Chapter 409 - Two Heads of Department Competing For an Apprentice (1/2)
The relationship between the master and the apprentice had long roots tracing back to ancient times.
This relationship existed not only in martial arts but also in other industries. No one knew how long it had been passed down through human history. Gradually, it had formed into a unique culture of its own.
This was a special and close relationship that could closely connect two people unrelated by blood; forming a special relationship that was not inferior to blood relationships.
This kind of relationship remained strong and firm even in a Holy Land of martial arts such as the Sacred Martial Hall.
In any industry, the requirements for accepting new apprentices were relative to the skill level of the master.
The Sacred Martial Hall was a place filled with martial arts talents, which prevented the problem of talent shortages as seen in the outside world. However, no martial arts master in the Sacred Martial Hall simply accepted many apprentices.
The stronger a martial artist was, the less likely they were to recruit new apprentices. Even if one showed promising talents, being accepted into an apprenticeship under these masters would require a huge sum of money.
In the Sacred Martial Hall, money was not as important as it was in the outside world. Medicinal pills held greater value than money in the Sacred Martial Hall and therefore became the main currency for martial artists to gift to their prospective masters.
After a long period of apprenticeships, some ill-intentioned people even created a so-called gifting grade to benchmark the number of gifts according to different masters.
In the Sacred Martial Hall, most of the fourteen-star martial artists had reached the level of a quasi-martial-arts master and were therefore barely eligible to accept apprentices. The gifting benchmarks for these martial artists were listed in detail based on the difference in strength among the martial artists.
If one exceeded the rank of fifteen-stars, it meant that they had succeeded in the Nirvana Marrow Transformation. Although a fourteen-star and a fifteen-star martial artist both belonged to the Stellar rank of martial artists, there was a huge difference in standard between both ranks, as the fifteen-star martial artist would be recognized as a martial art master.
To be accepted for apprenticeship by these martial artists would require way larger amounts of gifts as compared to fourteen-star martial artists. It was perfectly normal for the price difference to be multiplied by tens or hundreds.
As for the martial artists of the sixteen star-class, only a few of them would accept apprentices. Firstly, they preferred to concentrate on breaking their limits and entering the ranks of the seventeen-stars to become a martial artist of the eternal-star level. Furthermore, the price required for them to accept one as an apprentice was way too high to the point where only a lucky few could afford it.
As for the martial artists of an eternal-star level… the apprentices under their mentorship were either related by blood, had paid a huge sum in return, or bore an extraordinary talent among all the martial artists in the Sacred Martial Hall. In short, only a few people were privileged enough to have their apprenticeship under a master of an eternal-star level.
Cases of Heads of Department accepting apprentices? Such cases could be counted easily in the history of Sacred Martial Hall.
Qin Fen, a rookie in the Sacred Martial Hall understood these things clearly. Bai Sheng had thoroughly explained most matters regarding the Sacred Martial Hall to the point that it was almost impossible for Qin Fen to remain in the dark.
When he heard that there were Heads of Departments wishing to accept apprentices, Qin Fen was slightly shocked. Such events were really out of the ordinary.
“Eh?” Ferrero expressed more surprise than Qin Fen as he locked his sapphire-like eyes on to Qin Fen, “Hey kid, aren’t you a little way too calm? Although I can sense your surprise, it’s just way too calm! I wouldn’t be surprised at all if other junior martial artists cheered like a madman the moment I accepted their apprenticeship request.”
Qin Fen grinned and smiled with slight bitterness as he talked to himself, “Old man, if you were to wake up every day and meet a group of experts with monstrous abilities, with each of them boasting their status as an expert of black-hole rank; and receiving the news that a martial artist of an eternal-Star rank accepting you as a disciple, I am sure that you wouldn’t be as surprised as you thought you might be.”
“Disciple!”
Sakra’s reaction was much more intense than that of Qin Fen. His purple eyes suddenly shot out two beams of lights that were not inferior to a lightning strike and shrouded Ferrero instantly.
With gazes strong as lightning that provided a near-substantial aura pressure, it would be no surprise if ordinary martial artists were to die with blood on their mouths under such a glare.
Ferrero smiled at the Sakra. They were both martial artists of eternal-star rank and also part of the Heads of Department. With their almost similar strength, such attacks had no effect on Ferrero.
“What now, kid?” Ferrero turned to Qin Fen. “You haven’t been at the Sacred Martial Hall for a very long time. You probably don’t know much about apprenticeships in the Sacred Martial Hall.”
“Senior, I am aware of apprenticeships in the Sacred Martial Hall.”
Qin Fen once again raised his hand and scratched the back of his head. The Sacred Martial Hall had clearly recorded the price of apprenticeship for each martial artist in different disciplines. Within the list, the price of apprenticeship under a member of the first-row was listed as “unaffordable”!
Unaffordable price! This could no longer be measured by material value, but at the same time, it also illustrated the difficulty in becoming a disciple of a Head of Department.
“You wanted to accept him as a disciple?” Sakra’s cold and gloomy face could almost condense the surrounding air into ice, as his two purple eyeballs shone a tone of understanding.