Who said this card is outrageous?

Therefore, in Zhang Che's mind, the word "master" had an extraordinary meaning.

People always dream of becoming the person they admired most in their childhood. Therefore, the little apprentice who followed Cheng Shu to the card-making table thought countless times that one day he would also become a powerful "master".

I never imagined that after all the twists and turns, I would finally have the chance to become a master.

Although my relationship with Pan Tingting was nominally that of teacher and student, it was mainly based on the exchange of benefits. At most, I could only be considered half a teacher to her. We usually interacted as friends, far from being formally teacher and student.

Now that Ma Qiyun has pushed his son in front of him to become his disciple, this scene reminds Zhang Che of the moment when his master appeared in front of him years ago.

Looking at the child he had personally rescued from the brink of mental collapse, Zhang Che felt a surge of emotion, but ultimately relented: "You can learn card making from me."

Ma Qiyun and Ma Lingfeng's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. They were about to say something, but the next sentence stopped them in their tracks.

“However, I have no plans to take on any apprentices for the time being. You can call me teacher for now.” Zhang Che put down his teacup, his tone unhurried. “As for whether we are destined to be master and apprentice, that depends on your performance.”

Given the importance placed on the master-disciple relationship, this is not something that can be decided on a whim; it requires time to prove itself.

Although they couldn't establish a formal master-apprentice relationship right away, Zhang Che's willingness to teach his son how to make cards was already a huge blessing.

Without saying a word, Ma Qiyun immediately stood up, walked behind his son, pressed Ma Lingfeng to kowtow twice to Zhang Che, and then made him respectfully call him "Teacher".

The proper way to formally become an apprentice involves three kowtows. Ma Qiyun naturally knew this rule and could only try his best to be as courteous as possible.

After finishing all this, he asked Ma Lingfeng to stand aside, then sat down opposite him and said seriously, "Brother Zhang Che, what do you think about the tuition fee..."

He had barely opened his mouth when Zhang Che waved his hand to interrupt him: "We are not really master and disciple yet, so we don't need these things for now. Let's talk about them in the future."

Zhang Che glanced at Ma Lingfeng again and said that since the child called him uncle, he would naturally not mind spending a little time teaching him some things.

However, he also told the father and son that he would not stay in Nanzhao City for too long. If Ma Lingfeng still could not gain his approval after he got what he wanted, it would mean that they were not destined to be master and disciple.

It would be better to seek help from someone more capable.

Ma Qiyun naturally agreed to these requests without hesitation.

As a fellow fifth-tier transcendent being, he was well aware that at their level, the selection of successors was extremely rigorous.

Putting aside everything else, in his heyday a few years ago, countless people went to great lengths to find him and become his apprentices, hoping to become a Shinbinge.

However, Ma Qiyun ultimately didn't find anyone suitable. On one hand, it was true that he had high standards, and on the other hand, it was because the Divine Guard profession had extremely demanding requirements for talent and suitability, and not just anyone could be a suitable candidate.

But it was precisely because he rejected so many people back then that some people harbored resentment in secret.

He increasingly felt that the destruction of the Heavenly Origin Giant Shield was largely due to his recklessness in offending too many people at that time.

There are even rumors that the reason Ma Qiyun has not accepted any disciples is that he wants to wait until his son comes of age to see if he can inherit the legacy of the Divine Guard.

He had heard this rumor before, but he didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking it was just idle gossip.

But now, looking back, the mental suppression that was secretly imposed on my son was probably closely related to that rumor.

After all, if a child does not show extraordinary talent for a long time, it means that something can continue to be delayed for some people—Ma Qiyun has no son to succeed him, and his Shenbingwei legacy and accumulated resources may fall into the hands of others in the future.

Such scheming tactics may be despicable, but in the context of the complex web of interests in the extraordinary world, they are not unbelievable.

It was precisely because Ma Qiyun understood these key points that he didn't immediately confront his son with a knife after discovering that his son had been tampered with. Instead, he honestly sought help through connections to get his son medical treatment.

His experiences over the years have made up for the lack of life experience he lacked when he was young and impetuous, and have taught him that he must think twice before acting, rather than simply acting recklessly.

Looking back now, if time could be turned back, he probably wouldn't have offended so many people so ruthlessly back then.

But there's no going back in life. All he can do now is arrange things one by one, and pave the way for his son before thinking about anything else.

Getting back to the main point, after confirming his teacher-student relationship with Ma Lingfeng, Zhang Che carefully examined the young man's physical condition, especially his mental state. Finding that it was not much different from the "medical advice" relayed by Ma Qiyun, he finally nodded in satisfaction.

It seems that Ma Qiyun has finally found a reliable person this time, preventing his son from following in his footsteps.

However, if he doesn't learn his lesson after being tricked so many times, Zhang Che might have to consider finding someone else to accompany him to the Prosperous Rift.

Chapter 343 The Importance of Foundations

To be fair, Ma Lingfeng's mental strength talent is indeed quite good, and now he has even benefited from misfortune by directly possessing mental strength equivalent to a second-tier superhuman, which means he has surpassed most of his peers at the starting line.

If it weren't for the "debts" he had to pay later, his talent would be in no way inferior to those geniuses who awakened extraordinary powers at the age of thirteen or fourteen.

Zhang Che felt a pang of regret, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he used the time to mentally review how the basic introductory course should be arranged.

Having a poor background has its advantages. When Zhang Che was a child, he learned card making from Cheng Shu. Cheng Shu was just an ordinary card maker who had spent his whole life at the second level. He didn't have any profound theories or exquisite techniques. The only thing he could teach his apprentices was the basic skills.

In addition, Zhang Che's talent was indeed average at that time. Since there were no shortcuts, he was able to analyze and dissect any unfamiliar formulas he encountered on the path of card making from the most basic principles, and his foundation was extremely solid.

Of course, this wasn't exactly a compliment. After all, the conditions of the master and apprentice were what they were. Cheng Shu was just an ordinary card maker who had spent his entire life at the second level. Even if he wanted to teach his apprentice more profound knowledge, he would have to understand it himself first.

Therefore, although the information recorded in this notebook was incredibly solid for Zhang Che, it might just be some insignificant basic common sense in the eyes of a true genius, and there was no need to study it so seriously.

However, he believed that this content was exactly what a fifteen-year-old boy needed most.

"Brother Ma, how are Ling Feng's grades?" Zhang Che asked before the lesson officially began.

He felt that his years of study in his previous life, which was more than ten years, had contributed significantly to his success in becoming a card maker, hence his question.

Ma Qiyun quickly replied, "It's alright. I can generally stay in the top ten of the class, and if I'm lucky, I can even hover around fifth place."

"That's fine then." Zhang Che nodded in satisfaction. This condition was much better than what he had received before he awakened his memories of his past life.

Furthermore, with the awakening of his extraordinary power, Ma Lingfeng, who has officially become an extraordinary person, will receive a comprehensive physical and mental enhancement.

Although the magnitude is not large, it is still enough to exceed the level of most normal people.

"I have a notebook here from when I was learning card making. It contains very detailed notes on the most basic knowledge. Try to learn it on your own first. If you don't understand anything, you can come and find me anytime."

Zhang Che handed a notebook with slightly yellowed pages to Ma Lingfeng, who immediately accepted it with great care.

In fact, given Ma Lingfeng's current talent, even if he were to learn by himself using publicly available information from the Adventurers' Guild, he would be able to become a formal card maker in a relatively short period of time.

With a father like Ma Qiyun around, obtaining the learning materials and practice materials needed for card making should not be difficult.

The reason why they chose to become Zhang Che's apprentices instead of learning on their own was simply because the parents had high hopes for their child's future.

Whether or not one has a capable mentor can be a decisive factor in a person's future development.

Not everyone can reach this point through their own exploration like Zhang Che—besides, he didn't rely solely on himself; the cheat system that brought him into this world also played an irreplaceable role.

It is the foundation upon which he is able to establish himself in this extraordinary world.

Zhang Che sat for a while longer and roughly finalized the subsequent arrangements with Ma Qiyun.

He said that Ma Lingfeng first studied the notes on his own, and only started practicing with the cards after he had a good grasp of the basic theory.

Ma Qiyun agreed to everything, and then asked Zhou Ling to pack a bag of homemade pickled vegetables and cured meat for Zhang Che, saying that it was homemade, not worth much money, but tasted alright.

Zhang Che declined twice but couldn't refuse, so he took it and left.

……

After Zhang Che left, Ma Lingfeng finally couldn't wait to take the notebook out of his pocket, place it on his lap, and open the cover.

However, after carefully reading a portion of the text, his initial pilgrimage-like attitude immediately turned somber.

Teenage boys subconsciously feel that someone as powerful as Zhang Che must have used things like martial arts manuals in novels, which must have contained extremely powerful "peerless martial arts".

However, this notebook was filled with the most basic card-making knowledge, and even the introductory process of making first-tier cards was written on more than ten pages, so detailed that Ma Lingfeng felt it was a bit verbose.

Looking at this notebook alone, it's impossible to imagine that its owner was a super genius who became a fifth-tier card maker before the age of twenty.

Disappointment instantly welled up in Ma Lingfeng's heart, and even his positive feelings towards Zhang Che were shattered.

He closed his notebook, pursed his lips, and couldn't help but mutter something under his breath.

Before he could say anything more, Ma Qiyun's large hand reached out from behind and slapped him on the back of the head without hesitation.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Ma Qiyun looked down at his son. "No matter how powerful your Uncle Zhang is now, he still started as a first-tier transcendent and worked his way up step by step. Did you think he was born knowing how to make cards?"

He reached out and took the notebook from Ma Lingfeng's hand, flipping through it. Although he couldn't quite understand the specific technical content, he could still make out the dense annotations and corrections.

"A tall building starts from the ground up. No matter which path you take, the foundation is of utmost importance. If the foundation is not solid, no matter how tall the building is in the future, it will only be a castle in the air, and it may collapse at the slightest accident."

"Your Uncle Zhang's success today is definitely because he emphasized the fundamentals from a young age, which allowed him to progress smoothly throughout his life. Don't overthink it, just focus on learning from him."

After being scolded by his father, Ma Lingfeng listened with his head down. He opened his mouth to retort, but when he saw his father's eyebrows furrow, he swallowed his words.

He lowered his head and reopened the notebook, his gaze falling on a page with detailed diagrams about guiding mental energy. He looked at it for a while, and gradually the indifferent expression on his face disappeared.

Although my dad's words had a bit of a blind worship feel to them, like "even a fart from a successful person smells good," they did make sense when I thought about it carefully.

Uncle Zhang has reached where he is today, perhaps precisely because he spent several times more time than others on these seemingly simple and tedious basic skills.

Ma Lingfeng closed the notebook again, looked up at Ma Qiyun and nodded: "Dad, I understand. I will definitely study hard and won't let you and Mom down, nor will I let my teacher down."

Chapter 344 Quota

Another week passed, and Zhang Che completed another exploration of a level 5 rift and returned to the land of Blue Star.

The moment he stepped out of the portal, the sudden change in environment made him squint slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Although the environmental changes would have a negligible impact on Zhang Che's current physical strength, it would still be difficult to change some of his physiological instincts that he had maintained for so many years.

Compared to the oppressive atmosphere of the Gray Rift, the environment in this rift is significantly better.

At least there was a clear distinction between day and night, and a "sun" radiating light and heat hung in the sky above.

Of course, celestial bodies wouldn't exist in such a fragmented world. The so-called "sun" is, strictly speaking, merely a "memory" left over from the subspace, a fragment of the world. It "remembers" that there was once a celestial body hanging overhead, using it as a reference point to maintain sunrise and sunset, and the cycle of the seasons. Thus, it has preserved this image and plays it on a loop again and again.

As time passes, this "memory" will gradually fade until it is completely forgotten. On that day, there will no longer be a "sun" in that subspace.

However, memories vary in depth, so even if the sun's own "consciousness" dissipates, theoretically the alternation of the sun and moon in subspace will continue for a long time until it completely forgets this part of the "memory".

At that point, the subspace, having lost most of its "memories," will no longer be able to maintain its own subjectivity, ultimately leading to different outcomes—one is direct collapse and disintegration, taking all the creatures, mountains, and land within with it and vanishing into the endless void.

Another outcome is that it is captured by Earth or other well-suited complete worlds, devoured and integrated into itself, becoming part of that larger world.

Zhang Che wasn't actually very proficient in this knowledge; he had only seen related books in Lin Jiming's study when he was in Qi'an City, so he glanced at them to pass the time, and unexpectedly, he actually came in handy.

However, a pleasant environment also has its downsides, meaning that more extraordinary individuals are willing to hunt and explore there, leading to fierce competition and a greater scarcity of extraordinary resources.

Therefore, Zhang Che's experience this time seemed somewhat restrictive compared to the Gray Rift.

Putting aside everything else, just look at the extraordinary creatures he hunted. Even if he took down three fifth-tier and twenty or thirty fourth-tier extraordinary creatures in the Gray Nether Rift at once, it still wouldn't have a significant impact—not many people go in anyway, and those things would just be a waste if left for too long, so killing them is fine.

However, upon entering the new rift, he was immediately informed that his hunting quota for this time consisted of only one fifth-tier and six fourth-tier extraordinary creatures.

Although there is no limit to the number of lower-level transcendent beings of the third rank and below, it would certainly not be allowed if he really wanted to go on a killing spree.

When Zhang Che finally left the rift, the amount of spoils he had obtained was less than one-fifth of what he had gained in the Gray Nether Rift.