A low murmur rippled through the classroom.
At the back, one of the elders narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp despite his calm exterior.
"After reaching a certain depth in inscription research,"
he spoke slowly, his voice heavy with authority,
"one discovers that the Scarlet Flame Explosion Inscription is not singular in nature. In truth, it is composed of two basic method inscriptions."
His brows furrowed.
"How can this student tell? Was it a random guess?"
At the front row, Nie Li rested his chin on his palm, looking half-awake and half-bored. Yet when he spoke, his voice was clear and unhesitating.
"This method inscription originates from the Book of Divine Lightning Fire," Nie Li said lazily.
"The true form should be the Lightning Flame Burst Inscription. However, someone cut out the lightning-related portion and randomly altered a few things, forcing it into the so-called Scarlet Flame Explosion."
He shrugged.
"Naturally, that makes it ineffective in real combat. It's only suitable for practice—nothing more."
Several students blinked in confusion.
"Book of Divine Lightning Fire?" someone whispered.
"What's that supposed to be?"
Shen Xiu's expression darkened instantly.
She slammed her palm against the lectern.
"Nonsense!" she snapped.
"There is no such scripture known as the Book of Divine Lightning Fire!"
Nie Li grinned, completely unfazed.
"Instructor Shen Xiu must be extremely well-read," he said lightly.
"After all, according to her, books that haven't been read simply don't exist."
A student suddenly shot up from his seat, holding a book.
"Book of Divine Lightning Fire?" he exclaimed.
"I borrowed this from the library! I've got it right here!"
Shen Xiu froze.
The student flipped through the pages rapidly.
"It's a copy—only the first volume translated.
The rest is written in the Snow Wind Empire's ancient language.
I couldn't decipher it properly, so I just… forgot about it."
Shen Xiu's lips pressed into a thin line.
Behind the veil of invisibility, one elder turned his head.
"Ye Sheng," he said quietly,
"Send someone to retrieve the Book of Divine Lightning Fire from the library."
"Right away," came the reply.
Meanwhile, the student continued flipping pages nervously.
"Volume seven… page thirty…"
"This diagram—"
He frowned.
"There are too many diagrams… and the Snow Wind language is hard to interpret…"
Shen Xiu's patience snapped.
"Enough," she said coldly.
"I assume you simply happened upon a corner of the library and misunderstood everything."
She turned sharply toward Nie Li.
"You claim the Scarlet Flame Explosion Inscription comes from this book?
Are you saying the Sacred Family's ancestors were wrong?"
Nie Li lifted his gaze, calm—but sharp.
"Instructor Shen Xiu," he replied evenly,
"isn't it a bit too easy to dismiss something like that?"
"Yu Yan Xiao," Nie Li said,
"turn to Volume Seven, page thirty. Look at diagram six. There are six methods, correct?"
"Ah—yes!" the student answered hurriedly.
Shen Xiu's eyes gleamed.
"You claim this book rivals the Sacred Family's sacred inscriptions?"
Karma finally spoke, his voice lazy but unmistakably clear.
"Instructor," he said casually,
"if something older and more complete exists… shouldn't that make it more credible, not less?"
A few heads turned.
Shen Xiu stiffened.
Nie Li's expression darkened.
In his previous life, before Glory City's fall, all the families had gathered their forces.
Only the Sacred Family remained behind, claiming they would protect the rear.
But when the beast tide struck—
the Snow Wind Mountains were breached.
Demons poured in.
And the Sacred Family fled.
They abandoned Glory City.
The survivors were slaughtered indiscriminately.
Nie Li clenched his fist.
Traitors.
This time… I won't let history repeat itself.
The classroom erupted into movement.
Several students leaned forward at once, crowding around the open book.
"Page thirty… diagram six…"
"Wow—look at this!"
"This is…"
They stared at the page in disbelief.
The inscription diagram etched into the parchment was complex yet elegant—curves flowing into one another, symbols layered with intent. Even to untrained eyes, it was obvious this was no crude imitation.
Shen Xiu turned stiffly toward the book.
Her pupils contracted.
"…It's the same as what Nie Li said."
A murmur spread through the classroom like ripples across water.
At that moment, Shen Yue slammed his hand onto the desk.
"Nie Li is deliberately slandering our Sacred Family!"
Nie Li tilted his head slightly, resting his chin on his palm.
Hmph, Getting angry so quickly… Sacred Family members really are all the same.
Never looking at yourselves—only at others.
"Perhaps my first-generation household head referenced it somewhere," Shen Xiu snapped.
"So what about it?"
Nie Li broke into a bright, almost innocent smile.
"Haha! Seems like Instructor Shen Xiu isn't too familiar with the Demon Spiritualist Regulations," he said cheerfully.
"Need me to explain?"
He continued, his voice steady now.
"The Demon Spiritualist Regulations—also known as the Demon Spiritualist Code of Conduct—have been passed down for more than three centuries.
Almost every demon spiritualist abides by them."
He raised one finger.
"Regulation Number Sixteen:
If one copies or sections an inscription from another demon spiritualist, the source must be cited."
Shen Xiu's face went pale.
"Y–You…"
Nie Li leaned forward slightly.
"To learn from the Lightning Flame Inscription in order to create new inscriptions—that's acceptable," he said.
"But—"
He gestured toward the blackboard.
"The first-generation household head of the Sacred Family directly ripped out half the inscription."
The classroom fell dead silent.
Nie Li blinked, then clasped his hands together theatrically.
"Yikes! To criticize an ancestor… sinful, sinful…"
A few students swallowed nervously.
Then Nie Li lifted his head again, his eyes clear.
"Unless," he added softly,
"the first-generation household head had reasons he couldn't reveal."
That single sentence landed harder than any accusation.
A student whispered,
"The first-generation household head… was he really like that?"
Another replied hesitantly,
"Reportedly, he was only a Gold-rank demon spiritualist… but extremely skilled with inscriptions."
Someone else chimed in,
"The Sacred Family has always said he inherited the Scarlet Flame Inscription…"
At the back, a student frowned.
"Now it looks like the Scarlet Flame Explosion Inscription was clearly copied from the classics…"
The whispers grew louder.
One voice cut through the noise.
"I've flipped through Snow Wind inscription records. Many inscriptions are copied or sectioned from the classics—but they always cite an external source. And they never claim them as original!"
Another added,
"This is the Demon Spiritualist Code of Conduct. Any demon spiritualist would do the same!"
Shen Xiu's face flushed crimson.
Her fingers trembled at her sides.
Beside Nie Li, Karma exhaled quietly through his nose.
He didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
Above the classroom, unseen eyes gleamed with renewed interest.
The elders exchanged silent glances.
One thought echoed among them:
This boy isn't just knowledgeable…
He understands power, rules, and history.