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Chapter 57: The Art of Wood Escape Talismans
Chapter 57: The Art of Wood Escape Talismans
Not wanting to run into Lu Hongping and Lu Yunfang next door, Chu Ning deliberately chose to set off early, arriving at the dojo ahead of them.
The dojo for spirit plant cultivation and the transmission room were located together, not far from the spirit plant cultivation area.
When Chu Ning arrived, there were already several people seated inside the dojo.
However, to him, these faces were undoubtedly strangers, so there was no question of greeting them.
Chu Ning glanced around and noticed that there were quite a few seats in the dojo.
Unsure if the seating arrangement held any significance, he opted to avoid unnecessary trouble by choosing a spot in the corner.
Before long, Lu Ming and Chen Jinhua, who had advanced their ranks alongside him the day before, arrived as well.
Seeing Chu Ning's chosen seat, they followed suit and sat nearby.
The presence of the six newly promoted disciples huddled in the corner drew occasional glances from the other disciples.
However, it seemed that everyone was already aware of their advancement, so there wasn't an overly surprised reaction.
As more disciples arrived, the dojo soon filled up with around two hundred people.
A solemn expression crossed Chu Ning's face as he surveyed the crowd.
Aside from him, the lowest cultivation base among this group was at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, and those at the sixth layer were only a handful of the newly promoted disciples near him.
Among the rest of the disciples, only a scant few were at that level.
However, Chu Ning soon realized that this was to be expected.
Unlike the Outer Sect, where there were disciples with exceptional talent but short entry times, the disciples in Sector C had all been promoted from Sector D and were generally of average talent. Without a certain level of cultivation advantage, they wouldn't have been promoted to this sector.
"Even with my true cultivation base at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, I'm still at the bottom of Sector C," Chu Ning mused to himself.
Moreover, his current displayed cultivation was only at the fourth layer.
No wonder everyone had been so surprised when he advanced yesterday.
As Chu Ning took in his surroundings, the entire dojo suddenly fell quiet.
He Changyou had entered the dojo and taken a seat at the very front.
"There's only one reason why I've gathered all the disciples of Sector C here today."
He Changyou's words were as straightforward as they had been the day before.
"Recently, the sect has decided to increase its focus on nurturing miscellaneous disciples and select those with talent to impart the art of cultivation."
Upon hearing this, the crowd in the dojo was initially taken aback, but then their faces lit up with joy.
After all, prior to this, even the disciples of Sector C could only focus on planting in addition to a few who undertook basic tasks for the Hundred Arts Hall.
Those like Chu Ning, who was responsible for making talisman paper, fell into this category.
Now, to hear that they would truly be able to cultivate, everyone was overjoyed.
"So it's really true!" Chu Ning's eyes sparkled with excitement.
The information Mu Ling had shared with him in advance was indeed accurate, and what surprised Chu Ning even more was how quickly this was being implemented.
It was only his second day since advancing to Sector C, and they were already officially announcing this change.
"Among the hundred arts of cultivation, the most important are undoubtedly pills, talismans, artifacts, and formations."
He Changyou continued speaking.
"Most of us in the Spirit Plant House cultivate wood-attribute techniques, and out of these four, talisman-making is the most suitable for us.
Of course, if you have the confidence, you can choose to learn the other arts as well. We can discuss that individually later."
As he spoke, He Changyou waved his hand, and a stack of papers flew out.
With a casual flick of his wrist, the stack separated into individual sheets that flew toward each person present.
"The sect's manuals are precious, so it's natural that we can't teach the art of talisman-making to everyone.
He Changyou's words caused an uproar in the dojo.
"Five days? It's already challenging to master this low-grade Wood Escape Talisman, and now we're expected to do so in such a short time.
Moreover, we're supposed to achieve a certain level of success rate as well."
"We've never learned how to make talismans before. It's too difficult to expect us to learn this Wood Escape Talisman in just five days."
...
The disciples' murmurs reached He Changyou's ears.
A hint of displeasure flashed across his face as he swept his gaze across the room, then said indifferently:
"You seem to have forgotten my initial words. The sect is looking for those with talent.
If you feel that you lack talent and are unwilling to spend these five days trying, you may return this talisman-making technique to me."
As He Changyou finished speaking, the dojo fell silent, and no one dared to utter another word.
Seeing this, He Changyou stood up to leave. However, he paused and turned to look at the group once more.
"Those who fail to achieve a success rate of at least twenty percent after five days will not be included in the evaluation."
Upon hearing this, the disciples exchanged bewildered glances. Twenty percent success rate in just five days?
Although they had never crafted talismans before, they had some basic understanding of the process.
Even experienced talisman makers who regularly crafted familiar talismans only achieved a success rate of four to five percent.
As for those who could reach over sixty percent, they were undoubtedly blessed with extraordinary talent.
As He Changyou left, sighs filled the dojo.
At this moment, the executive disciple who had been standing silently behind He Changyou finally spoke up. He was a young man in his late twenties.
"If you wish to purchase talisman brushes and ink, come find me. One talisman brush, one box of ink, and fifty sheets of talisman paper will cost you twelve spirit stones."
The young man's words set off another commotion in the dojo.
"Twelve spirit stones, that's so expensive!"
Jiang Dawei, who had been promoted alongside Chu Ning, frowned.
Twelve spirit stones were indeed a considerable sum for those who had just come from Sector D, like him.
Even for someone like Jiang Dawei, who excelled in spirit plant cultivation, it would take a season's worth of income to afford this.
After all, not everyone could earn spirit stones as effortlessly as Chu Ning through talisman paper-making.
In fact, even the disciples from Sector C wore pained expressions at the mention of the price.
A man with fair skin and the demeanor of a scholar was the first to speak up.
"Senior Brother Liu, the sect is testing us, and now we have to purchase our own talisman brushes and ink? And at such a high price..."
"Take it or leave it," Senior Brother Liu, the executive disciple, interrupted bluntly.
The disciple's face froze, at a loss for words.
Soon, several other disciples stepped forward to purchase the talisman-making tools from Senior Brother Liu.
As more people followed suit, Chu Ning, who had already made up his mind, still did not rush to join the line.
First, he watched as Lu Hongping and Lu Yunfang joined the queue without hesitation, then he waited for nearly twenty people to create some distance between them before standing up with a conflicted expression and joining the line at the back.
Twelve spirit stones was a small price to pay.
What excited Chu Ning was the opportunity to finally start crafting talismans!
(End of Chapter)
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