Huoshan attempted to paint each talisman three times before Cha Ming stopped him. “Technically you are performing every motion correctly,” Cha Ming said. “But you’re lacking the meaning and intent behind the character.”
“Meaning and intent?” Huoshan asked in a confused tone.
“Don’t you infuse meaning and intent into your talismans?” Cha Ming asked.
“No,” Huoshan confessed, “the orthodox school of thought is that as long as one’s technical skill is correct, the talisman will be successfully created.”
“Then what is the highest level of efficiency you have ever achieved?” Cha Ming questioned.
“Perhaps eighty percent?” Huoshan replied.
“Then this is likely your problem,” Cha Ming said. “It is less of an issue for the least complex characters. However, powerful characters require deep comprehension. According to what I have been taught, each character represents a truth of the universe. It is a name that holds power, and the name means something.”
Seeing the man’s confused look, he decided to try another approach. He took out his brush and began drawing a different rune, a basic rune at the fifth level. A glimmer of recognition flickered across Feng Huoshan’s eyes.
“Look on as I draw the rune and reach out with your incandescent force. Try to feel the rune. Try to understand it.” Cha Ming continued to draw slowly while Huoshan tried to perceive it from every angle. Once the talisman was completed, Huoshan looked even more confused.
“I didn’t feel anything like what you just said,” Huoshan said. “That felt like pure technical skill.”
“That’s because it was,” Cha Ming said. “Now take a look at this one and observe it just the same.” Cha Ming drew the rune once more. This time, he poured in his entire comprehension of the character, his feelings about it, and his knowledge of its purpose. Every stroke had depth. As he drew, he saw Huoshan’s initial confused look begin to fade, slowly being replaced with a pensive one. “Do you understand now?”
“Only somewhat,” Huoshan admitted.
“I would be surprised if you fully understood the first time,” Cha Ming said. “I have never taught this subject before. You are the first. I learned this character under very different circumstances.”
When Cha Ming had learned, the character had been presented on a different material, a material that made it easy for Cha Ming to isolate the intent and study it. It wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t mimic it exactly. Those same conditions would only be present for those who studied the jade slips he had been given. “Now, take a look at the power of these two talismans.”
Cha Ming threw the first purely technical talisman at the dummy in the room. It was engulfed in mild flames, and the dummy reported its rating.
Fifth-Grade Mortal Talisman, Efficiency—72%.
Huoshan nodded appreciatively. Cha Ming then threw out the second one. The flame was noticeably more intense and burned much longer.
Half Sixth-Grade Mortal Talisman, Efficiency—98%.
Huoshan’s eyes widened. “You mean to say that not only can you increase the efficiency to the high nineties, but you can increase the grade by a half step?”
“I’m not exactly sure of the specifics,” Cha Ming admitted. “To be honest, I’ve never performed this type of testing before I came here. The half-step ratings during my exam surprised me as well, and I had assumed it was due to the power of the rune alone. Now that I think about it, I was indeed mistaken.
“I speculate that there are two components that are contributing. First, I have already explained that your understanding of the character impacts the character drawn. However, there is another component.”
“Which is…?” Huoshan said.
“Intent,” Cha Ming replied. “Your intent and feelings toward the talisman contribute to its power. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to separate your feelings and your comprehension. I’ll hazard a guess that one-hundred-percent efficiency pertains purely to comprehension of the runic character, while the upgrade in quality is due to the intent projected. Unfortunately, I have no way to verify this.”
Huoshan was silent for a moment, after which he picked up his brush and ink to go practice on his own. “Do come find me if you have any questions about magic talismans,” Huoshan said. “I’ll have to trouble you as I study.”
“Naturally,” Cha Ming said.
Weeks flew by as Cha Ming continued studying talismans under Feng Huoshan’s guidance. In return, he taught the man many new characters. While they weren’t immensely useful for higher-level talismans on their own, they gave him a foundation with which to research new magic talismans. They were both quite pleased with the arrangement.
Unfortunately, Huoshan’s tutoring had its limits. With his help, Cha Ming progressed very quickly in fire and earth talismans, but that was his limit. Cha Ming eventually had to find different teachers for different elements. Feng Huoshan was happy to arrange such meetings. With Huoshan’s help, he learned the Five-Fire Cremation Talisman.
He also took advantage of the man’s proficiency in the earth element to learn the Lone Mountain Suppression Talisman. The center of this talisman was naturally a single mountain character. It was linked to several other characters—people, land, structures, and weapons. The link expressed a suppressive relationship.
Through Luo Ming, he learned the Myriad Ice Shield Talisman. From Hua Dong, he surprisingly learned two talismans. The first was the Eight Treasures Healing Talisman, while the second was of much darker origins. It was named the Five Poisons Talisman, and it contained six characters. The central character was that of a man, while the five surrounding characters represented the five poisons—snake, scorpion, centipede, toad, and spider. The relationship between these six characters was self-explanatory.
Unfortunately, Huoshan was unable to find Cha Ming a teacher for metal-type talismans. Moreover, the other least-grade talismans they had knowledge of would take Cha Ming longer to master due to their high count of runic lines. Therefore, in the three weeks he had remaining, Cha Ming focused on two things.
Firstly, he independently studied a metal talisman, the Nine Blades, One Dao Talisman. It was an offensive single-target talisman. In addition, he continued to frantically study the four poetic talismans. Unfortunately, out of fifty attempts, he only succeeded in creating a single Crumbling Talisman. This only made matters worse, as the emotional backlash made him feel as though the sky was falling.
Despite his poor chances of success, he decided he would still participate in the examination. It didn’t hurt to gain experience on the proceedings. There was also little cost to the examination. He would only need to supply his own ink and pay a nominal fee. With this relaxed attitude, he rested on the last day. On Feng Huoshan’s advice, he went to admire a famous tourist attraction, the Quicksilver Art Gallery.
Cha Ming had always admired artwork in any form, whether it be music, calligraphy, or paintings. He appreciated the construction of beautiful buildings and even well-done flower arrangements. This applied to both his previous life and his current life. After all, people only had one life. Why not enjoy the beautiful things while they lasted?
Like everyone else, he lined up to enter the museum bright and early in the morning. It was a national holiday, so many people were taking advantage of the free admission. He smiled as he saw kids bouncing in and out of the line, impatient and wondering what their parents wanted to see. They wouldn’t appreciate moments like these until they were older.
Like everyone else, he walked around the art gallery as he pleased. He saw the works of many local artists. There were also guest pieces. They rotated between the art galleries in several kingdoms and empires.
Like everyone else, he saw things superficially with just a glimmer of understanding. That didn’t take away from his enjoyment; quite the opposite—it made him realize the true level of skill involved in portraying things in such a thought-provoking way. No one would ever truly understand these
famous pieces of art.
And for Cha Ming, that was half the pleasure.
The art gallery was large, so it took him the whole day to file through the building at a leisurely pace. It was near the exit that he spotted an intriguing exhibit. It was a closed-door exhibit, meaning that an additional fee was required to enter the separate room. He entered despite the extravagant price of five mid-grade spirit stones, and that made all the difference.
As soon as he entered the room, he felt incomparably relaxed. The scent of fresh roses gently kissed his nostrils. The humidity in the air peaked, as though there was a pool of hot water in his surroundings constantly giving off steam. To his surprise, that was indeed the case. In the center of the room there sat a large copper basin filled to the brim with hot water and rose petals. Four gorgeous maidens took turns filling the tub, but as they poured, the water level never changed.
There were also four large trees that dropped cherry blossoms on the floor of the room. This was all despite it being the middle of winter. The entire scene struck Cha Ming as surreal. His eyes flickered to the plaque beside a tree. It read, Relaxing Spring of Youth by Jun Xiezi. It was then that he realized that the tub, the maidens, and the trees weren’t real. They were only part of the painting. Even the vivid scent of roses and the humid air he felt were also part of the painting.
“You seem troubled, young man,” an aged voice said from behind. A silver-haired man walked up beside him.
“A little,” Cha Ming said. “I have a troublesome examination tomorrow. To pass it, I need to make things that have eluded me for months. I made them once, my masterpieces. But I have never been able to replicate them.”
This wasn’t the only thing weighing down on him. He had visited the Alchemists Association a month prior and obtained less-than-consoling news. His status wasn’t high enough to catch the senior alchemists’ attention. Meanwhile, the junior alchemists were helpless to provide the pills he needed due to his unique cultivation method. As a result, his cultivation had practically halted in its tracks.
“Ah,” the man said understandingly. “This happens to me as well from time to time. I’m a painter, you see. Before I paint a masterpiece, not only do I need inspiration, but my mind and soul must be relaxed and at peace. I cannot create a masterpiece without pouring everything I am into it. But how can I do that if my soul and my emotions aren’t in tip-top shape?
“In addition, I’ve noticed that I can never truly replicate a masterpiece. Even if I try to paint the same thing, it will always be slightly different. That is because I’ve changed as a person. I see it through a different lens than before, so my inspiration has changed.
“I often come to the art gallery, both for inspiration and for relaxation. Or I go to music concerts. On occasion, I play Angels and Devils. Meditation is too dry and dull, and even though it seems like my mind is relaxing, it isn’t. It’s working hard at calming down, which is ironic given my intent.”
The man said nothing more, and both he and Cha Ming took a seat in front of the painting. Cha Ming let everything go as he immersed himself in the image. He imagined himself bathing in that hot tub. He let the smell of cherry blossoms permeate and purify him. And out of the corner of his eye, he could barely see an intricate component of the painting he had never seen before. Yet as he focused on it, it disappeared.
Was I mistaken? Cha Ming thought, only to see the flicker once more. After the second time, he was convinced: This was no mere painting. It was that and so much more. It was a runic diagram that drew on the energy of heaven and earth and gave it that surreal, calming quality. But the painting wasn’t made of runes. The painting gave birth to them.
An hour passed before Cha Ming stood up and prepared to leave. “Many thanks, senior,” he said, bowing. The old man simply smiled at him and continued relaxing. Cha Ming returned to his residence near the guild that night and didn’t practice his talismans. He was free of care and tension and filled with the realization that tomorrow would either work out for him or it wouldn’t. It truly didn’t matter.
For the first night in three years, he had a good night’s sleep.
Chapter 14: Examination
Cha Ming woke up feeling relaxed and refreshed. His mixed emotions, the ones he didn’t know existed, had sorted themselves out subconsciously. Strangely, despite his repeated failures over the past few months, he felt quite confident in being able to pass the upcoming examination.
After washing his face, Cha Ming ate a large breakfast of rice porridge, vegetables, and pickles—one of the reasons he had picked this hotel in the first place. He especially enjoyed the hotel’s bamboo dish. It was difficult to combine its texture and taste in just the right proportions; the chef here had done it by adding a complementary mushroom.
A brief walk followed breakfast. He took in the city’s sights and enjoyed watching the people’s routine walk to work. The examination’s start time coincided with the standard work start time, one hour after dawn. He arrived just five minutes before the cut-off time.
“Cha Ming, you made it,” Feng Huoshan said as he walked to the registration desk.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Cha Ming replied in a cheerful tone, a stark contrast to his stressed disposition the day prior. He signed up at the registration desk by presenting his bronze ninth-grade emblem. It contained all the pertinent information required. “Brother Huoshan, who will be conducting the examination?”
“A grand master artist,” Feng Huoshan said, shaking his head. “He is sent by headquarters to ensure impartiality.”
Cha Ming nodded and waited with the other thirteen examination candidates. Judging by their expressions, they were not confident in their abilities in the slightest. Many were pale and sweaty, unable to contain their anxiety. This was all despite having cultivations in the foundation-establishment realm, a minimum requirement to even attempt creating magic talismans in the first place.
There was one lone exception to this general trend. A girl stood apart from the rest. She wore a blank expression, and her eyes were closed. And despite her gorgeous looks, no one made a move to speak to her. She had silver hair that sunk down to her waist, and her skin was pale as fresh winter snow.
“Are you not nervous about the examination?” Cha Ming asked, hoping to liven the atmosphere.
“No need,” she said softly. She didn’t bother explaining herself, so Cha Ming could only shrug helplessly. He wasn’t sure whether it was arrogance or general unfriendliness.
“So you’ve practiced sufficiently, then?” Cha Ming prodded. The woman frowned, and suddenly he felt like he had just plunged into a murderously frigid pool. His strong soul allowed him to recover quickly. By reflex, he activated Eyes of Pure Jade and peered at her figure. What he saw surprised him.
Instead of the yellow tinge or ochre coloring he had expected when exposed to her murderous aura, he instead saw a halo of resplendent jade light. It hugged her body, spreading out two inches from her skin and hair. The color felt kindly and pure.
Is this a merit halo? he thought. He immediately reevaluated the young woman.
“Oh?” she said, looking toward him. Her eyes still hadn’t opened, but he felt a piercing gaze examining his very soul. “My apologies, kind sir, I just don’t take kindly to casual conversation. I find it flippant and irrelevant. But I feel comfortable around you, so I will make an exception.”
Cha Ming shot her a nervous smile. “I take it that your reputation precedes you. Were you standing alone on purpose?”
“Yes,” the girl said, blushing. “My name is Luo Xuehua1. Like the snowflake.”
“Mine is Du Cha Ming. The same Cha Ming as investigating2,” Cha Ming said.
“How accurate,” Xuehua said. “What did you discover with your investigation?” Cha Ming was caught off guard by the question but immediately recovered. After all, her disposition had changed after he observed her with Eyes of Pure Jade. It shouldn’t be surprising that she had noticed his probing.
The girl smiled bitterly. “If you could see what I see, you would not feel the same way.”
Seeing that Xuehua had not opened her eyes yet, Cha Ming’s curiosity got the better of him. “What do you see?”
“Darkness and shadows,” she replied softly. “And blood, fire, and gold. Families torn apart and kingdoms crumbling. An hourglass with not much time remaining.”
Cha Ming shivered. Not knowing how to react to these dark words, he could only remain silent and focus on the upcoming exam.
A middle-aged figure in gray robes appeared a half hour later. He looked over the fourteen candidates and motioned for them to follow. To Cha Ming’s surprise, his body moved without his consent. He continued moving along in this fashion until they arrived at a large stone room where fourteen mannequins and fourteen desks stood ready. Each desk and mannequin were separated from the others by intricate formations that Cha Ming assumed would prevent explosions from spreading. They would only need to concentrate on the examination candidate.
“Well?” the man barked. “What are you all waiting for? Take a seat.”
Cha Ming and the thirteen others scrambled to find a desk. Cha Ming ended up second from the end, right beside Luo Xuehua. She still hadn’t opened her eyes. He wondered whether it had to do with a special technique she cultivated.
“Here are the rules,” the examiner said abruptly. “Firstly, you will have seventy-two hours to draw ten unique magic-grade talismans. Their efficiencies must exceed sixty percent. You will use your own ink, brush, and paper. Using pure elemental evanescence is forbidden for the purposes of achieving a higher rank via augmentation. However, although it is rather wasteful, you can use it as you would normal ink or as a blend.
“Do not worry about the safety of the other examination candidates, as they will be shielded from any ill effects of your talismans. However, your eyes will not be shielded, so it is your responsibility not to lose concentration in the case of a distracting explosion. Any and all attempts to willfully distract other examinees is strictly forbidden. It will not only disqualify you from the exam, but your current qualifications will be revoked, and you will be banned from the association. Any questions?” Cha Ming and the others shook their heads. “Good. Begin!”
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