No Real Effort, All Talent

Li Xiuchang followed the Tall Senior Sister and soon received his upgraded Identity Token, along with the "grand gift package" from the sect.

It truly was a grand gift package.

A set of Tier 1 Talismans, a grand gift package.

Li Xiuchang received over a thousand Tier 1 Talismans – offensive, defensive, escape, healing… all sorts!

"This..."

Li Xiuchang was at a loss for words for a moment.

The gift was practical, but... why talismans?

Not pills or magic tools, but talismans, and all Tier 1 at that.

It wasn't hard to guess... perhaps the sect had an oversupply of Tier 1 Talismans, so many they didn't know what to do with them?

So they decided to use them as a coming-of-age gift for new disciples.

Though the number of talismans was significant, they weren't worth many Spirit Stones.

The key point was that Li Xiuchang was focused on developing within the sect and had no intention of venturing out to fight others. He probably wouldn't get a chance to use these talismans at all.

Seeing Li Xiuchang's expression, the Tall Senior Sister didn't hold back, covering her mouth as she chuckled, "There are too many Tier 1 Talisman Masters in the sect. According to regulations, the sect assigns them talisman-making missions every year. However, because Tier 1 Talismans are constantly devalued, the sect actually loses some Spirit Stones for each mission they complete.

"Moreover, Tier 1 Talismans are flooding the outside world. The sect can't sell so many of them, or rather, selling them would only result in greater losses. So, they've decided to reward new disciples who have recently joined the sect.

"Although they aren't worth many Spirit Stones, they are quite practical. Nowadays, Qi Condensation Cultivators fighting each other just hurl stacks of Tier 1 Talismans, which are more effective than any magic tools or spells."

Li Xiuchang had zero combat experience, so he really didn't know this.

It seemed the oversupply of Tier 1 Talisman Masters had already changed the combat methods of low-level cultivators.

Indeed, talismans were convenient and fast to use, didn't consume Mana, and most importantly, they were cheap!

Regardless, the sect gave him these talismans for free, so Li Xiuchang had nothing to complain about. He immediately thanked them and left the General Affairs Hall.

Returning to the Eastern Geng District, Li Xiuchang immediately began preparing for the Spirit Plant skill assessment the next day.

Although he was very confident in his Spirit Plant skills, mainly due to his exceptional talent in this area, he couldn't afford to be careless and risk a fluke accident.

Cramming the day before an exam was the least one could do out of respect for the test.

The next day, Li Xiuchang headed to the General Affairs Hall early to undergo the Tier 1 Spirit Planter assessment.

The Immortal Dust Sect was one of the few sects in the cultivation world qualified to conduct cultivation skill assessments, which saved Li Xiuchang a lot of trouble, allowing him to take the test within his own sect.

The chief examiner was an old man with black hair and a white beard. According to regulations, the chief examiner had to be someone from outside the sect who was proficient in the skill being assessed.

This old man was at least a Tier 4 Spirit Plant Master.

There were also six deputy examiners, who were required to be Tier 2 Spirit Planters or higher. No more than half of them, meaning a maximum of three, could be from the Immortal Dust Sect.

Li Xiuchang had cut the line by using a backdoor for this assessment. Three other people were taking the test with him, all Outer Sect disciples of the Immortal Dust Sect.

There were also a few spectators, including Senior Brother Yan Song and that Tall Senior Sister.

As the assessment began, the chief examiner slowly and clearly read out the rules and procedures.

Of course, the participants already knew these rules beforehand.

The Tier 1 Spirit Planter assessment was simple, divided into two parts: a theoretical exam and a practical exam.

The theoretical exam came first, which was essentially a written test.

The chief examiner produced a magic treasure resembling a pendulum. This was a Proctoring Magic Treasure specifically crafted for assessments, serving to time the exam and suppress Spiritual Sense.

As soon as the pendulum on this Proctoring Magic Treasure began to swing, Li Xiuchang and the other three candidates felt their Spiritual Sense being suppressed, rendering it unusable and eliminating any possibility of cheating.

Afterward, the deputy examiners distributed the test papers to the four candidates, who had half an hour to complete them.

Li Xiuchang first quickly scanned the test questions. Most of them were basic, requiring rote memorization.

They primarily asked about the cultivation methods and harvesting techniques for Tier 1 Spirit Plants, as well as basic methods for accelerating growth, and so on.

Li Xiuchang, having endured over a decade of the "torture"... training of the examination system, found this to be his strong suit. He remembered things quickly and forgot them just as fast.

He had reviewed this basic knowledge before coming, so his memory was fresh. He wrote with divine inspiration, his pen flowing smoothly as he finished the test.

The last few questions on the test involved divergent thinking, and their difficulty increased significantly, but they were not beyond the scope of a Tier 1 Spirit Planter's abilities.

After a moment of thought, Li Xiuchang realized that a lesson from Senior Brother Mo Tu seemed to have mentioned these points, either directly or indirectly.

By analogy and drawing parallels, he smoothly answered the last few essay questions as well.

Li Xiuchang couldn't tell if his comprehension in the way of Spirit Plants was heaven-defying, or if Senior Brother Mo Tu had taught exceptionally well, or perhaps a combination of both.

After finishing, Li Xiuchang didn't hastily submit his paper. Instead, he half-heartedly reviewed it from the beginning, while waiting for the other three to finish.

Clang!

The pendulum magic treasure emitted a deep sound, signaling the end of the half-hour test period.

At this point, the other three candidates reluctantly put down their papers. Judging by their expressions, they hadn't finished yet.

Li Xiuchang saw a reflection of himself in them, much like his past self during exams, struggling with the last few difficult questions and resorting to rambling, trying to write as much as possible in hopes of earning a few extra points from the grader.

Humble beggar!

But this time, he was playing the genius scholar role, which felt great!

All four submitted their papers, and the examiners graded them quickly, finishing in just a few minutes.

For the theoretical exam, passing required answering eighty percent or more correctly.

Naturally, those who came to participate in the assessment were confident, so all four passed without a doubt.

However, the first three candidates had barely scraped by with low scores.

When Li Xiuchang's results were announced, the chief examiner cast a look of approval, saying, "Li Xiuchang, full marks."

Li Xiuchang instantly became the center of attention.

Even Yan Song nodded almost imperceptibly.

Although the theoretical exam was simple, it wasn't easy to get a perfect score.

"It seems Junior Brother Li has put in a lot of hard work," the Tall Senior Sister praised generously.

Li Xiuchang really wanted to tell her: Not really, it's all talent.

After the theoretical exam concluded, the next part was the practical exam, which required moving to a different location.

The venue for the practical exam was in a Medicine Field within the Immortal Dust Sect.