The torrent continued to pour down below Dan Ling Mountain, the clouds pressing down in solid sheets, casting the entire Su Dian range into a perpetual night even in the height of day. Lightning flashed intermittently, starkly illuminating the heavens.
Not far from the mountain gate of Dan Ling, within a Cloud-Turning Carriage, two figures gazed up at the summit.
“It’s been over half an hour, why hasn’t he come down yet? Uncle Xiao, did the one up on the mountain truly agree? There won't be any further changes, will there?”
The speaker was a youth, handsome in feature, bearing a faint resemblance to Zong Shou. His expression now held a degree of apprehension.
The man beside him, however, was a sallow-faced middle-aged man in his thirties. Upon hearing this, he immediately let out a light chuckle. “Young Master Zong Ling need not worry. Senior Liang Miaozi is the Hall Master of the Eastern Hall of the Gathering of Heroes, and an intimate acquaintance of the Young Master Zong Shi’s mentor. Since he agreed, he must have nine parts certainty in blocking him. A single Nine Yin Snow Lotus is enough incentive for him to exert his utmost effort!”
If Zong Shou were present now, he would recognize the voice instantly as that of Feng Xiao, the same man who spoke with Yin Yang months ago.
Zong Ling was not reassured; his brow furrowed slightly. “I know that, naturally. But although my cousin is unable to cultivate Qi arts, several elders in the clan have said that setting aside his physique, his martial talent is absolutely superb. The entrance assessment at the Ling Yun Sect will likely not be difficult for him. And then there is that Ling Yun Scarlet Token—”
“Young Master Ling seems unaware of the ways of the world within those great sects!”
Feng Xiao interjected with a cold, disdainful laugh. “The bigger the gate and the greater the sect, like Dan Ling Sect, the more rotten things are within. Even if he passes the assessment, what then? A mere Dual Meridian Physique will grant the one on the mountain sufficient pretext to turn him away. Unless this boy can break the ‘Lesser Heaven Sword Formation’ on the Bright Sword Platform, or successfully replicate the twelve ‘Heavenly Talismans’ left by the Ling Yun Ancestor!”
Zong Ling startled, then managed a wry smile and shook his head. “No one can break the Lesser Heaven Sword Formation. As for the twelve ‘Heavenly Talismans,’ to this day, no one below the Sun Roaming Realm has managed to copy them successfully. Let alone him, even the geniuses accepted into the inner sect of Ling Yun today could never manage it. My cousin is even less likely to succeed. It’s just that today is the first task Brother Zong Shi entrusted to me, and Zong Ling truly cannot bear for anything to go wrong.”
As he spoke, Zong Ling raised his head again to look at the mountainside, murmuring, “When my uncle was here, my cousin was always held aloft, someone I had to look up to. These past years I’ve always wondered: why should Zong Shou, just a bastard incapable of cultivation, be placed above us? To drag him down from the clouds, pull him into the mud, and then stomp on him fiercely would finally settle a knot in my heart.”
Feng Xiao felt a pang of awkwardness. He wanted to offer some agreeable words, but as he had once served under that former Demon King, saying such things felt inappropriate and invited contempt. After a slight hesitation, he finally shook his head faintly. “Regardless of talent or virtue, Heir Zong Shou is unfit for a great position; he truly lacks self-awareness. What is happening today cannot truly be blamed on others—”
He followed Zong Ling’s gaze upward, and a trace of surprise also appeared on Feng Xiao’s face.
No one knew what was truly transpiring up there. The delay had certainly stretched on long enough.
※※※※
Inside the Dao Palace halfway up the mountain, it was already completely empty. Every single inner and outer disciple, even the fire-tending acolytes, had gathered beneath the Heavenly Talisman Platform.
The expressions on most faces were uncertain—some shocked, some disbelieving, some angered, others envious. Yet, their gazes, without exception, were fixed upon the figure on the stone, daring not to look away for an instant.
“That’s the ninth talisman, the ‘Earth’ character. The remaining talismans likely won’t stop him—”
“The Twelve Heavenly Talismans: Qian, Kun, Yin, Yang, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Xun, Thunder, Fortune. Of these, the Qian and Kun characters are the most difficult to draw. This child didn't start with the easier ones but picked the hardest, Qian and Kun, so naturally, the rest followed like splitting bamboo.”
“Truly never expected that someone could actually replicate these heavenly talismans without using any spiritual thought! Truly shameful—”
“It’s too early to celebrate! While Qian and Kun are the hardest, the final ‘Fortune’ character is even harder to surpass! The true meaning of this talisman is ethereal and immeasurable. This person may be able to draw the first eleven, but he might not be able to draw the Fortune Talisman!”
Among the crowd, Ge Hanyun’s icy eyes glittered as she stared fixedly at Zong Shou on the platform, sighing aloud, “Twelve Heavenly Talismans, nine replicated. Fei Bai, what am I to do? I find myself liking Zong Shou more and more; I might not be able to let him go—”
The youth beside her face twitched slightly, though he instantly regained his composure. “I certainly underestimated him before. His swordplay is exceptional, and his talisman mastery is also top-tier. Hanyun, how many of the Twelve Heavenly Talismans are you confident in replicating now?”
“Including Qian and Kun, eleven in total—”
Ge Hanyun tilted her chin up, a touch of pride in her expression. Then, with a crestfallen look, she glanced toward the last stone tablet.
Only this tablet differed in color from the others. It was silver, glittering brightly, and its material had been replaced with Light Cloud Stone. It was no more precious than Sui Gold, but it possessed unique properties.
“Only the Fortune character, I cannot draw. The concept of ‘Fortune’ is simply too difficult to grasp. Were it not for this talisman, I would doubt whether such a rule even exists in this world. I’ll need another two years to master it. Rumor has it there is something called ‘Destiny’ above ‘Fortune,’ which is even more profound. Speaking of which, even our Ancestor’s achievements were only this much. He only left these Twelve Heavenly Talismans; the even higher concepts of the Universe were something he never touched upon—”
Once she began speaking of the Dao of Talismans, the young woman became animated and ceaseless in her discourse.
The youth, however, was satisfied with the previous answer and steered the conversation away. “I predict I’ll also need two years to break the Lesser Heaven Sword Formation. So Hanyun is the same as me. But these talismans are truly ugly—”
The blood symbols Zong Shou inscribed on the stone tablets were being generous even if called the scrawlings of crawling insects. Upon closer inspection, they were simply grotesque, twisted vines, unbearable to look at.
“You’re just a martial artist, what would you know!”
Ge Hanyun scoffed coldly, then regarded the blood symbols with the look one reserves for transcendent calligraphy. “Without using any spiritual energy, no matter how skilled the drawer, it’s hard to maintain perfect balance. These talismans might be ugly, but they contain the great Dao of the Heavenly Talismans; everything that should be there is present, and nothing that shouldn't be is included. This person’s command over the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has clearly reached its zenith. I don’t know the situation in the Central Cloud Continent, but in the Eastern Lin Cloud Continent, there won’t be more than five peers his age who can compare to him—”
Her voice paused, and Ge Hanyun’s gaze returned to Zong Shou on the platform, her confidence absolute. “I’ve decided. If he manages to draw the final talisman too, I, Ge Hanyun, will pursue him even if I have to chase him down myself.”
The youth let out a soft ‘poof’ of a laugh before quickly stifling it, showing no sign of objection, and continued watching the platform with a serious, rigid expression.
At this moment, Zong Shou was standing before the ‘Thunder’ character tablet, his blood-tipped index finger touching the initial stroke of the heavenly talisman.
The youth paid no mind to the difficulty of replicating the Thunder Talisman, which was second only to Qian, Kun, Yin, and Yang. But since the latter four characters had already been drawn, he assumed the Thunder character wouldn’t stump this person either.
He was only curious about whether this person could manage to replicate the ‘Fortune’ character, which Ge Hanyun claimed was the most difficult.