After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 21

“Oh my heavens! A single talisman just shaved off a mountaintop!”

“What a powerful talisman! I want to learn it!”

“What talisman is Elder Chen teaching today? It’s so powerful! If we learn it and keep a few stashed on us, we’ll be able to walk around fearlessly outside.”

“I think it’s the Wind Blade Talisman mentioned in the books. It’s an ultra-strong offensive spell, one of the top ten must-learn talismans! Are we learning this today?”

A group of Sword Sect disciples buzzed with excitement, their earlier nervousness from the talisman assessment completely gone.

Zhou Zhixue was infected by the atmosphere, her small face flushed with excitement.

She looked up at Qin Qingyi next to her, her expression sweet and innocent, her tiny voice filled with novelty and excitement.

“Senior Sister, talismans look so powerful.”

Qin Qingyi looked down at her. The child’s face was flushed with two spots of rosy red from excitement. She rested one hand on her chin, and with the other, she reached out and pinched Zhou Zhixue’s slightly chubby cheek, coaxing her like a child:

“Very powerful, is it? Then you need to listen carefully and learn it so you can protect your Senior Sister in the future.”

Zhou Zhixue’s eyes grew brighter. She hugged Qin Qingyi’s arm and nodded repeatedly.

The scene instantly became lively because of the Wind Blade Talisman, and the disciples discussed it excitedly.

Qin Qingyi took advantage of the lull to explain the fundamental principles of the Wind Blade Talisman to the curious Zhou Zhixue, along with some interesting anecdotes from when she first started drawing them.

For example, there was a contemporary disciple from another peak whose skills were poor. Because he messed up a single stroke, the talisman’s power went out of control during the test, and the released wind blade chased him, cutting all his clothes to shreds, leaving him with only a few hanging strips of fabric. He was so ashamed that he cried on the spot, and after returning to his peak, he went into seclusion for several years and never returned to a talisman class.

“Senior Sister never told us about this before,” Hu Yu whispered to Xie Su while keeping one ear open.

“Senior Sister is so biased,” Hu Yu pouted, crumpling up the talisman papers on his desk into small balls.

Xie Su nodded in agreement, looking at Zhou Zhixue, who was nestled close to their Senior Sister, with a hint of envy.

He was also very envious.

Elder Chen knocked on the desk, signaling everyone to quiet down. He demonstrated the talisman a few more times, clearly explaining the key points of the Wind Blade Talisman, including which stroke needed to be emphasized.

After a moment, he took a short break, picked up his tea, and took a sip, then waved his hand to signal the disciples below to try drawing the talisman themselves.

A new stick of incense was lit. When it burned out, the class would be over.

It was at this time that Qin Qingyi spoke up appropriately.

“Elder Chen, could you perhaps explain the technique for drawing talismans again? This disciple hasn’t attended class in a while and my hand feels rusty.”

She raised her hand with a mischievous smile, drawing a surprised look from Hu Yu beside her.

“Has Senior Sister forgotten how to draw talismans?” Hu Yu muttered softly.

“You talk too much. Draw your talisman,” Xie Su elbowed him, telling him to shut up.

“What’s wrong with asking a question?” Hu Yu clutched his arm, giving Xie Su a look of dissatisfaction.

Up on the stage, Elder Chen had indeed begun to talk about how to achieve precise control of spiritual energy and how to skillfully use it to draw talismans.

These were the most basic things, knowledge they had learned when they first started the Talisman course. Consequently, hardly any disciples were listening, all engrossed in studying how to draw the Wind Blade Talisman, and some had even started practicing on talisman paper.

Except for Zhou Zhixue.

She listened very attentively.

Having never been exposed to talismans before, and after witnessing the power of the Wind Blade Talisman moments ago, she developed a huge interest in drawing them and was eager to learn.

Elder Chen spoke very slowly, slow enough for her to note down all the useful knowledge points.

Xie Su’s gaze lingered on Zhou Zhixue for a moment before he spoke in a low voice: “How could Senior Sister forget how to draw talismans? She’s asking for Junior Sister.”

Hu Yu looked at Qin Qingyi, then at Zhou Zhixue, and only then did he realize what was happening, giving a look of dawning comprehension.

But then he pouted again, sourly saying, “I never got that kind of treatment when I came to class. Senior Sister is really good to Junior Sister.”

Xie Su pursed his lips and didn’t speak.

Actually, Hu Yu’s treatment was already quite good.

The established rule of the Hidden Snow Peak had always been—the older ones look after the younger ones, as long as they survive.

He only understood after staying at the Sword Sect for a long time that their master was unreliable, and their Senior Sister was habitually fond of her freedom.

When Hu Yu first arrived at Hidden Snow Peak, he was still willing to take Hu Yu with him to class. He recalled that when he himself first arrived at Hidden Snow Peak, his Senior Sister would just drop him off at the classroom and leave, completely unconcerned about whether he could understand or learn anything.

Compared to that, he was the unloved child.

But Xie Su said nothing, merely tossing a stack of talisman paper at Hu Yu’s face: “Hurry up and learn. If you don’t succeed, you’re walking back to the peak alone today.”

Hu Yu’s face immediately turned ashen. He opened his mouth to protest: “Senior Brother, you’re going too far! It takes at least two hours to walk back to Hidden Snow Peak from here!”

His voice was too loud and caught Elder Chen’s attention.

“Silence!”

Elder Chen’s face darkened, and he flicked a trace of spiritual energy onto Hu Yu’s forehead. It hurt, making him cry out “Ouch!” and cover his head, lowering it immediately.

“Instead of concentrating on drawing talismans, you’re chatting away.”

Elder Chen lightly admonished them. Seeing Xie Su and Hu Yu both lower their heads and start seriously drawing talismans, he strolled over to Qin Qingyi and Zhou Zhixue’s table.

Elder Chen picked out one of the beginner talismans he had distributed earlier and asked Zhou Zhixue to copy it onto a blank talisman paper.

Zhou Zhixue subconsciously reached for a brush, but Elder Chen’s voice stopped her:

“No brushes allowed.”

No brushes allowed?

Zhou Zhixue was bewildered.

If she couldn’t use a brush, what was she supposed to use to draw the talisman?

Seeing Zhou Zhixue’s helpless expression, Elder Chen paused, remembering that she had never been exposed to talismans before. He frowned slightly and couldn’t help but mutter, “Where did this Wen Qing pick up another child? How is she so old yet hasn’t even touched a talisman?”

He had heard about the commotion at Hidden Snow Peak a while ago, which was the talk of the Sword Sect, and knew that Hidden Snow Peak had a new young disciple, but he hadn’t seen her until today.

After muttering, he spoke again: “According to the method I just taught, use your spiritual energy to draw the talisman. Control it carefully, and draw as much as you can.”

Zhou Zhixue could only nod.

Although this was something she had never encountered, she didn’t show an expression of extreme difficulty. She simply immersed herself in the talisman Elder Chen had given her, beginning to study how to start her “stroke.”

Qin Qingyi observed this, understanding in her heart that this was a new assessment.

Elder Chen wanted to gauge Zhou Zhixue’s true talent in the Dao of Talismans, and this was something Qin Qingyi couldn’t interfere with. Qin Qingyi propped her chin up, bored, and scanned the surroundings, realizing that all the disciples were new ones she didn’t recognize.

She mentally counted on her fingers. The Sword Sect only accepted new disciples once every ten years. Her former contemporaries had long since taken on major responsibilities, most of them traveling the world outside the sect or executing sect missions. It seemed she was the only one who remained idle every day, mingling with these half-grown children.

The clouds in the sky had moved, and the long stick of incense burning under the banyan tree had only passed halfway. There was still a long time before class would end.

Having nothing to do, she simply pulled out a stack of talisman paper. After a brief recall, she raised her hand and swiftly completed a Wind Blade Talisman on the paper.

Repeating this several times, a stack of Wind Blade Talismans began to pile up beside Qin Qingyi.

She was so focused on drawing that she didn’t notice Elder Chen had walked up to her side and watched her complete an entire talisman.

After finishing the last talisman, her spiritual energy was mostly depleted. Qin Qingyi stopped drawing and stretched lazily.

She looked up, right into Elder Chen’s interested eyes. Qin Qingyi was startled, leaning back and patting her chest several times before complaining: “Elder Chen, could you please give a warning next time you come over? You walk without making a sound; this disciple was almost scared to death by you.”

“Cough, cough.”

Elder Chen was a little embarrassed at being called out, but his eyes were glued to the stack of Wind Blade Talismans placed to the side by Qin Qingyi.

If he hadn’t misjudged, the completion level of these talismans was already comparable to the highest level he could draw himself.

Golden Core stage! Could she actually draw high-grade talismans already?