Chapter 55: Becoming an Apprentice

  "What's wrong, sir?" Lin Feng asked.

  "Wen Hou swallowed hard: "You little scoundrel! You really... really... Lin Feng, do you know how long it took me to draw this first line of the symbol back then?"

  Without waiting for Lin Feng to respond, Wen Hou stretched out four fingers and sighed: "Four years! A full four years! From the moment I understood the true meaning of the first symbol line's symbol path, it took a whole four years. Who knows how many times I failed, how much material was wasted, before finally drawing the first symbol line! And you succeeded in just one try, you freak! You're truly a freak!"

  Lin Feng listened and his face also showed a hint of excitement. So, he was indeed extremely talented in the way of symbols?

  That is to say, you can soon become a symbol master and help Luoyun Sect, help Yezi?

  Wen Hou's eyes shone brightly as he gazed at Lin Feng, as if looking at a fragile treasure: "Lin Feng, you little scamp, you're truly a genius! With you in the Luoyun Sect, there's hope for our revival, haha! What Blood Moon Sect, what Kunyu Sect? As long as my Luoyun Sect can add several thousand Xuanwu heavy cavalry, trampling them would be effortless, haha!"

  "Adult, I know that drawing a talisman is not easy." Lin Feng gathered his thoughts and said in a soft voice, "Like me now, drawing a line like this on the painting requires five breaths of time. If I were to draw the complete talisman array on the steel armor, it would probably take a very long time. Moreover, drawing just one line of the talisman makes me feel extremely exhausted, it should be because my spiritual power is being consumed too much! I want to help the sect, but it will probably take a very long time."

  Wen Hou smiled and said, "The way of the Fu Master is indeed not easy, but that's for ordinary people. You were able to draw a complete Fu line with your first stroke, which is absolutely genius! It took you five breaths only because you're not familiar with it yet. With more practice, you'll naturally become faster!"

  "As for feeling tired, it's because your spiritual power is exhausted. After all, you're not at a high enough level, and although your soul is stronger than that of others at the same level, it's still limited."

  "As you level up, your soul becomes stronger, and drawing talismans will naturally become easier."

  Here is the translation:

  "Up to this point, Wen Hou gave a mysterious smile: 'Young one, actually, drawing these talisman lines itself, although it consumes spiritual energy, is also a way of strengthening the soul! The more talisman lines you draw, the stronger your soul will be! As far as I know, apart from the legendary "Zhu Que Wan Xiang Gong", this is the only method that can strengthen the soul!'"

  When Wen Hou mentioned Zhu Que Wan Xiang Gong, Lin Feng's heart also skipped a beat.

  "The soul is the most mysterious thing in the human body, and strengthening the soul is a benefit to the strong. Every true strongman will try to become a symbol master, but unfortunately this is a gift, unless born with a strong soul, it is impossible to succeed."

  "It is said that the ancient symbol masters of that era were not only the strongest symbol users, but also the strongest warriors. Their souls were so strong that they could attack with spiritual power." Duke Wen sighed, "The strongest ancient symbol master, when facing an enemy, doesn't even need to lift a hand, just one glance and you're dead!"

  Lin Feng's heart was shocked, looking at you with one glance, you would die? What kind of terrifying ability is this?

  "In this way, the powerful symbol masters have long been extinct on the mainland! However, the symbol path itself is also a kind of extremely terrible power when practiced to the extreme." Duke Wen continued, "Nowadays, the equipment of those strong sects and strong people on the mainland are all made by high-level symbol masters. It's said that a certain ancient sect has a divine weapon that weighs over 100,000 catties, but after being blessed by a symbol master, the user feels it's only 100 catties. Think about it, what kind of power would such a divine weapon have in the hands of a strong person?"

  Lin Feng's eyes widened in shock, this was something he had never heard of before.

  A weapon weighing as much as 100,000 catties feels like only 100 catties to the user? Wouldn't that mean even a first-rate expert in Tiger Boxing can lift it?

  If a super strong warrior wields such a weapon on the battlefield... how terrifying would its killing power be?

  Seeing Lin Feng's shocked expression, Wen Hou smiled with satisfaction.

  "Listen, kid, being a Master Signer is not just about being the richest profession on the continent!" Duke Wen said seriously, "The way of signs itself also represents power! A high-level Master Signer will be feared by any strong warrior!"

  "The way of the symbol itself also represents power!" Lin Feng nodded.

  Indeed, the symbols drawn by the symbol master can strengthen one's soul. The enhanced perception ability brought about by a strong soul is extremely useful during battles. And powerful equipment are all made by the symbol masters themselves. The equipment used by the symbol masters must be the best that can be crafted.

  A talisman master who can create top-notch equipment is naturally extremely powerful!

  "What you need to do now is not to make equipment for the sect, but to familiarize yourself with the process of drawing talismans as a symbol master." Duke Wen said with a smile, "Proficiency is the most important thing."

  Lin Feng nodded.

  "But today your spiritual energy has been almost depleted, so let's stop practicing for now! Today I'll tell you about the profession of a Symbol Master."

  Pointing to the ancient scroll in his hand, Wen Hou said: "The symbol arrays drawn by the symbol masters now are all created by the ancient symbol masters. The records of the symbol arrays are just such ancient scrolls! Only the ancient symbol Taoist grandmasters have the ability to merge the true meaning of the symbol Tao into the scrolls. Now, any symbol master on the mainland cannot do this, but only outlines the symbol lines on the scroll. And the inheritance of the symbol Tao is also relying on this kind of scroll."

  "It's precisely because these scrolls are becoming increasingly scarce that the number of Symbol Masters on the mainland is decreasing, and their status is also increasing. The Symbol Arrays scroll is the most important resource for a Symbol Master! Without the scroll, it is impossible to become a Symbol Master."

  Lin Feng nodded, this logic is easy to understand. Since the craftsmanship has been lost, the number of Fu masters will naturally become fewer and fewer. When all the scrolls are damaged... the Fu Dao may also be cut off from inheritance!

  Of course, it was a long time later, Lin Feng naturally would not be worried about this.

  "It's precisely because of this that even the simplest ancient scroll can sell for a sky-high price at an auction. To become a powerful symbol master, one must think of ways to obtain more scrolls."

  "So some people say that being a Symbol Master is the most lucrative profession on the mainland, but this statement is not accurate. For a Symbol Master who is content with the status quo, wealth will naturally come pouring in. But for a Symbol Master who wants to go further on the path of symbols, just searching for these scrolls would be enough to leave him penniless!"

  "An adult must be like this!" Lin Feng said.

  Wen Hou sighed and shook his head: "Alas, it's also embarrassing to say! The sect has not treated me poorly, every time I make equipment, they pay me enough compensation, and do not deduct anything because I am a member of the sect. This money... I spent most of it, also bought some scrolls, unfortunately, in the way of symbols, I was never able to go further."

  "Little one, do you know what level of cultivation the Symbol Master has reached?" asked Wen Hou.

  "I don't know." Lin Feng shook his head.

  "The Fu masters are divided into three levels and nine grades. The weakest is the first-grade Fu master. First-grade, second-grade, and third-grade Fu masters are considered low-level Fu masters. Fourth-grade, fifth-grade, and sixth-grade Fu masters are considered mid-level Fu masters. Seventh-grade, eighth-grade, and ninth-grade Fu masters are considered high-level Fu masters." Wen Hou said, "And I, after all these years, still haven't reached the threshold of a second-grade Fu master."

  Lin Feng was shocked, it turned out that Wen Hou was actually one of the worst kinds of talisman masters.

  However, he soon regained his composure, after all, a master like Fu was extremely rare.

  "Little one, I know what you're thinking," Wen Hou said with a faint smile. "The inheritance of the Symbolic Way is precarious, and on this continent, symbol masters are extremely rare. Most symbol masters are only first-level or second-level. Third-level symbol masters are already extremely rare! Mid-level and above symbol masters are even more unheard of."

  "Like me, Luoyun Sect, with Xuanyue Sect and Kunyu Sect, the three sects stand on this continent. Only my Luoyun Sect has always had a Zifu master sitting in town, able to provide equipment for itself. But Xuanyue Sect and Kunyu Sect are mid-level sects that rely on external forces, their military equipment is all purchased from other sects, and every year they also have to pay a large amount of tribute to the sect they rely on. Therefore, among the three major sects, only my Luoyun Sect is the most powerful."

  He paused for a moment, and then said, "Although I'm only a first-grade talisman master, it's because my own qualifications are too poor, but that doesn't represent that this lineage of mine is not good. The inheritance of the talisman master is different from ordinary sects, they are all single-person inheritances. The ancestor of my lineage back in the day was a renowned ancient talisman grandmaster!"

  "Little one, since you have this talent, you should make me your master. From now on, you will be the successor of my lineage. Are you willing?"

  After finishing speaking, Wen Hou looked at Lin Feng with a hopeful glimmer in his eyes.

  "I'm willing!" Lin Feng said without hesitation.

  Joking aside, if he can help Lu Yun Sect and Ye Zi, why wouldn't he be willing?

  "Master!" Lin Feng heavily kowtowed to Wen Hou.

  "Haha! Good boy, get up, hurry up!" Wen Hou was so delighted that he couldn't close his mouth, and quickly pulled Lin Feng to his feet.

  As for the young man in front of him, he was more and more likable. He himself was only a first-level talisman master, his master was also, his master's master...also a first-level talisman master. But Wen Hou firmly believed that it was because everyone's qualifications were not good enough.

  Now that there is such a talented successor, it's possible that this lineage will flourish and regain its former glory in the future!

  "Good disciple, since you've taken me as your master, I'll tell you that in our school of talismans, we're known as the Cloud Summit Sect. The founder of our sect was a great ancient talisman master named Cloud Summit Immortal. This scroll I'm showing you is one he drew himself."

  Lin Feng nodded, thinking to himself: So the old man in the high hat and strange clothes was called Yuntian Shangren.

  "The Fu masters are divided into nine levels, which record the scrolls of the Fu array, also divided into nine levels. Like this scroll, it is a first-level Fu master's scroll."

  "Being able to draw a few levels of talismans is equivalent to being a talisman master of those few levels."

  Wen Hou waved his hand again, and several scrolls appeared on the table: "There are first-class scrolls and second-class scrolls in here. Take all these scrolls!"

  "But Master, aren't you going to use it?" Lin Feng asked.

  Wen Hou said: "Once a symbol array is mastered, it will not be forgotten, and the scroll will become useless. Moreover, the second-level scrolls in here, to be honest, I don't understand any of them. It seems that I will never become a second-level symbol master in this life, so it's up to you now!"

  "I will work hard." Lin Feng also nodded.