Chapter Seventy-Three: Void Brushstroke

  Without enough strength to obtain the treasure, it's like a child holding gold and walking in a bustling city, sooner or later someone will snatch it away. This principle, Lin Feng naturally understood.

  Zhuang Lao comforted with a smile: "You understand, that's good. But you don't have to be discouraged either. In the future, if you want to get these treasures, maybe there will be some advantages too. I know those old guys from the Symbol Master Association have been looking for the successor of the Cloud Top Sect all along. There must be some secrets here related to the treasure of the people on Cloud Top. However, these are not problems that you need to consider now."

  "What you need to do now is to improve your own strength. Since that little symbol master led you into the symbol way ahead of time, spend some time on symbol cultivation in the future!" said Zhuang Lao Dao, "Try to engrave some symbol lines from time to time, which is very beneficial for the growth of your spiritual power. However, still take practicing Hu Xing Quan as the main priority, the improvement of strength is the foundation."

  "It seems I need to go buy some equipment to practice!"

  "It's necessary to buy some equipment, but not too much." said Zhuang Lao Dao, "Drawing talisman lines doesn't necessarily mean drawing them on the equipment. For a truly skilled talisman master, drawing in mid-air is also a way of practice. Only when actually crafting talismanic equipment do you need to carve the talisman lines onto the equipment."

  "Void Hooking Symbol Lines?" Lin Feng's heart moved, and he naturally thought of the scene where he watched the symbol array scroll. That high-crowned, strangely dressed person on Cloud Top, wasn't he precisely someone who hooked symbol lines in mid-air with his brush?

  "It seems that Fu Shi isn't so extravagant after all!" Lin Feng said, "In normal practice, you don't need to use the blood of exotic beasts at all. Just draw symbols in mid-air and once you're proficient, you can directly craft equipment."

  Zhuang Lao shook his head and said, "Not so. This exercise of drawing symbols in the air is a technique that even a slightly inferior symbol master cannot accomplish. Your master, I estimate, can only manage to draw arrays on the Xuan Jia heavy armor set, after all, he has been practicing for a lifetime. As for other arrays, he must rely on using the blood of exotic beasts on his equipment in order to practice."

  "I'm telling you that you can practice like this because your innate talent is good enough. Your soul awakened at a later age than I did back in the day, but you can achieve the same things I could do. As for ordinary symbol masters, don't even think about using such methods. They're just blindly doodling in thin air."

  "But don't get too excited, this method requires even higher control over spiritual power. The time you spend drawing talismans on your equipment is at most only half of what's needed for this method! And this method is also the most spiritually exhausting."

  "Of course, the fastest way to consume spiritual energy is indeed the fastest way to improve. However, there's one thing - whether your empty and vague strokes are correct or not still needs to be verified by engraving them on equipment. What if you feel it's correct after practicing many times and getting familiar with it, but then find out it's wrong when you actually apply it to the equipment? It'll be too late for regrets!"

  Lin Feng nodded and said: "I understand! Old Zhuang, your meaning is that the main thing is to focus on empty space, occasionally also need to practice in equipment, right?"

  "It's indeed the case." Old Zhuang chuckled, "Practice is equally important. Just like your master, that little symbol master, his innate talent was ordinary, but after making tens of thousands of sets of equipment, the symbol arrays on them became effortless for him. He has actually reached the threshold of a second-level symbol master, lacking only a breakthrough opportunity. That purple dress on your heart's desire Ye Zi is obviously also his work. Being able to engrave symbol arrays on ice silkworm-made clothing, making even fabric have some defensive capabilities, is rare even among first-level symbol masters."

  "Is Yezi's clothing... also a Daoist equipment?" Lin Feng was shocked. He had never noticed this before.

  "No wonder Ye Zi attaches so much importance to that dress, it turns out to be for this reason!"

  "Void sketching glyph lines...... Let me try!"

  Lin Feng regained his composure and walked back into the room, then closed the door. The identity of Master Fu was a secret, and he didn't want others to know about it for the time being.

  Lin Feng's heart moved slightly, and that one stroke of the pen appeared in his hand.

  "Good brush!" Zong Lao praised, "This symbol brush of yours is absolutely an ancient treasure passed down from the upper ancient times. Although the Cloud Top Sect has declined, it seems that there is still some foundation left. This one symbol brush can actually be used by you until you become a 6th level symbol master!"

  Lin Feng smiled, picked up the brush, and slowly closed his eyes.

  That ancient scroll then appeared in front of him.

  The power of his spirit enveloped the scroll, and in his sea of consciousness, that familiar scene appeared once again.

  The old man in the high crown and strange clothes stood proudly, his large sleeves fluttering, holding a talisman brush, drawing a line of talismans in the air like flowing clouds and water.

  After looking at it several times, Lin Feng opened his eyes.

  "Empty space is drawn, weight is in a quiet mind, try it!" said Zhuang Lao Dao.

  Lin Feng nodded, concentrated for a moment, and his mind became extremely clear.

  With a slight movement of his brush in his hand, he slowly drew it out in the void.

  His movements were extremely stiff, and he would occasionally stop, but the hand holding the pen was extremely stable. In the void, a faint, invisible line of symbols slowly extended.

  The old man's eyes were also filled with anticipation. He too wanted to see just how exceptional this young boy's talent was.

  Time passed bit by bit, and Lin Feng's speed was also getting slower. His forehead was also sweating slightly, but his hands were still extremely steady.

  After ten breaths.

  Lin Feng let out a miserable groan, his face turned deathly pale, but on his face, there was a hint of an unusual smile.

  "Is this transaction completed?" asked Old Zhuang.

  "There shouldn't be any problem, right?" Lin Feng said with a smile.

  What he actually wanted to say was that there was definitely no problem. However, he also didn't want to speak too much, and be able to directly see the image of the person on the cloud top painting this stroke from the scroll, and thus most intuitively understand the true meaning of Xuan Dao, this secret he is not ready to reveal yet.

  "You little scamp, you're indeed formidable!" Old Zhuang exclaimed repeatedly. "You succeeded in drawing on the scroll once, and even your random scribbles are a success! Good heavens, I'll have to think of a way to let you inherit my legacy sooner or later! Otherwise, I'd really be unwilling to accept it!"

  "This method is really too exhausting!" Lin Feng sighed with a bitter smile, "My spiritual energy is probably drained again! Now I just want to sleep, but I've only just started practicing my fist today, ah!"

  "Aren't you satisfied yet?" Zhuang Lao glared and said, "The faster you consume your spiritual energy to the limit, the faster your soul evolves. You stinky brat, which symbol master doesn't think of ways to squeeze out their own spiritual energy during cultivation?"

  "It's like this..." Lin Feng said, struggling to walk to the bedside and heavily fell onto the bed.

  That kind of exhaustion from deep within his soul was unbearable, and he immediately fell into a deep sleep.

  The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, apparently quite satisfied with his performance.

  "This kid......" Old Zhuang shook his head in frustration, "His mother's, he just fell asleep like that, really reassuring. Still have to rely on me, an old man, to protect him, sigh!"

  Although he said so in his mouth, Zhuang Lao's face was also full of smiles, and it was clear that he was very satisfied with Lin Feng's performance.

  "This guy, no matter what, must be made to bow down to me as his master. Such good talent, how can it be wasted on someone else?"

  ……

  Lin Feng slept for almost a whole day. By the time he woke up, it was already early morning of the second day.

  After waking up, Lin Feng was also startled. His hand still held the brush, and on the table, the ancient scroll was still placed there.

  Although the garrison of the Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry is generally unlikely to be invaded, this situation is no less dangerous.

  It's not that he wasn't careful, but after his spiritual energy was drained, that kind of fatigue was really impossible to resist.

  However, after a good sleep, his spirit was fully restored, and even his perception ability had improved.

  "Draining the spiritual force, indeed is a good way to upgrade the soul. However, it's really too dangerous." Lin Feng shook his head, "In the future, the upgrade of spiritual force will be slow and steady, unless in an absolutely safe environment, can use this method."

  Although cultivating the soul is important, safety is obviously more important. If you often fall into this deep sleep, what if an enemy comes and kills you in your dreams, wouldn't that be unjust?

  So Lin Feng also decided that for the time being, he would temporarily not use this Void Piercing Fist method. When his spiritual power was a bit more abundant, it wouldn't be too late to use this method again.

  Lin Feng waved his hand, and a jade bottle appeared on the stone table. At the same time, a long arrow also appeared.

  Father Lin Heng's five-edged armor-piercing arrow!

  "Let's just use a safe method!"

  The brush dipped in the jade bottle and then lightly fell onto the smooth arrow body of the piercing arrow, slowly moving.

  Four breaths later, a complete Fu line appeared on the arrow body.

  A faint aura fluctuation flashed, and the symbol lines completely disappeared into the arrow body.

  Lin Feng gave a slightly tired smile, although he was a bit sleepy, but he didn't fall asleep.

  He has currently learned this stroke is part of a character component and also the simplest one.

  Engraving on this armor-piercing arrow can make the arrow body more solid and its weight reduced to half of the original.

  The killing power of such arrows is naturally greater, and the range of shooting with a meteor bow is farther. Of course, for the enemy, the weight of piercing arrows remains unchanged.

  Actually, the arrowheads issued by Tianxing Bow also have the same symbol lines engraved on them. Those are naturally the handwriting of Wen Hou. However, they were ordinary four-edged armor-piercing arrows, not five-edged ones. Five-edged armor-piercing arrows rotate faster and are more powerful, only a small number can be made by Lin Family in Heishi Town.

  "This is great, it allows me to practice drawing this symbol line more fluently and also get stronger arrows."

  "Wait until your spiritual power recovers, and then come again!"

  In fact, on that scroll, a symbol array contains many lines of symbols. Lin Feng also has the ability to understand it, but he is not in a hurry to learn others.

  His plan was to slowly practice each stroke of the seal script until one day he could quickly draw all the strokes on the Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry's formal equipment, and replace Wen Hou to take on the heavy responsibility of providing talismanic equipment for the Lu Yun Sect.

  With a light wave of her hand, she stored all the items such as the symbol pen and scrolls into the jade pendant space.

  "Let's practice Hu Xing Quan first!" Lin Feng casually ate something and then started practicing Hu Xing Quan again.