Chapter 55
The correctness of the old man's methods and the many confusions surrounding the talismans all require a true understanding of talismanic arts.
Seventh Young Master felt a wave of tension wash over him when he heard Senior Sister Zhang was going to test him.
At that moment, the young lady beside him spoke up, “My brother used to be quite the playful one, lacking in knowledge. If my skills in talismanic arts don’t impress you, please don’t hold it against him, Senior Sister Zhang.”
Zheng Fa sighed inwardly. He believed the young lady’s preemptive self-deprecation was well-intentioned, perhaps even meant to protect Seventh Young Master.
But…
Zheng Fa glanced at Seventh Young Master, and sure enough, he noticed a flicker of disappointment cross his face. He bit his lip lightly, his entire demeanor growing more tense.
Senior Sister Zhang nodded gently.
“To understand talismanic arts, one must grasp the essence of the original talisman. The first question is, what exactly is the original talisman? Do you know?” she asked Seventh Young Master.
Seventh Young Master shook his head in confusion, his face flushed with embarrassment.
Senior Sister Zhang’s expression remained neutral, neither happy nor sad, as if she were not disappointed.
She extended her right index finger and lightly traced the air.
A golden talisman materialized out of thin air, only to suddenly split into three streams of light that darted into the foreheads of the other three.
“The original talisman is a type of talismanic diagram,” Senior Sister Zhang’s cool voice resonated. “And to me, a talismanic diagram is the very essence of this world!”
The golden light transformed from the talisman was somewhat blinding, and as it approached Zheng Fa’s forehead, he instinctively closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the world before him… shattered.
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Chapter 62: Mock Exam
At that moment, the world Zheng Fa beheld reminded him of a small pond outside Zhao Family Village.
Every spring and summer, the pond would be teeming with countless tiny fish.
Those fish were indeed very small; if one tried to scoop them up with their hands, their slender bodies could slip right through the tiniest gaps between fingers.
As a child, Zheng Fa had been a bit mischievous, occasionally tossing a stone into the pond and watching the little fish scatter in a panic.
Now, he felt he was facing retribution—
Because there were so many fish before him!
He looked around the small courtyard, feeling as if he had fallen into that little pond.
Before him swam countless tiny fish, their movements tracing out strange patterns that resembled talismanic diagrams.
Or rather, they were likely the source of those diagrams.
The world around him was veiled in layers of intricate webs formed by these patterns, fracturing his vision into countless shards.
These little fish darted into every corner—through the sky, along the walls, across the ground, and even on the blades of grass in the corners.
On the young lady and Seventh Young Master, above their heads, even in the air they breathed in and out, there were traces of these little fish.
“With this Spirit Eye Talisman, what you see is the world as a talisman master perceives it while drawing talismans,” Senior Sister Zhang’s voice echoed. “Talismanic diagrams, or what some call talismanic scripts, are understood differently by each talisman master.”
“Some say they are manifestations of the heavenly way, a form of writing,” she continued. “But I believe talismanic diagrams are the trajectories of spiritual energy. The universe is transformed by spiritual energy, so talismanic diagrams are, in essence, the universe!”
Zheng Fa was taken aback. Were these little fish truly what they called spiritual energy?
“No matter what talismanic diagrams are, one thing is universally acknowledged: when we use spiritual power or spiritual ink to trace these trajectories, we create a resonance with the universe!”
With that, Senior Sister Zhang drew a complex talismanic diagram with her hand.
Zheng Fa watched as a portion of the “little fish” began to accelerate, gathering at the tip of Senior Sister Zhang’s finger. With her movements, they gradually coalesced into a golden talismanic diagram.
Moments later, the talisman ascended into the sky and vanished.
A pale green cloud appeared above the courtyard.
A fine drizzle soaked the ground.
The plants in the corners of the courtyard began to grow wildly, as if they had taken a potent tonic.
“This is the Cloud and Rain Talisman,” Senior Sister Zhang said to Seventh Young Master. “Did you see clearly? What were the trajectories of the spiritual energy that were drawn in?”
“They all correspond to the talismanic diagram of the Cloud and Rain Talisman!” Seventh Young Master exclaimed, realization dawning on him. “So that’s what it means to correspond to a talismanic diagram?”
Senior Sister Zhang nodded. “Exactly. When you draw a talismanic diagram, you can attract the spiritual energy that corresponds to it.”
“So,” she drew another pattern, slightly more complex than the last, “this is also a minor Cloud and Rain Talisman.”
“This one too.” This time, even Zheng Fa couldn’t follow the movements of her finger.
Each time she finished a drawing, the little fish in the void would gather once more.
A green cloud would appear in the sky, a fine rain would fall, and the plants in the corners would surge with vitality, nearly toppling the walls of Zheng Fa’s courtyard.
“They all serve the same purpose, but only this one!” Senior Sister Zhang simply drew two overlapping circles. “This is the original talisman of the minor Cloud and Rain Talisman, and we talisman masters only draw this.”
“If they all have the same effect, what’s the difference?” Seventh Young Master asked, puzzled.
“The original talisman is the source of the talismanic diagram. The path of the universe is simple; how can it be the same as other talismanic diagrams?” Senior Sister Zhang looked at Seventh Young Master, who was still frowning. “Don’t understand?”
Seventh Young Master shook his head.
The young lady beside him whispered, “My brother can be a bit slow; please bear with him, Senior Sister.”
“Because the original talisman has the fewest strokes, it’s the most economical,” Senior Sister Zhang said after a moment of silence.
“Ah?”
“To draw a talisman, you need talisman paper and spiritual ink. Even if you can draw talismans in the void like I do, you still need spiritual power, right? Drawing those complex patterns consumes both paper and ink. If your spiritual power is insufficient, you risk going astray, so everyone just draws the original talisman. Do you understand now?”
Seventh Young Master nodded vigorously.
Zheng Fa also nodded inwardly.
Why not speak plainly from the start?
“A thousand years ago, you could draw any kind of talisman you wanted, but now spiritual energy has begun to wane, and spiritual materials are scarce…” Senior Sister Zhang’s expression suddenly turned serious. “If you dare to waste spiritual materials by not drawing the original talisman, you’ll be besieged by the talisman masters of the Hundred Immortals Alliance.”
Zheng Fa: “?”
Spiritual energy waning?
So one couldn’t afford to use too much ink when drawing talismans?
What a tragic downgrade…
He suddenly felt that being a disciple of the immortal sect was not as easy as it seemed.
---
“Then I’ll just draw the original talisman; it’s so simple. Why do I need to know so many corresponding talismanic diagrams?” Seventh Young Master asked, his teeth almost gritting as he spoke the words “talismanic diagrams.”
Zheng Fa looked at Seventh Young Master, who was clearly frustrated by the overwhelming number of diagrams, and he understood his discontent.
As long as he used the original talisman, he wouldn’t need to remember any other diagrams.
“Because to gather this spiritual energy into your original talisman, you must recognize it… You recognize it, and it will recognize you.”
Zheng Fa was stunned.
Was she implying that spiritual energy had a consciousness of its own?
But Senior Sister Zhang seemed unconcerned about this, or perhaps this world simply didn’t ponder such questions.
She merely said, “The more corresponding talismanic diagrams you can recognize while drawing talismans, the more spiritual power you can attract. This determines the power of the talismans you draw. Of course, it also depends on your cultivation level; you can only see the talismanic diagrams within the range of your spiritual awareness.”
“Do you understand why I say the foundation of talismanic arts is the original talisman?”
Seventh Young Master nodded.
Senior Sister Zhang lightly tapped her finger, and the world before Zheng Fa returned to normal.
“So, the assessment for the talismanic arts talent at the Immortal Academy is quite simple.” With a flick of her hand, the scroll that had been lying on the table flew to Seventh Young Master’s face.
“It tests your ability to find a corresponding talismanic diagram among a multitude of diagrams for a specific original talisman.”
Seventh Young Master’s eyes widened. “Diagram sea?”
“What sea?”
“Nothing… never mind.”
Senior Sister Zhang paid no mind. She drew a basic original talisman in the air. “This is the original talisman for the Clear Wind Talisman. Now, you need to find its corresponding original talisman among the diagrams that appear on the scroll. If you think you’ve found the right one, just point to it with your hand.”
Zheng Fa nodded inwardly; the mock exam was indeed a powerful tool for assessing students’ abilities.
Seventh Young Master took a deep breath, his face stern as he stared at the floating scroll.
Zheng Fa noticed the young lady had clenched her fists tightly.
“Begin.”
One by one, the talismanic diagrams appeared and disappeared rapidly on the scroll. In the blink of an eye, several diagrams had come and gone.
Seventh Young Master fumbled for a moment, took a few deep breaths, and then quickly pointed at the scroll.
“Stop.”
The talismanic diagrams on the scroll slowly faded away, leaving a blank space.
Senior Sister Zhang looked at Seventh Young Master, her brow furrowed, her expression seemingly perplexed.
Seventh Young Master’s breathing grew heavy as he looked at her, his eyes filled with anxiety.
“Try the Diamond Talisman.”
“Let’s try another.”
“Try this one again.”
With each original talisman she assessed, Senior Sister Zhang’s frown deepened.
Her expression made the cold sweat on Seventh Young Master’s forehead increase, and his demeanor grew more and more dejected.
It also made the young lady’s fists tighten further; Zheng Fa could see the veins on her hands.
Finally, the scroll stopped displaying talismanic diagrams, and Senior Sister Zhang fell silent.
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