After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 20

Qin Qingyi, who was left utterly frustrated, took a couple of deep breaths and calmly returned to resting with her eyes closed.

However, what he said was indeed the truth.

In the first few years after she first joined the sect, she was indeed a much-admired genius, but later… well, let’s not talk about it.

Zhou Zhixue really wanted to know what happened later, but seeing the expressions of the people around her, she found it inappropriate to press the matter.

The surrounding disciples were all diligently drawing talismans. As a new disciple attending for the first time, Zhou Zhixue did not need to participate in the assessment, which gave her a legitimate reason to observe her surroundings.

“Bang—”

A disciple in front of her to the right was just about to complete the drawing of a talisman. Perhaps due to excitement about finishing the assessment or maybe excessive nervousness, his hand drawing the talisman suddenly trembled, skewing the final stroke. The talisman instantly burst into a bright light and was utterly destroyed, leaving behind only a pile of ash and the disciple’s smoke-blackened face.

The disciple was clearly surprised by what happened, frozen in place and unable to react. The people around him gasped, seeing his embarrassed state.

One slip of the brush, and the result is terrifying!

Elder Chen couldn’t help but let out a cold snort and began to mock: “Poor skill!”

Seeing the disciple still stunned, he flicked a faint thread of spiritual energy at the disciple’s forehead, awakening him: “You have half a ke of time left, hurry up and redraw!”

“See? Elder Chen has a sharp tongue but a soft heart,” Qin Qingyi said to Zhou Zhixue, bored, starting up a quiet conversation.

Seeing Zhou Zhixue constantly staring at the disciple whose talisman had exploded, Qin Qingyi quietly explained: “That talisman isn’t easy to draw. The Explosive Talisman demands extremely rigorous control of spiritual energy. If you don’t control the spiritual energy well during the drawing, even a slight deviation will cause the talisman to explode. He did quite well, but he got too complacent towards the end, thinking there was absolutely no problem, and his focus wavered, which is why the talisman suddenly exploded.”

The moment her words fell, another “Bang! Bang!” sounded from elsewhere.

A few more disciples’ talismans had exploded.

Elder Chen’s face darkened further.

Throughout the following half ke, the sounds of disciples’ talismans exploding kept coming. Elder Chen sat on the examination platform, his face grim, and could only continuously sip tea to quell the fury in his heart as he watched the chaotic scene.

The disciples whose talismans exploded didn’t give up. Seeing their time was running out, they hastily wiped the soot from their faces, took out new talisman paper, and started redrawing.

Time ticked by. Xie Su and Hu Yu, next to Qin Qingyi, stopped their brushes one after the other. The successfully drawn Explosive Talismans floated in front of them, gleaming golden.

They did not seek speed but pursued stability, so although their movements were slow, their talismans did not explode, making them the first to finish the drawing.

Both raised their hands, signaling they had completed the drawing.

Elder Chen strode over. After seeing the Explosive Talismans they had drawn, he nodded in satisfaction, then announced loudly: “Xie Su and Hu Yu of Hidden Snow Peak, their Explosive Talisman grade is Earth Grade Superior. Assessment passed, and their daily score for the Talisman Class is increased by five points.”

With a wave of Elder Chen’s hand, both their names instantly appeared on the assessment board, tied for first place.

The dazzling gold ranking immediately drew envious looks from those around them.

Qin Qingyi nodded with satisfaction, “They haven’t disgraced the name of Hidden Snow Peak.”

This remark earned her a glare from the nearby Elder Chen.

Qin Qingyi innocently spread her hands: “I didn’t say anything wrong.”

Isn’t it only right for Hidden Snow Peak to take first place?

Elder Chen was too lazy to be angry with her. This little brat was an expert at provoking people, flaunting her good talent everywhere. If he said one thing, the little brat always had ten things waiting in response. He wouldn’t argue with her.

However…

Elder Chen looked at the young girl beside Qin Qingyi and asked, “Is this the new disciple your master recently took in? What’s her name?”

Hearing the question directed at her, Zhou Zhixue quickly stood up and bowed respectfully to Elder Chen: “Replying to the Elder, my name is Zhou Zhixue.”

Elder Chen asked: “Have you studied talismans before this?”

Zhou Zhixue honestly shook her head: “I have not.”

Qin Qingyi, overhearing their conversation, leaned closer again: “Elder Chen, my Junior Sister hasn’t learned talismans yet. Why don’t you teach her a few basic talismans that newly initiated disciples learn, so she can catch up with the learning progress as quickly as possible?”

She had brought Zhou Zhixue some talisman paper today, but the spiritual energy in the paper was limited. If it wasn’t used to draw for a long time, the spiritual energy would gradually deplete, causing the paper to become useless. Since they were here, it would be a shame to waste it, right?

Elder Chen followed her suggestion, retracted his gaze, and after a moment, let out a grunt from his nose: “Understood.”

Just then, a few more disciples raised their hands, signaling they had finished their talisman papers and asking Elder Chen to inspect them.

He turned and threw a few talisman patterns onto their desk: “If you want to take my class, first learn how to draw talismans.”

Qin Qingyi picked them up and saw they were all introductory talismans, so she confidently handed them to Zhou Zhixue.

She knew this was Elder Chen’s test for Zhou Zhixue, intended only to observe her talent in the path of talismans.

With Qin Qingyi’s approval, Zhou Zhixue took out a brush and paper and obediently began to copy the talisman patterns given by Elder Chen, treating every stroke with utmost seriousness.

Seeing her treat it so earnestly, Qin Qingyi, though bored, didn’t disturb her. Instead, she occasionally offered guidance, a hint about which stroke should be heavier or lighter, which would add a bit of confidence to Zhou Zhixue’s brushwork.

As she drew one sheet after another, her progress was visibly increasing. Her brushstrokes were no longer as shaky as they were at the start, becoming smooth and fluid. By the third attempt, she could draw the talisman patterns flawlessly without needing to refer to the original, completing the drawing in moments.

She is indeed intelligent.

Seeing how clever she was, Qin Qingyi was no longer worried about the assessment she would face later and simply focused on watching the commotion.

After all, each one of these disciples managed to find unique ways to botch their talismans. While they weren’t good at succeeding, they were each better than the last at failing.

She saw that Elder Chen’s face was nearly as dark as the bottom of a wok.

Qin Qingyi shook her head and sighed inwardly. To be constantly provoked by these students for so many years, yet still be able to increase his cultivation without falling prey to a heart demon, Elder Chen truly had a broad mind.

Finally, when the incense stick burned out, despite the many twists and turns, all the disciples managed to pass the assessment.

Over at Zhou Zhixue’s side, she had finally finished copying all the talismans and was about to put down her brush when a voice sounded in front of her.

“She has quite a good memory.”

A shadow fell upon the desk. Startled, Zhou Zhixue looked up, meeting Elder Chen’s scrutinizing gaze.

Elder Chen’s face was expressionless. He simply picked up the drafts Zhou Zhixue had placed on the desk, examined the few talismans she had copied, and after a moment, offered his assessment: “It seems you do possess some talent. Being able to follow and draw the basic shape after only a few glances.”

Hearing these words, Zhou Zhixue’s heart, which had been lodged in her throat, finally settled back into place, and a slight flush of excitement appeared on her face.

Even Qin Qingyi let out a sigh of relief for her.

It must be known that the art of talismans heavily relies on natural talent, unlike other paths, it has an extremely high barrier to entry.

Those with talent only need a little guidance to make rapid progress in the talisman path, and they can draw high-grade talismans even with weak spiritual energy. However, for those without talent, no matter how much effort is poured into teaching, how much heart’s blood is expended, and how many resources are invested in nurturing them, they will remain completely ignorant.

Elder Chen’s single sentence clearly acknowledged Zhou Zhixue’s talent in the art of talismans.

Elder Chen returned to the teaching platform and used spiritual energy as a brush to draw a talisman in the air. He did not use talisman paper, yet the spiritual energy stabilized steadily in the air, gradually forming a complex and exquisite spiritual talisman.

He waved his hand and sent the spiritual talisman flying out. The disciples only heard the whooshing of wind as the spiritual talisman ignited and flew toward the distance, immediately followed by a thunderous boom that shook the earth.

Zhou Zhixue’s gaze followed the direction where the spiritual talisman disappeared. In that direction, a small hill had originally stood, but now, the hill was shrouded in smoke, its form invisible.

When the smoke dispersed, all the disciples collectively gasped in shock.

Zhou Zhixue couldn’t help but widen her eyes.

No other reason than this: when the smoke cleared, the area had been completely razed to the ground, and the small hill that was there had utterly vanished.