Ding Xue turned around to look at Jun with a nervous expression.
"Did I commit a mistake, Senior?" Ding Xue asked anxiously.
"No, you didn't," Jun replied with a smile.
"Then?"
Jun gestured for Ding Xue to sit down in the chair in front of him. Responding to Jun's indication, Ding Xue took his seat.
"Now that you have the talent to become a talisman apprentice, you should be thinking about joining a force, right?" Jun asked with anticipation.
"Naturally, since I have the talent to become a Talisman apprentice now, I will look for a suitable force to join. Why?" Ding Xue inquired.
Jun stood up suddenly from his chair and retrieved a contract from a drawer.
"Why don't you join my shop, young Ding?" Jun placed the contract confidently in front of Ding Xue.
Ding Xue's eyes lit up; he was overjoyed at Jun's proposal. Why would he, Ding Xue, seek other forces when he could have the backing of such an unfathomable entity?
"I, Ding Xue, am willing to work for you for my whole life, Senior," Ding Xue declared as he dropped a drop of his blood on the paper.
"Good. You can go back for now and tell me about how well this talent of yours works," Jun said indifferently, gesturing for Ding Xue to leave.
Ding Xue bowed once again and left the shop.
Jun sighed as he stared at Ding Xue's departing figure. "It will take some time to reap benefits from him. I should choose someone who already has a cultivation base next time."
Jun hadn't received anything in return after selling the talent to Ding Xue. It would take Ding Xue one to three months to reach the Talisman apprentice level.
Since Ding Xue had practiced talisman crafting for many years, it was natural that it wouldn't take him too long to reach the 1st grade of talisman crafting.
Jun closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair with a relaxed expression.
[Host has completed the achievement "First Customer."]
[Host can choose one of the three rewards.]
[Diamond Body Sutra]
[+1 attribute point]
[15 tokens]
"Diamond Body Sutra? Sounds like a body cultivation method," Jun pondered over his choices. Although tempted by the allure of the [Diamond Body Sutra], he needed to increase his strength quickly.
Moreover, he had to provide Ding Xue with enough talisman-crafting materials and a technique to enhance his success rate.
"I choose option three."
[Host has received 15 tokens.]
"Nice. With this, I should be able to buy a cultivation technique for myself and help Ding Xue become a full-fledged Talisman Apprentice," Jun couldn't help but smile.
---
Just like that, two months passed.
In a small talisman crafting room, a young man focused intently on a piece of paper, carefully drawing runes. This young man was Ding Xue, attempting to craft a grade 1 talisman for the fourth time today.
Since he had bought the talent from Jun, Ding Xue had been practicing diligently with the crafting technique Jun provided later on.
Ding Xue poured his Qi into the talisman, breathing heavily. Suddenly, a dim white light started to emanate from the talisman.
"This is it! This is it," Ding Xue exclaimed, jumping up in excitement. He had finally taken the first step towards his dream, successfully creating a grade 1 talisman.
He immediately opened the gate of the talisman crafting room and rushed out of the Talisman Hall.
Observing Ding Xue's hasty departure, Instructor Jiang sighed, "This kid is always in a hurry."
Arriving at the Ding family residence, Ding Xue sprinted towards his father's room.
Knock, Knock!
Ding Xue's father, Ding Junfeng, engrossed in reading a document, heard the knock on the door. "Come inside," he said indifferently.
"Father! Look at this," Ding Xue hurriedly entered the room and proudly displayed the first talisman he had crafted to his father.
Ding Junfeng raised his head and looked at the talisman with a puzzled expression. "A grade one talisman? Who gave you this?"
Ding Xue laughed heartily before explaining, "Nobody gave me this talisman; I crafted it."
"You crafted it?" Ding Junfeng looked at Ding Xue with uncertainty.
"So?" Ding Junfeng's voice was cold and filled with disgust.
Ding Xue looked at Ding Junfeng with a puzzled expression. He wasn't sure why his father would look at him like this.
"Father, I am finally a grade one Talisman Apprentice. I promise, I will make you proud one day and will definitely become a Talisman Grandmaster." Ding Xue was confident, and his eyes were resolute as he swore an oath to his father.
"Become a Talisman Grandmaster? Make me proud?" Ding Junfeng laughed mockingly at Ding Xue's words.
Ding Xue lowered his head in embarrassment, unsure of how to face his father. He couldn't reveal that he had gained the favor of an Immortal master.
Ding Junfeng stopped laughing and looked at the embarrassed Ding Xue with a smirk. "It has been years since you started practicing talisman crafting, and after all these years, now you have reached the level of a grade one talisman apprentice?"
Ding Xue didn't raise his head, clenching his fist in anger.
"Look at your pathetic self, and look at your younger brother; he is already preparing to breakthrough the Foundation Establishment Realm." Ding Junfeng wore a proud expression.
"What?" Ding Xue's eyes widened as he heard his father's words.
Ding Xue had started cultivating at the age of 12, while his half-brother, two years younger, began cultivating at the same age. However, Ding Xue had spent most of his cultivation time practicing talisman crafting and couldn't focus on cultivating. The gap between them kept increasing, and now his brother was already preparing to breakthrough a major realm.
"What are you surprised about? It's only natural that he would reach this stage with his talent. Get out of here and don't disturb me again when I am working." Ding Junfeng picked up the documents he was reading earlier and gestured for Ding Xue to leave the room coldly.
Dejected, Ding Xue left the room and arrived at the courtyard. He raised his head and looked at the clear sky.
"Was it worth it?" Ding Xue asked himself a question. Was it worth it for him to work for so many years, just to be mocked and scolded? Was it worth it for him to dream about reaching heights a peasant like him shouldn't even think of?
"Young master? Did you see a dragon in the sky? Why are you staring at the sky?" A sweet and melodious voice sounded from behind Ding Xue.
He turned around to find out that this voice belonged to a young girl carrying a bucket full of dirty clothes.
"Xinmei!" Ding Xue looked at his only maid, one of the very few people he could trust, as tears welled up in his eyes.
Huang Xinmei immediately dropped the bucket and ran towards Ding Xue worriedly. "Young master! What happened? Why are you crying?" Huang Xinmei said out loud as she worriedly held Ding Xue's hand.
"It's nothing," Ding Xue wiped his tears and looked at Huang Xinmei after regaining his composure. "Thank you, Xinmei. Thanks to you, thanks to Guard Wei, and thanks to Old Yifan. I can always continue to work harder and strive for better without giving up."
Ding Xue might not have the support of his family, but these people who were just servants of his family were his only friends and also the only individuals he could sometimes lean on.
Besides that, he now had the support of an Immortal master. With that Immortal master around, who could dare to hurt him?
Or so he thought. Little did he know that the so-called Immortal master would turn out to be a fox pretending to be a tiger.