The head master has a new female apprentice

Chapter 464 The Unopenable Inscription-Level Scroll (First Update)
As various forces, having caught wind of the situation, rushed to the Liu family to investigate—

Deep in the sixth desolate wasteland, a crescent moon hangs like a hook.

Zhou Qing sat cross-legged on a jagged rock, the top-grade spirit stone in his hand turning into dust at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The blood scabs covering his body gleamed dark red in the moonlight, yet they couldn't conceal the chilling aura of killing intent emanating from him.

Shen Juefeng and his two companions formed a triangular formation on the outside, constantly looking back every now and then.

Every time his gaze fell upon that blood-soaked figure, his pupils would tremble.

At the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm, he ventured alone into the Dragon Pool.

To single-handedly slay three supreme beings—such a feat would likely shock the entire Heavenly Fortune Holy Dynasty if word got out.

Even Shen Juefeng, whose cultivation had reached the Supreme Realm, had to admit that he had no chance of replicating such a record.

Not to mention Shen Lieyang, who is also in the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm.

Although Liu Xuancang was severely injured and suffering a backlash, and his lifespan was about to end, he was still an old monster who had lived for nearly ten thousand years.

Even a dying tiger's claws and teeth can still tear apart an ordinary early-stage Supreme Being.

However, Zhou Qing ended the battle in just three hours!

"What kind of tricks is this child hiding?" Shen Juefeng stared intently at Zhou Qing, his eyes filled with not only amazement but also undisguised admiration.

Shen Lieyang, who was standing to the side, was also deeply shocked.

How could his nephew-in-law treat the supreme ruler like dirt?
If it were me, I'd probably be crushed to ashes in a single encounter!
Moreover, Zhou Qing didn't have this kind of power in the Shen family five years ago.

Otherwise, how could the Shen family have been destroyed in that battle? And how could Han Yi have died so tragically?

Just five years.

Just five years!

From a hasty escape to dominating the supreme realm—such a terrifying rate of growth is chilling to even contemplate.
Shen Yunzhou stared intently at Zhou Qing, his eyes filled with reverence.

He still remembered the scene when the two first met - when he first arrived in the Holy Martial Dynasty, he was surrounded by several cultivators of the same realm because of his lavish spending.

Just when things were at their most critical, a flying boat broke through the clouds and arrived.

At that time, Zhou Qing could have taken advantage of the chaos to rob them, but he only glanced at them and deterred the group of villains.

Even when he offered top-grade spirit stones as a token of his gratitude, the other party simply waved his hand and politely declined.

It was this openness that made him feel respect for this stranger for the first time.

Who would have thought that the monk he met by chance back then would now become his brother-in-law?

What I never expected was that I would have the privilege of witnessing how the other person got to where they are today.

Even the marriage between his older sister and him was arranged by him.

Seeing the shocked expressions on his father's and third uncle's faces, Shen Yunzhou couldn't wait to tell them about his brother-in-law's Four Flowers Gathering at the Top.

But remembering his sister's warning, he could only bite his lip hard and suppress his excitement deep inside.

And so, three whole days passed, and Zhou Qing, who had been sitting cross-legged, finally opened his eyes.

"boom--"

A vast and unfathomable aura suddenly erupted, and the surrounding spiritual energy surged wildly, transforming into a visible vortex that swirled around him.

His gruesome wounds had long since healed, and a faint, precious light emanated from beneath his skin. His aura was even more profound than before the battle.

Zhou Qing stretched his limbs with satisfaction. This life-or-death battle had allowed him to reach a new level of control over his own power.

His ability to cope with various extreme situations has given him a deeper understanding of the use of spiritual power and the timing of events.

"Zhou Qing!"

Shen Juefeng walked over with a hearty laugh, followed by Shen Yunzhou and Shen Lieyang, both beaming with smiles.

"Father-in-law, Uncle," Zhou Qing greeted respectfully. "How is your recovery?"

“He is out of danger.” Zhou Qing pondered for a moment. “However, I searched the primordial spirits of Liu Xuancang and Liu Hanchuan, and they did not know the whereabouts of my grandfather.”

Shen Juefeng immediately frowned: "Yunzhou has already relayed your previous deductions. If Father is not in seclusion somewhere healing his injuries, then he has already fallen into the hands of others."

"The worst-case scenario is being captured. Now that the Liu family patriarch is unaware of this, the ones who made the move are the Heavenly Phoenix Palace and the Yan family."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing's eyes flashed with a cold light: "These two families have certainly made a good calculation, not even willing to share a drop of soup with the Liu family."

"Oh right, this—" He suddenly remembered something and slapped his hand on the storage bag.

Immediately afterwards, half of an ancient scroll glowing with a faint green light appeared and floated in front of everyone.

The broken edges seemed to have been torn apart by some terrifying force, and the flowing inscriptions on the surface appeared and disappeared intermittently.

“It’s strange,” Zhou Qing frowned. “When I searched the primordial spirit of the Liu family patriarch, I couldn’t find any related inscription-level divine abilities. I only captured an image of this half of the scroll in fragments of memory, and—”

"Can't open it?" Shen Juefeng interrupted.

Zhou Qing nodded slightly, somewhat surprised.

Therefore, he secretly had it checked through the "Daily Appraisal" app.

However, the feedback only stated that the item was an inscription-level divine power called "Azure Soul Devouring Curse," and only the latter half of it was mentioned.

There is no other relevant information.

Moreover, he clearly remembered that when Liu Xuancang fought against the Shen family patriarch, he had forcibly activated the latter half of the technique, resulting in a severe backlash from which he has not fully recovered to this day.

When they fought in the [Mirror of Infernal Flames], he was worried that the old scoundrel would resort to this technique again in desperation, so he decisively killed him with lightning speed.

When Shen Juefeng took the half of the incomplete scroll, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Liu Xuancang dared to cultivate even half of the incomplete cultivation technique, and even reached the minor completion level. His courage and talent are truly admirable.

He then tried to probe the scroll with his divine sense, but found it to be like throwing a mud ox into the sea; he could not see any of its secrets at all.

The scroll was cold and motionless, as if it were a dead object.

"Indeed, it's not simple." Shen Juefeng shook his head and sighed softly, handing the incomplete scroll to Shen Lieyang and Shen Yunzhou beside him for examination, and then turned his gaze to Zhou Qing.

"Zhou Qing, do you know the different grades of cultivation techniques in this world?" Shen Juefeng suddenly asked.

“I once heard an elder mention this,” Zhou Qing replied thoughtfully. “It is divided into four categories: ordinary, inscription, Dao trace, and law.”

Just like the "Emperor's Scripture", "Golden Crow Burning Sky Scripture", "Thunderstorm Starfall Kill" and even "Demon Subduing Golden Bone" that he cultivated, although they were top-notch among ordinary-level techniques, they were still not beyond the realm of the mortal.

Such a cultivation method is a treasure that countless cultivators could not attain even after a lifetime of effort.

Ninety-nine percent of cultivators in the world spend their entire lives stuck at the ordinary level.

These were all things that his second uncle had taught him.

For example, the Blood Phoenix Clan's "Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain" requires the condensation of three thousand Phoenix Dao Patterns to be comparable to a Dao Mark-level divine power.

Upon hearing this, Shen Juefeng's deep eyes flashed with approval: "Indeed, Inscription level, Dao mark level, and Law level, each of these is a treasure that countless cultivators seek in their entire lives but cannot obtain."

He suddenly stared at Zhou Qing, his tone filled with undisguised amazement: "For an ordinary cultivator, obtaining an inscription-level divine ability is already an immense stroke of luck, let alone mastering it. But you..."

At this point, his gaze lingered on Zhou's slender yet upright figure.

This child not only reached the Spirit Severing Realm at a young age, but also condensed 30,000 spirit seals in the Path of Array Formation, becoming a Level 4 Array Master.

What's most astonishing is that he was able to comprehend two inscription-level divine abilities simultaneously; such comprehension is simply astonishing.

Zhou Qing felt a slight burning sensation in his ears from being stared at. Just as he was about to politely decline, he saw that Shen Juefeng had already turned to Shen Lieyang and Shen Yunzhou, who were studying the incomplete scroll.

He casually retrieved the scroll, then suddenly changed the subject: "Do you know why I refused the inscription-level divine power you offered me the other day?"

(End of this chapter)