Chapter 9: The Great Golden Armor Shield (Part 2)

Guo Shier said, “It’s nothing… Actually, Leopard and the others are more suited to training within the sect. When they reach the level of senior masters, they can take the Essence Blood Beads of the Great Golden Armor. Hehe, they can’t take them now—it would kill them… Even I find it difficult.”
Luo Zhan shuddered. He certainly knew what that was like and said, “Mm, it’s terrifying, but the effects are surprisingly good.”
Guo Shier replied, “Yeah, I never expected that just one Essence Blood Bead could elevate me to an intermediate Holy Master. Once things settle down, I’ll use Soul Essence Beads to help the Dark-Winged Scorpions and Blade Shadow Beetles advance. Only after seeing the Great Golden Armor did I realize how weak they are. It seems I still need to improve my strength. Relying on insect talismans and beast talismans will eventually backfire.”
Luo Zhan asked in confusion, “Your strength is still weak?”
Guo Shier said seriously, “Not weak… extremely weak! You’ve never seen truly powerful people. Even a Great Holy Master isn’t anything.” He thought of Li Ran and Chou Mo—facing them was like facing towering mountains; they were completely on another level. He had also imagined that if he could build his own soul altar, then his life would truly be secure.
Luo Zhan found it hard to understand, as he had never seen such things.
After resting for another two days, until the Eagle Demon fully mastered the Great Golden Armor Talisman Shield, the three left the riverbank and flew toward the Fire Sect.
They arrived at the Fire Sect’s territory smoothly. Gradually, they saw many professionals, all in a hurry. Guo Shier asked curiously, “They seem to be busy with something?”
The Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan also noticed that the professionals were busy with something, but it wasn’t appropriate to inquire at the moment. The Eagle Demon said, “It’s better to find a place to rest and eat first, then ask around—that’s safer.”
Guo Shier examined the talisman map and said, “There’s a small city ahead, Linhuo City. Let’s go there to rest and eat.”
Linhuo City was a border city of the Fire Sect. Leaving Linhuo City, one could quickly enter the grasslands, cross the Gobi Desert, and enter the Fire Mountain Region—this was the last supply city for professionals. Linhuo City wasn’t large, with mainly two streets: one lined with inns and restaurants, and the other with various shops selling supplies needed by professionals.
After entering the city, the three went to the street with inns and restaurants. The road was paved with gravel, not wide, with dense inns and restaurants on both sides. People came and went, mostly professionals.
“Let’s go there.”

Eagle Demon pointed to a restaurant. Unusually, it had a banner with a rune on it, meaning “eat.” Guo Shier felt both surprised and amused, as this rune not only meant eating but also entailed the ideas of devouring and refining, and was commonly used when gathering materials.
In the sects of the Advanced Continent, many runes had been learned by ordinary people. Although they couldn’t use them, they had become a form of elegant writing and a symbol of status. As an ordinary person, it would be embarrassing not to know a few runes when chatting with friends.
This restaurant wasn’t very large, with only two floors and a wooden structure, reinforced with runes—clearly the work of low-level professionals. The downstairs hall was open, with low tables, each having a salt dish. Most of those eating were professionals, sitting cross-legged around the tables. The food was simple: meat soup, plain boiled meat, and bread.
Aside from a few professionals who cared about their meals, most were casual, as long as they could fill their stomachs. Guo Shier sometimes thought that opening a large restaurant in a place full of professionals would be very profitable. However, professionals didn’t place much value on money, as no matter how much they earned, it didn’t greatly help improve their strength.
As the three entered, a beautiful woman came forward and greeted them, “Looking to eat? Please follow me.” She was clearly an ordinary person, but unlike ordinary people on the mid- to low-level continents who revered professionals, she gave off a pleasant impression.
The three sat around a small table, and Eagle Demon casually ordered a few dishes.
Guo Shier closed his eyes and listened to other professionals talking. Luo Zhan looked around. It was mealtime, and although the first floor wasn’t full, there were still many people chatting noisily.
After listening for a while, Guo Shier didn’t hear what he wanted to know; most people were talking about trivial matters.
Luo Zhan said, “I’ll go ask around.” He had already found someone to inquire with—a middle-aged professional sitting alone, with some leftovers on his table, almost gone.
Guo Shier narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “Don’t go. That person is a sage. I’ll go instead.” Although professionals didn’t have strict hierarchical rules, high-level professionals naturally had an air of arrogance toward those weaker than them. Guo Shier was afraid Luo Zhan would encounter trouble.
Luo Zhan just stood up, not yet realizing this issue. Since Guo Shier wanted to go, he said, “Okay, I’ll go with you.”
Guo Shier walked up to the man and said, “Excuse me.”

The man waved and said, “Please sit. Go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind.” He seemed very casual. The two sat down one after another. Guo Shier said, “I’m a professional from the Xinxiji Continent. My name is Guo Shier, an intermediate-level Spellmaster.” This kind of self-introduction was popular everywhere, whether on lower or higher continents. Luo Zhan bowed slightly and said, “I’m Luo Zhan, an intermediate-level Spell-Warrior Master.” The man smiled and said, “Xinxiji Continent? That’s quite far away… I’m an outer disciple of the Fire Sect, Xu Yan, a junior-level Spell-Warrior Master.” Guo Shier was pleased. As an outer disciple of the Fire Sect, Xu Yan should know some things. He said politely, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. So you’re a disciple of the Fire Sect. My apologies for my ignorance earlier.” Although Xu Yan wasn’t as advanced as Guo Shier, being a local disciple of the Fire Sect gave him confidence. He said, “No need to apologize. You’re quite young, Guo Master. Well, go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind.” Guo Shier said, “Well, there’s not much really. It’s just that this is my first time on the Earthfire Continent, and I don’t know anything here. I want to understand the situation. I wonder if there are any taboos on this continent… so I won’t accidentally cause trouble.” He couldn’t ask sensitive questions, so he decided to probe first. Since professionals traveled everywhere, it was essential to adapt to local customs. Xu Yan nodded. If he were on another continent, he would also inquire about such things. He said, “If you enter the territory of the Fire Sect, you need to go to Chihuo City to register and get an identity token. That way, you won’t have any problems operating within the Fire Sect.” Guo Shier casually took out a bottle of wine—he had brewed it himself. Once he mastered the power of spells, brewing wine became very easy. He smiled and said, “Master Xu, please have some wine from my hometown.” What he took out was a Spell Bottle, capable of holding hundreds of pounds of wine. This was a highly concentrated wine, very different from the wine of his past life. It contained powerful life energy and was very beneficial to professionals’ health. Guo Shier had brewed a total of ten such bottles. He had never shown them before, as he was just testing the results. Luo Zhan watched Guo Shier curiously, not understanding why he wanted to offer wine to others. He had no idea that in his past life, Guo Shier always used drinking as a way to get close to people. Luo Zhan quickly cleared a small table. Guo Shier took out some cold dishes, all kinds of marinated meats, and said with a smile, “This wine is brewed by me. Master Xu, you can give it a try. It’s delicious.” He poured three bowls and drank one himself first.

Xu Yan curiously examined the wine before him. A pleasant aroma wafted toward him—the scent of life. The wine was a deep green color, extremely viscous, and looked very appealing.
Guo Shier drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp, secretly amazed. To experience such a flavor while drinking was unbelievable even to him. A surge of vitality spread throughout his body, and he immediately realized that this wine was successfully brewed.
Xu Yan, smelling its fragrance, couldn’t resist taking a sip. He was slightly stunned, took another sip, and exclaimed, “Great! Excellent!”
Eagle Demon also came over, sat cross-legged, and asked, “Shier, what excellent thing is it?”
Guo Shier introduced, “This is Xu Yan from the Fire Sect. Master Xu, this is Eagle Demon, an intermediate Symbol-Warrior Saint Master and my companion.”
Xu Yan nodded. He picked up the wine bowl and drank it in one gulp, then smacked his lips and said, “Is this a specialty from your hometown? Hehe, not bad. Give me another bowl.”
Guo Shier poured more wine, casually responding. At the drinking table, few could match him. In his past life, he had been skilled at such gatherings in the military camp, whether persuading others to drink or keeping the atmosphere lively.
In less than half an hour, Xu Yan was already drunk. Since he had no experience drinking, it was only natural for him to get drunk so quickly.
Guo Shier smiled and said, “Master Xu, I see the disciples of your Fire Sect are in a hurry… Has something happened?” Only then did he ask the question on his mind.
Xu Yan seemed excited and said cheerfully, “The sect has recently assigned a batch of tasks. Those are the disciples going on those missions.”
Guo Shier said, “So many people… Hehe, what kind of task requires so many disciples?”
Xu Yan replied with a smile, “It seems to be about searching for someone… Some of our outer sect disciples are involved too… But I don’t want to take part. Searching for people is the most difficult—especially… searching across the continent, in secret realms and such… It’s chaotic and exhausting. I’m too lazy to bother…” His tongue was slurred, but he still managed to speak clearly enough.
Guo Shier and Eagle Demon exchanged a glance. Eagle Demon smiled and said, “Come on, have another bowl! Hehe, are they looking for someone from your Fire Sect?”
Xu Yan drained another bowl of wine and continued, “It’s someone from our Fire Sect… But… I… I haven’t seen… the specific details of the task… So I… don’t know who it is…”
Guo Shier casually said, “It seems quite important.”
Xu Yan, already dizzy from drinking, said, “Of course. Otherwise, they wouldn’t deploy so many inner sect disciples…”

Not far away, an old man suddenly stood up, walked slowly toward them, and stared at Xu Yan before saying calmly, “Don’t say what shouldn’t be said!” With that, he cast a spell; a virtual symbol transformed into a wisp of pure energy that rushed straight into Xu Yan’s head. Instantly, Xu Yan’s gaze became clear.
Guo Shier thought to himself, “Oh no!”