Chapter 56
She was just frowning, lost in thought.
“Zhang Shijie?” The young lady asked anxiously, “If my brother can’t be trained and is hopeless, I’ll just send you back.”
“I really shouldn’t have come,” Zhang Shijie nodded slowly.
The Seventh Young Master lowered his head, too afraid to look at his sister, let alone at Zheng Fa.
“His accuracy with these few elemental symbols exceeds thirty percent. If the accuracy of all thirty-six basic elemental symbols surpasses thirty percent, he would be considered to have a top-tier talent in talisman crafting, and I wouldn’t need to teach him.”
“Ah?”
“Has the standard for the last two sessions of the Immortal Quality Conference changed?” Zhang Shijie looked at the young lady in confusion. “I hadn’t heard about that.”
“…” The Seventh Young Master suddenly looked up. “Top-tier? I knew I was a genius in talisman crafting!”
Thirty percent accuracy qualifies as top-tier talent?
Is top-tier talent really that cheap?
Zheng Fa recalled that notebook that claimed an accuracy of eighty to ninety percent.
… I need to be nicer to Bai Yuanying from now on.
“Zhang Shijie, why don’t you test him again?” The young lady looked at her grinning, goofy brother. “Does he look like a genius in talisman crafting to you?”
If Zheng Fa hadn’t seen her squinting eyes filled with mirth, he might have believed her tone of disdain.
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**Chapter 63: Not for Nothing**
The Seventh Young Master felt a bit indignant when he heard his sister call him foolish. “Sister! I’m a genius!”
He turned to Zheng Fa, declaring proudly, “Zheng Fa! You should go with my sister to Qingmu Sect and endure a few years. Once I rise in Qingmu Sect, don’t stick around her as a follower. She’s been in the inner sect for ten years with no future. Just come along with me!”
The smile on the young lady’s face slowly faded, and her gaze toward her brother turned dangerous as she gritted her teeth, wanting to say something.
But it was Zhang Shijie who spoke first. “However, your brother’s grasp of elemental symbols varies greatly. For instance, he has a forty percent accuracy with the Yunyu Talisman and Qingfeng Talisman, but he can’t even recognize the Jingang Talisman.”
The Seventh Young Master froze at this, turning to Zheng Fa as if recalling something.
“However, this situation is normal. Most talisman masters have a greater talent for certain elemental symbols,” Zhang Shijie continued.
“No!” The Seventh Young Master suddenly interjected. “It’s… the Sea of Diagrams tactic!”
Zhang Shijie and the young lady both looked at him, while the Seventh Young Master’s gaze was fixed on Zheng Fa.
“Sea of Diagrams?” Zhang Shijie finally understood the two characters but still looked puzzled.
“It’s… the secret method Zheng Fa uses to torture, I mean, train me.” The Seventh Young Master seemed unsure how to explain, so he dashed back to his study, panting as he returned with a pile of talisman diagrams.
“The Yunyu Talisman and Qingfeng Talisman are ones I practiced a few days ago.”
The young lady looked up at Zheng Fa, her eyes filled with surprise.
Zhang Shijie, however, stared at the pile of talisman diagrams for a long time before looking up.
She gave Zheng Fa a deep look before asking, “How long have you been practicing like this?”
“Less than ten days, I think.”
Zhang Shijie’s eyes flickered, and she nodded slowly. “He’s better than I taught.”
“Zhang Shijie!” The young lady was a bit taken aback. “You’re recognized as a genius in talisman crafting by the Hundred Immortals Alliance…”
“I’ve also taught disciples from Jiushan Sect, but often the results weren’t great.” Zhang Shijie frowned, a rare look of confusion on her face. “They always say the things I teach are too simple, while their questions are unnecessary to discuss.”
… What kind of nonsense is that?
“From your brother’s performance with the Jingang Talisman, his foundation is even worse than my disciples.”
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but smile at the Seventh Young Master, who seemed to realize Zhang Shijie was calling him foolish, his pride slowly solidifying into a frown.
“If Zheng Fa can teach him this well, it’s probably…” Zhang Shijie studied Zheng Fa seriously, then glanced at the Seventh Young Master. “They can understand each other on certain issues, sharing a mutual understanding.”
Zheng Fa’s smile faded.
… You really know how to throw shade.
“And,” Zhang Shijie suddenly looked at Zheng Fa earnestly, “just looking at these talisman diagrams, your talent in talisman crafting may not be inferior to mine.”
This statement made the young lady’s eyes widen as she stared at Zheng Fa.
The Seventh Young Master turned to his sister, his expression saying one thing: What did I tell you?
Thinking back to what his sister had said on the road to the Zheng family courtyard:
“His talent might be outstanding in the Zhao family, but how does it compare to those geniuses in the cultivation world?”
“Zheng Fa and Zhang Shijie, one is in the heavens, the other on the ground. Do you understand?”
Now, did his sister realize he had an eye for talent? Had she underestimated Zheng Fa?
“I’ve known all along that Zheng Fa is a talent!” The young lady spoke up.
The Seventh Young Master’s face slowly showed confusion.
The young lady looked at Zheng Fa with genuine admiration.
“My silly brother even said accepting your training was like a sea of suffering, crying and begging me to save him!” She turned to the dumbfounded Seventh Young Master. “He doesn’t understand, he doesn’t appreciate your hard work at all!”
The Seventh Young Master’s mouth slowly dropped open.
“Don’t worry, you can train him as much as you want!” The young lady squinted at her brother, who looked like he wanted to speak. “If he misbehaves, leave him to me; I’ll beat him to a pulp!”
After saying this, the young lady squinted at her brother. “Do you have anything to say?”
The Seventh Young Master opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words. After a long sigh, he finally said, “Qingmu Sect really trains people like this?”
…
Zheng Fa watched the enthusiastic young lady pull the Seventh Young Master away, then turned to Zhang Shijie, who remained in his courtyard.
“Zhang Zhenren, there’s really nothing left to discuss!”
He said helplessly.
“Really?”
“Absolutely!”
“Do you want to attend the Immortal Quality Conference?” Zhang Shijie looked at him quietly, suddenly asking.
“…”
Zheng Fa looked at Zhang Shijie, whose eyes sparkled, and suddenly felt that this Golden Core master might not be as naive as she appeared.
“You really have talent. These talisman diagrams contain hidden rules; it can’t be mere coincidence.” She pointed at the diagrams the Seventh Young Master had brought. “Your comprehension of elemental symbols is extremely high.”
Zheng Fa remained silent, wanting to know what she would say next.
“You’re lucky; your comprehension of elemental symbols is on par with mine, but you’re also quite unfortunate.”
A hint of confusion appeared on Zheng Fa’s face.
“Do you know why talisman masters test you but don’t accept you as a disciple?”
… I don’t know; I haven’t figured that out yet.
“Because the spiritual energy is waning.” Zhang Shijie looked at Zheng Fa. “At least within the Hundred Immortals Alliance, the Yuanying masters have reached a consensus: unless half of the Yuanying masters agree, each Yuanying can only accept one disciple every fifty years. Other sects are likely similar.”
Zheng Fa was surprised. “Has it really come to that?”
“It’s also because spiritual materials are rare. If they’re not true geniuses, even if they’re accepted, it’s hard for them to grow. Quality over quantity for disciples.”
“Do you know why this Immortal Quality Conference is being held early?” Zhang Shijie brought up something unrelated again.
Zheng Fa shook his head.
“Because there are rumors that, in addition to limiting Yuanying masters from accepting disciples, the Immortal Quality Conference will impose further restrictions, possibly reducing the number of spots.” As she spoke, Zhang Shijie smiled and asked, “Do you know who holds the spots for the Immortal Quality Conference?”
“Families like the Zhao family, right?”
“Exactly, mostly descendants of those Yuanying and Jindan masters. They heard this news and, fearing delays, decided to hold the Immortal Quality Conference early.”
Listening to her, Zheng Fa felt that the situation facing the immortal sects was likely more dire than he had imagined.
The direct path to accepting disciples was already restricted, and now the Immortal Quality Conference was also reducing spots?
Suddenly, a jade token appeared in Zhang Shijie’s hand, adorned with nine mountain peaks in gold trim, looking quite precious.
“What’s this?”
“An Immortal Quality Token. With it, you can attend the Immortal Quality Conference.” She placed the token on the table.
“Zhang Zhenren, you…”
“I’m also a Jindan, so I naturally have a spot. It’s just that I don’t have any family connections and can’t be bothered to use it to network.” Zhang Shijie seemed to regard the token as unimportant, casually placing it on the table.
“Actually, if my master were here, given your current display of talent, he could probably get you an Immortal Quality Token too.” Zhang Shijie looked at Zheng Fa. “But I don’t care about your talent.”
“… So?”
“To me, it’s not worth much, but it’s not for nothing.” Zhang Shijie pointed at the token and then turned to Zheng Fa. “Understand?”
Zheng Fa leaned back slightly.
“Don’t worry, soul searching is strictly prohibited in the Hundred Immortals Alliance.”
Zheng Fa remained silent; he had a low trust level for most people in this world, except for a few.
Zhang Shijie noticed his skepticism. “Besides, I don’t like to peek at the answers before solving the problems.”
That reason was quite convincing!
“… Just tell me a number, Zhenren!”
“One hundred questions.”
“Deal!”
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