Chapter 63: Mock Exam

The sight before Zheng Fa's eyes at this moment reminded him of a small pond outside the Zhao family estate.

Every spring and summer, the pond would always be teeming with countless tiny fish.

Those fish were truly small; if one tried to scoop them up by hand, their slender bodies could slip away through the minute gaps between the fingers.

When Zheng Fa was young, he was also somewhat mischievous and would occasionally enjoy tossing a stone into the pond, watching those little fish scatter in panic.

Now he felt he had met his retribution—

Because there were so many fish before him!

He looked around the small courtyard, feeling as though he had fallen into that very pond.

Before his eyes, countless tiny fish seemed to be swimming; their movement trajectories formed one strange pattern after another, very much like talisman diagrams.

Or rather, they should be the source of those talisman diagrams.

The world before his eyes, due to these patterns, seemed covered in layers upon layers of spiderwebs, slicing the view before him into fragmented pieces.

These little fish swam in every corner: in the sky, on the walls, on the ground, and on the small grass in the wall corners.

On the Young Lady and the Seventh Young Master before him, on their heads, and even within the airflow entering and exiting through their nasal passages, there were traces of these little fish.

"With this Spirit Eye Talisman, what you see is the world as a Talisman Master sees when drawing talismans," Zhang Shijie's voice came: "Talisman diagrams, some also call them talisman runes; exactly what they are, every Talisman Master understands differently."

"Some say it is the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao, a kind of script," Zhang Shijie continued: "But I believe talisman diagrams are the trajectories of spiritual energy flow; since heaven and earth are transformed by spiritual energy, therefore talisman diagrams are heaven and earth!"

Zheng Fa was stunned; were these little fish the so-called spiritual energy?

"Regardless of what talisman diagrams are, one point is universally acknowledged: when we use spiritual power or spiritual ink to trace these trajectories, it will produce a resonance with heaven and earth!"

Having finished speaking, Zhang Shijie used her hand to draw another very complex talisman diagram.

Zheng Fa saw that a portion of the "little fish" began to accelerate, gathering on Zhang Shijie's fingers; following the movement of her fingers, they gradually coalesced into a golden talisman diagram at her fingertip.

After a moment, this talisman diagram ascended into the sky and vanished.

A pale green cloud appeared above the small courtyard.

The land in the courtyard was soaked by a fine drizzle.

The grass and trees in the wall corners seemed to have taken a great tonic and began to grow wildly.

"This is the Cloud-Rain Talisman," Zhang Shijie said to the Seventh Young Master: "Did you see clearly? Those spiritual energies that were attracted, what were their trajectories before?"

"They all correspond to the talisman diagrams of the Cloud-Rain Talisman's Yang Yuanfu!" the Seventh Young Master exclaimed with sudden enlightenment: "So this is the meaning of corresponding talisman diagrams?"

Zhang Shijie nodded: "Yes, you draw one type of talisman diagram, and you can attract those spiritual energies corresponding to that talisman diagram."

"So," she drew another pattern with her hand, slightly more complex than the previous one: "This is also the Small Cloud-Rain Talisman."

"This one too." This time, even Zheng Fa could not clearly see the movement of her fingers.

Every time she finished drawing, the little fish in the void would gather once.

A green cloud would always appear in the sky, a fine rain would always fall, and the grass and trees in the wall corners would always get a burst of energy, nearly overturning Zheng Fa's courtyard wall.

"They all have the same effect, but only this one!" Zhang Shijie simply drew two overlapping circles: "is the Yang Yuanfu of the Small Cloud-Rain Talisman; we Talisman Masters only draw this."

"Since the effects are all the same, doesn't it make no difference which one you draw?" the Seventh Young Master asked, puzzled.

"Yang Yuanfu is the source of talisman diagrams; the Great Dao is simplest; how can it be the same as other talisman diagrams?" Zhang Shijie looked at the Seventh Young Master, who was still frowning: "Don't understand?"

The Seventh Young Master shook his head.

The Young Lady nearby whispered softly: "My brother is a bit dull; Zhang Shijie, please bear with him."

"Because Yang Yuanfu has the fewest strokes, it is cheaper," Zhang Shijie said after a moment of silence.

"Ah?"

"Drawing talismans requires talisman paper and spiritual ink; even if you can draw talismans in the void like me, do you not need spiritual power? Drawing those complex patterns wastes both paper and ink; if your spiritual power is insufficient, you are prone to qi deviation; therefore, everyone only draws Yang Yuanfu. Do you understand now?"

The Seventh Young Master nodded vigorously.

Zheng Fa also nodded silently.

If they had just spoken plainly, who wouldn't understand?

"Ten thousand years ago, you could draw whichever type of talisman you wanted, but now spiritual energy has begun to decline, and spiritual materials are rare..." Zhang Shijie's expression suddenly became somewhat dangerous: "If you dare not draw Yang Yuanfu and recklessly waste spiritual materials, the Talisman Masters of the Baixian Alliance will attack you en masse."

Zheng Fa: "?"

Spiritual energy declining?

So one dares not use too much ink when drawing talismans?

What a miserable consumption downgrade...

He suddenly felt that even immortal sect disciples did not have an easy life.

"Then I will just learn to draw Yang Yuanfu; Yang Yuanfu is so simple, why must I recognize so many corresponding talisman diagrams?" the Seventh Young Master asked; when saying the words "talisman diagrams," he sounded almost gritting his teeth.

Zheng Fa looked at the Seventh Young Master, who had been thoroughly tormented by the diagram sea tactic, and understood his resentment well.

If one only uses Yang Yuanfu, then there is no need to memorize other talisman diagrams at all.

"Because, to gather these spiritual energies into your Yang Yuanfu, you must recognize them... you recognize them, and they recognize you."

Zheng Fa was stunned.

With words like that, did spiritual energy seem like something with consciousness?

But Zhang Shijie did not seem to care much about this, or perhaps this world did not ponder this question.

She simply said: "The more corresponding talisman diagrams you can recognize while drawing a talisman, the more spiritual power you can attract; this determines the power of the talisman you draw. Of course, this also depends on your cultivation; what you can see is only the talisman diagrams within the range of your divine sense."

"Do you know why I said the foundation of the Talisman Dao is Yang Yuanfu?"

The Seventh Young Master nodded.

Zhang Shijie gently tapped her finger, and the world before Zheng Fa's eyes returned to normal.

"Therefore, the Talisman Dao aptitude assessment at the Immortal-Grade Gathering is very simple." Zhang Shijie gently beckoned with her hand, and the scroll that had been lying on the table flew before the Seventh Young Master's eyes.

"It tests your ability to find similar talisman diagrams of a certain basic Yang Yuanfu among a vast number of talisman diagrams."

Seventh Young Master's eyes widened: "Tu Hai?"

"What Hai?"

"Bitter... nothing."

Zhang Shijie paid it no mind; she drew a basic Yang Yuanfu in the void: "This is the basic Yang Yuanfu of the Clear Wind Talisman. Now, you must find its counterpart Yang Yuanfu among the talisman diagrams appearing on the scroll. When you think you've found the correct diagram, tap it on the scroll with your finger."

Zheng Fa nodded inwardly; a mock exam was indeed a sharp tool for testing a student's strength.

Seventh Young Master took a deep breath, his face stern as he stared at the scroll floating before him.

Zheng Fa saw the Young Lady gently clench her fist.

"Begin."

Talisman diagrams appeared and vanished one by one on the scroll; in the blink of an eye, several diagrams had passed.

Seventh Young Master was at a loss for a moment, took several deep breaths, then extended his finger and tapped rapidly on the scroll.

"Stop."

The talisman diagrams on the scroll slowly vanished, turning blank once more.

Zhang Shijie looked at Seventh Young Master, furrowing her brow, her expression seemingly puzzled.

Seventh Young Master's breathing was somewhat coarse and heavy; he looked at her, his eyes full of unease.

"Try the Vajra Talisman."

"Another one."

"Try this one next."

With each Yang Yuanfu tested, Zhang Shijie's brow furrowed a fraction more.

Her expression made the cold sweat on Seventh Young Master's forehead grow thicker, his expression growing more dejected.

It also made the Young Lady's fist clench tighter; Zheng Fa could even see the veins on her hand.

Finally, no more talisman diagrams appeared on the scroll, and Zhang Shijie remained silent, saying nothing.

She merely frowned, thinking deeply about something.

"Zhang Shijie?" the Young Lady asked anxiously: "If my brother is beyond teaching and incurable, I will simply send you back."

"I indeed should not have come," Zhang Shijie nodded slowly.

Seventh Young Master lowered his head, daring not to look at his sister, and even less daring to look at Zheng Fa.

"His accuracy on these few Yang Yuanfu exceeds Ding Sancheng. If the accuracy rate for all thirty-six basic Yang Yuanfu exceeds Ding Sancheng, it is sufficient to be rated as a First-Rate talent in the Dao of Talismans; there is no need for me to teach him."

"Ah?"

"Or have the standards of the Immortal-Grade Association risen for these two sessions?" Zhang Shijie looked at the Young Lady in confusion: "I haven't heard of that."

"..." Seventh Young Master suddenly raised his head: "First-Rate? This Lord knew this Lord was a genius in Talisman Arts!"

An accuracy rate of Ding Sancheng qualifies as a First-Rate talent in the Dao of Talismans?

Is First-Rate so worthless?

Zheng Fa recalled that notebook which claimed an accuracy rate of eight or nine tenths.

... Must treat Bai Yuanyuan better in the future.

"Zhang Shijie, perhaps you should test him again?" the Young Lady looked at her foolish brother, who was grinning with bared teeth: "Look at him; does he look like a genius in the Dao of Talismans?"

Had Zheng Fa not seen her narrowed, smiling eyes, he would have believed the disdain in her tone.