"Wonderful news, and the vice-captain wants to see me?"
Zhang Jing turned and shut the door, then followed Senior Brother Ding outside, asking with some puzzlement.
"Of course!"
As Senior Brother Ding led the way, he explained to Zhang Jing:
"There's something you don't know, Junior Brother. After we settled in here yesterday, I went to pay Senior Brother Li a visit right away."
"Then I suddenly remembered that you knew talisman making. Even Junior Sister Tong Yao hadn't known about it before. You might not realize this, but the Luodu Squad places tremendous value on specialized cultivators such as alchemists, artifact refiners, and talisman masters."
"So I mentioned it to Senior Brother Li. After hearing about it, he was very eager to meet a Talisman Making genius like you!"
Upon hearing this,
Zhang Jing finally understood the reason, and realized that Senior Brother Ding had done this entirely with his interests at heart.
"Thank you for looking out for me, Senior Brother."
He could not help expressing his gratitude.
"Haha, don't stand on ceremony, Junior Brother. When you can make Middle-Grade Talismans or even Upper-Grade Talismans someday, I'll be endlessly grateful if you remember this kindness and give me a tiny discount."
Senior Brother Ding rubbed his hands together and said with a chuckle.
"You can count on it, Senior Brother!"
As they spoke,
the two passed through streets large and small, heading straight for the commandery governor's residence at the very center of Langya Commandery City.
On either side of the two vermilion gates,
two squads of soldiers stood guard with solemn gazes.
When they saw Senior Brother Ding and Zhang Jing in their blue magical robes, a trace of awe immediately appeared in the soldiers' eyes, and they opened the residence's gates with practiced movements.
In a secluded courtyard.
No sooner had Senior Brother Ding led Zhang Jing close than the courtyard gate opened on its own, and a resonant voice suddenly rang out.
"Thank you for your efforts, Junior Brother Ding. This must be Junior Brother Zhang. Please, come in!"
"Senior Brother Li, I've brought Junior Brother Zhang here, so I'll take my leave now."
Senior Brother Ding cupped his hands toward the courtyard in farewell.
"Take care, Junior Brother Ding."
The voice sounded from within again.
Then Senior Brother Ding looked at Zhang Jing and instructed him:
"Junior Brother, I still have something to attend to, so I'll leave first. Just go straight in. Senior Brother Li is very approachable, so there's no need to feel constrained."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Senior Brother Ding turned and left.
Standing where he was,
Zhang Jing took a deep breath and walked slowly into the courtyard.
The instant he entered,
he saw a youth who looked only fifteen or sixteen sitting on a stone stool, looking at him with a smile.
At the sight,
a trace of surprise rose uncontrollably in Zhang Jing's heart.
Then, with his expression composed, he looked at the other party and said, "Zhang Jing greets Senior Brother Li."
"Come over and sit, Junior Brother."
The youth beckoned to him.
Only after Zhang Jing sat down did Senior Brother Li explain softly:
"My appearance is the result of practicing a special method. I've made a spectacle of myself before you, Junior Brother."
Without waiting for Zhang Jing to respond,
Senior Brother Li went straight to the point, asking in a hearty voice, "I hear you can already make Lower-Grade Talismans?"
Zhang Jing nodded at this. "I wouldn't dare deceive you, Senior Brother. I can indeed make Lower-Grade Talismans now."
"More than that, surely-"
Senior Brother Li drew out his words and stared at Zhang Jing with a half-smile. Taking out a Star-Attracting Talisman, he remarked:
"You're being rather modest, Junior Brother."
"You've only been in the Dao Academy for a little over a month, and were introduced to cultivation barely two months ago, yet you can already make Lower-Grade Talismans of Higher Vehicle Quality—and in considerable numbers, too. Such talent is truly rather staggering."
"You flatter me, Senior Brother," Zhang Jing said with a smile.
"No, there isn't a single false word in what I said."
After some thought, Senior Brother Li said with a serious expression:
"How about this? As a squad benefit, we'll cover all the materials you currently need for Talisman Making Lower-Grade Talismans. And regardless of the type, the squad can buy every talisman you make at market price."
"Of course, you can also choose not to sell them to the squad."
"But once you formally begin making Middle-Grade Talismans, there will be a minimum number you must sell to the squad each month. Still, rest assured, Junior Brother. The squad won't make things difficult for its own people."
He paused.
Then Senior Brother Li gave Zhang Jing a meaningful look and urged:
"Junior Brother, there's no need to hide your abilities. Go ahead boldly, without worry. As a member of the Luodu Squad, the more talented you prove yourself, the more resources will be directed toward you."
"The Luodu Squad has our senior brothers in the Inner Academy above, and numerous cultivators at late-stage Qi Refining and even perfection below. No one in the Dao Academy will dare set their sights on you, unless they want to be annihilated in both body and soul!"
"Thank you, Senior Brother. I understand."
Zhang Jing rose and spoke with a solemn expression.
After hearing Senior Brother Li's words,
he suddenly realized that his earlier thinking had fallen into a rut.
His abnormally high success rate in making talismans, and even the foreseeable hundred-percent success rate and printer-like Talisman Making speed after he condensed a Source Talisman—all these things were abilities Zhang Jing had originally been wondering how to reveal gradually, lest they prove difficult to explain if discovered.
But looking at it now, why should I explain?
Don't ask! If you ask, it's talent!
If those two First Grade monsters were allowed to have freakish cultivation talent, couldn't he, Zhang Jing, have freakish Talisman Making talent?
In particular, Senior Brother Li's words, "No one in the Dao Academy will dare set their sights on you, unless they want to be annihilated in both body and soul," had thoroughly awakened Zhang Jing.
Meanwhile,
noticing the subtle change in Zhang Jing's expression, Senior Brother Li nodded almost imperceptibly, a trace of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.
"Junior Brother, what is your current success rate when making Lower-Grade Talismans?"
Senior Brother Li asked curiously.
"To answer you, Senior Brother, my current success rate when making Lower-Grade Talismans is around forty percent."
As his words fell,
Senior Brother Li's expression froze slightly.
Although he did not know how to do Talisman Making, he interacted with talisman masters often, so naturally he understood what that success rate meant.
"Junior Brother Zhang, then what is the chance of a Higher Vehicle Quality talisman appearing?" Senior Brother Li pressed.
"Forty percent."
Zhang Jing answered calmly.
By now, all his previous worries had vanished, so naturally he no longer needed to hide his abilities. Of course, this was his success rate before the Crimson Spirit Light appeared.
Now, with the Crimson Spirit Light's enhancement, he did not know how high his success rate would be when making Lower-Grade Talismans again.
"So you mean every talisman you successfully make is of Higher Vehicle Quality?"
Zhang Jing nodded.
The air suddenly fell silent.
Then,
"Haha, excellent!" Senior Brother Li broke the silence and immediately looked at Zhang Jing. "It seems our Luodu Squad is going to produce a master of the talisman arts."
"Please come with me, Junior Brother."
With that, Senior Brother Li made to lead Zhang Jing in another direction.
"Senior Brother, where are we going?"
"Junior Brother, I'm taking you to meet the Luodu Squad's other talisman masters here. I'll need you to give a demonstration then, so I can promote you to a high-level member."
"A high-level member?" Zhang Jing asked in puzzlement.
"That's right. Once a member of the Luodu Squad reaches mid-stage Qi Refining and has completed three missions, they automatically become a high-level member. The squad's resource repository then becomes available to them, and high-level members can exchange for cultivation resources at eighty percent of the Thousand Techniques Pavilion's selling price."
Senior Brother Li explained:
"Junior Brother Ding, who just brought you here, will be able to become a high-level member after this mission. But you talisman masters are different. As long as your success rate in making Lower-Grade Talismans exceeds thirty percent, you can become a high-level member once it's verified."
"That is the difference between our top-ten squads and ordinary squads."
"May I ask, Senior Brother, what is the resource repository?"
Zhang Jing suddenly realized that the Jade Slip Senior Sister Tong Yao had given him contained none of the things Senior Brother Li had spoken about today.
"You'll know once you return to Luodu Island, Junior Brother. It contains cultivation resources, such as spirit pills of every grade, certain special natural treasures, and things like law artifacts and talismans. In short, whatever you see in the Thousand Techniques Pavilion, we have in our resource repository."