Totem

At almost the exact same moment on the peak of Mount Longinus!

The Golden Lion pounded his chest and roared: “Miss, a trifling Ghost Totem master dares to profane *your friend’s skeleton! What are *you waiting for? I’ll go kill him then!”

Yulianne stood with her hands behind her back, her soul-captivating, starry eyes just as calm as before.

“Why should Miss take action?”

Anya laughed and said: “Ignoring the fact that that person is only a tiny primary rank Ghost Totem Warrior, even the Ghost Totem King, Domeyer, could forget about summoning and profaning that friend’s skeleton!”

“Why?”

“There is a phrase among Ghost Totems that experts cannot be easily dishonored! To be frank, there is a rank restriction when Ghost Totems summon their Totem Guards….” Anya explained: “For example, if a person is a 1st level Totem King, then when he dies, anyone who wishes to summon his skeleton must possess the same rank as that Totem King or higher. Rhessat, just think about it. If that old friend was powerful to an unimaginable degree, after her* death, how could a primary rank Ghost Totem Warrior summon her remains?”
(*TL: Yes, Chinese raws denote that it is a she. However, I can’t be sure if it is actually a she or the author just made a mistake and it’s a he.)

The Golden Lion blanked out, then let out a loud laugh, “That’s right, that’s right! Experts cannot be easily dishonored! To want to desecrate her skeleton, a mere Ghost Totem Warrior is far from being qualified!”

Within the cave, Jiang Nan was completely oblivious to the fact that the golden skeleton he had taken a fancy too actually belonged to a peerless expert who had once killed a Saint. He did not even know of the saying, ‘experts cannot be easily dishonored.

In actuality, the rank restriction in regards to summoning Totem Guards was basic knowledge that the freak with the hanging eyeball had already imparted to Jiang Nan.

However, this portion of content had been destroyed by his dear Auntie Alisa!

The reason being, this toy isn’t superior enough. It can only hold my Rodi back….

Without any hesitation, Jiang Nan squatted down next to the skeleton’s left hand.

“Oh. Let me think for a second. The incantation for summoning is….”

According to the secret manual, Jiang Nan pointed his right hand towards the skeleton’s forehead and condensed necromantic energy to the tips of his five fingers.

He then recited the summoning incantation.

“By might of my name, here is born an eternal life. Arise, my Ghost Totem Guard!”

Suddenly, Jiang Nan felt something like a cold stream form in-between his eyebrows that soon flowed to his fingertips, transforming into five pallid lights that shot into the s.p.a.ce between the skeleton’s eyebrow ridge!

This was the Ghost Totem summoning incantation!

Hah, this brother here has a Totem Guard now too!

Jiang Nan clenched his fist in excitement!

But after one second,

Two seconds,

A total of three minutes pa.s.sed, and the skeleton had not moved even one tiny bit!

“Could it be…. That I recited the incantation incorrectly?”

Jiang Nan kneaded his cheek to loosen the facial muscles around his mouth, then once again recited: “By might of my name, here is born an eternal life!”

Just like what had happened three minutes before, a cold stream once again appeared between his eyebrows, extended out to his fingertips, and shot into the spot between the skeleton’s eyebrow ridges….

But what was depressing was this: the skeleton had no reaction whatsoever!

Jiang Nan furrowed his eyebrows. Pig brains! The cold stream and lights prove that this brother here definitely didn’t recite the wrong words, so why….

“By might of my name, here is born an eternal life!”

Jiang Nan recited the incantation a third time.

However, there was still no change with the skeleton. It’s empty eye sockets gleamed with a gold light, as if it was mocking Jiang Nan’s incompetence!

“Huh? This is so d.a.m.n worrying!”

Jiang Nan plopped down beside the skeleton in disappointment.

How strange. This brother here followed the requirements in the secret manual to the smallest detail! How could nothing happen?!

Suddenly, Jiang Nan looked at the stake that the freak with the hanging eyeball had erected near the entrance.

“Keke! Young fellow, when you see these words, you’ll probably be right in the middle of summoning a Totem Guard, right?”

Surprisingly, there were still additional words on the back of the stake, “Then are you grumbling about me, saying that I’ve already plundered this entire place?” The words continued to read, “Correct, I did in fact take a few higher level corpses, but…. Experts cannot be easily dishonored! My rank is not high enough to summon the strongest corpses there, so I left them inside the cave….” Further on, it was written: “After a period of time, I will personally deal with these stronger skeletal remains, and I hope that you do not casually move these few skeletons around…. Alright, I’ve already said all that needs to be said. Choose a skeleton most suited to your rank and continue summoning!”

Gawking at these words, Jiang Nan continuously smacked his forehead.

Experts cannot be easily dishonored!

So it turns out that my continual failures were because my rank was not high enough, and because I chose a skeleton that exceeded my level far too much….

Suddenly, Jiang Nan had an epiphany!

In the eyes of the Yuanzhi Continent’s humans, experts could not be easily dishonored, and summonings had to take rank restrictions into consideration. This was probably a fundamental rule that could not be broken.

However, in the eyes of an anatomy specialist, could experts…. Truly not be easily dishonored?!

Pressing on the skeleton’s skull, Jiang Nan used his sleeve to wipe it a bit, while his mouth spoke, “Experts cannot be easily dishonored! Alright, you are an expert. Your ranking is too high, and I have no way of summoning your entire skeleton….”

“However! What if I disa.s.semble your 206 bones, then summon them separately?! Would the difficulty of summoning them be brought down to…. One fraction of the original 206, or even lower?”

After saying this, the two hands Jiang Nan had laid onto the skull gently twisted.

Crack! Without any visibly complicated movements and just a gentle twist, the golden skeleton’s skull…. Was detached!

Jiang Nan then ignored the other bones and pointed his hand towards the skull, reciting softly: “By might of my name, here is born an eternal life!”

His voice had not even stopped ringing when a voice abruptly appeared in Jiang Nan’s mind, “From this day forward, I am *your most devoted servant, *your most valiant death warrior! All that *you wish, I will do! Master, please bestow upon me a name!”

Success!

As expected, after disa.s.sembling the skeleton, the difficulty of summoning plummeted by several hundred times!

Jiang Nan gave a calm chuckle and pushed up on his nose as though he was readjusting the golden-rimmed gla.s.ses he had in his past world….

“Master, please bestow upon me a name!”

The skull called out once more!

However, Jiang Nan was totally calm and unhurried. Casually throwing the skull to one side and detaching a rib from the skeleton, he said, “By might of my name, here is born an eternal life. Dear Mister Rib…. arise!”

“From this day forward, I am *your most devoted servant, *your most valiant death warrior….”

This rib also heeded!

Jiang Nan finally gave a hearty laugh in delight!

One must know that what Jiang Nan wanted was not just one or two detached bones, but an entire skeleton!

But the freak with the hanging eyeball had already once said that at his present stage, Jiang Nan could only summon ‘one’ Ghost Totem Guard. In that case, if he was to completely disa.s.semble all 206 bones, would these 206 bones be considered as ‘different components of the same Totem Guard’ or ‘206 different Totem Guards’?

Jiang Nan was uncertain about this question!

So he made an attempt and realized that he could summon the skull and rib right after each other. This indicated that no matter how many pieces the skeleton was disa.s.sembled into, they were all considered as a component of the same Totem Guard!

In other words….

Jiang Nan could individually summon the 206 bones and take advantage of his unrivalled skeletal knowledge to rea.s.semble them into a complete skeleton!

Experts cannot be easily dishonored?

After taking you apart and then rea.s.sembling you, *I can summon you as my…. TOTEM GUARD!

On the peak of Mount Longinus!

Seeing Jiang Nan’s disa.s.sembly skills, Yulianne’s beautiful eyes finally flashed with astonishment, “Half a second, he actually only used half a second!”

“Miss, what are *you saying?”

Following the direction of Yulianne’s gaze, Anya looked towards the volcanic opening in confusion. Unfortunately, she was just like the Golden Lion, and her strength was not enough to penetrate through the red light and clearly observe Jiang Nan’s actions.

“Half a second, half a second….”

Yulianne was still murmuring to herself.

The Golden Lion anxiously asked: “Miss, exactly what did you see? Aiyah, you’re worrying me to death!”

After a moment of silence.

Yulianne suddenly laughed, and with this laugh, the silver mask that covered her face from the nose tip and above still appeared icy and fierce. However, below the mask, her mouth curved in a perfect arc that instantly made the world devoid of all color!

“Half a second! This Ghost Totem master used only half a second to detach my old friend’s skull!”The human body’s most complicated and intricate bone, the skull!

“What?!”

Anya and the Golden Lion blurted out cries of surprise, while the Golden Lion directly said: “Miss, if *you could please use ‘Light Circuit’ so that I can see this person!”

Yulianne gave a slight nod and suddenly raised her two hands.

Her eyes fixed onto Jiang Nan while ripples suddenly appeared between her two hands, and within those ripples…. Was a masked man in a short, black garment.

It was precisely Jiang Nan!

Yulianne could actually display a scene happening a thousand meters away right in front of her!

Within the ripples, Jiang Nan had already begun summoning his third bone. He easily detached a vertebra and called out, “By might of my name, here is born an eternal life!”

“How great!”

When the Golden Lion saw Jiang Nan’s skill at disa.s.sembling the bones, his face grew solemn as he squeezed out with difficulty: “This person’s level is not high, but his understanding of the human skeleton…. I bet even Ghost Totem King Dormeyer cannot compare! Anya, do you dare to make a bet with me?”

Anya was completely silent!

The Golden Lion turned his head and said in dissatisfaction: “Hey, I’m talking to you!”

“No, I don’t dare bet!”

Anya’s expression was as tranquil as before, but her voice carried a hint of bitterness, “Because I know that I cannot win. Furthermore, I even know…. That using half a second to detach the skull is not that man’s true strength. He can do this even faster, even by several tens of times more!”

The Golden Lion was gobsmacked, “How do you….”

“Rhessat, have you forgotten? Steady heart, steady hands, an unsettled blade…. The Great Master who butchered a pig in seventeen seconds when we entered the city is precisely this person!”

“Butchered a pig in seventeen seconds?”

Yulianne slowly turned her head in their direction.

“Yes, Miss. Not only did this person use only twenty-seven blade movements to break down a pig in seventeen seconds, he even imparted seven words to me. They are…. Steady heart, steady hands, an unsettled blade!”

“Steady heart, steady hands, an unsettled blade….”

Yulianne pondered on these seven words.

Only now did the Golden Lion suddenly realize: “d.a.m.n it, I nearly forgot! Miss, no matter how this person’s knife skills are, he’s currently taking apart the skeleton of *your friend! I’m going to kill him!”

“No!”

Yulianne stuck out the index finger of her right hand and shook it lightly, “Steady heart, steady hands, an unsettled blade! Because of this phrase, I will fulfill the wishes of this Ghost Totem master. The strongest skeleton under the heavens…. Will be given to him!”

Her voice brimmed with fighting spirit, “Anya, this person needs a period of time before he can finish summoning. Go and make immediate preparations so that once he finishes his summoning, I can have a knife work showdown with him!”

After she said this, Yulianne pressed two hands on her belt.

Three knives hung on her belt!

These were precisely Yulianne’s world-famous…. Cutting knives!

Cutting knives versus the Golden Inch Blade. Which would be the ruler in knife work?!