Chapter 5: Apprentices (Part 1)

The next day, Guo Shieru stepped out of his room, and Aunt Lan came to help him wash his face and rinse his mouth. Chen Chunzhai also came out, yawning. Guo Shieru couldn’t help but laugh at him—Chen Chunzhai had dark circles under his eyes; he must have been disturbed all night and was too annoyed to sleep.
Huo Bao muttered as he left the room, “Grandpa Chen, who was that yesterday… They kept me awake all night. I’m so tired…” Then he asked, “Are we entering the inner gate today? Grandpa Chen, can I stay in the inner gate too?”
Chen Chunzhai, having stayed up all night, was in a bad mood. He said, “Of course you’ll live in the inner gate, but you’re not an inner gate disciple! Now, go pack your things—we’re leaving!”
Guo Shieru quietly waved his hand, signaling Huo Bao to ignore Chen Chunzhai. That guy was irritable due to lack of sleep; anyone who talked to him would suffer.
Huo Bao wasn’t stupid and immediately understood Guo Shieru’s meaning. He muttered under his breath and went back to his room to pack.
After breakfast, Guo Shieru and the others boarded a carriage and headed toward the inner gate. Along the way, more old men and women on horses joined them, all following the carriage Guo Shieru was in. Chen Chunzhai said with a wry smile, “Shieru, you’re in big trouble.”
Guo Shieru obviously understood what was going on, but he had to pretend to be clueless. He said with a smile, “Grandpa Chen, how could there be trouble? You’ll help me.”
Chen Chunzhai thought to himself, “I can’t help you. These old folks are almost like man-eaters… Sigh, I need to get back to the inner gate and report as soon as possible.”
There were only three carriages, but hundreds of people followed them. There were only a dozen or so old men and women, yet they had hundreds of followers. The group moved in a grand procession toward the inner gate.
Huo Bao asked softly, “Shieru, are they all here for you?”
Guo Shieru replied, “I’m just a child who knows nothing. Don’t ask me!”
Chen Chunzhai laughed at this and sighed, “Children are great—carefree and free from worries.”
The inner gate was located in a huge valley. Looking in from the entrance, it seemed like a city, though strictly speaking, it wasn’t a city but rather a collection of towns of various sizes. Chen Chunzhai explained, “This is an important settlement of the inner gate, divided into two main parts and four regions. The first part includes the residences for talismanists, spellcasters, incantation experts, and talisman-wielding warriors—these four residences occupy two regions.”

“The second part mainly consists of logistics service facilities, which also occupy two large areas and are classified in great detail. You will often come into contact with these two areas as you learn spells in the future.”
“You will live here until you advance to a Spellcaster. In my estimation, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to reach that level. I suggest you wait until you become a Spellcaster before considering leaving—outside is too dangerous. Only with the strength of a Spellcaster can you protect yourself.”
Guo Shieru fell silent for a moment before asking, “Is it hard to advance to a Spellcaster?”
Chen Chunzhai replied, “A Spellcaster… among Spellcrafters, Casters, and Spell Warriors, they are the weakest… and it’s quite difficult to advance. Spellcrafters rarely engage in battles, while Casters and Spell Warriors must grow through combat. Hehe, actually, a Spellcaster is a combination of a Spellcrafter and a Caster, but once they advance to a Spellcaster, they become even stronger than both combined!”
Guo Shieru asked again, “What’s the difference between a Spellcrafter and a Caster?”
Chen Chunzhai said, “Spellcrafters focus on creating spells, while Casters focus on using them. Of course, the distinction between them isn’t very strict—some Spellcrafters can also use spells to attack, and some Casters are skilled at creating spells—but none have as balanced abilities as a Spellcaster.
“A person with average spell potential might even be inferior to someone with better potential as a Spellcrafter or Caster, but those with outstanding spell potential are truly formidable, and their future prospects are incomparable to those of Spellcrafters or Casters.”
Only then did Guo Shieru understand why those old men wanted to take him as their disciple. He was secretly relieved that he hadn’t hidden his abilities. He asked, “What about those with average spell potential? How can they develop?”
Chen Chunzhai smiled and said, “That’s precisely the advantage of having average spell potential—because they can choose to specialize as Spellcrafters or Casters, and focusing on just one path is even better.”
The old men listened silently to their conversation, growing increasingly surprised. These weren’t questions a child should ask. Guo Shieru always managed to hit the key points. At just eight years old, he was already understanding the differences between professions. It was clear he was thinking about his own future—this kid was truly extraordinary.
After pondering for a while, Guo Shieru asked again, “What’s a Spell Warrior?”
Chen Chunzhai replied, “A Spell Warrior relies on the existence of a Spellcaster or a Spellcrafter. Without them, a Spell Warrior is like a fish out of water. The first two professions serve as the foundation for a Spell Warrior’s growth—without them, a Spell Warrior is finished.”
Guo Shieru asked, “Why?”

Chen Chunzhai explained, “Because the combat strength of rune warriors improves through physical training talismans, which must be provided and operated personally by rune masters and spellcasters—no one else can take their place. Once a rune warrior chooses a master, they won’t switch, and even if they wanted to, no rune master or spellcaster would be willing to take them in. This is why there are wandering rune warriors—when their master dies and they lose their support, they end up in a worse situation than ordinary people.”

Guo Shier said, “I understand. Aside from fighting, rune warriors hardly know any other skills. Once they lose their support, it’s hard for them to survive. And due to their pride, they’re reluctant to serve a new master and prefer to work as bodyguards for ordinary families.” He thought of his own uncle, Pu Er.

Chen Chunzhai said, “That’s why rune warriors would rather die than let their master die. Hehe. Moreover, good rune warriors are usually trained from a young age; few are taken in later, even if it’s from a rune master.”

Hearing this, Guo Shier was amazed by the uniqueness of this world.

Chen Chunzhai said, “Shier, remember—rune warriors aren’t slaves; they’re companions, brothers. They are our strongest shields and sharpest spears. We must respect the rune warriors who follow us and do our best to help them grow stronger.”

Guo Shier nodded solemnly. “I know. I will.”

Chen Chunzhai said, “Baozi, you’re lucky.”

Huo Bao grinned foolishly and puffed out his chest. “I’ll protect Shier. Unless the enemy steps over my body, I won’t give up!”

Guo Shier felt warmth in his heart. He didn’t say anything but silently resolved to treat Huo Bao as his brother for life.

Chen Chunzhai said, “Shier, I have a grandson who also has potential to become a rune warrior. He’ll follow you from now on. Hehe, I have high hopes for him.”

Guo Shier nodded. “Grandpa Chen, please bring him here. But I also need to observe him for a year—it’s important for both of us.”

Chen Chunzhai greatly admired Guo Shier’s rationality and calmness; he didn’t act like an eight-year-old at all. Talking to this kid sometimes made one forget his age. He said, “Of course.”

The elders on horseback looked at each other in surprise. Guo Shier had brought them so many surprises and delights, and they admired and liked the boy even more.

The carriage traveled for three hours before finally reaching their destination.

The old men drove their horses away, taking the time to say a few words to Guo Shier before leaving. Chen Chunzhai felt a bit resentful; he knew that even if Guo Shier didn’t take them as his masters, he would still receive help from these old folks in the future. Guo Shier understood this as well, so he pretended to be cute by acting like a child, addressing each grandparent affectionately and loudly, making them all smile.

Huo Bao clearly fell short in such situations—he hardly spoke, just watched, as he didn’t know what to say. On the surface, he was four years older than Guo Shier, but in reality, he was the true child, and it was normal for him not to know how to socialize. This only made it more evident how clever and smart Guo Shier was.

The residence of the spellcasters was a small town with hundreds of separate courtyards. Each spellcaster could occupy one courtyard, with half of them remaining empty. Chen Chunzhai’s home was also there, located near the edge of the town. Due to the many vacant courtyards, after some negotiation, Chen Chunzhai arranged for a courtyard next to his own home for Guo Shier to live in.

Chen Chunzhai said, “I’ll go to the Inner Gate to select a few Spell Warriors for you. These warriors belong to the Inner Gate’s forces, so you don’t need to pay them—just borrow them temporarily. Aunt Lan and Aunt Xin will take care of your daily needs. In a few days, I’ll send my grandson over so you can get to know each other.”

“Aunt Lan, go and tidy up the room. I’ll take Shier and Bao to the Inner Gate to handle some matters.”

Aunt Lan was very happy, knowing that Guo Shier had a bright future and was lucky enough to live in the Inner Gate, the safest place in the Northern Spell Gate.

In this world, safety was the least guaranteed thing. Unless one relied on a powerful faction or family strength, or else lived in a big city, the risk of starving was high. If one chose to live in the wild, they would basically become prey for beasts. In this world, simply surviving was a form of happiness.

Guo Shier and Huo Bao followed Chen Chunzhai to the registration office of the Northern Spell Gate.

Chen Chunzhai had already made arrangements, but the identity badge had to be obtained in person—no one else could do it on behalf of the individual, as a spell imprint had to be left first, after which a spellcaster would quickly create the identity badge.

Guo Shier’s identity token was golden, while Huo Bao’s was black. Chen Chunzhai explained, “Shier, you have four years as an apprentice, during which all your expenses will be covered by the Inner Sect. After those four years, whether you become a spellcaster or not, you’ll have to cover your own rent and the expenses for your followers and dependents’ food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. As for you… heh, let me warn you first—being a spellcaster is a profession that consumes a lot of spell money.”

He added, “Huo Bao also has four years, during which the Inner Sect will provide you with the most basic body-refining spells. Well, Shier, you have four spots for spell warriors, which means the Inner Sect will cover their expenses for four years. If you recruit a fifth spell warrior, you’ll have to bear his expenses yourself—the Inner Sect won’t contribute a single coin.”

“The spots you can use now are four apprentices with potential to become spell warriors, plus four actual spell warriors provided by the Inner Sect to ensure your safety, and two aunts to take care of your daily life, including yours. That’s eleven in total. In the future, you can also hire ordinary people to serve you.”

Guo Shier asked, “What’s the basic annual expense for a spellcaster? I mean, including the spell money they use themselves?”

Chen Chunzhai smiled and said, “Ten thousand large spell coins. That’s the most conservative estimate. If they’re quite extravagant, spending twenty or thirty thousand large spell coins is also normal.”

Guo Shier gasped in shock, “So much?”