It didn't take long; at exactly nine o'clock, a middle-aged man in a white robe, the emblem of a Hunter Guild steward, walked into the lecture hall accompanied by a burly man dressed in hunter gear.
The steward began by introducing the burly man beside him, "Today's lecture will be given by the Guild Honorary Steward, the Vice-Captain of the Storm Hunters, Second-Rank Cardmaster 'Greatsword' Bernie. Please welcome him!"
The large lecture hall erupted in enthusiastic applause.
The burly man wasted no time and immediately began his lecture.
...
"Some of you may have heard of this, while others may not know or only know a little. Today, I'll explain everything in detail."
"A Cardmaster can follow thirteen paths to divinity, namely: [A-Courage], [2-Fall], [3-Healing], [4-Mystery], [5-Wisdom], [6-Order], [7-Art], [8-Element], [9-Destruction], [10-Miracle], [J-War], [Q-Love], and [K-Kingdom]."
"Each path represents a world rule power that can converge into a divine persona!"
"And for each of the thirteen paths to divinity, there are four career sequences to choose from. These are what we commonly refer to as the fifty-two career sequences."
"For example, the A Sword card corresponds to four career progression directions within the 'Courage' path: [Spade A-Black Knight], [Heart A-Light Warrior], [Club A-Fighter], and [Diamond A-Samurai]. Similarly, for the sequence 2, it corresponds to [Spade 2-Thief], [Heart 2-Ranger], [Club 2-Assassin], and [Diamond 2-Trickster]..."
"Although all four career sequences of the A Sword card fall under the 'Courage' path, each profession direction is different, pointing to different demons, and having different combat styles. The Black Knight follows the dark heavy armor route, the Light Warrior focuses on flesh growth, the Fighter is a natural martial artist and skill master, and the Samurai is a weapon expert..."
"When you reach Card Power Level Nine, you will face career choices. This is when you can break through physical limits again, and your combat power will skyrocket. For hunters, if you are to choose a career progression sequence, the sequences [A-Courage], [2-Fall], and [3-Healing] are the absolute best choices..."
"..."
'Greatsword' Bernie was explaining basic knowledge, but Ji Xun listened attentively.
At this moment, he finally gained a detailed understanding of the cultivation system of this Cardmaster world.
It turned out to be like this.
And coincidentally, when the Cardmaster profession is fully arranged, it forms a deck of fifty-two playing cards.
The more Ji Xun delved into this Cardmaster system, the more he felt it was profound, grand, and mysteriously ancient.
The sequence's endpoint leads to godhood?
Ji Xun listened even more intently.
Even these superficial pieces of knowledge made him feel small, and filled him with awe.
...
Bernie focused only on explaining the first three sequences. Ji Xun's understanding was:
A is warrior;
2 is assassin;
3 is healer.
The reason Bernie focused on these three sequences was that they had the lowest threshold for ordinary people, the demon marks required were the most common, and the career materials were the easiest to find.
Those attending this free lecture were usually the lower-class citizens of Wuzui City, so his words were practical.
Ji Xun also thought seriously about which career path would be the most suitable for him in the future.
Now it seemed, with his [Demon Feast] talent, his physical attributes would be exceptionally strong in the future.
That meant the four warrior career directions in the "A Courage" sequence seemed to fit him well.
[JOKER] had a passive talent that allowed him to change professions without being restricted by the sequence, meaning he could choose assassin, healer, or even other professions later.
While pondering this issue, 'Greatsword' Bernie moved on to the topic of demon marks, continuing, "But before choosing a career sequence, the most important thing is to fuse with a 'demon mark.' Only by fusing with the mark and gaining the demon's recognition can we truly become extraordinary."
Looking at the audience, he said, "Among you are apprentice hunters who have already fused with a demon mark and have experienced the enhancements it provides to the body. The fifty-two demon marks point to fifty-two powerful demons. Finding a mark that fits you and gaining the demon's recognition will be the strongest support in your life..."
Upon hearing Bernie's words, the young people who had already fused with marks wore proud expressions, unable to hide their sense of superiority.
Extraordinary individuals and ordinary people were worlds apart.
Ji Xun glanced at his own physical stats, which averaged over 3, and felt a deep resonance with this sentiment.
Those who hadn't fused with a mark were filled with envy.
Bernie continued, "Generally, the mark corresponding to a career sequence has the highest compatibility with a Cardmaster. For instance, the [Mark of Spades A] points to the great demon god Elio. The demonic laws he controls bestow tremendous physical strength and resilience. If you fuse with this mark, your compatibility with the [Black Knight] career sequence will be very high. Of course, the fifty-two career sequences were created to align with the powers of the fifty-two demon gods, refined over countless generations of pioneers, leading to the current Cardmaster system."
At this point, someone immediately asked, "Mr. Bernie, does this mean that once a Cardmaster chooses a career sequence, they can't switch? For example, if we are [Black Knights] at the first rank, must we also fuse with the follow-up progression cards of [Black Knights] at the second rank?"
"No, of course not."
Bernie smiled and shook his head, explaining, "Certain sequences can be interconnected at higher ranks. For example, the [Spades A-Black Knight] can be interconnected with the [Spades 4-Beastwalker], which also has dark growth talents. But this is advanced knowledge and difficult to understand without being a Cardmaster, so we won't go into it today."
Ji Xun listened silently, and this resolved many of his doubts.
Fifty-two demon gods correspond to fifty-two career sequences.
Each career sequence has its own first, second, third ranks, and so on, with exclusive progression cards.
It appears there are only fifty-two professions, but in reality, there are countless variations.
For example, the [Spades A-Black Knight] is a dark heavy-armored warrior with a fixed formula. However, depending on the quality of the materials used to craft the career-changing card, it could become a: Ghost Knight, Plague Knight, Hellfire Knight... all with dark flesh growth directions.
Theoretically, every Cardmaster is unique.
Even if there are two first-rank Black Knights, there are no two Cardmasters with identical abilities.
Additionally, the fact that certain career sequences can be interchanged creates innumerable career combinations.
...
"Mr. Bernie, are the later sequences more powerful? Like the 'Queen Q' and 'King K'?"
"No! This is a common misconception. There is no strongest sequence, only the strongest Cardmaster. Nearly every sequence has produced legendary figures recorded in history. For example, the Empire's legendary powerhouse from twenty years ago, 'Silver-eyed Lion' Kamon, was a peak warrior of the [Clubs A-Fighter] sequence; today's legendary Thief Emperor 'Nightshade' Kunto originally progressed from the [Spades 2-Thief] sequence... they weren't from so-called high sequences."
"But if possible, you should aim to awaken extraordinary power with higher-quality demon marks."
"For instance, the standard [Mark of Spades A] typically has attributes like physique, resilience, strength, and dark affinity growth... but a mark of black iron quality with the same attributes would offer at least 10% more growth in all attributes. Silver quality is even stronger. This disparity will grow larger over time. So if you can find higher-quality demon marks, you should definitely fuse with the highest quality possible. The two legendary figures I mentioned, one fused with a gold-quality mark and the other with a rare and legendary quality mark..."
"Wow...!"
This revelation filled the eyes of the hundreds of young people present with admiration for the strong and dreams for their future.
Golden quality, legendary quality...
For the lower-class people of Wuzui City, these were merely legends from stories, always stirring their blood with excitement whenever mentioned.
But no matter how distant, the dream of becoming a legend remains undiminished in every young heart.
"Mr. Bernie, if we could, how would we obtain rare marks?"
"By challenging high-difficulty extra-dimensional spaces! Slaying rare calamities or achieving a B-grade or higher completion rating might yield marks of black iron quality or better. For instance, you might have heard of the [407 Abnormal Creature Containment Facility], which recently produced a precious silver mark card."
"Really?"
"Ah, I want to become a hunter and explore caves right away! If I could find a silver mark, I'd be set for life."
"I'm not aiming that high; a black iron mark would satisfy me. Hahaha..."
"..."
Bernie seized the moment, smiling as he spoke, "This is where the importance of a team comes in. By joining a hunter group, the team can specifically gather the necessary materials, and you'll have access to plenty of free information about where to find the marks you need. Furthermore, when choosing to become a Cardmaster, the Hunter Guild has the most comprehensive progression sequences in Wuzui City."
Ji Xun realized the true nature of this "free class."
Much like marketing in his previous life, while imparting some knowledge, there were always benefits to be reaped.
The Hunter Guild had invited a deputy leader from a large hunter group to give the lecture. Naturally, Mr. Bernie was there to recruit some talented fresh blood for his team.
However, signing up with large hunter groups meant becoming a long-term worker.
It wasn't necessarily bad; it just meant less freedom and some mandatory tasks.
Large guilds needed to ensure team development, so they took a share of the mission earnings, usually about 10-20%.
Many people couldn't accept this perceived exploitation.
From another perspective, while an individual might not be able to navigate certain extra-dimensional spaces, a well-trained team could, resulting in greater overall rewards.
Additionally, resource and intelligence sharing within the team could help hunters avoid many pitfalls.
Whether to join a team or not depended on individual needs.
...
On the platform, Bernie continued his lecture on breathing techniques.
"Besides demon marks, breathing techniques are the most crucial for Cardmaster apprentices. A good breathing technique can exponentially increase the efficiency of cultivating spell power."
"We can compare spell power to water. A breathing technique not only supplies the body with water but also shapes a container to hold that water. The higher the quality of the breathing technique, the larger and sturdier the container, allowing it to hold more water and fill up faster..."
"For ordinary hunters, high-quality breathing techniques are almost exclusively available through large hunter groups. To buy one, a black iron quality breathing technique might cost several years' worth of wages from factory work without any spending..."
"Rare breathing techniques are even harder to come by. For example, our Storm Hunter Group's [Storm Breathing Technique] is a wind-type breathing technique of silver quality, worth at least a million. It's not available on the market, and we wouldn't sell it. But joining our Storm Hunter Group grants you a basic breathing technique that matches your attributes. With enough contributions, you can eventually acquire the silver breathing technique for free..."
"..."
While imparting knowledge, Bernie also promoted the Storm Hunter Group.
The entire hall buzzed with excitement.
Joining a hunter group with so many benefits made young hunters eager to sign up.
Ji Xun, however, remained unmoved.
He realized that the quality of breathing techniques varied widely.
The sooner he switched to a better breathing technique, the better.
A silver-quality breathing technique might produce the same spell power in ten days that an ordinary technique would take a month to achieve.
This was the difference in the quality of breathing techniques.
Ji Xun decided to explore the market after the lecture, hoping to broaden his horizons and perhaps find something suitable for himself.
He also planned to inquire about any breathing techniques that could absorb multiple elements.