I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Chapter 93: Talisman Grades

Zheng Fa could feel the subtle alienation from the other disciples.

Most of them were fellow newcomers who had been friendly with him after their shared experience on the ship. But ever since Senior Brother Zhuang’s pointed remarks, a faint undercurrent of resentment had emerged.

Part of it stemmed from Zhuang’s attitude, but a larger portion arose from dissatisfaction with Zheng Fa’s preferential treatment.

After spending a few days in Jiushan Sect, everyone had realized the rarity and value of spiritual materials. Zheng Fa’s monthly allocation of talisman paper and spirit ink was far beyond the norm.

Most of the disciples had just three sheets of talisman paper on their desks—barely enough to practice. Compared to the resources Zheng Fa received, their frustration was inevitable.

Senior Brother Zhuang, however, seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere.

He stood up and addressed the room. “Talisman paper is hard to come by, so I hope you’ll treasure it. Don’t start drawing just yet. Watch and listen to my instructions first.”

“Pay attention to my posture and the movement of my hand. Use your spiritual sense to observe the changes in the void where the talisman diagrams appear,” he instructed.

“To draw a talisman, your hand, eye, and spiritual sense must work as one. Where the hand moves, the eye follows; where the eye focuses, the mind connects. The brush must not pause, and the drawing must flow seamlessly!”

As his brush moved, the intricate talisman diagram in the void coalesced onto the paper before him. In moments, a Golden Armor Talisman appeared.

“The challenge of talisman creation lies not in the drawing but in understanding the diagrams themselves,” Zhuang explained, setting down the brush. “Talisman diagrams and spiritual sense are the foundation of talisman arts!”

“Senior Brother, I’ve heard talisman masters are ranked by their grades. How is that determined?” one disciple asked.

The others leaned in with interest. Clearly, this topic piqued their curiosity more than the demonstration.

Zhuang considered the question before answering. “Strictly speaking, talisman masters aren’t ranked; it’s the talismans they create that are graded.”

“How are the grades determined?”

Zhuang gestured to the Golden Armor Talisman on his desk. “This one is a Mysterious Grade talisman.”

He continued, “Talismans are essentially spells stored in talisman paper. Their grade is determined by their power. For instance, this Golden Armor Talisman can withstand a full-strength attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, making it Mysterious Grade.”

“Yellow Grade talismans correspond to the power of Qi Refinement spells,” he explained. “Mysterious Grade matches Foundation Establishment, Earth Grade matches Golden Core, and so on.”

“What about Heaven Grade talismans?” another disciple asked.

“Heaven Grade talismans are beyond my understanding. Only Nascent Soul cultivators are capable of creating them,” Zhuang replied, pausing briefly before adding, “though Senior Sister Zhang is an exception.”

After a brief explanation, Zhuang instructed the class to practice drawing Golden Armor Talismans themselves.

“Start with plain paper before moving on to talisman paper,” he cautioned.

Satisfied that they understood, he moved to observe and correct their postures individually.

When he reached Zheng Fa, Zhuang made no particular remark beyond adjusting the angle of his forearm.

Zheng Fa practiced drawing the foundational diagram of the Golden Armor Talisman a few times on plain paper before realizing something incredible: talisman arts were an ideal fit for him.

To Zheng Fa, creating a talisman felt like assembling a bomb.

Spiritual sense and familiarity with talisman diagrams determined how much “explosive potential” could be loaded into the talisman. The stronger the spiritual sense and the greater the understanding of diagrams, the more potent the talisman would be.

Meanwhile, spiritual energy acted as the “gunpowder,” determining how many talismans could be created in a day.

A single Golden Armor Talisman consumed nearly a third of Zheng Fa’s spiritual energy. While this limited the number of talismans he could draw, the potency of his talismans far exceeded that of others at the same stage.

In simpler terms, spiritual energy was like stamina, and talisman creation was a craft—identical stamina but varying skill levels produced different results.

After making a round of the room, Zhuang left the disciples to practice.

Han Qi approached Zheng Fa and whispered, “Tough luck—it’s Senior Brother Zhuang today.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Zheng Fa asked.

“Zhuang Senior Brother… how to put this? He’d be better suited for the Disciplinary Hall than the Talisman Hall,” Han Qi replied, his tone complicated. “He’s all about rules and fairness, with no regard for relationships. He’s offended more people than I can count. That said, we actually like him.”

“Why?”

“You’ve seen how difficult it is for lower-ranking disciples like us. Resources are scarce because they’re all funneled to ‘genius’ disciples,” Han Qi explained. “Zhuang Senior Brother was once an imperial censor in the mortal world—harsh, stubborn, and unsuccessful. When he joined the sect, his temper only got worse.”

“So he hates geniuses?”

“Not exactly. He just believes in merit-based rewards. Even geniuses should abide by the same standards as the rest of us,” Han Qi said. “He argues that the rarer the resources, the more disciplined the sect must be in distributing them. Otherwise, it breeds resentment and chaos.”

Zheng Fa nodded, beginning to understand Zhuang’s perspective.

“Without Senior Sister Zhang, though, he wouldn’t have lasted this long in the sect.”

“Why?”

“His attitude offends powerful people. He’s survived because Senior Sister Zhang has intervened on his behalf.”

Han Qi frowned. “Still, it’s strange. Discussion Day isn’t usually led by Zhuang Senior Brother.”

Outside, Zhuang met another senior disciple, who greeted him with a polite smile.

“Senior Brother Zhuang, though we belong to different lineages, there’s no need to be so cold,” the man said. “I hear you have a great talent in today’s class.”

Zhuang remained silent, his expression flat.

“A genius of ten thousand years, they say. He’s already receiving as many resources as the rest of you combined. Looks like your lineage’s supplies will all go to him from now on,” the man continued, feigning concern.

“Why spread gossip and sow discord like a petty woman?” Zhuang retorted coldly. “Such behavior is beneath you.”

“Excuse me?”

“If you have the courage, say that in front of Senior Sister Zhang,” Zhuang said icily. “Until then, know that Zheng Fa is guided by Senior Sister Zhang above and supported by us below. Your opinions are irrelevant.”

“You—!”

“Senior Brothers are having another ‘discussion!’” Han Qi exclaimed, pointing outside.

Zheng Fa looked out to see Zhuang rolling up his sleeves, throwing talismans with wild abandon as he traded blows with another senior disciple.

“Is this… what they call a discussion?”

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