Immortal of the Nine Realms

Ouyang Mo’s cheeks flushed red as he let out a deep breath. All he felt was his blood boil and a sense of satisfaction washing over him. Every time he crafted a talisman, he experienced this sensation as if he were leading an army into battle and he was the strategist behind it all.

Now, having secured another victory, how could he not feel excited?

Looking at the Purple Lightning Talisman he had just made, he felt pleased. Though its quality wasn’t particularly good, that could be attributed to the ordinary spiritual materials he had used. To transform such low-grade spiritual materials into a Purple Lightning Talisman capable of killing someone at the tenth stage of Qi Refining Realm was no small feat. Few could achieve such a feat.

After storing the talisman, Ouyang Mo cast a sly glance toward Fang Chen who was still in the early stages of crafting his talisman. His smile grew wider.

Fang Chen is so slow. He doesn’t stand a chance. I will complete several talismans before he even finishes one.

However, just as he was prepared to craft the next Purple Lightning Talisman, he noticed something off. He looked at Fang Chen again and was shocked to realize that Fang Chen had already completed a Purple Lightning Talisman, and it was resting right beside him.

Ouyang Mo’s smile slowly faded and his composure slipped.

He continued crafting his second talisman but his mind was racing. How could he be faster than me?

Various thoughts flashed through his mind. Does he have some special spiritual treasure that allows him to suppress his spiritual energy beyond what is normal for cultivators?

Ouyang Mo suppressed his thoughts and became focused. No matter how fast he is, if his talisman’s quality doesn’t surpass mine, he loses. Perhaps he has some talent for talisman crafting, but it won’t be enough to defeat me.

With that, he resumed crafting, determined to defeat Fang Chen.

Since he couldn’t regain face as a disciple of the Great Expansion Dao Sect before, Ouyang Mo decided to take the opportunity to restore some of his sect’s honor by defeating Fang Chen right now.

I have to win!

Neither side engaged in any verbal sparring during the competition. Everything proceeded quietly and methodically.

Suddenly, Teacher Hua Yan said solemnly, ”Have you noticed that the time taken to complete each of the Purple Lightning Talismans is exactly the same? There’s almost no difference at all.”

Many of the onlookers, including the teachers of the Talisman Department, nodded in acknowledgment. These teachers were all cultivators at the Dao Union Realm who were also well-versed in talisman-making techniques. They could easily discern such details.

”You only see this kind of consistency in experienced masters. It’s clear that his Purple Lightning Talisman techniques already rival that of a talisman grandmaster,” said one.

Someone agreed, ”Indeed. Even you and I might not be able to outperform him in this regard.”

”What a pity he’s not a disciple of the Talisman Department. If he were, he would undoubtedly shine even brighter in the future,” commented another.

As the murmurs continued, Fang Chen had unknowingly started crafting the last Purple Lightning Talisman.

Meanwhile, on Ouyang Mo’s side, something went wrong. One of the talismans he was working on spontaneously combusted and turned into ash.

Ouyang Mo’s face turned pale and he fell into silence for several breaths before continuing to craft the next talisman.

”Ouyang Mo is losing his focus,” murmured one of the observers.

Another observer echoed, ”If it were us, we’d probably lose our composure as well.”

”What a pity...one talisman is ruined. Now he has only nine left. In terms of speed, he’s already at a disadvantage. If the quality of the talismans is similar, then Junior Brother Fang Chen will have won,” remarked another observer.

Before long, Fang Chen was done with the final Purple Lightning Talisman and he placed it down. He sat quietly and waited for Ouyang Mo to finish his last talisman. As soon as Ouyang Mo saw Fang Chen had completed crafting so early, his expression grew increasingly unpleasant.

When Sir Zhao saw this, she smiled lightly and waved her hand. The formation that had been enveloping the two was immediately lifted.

Sir Zhao announced, ”Since the talismans are completed, let’s start the competition. Let’s see which of your Purple Lightning Talismans has higher quality. I happened to be passing by today and thought I’d add some excitement. The winner will receive a hundred mid-grade spirit stones.”

Seeing that Sir Zhao had personally arrived, Ouyang Mo quickly clasped his fists respectfully. He became uneasy.

Sir Zhao should have appeared in the Ancient Demon Wasteland back then, thought Fang Chen.

He recognized the familiar voice and mannerisms.

Looking at Sir Zhao, Fang Chen clasped his fist in respect.

Then, the both of them stepped back. At Sir Zhao’s signal, they simultaneously threw their Purple Lightning Talismans toward each other, triggering the talisman’s power.

Boom!

The two Purple Lightning Talismans exploded in a dazzling flash of lightning and clashed against one another. However, Fang Chen’s talisman seemed to be more powerful. After a brief standoff, it completely overwhelmed Ouyang Mo’s talisman and the power of lightning nearly struck Ouyang Mo himself.

”The first round, Fang Chen wins,” announced Sir Zhao.

The onlookers exchanged glances. Not only was Ouyang Mo slower, but even the quality of his Purple Lightning Talisman was inferior.

Ouyang Mo gritted his teeth and hissed, ”Again!”

The two threw out their Purple Lightning Talismans once again. This time, the talismans seemed to stand in a stalemate, each holding its ground for several breaths.

A glimmer of hope appeared in Ouyang Mo’s eyes.

However, in the very next second, his talisman dissipated. Fang Chen’s talisman lasted a full breath longer before dissipating.

The difference was clear!

Once again, Fang Chen won the second round!

Ouyang Mo’s heart sank. However, he still had seven talismans left and wasn’t ready to admit defeat just yet!

With each clash of talismans, Ouyang Mo felt as though invisible hammers were pounding on his heart, one after another.

After all seven of his remaining Purple Lightning Talismans were exhausted, his face turned deathly pale and he felt as though all the strength had been drained from his body. His legs began to tremble slightly.

They had compared nine talismans and he hadn’t won a single time. Fang Chen even had one last talisman while he didn’t, since he had wasted one.

There was almost no suspense left in the competition—Fang Chen had completely destroyed him.

”Senior Brother Ouyang, thank you for the match,” said Fang Chen politely with a smile.

Ouyang Mo paled, feeling utterly defeated. He forced a smile and replied, ”Junior Brother Fang’s talent in talisman crafting far surpasses mine. Today, I’ve made a fool out of myself.”

”Recognizing one’s shortcomings is the first step. If there are gaps, then one must put in effort to fill them. That’s how you’ll continue to improve,” encouraged Sir Zhao gently.

”Master’s teaching is wise, I understand,” said Ouyang Mo.

He slowly recovered his composure and saluted to Sir Zhao.

Seeing the outcome, Sir Zhao tossed a hundred mid-grade spirit stones to Fang Chen and left swiftly.

To him, the talisman competition was simply a small competition between juniors and was of no major consequence.

Hua Miaoqing handed Fang Chen 240 spirit stones, the pot she had been holding. ”Junior Brother Fang, here are your spirit stones.”

With the additional hundred from Sir Zhao, Fang Chen’s wealth had increased by twenty percent, bringing his total count to over 1200 mid-grade spirit stones.

Even an Upper Three Realms cultivator might not easily amass a wealth of this amount.

”Senior Sister Hua, I’ll return to the library to read for a while,” informed Fang Chen before flying off towards the library.

At that moment, Teacher Hua walked over to the expressionless Ouyang Mo and spoke coldly. ”Junior Brother Ouyang, you’d better leave your grudges with Junior Brother Fang outside the Desolate Academy. You know the rules here. The headmaster doesn’t like internal conflict.”

Ouyang Mo nodded weakly and muttered, ”I understand....”

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