Chương 140: Chapter 139: True Talisman Peak

A few weeks later Yang found himself waiting outside his cave for Senior Brother Wu Nai. He had not attended any competitions after the late-stage Golden Core Wide Resonance Trial. Every hour since then had gone into talisman practice. It had not been without result. He had managed to perfect every talisman listed in the Skill Judging participant manual. Every single one. There was nothing left to improve in those talismans until he advanced his realm.

After that he had shifted his attention to the offensive and defensive events. He had spent the remaining weeks studying and practicing every type of inscription he thought might be useful. He had also leaned heavier into utility talismans than most participants would, holding to the decision he had made weeks ago. Playing to raw power against cultivators a major realm above his was not a sound strategy.

If he was going to make any showing at all he needed to think outside the constraints of conventional approaches. Within those constraints, against people whose qi reserves dwarfed his own, he would be eviscerated. And after the Wide Resonance Trial his desire to access the cultivation chambers had grown considerably. He knew winning was unlikely. But with his skills, especially at his age, attracting the attention of an elder was not outside the realm of possibilities.

He had asked around and confirmed that qi condensation cultivators did exist in the inner sect, but without exception they were personal disciples of an elder or an inner sect disciple. Yang had not been at the sect for a full year yet. He was not expecting fast results. But if he could make himself memorable enough in this competition that the elders remembered his name, he may have a chance to get into the inner sect before reaching foundation establishment.

He was still immersed in his own thoughts when Senior Brother Wu Nai landed.

"Junior Brother, excited for today?"

"Very much," Yang said.

"I have been looking forward to it for a while."

"Then climb on so we can get there." Senior Brother Wu Nai smiled. Yang climbed on and the sword rose smoothly into the air, heading toward the inner sect. The path was familiar, heading in the direction of the alchemy peak. Yang tried to enjoy the view but his mind was elsewhere, and the flight passed in near silence.

"Junior Brother, we are here." Yang jolted back to awareness and found they had already landed at the peak's landing area. He looked around. No one else had arrived yet. There were still a few hours until the event.

"Thank you, Senior Brother. I am sorry, I was lost in thought."

"Nothing to apologise for. Take care, and send me a message when you are ready to come back." Senior Brother Wu Nai lifted off and was gone. Yang turned to the peak. He thought he might have seen it before in passing, on the way to or from the alchemy events. It sat adjacent to Yunhuo Peak. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

The qi here was unremarkable by inner sect standards, elevated compared to the outer sect but without any of the remarkable characteristics he had felt at Lingcao Peak or Yunhe Peak. An ordinary inner sect peak. He made his way up at a leisurely pace, looking around as he went, and eventually found what he assumed was the competition area at the top. A large arena, built in the ethereal white style of the White Cloud Sect. After the music competition arena, it seemed rather plain.

He reminded himself that most structures would seem plain after the music competition arena. Even the alchemy event arena was not comparable.

"Halt, Junior Brother." A voice came from his right. He turned to see an inner sect disciple approaching him. Yang bowed in greeting.

"Junior Brother, the event is not for another couple of hours. What brings you here so early?"

"I am one of the participants in the Skill Judging event, Senior Brother. I thought it best to arrive early since this is my first time on the talisman peak." The senior brother looked at him closely, "You must be quite talented to be participating at your age and realm."

"I just wanted to try my luck, Senior Brother." Yang introduced himself.

"I am Chen Yang, outer sect disciple."

"Shi Xiaolong, True Talisman Peak." The senior brother returned a slight bow, then looked at Yang with a more kind expression.

"Junior Brother, you are in the wrong place. The Skill Judging event will not be held in the arena." Yang blinked. Every competition he had attended so far, with the exception of the plant cultivation event on Lingcao Peak, had been held in an arena.

"I assumed since the other events were held in arenas," Yang said. Senior Brother Shi Xiaolong gave a small smile.

"The Skill Judging is one of the less popular talisman events. The audience consists almost entirely of talisman practitioners and the participants' own friends. There is no need for a large venue." He paused.

"The event will be held in one of the inscription halls. You may come in and wait now if you would like. The other participants will not start arriving for some time yet."

"Thank you, Senior Brother. I would appreciate that." Senior Brother Shi Xiaolong led him away from the arena and down a different path. Yang followed, taking in the peak as they walked. The buildings here were similar to the other structures of the sect, distinct from the more ornamental architecture of Yunhe Peak. Clean and well-made. Yang stepped through the doors and stopped to take it in. The inscription hall was large.

Full-sized desks stretched before him in long parallel rows, each workstation identical to the next, separated by exactly the same amount of space on every side. Each row held around thirty stations, and Yang counted approximately a dozen rows. The audience section occupied the front of the hall, tiered rows rising gradually from the floor level. The ceiling was high, supported by white pillars rising from the floor at regular intervals between the groups of desks.

Tall, wide windows lined every wall of the hall, bringing in clean daylight and a current of fresh air. A few disciples were already inside, arranging the space. One was placing bundles of talisman paper at each station. Another was setting out inscription brushes and ink. Both looked curiously at Yang.

"This junior brother arrived early for the competition. I am bringing him to the audience section," Senior Brother Shi Xiaolong said to them. They both nodded at Yang and returned to their work. Senior Brother Shi Xiaolong turned to Yang with a serious look.

"You are welcome to sit in the audience section, Junior Brother. But do not approach the workstations. It is against the rules. If you do, I will have no choice but to inform the elders, and you will be disqualified from the competition."

"Understood, Senior Brother. Thank you for the warning," Yang said. Senior Brother Shi Xiaolong gave a brief nod and moved off to attend to other preparations. Yang settled into the empty bench reserved for the audience and watched the two disciples finish arranging the hall. The brushes went down in a specific order at each station. The talisman paper was stacked with the same precise count. Everything was set up with the same uniformity, row after row, station after station.

After a few minutes, he took out his inscription manual from his sleeve and began going through it. Time passed quickly, and he was so absorbed in the manual that it took him a while to realize someone was calling him.