Chapter 18: In Full Swing
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In the year 3210 of the Liang Calendar, on the morning of June 21st, the Task Hall of the Tongtian Sect's Wuyue branch saw an addition of over a dozen requests for Muscle Relaxation Talismans.
At the same time, the only person in the world who could create Muscle Relaxation Talismans was resting with his eyes closed in Cao Wang's rental.
The living room of Cao Wang's apartment had been specifically cleared out.
The cluttered tables, chairs, and coffee tables were piled up to one side.
In the center of the living room stood a table and chair, with a meditation cushion placed beside it.
The table was covered with tools used for drawing talismans, while around the cushion were strewn various supplements for restoring spiritual energy and spiritual power.
Starting from yesterday, Jiang Cheng had stayed at Cao Wang's home, except for when he was sleeping.
For the past thirty hours or so, he had been doing only two things: drawing talismans and meditating to recover.
Previously, Jiang Cheng could produce at most two Muscle Relaxation Talismans a day.
But under the fervent financial offensive of those seeking talismans, Jiang Cheng decided to challenge his limits and began creating talismans around the clock.
With the assistance of costly supplements, Jiang Cheng had managed to double his efficiency in producing Muscle Relaxation Talismans!
He went from making two Muscle Relaxation Talismans per day to producing four!
Based on the current average listing price in the Task Hall, each Muscle Relaxation Talisman was worth three hundred Spirit Stones.
Jiang Cheng could earn up to twelve hundred low-grade Spirit Stones a day!
Of course, that was just turnover.
The actual profit wasn't that much; for example, the supplements were expensive, and since Cao Wang was running errands for Jiang Cheng, he had to share a portion of the earnings with Cao Wang.
Even so, the daily revenue was still very substantial.
If the current trend continued, Jiang Cheng only needed to persist for half a month more to collect enough money to purchase a house.
As noon approached, Cao Wang came home carrying two boxes of takeout.
It was June, the height of hot weather, and since Cao Wang had been delivering goods all morning, he was completely drenched in sweat when he returned.
"Jiang, I've accepted the new tasks posted in the Task Hall for you, as well as the materials you mentioned for drawing talismans. Oh right, for lunch, we have rice with toppings. There's one with minced pork and eggplant and another with shredded pork in garlic sauce. Which one do you want?"
"Minced pork and eggplant," Jiang Cheng said.
Jiang Cheng paused his meditation, took the takeout from Cao Wang's hands, and placed them on the dining table in the kitchen.
"He mentioned that tasks can be accepted on behalf of others but the rewards must be collected personally. You'll have to pick them up when you're free."
Cao Wang sat down at the table and began to devour his food.
Running errands, accepting tasks, and buying talisman-making tools kept Cao Wang on his feet all morning without a moment's rest.
This was the first time Cao Wang had worked a job to earn money since he was young. Although it was indeed exhausting, he found it exciting.
Jiang Cheng acknowledged his point, then quickly joined Cao Wang for the meal. Time was of the essence, and he had to cut down his eating time as much as possible.
After eating, Cao Wang said to Jiang Cheng, "Jiang, I think we need to find another person."
Jiang Cheng asked with curiosity, "Can't you keep up with the running anymore?"
"It's not that," Cao Wang said, scratching his head and looking a bit embarrassed. "You know how I fare with my studies. Once the college entrance exam results are out in a few days, my dad will likely drag me away for a scolding, and it's almost certain that I will have to retake the exam next year, so I'm not sure how much longer I can help you."
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Cheng considered that Cao Wang was not short of money and was merely selling talismans for the experience. Given that Cao Wang would probably have to attend a college entrance examination re-study program and wouldn't have much free time, it was indeed necessary to hire someone soon to help with purchasing and delivering talismans.
"I understand. I'll go talk to He tonight and ask for her help in looking for someone," Jiang Cheng said.
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After Huang Wutong's practical exam ended, the entire Tianheng Sword Cultivation Academy was enshrouded in immense terror.
Huang Wutong was somewhat famous in the Tianheng Sword Cultivation Academy.
Being open-handed was one aspect, but on the other, this fellow had imperfect spiritual roots, consistently ranking at the bottom of every class, failing every subject.
While others were enjoying a leisurely academy life, Huang Wutong spent every day wracking his brain, seeking to ingratiate himself with stronger classmates to help him pass his exams.
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So essentially, many students with decent grades in the academy were aware of Huang Wutong's existence, and a considerable number had even helped him.
In their eyes, Huang Wutong was just a slacker in the academy, looking only to scrape through and get his diploma.
It wasn't so much disdain, but there probably wasn't a student who truly respected Huang Wutong's academic achievements.
That was until the 19th, the first morning of the practical skills assessment, when Huang Wutong took the top spot in the academy's combat assessment rankings—for a whole day!
Many began to sense that something was off.
On the morning of the 20th, another student, who typically went unnoticed and often ranked at the bottom of his class, broke Huang Wutong's previous record with a time of 15 minutes and 11 seconds.
By the afternoon of the 20th, this record was surpassed once again, first by a time of 14 minutes and 50 seconds, and then by 12 minutes and 1 second.
And the students who set these new records were still those who were usually jokingly referred to as the "tail-enders."
They were once on the verge of failing to graduate, but now they began to surpass many top-ranking "good students," not only set to graduate but also potentially finishing at the top of their class!
Some of the less scrupulous students even publicly gloated over those who had looked down on them before.
"Hahaha, times have changed, man! Who needs that outdated swordsmanship? With just one Muscle Relaxation Talisman, I can beat you till you call me daddy!"
The humiliated students, watching their high-ranking graduation scores, were seething with anger but dared not speak out.
Of course, among them were skeptics.
A few had secretly informed their counselors about the existence of the "Muscle Relaxation Talisman," hoping the academy would crack down on such "heaven-defying" talismans.
What the hell, just buy a talisman and easily graduate? Then what was the point in their past studies?
Such "heaven-defying" talismans had to be considered "cheating," right?
One talisman couldn't possibly be both incredibly effective and fully legal and compliant, could it?
It had to be against the rules!
Now they just awaited the righteous strike from the academy, to annul all the grades obtained with illicit talismans!
To restore the Tianheng Sword Cultivation Academy to its former clarity and order!
To give back fairness and justice to the many students of the academy!
It must be said that the response speed of Tianheng Sword Cultivation Academy was rather rapid.
On the very night many students reported the issue, all five examination arenas were equipped with high-tech spiritual energy detection devices.
These detection devices, combined with the expertise of the Equipment Refining Department's teachers, formed a powerful alliance.
The moment they discovered a student carrying illegal items beyond the examination rules,
they would immediately apprehend them on the spot!
Declare them as failing the exam!
To serve as a warning to others!
However, on the morning of the 21st, all student-held items were deemed compliant.
Moreover, the previous day's leading score of 12 minutes and 1 second was refreshed by a new record of 11 minutes and 11 seconds.
By then, several examining teachers had begun to feel something was amiss.
They often found themselves struck by a strange Healing Talisman and would instantly start cramping all over their bodies. And this kind of cramp couldn't be resolved by the usual Qi Cultivation Stage spells—it was downright bizarre.
Unable to move, they would then be taken down by a swift kick from a student, ending the assessment.
Teachers had many more connections than students.
The moment they sensed something was wrong, they immediately sought out colleagues who were adept at drawing talismans.
The result was predictable:
"A Healing Talisman that paralyzes the whole body, causing cramps? Impossible! There's no such talisman! I'm Lu Benwei, a second-order Talisman Master—why would I lie to you? If you can find me one such Healing Talisman today, that causes full-body cramps, I'll... eat my second-order Talisman Master Certificate right here and now!"