Talismans Emerge

Flender was busy calculating how much money he had saved this month when he was suddenly interrupted.

"You little brat, are you itching for a beating?"

He stepped out from behind his desk, but before his angry words could finish, he froze. "What—why are there two Dai Mubais?"

On the left, a wicked-looking Dai Mubai stood with his arms crossed; he was the one who had just kicked the door open.

On the right, the other Dai Mubai stood with an upright, righteous air, his head held high and chest puffed out.

"Hey, old man, what are you staring at? Hurry up and throw this guy out!" the wicked Dai Mubai said with disdain.

"What did you say? I'm the real one!"

The other one turned to Flender, speaking anxiously, "Teacher, he's a fake Dai Mubai. I'm the real one!"

"You clown, do you believe that this Prince will kill you?"

"Bring it on, you think I'm afraid of you?" the other retorted, refusing to back down.

"Alright, alright, both of you calm down." Flender pulled them apart, standing there with a throbbing headache.

Although he didn't know what had happened, he could understand the current situation.

For some unknown reason, Dai Mubai had split into two people, and their personalities were completely different—they were two extremes.

One was wicked and sinister, while the other was upright and honorable, standing tall and proud. The two were like fire and water, their tones clashing as if they were born to be at odds.

This gave him a massive headache, and he could only ask if anything strange had happened beforehand that led to this state.

The righteous Dai Mubai thought carefully for a moment before suddenly saying, "I know."

He held up the half-talisman in his hand and said, "It's this. I only split into two after I got this."

"Who's your split? I think you're looking for death!"

"Enough, calm down."

Flender restrained the furious, wicked Dai Mubai and took the half-talisman to examine it closely; the white tiger depicted on it was vivid and lifelike.

Since the talisman had shattered into two halves, it was clear that the object was closely related to the splitting of Mubai.

After some thought, he asked the two to put the talisman back together.

"You two, try putting the talisman together. Maybe that will undo the split."

"I don't want to!"

The wicked Dai Mubai snorted and flatly rejected the proposal to merge. This time, the other one hesitated as well, and for the first time ever, he didn't snap back at him.

"Why?" Flender asked, looking completely incredulous.

"Hmph, need you ask? If I successfully recover, will the 'me' that remains still be me?"

"You! Both of you are Dai Mubai; neither can be missing. Only by merging can you be the true Dai Mubai!" Flender urged them earnestly.

"You're right!" The wicked Dai Mubai nodded in agreement, then suddenly smiled wickedly. "So, I won't be called Dai Mubai anymore. I'll be called Dai Xieyue!"

"What?"

Flender was deeply shocked; he felt that the person in front of him was a complete stranger!

"Then I won't be called Dai Mubai either. I'll be called Dai Shengyang." The kind-hearted Dai Mubai followed suit and changed his name as well.

The two clutched their respective halves of the talisman, absorbing them into their bodies, and glared at each other without the slightest intention of merging.

Flender tried to persuade them with all his might, but no matter what he said, the two were unwilling to recover; their minds were made up.

"Sigh!"

Looking at the two in front of him, Flender could only shake his head helplessly. Not knowing what else to do, he had no choice but to let them leave.

Life at the academy had to go on.

These past few days were the academy's recruitment period, which was also the academy's time to rake in money. Flender shamelessly raised the registration fee by another gold coin, hoping to swindle a bit more cash.

At the academy gate, the stream of people coming to register was endless. Children looked at the line ahead with anticipation, fantasizing about being able to enter and study there.

They didn't know that this school was never built for them in the first place; they were destined to return home disappointed.

There were a few figures in the line worth noting.

Among them were an ordinary-looking youth, a lively girl with rabbit ears by his side, a long-legged woman in leather with an outstanding figure and a beautiful face, and a gentle, jade-like girl who looked like a neighbor's little sister.

They were Tang San, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong, respectively.

"Third Brother, why did Grandmaster tell us to come to this school?"

Tang San looked at the line and shook his head. "I don't know either, but Grandmaster must have his reasons for sending us here. Let's just wait."

Xiao Wu nodded obediently.

At the front of the line, an old man sat on a chair, feeling the bones of an excited youth. Two identical twins stood on either side of the gate, looking like two door gods guarding the academy.

"Are those two twins? Their clothes are exactly the same, how amazing!" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up; she had never seen twins before.

Tang San was also a bit surprised; he could sense an extraordinary aura from the two of them.

Because Dai Mubai had split into Dai Xieyue and Dai Shengyang, Tang San had not encountered them.

Behind her, a cold, clear female voice suddenly rang out.

"How is this possible?"

Zhu Zhuqing stared in shock at the two identical Dai Mubais before her. Her mind went blank, and she had no idea what to think.

What on earth had happened? Why were there two Dai Mubais?

She had originally intended to leave the Star Luo Empire to seek Dai Mubai's help. Before coming, she had considered many possibilities, including the chance that he had already given up on the struggle for the throne or had found someone else he loved. But the current situation was clearly beyond her expectations.

Just as she was reeling in shock, Tang San and the others ahead had already passed the assessment.

"Go on in. According to the rules, you may proceed directly to the fourth stage," Shao Xin said with praise.

He had never seen such a gifted student before; for the academy to recruit such a student was an absolute windfall.

Behind him, Dai Xieyue heard this and rubbed his hands together, stepping forward with a wicked grin. "Finally, someone has passed. Come, let your senior teach you a lesson."

However, he had only taken a few steps before a pair of strong hands blocked his path.

"Dai Xieyue, how can you be so rude to our juniors?" Dai Shengyang looked toward Tang San and Xiao Wu with a gentle, polite smile. "Don't mind him, two of you. The people in our academy are actually quite good. Welcome to our school."

"Please follow me. You only need to undergo a small test, and I am certain you will pass."

"Dai Shengyang, who are you pretending to be? I didn't see you acting so kind when you were fooling around with those twins," Dai Xieyue scoffed, turning his head away in disdain.

Hearing the insult, Dai Shengyang's temper flared. The two began to bicker right there at the academy entrance, completely indifferent to the gazes of others.

Xieyue? Shengyang? What on earth was going on here?

Zhu Zhuqing was completely bewildered. Carrying a head full of questions and confusion, she passed the assessment in a daze.

Meanwhile, at Spirit Hall.

"Bibi Dong, my Talisman has manifested. Go and bring it back to me!"

"Shendu, what Talisman is it, and where is it?"

Bibi Dong asked.

"It is the Sheep Talisman. Its holder is Xue Qinghe, or should I say—Qian Renxue!"

Bibi Dong's pupils constricted sharply.