Chapter 5: Apprentice (Part 2)

Chen Chunzhai’s expression turned serious as he said, “This is the most basic and conservative estimate. If you want to advance and become stronger, spending seven or eight hundred thousand talismans isn’t unusual. Guo Shier, you need to find a way to make money. Don’t wait until the end of your apprenticeship to think about it—that will drive you crazy.”
This reminder was very important. But Guo Shier was a bit puzzled: If those eight-year-old children had the same potential as him, would they understand Chen Chunzhai’s words? Asking an eight-year-old to earn money to support ten adults was simply terrifying.
Of course, Guo Shier was an exception. Though children might not understand, he understood very well that money meant everything. Without it, one couldn’t even afford food, let alone talk about advancing or studying.
Chen Chunzhai, looking at the silent Guo Shier, was also puzzled: How could this child not care at all? After thinking for a while, he said, “Actually, you don’t need to worry too much…”
Guo Shier thought, “I’m not worried!”
“…If you take on a skilled talisman master, you’ll have many opportunities to make money.”
Guo Shier asked, “Where do talisman apprentices study?”
Chen Chunzhai replied, “If you have a master, you learn from them. If not, you go to the Talisman Hall, where there are talisman practitioners and masters. Apprentices can seek their advice, and the hall also rents out books, which you can either borrow or buy.”
“Is it self-study?”
Chen Chunzhai said, “Self-study? Yes, that’s a good description. Here, apart from those taught by masters, apprentices all study on their own.” He looked at Guo Shier, seeing the boy’s eyes darting around as if deep in thought. He couldn’t help asking, “What are you thinking about?”
Guo Shier wore a innocent smile and asked, “Grandpa Chen, among those grandparents yesterday… who was the most skilled? Um, who had the most money?”
“What?”
Chen Chunzhai was stunned. If he didn’t understand what this meant, then all his eighty-something years would have been in vain. He said, “Shier, do you mean…” He wanted to confirm. He himself didn’t know what he was doing at the age of eight, yet this child was already so calculating.
Guo Shier said shyly, “Grandpa Chen, you know… I’m so far from home, and my family can’t help me. So… finding a capable master would be a huge help to me, right?”
Chen Chunzhai instinctively replied, “Yes, it’s pitiful. Of course, you need to find a capable master…”

Guo Shier immediately asked, “Who’s the strongest among them?”
Chen Chunzhai replied, “In terms of overall strength, Chang Yeren is the strongest—he’s also the richest! Uncle Hei… uh, Shier, you shouldn’t have such thoughts. We spellcasters must have an independent mind and not seek to take advantage or gain benefits!”
Guo Shier looked aggrieved and said, “I didn’t mean that. I just want to find a strong master; that’s all. Hehe, Grandpa Chen, thank you.” He had already decided on his master. In this world, choosing a master didn’t matter much—choosing a wealthy uncle as a master meant he wouldn’t exploit his apprentice.
Chen Chunzhai shook his head, thinking he was overthinking it. An eight-year-old child wouldn’t think so much. He said, “Shier, remember, don’t rush to become an apprentice. Wait for a while first.”
Guo Shier asked in confusion, “Why?”
Chen Chunzhai smiled and said, “Hehe, it’s our rule here. Whenever a child with great potential is found, the big shots all want to take them as apprentices. But such children are extremely rare. Every time, they argue fiercely, so they finally came up with a rule: adults can choose apprentices, and apprentices can also choose their masters, and no one is allowed to put pressure on the child.”
“So… when many adults are interested in a certain child, the child’s choice becomes the deciding factor. During this time, adults can communicate with them, build relationships, make promises, and give gifts, but they can’t force the child to become their apprentice. Only after some time can the child make their own choice!”
Guo Shier’s eyes lit up. This rule was simply great. He said with a smile, “Great! I really like this rule!”
Chen Chunzhai sighed inwardly. “Who wouldn’t like it? This rule was made especially for those outstanding children.” If it weren’t for his desire to send his grandson to Guo Shier, he wouldn’t have explained it in such detail.
Guo Shier fiddled with the identity token in his hand and asked, “Do I have to wear this token? Or can I just keep it in my pocket?”
Chen Chunzhai replied, “It must be worn on the left chest. As an apprentice, you need to wear apprentice clothes. After four years of apprenticeship, you can no longer wear them. These apprentice clothes provide the best protection within the inner sect—no one will be rude to you, and no one will dare to bully you.”
A cold wind blew into the room.

An old man sneaked in by lifting the door curtain. It seemed he accidentally saw the two of them, and he exclaimed loudly, “Xiao Chen, what are you doing here… Isn’t this Shi Er?” Elder Chang Yeren appeared with a smiling face.

Chen Chunzhai gave a meaningful smile and said, “Oh, what a coincidence. Hehe, I brought Shi Er here to go through the procedures and get an identity badge.”

Guo Shi Er bowed and said, “Hello, Grandpa Chang!”

Chang Yeren patted Guo Shi Er’s head and laughed, “Ah, this kid is really polite. Shi Er, my family will hold a banquet in a few days. You should come too. The little guy probably hasn’t eaten any magic food before. Come to my place and taste it properly. Haha, that’s all… I have other things to do. Shi Er, I’ll send someone to pick you up later.”

Without waiting for Guo Shi Er to respond, he turned around and left, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Guo Shi Er was stunned. Chen Chunzhai cursed inwardly: That old fox. He said, “Shi Er, don’t be surprised. There will be many strange things from now on. The more you see, the less strange it seems.”

“Is it starting already?”

Guo Shi Er muttered in surprise.

Chen Chunzhai smiled and said, “Exactly, it’s starting now!”

Guo Shi Er smiled. This felt good. He said, “Do we still need to go to the Spell Hall to get some books?”

The group quickly arrived at the Spell Hall, which was only about a five-minute walk away. They obtained a large number of basic books. Chen Chunzhai said, “Shi Er, don’t rush to read the books. Wait until you settle down and organize your own place first. Then start reading. If you have any questions, come to my place… I can help you temporarily. Now that this task is done, I happen to have some time off.”

Guo Shi Er lived in a very small courtyard, a house designated for apprentices. It could accommodate about thirty people, but only ten were living there now, so it seemed quite spacious.

The most important thing in this courtyard wasn’t the buildings on the ground but a large laboratory underground—a necessary place for learning spells. The walls and ceiling on the ground were reinforced with runes, there were dedicated inlets and outlets for water, and even underground fire. Its advanced level surprised Guo Shi Er.

In his past life, Guo Shi Er didn’t have an interest in science. Although he had self-studied to an undergraduate level, it was from a military academy, not a science one. But he wasn’t averse to learning skills at all. In his past life, he had understood one truth: only by having a skill can one travel the world. It was great to be able to learn something.

Four years—this was the time given to Guo Shier to grow, a very tight schedule. In these days, Guo Shier had read some local history books and notes from sorcerers, gaining a general understanding of this world. This world was completely different from his past life; there was no concept of nations, nor any such institutions.

The living conditions for humans here were far worse than he had imagined. If humans did not unite, their chances of extinction were extremely high, which is why powerful sects like the Northern Talisman Sect emerged. In the north, the Northern Talisman Sect dominated; in the east, there was the Eastern Talisman Sect, also known as the Sea Talisman Sect. To the west lay the vast grasslands, home to the Western Talisman Sect, commonly referred to as the Beast Talisman Sect. In the south was the Southern Talisman Sect, composed of two sects: the Insect Talisman Sect and the Plant Talisman Sect, collectively known as the Southern Talisman Sect.

These four major sects gathered the strength of the vast majority of people to hold their ground in such harsh conditions. Clans also held immense power in this world, with each clan possessing great strength.

To survive this life safely, Guo Shier had to learn the local ways of survival. Perhaps in his next reincarnation, he could return to his hometown, but he must avoid dying violently. Although he had never experienced violent death, he guessed that if it happened, he might lose the chance to reincarnate, meaning he would truly die.

By his third life, Guo Shier still felt he hadn’t lived long enough and wished he could live a few more lives. In this reincarnation, he found himself not in his original world, so experiencing different worlds became his greatest wish.

Guo Shier carefully cleaned up the underground laboratory. It consisted of a material storage room, a material processing room, a geothermal chamber, a cleaning room, and a large hall for experiments, also known as the Talisman-making Hall. He didn’t ask anyone for help and cleaned everything by himself. Though only eight years old, he had the physical strength of an adult from his past life, so he finished cleaning quickly.

Guo Shier returned to the room above, which was his main bedroom. The bedroom wasn’t large, as winters here were extremely cold, so bedrooms weren’t built very big. A wooden bed took up most of the room. The floor, walls, and ceiling of the bedroom were also inscribed with runes, mainly to block the cold outside and release some heat. Next to the wooden bed was a horizontal rack for hanging clothes; aside from that, there were no other items. Next to the rack was the entrance to the underground lab.

Outside the main bedroom was the study, where Guo Shier studied. It had already been cleaned thoroughly by Aunt Lan and Aunt Xin.

The books brought from the Spell Hall were neatly arranged on the bookshelf, along with those purchased elsewhere. On the writing desk lay brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Guo Shier was no stranger to using writing brushes; he had practiced hard in his first life and could write quite well with them.

He spent his days leisurely reading books, while devoting most of his nights to chanting scriptures, with only four hours for sleep. That was enough for him. Thanks to his refined soul, his sleep quality was excellent, and four hours was sufficient for him to regain his energy and strength.

Three days passed in a hurry. That afternoon, Huo Bao came to the study and said, “Shier, there’s a carriage outside, along with two Spell Warriors. They say you’re invited to Grandpa Chang Yeren’s house.”

Guo Shier smiled and said, “Good, let’s go together.” He was very curious to see how Chang Yeren planned to tempt him.