Like their senior brothers, every one of the junior brothers who had joined later had dark circles under his eyes.
Yet they horsed around, chatting and laughing, without finding it bitter at all.
They were tired now, but they had something to look forward to, with full bellies and warm clothes. It was nothing like before, when they went hungry and cold, living in constant fear.
The group walked slowly to the storeroom as before, joining the long queue to hand in their talismans.
Suddenly, a commotion swept through the crowd.
"Head Senior Brother!"
"Greetings, Head Senior Brother..."
Xu Zishan hurriedly looked toward the voices. When he turned his head, he froze in astonishment.
The man approaching was none other than the Ten-Thousand Talisman Scholar.
He was a heaven-blessed genius among talisman cultivators. His talent not only surpassed everyone in the Nine Talismans Sect, but even exceeded that of the sect leader in his youth. He was hailed as the greatest talisman genius in a hundred years.
After obtaining the divine book, he had advanced to the third rank in just two months-a truly monstrous feat.
He was only in his twenties, yet his speed of advancement as a talisman cultivator had broken the Nine Talismans Sect's record.
The Ten-Thousand Talisman Scholar was unquestionably the next sect leader, so his standing in the sect had soared, already surpassing that of ordinary elders.
Yet this peerless genius, outstanding even by the standards of the entire world, this future sect leader, now looked just like everyone else.
A deathly pale face, with dark circles under both eyes.
"Even the Head Senior Brother is staying up all night drawing talismans?"
"We might as well rename ourselves the Panda Sect!"
"I suspect Duke Xian pulled one over on us."
"Our mighty Nine Talismans Sect..."