"Could it be that after clearing the Minor Luo Heaven Sword Array, he still delusionally hopes to inscribe the Twelve Heaven Talismans?"

"The Minor Luo Heaven Sword Array tests martial talent. But the twelve steles on the Heaven Talisman Platform are entirely the methods of Spirit Masters. Both Primordial Spirit refinement and Talisman Inscription require supreme innate aptitude; neither can be lacking. In all these ten thousand years, no one below the Sun-Roamer realm has managed to inscribe even a single one—"

"I once heard my master say that to inscribe the Heaven Talismans left by the Ancestor, one needs a soul of incomparable purity, and calligraphy must possess at least the level of 'Divine Force.' Only then is there a slight possibility. How could a Spirit Master before reaching the Sun-Roamer stage possibly achieve this?"

"Breaking the formation in three hundred and forty-three breaths! This person’s Swordsmanship is terrifyingly strong. I refuse to believe his Talisman Craft is equally peerless!"

As they watched Zong Shou ascend the steps one by one, planting his feet onto the stone platform on the left, a fresh wave of murmuring swept through the crowd.

The gazes fixed upon the youth were incredibly complex. Yet, not a single person dared to utter that he was overreaching before the result was made clear.

Yin Yang Chuxue exchanged stunned glances. Zong Shou’s ability to break the Minor Luo Heaven Sword Array had already astonished and overjoyed them beyond measure.

But before they could fully process this joy, their Young Master had already mounted the Heaven Talisman Platform.

They had witnessed Zong Shou’s swordsmanship three months prior, giving them some measure of confidence.

But as for the true standard of his Talisman Craft, they were completely in the dark. Although he had studied at Linhai Academy for a full three years, in the end, Zong Shou was effectively driven out.

Su Chuxue’s heart suddenly stirred. She recalled the materials Zong Shou had been purchasing from time to time over the last three months—all of them necessary for Spirit Masters.

And that battle with Zong Yu; the Wind Barrier Array aboard the Cloud-Treading Chariot had suddenly failed. Previously, she had attributed it to her own shortcomings in Talisman Scripture practice. Now, thinking back carefully, it might well have been the doing of their Young Master.

However, the twelve steles on the Heaven Talisman Platform held the twelve genuine 'Heaven Talismans' inscribed by Ancestor Lingyun just before his ascension!

Even though their Young Master had conquered the supposedly unbreakable 'Minor Luo Heaven Sword Array,' she still held not the slightest confidence in Zong Shou.

While the crowd below was rife with fragmented thoughts, Zong Shou had already arrived before the first stone stele.

The stele stood three zhang high, entirely unadorned save for the flat surface at the front. While it appeared to be stone, it was actually forged from raw Sui Jin ore mined from the Yellow Spirit Realm.

Legend claimed that wherever Sui Jin existed, malevolent spirits haunted the area. It was also one of the finest materials for Spirit Masters to use when inscribing talismans.

—Being entirely Sui Jin was necessary, lest it fail to bear the weight of this talisman and endure for billions of years.

And the first character inscribed upon these twelve steles was 'Qian'!

Every stroke, every line, appeared like a silver hook trailing a scorpion’s tail, a soaring dragon amidst wandering clouds, or perhaps a phoenix dancing gracefully, or an angry Ni beast tearing through stone. It possessed a profound weight and immense momentum, yet was coupled with an ethereal lightness.

In terms of structure or stroke order, it scarcely resembled the character 'Qian,' yet within Zong Shou’s consciousness, he somehow knew this was truly the 'Qian.'

Or rather, what appeared to ordinary eyes as mere scribbles was perhaps the true, original form of this character.

At some point, Lin Fei had also arrived behind him. His eyes flickered as he looked at Zong Shou: "The rules here are the same as on the Bright Sword Stage. You are forbidden from using any Soul Power or mental energy, nor can you borrow the aid of spirit treasures. You are responsible for the consequences. In one million years, a total of forty-six thousand and forty-four individuals have attempted to inscribe the Twelve Heaven Talismans, and nearly half died from talisman backlash! You must be cautious—"

The old man’s expression was equally fraught with complexity. From the few words this slender youth had spoken earlier, it was clear that the child had entirely abandoned any thought of joining the sect.

Breaking the Minor Luo Heaven Sword Array was merely a counter-strike against the Lingyun Sect.

Glancing sideways at Liang Miaozhi over there, Lin Fei shook his head inwardly, pondering if his leniency towards the Hall Master of the Assembly of Elites had been excessive over the years? But now, no matter how much self-reproach he felt, it was too late.

A heaven-defying genius was being turned away. After today, the Lingyun Sect was destined to become a laughingstock.

If this child, after conquering the Minor Luo Heaven Sword Array, were now to inscribe these Twelve Divine Talismans,

it would undoubtedly stir up another storm within Dan Ling Mountain. The leadership and staff here, including the Chief Elder, would all face severe reprimand.

Unbidden thoughts began to surface in his mind, simply wishing that the Heaven Talismans drawn by the Ancestor were truly as rumored—unpaintable beneath the living heavens. It would be even better if this youth were to perish right here. Yet, the moment this thought arose, Lin Fei was overcome with a crushing sense of shame.

Zong Shou paid no heed to Lin Fei’s words. Once he stood before the stele, his state of mind became crystal clear, systematically stripping away every intrusive thought.

Heaven Talismans communicate with the Divine; they are drawn by Divine Masters. The emergence of any unauthorized extraneous thought was tantamount to courting death, an insult to the stele’s creator.

He bit open his right index finger and pressed it onto the starting point of the 'Qian' character. An instantaneous, deafening roar echoed in Zong Shou’s ears.

A potent wave of intent surged into his mind—left by the talisman’s original scribe, undiminished even after ten thousand years.

It resonated with his soul, pulling his consciousness into an infinitely vast expanse of heaven and earth—a boundless sky where one could freely roam. Within this space flowed water, wind, fire, and thunder. There were motes of dust and grains of sand, alongside various other creatures floating in the air.

Zong Shou’s eyes flickered. In his previous life, he had spent an entire year attempting to master these twelve Heaven Talismans, inscribing them three thousand two hundred and twenty-seven times over three hundred and sixty-five days.

Yet, this experience was utterly novel to him. In that single instant, his understanding of this 'Qian' character reached its absolute peak.

His index finger shifted to the right, following the etched lines. Then, he felt countless vortexes of spiritual energy erupting around him. Streams of alien force either pulled or repelled, attempting to skew his finger sideways.

With a slight smile, Zong Shou showed no sign of panic. He flowed with the natural current, forcefully traversed the resistance, or utilized the counter-force. On the stele, he etched a winding, ugly, earthworm-like blood-mark, yet from start to finish, he never deviated from the inscribed grooves.

Every stroke, every line was drawn with utmost seriousness and without any hesitation. Only at the very bottom, the final stroke, was his path blocked by an inexplicable, overwhelming force.

At this moment, everyone beneath the Heaven Talisman Platform held their breath, knowing the inscription had reached its most critical juncture. Succeed on this stroke, and live; fail, and die.

Lin Fei also stared intently, daring not to look away for an instant. To successfully inscribe a Heaven Talisman, one must grasp the true meaning within the symbol.

All writings in the world can articulate the Great Dao. But all talismans are the unification of that Dao.

It is truly a matter where a tiny deviation means life or death!

Could this youth, the scion of Qian Tian Mountain, truly accomplish it?

The very next moment, a faint smile surfaced on Zong Shou’s face.

It was a smile brimming with the sheer joy of having perceived the Dao, entirely unmarred by impurity. And in that same instant, Lin Fei's pupils contracted into pinpricks.

"Qian is Heaven; Heaven is clarity! The supreme ascent of the pure Yang becomes Heaven!"

A diagonal slash of the brush—this line was still winding, yet it was overwhelmingly powerful, shattering the unknown resistance completely.

When the blood talisman was complete, a wave of pure energy immediately converged from the heavens and earth. The spiritual energy in this place instantly soared a hundredfold.

And below the Heaven Talisman Platform, a collective gasp—a sharp 'hiss'—sounded as everyone sucked in a cold breath.

Zong Shou felt as if his body had lost all weight. A warm current flowed into him, but it did not rush towards his Dantian; instead, it entered his Sea of Consciousness.

Still unconcerned with the sensation, Zong Shou’s gaze immediately shifted to the second stele on the other side—the 'Kun' character Heaven Talisman.

"Kun is Earth! Earth is turbidity; the ultimate convergence of the pure Yin becomes Earth!"

PS: Comrades, could you please spare a recommendation vote? It only takes a moment to click, but it helps the author's initial efforts immensely. I checked the New Book Ranking today and realized I'm up against a heap of grandmasters; it’s truly a tragedy, the competition is fierce!