The next day was still a rest day.
The next exam was on drawing talismans. Rather than calling it a rest day, it was more like giving the candidates an extra day to practice.
In front of the small writing desk in their dormitory room, Hua Tian was bent over, holding a brush, her fingertips stained pitch-black by the talisman ink.
The desk was covered with talisman papers. She drew every stroke with extreme caution, yet she could never produce the desired effect. The flow of the runes had to be smooth, and the brushstrokes steady; even the slightest slip would ruin the entire thing.
Worse still, there were thousands of types of talismans, and there was simply no way to know which category would be tested tomorrow.
At this thought, her mind grew even more chaotic, and the brush in her hand began to tremble, resulting in a crooked talisman line. Frustrated, Hua Tian bit her lip, fiercely crumpled the ruined draft in front of her into a ball, and threw it into the corner with a slap.
On the bed, Lin Lumi leaned halfway against a soft pillow, reading a leisure book. The rustling sound of the turning pages seemed exceptionally soft and gentle in the quiet room.
Seeing this, she set her book aside and raised her eyes to look at Hua Tian. “What’s wrong?”
Hua Tian slumped back against her chair and let out a long sigh. “I’m so annoyed! Speed-type talismans are so hard to draw! Take this Swift Run Talisman, for example. I’ve been trying to draw it for half the day and still haven’t succeeded. When I finally managed to draw one, I found it couldn’t even be used because the strokes were botched! I’m seriously going crazy! What if the exam tomorrow is on swift running…”
At this point, she turned her head to look at Lin Lumi. “I envy you so much. Being an academic genius must be great—getting directly admitted without having to worry about any of this! I’m seriously getting a massive headache, let me tell you…”
Lin Lumi shook her head. Whether Hua Tian’s head was hurting or not, she didn’t know, but listening to Hua Tian’s non-stop rambling was certainly making her own head buzz, to the point where she couldn’t even focus on her book anymore.
Lin Lumi put her book away, got out of bed, slipped into her shoes, and walked over.
She looked down at the stack of ruined talismans on the table and asked, “How long did it take you to draw one Swift Run Talisman just now?”
With a miserable face, Hua Tian said, “About… two hours.”
Lin Lumi shook her head helplessly. “The exam is only four hours in total, and you have to draw four talismans. If a single Swift Run Talisman takes you two hours, how are you going to draw the remaining three?”
Hua Tian’s voice was full of grievance. “I understand the logic, but I just can’t draw it! And you know how insanely difficult speed-type talismans are. The lines are thin and complex, and they are extremely picky about the flow of spiritual energy! If you don’t believe me, draw one yourself!”
“Sure. Then watch closely.”
As she spoke, she pulled out a yellow talisman paper from the desk and laid it flat on the table. Gently pressing down on the corner of the talisman with her fingertips, she dipped the talisman brush into the inkwell with her other hand.
The ink gathered slightly along the tip of the brush.
“When drawing speed-type talismans, you must focus on your breathing and intent. Before putting brush to paper, the spiritual energy around you must first settle down.”
She closed her eyes slightly, her breath soft as orchids. In the next instant, her brush came down.
As the brush moved, it flowed like a wandering dragon and a slithering snake; the lines came together in a single breath, without the slightest hesitation.
Watching from the side, Hua Tian’s eyes widened. The runes were distinct, and the lines flowed seamlessly. She knew Lin Lumi was powerful, but she hadn’t expected her to be this formidable.
In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lin Lumi finished drawing the talisman.
“Here, did you catch that?”
Hua Tian was utterly full of admiration. “Too strong. I have nothing to say.”
“If you have nothing to say, then listen. Next, I will explain the key points of speed-type talismans to you. Drawing talismans is a matter of mastering one principle to understand a hundred more. Once you grasp the logic behind it, putting brush to paper won’t be difficult. In short, if you are unskilled, you need to practice more.”
With that, Lin Lumi began demonstrating to Hua Tian again.
Hua Tian suddenly saw the light. “Lumi, you explain things way better than the academy teacher! I think you could totally kick him out and become the teacher yourself!”
“I’d rather not. After all, most of the people at the academy didn’t really like me.” Saying that, Lin Lumi set down her brush and lay back down on the bed.
Hua Tian tilted her head to look at her, casually asking out of boredom, “Lumi, you are so beautiful and outstanding, so why is it that the Lord Marquis doesn’t favor you the most?”
Lin Lumi’s expression visibly paused. She looked at Hua Tian with a faint smile. “You’re right. I also think I’m very outstanding, so I can’t understand what they were thinking either. You know, back when I was tested to have a supreme spiritual root, the entire capital was in an uproar, yet my parents remained completely indifferent. I worked hard to do well in every aspect, to be outstanding, to be first, but I realized they simply didn’t care. So, I let the rumors run wild, but I found that no matter how wretchedly the outside world painted me, they were still unbothered. So, to put it plainly, they simply don’t love me.”
“No wonder you’ve always worked so hard.”
Hua Tian let out a sad sigh. “It’s okay, look on the bright side! All your past bad luck was just accumulating blessings for the future. Look, you’ve smoothly passed the examination now! And since last night, people have been coming one after another to recruit you.”
Just as she finished speaking, a knock came from outside. “Excuse me, is Miss Lin in her room?”
Hua Tian shrugged. “See? It’s probably another sect sending someone to snatch you up.”
Lin Lumi smiled and went to open the door.
Upon opening the door, Lin Lumi met a pair of bright eyes.
The young girl standing outside the door wore the sect disciple uniform—a green robe with a plain sash, her cuffs embroidered with flowing cloud patterns. She was clearly already a formal disciple, who by right should not appear in the dormitory area where candidates lived.
“Are you Lin Lumi?” she asked softly. Her gaze lingered on Lin Lumi’s face for a moment before she suddenly smiled. “What a beauty…”
Realizing she had spoken out of turn, she hurriedly cleared her throat and said solemnly, “My apologies. I am here to deliver a message on behalf of Senior Brother Mu. He is waiting in the pavilion downstairs.”
“Senior Brother Mu?” Lin Lumi subconsciously frowned. She couldn’t help it; she already had a trauma response to the word “Mu”.
“Yes, it is quite unusual for him to come look for you in person.” The girl lowered her voice. “If you don’t go downstairs soon, the front of the dormitory is going to be packed like an impenetrable wall.”
Lin Lumi was thoroughly confused by what she heard, but she guessed it was likely a sect coming to recruit her, just as Hua Tian had said.
Even though she had already decided to join the Spirit Gathering Sect, out of politeness, it was still more appropriate to go say hello.
“Alright, thank you for leading the way.”
She followed the other girl downstairs and arrived at the entrance of the dormitory.
The two of them stepped in front of the dormitory, only to see that the pavilion opposite was already surrounded by thick layers of crowds. Various sect uniforms interwoven like clouds, with female disciples making up the majority. Their noisy chatter surged like a spring tide.
“What’s all this bustle about?” Lin Lumi asked curiously.
The girl leading the way stood on her tiptoes to look into the center of the crowd, her tone tinged with a hint of longing. “They’re all here for Senior Brother Mu. He usually keeps to himself and is never seen except when accepting missions. For him to specially come here to wait for you today is an absolute first. Because of this, everyone from every sect has come over to take a look, resulting in the scene before us.”
Lin Lumi raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t expected him to be such a popular figure.