Chapter 2: The Apprentice of the Talismonger

With a faint sigh, Wu Yan said to the obviously still lost in thought Wang Gu with a wry smile: "Junior Brother Wang, it would be better to think about how to improve your cultivation first! If you cannot reach the tenth level, you won't be able to become a talisman disciple. Also, could you please take me back to my residence now?"

After listening to Wang Gu's description, Wu Yan fell silent, contemplating the formidable spell that Zhuo Ming was cultivating. If it truly was as domineering as Wang Gu claimed, he would have to be even more cautious in the future. After all, that guy seemed incredibly arrogant. If one day he grew tired of playing the cat-and-mouse game with Wu Yan and decided to make him disappear from his sight, he might very well take lethal action against him. With Wu Yan's cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, he would likely be unable to withstand even a single strike from the other party.

In this way, it would be an unknown number of years before he could gather enough spirit stones to purchase the Dragon Soul Pill. Thinking of this, Wu Yan felt an immense sense of frustration. However, he also understood very well that he had no other choice. According to the regulations of the Yunmeng Sect, advanced external disciples are allowed to freely choose lower-level disciples as assistants. Thus, although his expression changed slightly, he numbly said, "Wu Yan is naturally willing to follow the arrangements of my senior brother."

"How many low-level talismans can Brother Zhuo Ming produce each month?" Wu Yan suddenly asked

Oh! So it's Senior Brother Wu. Actually, there aren't too many rules here; as long as we complete the assigned tasks each month, basically no one pays attention to us lower-ranking disciples. However, since Senior Brother Wu has just arrived, it might be a bit difficult to complete those tasks in the first few months, especially..." Wang Gu hesitated at this point, looking around to ensure no one was paying attention before whispering, "Especially since Senior Brother Zhuo seems to be intentionally making things difficult for you. Therefore, Senior Brother Wu should be a bit cautious when doing things, as it is said that Senior Brother Zhuo has quite a bit of backing."

Listening to Zhuo Ming's obviously gloating words, at this moment, even Wu Yan, no matter how foolish, understands that this matter is not as the horse-faced senior brother said. After all, if this Zhuo Ming truly needed talisman-making disciples, how could he possibly present himself in such a manner? Moreover, he and Wu Yan are complete strangers. Even if he finds Wu Yan displeasing, there is no need to be so direct, right? Could it be related to the horse-faced senior brother?

Upon hearing Zhuo Ming's mockery, Senior Brother Ma Lian let out a cold snort, "Caution? You must not have witnessed his level of artifact refining to speak like that. You should know that an average fire worker disciple and a *Tushuzi* can at most refine dozens of ordinary materials. Even a disciple like me can only refine one or two hundred types at most. Yet this kid has refined materials that should have been within my capability. You have no idea, the materials he has refined in one month surpass the total of what all my other fire worker disciples have produced combined. Even I myself could not achieve that. If it were any other time, it would be fine, but now the decade-long challenge competition is about to begin. How can I rest assured to let him challenge me? I believe even Brother Zhuo would not want to see someone like him among his subordinates, right?"

"Master Hua, is it?" Wu Yan couldn't help but smile wryly again. Well, now it seems that under the watchful eyes of their master and disciple, he was nothing more than meat on the chopping block, at the mercy of others

Alas! This is not the case, Brother Wu may not be aware that our Talismans Hall has a monthly production limit for talismans. It is said that this is to prevent talisman-making disciples from producing excess talismans that could be sold as existing ones. I believe Brother Wu is also aware that these talismans fetch a considerable price in the market; even the simplest low-level talismans can sell for one or two spirit stones. Therefore, the aforementioned actions are not difficult to understand. However, this situation is not limited to us low-level disciples; even advanced disciples like Brother Zhu face the same issue. Their monthly task is to complete fifty low-level talismans, but they only have three hundred blank talismans available. I am not sure about other places, but in our Talismans Hall, no talisman-making disciple has been able to produce fifty low-level talismans from three hundred blank ones. I believe only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage or above could achieve that.

Brother Ma Lian's residence is located near the Refining Hall, in a stone house built uniformly by the Yunmeng Sect. In the Yunmeng Sect, only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage are qualified to have their own cave dwellings. Naturally, the treatment of senior disciples in external affairs is always much better than that of junior disciples. For instance, Brother Ma Lian's residence is two to three times larger than that of Wu Yan.

Gazing at the rare smile on Senior Brother Ma's face, Wu Yan felt increasingly perplexed, unable to understand why such a trivial matter as submitting a task would cause Senior Brother Ma to make such a fuss. Even if it was to withhold the meager spirit stones, it seemed unnecessary to be so exaggerated. "What are these two up to? At most, they will just deduct this month's spirit stones!" With this thought in mind, Wu Yan reached into his storage bag to take out various materials. However, since he had made the worst-case scenario plan with Tushuran, he certainly would not take out all the materials, as selling them at a low price to other firework disciples was still better than coming away empty-handed.

Upon seeing Zhuo Ming's arrogant expression, Wu Yan could only smile bitterly to himself. However, his senior brother, Ma Lian, appeared quite pleased with the situation. "Hehe! Senior Brother Zhuo Ming, Junior Brother Wu, let us go to my humble abode for a discussion," he said, not giving Wu Yan a chance to respond and leading the way out.

"Wang Shidi, are you sure everything you said is true? You wouldn't be suggesting that someone above is looking down on us and is using this method to deal with us, would you?" Wu Yan asked, somewhat unconvinced.

"Refer to Senior Brother, congratulations on your successful artifact forging!" Although unwilling in his heart, Wu Yan still forced a smile and saluted the middle-aged man with a horse-like face. Upon hearing Wu Yan's words, the horse-surnamed senior brother showed a hint of embarrassment on his face, but as soon as Wu Yan straightened up, he immediately returned to his usual calm demeanor. Meanwhile, the young cultivator beside him revealed a look of mockery in his eyes

Hehe! Junior Brother Wu! Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Senior Brother Zhuo Ming from the Talismans Hall, and he is a recognized disciple of our Master Hua Yi!" Senior Brother Ma, usually so formal, unexpectedly did not ask Wu Yan about the completion of his tasks for the month. Instead, he cheerfully engaged in small talk, which made Wu Yan feel even more uneasy. It is important to note that Senior Brother Ma had always held himself in high regard in front of Wu Yan; how could he possibly introduce his friend to him?

Upon this thought, Wu Yan suddenly recalled the somewhat ingratiating expression of Senior Brother Ma Lian when he was with Zhuo Ming. At that time, he had assumed it was because Zhuo Ming had a significant background, prompting Senior Brother Ma Lian to curry favor with him. However, it now appeared that Senior Brother Ma Lian had a request of Zhuo Ming; otherwise, even if Zhuo Ming had a late-stage Foundation Establishment master behind him, there would not be much interaction between him and Senior Brother Ma Lian. But why did Senior Brother Ma Lian want to get him out of the Artifact Refining Hall? It seemed he had not done anything to offend him. With a bitter smile, Wu Yan cast these thoughts aside and decided to focus on how to complete his first month's task.

This is natural; as long as Brother Zhuo puts Wu Yan's name on the Symbol Hall, those two lower-tier magical artifacts and twenty spirit stones will naturally be handed over to Brother Zhuo.

Hmph! Brother Ma, you are being overly cautious! This Wu Yan is only at the eighth level of Qi Refinement; how could such a useless person possibly threaten your position?" After Wu Yan left, Zhuo Ming suddenly said disdainfully

Wang Gu furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before saying, "Uh, it should be a little over twenty sheets! I'm not exactly sure of the specific number, but it definitely won't exceed thirty. However, the amount of spirit stones these talisman-making disciples exchange each month is not determined by quantity, but rather by the power of the talismans. It seems that Senior Brother Zhuo has cultivated a particularly formidable spell, and the talismans he produces are based on this spell as a standard. Therefore, even though Sister Bai produces more than ten sheets each month compared to him, the spirit stones they receive are not significantly different. Sigh, I wish I could also make talismans someday."

Brother Ma, there is no need to beat around the bush; it is just a trivial matter, so why make it so complicated! After the three entered the stone house, Brother Ma initially intended to exchange pleasantries, but unexpectedly, Zhuo Ming impatiently urged him on. Upon hearing this, Brother Ma's smile momentarily stiffened, but he quickly resumed a smiling face, this time addressing Wu Yan gently: "Junior Brother Wu, you may now present the items you have completed for this month's tasks."

Upon thinking of this, Wu Yan felt a stir in his heart and asked, "Junior Brother Wang, you seem quite relaxed; I assume you are completing your monthly tasks quite well, aren't you?"

Haha! That's good! That's really good! Then, Junior Brother Wu, you should go back and tidy up a bit, and soon you can accompany Senior Brother Zhuo to the Talismans Hall! Senior Brother Ma, seeing that Wu Yan agreed, couldn't help but feel elated, as if a burden had been lifted from his heart, and he hurriedly urged Wu Yan to leave.

However, what Wu Yan had anticipated did not occur. In fact, Senior Brother Ma Lian did not even take a close look at the materials he submitted; he simply handed him five spirit stones without a second thought. This left Wu Yan momentarily stunned. "How is this possible? Is he joking? Is this old fellow having a fever?" he muttered to himself. Although he felt that what had happened today was somewhat unbelievable, he still accepted the spirit stones without hesitation.

Wu Yan was taken aback, as he did not expect that during their first meeting, Wang Gu would kindly remind him. It seemed that Wang Gu was a decent person, which made Wu Yan, who had long been accustomed to the deceitful environment of the Artifact Refining Hall, feel somewhat uncomfortable. As for Zhuo Ming, he did not take him seriously; as long as the other party did not resort to violence and merely manipulated the monthly tasks, he believed he could still manage, especially since over the past thirty years, that cunning, ghost-like Senior Brother Ma Lian had taught him many things.

Upon seeing Wu Yan accept the spirit stone, the smile on Senior Brother Ma's face grew even wider. "Hehe! Junior Brother Wu, over the past thirty years, you have followed me in crafting tools. Although there are many areas for improvement, I am still quite satisfied with you. Alas! However, now Senior Brother Zhuo urgently needs a talisman craftsman disciple. As a close friend of Senior Brother Zhuo, I naturally must lend my full support, right? And Junior Brother, I assume you wouldn't refuse, would you?"

So that's how it is, I was overthinking it, hehe! Since Brother Ma has entrusted him to me, I won't care whether that kid is a genius in refining tools. All I know is that if he fails to complete the tasks I assign him, he shouldn't expect to receive a spirit stone from me. In this way, Brother Ma should feel at ease! Now... the conditions we agreed upon earlier, Brother Ma must not forget them.

Wang Gumei blushed slightly and said, "Not at all! A few months ago, I couldn't even gather fifty blank talismans. It was only recently, with the help of Senior Sister Bai, that I started to see some improvement. However, even so, I only manage to complete a little over eighty each month, because I am only provided with one hundred sheets of production materials each month. If I make a mistake during the production process, it means I've lost a blank talisman. I was relatively better off; I heard that some people didn't complete a single blank talisman in their first month."

Moreover, how could one overlook the fact that this Brother Zhuo Ming has such a prominent background? Although Wu Yan secretly harbored grievances, he did not dare to show any dissatisfaction. After all, offending a senior foreign affairs disciple was one thing, but if the other party had a master at the late Foundation Establishment stage, even if only nominally, it was not something he could handle at this moment.

Looking at Master Ma's smiling face, which seemed to indicate he had complete control over the situation, Wu Yan finally understood and couldn't help but curse inwardly. This old fellow was not just giving him a difficult problem; he clearly wanted to play him to death! No wonder he had been so generous just now. Hmph! This move was indeed ruthless. For thirty years, he had devoted all his thoughts to refining tools, and now that he had finally made some progress in refining materials, he thought he could earn more spirit stones from it. Little did he expect that the old fellow would casually turn him into a talisman craftsman disciple. It should be noted that he knew nothing about talisman crafting. To reach a proficient level, it would probably take at least ten to eight years.

Is Senior Brother transferred from the Artifact Refining Hall? I am Wang Gu, who just joined the sect this year. Perhaps noticing the fluctuating expression on Wu Yan's face, the talisman craftsman disciple assigned to guide them hesitated for a long time before finally taking the initiative to greet them. At this moment, Wu Yan remembered that this talisman craftsman disciple only had a cultivation level of the seventh layer of Qi Refining. "Hehe! I apologize, Junior Brother Wang. I am Wu Yan, and I indeed came from the Artifact Refining Hall. I would appreciate it if you could explain the rules of the Talisman Making Hall to me. It would be truly unfortunate if I inadvertently violated any rules." The talisman craftsman disciple hesitated for a long time before finally taking the initiative to greet them, and at this moment, Wu Yan remembered that this talisman craftsman disciple only had a cultivation level of the seventh layer of Qi Refining. "Hehe! I apologize, Junior Brother Wang. I am Wu Yan, and I indeed came from the Artifact Refining Hall. I would appreciate it if you could explain the rules of the Talisman Making Hall to me. It would be truly unfortunate if I inadvertently violated any rules."

"Refer to Senior Brother Zhu!" Wu Yan quickly bowed respectfully again to greet him, but Senior Brother Zhu merely snorted in acknowledgment, as if he believed that whether it was due to his cultivation level of the thirteenth layer of Qi Refinement or his status as a named disciple of Hua Yi, it was already a great honor for this insignificant cultivator to receive even a glance from him.

Wang Gu was taken aback for a moment, then immediately noticed that Wu Yan was not in a good mood. He quickly smiled and said: "Brother Wu might be feeling tired! That's no problem. After I take you to report to Master Hua Yi, I will arrange your accommodation."

What! These conditions are rather too harsh! After listening to Wang Gu's explanation, Wu Yan's initial sense of hope vanished without a trace. If that is the case, does it mean there is no opportunity to make mistakes? Back when I was in the Artifact Refining Hall, although there were more tasks, there were no restrictions. As long as one did not slack off, even Senior Brother Ma Lian had no legitimate reason to withhold spirit stones.

Wu Yan was completely unaware of the transaction between Senior Brother Ma Lian and Zhuo Ming. After tidying up, he followed Zhuo Ming to the Symbol Crafting Hall, feeling extremely frustrated. Along the way, Zhuo Ming remained arrogant, with his nose in the air, not even glancing at Wu Yan. However, Wu Yan was quite pleased with this situation; if he had to bow and scrape before Zhuo Ming's smug face and greet him with a smile, it would truly be a torturous experience

The Symbol Crafting Hall, where Zhuo Ming is located, and the Artifact Refining Hall, where Wu Yan was previously, both belong to the Tianluo Peak, one of the Outer Nine Peaks. Therefore, they are merely a few hundred miles apart. After Wu Yan and his companion arrived, Zhuo Ming called over a disciple skilled in talismans to arrange for Wu Yan, and then spoke to Wu Yan in a mocking tone: "Today, you should familiarize yourself with him. Starting tomorrow, you will be a talisman craftsman disciple in our Symbol Crafting Hall, hehe! Your monthly task is to complete one hundred blank talisman papers. I hope you can accomplish this; otherwise... I believe you are well aware of the consequences." After saying this, he ignored Wu Yan, whose expression was extremely grim, and turned to leave.