Night of the Broken Gliph

Yik Fung smiled. He viewed Mok Muk as an equal. Sculptors were so rare that those of the great master rank were equal to other grandmasters. “Yes. It’s said that after several months, the legendary great master is selling his work again.” 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXtAFtTHT6 維尼

Mok Muk listened to him with a poker face, but he was sneering internally. The great master won’t be so special after the world sees my skill. Let’s see this great master’s skill, huh?  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡvu25tkefOJ 維尼

Madame Yuen looked at the eager crowd. It was rare to see any emotion on her face. “According to the master, this work is a rare masterpiece.” 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWTJBQu4hO 維尼

As she spoke, a muscular man appeared with a box similarly covered with a red cloth. However, the box was larger than the one they used for Mok Muk’s work! 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4XK2I2zuH 維尼

Mok Muk shook his head, smiling. The size of a sculpture wasn’t the determining factor of its quality. The larger the sculpture, the more difficult it was to be a quality work. Small didn’t mean good either as sculptures were graded by their sizes and quality. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtJ8IHIpNS 維尼

This made Mok Muk believe that the great master was just someone fishing for fame. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Df85kSx5x 維尼

“Pardon me,” Madame Yuen spoke, her voice trembling in excitement. “When I first saw this work, I was rendered speechless! I’ll not keep up the suspense; please take a look at the last item!”   8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡDY08fs9vre 維尼

“The Ferocious Predatory Tiger!” 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡhixnCyAPDd 維尼

She removed the red cloth, revealing the sculpture in a translucent box. The whispering crowd was immediately silenced.  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlnVnLrpeW 維尼

Silence fell over the auction hall as everyone stared at the sculpture on stage, their eyes wide in shock. It was like a ferocious tiger had appeared out of the blue, staring at everyone below the stage as if they were its prey. The horrifying murderous intent was like an invisible hand strangling them. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYqvVMw4FF 維尼

No matter their cultivation, everyone was shocked. Some even started circulating their energliph to withstand the sculpture’s aura. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0z65HD4nY 維尼

8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡNawdvw9oT7 維尼

Mok Muk, who was waiting to see the great master’s work, felt his heart skip a beat. “A divine work!” 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4h68OvTErE 維尼

Yik Fung might be foreign to craftsmanship, but as a great cultivator, he calmed down swiftly. “What do you mean?”  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmlDSD9ReQ 維尼

“There are three realms of sculpture craftsmanship:  soul carving, spiritual item, and lastly, divine work! Even after ten years, I’ve barely stepped into the soul carving…”8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJq91k0UnT 維尼

Yik Fung was stunned. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5sagIAGfF 維尼

He wasn’t familiar with sculptors’ ranks, and that rare great master with a weird temperament had never explained anything about sculpting. Mok Muk was the first person in thousands of years to officially categorise the ranks of sculptors. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfJJVdb0RT 維尼

Mok Muk was of the first rank and was already considered a great master. He said that the great master who made the Predatory Ferocious Tiger is of the last rank… Doesn’t that mean… he’s a divine master!? 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7awedDEPD 維尼

8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVKX4M1Rv1 維尼

For the next ten seconds, the saleroom was pin-drop silent. The life-like tiger on stage seemed to be scanning the crowd, searching for its prey. Soon, the crowd gathered their senses and stared at it in awe.  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWs57lcovg 維尼

Madame Yuen looked at the sculpture respectfully. It didn’t matter if the teen was the mysterious great master himself or just an agent. He was the only person who could produce such work, so why wouldn’t she respect him?  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKPnpIxS1P 維尼

“There’s no base price for this item; feel free to start bidding!”  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTot1HY2PD 維尼

“Two million!” As soon as Madame Yuen finished speaking, a girl called out. It was Lee Sin Yee of the Lee Clan! 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgMUaNBZzN 維尼

“Two million and two hundred thousand,” someone followed up immediately. The person had a low and powerful voice; he was from the Metallic Blood War Gate. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbsegvANR3 維尼

There were three institutions in the South, the Stars Unite Education Centre, the Metallic Blood War Gate and the Great Book Academy. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTVJMKR9on 維尼

The Metallic Blood War Gate focused on gliphers, and that institution was the one all teenagers wanted to enter besides the Cloud Palace. This middle-aged man, Tsui Ying, was one of their teachers. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qUCNzTgNS 維尼

However, neither the Lee Clan or Metallic Blood War Gate could dominate this auction.  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbE9RZp7bm 維尼

The next second, another voice rang out. “Two million five hundred thousand.”  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkGsBvt5Fz 維尼

That voice didn’t come from a private room, but seated within the crowd. It was Yim Ying Yuet from the Blazing Skies Mountain, and she was similarly agitated. It was beyond her expectation to see such an item at this auction! All the elites present could clearly tell the ability of the sculpture in front of them.8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Hrbp8Dz1K 維尼

There were countless cultivation styles in this world. They were differently attributed, and some were unique, like poison. However, the most common ones are of the five elements, as well as Yin and Yang. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqQqPJ1IaR 維尼

Yin represented the gentleness of the world. Water, wood, the essence of the moon and stars; these were all considered Yin. Yang consisted of fire, gold, or using a flame to strengthen one’s body. Most body strengthening skills were Yang-attributed. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuHxp7X4Z9 維尼

The Predatory Ferocious Tiger could boost yang-attributed energliph by twenty percent, and all the yang-attributed cultivators present felt their energliph surging and their abilities boosted. Besides increasing the speed of one’s cultivation, it directly increased their strength as well! 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJ63Ifvp4n 維尼

If this sculpture was placed in a clan, their disciples’ strength would soar, further bolstering the clan’s defence when attacked. The boost would also help their disciples cultivate styles they normally couldn’t. 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXTREmgEsw 維尼

This was definitely not a great master’s work. Only a grandmaster or above could produce such a work! This drove all the organisations, clans, and institutions present crazy, especially those who had yet to acquire such a sculpture!   8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡibacXKXmNB 維尼

“Two million six hundred thousand!” 8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTIdY6ABjt 維尼

It was as if the entire auction went mad, the sculpture’s price soaring as the crowd bid for it. In no time, the price soared to four million.  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDHhQK03pt 維尼

A grade three gliph weapon only cost one million; four million was equivalent to four grade three gliph weapons!  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5Z8F96Kpy 維尼

Even though the Ether Luna Robe was sold for two million, it was technically not considered a gliph weapon because it was made by a tailor, a career totally different from blacksmiths. A tailor’s work could also be worn by commoners, which were more for defence.  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzib6xjc3Y 維尼

As for gliph weapons, they were the tools that allowed one to win. One could use it to perform various special attacks; their opponent would have to guess its functions depending on the different gliph combinations between the weapon and its user.  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAHXIy4DaM 維尼

Gliph weapons were what made one truly powerful, and most gliphers looked at such powerful robes disdainfully as they believed in themselves first and foremost. Robes were mostly worn by gliphists or high-status people who lacked cultivation. The robe that Chan Shue Gun wore was a grade two robe.  8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzBAOxLu9h 維尼

8964 copyright protection204ＰＥＮＡＮＡD33Xuh5IQy 維尼