Above the Great Dao
Chapter 653 - 296 Talismanic Magic Unity Theory (Want to improve, requesting monthly tickets!)

Chapter 653: Chapter 296 Talismanic Magic Unity Theory (Want to improve, requesting monthly tickets!)

The second round of the Literary Examination was still held in the original main hall, supervised by the same examiners and the mythical creatures, Bi’an and Fuxi. Fifteen desks and fifteen cushions were set up, and the examinees were still Chen Shi, the Young Master, and Zhang You.

This round of examination involved essay writing, with topics like "Integration of Civil and Military Strategies" and "Unification Theories".

Chen Shi chose the topic "Theory of Talismanic Magic Integration." After writing his name and origin, the petty official pondered for a moment before picking up the brush to write the essay for him.

Zhang You also selected a topic and handed it to the petty official beside him. He glanced at Chen Shi and the Young Master ahead and smiled, saying, "Have you two heard? Something major happened in the Inner City of the Western Capital yesterday night. Even my uncle was alarmed and personally went to Qianyang Street."

The Young Master slightly trembled but sat still.

Chen Shi felt a slight movement in his heart. Qianyang Street? It seemed the street in front of the Chen Mansion was Qianyang Street.

"What happened last night?" he asked.

Zhang You smiled and said, "Someone heard the cries of foxes and sheep on a boat in the street. There was a brilliant explosion in the city that lit up the Western Capital in an instant. Quite astonishing. I also heard that during the morning court meeting, some officials were ill and didn’t attend, leading to many rumors."

The Young Master said indifferently, "What rumors?"

Zhang You laughed, "They say someone caused a big fight in the Inner City last night, attempting something grand but lacking skill. I also heard someone, very insidiously, had been hiding their strength until last night, which startled many people."

The corner of the Young Master’s eye twitched.

Zhang You was a core member of the Zhang family. He had repeatedly tried to recruit this person, but oddly enough, Zhang You always maintained a distance, neither too close nor too far, politely refusing to show the kind of allegiance that other family heirs exhibited.

The matters Zhang You mentioned were also being discussed within the Fuzheng Pavilion when he woke up after a night of cultivation.

"I was not aware of the actions taken by Fuzheng Pavilion last night,"

The Young Master suddenly said, "If I had known, I would have stopped them. For this Imperial Examination, I intend to earn my merit with my own skills without resorting to such underhanded methods."

His voice carried a hint of anger, as if explaining to Chen Shi.

His subordinates had no confidence in him and took upon themselves to attack the Chen Mansion at night, suffering defeat, even leading to the death of Mid-ranking Officer Fan Peng at the Chen Mansion. The actions of that night were all thunder and no rain, laughed at by others, making him feel humiliated.

Chen Shi glanced at him once. He knew nothing about what the Young Master and Zhang You were talking about. His home was clean when he got up in the morning, the street was clean, just like usual.

He looked at the petty official before him who was diligently writing and asked loudly, "Examiners, can I write this essay myself?"

The examiners’ expressions sank slightly: "No noise!"

Chen Shi was frustrated.

He chose the topic "Theory of Talismanic Magic Integration" in the hope of giving the petty official some difficulty.

He had studied talismans and spells extensively, and with a family background rich in this field, his starting point was higher than others. Moreover, for others, the integration of talismanic magic was very challenging, requiring decades of effort to make significant progress in this area besides having talent.

He wanted the petty official to find it too difficult and retreat, allowing him to write himself. Otherwise, what fun would there be in this Literary Examination?

However, the petty official before him seemed very confident in his skills, writing as if guided by divine inspiration, his brush moving swiftly, completing the essay in grand strokes, placing the paper under the paperweight to dry.

Chen Shi read it word by word, and couldn’t help being moved. He looked up at the ghostwriter petty official, who was only in his thirties, possibly not even forty, wearing not the official uniform but the uniform of a petty official, clearly one in charge of copying for the Ministry of Rites. freёNovelFire.com

"My valiant brother, your proficiency in the integration of talismanic magic is high! You have essentially mastered talismans and spells comprehensively, worthy of being called a Grandmaster!"

Chen Shi couldn’t help but say, "I’ve seen many Talisman Masters, but in talismanic magic, very few can surpass your proficiency. Why are you just a copying petty official in the Ministry of Rites?"

The petty official looked somber and said in a low voice, "I come from a humble background."

Chen Shi was silent for a moment and said, "What is your cultivation level?"

The petty official raised his head, cautiously glanced at the examiners, and said in a low voice, "I am in the Void Refinement Realm, unable to advance further."

Chen Shi recalled the words of Tian Yue’e and others, "The Void Refinement Realm is already the limit of what you can achieve. To advance further requires the support of influential people. However, with your talismanic magic proficiency, capable of transforming magic talismans, with talismans born from your mind, the next step is magic born from the mind. You’ve reached a level that doesn’t require anyone’s support. Throughout the Western Capital, how many can achieve this step?"

He was filled with emotion.

A Grandmaster among Talisman Masters, yet only a copying petty official in the Ministry of Rites, cheating for someone like him, a powerful individual, it was a great mockery indeed.

The copying petty official dared not speak.

Chen Shi laughed, "However, you have a few mistakes."

The copying petty official looked up in surprise, watching Chen Shi.

Chen Shi laughed, "Your understanding of the integration of talismanic magic leans towards the direction of skill, resembling more of spells. But mastering talismans enables the comprehension of the corresponding cultivation techniques. You lack in this area. Your understanding of magic in this essay is flawed. Here."

He pointed to a piece of writing, "You mentioned that the skill of talismanic magic arises from nature. The ’magic’ you refer to is skill, not cultivation technique. You seek skill through talismans, not cultivation."

The petty official turned his head and pondered, acknowledging that indeed there were deficiencies in his argument, he couldn’t help being moved and earnestly said, "May I ask for your guidance?"

In recent days, Chen Shi had been trying to comprehend the principles of the Ghost God Domain from talismans as inspired by Xiao Wu, and although he hadn’t gained much, he gained some understanding of comprehending cultivation techniques through talismans, and immediately shared what he had learned during this period with him.