Ye Futian stepped into his professor’s home. He heard someone playing a delightfully moving melody on the guqin. There was a unique softness in the sound, which indicated that the player might be a woman.
However, Ye Futian was surprised to find that it was Hua Jieyu’s father who was playing the guqin in the pavilion. He looked gentle and peaceful with the instrument. Seeing that face, Ye Futian truly understood why his daughter was such a beauty. His master’s handsomeness was almost comparable to his own…
Ye Futian stepped gently into the pavilion, trying not to make any noise. However, the sound stopped gradually, the musician apparently noticing his approach. The master looked at Ye Futian and smiled. “You’re here.”
“Greetings, Professor Hua.” Ye Futian bowed to him.
“Come grab a seat,” Mr. Hua told him. Ye Futian walked forward and sat down, facing the master.
“How much do you know about spell scrolls?”
“A spell scroll is a scroll with a certain spell inscribed on it. Only mages that are extremely talented in power perception can manage to do that, hence why they are called scroll inscribers,” Ye Futian said, “The Spirit and Qi that a mage is able to release in a fight is limited, and sometimes the mage has to release the power really fast. In that case, the power of his spell is proportional to his plane. However, in a non-battle status, a mage can actually take a lot more time to inscribe more powerful spells on a scroll so that he can release the power instantly during a fight.”
“You are correct. If you are a good enough scroll inscriber, the spell inscribed can be much more powerful than those you can use during a fight. Therefore, the scroll inscribers can sometimes surprise their enemies with spells way beyond their ability range. In fact, people seldom want to fight against a good scroll inscriber,” Mr. Hua continued.
“There are more benefits to being a good scroll inscriber. Inscribers are generally very wealthy because the scrolls of good quality are expensive. In addition, the status of this profession is very high.”
“I know.” Ye Futian smiled.
“This profession is very talent-oriented. Mages with normal ability can never become scroll inscribers. You do, however, have this talent within you.” He looked at Ye Futian, stood up, and began exiting. “This way.”
Ye Futian followed him to a small library. Even though it was a tiny space, there were thousands of books stored inside. He pointed to a shelf and told Ye Futian, “Browse the books on that shelf. They are the introductions to spell scrolls.”
“Sure,” Ye Futian nodded without asking any questions. The master was pretty satisfied with this reaction. He left Ye Futian alone to read.
He roughly scanned the books, then chose one of them to start reading seriously. He understood that the foundation of a knowledge system was critical, and that no matter how talented he was, the basics were still necessary. In fact, he was well-influenced by his godfather, and he thoroughly understood the importance of fundamentals. He was extremely focused on the materials.
Unknowingly, dusk had already arrived. Hua Jieyu came in from outside and greeted her dad.
The man smiled at her and asked, “How was your performance today.”
“I took down three level nine demons,” Hua Jieyu smiled back at him.
“Nice job.” He nodded and told her, “Go prepare some pens and scrolls for scroll inscribing.”
“Another practice session?” Hua Jieyu was confused.
“It’s not for you. It’s for Futian,” he smiled again.
Something flashed through her eyes when she heard that name. That guy had come? He was so…driven!
When Ye Futian came out, he saw Hua Jieyu preparing the desk for him. She was tall and slim, with an elegant aura that could not belong to someone her age. Her mother must also be a pretty woman. What a pity that Ye Futian had never seen her.
Ye Futian sneaked towards her and smiled. “What a virtuous woman I’m looking at.”
Hua Jieyu stiffened. Virtuous? Was he kidding?
“This is my house; mind your language.” Hua Jieyu looked back and smiled at Ye Futian. The smile was breathtaking, but Ye Futian was could not enjoy it anymore. He knew how calculative and cunning this fox could be.
“Futian, are you done reading?” The master came out of his room with a book in his hand.
“Yep, I’m done,” Ye Futian slightly nodded.
“Okay, so which plane are you in now for sorcery?” he asked
“The sixth Awakening Plane, the Invincible.”
“Have you ever practiced any spells?”
“No.” Ye Futian thought something like The Grand Meteor was not the answer he was looking for.
“That’s good for you.” The master seemed quite satisfied, which made Ye Futian really curious. Never practicing spells before was a good thing?
“There are major differences between the inscribed spells and the spells you directly cast during a fight. In fact, a lack of experience makes you better at perceiving these differences,” Mr. Hua explained to Ye Futian as he gave him a book. “This will teach you some inscribing methods of basic spells. Let’s start with the first one.”
Ye Futian nodded and took the book. The first spell was Thunder Blast, a spell for a basic level of awakening. It induced a thunderstorm used to attack the opponent.
“I’m done,” he said as he closed the book.
“Now, try to inscribe,” the master nodded. Ye Futian picked up the pen, looking really serious about this first try. Suddenly, he was surrounded by the power of thunder flowing from his body to his hand, which finally converged on the end of his pen. At the same time, it looked like the thunder power was being engraved on the scroll. Ye Futian began using the pen slowly and thoughtfully. However, a thunderbolt suddenly cracked, and all the power diffused immediately.
“I failed.” Ye Futian was kind of disappointed.
“It’s okay. Keep going, try another one,” the master told him. Ye Futian picked up a new scroll, feeling sad. He was wasting something very costly.
His second attempt was a failure, as was his third attempt, and so on with his ninth effort. He still could not do it, but every time he made some progress by hanging on for longer period of time.
“Jieyu, show him, please,” the master asked his daughter. She nodded, and her hands reached out for the pen that Ye Futian was holding. Ye Futian was stunned for a moment, then gave her the pen.
Hua Jieyu took a scroll and began inscribing. The power of thunder was all over her body.
Wow, that thunder-element talent of hers is amazing. Ye Futian was awed by this. He had seen her incredible metal- and wind-element talent on Mount Tianyao… This fox was just as multi-talented as he was.
She looked focused while she was inscribing, yet somehow still seemed to be at ease. Her entire body was glowing with not only the power, but also her unique beauty from concentrating. She finished the scroll soon, then smiled at Ye Futian. Ye Futian smiled back but felt awkward.
“Okay now, take your time,” the master told him. He then left the pavilion with his daughter. He was leaving intentionally so Ye Futian could focus.
“Sure,” Ye Futian answered. He began genuinely focusing on the inscribing. Even though he continued to fail, he did make some progress after every failure.
Dusk settled over the academy. Mr. Hua sat on the couch and asked his daughter, “How long did it take for you to make your first scroll?”
“A day,” she answered.
“He will make it soon, even without my instruction,” Mr. Hua told her, “In fact, he is the most powerful mage I have ever seen in perceiving and controlling Spiritual Qi in the Awakening Plane. He is even better than you.”
Hua Jieyu stared at the boy. Suddenly, a shining thunderbolt burst out, the storm striking the pavilion directly.
“I made it!” Ye Futian was so excited. Hua Jieyu winced. She could not believe that he had made his first success this fast.
“He used the scroll right after making it. What a waste.” Mr. Hua felt a little sad, but he kept smiling at Ye Futian. He had not expected to have someone as talented as Ye Futian in this city. This boy was a mage of all-elemental talent, and a natural born scroll inscriber. This meant that he would be an all-elemental scroll inscriber, which was pretty rare.
“I made it!” Ye Futian ran to the master. He was so excited that he had not only successfully inscribed a spell, but that he had learned it as well.
“Nice job. You have a lot more to work on. In fact, you need to be able to inscribe all the spells in that book.” The master knew why he was so excited; no matter how talented he was, he was still a fifteen-year-old, an age meant for being simple and naive.
” Okay,” Ye Futian nodded.
“It’s already night. Are you…?” Hua Jieyu smiled at Ye Futian, implicitly telling their guest that it was time to leave.
“Ah, time flew by so fast.” Ye Futian looked to the sky, then continued, “It’s too dark and dangerous outside. Do you have a spare room here Mr. Hua? Is it okay if I stay for tonight?”
“What…?” Hua Jieyu was caught off guard. Dark and dangerous? What lame excuses. Ye Futian ignored her, looking to his master with expectancy.
“Okay, then stay. Jieyu, go prepare the guest room for Ye Futian,” Mr. Hua smiled.
“Uh…” Hua Jieyu blinked. Why was she being asked to prepare the room for this shameless guy? Ye Futian looked at her with a grin. His gaze was full of anticipation. In his eyes, a fox was making a bed for him. What a dream.
“Nope,” Hua Jieyu refused after she saw the expression on Ye Futian’s face.
“Jieyu, mind your manners,” her dad told her. She stood up, feeling wronged, then reluctantly went to the room.
“I’ll go help her, professor.” Ye Futian followed her to the room. Soon, it began to sound like they were bickering. Mr. Hua looked to the sky full of shiny stars and showed a smile of nostalgia. We used to be such a beautiful age.
Ye Futian had refused to go back to his dorm after his stay. Hua Jieyu believed that her father had just invited a wolf into their house.
Time passed by, and Ye Futian was able to inscribe even more spells. Some of them were actually of the seventh Awakening Plane.
One day, Ye Futian was working alone in the pavilion. All of a sudden, he felt something vague and intriguing going on in his mind. Later, he found that his body had resonated with the Spiritual Qi of the universe. The power was all over his body; the feeling was so different from the mere act of collecting.
Okay, now I am in the seventh Awakening Plane, the Mystery. He smiled. During the inscribing these days, he was making progress on the perception and control of elemental power. In fact, the inscribing was also a form of cultivating!