Tournament

Following the young man in brown, Yan Lenglei's group followed him the same way that they had followed him previously. Seemingly, he didn't go anywhere else and went to the same location, opening the door in the exact same way.

Not wanting to peer into anything private, the trio left and headed back to the inn. Soon, the Talisman Craftsman Tournament would begin. By then, seeing the young man in brown again will be inevitable.

*****

As half a month went by, the Talisman Craftsman Tournament would begin. By now, the entire city was extremely crowded, where lines had to be formed just to get around the place. Early in the morning, there were many people who lined up outside the location in which the tournament would be held.

Having arrived early, Yan Lenglei's group had gotten good seats and sat down while the crowd slowly got larger and filled up the stands. It didn't take long before every single seat was taken by the crowd who were anticipating the tournament.

Once some time had passed, the avenue was silent when a formidable aura was felt from down below. Down below the avenue, a middle-aged man with a formidable cultivation base walked in the center of the single pathway that leads to the seats of the judges.

Following behind this middle-aged man were a few more members of the judging panel. Each of them held a strong cultivation base and had appearances of various ages. Sitting down, the judges were silent and didn't speak a single word. After a while, an old man arrived and stood in the center between the judging panel, and where the contestants would be seated.

"Welcome everyone to the Talisman Craftsman Tournament. I Situ Kong, am the host this time around and would like everyone to give a round of applause for the members of the judging panel. In the middle, we have the famous Master Shen, the only Master Craftsman in the entire Great Solar Realm!" the old man said.

Amidst the crowd, there were many who whispered upon hearing he name Master Shen. He was a very famous figure within the entire Great Solar Realm. As the only Master Craftsman, who could create Talismans that were a grade above his own cultivation level, Master Shen was treated with respect, even by the Great Solar Emperor himself.

Since he was such a legendary figure, few have ever seen him in person. This was especially so for those born within the past two hundred years, who were still young and wouldn't know even if they saw him on the street.

For such a figure to attend this year's tournament, something special should happen this time around. "Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for. Will the contestants please come out?" Situ Kong said loudly. The crowd started clapping in excitement, as the contestants started to enter the avenue and fill in the seats.

After fifty or so contestants sat down, the main prize was introduced. "For this year's Talisman Craftsman Tournament, the main prize will be Master Shen's brush that he had used as a child. This brush was said to be the very first brush that he had used inhis journey as Taliman Crafter. I wonder what it was that allowed Master Shen to let go of such. precious momento. Situ Kong announced.

"It's nothing complicated. I just want the next generation of Crafters to have hope, working towards the future. I hope that in the next hundred years, there will be another Master Craftsman in the Great Solar Realm." Master Shen spoke. Using his Divine Will, it was obvious that Master Shen was a powerhouse with a strong cultivation base. Even Viscounts would need to steer clear when faced with Master Shen's cultivation.

The main prize caused a commotion. After all, this brush was used by Master Shen as a child, being with him for centuries. Even though it was a regular bamboo brush, since it had been with him for so long, it would contain Master Shen's understanding of Talismans and Spiritual Qi within. The main prize this year was even more precious than the prizes during the past few decades. This was something every Talisman Crafter within the Great Solar Realm wanted.

"Along with the main prize, the runner's up prize is one flask of Dragon Turtle Ink. While the third prize is fifty sheets of Blood Wolf Paper." Situ Kong continued to announce the prizes. Even the second and third place prizes were extremely precious. Dragon Turtle Ink was a special kind of ink that would increase the chances of a successful talisman by ten percent just from using it! As for Blood Wolf Paper, it was a special kind of paper that could withstand all kinds of ink without being damaged.

With the prizes out of the way, the Talisman Craftsman Tournament would commence immediately. "For the first round, there will be no eliminations. The contestants will all have one shi of time to create a Grade Two Talisman of any kind. That's all, begin!" Situ Kong said. Immediately, the fify or so contestants used the brush, paper, and ink provided by the avenue to begin their craft.

Sitting in the crowd, Yan Lenglei and Mo Jidong observed from far away. Their eyes changed color, as they peered at the Talisman Crafters of the next generation from their seats. Obviously, they had noticed the youth in brown who had ate but didn't pay for the food. Looking at his name plate, the two had a single comment. "Suits him."

The name, Qian Fuyou was seen on the name plate that the youth in brown had on his body. While they observed every contestant, this Qian Fuyou was on another level of his own. The requirement for the first round was to create a Grade Two Talisman. Such a talisman, had a low chance of succeeding, and would decrease in chance the higher the chances.

While other contestants were slowly creating each stroke with utmost concentration, Qian Fuyou hadn't even begun even after a quarter of the given time had passed. He simply sat with his eyes closed, as if he was having a nap, while the other contestants had failed and were already working towards another piece.

After another quarter of time had passed, it was the halfway mark. By then, there were three who had successfully completed the task. There were others who had failed a few times and were working on another piece. As for Qian Fuyou, he still hadn't begun even after all this time. The crowd began to whisper, while Situ Kong and the judging panel didn't say anything but still noticed his actions.

A quarter of time later, there wasn't much time left for the first round. By now, a majority of contestants had already completed the task they were given, just waiting to present at the end of the round. With a small amount of time left, Qian Fuyou still hadn't moved an inch, as if he were a stone statue, rather than a human being.

Time ticked on, with a few minutes left, the other contestants all waited for him to begin. "Master Situ, this Qian Fuyou still hasn't started even now. He is either confident, or is giving up, should you do something about it?" one contestant asked.

Looking at the contestant who had said this, Master Shen spoke. "You who just spoke, you are eliminated."

"What?! Eliminated? Master Shen, why?" the contestant who had just been eliminated asked. "For an impatient person as yourself, how can you hope to achieve anything in the path of a Talisman Crafter? Therefore, you have been eliminated, please leave the avenue." Master Shen replied.

The contestant who was eliminated was shaken, feeling as though his entire life had been wasted over this one line he spoke. As he left the avenue, he stared at Qian Fuyou with heavy killing intent, while not daring to harbour any thoughts about Master Shen. Once the drama ended, there were a few minutes left before the first round would end.

A single movement could be seen. Finally, Qian Fuyou began. Using the wetstone, he drew the ink and dipped his brush inside the ink at a speed that was neither fast nor slow. Having his brush just a few inches from his paper, the amount of ink he dipped his brush onto was perfect. There was no leakage onto the paper, while the brush wasn't dry either.

Finally, as Qian Fuyou's brush touched the page, his hand moved like phantoms, being extremely hard to see for the regular person. In just a few moments of time, his brush was lifted off the paper, as a golden shine was seen from his paper. Success. With swift motions, and only one try with little time remaining, Qian Fuyou had succeeded in creating a Grade Two Talisman.

Seeing this, the crowd, as well as the contestants were filled with shock. Seeing that he succeeded on the first try, there were many still in disbelief, while others thought it was just luck. With the speed he had dipped his brush, it was hard to imagine that he had completed it with skill.

As for Yan Lenglei and Mo Jidong, they had seen everything. When Qian Fuyou's brush met with the paper, his arm moved incredibly rapidly, but perfectly in motion with each stroke. Each stroke was perfect and incredibly refined. There was no part that was thicker or thinner than another stroke, while each stroke had the exact same amount of ink used. There were no stroke that wasn't beautiful to look at, creating a pleasing piece of artwork.

Now, that the round was over, it was time to see the results of the talismans. The first contestant nodded and aimed at a wooden puppet after injecting Spiritual Qi into the talisman. As members of the judging panel, they could all see each stroke and end work of each talisman in the blink of an eye. As the talisman was used and released crimson flames, a large fireball flew across the air and blew apart the wooden puppet.

"Pass." the judging panel said. The next contestant then released their talisman they had created. A fierce wind dashed through the air and cut the wooden puppet that was replaced with a much sturdier one. As the wind cut through the wooden puppet, it didn't even leave a mark before disappesring.

"Pass." The next few contestants in a row had passed, while some received a fail. Then, there was one young man who received an 'excellent' from the judging panel. A large thunderbolt came down from the heavens and struck the wooden puppet, earning this grade. A few more contests went by and passed, while a few more received an 'excellent' as well. Being the last contestant, as well as the last contestant to finish, Qian Fuyou was the last person to demonstrate the power of his talisman.