67: Chapter 67 The Academy

"This Talisman character actually has such deep secrets!"

Su Jiuchuan thought about it for a long time, but couldn't figure out the underlying principles, so he could only attribute it to the different Laws of this world.

He changed to a new sheet of paper and continued writing, but the result remained the same. Su Jiuchuan felt a bit depressed; this was only the entrance exam for the Talisman Department, yet it was so incredibly difficult.

After practicing several more times, the ink would explode every time he made the second stroke. Su Jiuchuan had a vague feeling that once he put the brush to paper, the True Qi in his body would be triggered, but the output of True Qi was slightly unbalanced at the connection between strokes, causing the character to be impossible to complete.

Therefore, the key lay in ensuring the output of True Qi from within his body was uniform and stable, and this was truly not an easy task when it came to controlling True Qi.

As expected, in this world, just knowing the exam content in advance wasn't of much use.

Su Jiuchuan shook his head. Admissions would take place next month, and he had absolutely no confidence in being able to draw it.

The simulator's three options—Martial Arts Experience, Martial Arts Realm, and Life Wisdom—did this talisman-drawing skill count as Martial Arts Experience? After all, it was also a use of True Qi.

Regardless, let's try a simulation!

[At eighteen, you are already a Half-Step Innate. You prepare to head to the capital to enter the Academy.]

[You practice drawing talismans diligently. One month later, you fail the selection. You continue to practice diligently.]

[Two months later, Young Master Lin Yanyi appears and is killed by you, after which an Innate from the Lin Family kills you. You die at eighteen.]

Su Jiuchuan sighed; as expected, talisman drawing could not be mastered in just a few short months.

[Simulation ended. You may retain one of the following items.]

[1. Martial Arts Realm at eighteen.]

[2. Martial Arts Experience at eighteen.]

[3. Life Wisdom at eighteen.]

With a sense of trepidation, he chose option two.

Memories of countless practice sessions surfaced in his mind. Su Jiuchuan lifted his brush and began drawing on the white paper in front of him. True Qi flowed out slowly. The first stroke was completed, and the second stroke posed no problem. He breathed a sigh of relief, but then his True Qi faltered, and the ink at the tip of the brush exploded once again.

Su Jiuchuan was overjoyed; this talisman drawing was indeed considered a type of martial arts skill by the System.

Then let's do it again.

[At eighteen, you become a Xiantian Martial Artist.]

[You head to the Yunlin Secret Realm, find a place, and devote yourself to practicing talisman-drawing skills.]

[Fifteen years later, you finally master that Talisman character. Three days later, you leave the Secret Realm and head to the capital.]

...

Su Jiuchuan sighed. It took fifteen years to master a single talisman; did he really have no talent?

Regardless, it was finally mastered. This time, he continued to choose Martial Arts Experience.

He took out a sheet of white paper and immediately copied the Talisman character. Memories of countless practice sessions surfaced in his mind, and his brush did not pause, completing it in one go. The Talisman character took shape on the paper, emitting a faint white light that flashed for dozens of seconds before dimming and finally disappearing completely.

Based on the memory of the copying, he knew this was because the True Qi attached to it had dissipated.

It seemed that those talisman-making Great Masters must have other tricks to fix the drawn talismans in place.

Su Jiuchuan felt more and more that the knowledge of talisman-making was profound and inscrutable, and he couldn't help but yearn for it even more.

...

One month later, Su Jiuchuan, accompanied by Cai Rujin and Aunt Li, settled into a residence in the capital. Every day, Su Jiuchuan continued to practice that Talisman character diligently, while Cai Rujin had also lost her previous interest in playing around and was mostly practicing hard. In this short time, she had actually broken through from the Third Grade to the Second Grade.

That day, Su Jiuchuan woke up very early, had a simple breakfast, and without disturbing Cai Rujin, went out to hail a carriage and headed to the Academy.

The Academy occupied a vast area at the foot of East Mountain outside the city. Although it was close to the urban area, it was not actually under the jurisdiction of the imperial court; it had its own private soldiers and management System. The owner of the Academy was known as the Headmaster, and all the masters who taught knowledge were not allowed to hold positions in the imperial court.

Su Jiuchuan had already inquired about the situation here a few days ago, and today was the day the Academy was admitting students. As soon as he arrived, he could see three huge wooden signs erected in the large square in front of the gate, with several bold, sweeping characters written on them: Ren Department, Talisman Department, and Alchemy Department.

Under the Ren Department sign sat an old master, who was there, eyes closed in meditation. In front of him was a table with various registers and similar items placed on it. Behind him was a massive crowd of people, presumably those who had come for the exam today. From time to time, people talked in low voices, with various dialects mixed together.

Under the Talisman Department sign, there was only a middle-aged man leaning against the table, not knowing what he was looking at. There were also twenty or so people standing in front of his table, but none of them dared to speak.

Finally, there was the Alchemy Department, but this section was completely empty, with not a single person there, just a table left sitting there.

Su Jiuchuan thought to himself, "The Alchemy Department probably couldn't find anyone, so are they just putting on a show?"

Around the square, squads of guards holding long halberds patrolled. From the fullness of Qi and blood on these guards, Su Jiuchuan could roughly tell that most of the officers leading the teams were already at the First Grade Realm, and even the ordinary guards had cultivation at the Third Grade. Such power was likely even stronger than the imperial palace.

He shook his head, not wanting to overthink it, and walked to the back of the Talisman Department's line to queue up.

The number of people in the square was increasing. Just when Su Jiuchuan was feeling a bit bored, someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw, to his surprise, an acquaintance: Wen Shuyu, who had once tried to recruit him.

"Brother Su, why have you come too?"

Su Jiuchuan looked at this person who liked to dress as a man and said helplessly, "Just trying my luck."

"Luck? Hehe!" The person who had been queuing in front of Su Jiuchuan suddenly turned around to look at them and said, "The ignorant are fearless. Is the Talisman Department a place for those just making up the numbers? Hehe, especially for some damn effeminate wretch."

"Wen Qiye, you… are courting death!" Wen Shuyu was clearly infuriated by the term "damn effeminate wretch" and became extremely angry.

That Wen Qiye laughed coldly, "Then hurry up and kill me. Otherwise, once I am admitted to the Talisman Department later, you won't have another chance."

"You… you…" Wen Shuyu's face had already flushed red, but she really didn't dare to move. Where was the carefree and relaxed demeanor she had shown that day in Tianshui City?

Su Jiuchuan shook his head inwardly. Both of them had the surname Wen, so they were likely both from the Wen Family. He did not want to meddle in other people's business, but since the other party had also mocked him, he said calmly, "Talisman drawing is just a craft; it is nothing more than practicing more."

This was the summary of his fifteen years of experience from the simulated life.

"Haha!" Wen Qiye laughed aloud and said, "So it's just some guy who doesn't understand anything. You really did come to try your luck, haha."