Chapter 195: Learning Star Script

Jiang Changkong rubbed his temples, finding it truly hard to imagine just how thick a person’s skin could be.

No, he had it wrong—this guy genuinely had no shame.

“Come on, President An, whose connections are as solid as iron, tell me what brings you here.”

Jiang Changkong crossed his legs and looked at him with a smiling expression.

“I’ll get back to work too.” Tang Ruoxi couldn’t take it anymore—this was just too shameless.

Anding Bang hurriedly sat down beside him, acting like an old friend of many years: “Changkong, you see, our Anding Province and Jianghai Province have always been neighbors.”

“Between neighbors, what major grudges could there be, right?”

“President An makes a very good point.” Jiang Changkong nodded with a smile.

Anding Bang grew somewhat excited: “So, what happened before was just a small misunderstanding. Now that it’s all cleared up, we’re still iron brothers.”

Jiang Changkong’s smile faded: “Could you cut the nonsense?”

Anding Bang looked slightly awkward: “Look, if there’s a fight over the mineral vein, could you go easy on my Martial Arts Association?”

Jiang Changkong’s expression turned cold: “So only you can come after me?”

“No, no, no, Brother Changkong, what I mean is, go easy on my Martial Arts Association.

After all, we’re not mortal enemies, and right now, I’m just working for someone.”

Anding Bang grew visibly anxious, nearly on the verge of tears: “It’s not easy for me, and it’s not easy for my Martial Arts Association either…”

“Get to the point.”

“Here are a thousand Fifth Rank High-Grade Star Stones.”

Anding Bang hurriedly presented them with both hands.

Jiang Changkong accepted the Star Stones and sighed: “Blades and swords have no eyes, but I’ll try to hold back.”

Anding Bang gritted his teeth: “Another five hundred.”

“I’ll avoid killing if possible.”

“Another five hundred.”

“At most, I’ll cripple their martial arts.”

“Another…”

“At most, serious injuries.”

“Another…”

“Half seriously injured.”

“…”

Jiang Changkong watched him with a smile. In this world, what truly mattered was still strength.

This guy was clearly afraid of retaliation, worried that Jiang Changkong would take the chance to wipe out his Martial Arts Association.

Given the strength Jiang Changkong had displayed, Heng Xueyue couldn’t protect them at all.

“No, no more.”

When the number reached three thousand five hundred, Anding Bang looked mournful and pained: “I really have no more Star Stones.”

“You’re the type who won’t yield unless squeezed.”

Jiang Changkong shook his head. This guy definitely had more—he was richer than Xu Xinghe.

But he couldn’t be bothered to press him further.

He had seen through it: this guy clearly wouldn’t give up until he hit rock bottom, unwilling to reveal everything until the last moment.

Flicking the corner of his sleeve, Jiang Changkong said calmly: “President An, you’re still only at the early stage of Star Spirit—haven’t you ever wondered why?”

“My talent is poor.” Anding Bang replied gloomily.

Jiang Changkong shook his head: “Forget it, you can go. You’ve been clinging to others your whole life, and even now, you still don’t see clearly.”

The real support was right in front of him, yet he chose to look elsewhere—how blind.

The strength Jiang Changkong had shown, suppressing Heng Xueyue alone, was enough to prove his genius, though not enough to dominate the entire scene.

But if you added his alter ego, Jiang Changyue, he was undoubtedly the strongest presence this time.

Yet this guy still wanted to cling to the Heng and Li families.

“Thank you, President Jiang.” Anding Bang clasped his hands in salute.

He understood the situation perfectly—he just didn’t want to choose Jiang Changkong.

Major powers had developed over many years. It wasn’t just Heng Xueyue; behind that level of strength, there were countless terrifying experts.

High-Rank Martial Artists are rare, but once you step into that realm, they become numerous. What about Jiang Changkong?

He wanted to climb higher, not just for a powerful backer to flaunt his authority in Pingan City.

After Anding Bang left, Jiang Changkong looked at the Star Stone and directly extracted it.

If he wanted to save up, he could slowly accumulate them by hunting Star Demons himself. He could start by saving a small amount for now.

Right now, he should prioritize strength. Once he secured the mineral vein and established the city, a large amount of Star Stones would come his way.

After the two finished talking, Tang Ruoxi and Professor Yun came out.

“Finished with your work?” Jiang Changkong asked.

“There was no work to begin with. I just didn’t want to see him,” Tang Ruoxi said.

Professor Yun sighed softly. “These people, their nature is hard to change. They don’t focus on improving their own strength, only on seeking shortcuts.”

“These people?” Jiang Changkong was slightly surprised. “Could there be many like Anding Bang?”

“You should ask An Yuanshan. The place he went to is somewhere everyone wants to go,” Professor Yun said calmly. “You want to go too.”

“Oh? What kind of place? Does it have a lot of good things?” Jiang Changkong asked.

“The Star Crystal Vein. They don’t even consider what treatment they’ll receive if they aren’t High-Rank Martial Artists,” Professor Yun said coldly. “Even you, despite being a genius, would just be a pawn if you went there.”

“So they curry favor with the geniuses from the Major Provinces just to go there?” Jiang Changkong asked.

“Yes. With the backing of Major Province forces, life would be slightly better there, but they still wouldn’t get anything truly valuable,” Professor Yun nodded lightly, unwilling to elaborate further. “Since you don’t want to join the military, let’s not discuss this. Once you reach the High-Rank level, the Federation will invite you.”

Jiang Changkong nodded. “I wonder if Professor Yun has time today to teach that ancient Star Script?”

“Sure. I haven’t had much to do lately. If you have time, I’ll teach you and Ruoxi,” Professor Yun said.

Leading the two into the research room, Professor Yun turned on the equipment, which displayed ancient Star Script along with annotations.

“Professor Yun, I have a question. Since it’s Star Script, how was it translated in the first place?” Jiang Changkong asked curiously.

“Some Star Scripts come with accompanying diagrams. Initially, it was all guesswork and summarization, accumulated over generations. It wasn’t until the Federation obtained many Star Scripts, along with some special annotations written in small seal script, that we truly began to understand Star Script,” Professor Yun explained. “I won’t go into deeper details. Learning Star Script is the most important thing now.”

“Thank you for clearing that up, Professor,” Jiang Changkong expressed his gratitude and stopped asking further questions, focusing entirely on learning.

For Jiang Changkong, who had already become a Star Spirit, memorization wasn’t an issue. The main challenge was that these Star Script characters looked too similar.

He needed to carefully distinguish them to understand the meanings of different Star Scripts.

Moreover, there were many Star Script characters, no fewer than Chinese characters.

They studied until 5 p.m., when Professor Yun finally stopped. “You still have an appointment to keep, so let’s end here.”

“Thank you, Professor Yun. I wonder if I could get a copy of this Star Script?” Jiang Changkong asked.

Professor Yun shook her head. “No, you can only learn it here.”

“Then forget it. By the way, Professor Yun, what was recorded in the Star Scripts the Federation obtained back then? Can you tell me?” Jiang Changkong was curious about what kind of content would have small seal script annotations.

“I’m teaching you Star Script now. Once your strength reaches the required level, the Federation will show it to you,” Professor Yun said meaningfully. “Without sufficient strength, you won’t have the authority. I only know a little about it myself.”

“Thank you, Professor. If you don’t mind, I would like to address you as my teacher,” Jiang Changkong said sincerely.

“Having a genius student like you, I couldn’t be happier. Go ahead,” Professor Yun replied with a smile.

She was genuinely pleased to have such a student. Even if Jiang Changkong’s words were casual, once he grew stronger, she would benefit from the association.

Moreover, she had an assistant, Tang Ruoxi, who was on good terms with Jiang Changkong.

Jiang Changkong was sincere. Professor Yun had selflessly taught him Star Script, which might not be of immediate help now.

But in the future, if he encountered something like a Star Stele again, he wouldn’t be completely in the dark.

Professor Yun truly deserved his respectful address as “teacher.” This would also make Tang Ruoxi’s position here more comfortable.

Not to boast, but with his abilities, Professor Yun would certainly show some consideration.

Tang Ruoxi said with a cheerful smile, “Your sister is still your sister, Changkong, my junior.”

Jiang Changkong chuckled, “Of course, Sister Ruoxi.”