discount."
"Hmm... let me think about it..." The Noble Son mused for a moment. Clearly, even for someone of his considerable wealth, one thousand five hundred taels of gold was no small sum.
Hearing the price, even though Lin Ming had prepared himself, he was still stunned. 'One thousand five hundred taels of gold! That's outright robbery!'
'But... if I master the Inscription Technique, won't I be able to make an absolute fortune!'
At this thought, Lin Ming grew excited all over again. He could hardly wait to start learning the Inscription Technique.