Gu Xu followed the sound and looked.
I saw a young woman dressed in black and wearing a bamboo hat, bypassing the dense trees, crossing the narrow stone bridge, and hurriedly came to the door of "Siqitang".
"Your Excellency, Zhao Xinran, has met the Imperial Master, the Chief Secretary, and Her Royal Highness the Princess..." She bowed to the dignitaries present one by one.
Although her tone was slightly apologetic, there was no trace of restraint in her expression. Instead, she was calm, calm and generous.
"Zhao Xinran..." Gu Xu silently recited the name in his heart.
According to his understanding, this casual cultivator who opened a shop in Tongji Square in Luojing City to sell talismans had extremely high attainments in talismans. She has broken through the shackles of books and reached the state of a master who can do whatever she wants.
If nothing else, she should be the most competitive among the three opponents.
As soon as Zhao Xinran finished speaking, the bells of the academy rang melodiously, one after another, echoing in the drizzle, announcing the official start of this battle of Talisman and Dao.
Zhao Xinran smiled sheepishly again.
In theory, there is nothing wrong with visiting the site.
But it would be awkward if everyone else arrived early.
…………
After the bell stopped ringing, the discussion in the academy gradually subsided.
At this time, Dean Li stepped forward and informed everyone of today's teaching qualification selection method.
The four candidates will compete fairly and impartially in the three aspects of "accumulation", "application" and "innovation".
As the recognized authority on the talisman and seal art of the Da Qi Dynasty, the National Master will be the chief examiner of this selection; the two teachers in the academy who specialize in talisman and seal script will also serve as deputy examiners and participate in the final decision.
After all, whether it was in the previous recommendation or in today's conversation, the Imperial Master showed a very obvious preference for Gu Xu.
Naturally, it is impossible for the academy to leave the decision-making power completely to the national teacher.
After hearing the news, Gu Xu looked calm, because these are what he is good at - but he doesn't know how it compares with a long-famous Fu Dao master like Zhao Xinran.
Mo Li's expression was a little gloomy.
What the Imperial Master said to Gu Xu just now had already caused ups and downs in his heart.
In addition, his fame in the field of talismans mainly comes from his ability to master hundreds of talismans in books, but he is not good at innovation; if his ability to improve talismans is to be assessed, he does not have an advantage. .
Unconsciously, he held tightly the "focusing pen" given to him by Dean Li in his pocket, and repeated in his mind what he had said before, "There are times when an imperial master may make mistakes." Countless times.
As for Shen Qiu, he still looked cynical. He first looked at the saints, and then looked at Gu Xu next to him with curious eyes.
They don't look like they are here to compete for jobs, but like they are here to visit Longmen Academy.
When the second bell rang, Dean Li waved his sleeves gently, and four spacious desks suddenly appeared in the empty "Siqi Hall", with white paper and writing brushes placed on each desk. .
"To be a teacher, you must first have solid basic skills before you can answer people's questions and provide guidance," I heard him say, "So the first step is to examine your accumulation of knowledge about Talismans.
"You have one hour.
"What you need to do is answer as many questions as possible within the allotted time."
The four of them nodded, and then each sat next to a desk.
Today is a rainy day, and the Siqi Hall is dark.
However, just after they sat down, the room suddenly became brighter, as if hundreds of candles were lit. The sound of pattering rain and the rustling of human voices were all isolated.
Everyone's expressions became serious.
After all, no talisman master would want to be judged by others as lacking in basic skills in such a highly publicized situation.
Gu Xu lowered his head and looked at the white paper on the table.
Then he discovered that the paper was blank and there was no title on it.
Only in its upper right corner is a very inconspicuous number "zero" marked in red ink.
Gu Xu originally thought that this piece of white paper was just an "answer card" and that additional question papers would be distributed later.
However, the moment his eyes fell on the white paper, light ink marks suddenly appeared on the paper, like ripples on a calm lake.
Immediately afterwards, these ink marks condensed together and turned into a neat line of text:
"Please draw the 'Tai Shang Arctic Demon Suppressing and Demon Killing Talisman'."
"The talisman array on this paper is really hidden," Gu Xu secretly sighed after seeing this scene, "even I almost didn't notice it. If I guessed correctly, it was probably the handiwork of the national master."
At the same time, a question also popped up in his mind: Which generation of 'ghost-killing talisman' should I draw?
The question didn't bother him for long.
He thought for a while and decided to draw the most original "ghost-killing talisman" in the book.
This is a sure-fire choice.
You know, the fifth generation "Ghost Killing Talisman" he developed himself has a huge difference in appearance from the original version - what if even the examiner can't recognize it?
So he started writing without hesitation.
The writing brush placed on the table is also a magic weapon. It can leave marks on paper without ink.
After a moment, the original "Ghost Killing Talisman" quietly appeared on the white paper.
To be honest, Gu Xu already felt a little unfamiliar with the pattern on the paper.
After all, he hadn't drawn it for several months since the second generation "Ghost Killing Talisman" came out. If he hadn't had the gift of photographic memory, he might have forgotten it long ago.
When Gu Xu put down the last stroke, a faint golden light suddenly appeared on the white paper.
Then, all the words and patterns on the paper disappeared instantly, and then a new question appeared:
"Please write down the functions and corresponding spells of the 'house-holding and settling-in talisman'."
The red number "zero" in the upper right corner of it turned into the number "one" unknowingly, and its color also turned into light gold, and even flashed a few times, as if for Gu Xu Like applauding.
"Perhaps this number represents the number of questions I answered correctly." Gu Xu guessed.
Thinking of what Dean Li said, "You must answer as many questions as possible within the specified time." Gu Xu thought for a second and then wrote the answer on the paper as quickly as possible:
"The function of the 'house-calming talisman': affixing this talisman to ordinary people's homes can dispel yin energy to a certain extent, eliminate disasters, and remove bad luck.
"Corresponding spell: Heavenly thunder Yin Yin, earth thunder faint, Liujia Liuding, hear my name, don't stay, welcome auspiciousness and bring blessings, forever suppress the Dragon God."
After writing, the paper once again glowed with a faint golden light.
The number in the upper right corner changed from "one" to "two".
All the words disappeared, and then a new title appeared on the paper:
"What is the alias and function of the 'Ruyi Talisman'? In the process of using it, in addition to the talisman seal itself, what other materials are needed? What is the corresponding spell?"
Gu Xu wrote without thinking:
"The 'Ruyi Talisman', also known as the 'Golden Talisman', is a kind of talisman that rubs stones with hands to turn them into gold. Six liang of mercury and six liang of red copper are used to perform the operation. Eggs must be removed from the yellow , gold and silver are the end.
"The corresponding mantra is called the 'Ruyi Mantra', and the content is: 'Heaven and earth are dark and yellow, and people's auras and essences are made of bricks or stones. The energy they receive turns into gold, which can be reported to heaven and earth and benefit the people'.
"However, the 'Wishful Spell' can only change the stone superficially, but cannot actually turn it into gold. After a period of time, it will return to its original state."
"..."
Gu Xu wrote quickly on the paper.
His handwriting is elegant and unrestrained, like flowing clouds and flowing water, written in one go.
In fact, with his current level of Talisman cultivation, he basically relies on feeling and free expression when drawing Talisman. He will neither refer to the templates in the book nor follow a specific process. Sometimes, he will even draw seemingly unrelated symbols. Talismans and spells are used together to achieve unexpected effects.
However, his gift of photographic memory enabled him to keep these basic knowledge firmly in mind and never forget them.
…………
Mo Li next to him was also writing with flying colors.
He knew that in terms of improvement and innovation of talismans, he might not be able to compare with a few others. Therefore, in this section, which he is best at, he must try his best to answer as many questions correctly as possible to widen the gap with others.
His wrists were already a little sore, his palms were covered in sweat, and his handwriting had become a little sloppy.
But he didn't realize it.
Looking at the golden numbers in the upper right corner of the white paper gradually increasing, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a pleasant smile.
Inadvertently, he glanced at his opponents.
He saw the short Shen Qiu thinking sadly, his feet dangling in the air, and biting the penholder in his hand in a very inelegant manner.
He saw Zhao Xinran's brush hanging in the air and not falling down.
He saw Gu Xu put down his pen temporarily and rubbed his wrist.
His smile grew wider.
"At least it's my home court now," he thought to himself.
…………
The answer process for Shen Qiu and Zhao Xinran was not so smooth.
Although Shen Qiu has good talent, he is very spiritual in the way of talismans. He often gets the appreciation of other talisman masters with some flashes of ideas. But he is not a talisman master with a professional background, nor does he have Gu Xu's exaggerated memory and comprehension ability.
As an unpopular concubine, his family rarely paid attention to his spiritual practice.
The head of the Shen family once spent a lot of money to hire famous teachers to teach his brother Shen Hua step by step how to practice martial arts. But Shen Qiu had never been treated like this.
He learned talisman and seal script, half of it by reading books, and the other half by carrying gifts and making a special trip to the homes of famous talisman masters in Jinling City to ask for their advice.
Because of this, his mastery of basic knowledge and techniques is naturally not as comprehensive as Mo Li's; most of the time, he only learns the talismans that are useful to him.
At this moment, he was staring at the topic about "Ruyi Talisman" and fell into deep thought.
"I'm afraid only liars would learn this useless talisman that can turn stone into gold..." Shen Qiu frowned and cursed in his mind.
As a scion of the richest family in Da Qi, Shen Qiu would never take the time to look at such talismans and seals.
I didn't expect that it would appear in today's assessment.
Moreover, according to the mechanism of this white paper, if he does not answer this question, he will not be able to enter the next question.
"Oh, it seems I can only make it up." Shen Qiu sighed.
He wanted to swear, but he thought that the question might have come from a saint, so he tried to restrain the urge.
At the same time, he wrote randomly: "The function of 'Ruyi Talisman' is to 'turn stone into gold', and the materials needed are stone, brass, gold paint, cinnabar, flour..."
After he finished writing, the paper glowed with a faint red light.
The number in the upper right corner changed from "three" to "two", and the color changed from light gold back to deep red, which was particularly dazzling like blood.
Shen Qiu stared at this number and was stunned for two seconds.
"Points will be deducted for wrong answers? Is it so harsh?" He couldn't help complaining in his heart again, and at the same time kicked the table leg hard.
…………
Zhao Xinran’s answering process was not so smooth either.
Although she is a long-established Talisman Master in Luo Jing City, just like Gu Xu, she relies more on her own feelings when drawing Talisman and almost no longer follows these specific processes.
If you don't use it for a long time, it will naturally become rusty.
Because of this, when she encounters particularly detailed or unfamiliar questions, she needs to spend a lot of time trying to search for some long-standing memories in her mind.
…………
While the four of them were answering the questions, the Imperial Master, Dean Li, and two teachers from Longmen Academy who were good at Fu Dao stood under the eaves outside the door, watching the four of them through the window.
At this time, the rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the sky was getting darker and darker.
The bright light in the house shone through the windows, dyeing their faces golden.
Two teachers from Longmen Academy, one named Fu Chengzhi, had squinty eyes and a big belly - he was the teacher of Jia Xiuguang, who was defeated by Shi Xiaohan with one move on the Lantern Festival.
The other one is named Du Yuan. He is tall and thin with sparse hair and looks like a bamboo pole.
"Mo Li seems to be at ease!" Fu Chengzhi commented.
He knew the relationship between Mo Li and Dean Li, and he also knew that Dean Li really hoped that Mo Li could become today's winner.
So, when he saw Mo Li sitting at his desk writing, he praised him without hesitation.
Because he believed that Dean Li would like to hear such words.
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