Down below, Wu Sanbao noticed that Platform 79 had been sealed off and overheard others mentioning that the person who issued the order was from the Talisman Sect. He instantly realized that things had taken a turn for the worse. He had never expected the Talisman Master Conference to be so strict, capable of detecting even the slightest tampering he had attempted.
All he had done was sprinkle a small amount of Jishi Powder on five of Liu Chun's talismans. His plan was that if Liu Chun lost even one more round, he would be disqualified. By only sabotaging five talismans, it wouldn't be as obvious as if all ten had been tampered with. Wu Sanbao thought that since Liu Chun wasn't a particularly famous talisman master, no one would pay much attention to him.
However, he hadn't expected that the Talisman Master Conference would catch even this small tampering.
Wu Sanbao felt a wave of panic. Cold sweat began to form on his forehead. He discreetly slipped out of the crowd and hurriedly left Banxiang City.
On the other side of Banxiang City, within the Lianying Hall, the leaders of several major forces gathered in a council chamber, listening intently to the Golden Core stage cultivator who had inspected the talismans. They were all visibly shocked by what they heard.
"Jishi Powder?"
The Golden Core cultivator from the Talisman Sect held up the talisman from Liu Chun's pouch, the one dusted with black powder, and said, "Yes, it's Jishi Powder. I invite the elders to touch it and see if you can feel the sluggishness and loss of spiritual energy."
These leaders, who had cultivated for a thousand years or more, were well aware of the infamous properties of Jishi Powder. One of them didn't hesitate to touch the talisman and, after a moment, sighed heavily, confirming to the others, "It's that cursed substance, no doubt about it."
"Unbelievable!"
"It's really Jishi Powder!"
"I can't believe this stuff is still around!"
The Golden Core cultivator respectfully bowed to the elders and said, "You, more than anyone, know the dangers of this substance. Please, we must quickly alert all sects to work together to root out whoever is using it and eradicate it, ensuring peace for all."
"Rest assured, anything involving Jishi Powder will be taken seriously," said one elder with flowing white hair. "You may return and report back."
The Golden Core cultivator bowed once more and left the Lianying Hall.
The leaders in the hall sat in silence for a long while before one finally spoke up, "Though we weren't around during the height of the Jishi Powder's menace, we are the generation that suffered from its lingering effects."
"To think that we believed it had been eradicated millennia ago..."
"Let's notify the others quickly."
——
Meanwhile, most people in Banxiang City remained unaware that the small incident at Platform 79 had already sparked a significant uproar among the higher-ups.
The results of the second round of the Talisman Master Conference, unlike the first round, were announced immediately after the testing was complete. Those whose talismans passed at least five tests advanced automatically.
Those with exactly five successful talismans were placed in the "pending" group. Their talismans were sent to the back room where specialized talisman masters from the Talisman Sect would swiftly compare their quality, eliminating half of them. The remaining half would move forward.
Anyone with fewer than five successful talismans would see their journey in the Talisman Master Conference come to an end.
Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu stayed until late into the night, eager to see Liu Chun's results. For cultivators who didn't require sleep, the night was no different from the day, aside from the change in light. In fact, the crowd seemed even more lively at night, with more people gathering around the conference area than during the day.
The Talisman Master Conference maintained its efficiency, and before midnight, the second round was complete, with the final results soon to follow.
Before the results were announced, an official from the Talisman Master Conference arrived at Platform 79 to post an explanation regarding the earlier incident and the final decision.
Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu used their spiritual senses to read the notice. It stated that five of Liu Chun's talismans had indeed been tampered with, but since the first five talismans had passed without issue, he would be placed in the pending group. The quality of his talismans would then be assessed by the Talisman Sect's experts.
As a result, Liu Chun, once a largely unknown talisman master from the remote Wujia in Yuanling City, suddenly became the talk of Banxiang City.
Spectators around the Talisman Master Conference who read the notice couldn't help but marvel.
"Did you see that notice?"
"Yes! This Liu Chun—ten talismans, five sabotaged, and yet all five of the untouched ones passed! Do you think his opponent was weak, or is he just that strong?"
"Weak? Out of all the talisman masters here, except for the very best, who can guarantee that every one of their ten basic talismans would outperform their peers'? I think if it wasn't for his skill, then he must have been incredibly lucky!"
"Just wait and see what happens in the pending group. If his opponents were weak, he'll likely be eliminated."
"Maybe it was just luck. If he were really that strong, wouldn't we have heard of him before?"
"But if he advances, then it's likely he's truly skilled…"
"Not necessarily..."
Jiang Youfu, listening intently to the surrounding discussions about their sect's Elder Liu, was displeased. He transmitted a message to Lin Xiao, "Hmph, Elder Liu will definitely advance, not just this time, but all the way to the end! Let's see what these people say then."
The Talisman Master Conference didn't keep the crowd waiting long. As the moon hung high in the dark sky, the list of those advancing was revealed.
Just like in the first round, the names were displayed in a shimmering gold list in the sky.
Almost everyone's first instinct was to search for one name—Liu Chun.
Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu ignored the chatter around them, focusing entirely on the list. In a matter of seconds, all those searching for Liu Chun's name saw it gleaming brightly in the golden list, standing out among the many others.