Ashes Of Heaven Book 1 : Solar Calamity

"So it seems that managing to fill up the words on the walls is basically like establishing a mental connection with the texts using the qi that was meant for myself. This, in turn, can transfer the data regarding the meaning of the words directly to my brain.

If that's the case, then all I have to do in order to figure out how to get out of here is to fill up enough texts with my qi."

At the moment this realization had struck him, Han Xuhan had felt like he was on top of the world, a detective solving the most complex puzzles...

And then a second realization had followed. The amount of texts engraved on the walls was enormous.

Han Xuhan felt unnerved by the taskload he could visualize ahead of him. The walls of this stadium were gigantic. And the texts reached all the way up to the rounded dome-shaped roof above their head.

It'd take him a very long time to fill them up with qi, analyze the transferred information in his brain, and slowly decipher their meaning.

Wait a minute, didn't the cyan-robed guy say that Mu Ran left immediately after he wrote the texts in front of him?

Invigorated by the sudden idea, Han Xuhan suppressed his excitement lest somebody should suspect anything and walked calmly toward the place where Mu Ran had left his mark on the ground.

Zhanxian followed behind him without missing a beat. The skeleton could perceive the not-so-friendly atmosphere inside the stadium. In case a fight broke out, it planned to hide behind its master immediately.

Han Xuhan's reappearance in front of the texts on the ground didn't raise as much curiosity among the other observers as it had the previous time. Peering down at the writings, he realized that he couldn't recognize any of the letters used in the texts on the ground. The strokes and slashes here were much different from the sentence he had just deciphered a few minutes ago.

Since there were others observing the writings closely alongside him, it was inconvenient to use his qi replenishing technique to fill the texts up. They might learn the trick.

The cyan-robed man, his new partner, was trailing not far behind him. Han Xuhan silently walked over to him and whispered a sentence in his ears.

Then he left the guy there and returned back to Mu Ran's engraving site.

It was time to play a little game.

"Hey Zhanxian, weren't you always whining about getting some tattoos? How about now? These drawings on the walls and ground look cool as hell to me. Rather than those stupid life quotes you were trying to engrave on your bones, why not try these?"

Very loudly, Han Xuhan voiced his thoughts to Zhanxian. The crimson-colored skeleton opened its jaw to protest vehemently, only to notice Han Xuhan's wink. It shut its mouth close for a few seconds to consider the option.

Personally, the skeleton felt that the words on the walls actually would make some badass tattoos. The archaic texts had an intimidating, chilly feeling to them that couldn't be found in any normal language. Since they looked so mysterious and cool...

"Sure, boss. But I get to pick which part of the texts I want tattooed."

Han Xuhan looked slightly startled at Zhanxian'a enthusiasm. Then he nodded thoughtfully.

Zhanxian started walking around, examining the walls closely. Every time he stopped, Han Xuhan would shout in a deafening voice.

"Not that one! That one looks too complicated. Look for another one!"

The shouts were enough to rupture some eardrums. The cultivators surrounding Mu Ran's writing on the ground were incredibly annoyed. They had been concentrating as hard as possible to look for clues to figure out the way to solve this puzzle.

The random shouts behind them were enough to make a dying man wish for immediate death. Who could concentrate seriously in such an atmosphere?

"Boss! This one! This one looks cool! I want it!"

This time the skeleton also joined in. Han Xuhan enthusiastically ran over, making the annoyed cultivators think he was finally going away. But they soon realized their mistake a few moments later...

*Screeeechhh* *Gashgashgash* *krkrkrkr*

Sounds similar to a sharp metal rubbing against metal came from the place Han Xuhan had run to. Everybody turned to take a look at what was happening.

Han Xuhan had taken out a knife and was busy sharpening it on an edge of the wall. Due to the rough texture of the walls, the sound emitted from there made them feel like somebody was caressing their eardrums with a thin spike.

The shrill sound didn't die down even after ten minutes. Han Xuhan looked like he was about to sharpen his blade until it became invisible. What made it worse was the fact that everyone could see that the walls were not suitable to sharpen a blade in the slightest. It was downright obvious to them that this masked brat was simply trying to disturb everyone because he couldn't decipher them himself.

One of the more impatient ones finally couldn't take it anymore and decided to stomp toward Han Xuhan, killing intent surging out of his body like a flood. Han Xuhan immediately looked back at him eagerly and took out the glaive from his back.

"Heh, brat! Do you think your puny stick can scare anybody?"

Han Xuhan laughed in a demented manner upon hearing the burly guy advancing toward him.

"Don't look down on my shaft, you trash! If there is one weapon in this arena you do not want to be hit by, it's this weapon of mine!"

"You sure can brag, kid." The burly guy took out a heavy sword from his back. One glance was enough to tell that he was a professional in fighting with a sword.

"Oh, I'm not bragging." Han Xuhan's grin got wider.

"This glaive fell into a pile of zombie innards while I was on my way here through the foggy zone. From the stink there, I can assure you that the zombie ate some very questionable substance before its death. I didn't have the time to wash off the filth properly. Looks like your clothes are gonna be a good cleaning rag for my weapon. Heh~"

The burly-looking cultivator suddenly felt a wave of nausea washing over his body like an unstoppable tide. But he still held his sword and advanced hesitantly.

Seeing his determination, Han Xuhan took out his small waterskin and squeezed out a mouthful, spraying it on the glaive.

Then he swung the shaft around wildly, sending out droplets of the water around him in a large circle.

His oncoming opponent was the first to get hit by the handmade rain.

With a grimace, he backed off a few feet, but stubbornly stood his ground, sword raised horizontally.

"You clown, do you think I can't read your movements? You've never held a weapon in your life, have you? It's okay, you're about to discover how right now." he said.

Such a cool line! Such a professional pose!

Han Xuhan instantly felt like copying the youth. But the pose looked quite difficult.

"True, but have you ever been showered with sewage water? If not, you're about to right now." He retorted as he continued spinning the glaive with the expertise of a rookie drummer.

It slipped out of his hand.

"Bullshit!"

"That too, might have been one of the contents inside the zombie innards. Sure smelled like it!"

Their battle had turned into a shouting match by now. Half the people in the arena were staring at them, uncertain of how to react to this farce.

Several other youths stood up and approached the two fighters. Their aggressive gazes told Xuhan all he needed to know.

This wasn't going to end with minor scratches and sore muscles.

"You know, the droplets of water raining around us could have been laced with poison, instead of excrement..."

Those words were like a magic spell. All of his opponents came to a halt, expressions turning cautious.

The warning had come from the cyan-robed man standing a few meters away.

"I have just had a conversation with him," Han Xuhan's partner said in a flat tone.

"He let slip that his master is a senior from the Black Lotus Circus. I don't think I need to elaborate further."

Feet retreated faster than they had advanced. Within seconds, a fifty-meter radius around Han Xuhan was emptied.

Wow!

Han Xuhan had no idea what the Black Lotus Circus was, but that name seemed to have way more weight than his influential sect!