Chapter 60: Man Proposes, Heaven Disposes
Chapter 60: Man Proposes, Heaven Disposes
Five days ago, Chu Ning once again arrived early at the dojo.
There were only about twenty people in the dojo at the moment.
Seeing the relaxed expressions on their faces, Chu Ning had a pretty good idea of what to expect.
He estimated that those who had arrived early must have already achieved a 20% success rate in talisman-making, the minimum requirement to qualify.
Soon after, more people started to arrive, and most of them looked dejected.
It seemed that even a 20% success rate in talisman-making was too high a bar for the majority.
Before long, the number of people grew.
The other five who had been promoted alongside Chu Ning also arrived, each with a different expression on their faces.
Luo Hongping and Lu Yunfang had neutral expressions, making it hard to tell what their situation was.
Lu Ming and Chen Jinhua, on the other hand, wore slight looks of disappointment.
It was clear that they had either not reached the 20% success rate or had barely made it and didn't feel very hopeful.
As for Jiang Dawei, he looked completely dejected and listless, and the result of his efforts was obvious.
Soon, He Changyou appeared in the dojo again, accompanied by the Liu surname disciple.
He Changyou stood at the front and scanned the gathered disciples before slowly speaking.
"The five days are up. Those who have achieved a 2% success rate in creating the Wood Escape Talisman, please step forward."
Immediately, a small number of people from various parts of the dojo stood up and walked forward.
Chu Ning waited a moment, but none of the five who had been promoted with him showed any signs of moving.
It was then that he slowly stood up and, amidst the astonished gazes of his companions, made his way forward from the back.
"Chu...he..."
Jiang Dawei, who had been feeling dejected, looked up, his mouth hanging slightly open as if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.
The other four also wore expressions of surprise.
It wasn't until Chu Ning reached the very front of the dojo that Lu Yunfang murmured, "Who would have thought that not only does this Chu junior disciple have talent in Wood-attribute spell cultivation, but he also has talent in talisman-making."
Lu Ming, feeling a twinge of envy, asked, "Do you think he'll be among the top ten and get the qualification to study talismans?"
The others remained silent, as none of them could answer that question.
After five days of talisman-making practice, they had come to realize that talent in talisman-making didn't necessarily correlate with one's cultivation level.
While everyone present had enough spiritual power to easily draw dozens of talismans, the success rate was another matter entirely.
"Twenty-seven people, not bad. A few more than I expected."
He Changyou's gaze swept over those standing at the front, and when he spotted Chu Ning at the very back, he looked slightly taken aback.
He had a strong impression of Chu Ning as someone who had just been promoted from District Ding.
He Changyou hadn't expected that Chu Ning would also show talent in talisman-making.
Of course, this expression was fleeting, and soon his face returned to its usual calm.
"The rest of the disciples, please step back and leave the front of the dojo clear.
We will now proceed with the talisman-making competition. Each person will receive 10 pieces of talisman paper to draw the Wood Escape Talisman.
Those who rank in the top ten in terms of success rate will officially obtain the qualification to study talismans."
After giving these instructions, He Changyou asked the disciples to spread out, leaving a desk between each person to avoid any interference.
The Liu surname disciple then distributed ten pieces of talisman paper to each participant.
Once everyone had taken out their talisman brushes and ink from their storage bags, He Changyou scanned the room once more.
"Begin!"
As He Changyou gave the signal, the twenty-odd disciples picked up their brushes.
Chu Ning calmly held his brush, took a gentle breath, and slowly infused it with spiritual power.
For him, the Wood Escape Talisman was now extremely familiar.
If he used his spiritual sense to aid in the process, he was confident that he had a 70% chance of success.
However, he chose not to use his spiritual sense at this moment.
After all, He Changyou was standing at the front, watching them, and with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, he might very well sense Chu Ning's spiritual sense.
Without the aid of his spiritual sense and not being fully in the zone yet, Chu Ning's brushwork on the first talisman paper experienced a slight fluctuation in spiritual power.
As expected, the paper ignited and turned to ashes.
Soon after Chu Ning's "mistake", the other twenty-odd disciples also failed one after another.
Chu Ning adjusted his state slightly as he thought, dipped his brush in ink, and began drawing on the second talisman paper.
This time, Chu Ning didn't hold back. Even though he didn't intentionally use his spiritual sense, he immersed his entire being into the process.
As a result, this talisman was effortlessly and flawlessly created.
He Changyou, of course, sensed Chu Ning's success with talisman-making.
Even though Chu Ning wasn't the only one, his gaze immediately turned to him.
Chu Ning, at that moment, subtly revealed a hint of delight.
Just then, someone else succeeded in making a talisman, and He Changyou's gaze shifted away.
For the second talisman paper, seven people succeeded.
This undoubtedly increased the pressure on the remaining twenty people, and a few of them couldn't hide the anxiety on their faces.
As a result, many still failed with the third talisman paper.
On Chu Ning's side, after completing the second talisman, he was "in a great state."
Miraculously, he also succeeded with the third talisman, becoming one of only two disciples in the entire room to have crafted two successful talismans.
For the subsequent talismans, Chu Ning controlled his rhythm.
By the ninth talisman, he had successfully crafted four.
Three of them were genuine failures, and for one, Chu Ning had intentionally caused a mistake.
Nevertheless, Chu Ning was one of only two disciples who had successfully crafted four talismans.
As everyone picked up their final talisman paper, He Changyou's gaze flickered towards the two of them.
The next moment, Chu Ning suddenly sensed a very familiar feeling.
Spiritual sense!
Chu Ning's heart skipped a beat.
He hadn't expected He Changyou to release his spiritual sense to perceive his talisman-making at the last moment.
Having already cultivated his spiritual sense, Chu Ning was well aware of its sensitivity, capable of detecting even the slightest fluctuations in his spiritual power.
This put Chu Ning in a difficult situation.
According to Chu Ning's original plan, he intended to ensure the creation of four talismans out of the first nine.
With that, he was confident he could secure a spot in the top ten, possibly even ranking high within that group.
After all, a 40% success rate was already very high for a beginner.
Moreover, Chu Ning had just seen that another disciple had also crafted four successful talismans.
If he failed the last one, he could still rank high without raising too much suspicion.
However, upon sensing He Changyou's spiritual sense, he hesitated.
While it was true that talisman-making was sensitive to even the tiniest fluctuations of spiritual power, Chu Ning wasn't sure if he could intentionally cause such fluctuations without being noticed by He Changyou, a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Oh well, let's just leave it to fate," Chu Ning finally decided in his heart.
He chose to let the last talisman paper be as it may, leaving the success or failure to luck.
Because Chu Ning had paused to think, he started on the last talisman paper a little later than the other disciple who had also crafted four successful talismans.
So, he didn't notice that the other person's talisman paper ignited and failed halfway through the process, all while He Changyou's spiritual sense was focused entirely on him.
Chu Ning, going with the flow, painted naturally without any deliberate actions, and this state of mind allowed him to perform at his best.
"..."
When the green light flickered again, and another Wood Escape Talisman appeared on the table before him, Chu Ning was left speechless, his expression slightly astonished.
"Man proposes, but heaven disposes!"
Even this last talisman paper had succeeded.
At that moment, He Changyou's gaze upon Chu Ning shone brightly.
Out of the ten talisman papers, Chu Ning had successfully crafted five, achieving a 50% success rate!
(End of Chapter)
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