Imperial Onmyo Academy, Talisman subject classroom.
Different from the previous ladder classrooms with distinct classes, this classroom appears to be more spacious and flat. Although there are no obvious physical partitions, the invisible "Berlin wall" in the air still exists - the aristocratic children in colorful clothes naturally occupy the right area with the best lighting, while the civilian students are silently crowded in the corner on the left.
With the sound of crisp footsteps, a young female teacher walked into the classroom.
She looks to be in her early twenties, wearing an improved miko uniform, with her long hair tied up casually with a red rope, exuding a sense of competence and intelligence.
"Hello fellow students, I am your Talisman class instructor, you can call me Teacher Kuruna."
Teacher Kuruna's voice was clear and sweet. She didn't talk too much, and directly pulled out a rectangular piece of white paper from her sleeve. Complex patterns were drawn on the paper with cinnabar, and variant structures similar to Chinese characters and ancient Japanese characters were vaguely visible.
"The talisman is the sharpest sword and the strongest shield in the hands of Onmyoji."
She held the talisman between her two fingers and showed it to everyone, "It not only allows us to transcend the limitations of attributes and cast the spells of the five elements, but also greatly increases the spiritual power in our bodies."
"Edict!"
With a soft drink, Kuruna released his fingers.
The fluttering talisman instantly ignited without fire, turned into a golden stream of light, and condensed into a sharp golden Lightsaber in mid-air. The sword buzzed and exuded a sharp aura.
Then, she flipped her wrist, and several more talismans flew out.
"Boom!" The fire set the prairie fire. "Whoo!" The strong wind howled. "Wow!" The water flowed like a gush, and vines and rocks even grew out of thin air.
In just a few breaths, the five elemental spells were performed in her hands in turn, dazzling the freshmen in the audience.
At the end of the demonstration, Kuruna dissipated his spiritual power, and his eyes gently swept across the audience. "Now, if you have any questions, you can ask them."
A hand is raised high in the civilian area on the left.
It's him again.
Kuruna raised his eyebrows slightly, recognizing this "civilian genius" who had recently become popular in the academy.
"Guangyue, classmate, do you have any questions?"
Ian stood up and asked in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "Teacher, since the talisman allows us to use all the attributes of nature, what is the meaning of the 'natal attributes' awakened by each of us? Isn't it unnecessary?"
As soon as this question came up, many students were stunned. Yes, if a talisman can be omnipotent, then what are the fire and water elements?
"Good question, to the point."
Kuruna nodded approvingly, "The meaning of the natal attribute lies in the 'origin'. It is a power that you can directly control without the help of any external objects - such as talismans and magic weapons. In addition, when you use a talisman with the same natal attribute as your own, the power of the talisman will receive an additional bonus due to the resonance of the soul."
"Finally, and most importantly: Onmyoji has the highest success rate and the least consumption when making talismans that match his own attributes."
After the explanation, Kuruna looked at Ian, "Student Guangyue, are you satisfied with this answer?"
"Very detailed. But I still have a question." Ian followed closely, "Does your theory also apply to the Shikigami system?"
Kuruna's eyes flashed with surprise. This student's thinking acuity is far beyond ordinary people.
"Absolutely correct. However, the Shikigami system is more complicated and involves the nuances of Soul Contract. That is the content of your course next semester."
"I understand, thank you, teacher." Ian sat down politely.
"You're welcome, it's my duty to preach and gain vocation."
Kuruna smiled slightly, and then her expression became serious. She took out a thick stack of supplies from under the podium and distributed them to every student.
There is a set of "Four Treasures of the Study" on everyone's desk: a thick black-covered book, a silver needle, a mahogany pen, a stack of blank talisman paper, and a box of red ink that exudes a strange fishy smell.
"Open the book."
Kuruna's voice became deeper, "That is <Forbidden Codex>. Now, pick up the silver needle, prick your fingers, and draw a pentagram on the title page with blood."
Seeing the panic and hesitation on the faces of the civilian students, she added coldly, "This is the law of the Yamato Dynasty. All students who enter the academy to study Onmyodo must sign the 'Soul Contract'. This is to prevent you from leaking the profound secrets of the academy to the outside world."
Ian looked at the book in front of him and sneered in his heart.
To prevent leaks? That sounds nice. This is clearly another level of slavish shackles.
But he didn't show it, he picked up a silver needle and pricked his fingertips, and drew a bloody pentagram on the page.
"Buzz--"
The moment the blood seeped into the paper, a cold and obscure force penetrated into his body along his fingertips and went straight to the depths of his soul.
In that power, there is an air of indifference that looks down on all living beings.
[Heavenly Dao Will]
Ian's pupils shrank slightly. Just like the seals he sensed in the minds of those nobles, the ruler of this country actually used a certain "Heavenly Dao" rule to stamp the ideological seal on all practitioners.
"Huh, what a small trick."
Ian relies on its powerful soul power to quietly wrap and isolate this invading will, and pretend to be "signed" on the surface.
The contract is signed and the course continues.
"Okay, now we start learning the first rune-[Spiritglow Shield Talisman]."
Kuruna picked up the mahogany pen and dipped it in the red ink, "This pen is made of century-old mahogany, and the ink is cinnabar ink mixed with the blood of high-level monsters. They are both excellent conductors of spiritual power."
"The key to drawing symbols lies in 'stability' and 'rhyme'."
"During this process, you must keep your mind like Shisui, and inject the spiritual power in your body through the tip of the pen into every stroke evenly and steadily. Even if there is only a slight tremor, or a momentary fluctuation in the output of spiritual power, the entire talisman paper will be scrapped."
As she spoke, the pen in her hand was already dancing in the air like flowing water.
A blank piece of talisman paper was suspended in front of her. As the pen tip wandered, red lines shimmered, and finally connected end to end, forming a perfect closed loop.
"It's done!"
The runes suddenly brightened and then disappeared.
"Edict!"
Kuruna gave a soft drink, and the talisman burned. A translucent light golden Cosmic Cube body shield appeared out of thin air, covering her.
Immediately afterwards, she activated another attack talisman, and a fireball roared towards herself.
"Bang!"
The fireball exploded on the shield, Mars flew everywhere, but the shield did not move at all.
"This is the most basic defensive talisman. Although it is simple, it may save your lives countless times in the future."
Kuruna put down his pen and scanned the audience, "Before we start practicing, does anyone else have any questions?"
Ian raised his hand again.
"Guangyue, please tell me." Kuruna now admires this student but also has a headache.
"Teacher, do you have to rely on these materials to draw symbols? For example, paper and pen?"
"Not entirely." Kuruna patiently explained, "These materials can minimize the loss of spiritual power and increase the success rate. Of course, in an emergency, high-level Onmyoji can also bite their fingers, use blood as ink, and use clothing or walls as paper."
"Then..."
Ian glanced at Blink and asked a surprising question, "What if you don't even use paper? Can you draw symbols directly in the air?"
There was dead silence in the whole place.
"Pfft--"
A sneer came from Noble District on the right. A handsomely dressed boy mocked. "Hey, civilian, have you lost your mind? Are you drawing talismans in the air? Do you think you are a fairy in mythology? You are really a country bumpkin who knows nothing, and your ambition is higher than the sky."
The surrounding aristocratic students also burst into laughter, and the air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere of discrimination.
Kuruna frowned, his stern eyes swept over Noble District, and his laughter immediately stopped.
She turned to look at Ian, her eyes becoming deep. "Guangyue, although your idea is very advanced, it is not impossible."
After saying that, she took a deep breath, and the momentum around her suddenly changed.
She did not pick up the mahogany pen, but brought her index and middle fingers together, and the fingertips lit up with a bright blue light.
[Heaven and Earth Spirit Book·Void Painting Talisman]
Her fingers danced rapidly in Void, leaving behind a series of condensed blue light traces. These light traces intertwined and combined in the air, eventually forming a complex rune structure.
"Huh--"
The moment the runes were formed, a powerful whirlwind rolled up out of thin air in the classroom, making the students' books rattle.
"This is called [Void Talisman], and it is one of the highest realms of talismans."
Kuruna retracted his fingers and gasped slightly. Obviously, this move consumes a lot of money. "Only Great Onmyoji, who has achieved the ultimate control of spiritual power, can get rid of the shackles of material carriers and directly use heaven and earth as paper and spiritual power as ink. I hope that everyone here can one day touch this realm."
"Okay, any more questions?"
This time, Ian did not answer immediately.
He lowered his head and frowned, seeming to be deep in thought. He murmured to himself as if no one was watching:
"I see... it's not just the release of spiritual power from the body."
"The key is 'resonance'."
"Use your own spiritual power as a guide to vibrate and connect with the Natural Energy floating in the surrounding air. Forcibly condense the external energy on a specific trajectory, so that it can appear through high-frequency vibrations and runes in the Void at this moment..."
Although his voice was not loud, it was clearly audible in the quiet classroom.
Kuruna's body stiffened suddenly.
She stared at Ian in disbelief, her voice changing tone. "You... how do you know these principles?!"
Ian raised his head and blinked innocently. "Ah? Isn't this what you just demonstrated? I just deduced it based on your actions."
"Derivation? Can you feel the aura of heaven and earth?" Kuruna felt that his world view was collapsing.
The kind of high-dimensional energy floating in nature can usually only be barely perceived by Great Onmyoji, who has practiced for decades. A new student who has just awakened for three days? How is that possible!
"The aura of heaven and earth? Are you talking about these light spots floating everywhere around you?"
Ian still maintained that "I'm very simple, I don't understand why you are making such a fuss" expression, "Isn't it obvious? They are everywhere, I have been able to see them since I was a child."
"..."
Kuruna felt his throat was dry and his voice was trembling. "You... then you can also control them?"
"Should... everyone can do it, right?" Ian scratched his head, "It's as natural to me as breathing."
Monster.
This is a real monster.
Kuruna stirred up a storm in his heart. Even Nightglow First Emperor, who awakened Divine Grade Shikigami in the legend, probably does not have such a terrifying talent at this age.
She took a deep breath and tried to maintain her authority as a teacher. "Then... can you try to copy the moves I just made?"
"Well, let me give it a try."
Ian stood up and walked to the aisle.
The eyes of everyone in the class - whether they were Envy nobles or adoring commoners - were all fixed on him.
Ian stretched out two fingers, imitating Kuruna, and the fingertips lit up with blue light.
The first stroke was steady. The second stroke was smooth. But when the third stroke turned, the light marks in the air suddenly burst Blink.
"Poof." The trace of light dissipated, failure.
Noble District There was a sigh of relief. Fortunately, fortunately, this guy is still a human being, not a god.
"Oops, the frequency didn't match just now." Ian smiled sheepishly, "Try it again."
The second attempt. This time, most of the runes were completed, and the light was brighter than last time, but when the last stroke was sealed, the spiritual structure suddenly collapsed.
Failed again.
"Tch, let me just say, Void how can it be so easy to draw a talisman..." A noble student was about to sneer.
"Okay, I've found the feeling."
Ian interrupted the noise, and his eyes instantly became focused.
The third time.
His fingers drew an afterimage in the air, and the movements were astonishingly fast, as if they had been rehearsed thousands of times. The Natural Energy in the surrounding air seemed to be soldiers who had heard the order, frantically gathering towards his fingertips.
Done in one go!
"Condensation!"
A perfect blue rune suddenly took shape in mid-air, shining brightly!
"Boom--!!"
A whirlwind even more violent than the Kuruna demonstration just swept across the entire classroom in an instant! The desks were shaken by the blow, books were flying all over the sky, and several thin students were almost blown down.
In the center of the storm, the young man's clothes were flying like a god in the wind.
Quiet.
Deathly silence.
Everyone's jaws almost dropped to the ground. The expressions on the faces of those aristocratic students who were originally prepared to watch the joke looked like they had swallowed a fly alive.
Even teacher Kuruna completely lost his expression management ability and stared blankly at Perfect Runes slowly spinning in the air.
Three times. After only three attempts, he mastered the "Void Drawing Talisman" that countless Onmyojis have never been able to understand in their entire lives?!
"Ahem."
After all, Kuruna has received professional training. She tried her best to suppress the fear in her heart and forced her voice to sound calm, "Very... very good, classmate Guangyue. Very talented."
"But don't be too ambitious. This kind of skill is too early for you now. Let's start with the basic paper and pen drawing."
In the following time, Kuruna seemed to be escaping from reality, mechanically guiding the students to practice. She did not even dare to look at Ian for fear that her heart would not be able to bear it.
The bell rang for the end of get out of class.
"That's it for today's lesson! Everyone, go back and practice more!"
After saying these words, Kuruna seemed to have a savage beast chasing behind him. He grabbed the lesson plan and rushed out of the classroom, so fast that he left an afterimage.
Seeing the teacher's running back, Ian packed his schoolbag with a strange and imperceptible arc at the corner of his mouth.
"Is this the so-called 'genius flow' strategy? It works well."
In fact, the principle of the so-called "Void Drawing Talisman" is exactly the same as the [Heart Kingdom·Mana Method] he had come into contact with at the Western Continent - they all use their own magic power to resonate and control the magic power of nature. For Ian, who is proficient in this, as long as he understands the stroke structure of the runes, this is child's play.
But why did he fail twice on purpose? And why did he act so high-profile, even arrogant?
For "fish bait".
In this country where knowledge is strictly monopolized, a commoner with no background but a devilish talent is simply the most dazzling beacon in the darkness.
This can not only attract civilian followers who are eager to change their destiny, but also lure noble forces with evil intentions, and even Imperial Family's killers.
"Come on, everyone come to me."
Ian walked out of the classroom with a deep look in his eyes, "Only by muddying the water can I have a chance to get in touch with the blocked high-level knowledge, or even... enter that damn Royal Library."
As for those upcoming assassinations?
That is not only a trouble, but also an "express delivery" and "experience package" delivered to your door.