Chapter 15
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15
The examination for those aspiring to join the Shaman branch offered three choices: a single talisman, a small puppet, or a straw effigy.
Applicants had to craft and submit at least one of the three.
Ise stared intently at the sample provided before picking up his brush to draw a talisman.
Surprisingly, the atmosphere inside the testing hall was rather relaxed. No one stopped the candidates from exchanging opinions or asking for help. The proctor simply inspected the finished products and graded them on the spot.
I heard a talisman loses its potency if even a single stroke, line, or dot is off.
Ise completed his first talisman with the utmost care. Because he drew it with a calm, steady mind, his work easily outshone the nervous, trembling attempts of the other applicants.
He compared his finished piece to Seol Ryeong’s and nodded in satisfaction. She caught him looking and glared, her lips jutting out in a pout.
"What are you looking at?"
"What about it?"
"This is your first time using talisman paper, yet you barely made a single mistake."
"I've always been decent at calligraphy and drawing."
"...So you're handy. Well, you won't be able to do that so calmly in actual combat!"
"I have no intention of wasting precious resources in combat anyway."
In truth, what he had just drawn was merely a piece of paper.
For a talisman to hold real power, it required a brush made from Spirit Beast fur, talisman paper crafted from the remains of Spirit Creatures, and a true Talisman Crafter capable of channeling spiritual energy into the strokes with absolute precision.
Since most sects struggled to raise even a single Talisman Crafter, Ise had no intention of pursuing the profession.
He moved on to the next tasks.
The samples for the straw effigy—commonly known as a curse doll—and the combat puppet were also much easier to replicate than he had expected. Seol Ryeong chattered away beside him the entire time, loudly boasting that this was just the bare basics.
Finding her too noisy, he moved to another spot, but she stubbornly trailed after him, still pouting.
Finally, the results were announced.
"Nine, eight, nine—a total of twenty-six points."
"Thank you."
His score was exactly one point lower than Seol Ryeong's. Still, he was satisfied; it had turned out far better than he anticipated.
Perhaps he actually had a hidden talent for this.
"Y-You..." Seol Ryeong stammered. "Were you actually aiming for the Shaman branch?"
"No. I'm aiming for the Nang Pavilion."
"Then why are you so good at this?! Fine, drawing talismans or making straw effigies can be imitated with good hands, but puppets aren't something you can just craft without prior practice!"
Ise gently patted her trembling shoulder, offering a word of comfort.
"I only made the outer shell. Don't get so worked up."
"It still makes no sense!"
"Think about it. If you're only one point ahead of a complete beginner, doesn't that mean you're lacking in practice? Or maybe lacking in talent? There's still time left, so why not try the Medical Apprentice testing hall? You should look for another path before it's too late."
"..."
Seol Ryeong froze in place, turning into a stone statue.
After offering his heartfelt advice, Ise patted her shoulder one last time and headed to the next testing hall.
The examination for the Dark Snake branch involved activating a formation, repairing a mechanism, or applying the principles of Qimen Dunjia.
Because this field required deep foundational knowledge, he received a low average score of five points. However, considering he was the only applicant in the testing hall to begin with, it wasn't too bad.
The lack of a crowd allowed him to thoroughly observe, analyze, and experiment with the Mechanical Formations and Qimen Dunjia to his heart's content.
"In all my years, I've never seen someone treat a testing hall like a personal training room," the proctor muttered.
"I had a great experience thanks to you," Ise replied.
"Right. Well, for someone without prior training, your talent isn't bad. If you don't have another preference, you should consider this path as well."
"I will keep it in mind." Ise answered politely.
* * *
That evening, Seol Ryeong returned with a new teammate in tow.
"I carefully picked him after reading fortune after fortune, so you can trust him!"
"I am Pi Ga-ram."
The boy who introduced himself wore his short hair tied back. With his sunken eyes and heavy dark circles, he exuded a distinctly gloomy atmosphere.
"That's an unusual name," Ise noted. "What's your specialty?"
"I can set up a simple Confinement Formation."
Hearing that, Hae Un-chan clapped his hands in delight.
"Wow, an applicant who knows formations is exceedingly rare. Man, you brought back someone great!"
At Hae Un-chan's praise, Seol Ryeong cleared her throat with a smug ahem and planted her hands proudly on her hips.
"He says his cultivation realm is at 1-Star Qi Refining," she added.
1-Star Qi Refining meant he couldn't manipulate spiritual energy properly yet. He most likely relied on the power of Dharma Artifacts to set up his formations.
Hae Un-chan and Seol Ryeong were at 2-Star Qi Refining.
Ise and Pi Ga-ram were at 1-Star Qi Refining.
In truth, their actual combat prowess was about the same. Until a cultivator reached the middle stages of the Qi Refining Stage—where one could truly display mystical power—there wasn't much of a difference in strength.
The only distinct gap in power was between them and ordinary mortals.
The four briefly discussed their specialties, gear, and other notable details.
Hae Un-chan focused primarily on unarmed martial arts and swordsmanship, possessing no Dharma Artifacts or secondary skills.
Ise similarly stated that he relied on unarmed martial arts, a small axe, and a shield for combat, opting to keep his other talents and hidden Dharma Artifacts to himself.
Seol Ryeong explained that she had trained in basic incantations to ward off low-grade evil spirits and specialized in combat using various Dharma Artifacts. Indeed, inside her loose Daoist robe, numerous artifacts hung clustered together, clinking softly when she moved.
Pi Ga-ram stated that he trained primarily in archery and formations. He seemed to be hiding something else, but Ise didn't pry.
The Dharma Artifacts used by early Qi Refining cultivators were mostly single-use or limited-use consumables. This was natural; rather than the cultivator manipulating ambient spiritual energy directly, these items relied entirely on the spiritual energy infused into them during their creation.
"Most of Seol Ryeong's artifacts can be used three to five times," Ise summarized. "Pi Ga-ram, how many times can you use your formation?"
"There's no limit on usage. But since I have to draw the formation myself, it requires preparation time."
"How long?"
"Half a ke."
"...That's tricky."
It was just long enough for a person to get slaughtered while trying to stall the enemy.
That was the harsh reality of most artifacts and techniques used at this level. They were either half-baked in execution or insanely expensive with severely limited uses.
Still, if it could help them pass the test and save their lives in real combat, it was far from useless.
After they spent a good while introducing themselves, Seol Ryeong spoke up.
"What about our strategy? Aren't we going to plan one?"
"Since we don't know who or what our opponent will be, a detailed strategy won't mean much," Ise replied. "For now, let's just adjust our battle positions based on our equipment. Do you mind if I take command of the fight tomorrow?"
The other three nodded in agreement, acting as if it didn't matter. It wasn't as if taking command of a four-person squad required any grand tactical genius anyway.
Seol Ryeong—who was far more knowledgeable about the exam than Hae Un-chan, speaking almost as if she had taken it before—offered a final word of advice.
"Be careful tomorrow. Let's make sure no one gets hurt and everyone passes. There are three tests left, but excluding the written exam, there are effectively only two physical trials remaining. Almost all injuries and fatalities in the Great Martial Dao exam come from these final two."
She added, "If the tests up to now were just to verify our minimum qualifications, from here on out, they'll be testing to see who among us has the potential to truly lead the next generation of cultivators for the Great Martial Dao."
"As expected of a noble family's child, you sure know a lot. Impressive."
At Ise's casual praise, Seol Ryeong twirled a lock of her hair, puffed out her chest, and shrugged as if to say, It's nothing.
No matter how I look at her, it really feels like she lied about her age, Ise thought.
* * *
Move.
On the morning of the fifth day, Ise took a meditative position atop a scenic, strangely shaped rock formation, working to control the balance of his spiritual energy and demonic energy.
Ever since awakening his spiritual energy, he had reduced his morning physical training to a bare minimum.
After stepping onto the path of a cultivator, he had concluded that his physical conditioning had already reached the absolute limit of what he could achieve at his current level. He had reached a realm that bordered on superhuman territory.
He was convinced that excessive physical training beyond this point would be highly inefficient. While he could potentially increase his muscle mass further, his agility would decrease proportionally. In the end, he had no choice but to admit that his current physique was in its most perfectly balanced state.
I'll keep my physical training strictly to maintaining peak condition.
With that decided, he invested all his remaining time into refining and settling the chaotic energies within his body.
However, it didn't go as smoothly as he wished.
I should definitely be able to reach 2-Star Qi Refining even without cultivating a manual.
In principle, the Great Martial Dao strictly prohibited applicants from cultivating outside manuals prior to their official initiation. It was said to be a necessary safeguard to prevent one's Spirit Root from becoming contaminated, which could severely hinder their ability to learn the sect's uniquely distinct Ghost-Banishing Spirit-Purging Cultivation Art.
In short, none of the applicants had cultivated a proper manual yet.
Even so, there were those who had already broken through to 2-Star Qi Refining. People like Hae Un-chan and Seol Ryeong. This was proof that it was a realm reachable solely through natural enlightenment and accumulation, without the aid of a cultivation manual.
Could it be that I simply lack talent...?
Feeling his spiritual energy flowing sluggishly no matter how hard he focused, and his demonic energy thrashing wildly in response, such self-doubting thoughts naturally crept into his mind.
Of course, Ise had no way of knowing the truth.
Those who had already achieved 2-Star Qi Refining might not have cultivated a manual, but as the children of influential families, they had benefited from countless heavenly resources, expert supporters, and heavy financial investments from their clans since birth.
* * *
"We will now begin the fifth test."
By now, Ise had grown fully accustomed to the testing grounds.
The hectic morning of the fifth day had arrived. The applicants, who had once numbered nearly two thousand, had dwindled to a point where the remaining survivors could be roughly counted by eye.
Over the past five days, many of the applicants seemed to have awakened their Spirit Roots. Unrefined spiritual energy hummed like a shimmering heat haze above the training ground where they gathered, radiating almost ostentatiously.
It was likely the result of eating well and resting in an environment overflowing with rich spiritual energy. After all, even Ise felt as though his own body had completely transformed in just five short days.
"The fifth test is a team evaluation," Hall Master Kang I-tae announced. "Those who failed to form a team beforehand have been randomly paired up."
The test took place at the central training ground, which, much like the arena for the third test, featured a massive emblem drawn into the center of the earth.
"Each team will face and eliminate one randomly summoned Demon Ghost. You may use whatever means necessary to achieve this. Everyone still alive inside the arena when the Demon Ghost is slain will pass. If you feel you cannot win, you must declare your forfeiture. Unless the Demon Ghost is hunted or a forfeiture is declared, the test will not end—even if someone dies."
Death.
Given Kang I-tae's stoic character, he wasn't one to exaggerate. Candidates had definitely died taking this very test in the past.
Somewhere in the crowd, someone gulped audibly.
"There is only one thing you must keep in mind," Kang I-tae continued coldly. "Do not die before declaring your forfeiture. I cannot bring the dead back to life."
After finishing his brief explanation, he called out the names of the first team.
The expressions on the faces of those called forward were uniformly grim, looking as though they had just swallowed a bitter bug. It was a team comprised entirely of applicants who had yet to awaken their Spirit Roots. In other words, a group of leftovers forced together simply because no one else had chosen them.
A tetradecahedral ritual dice, marked with numbers from one to fourteen, was tossed into the air. It spun smoothly before landing.
The resulting number was one.
Kang I-tae pulled a small knife from his breast pocket and casually sliced through the empty air.
In the next instant, something astonishing occurred.
The empty space ripped open like a torn sheet of paper. Reaching his hand into the dark void, Kang I-tae pulled out a bound Demon Ghost.
A real Demon Ghost.
This wasn't a transformation or an illusion created by a Haechi. It was a real, living, violently thrashing Demon Ghost.
Ise turned to Hae Un-chan and asked, "What on earth is that?"
When Hae Un-chan only shrugged to show he didn't know either, Seol Ryeong answered in his place.
"That's a ghost treasure called the Nether Ghost Prison. It's well known that Hall Master Kang I-tae captures low-grade Demon Ghosts, seals them inside that dimension, and uses them for these exams."
Ise uttered a low exclamation of admiration. Despite reading and studying so many texts, there was still an endless amount of knowledge in this world that he didn't know.