Chapter Fifty-Four: Symbol Dao Genius

  "What? Become an Onmyodo Master?" Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat.

  "It's you!" Duke Wen laughed, "I came to find you tonight, precisely because I wanted you to inherit my mantle and become a symbol master! I wonder if you are willing?"

  "I'm afraid I won't be able to!" Lin Feng sighed bitterly.

  One's own affairs are known to oneself. Lin Feng knows that his soul is not inherently strong, but has become powerful after practicing the Vermilion Bird's Omniscient Skill.

  But Fu Shi is born with a strong soul, can you become a Fu Shi?

  "I know you can do it!" Wen Hou said confidently, "Young man, are you willing?"

  "This..." Lin Feng hesitated.

  Who wouldn't want to become a talisman master? After all, it means immense wealth and power. On the continent, who would dare offend a talisman master easily?

  But the thing is, he really isn't a person with a strong innate soul!

  "Listen, young one. There are some things your father probably hasn't told you, but you have a deep connection with the Luoyun Sect and its master's family! Warm Marquis saw Lin Feng hesitate and said with a frown, "It is your duty to help the Luoyun Sect! I am already old, if I don't find a successor soon, who will make equipment for the Luoyun Sect in the future? Without the Symbol Master holding down the fort, what will be the outcome of the Luoyun Sect? What will happen to the master's family? Eldest Miss..." At this point, Warm Marquis suddenly stopped and shook his head repeatedly.

  "Senior, I'm willing to give it a try!" Lin Feng's soul trembled as he hastily said.

  Ye Xiaojie was his lifeblood.

  His goal is to protect Yezi, so he wants to join the Luoyun Sect. Since becoming a symbol master can help the Luoyun Sect, which means helping Yezi, why not give it a try?

  As for his soul not being strong by nature... anyway, trying it out won't hurt.

  It's really can't be done, and there is no way about it.

  "This is right!" Wen Hou also smiled, "You'll definitely be fine! In the future when I'm no longer around, Lu Yun Sect will still have to rely on you to hold it up! Actually, this Lu Yun Sect, who knows, might just become yours."

  "Ah?" Lin Feng was shocked.

  "Cough! Cough!" Wen Hou knew he had misspoken and hastily coughed twice to cover it up, "Young one, I'll demonstrate first."

  Wen Hou waved his hand, and a thick steel plate about the size of a ruler appeared on the table: "Youngster, try to bend it!"

  It's clear that Wen Hou also has a spatial container. This is not surprising, as the Symbol Master is the richest profession on the continent, without exception.

  Judging from the shape of this steel plate, it should be part of a heavy cavalry armor set.

  Lin Feng nodded and took the steel plate, bending it into a 90-degree angle with a single effort.

  Wen Hou took over the steel plate and lightly patted it, and the steel plate immediately returned to its original shape. The strong man of Hu Xing Quan's ninth level was indeed astonishingly powerful.

  Wen Hou placed the steel plate on the table and waved his hand again. On the tabletop, a small jade bottle appeared, filled with colorful substances like paints.

  "What is this?" Lin Feng asked.

  "Wen Hou said: 'These are all the blood of the alien beasts, and some other materials have been added. They are the raw materials for drawing the talisman array.'"

  Wen Hou took out a very delicate brush pen, dipped it in a jade bottle, and lightly drew a stroke on the steel plate.

  The lines deeply penetrated into the steel plate, and Lin Feng felt the surrounding heavenly and earthly Yuan Qi gathering and entering the steel plate.

  "This is the formation diagram of the Xuan Jia Heavy Cavalry's ceremonial armor, I've got it down pat! However, in order for you to see clearly, I'll go a bit slower."

  Wen Hou said, and the brush drew another stroke of the symbol line.

  More heavenly energy gathered and entered the steel plate.

  "This process is somewhat like people practicing Hu Xing Quan, guiding the heaven and earth's primordial energy into the body." Lin Feng said.

  "Haha, you're absolutely right!" Wen Hou burst out laughing, "That's exactly what I meant. It's also about refining the primordial energy of heaven and earth, but instead of refining the human body, it's metal!"

  Wen Hou's brush moved like the wind, and soon he had sketched out line after line of symbols on the steel plate. As the last symbol fell into place, the steel plate flashed suddenly, and all the symbols vanished at once.

  "Alright!" Duke Wen put away his brush pen and smiled, "Young one, try again, can you bend this steel plate?"

  Lin Feng picked up the steel plate, exerting a slight force, but the steel plate didn't budge.

  "How is it?" asked Wen Hou with a smile.

  "This steel plate has at least doubled in solidity!" Lin Feng exclaimed, "It's too amazing!"

  "This is the most basic symbol array equipment." Duke Wen smiled and said, "The solidity has increased by a factor of two. If it were made into a set of battle armor, its weight would be reduced to half of what it originally was. Even ordinary knights under the command of the Ten Knights of the Mystic Armor Heavy Cavalry will receive such a set of equipment."

  "The old man is old, if you can inherit the old man's mantle, then I can also take a rest and do some things I like..." Duke Wen said, but in front of him appeared a gentle and elegant woman.

  Every time he saw the melancholy gaze of Jing Lan, he felt ashamed. However, the burden on his body was too heavy, and he didn't dare to accept this affection at all.

  Throughout his life, Wen Hou had been striving to become a second-grade symbol master, but he never succeeded.

  Since it's impossible to succeed... If someone can inherit one's legacy and take on this burden, then one can live for oneself for a few more years...

  "Your Excellency, what should I do?" Lin Feng asked.

  If he could contribute a bit of his power to the Luoyun Sect, Lin Feng would naturally be willing. The Luoyun Sect... was Ye Zhi's home after all!

  "Come, you try drawing a talisman line first." Wen Hou said, at the same time waving his hand and taking out another talisman brush.

  Lin Feng took over the symbol pen.

  "Each symbol master's brush can only be used by themselves. Only by using their own brush can they draw perfect symbol lines."

  Wen Hou said, taking out an ancient scroll. The lines drawn on the scroll were exactly the same as the ones he had just drawn. In front of the lines, there were some small notes, which were the materials used to draw these lines.

  "This is the simplest one, take a good look and then draw it out," said Wen Hou.

  Lin Feng concentrated his mind and looked at the symbol line.

  "Huh?" Lin Feng's heart slightly stirred.

  A seemingly simple straight line, yet it seems to contain a vast amount of information.

  It's something specific, but can't be put into words.

  Wen Hou saw Lin Feng frowning, but his face showed a look of surprise and delight.

  "Actually, actually——" Wen Hou muttered to himself.

  "The information inside should be the key to deciphering the symbol! But looking at it this way, I still can't get any information out of it." Lin Feng furrowed his brow.

  "I can sense the information inside, it seems like I didn't see it..."

  Lin Feng held the symbol pen and slowly closed his eyes.

  His powerful perceptual ability had reached its limit, and in his mind, a picture suddenly appeared.

  It's exactly the stroke I saw just now!

  That line of symbols seemed somewhat distant from him and looked extremely vague.

  "Let's go in and take a look!" Lin Feng thought to himself.

  Lin Feng slowly "approached" that symbol line, and the symbol line was getting closer and closer to him, looking clearer and clearer.

  He finally walked up to the symbol line and also saw clearly that it was not a straight line, but contained many changes.

  The talisman line suddenly shook and transformed into an old man with a high crown and strange clothes, holding a brush in his hand.

  The old man's large sleeve swept across, and his brush danced in the void. His movements were extremely fast, but Lin Feng felt every detail.

  And what the old man drew was exactly such a stroke!

  The strokes flow like clouds and water, moving as they wish. A simple line of symbols, yet it has hundreds of variations!

  The strength and weakness of the brush, the direction of the turn...

  "Who would have thought that the Hooked Array Formation was actually this complex!"

  The old man seemed to have not noticed Lin Feng, drawing repeatedly, each action was completely consistent. And Lin Feng also understood the secret of it.

  "So it was like this..."

  The old man disappeared and turned into that one stroke of symbol. Lin Feng looked at the symbol again, but it was different this time.

  Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his face.

  The Wen Hou beside him, however, had an expression of utter disbelief on his face.

  "Your Excellency, what's wrong?" Lin Fengqi asked.

  "Monster! True monster!" Duke Wen exclaimed, "Lin Feng, you're not only a born talisman master, but also a genius in the way of talismans!"

  Pointing to the scroll, Duke Wen exclaimed: "This kind of scroll is handmade by the masters of the ancient Shu Dao period and contains the true meaning of Shu Dao. Only with spiritual power can one feel the information inside. I didn't expect you to use spiritual power for the first time! When I learned Shu Dao, it took me a year to understand how to apply spiritual power!"

  "What's with the spiritual power?" Lin Feng was shocked, "I used spiritual power?"

  "If you don't use your spiritual power, all you'll see is just a straight line!" Wen Hou said repeatedly, "Quickly speak up, Lin Feng, what did you see?"

  "I feel like I've walked into a void space, and then I see a symbol line in the distance." Lin Feng asked, "Sir, what's going on with that space?"

  "Wen Hou said: 'That is our spiritual space, according to the warrior's words, this is called "Sea of Consciousness". Only by using the power of the spirit can one introspect the Sea of Consciousness. You were able to see the Sea of Consciousness, and you still say it wasn't using the power of the spirit? You saw the symbol lines, and then what?'"

  "I saw that line, it felt extremely far away, and then I just walked over." Lin Feng said.

  "What you sensed was your consciousness." Wen Hou nodded, "This is you enhancing your spiritual power and perceiving the information within the talisman lines. The stronger your spiritual power, the easier it is to comprehend the information inside. Legend has it that some souls with extraordinary talents can even see through the talisman lines and witness the ancient symbol masters personally drawing symbols."

  Lin Feng opened his mouth again and then tightly closed it. What he saw just now was the scene of the ancient symbol masters drawing symbols, wasn't it?

  But he wouldn't say this out loud. After all, he and Wen Hou weren't even acquaintances.

  "Being able to see the details of the strokes is already not bad. Gradually you will understand, with more practice, you can naturally draw the strokes." Wen Hou said, "Lin Feng, being able to introspect and recognize the sea of symbols, you are already destined to become a symbol master! But your expression just now - it seems like you've already understood quite a bit! Come, try drawing one stroke!"

  With a wave of his hand, another piece of steel armor fell onto the table.

  "Good!" Lin Feng nodded, dipped the brush pen in a jade bottle lightly, and then took it out.

  "Just paint whatever you remember, it's okay if it doesn't turn out right the first time. Failure is normal. A qualified painter has to spend a lot of money to become one," said Wen Hou.

  Lin Feng concentrated his mind, his eyes fixed on the steel armor in front of him. But inside his "Sea of Consciousness", another scene appeared.

  An old man with a high crown and strange clothes, his face calm, holding a symbol pen, waving it like clouds and flowing water.

  Lin Feng let out a soft breath, his brush pen falling onto the steel armor, and then slowly began to move.

  His movements were extremely slow, but his hands were extremely steady.

  Under his brush, strokes of characters appeared one by one.

  "En, not bad!" Wen Hou nodded, "For the first time drawing, it's okay to just draw a little bit! After all, even if you see the strokes clearly, the ancients drew them in a way that requires guessing bit by bit."

  Lin Feng was silent, he had already entered a very strange state, and Wen Hou's words did not penetrate at all. His spiritual power poured into the pen tip, drawing bit by bit.

  But Wen Hou didn't say another word, his facial expression became more and more vivid, and his eyes also shone brighter.

  After five breaths of time had passed, Lin Feng's forehead was beaded with sweat, but he finally completed the last stroke.

  A faint wave of heavenly energy fluctuation, the symbol line suddenly penetrated into the steel armor, and only a shallow mark was left on the outside.

  "Done!" Lin Feng wiped away his sweat, a tired smile on his face.

  At this time, Lin Feng also felt a bit of a headache, which was not physical fatigue, but a kind of soul-weariness.

  "Sir, how is it?" Lin Feng asked.

  "It's really... it's really..." Duke Wen shook his head repeatedly, unable to say a word.