Scattered Hands Level 2 (0/20) → Scattered Hands Level 3 (0/30)
In an instant, the fifteen moves of Scattered Hands became even more refined in his mind.
Even the follow-up changes and transitions between each move became crystal clear.
The flow of spiritual energy for each move felt almost instinctual.
Zhang Yu felt that if he were to execute a move now, the spiritual energy within his body would naturally circulate to his limbs.
"The passive breathing technique of the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Method also played a role in this process."
Zhang Yu could feel the continuous circulation of spiritual energy throughout his body, making it easier to channel his energy when executing the Scattered Hands.
He couldn’t help but marvel at how much the Zhou Tian Qi Gathering Method had helped him as a beginner.
Not only did it aid in breathing and body refinement, but it also greatly benefited his practical combat skills.
However, there was no time for Zhang Yu to dwell on this.
The exam was about to start.
After taking a moment to catch his breath and recover some stamina, he hurried to the examination hall.
The first exam in the afternoon was on Dao Techniques, followed by the Practical Combat exam.
The Dao Techniques exam mainly focused on the recognition and use of talismans.
Since those at the Qi Refining stage couldn’t yet master true Dao Techniques, they had to rely on their knowledge and spiritual energy to activate talismans.
Thus, the three years of high school Dao Techniques classes were largely centered around talismans.
Talismans, or "Fu," were spells, while "Lu" referred to sacred texts.
Together, they represented the secret methods through which humans communicated with deities and harnessed divine power.
...
In the computer lab, Zhang Yu sat in front of a computer, silently recalling everything he had learned about talismans.
Nearby, Zhao Tianxing was frantically flipping through his textbook, trying to memorize the points he was afraid he’d forget.
Bai Zhenzhen, on the other hand, was napping on her desk, seemingly unfazed by the upcoming exam.
As the bell rang, the students placed all non-exam-related items on the front desk and returned to their seats.
Moments later, the computer screens flickered, and the exam questions appeared.
The first question: Which of the following talismans belongs to the Wan Xing Si Tong Great Deity of the Ministry of Transportation?
Zhang Yu’s mind immediately recalled the relevant information.
The Ministry of Transportation was one of the eight major divine departments of Kunxu, overseeing all roads, air, and waterways.
The Wan Xing Si Tong Great Deity was a deity within the Ministry responsible for urban roads.
Zhang Yu remembered that one of the deity’s powers was the ability to monitor all urban roads and vehicles.
By using the talisman, one could borrow the power of the Wan Xing Si Tong Great Deity to access various surveillance data within the city, allowing them to know everything that had happened in the past three hundred years.
After quickly reviewing the information, Zhang Yu looked at the options:
A. !★,°:.☆(￣▽￣)/$:.°★。
B. (o>ε(o>ｕ(≧∩≦)(￣ー￣)X(^▽^)
C. `)`)▍`)*`)(((`)
D. 『』～o(▽｀o)=▊=▋=▍
"All four options are the beginnings of talismans, and judging by their style, they all belong to deities of the Ministry of Transportation... Haha, are they trying to mess with me right from the start?"
"It’s probably option D, the vehicle monitoring talisman."
After selecting D, the next question popped up: "Which of the following talismans does not belong to the reporting talismans?"
Zhang Yu was momentarily stunned.
"Reporting talismans? We didn’t learn that. Another out-of-scope question?"
Frowning, he randomly picked an option that looked familiar and moved on to the next question.
He continued answering the multiple-choice questions, followed by fill-in-the-blank and essay questions, which became increasingly difficult.
For example: "Please write a health inspection talisman, respectfully inviting the Health Spring Great Deity of the Ministry of Health to check if there are any lumps in your stomach."
Or: "Which talisman can quickly subdue three mortals without spiritual energy located 30 meters to the north? Please draw the talisman. Below are the specific data of the three mortals and their surroundings..."
"Damn it... Can’t I just knock those three mortals down? Why bother with a talisman?"
As Zhang Yu was sweating over drawing a detention talisman, he heard the sound of a chair being pushed back.
He looked up and saw his classmate He Dayou finishing his exam and preparing to leave.
Zhang Yu remembered that He Dayou had ranked third in last month’s exam.
He was a rich kid, much like Qian Shen, but unlike Qian Shen, who focused solely on grades, He Dayou loved to flaunt his wealth.
He and Zhang Yu rarely interacted.
Submitting the exam early was just another way for He Dayou to show off.
After all, talismans were a subject that required significant financial investment to truly excel.
It was the most obvious dividing line between the rich and the poor.
Many even referred to talismans as the "language of the rich."
In essence, drawing talismans allowed one to harness the power of the eight major divine departments to accomplish incredible feats.
These departments were often referred to as the Eight Great Deities.
However, the school only taught the most basic talisman-drawing methods.
To learn more advanced talismans, or even those not taught in school, one had to purchase sacred texts, or "Lu."
These texts were not only expensive to buy but also required membership fees, offerings to deities, and faith levels, all of which were costly.
In other words, the talismans provided by the sacred texts were not only categorized by the practitioner’s level but also heavily dependent on money.
Only by spending enough money on the sacred texts could one gain sufficient faith levels, unlock more permissions, and master advanced talisman-drawing methods and various types of talismans.
Only after meeting these prerequisites could one begin the arduous process of learning and practicing talismans, such as one-on-one conversations with the Eight Great Deities, deity-guided error reporting, or deity-assisted talisman optimization.
Of course, this process was also extremely expensive.
In short, learning talismans outside of school was a process built entirely on money.
And throughout this process, if one violated the rules set by the Eight Great Deities—such as privately sharing talismans or using talismans to break sect laws—they would be punished, ranging from fines to complete financial ruin.
Every time Zhang Yu attended a Dao Techniques class, he couldn’t help but feel that this was an unfair and unjust subject.
It was the best way for the rich to score high in exams and widen the gap between themselves and the poor.
It truly deserved its reputation as the "language of the rich."
But Zhang Yu had also heard from Zhou Tianyi that talismans weren’t even the most expensive aspect of Dao Techniques.
Many techniques that could only be learned after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage required massive investments, enough to leave a college student in deep debt.
After finally finishing the Dao Techniques exam, Zhang Yu left the classroom and saw a crowd gathered around He Dayou, comparing answers.
He Dayou smiled, pulled out something that looked like a jade tablet, and began drawing what looked like random symbols on it.
As his spiritual energy fluctuated, a golden shadow slowly emerged from the tablet.
He Dayou said, "This is the Answer Talisman of the Tian Zhi Wan Wen Great Deity. If you have any questions, just ask Him."
Many students gasped in awe, looking at He Dayou with envy.
As Zhang Yu watched He Dayou’s jade tablet, Bai Zhenzhen’s voice came from beside him: "That’s a sacred text, right? And he even got it in jade. He must have been planning this show-off for a long time."
Zhang Yu turned to see Bai Zhenzhen, who was clearly jealous and upset.
"How did you do?" Zhang Yu asked.
Bai Zhenzhen grumbled, "What do you think? At least a quarter of the questions were on talismans we never learned."
"Last year’s exam was 20% out of scope, and this year it’s 25%? If this keeps up, by the time we take the college entrance exam, half the questions will be on stuff we never learned. They’re shameless."
"I hope I don’t run into those rich kids in the practical combat exam. If I do, I’ll make sure they fail."
He Dayou seemed to notice Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s gazes and turned to smile at them.
Bai Zhenzhen quickly put on a calm expression and nodded slightly in return.
Shortly after, the next exam began, and He Dayou and his friends headed to the Practical Combat exam hall.
He Dayou was the kind of person who could write an essay titled "My School Board Chairman Father" in elementary school because his father was indeed the chairman of Songyang High School’s board.
However, despite growing up in luxury, He Dayou didn’t feel that his life was easy.
He was just one of his father’s thirty-plus children.
After passing numerous assessments, competing repeatedly, and meeting family KPIs, he became one of the only two high school students and cultivators among his siblings.
The rest, being ordinary mortals, had already started working in their father’s company to repay their upbringing debts.
"Even though I’m a rich kid, I’ve gotten to where I am today because of my own hard work and talent."
"I earned my father’s investment through my efforts. Why shouldn’t I flaunt my wealth?"
"Those poor people always complain and think I’m only here because of my rich dad. What a bunch of naive fools."
With this mindset, He Dayou had always looked down on those who were both poor and academically weak.
After entering Songyang High School as the chairman’s son and learning more about the school’s unspoken rules, he began to look down on even the high-achieving poor students.
"No matter how good their grades are, it’s only temporary. These poor people don’t realize that from the moment they were born, they never had a chance to succeed."
"Maybe they’re not even the same species as us anymore."
With this belief, He Dayou maintained his position as the third-ranked student in his grade, occasionally showing off his wealth and living a peaceful school life, waiting for the day he would be admitted to a top university.
But one person’s changes disrupted his peace of mind.
Seeing how hard Zhang Yu had been working over the past half month, even inspiring the entire class to study harder, He Dayou felt disgusted.
"These poor people... counting their debts every month, rushing to part-time jobs after school, earning a few hundred or thousand bucks, scrimping and saving to cultivate, dreaming of suddenly becoming rich and living forever."
"They have no idea who their real competitors are in the college entrance exam."
"Still jumping around in school."
"Pathetic."
He Dayou couldn’t stand Zhang Yu’s relentless effort, as if hard work could somehow surpass the advantages of wealth.
Especially after hearing rumors that Zhang Yu had been taken as a disciple by a Golden Core expert, He Dayou used his connections to confirm the news.
When he found out that Zhang Yu hadn’t been taken as a disciple, his disdain for Zhang Yu reached its peak.
"Not clarifying the rumors, trying to ride on someone else’s coattails, huh?"
So, he decided to use the Practical Combat exam as an opportunity to teach this poor kid a lesson and make him understand his true place.
(End of Chapter)