Cultivating Immortality Through a Hundred Lifetimes: I Possess the Heavenly Book of Merit

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Not long after, Daoist Qinglu arrived in the air on his flying sword and gestured for everyone to take out their identity jade tokens.

"My Yuanfu Peak has a long history. It was established as early as the time of the second sect leader. In order to select people with talent in the way of talismans, the tower behind me was specially built."

"Over the years, countless predecessors have entered it, won honors, and advanced to the inner sect."

"Today, you too will have to go through this ordeal!"

His voice gradually rose, and he formed a hand seal, sending a beam of spiritual light into the nine-story tower.

As Yu Yan slowly walked through the stone gate, the ground shook. He felt a warmth in his hand; it was the jade tablet emitting a faint light.

"The assessment trial has nine levels; today we will proceed to the first level."

The Taoist priest Qinglu glanced over and solemnly said:

"Those who pass can then enter the second level, and upon reaching the ninth level, they can be promoted to inner disciple."

Nine floors?

Many disciples looked up at the towering tower in the sky; the ninth floor was hidden in the clouds and could not be seen clearly.

Is there really a chance to get there?

Some people with weak wills are wavering at this moment.

But Qinglu Daoist didn't give them a chance to adjust their mindset; he simply said loudly:

"Disciples, enter the tower!"

Yu Yan took a deep breath and slowly followed the crowd.

He turned his head slightly, only to find that Qi Hao had also shifted his gaze, and he couldn't help but frown.

Is the other person observing me?

Why?

Or am I just being overly sensitive?

Furthermore, Yu Yan had noticed before that Qi Hao seemed unusually composed today. Although the two hadn't interacted much, Yu Yan knew that Qi Hao usually walked with his head held high, looking completely arrogant.

Now that he can walk normally, it feels somewhat abnormal to him.

"Perhaps his mindset has changed after failing to secure a spot in the secret realm."

"Focus your energy, forget about everyone else, and concentrate on this assessment."

Although that's what he thought, Yu Yan still secretly kept a watchful eye on things.

Upon entering the tower from the outside, the bright light is blocked out, and a thick darkness comes rushing in, making it impossible to see anything inside.

Rumbling--

Behind them, the stone door closed, plunging the area into complete darkness.

Even though they were cultivators with extraordinary eyesight, it was still pitch black at this moment.

"The first level is very simple."

The voice of the Taoist Qinglu rang out, initially coming from above, then seemingly from all directions, echoing continuously.

"Whether you are a cultivator or a mortal, people rely heavily on the vision provided by your eyes, as it brings you peace of mind and security."

"But now, the Spirit Talisman Tower has taken away your vision, and within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, you need to draw your best talisman. There are no distinctions in rank, only in quality. Those who produce a finished product or better will pass."

After he finished speaking, the tower fell silent once again.

Someone tried to activate the illumination symbol.

However, there was only a fluctuation of spiritual energy, but no light was visible.

"Since there's a spiritual reaction, it means the talisman has indeed been activated, but its spiritual light has been stripped away by this tower."

Yu Yan recalled the layout of the tower before the stone gate closed, went to a corner, took out a talisman pen and talisman paper, and analyzed the current situation.

In other words, we need to draw the talisman without being able to see it at all.

Even if a talisman is drawn, without a spiritual source for comparison, no one knows the quality of their own talisman, nor the quality of others' talismans.

"Not to mention, in such an environment, with a time limit, those with weak wills are likely to easily cause trouble."

Just in case, Yu Yan quietly set up a perimeter, placing the prepared explosive talismans and wind-traveling talismans within easy reach before pressing them onto the talisman paper and beginning to confirm the position of the talisman heads.

Actually, Yu Yan had another question.

All the disciples participating in the assessment carried a storage bag with them. If they really couldn't draw it, would they use the talismans in the storage bag to count?

Does this count as cheating?

Yu Yan shook his head, deciding to put those thoughts aside for the time being.

It doesn't matter what others do, as long as you follow the rules.

He decided to draw what he was best at, and what he started to work with first—the Wind Rune.

The Taoist Master Qinglu has already explained the rules: we don't look at rank, we only look at quality. So, naturally, we should choose the simplest option and the one we are most confident in.

The first talisman most disciples of Yuanfu Peak encounter is the Wind Travel Talisman, and I believe many would make the same choice as Yu Yan.

After finishing a calming incantation, Yu Yan had just picked up the talisman brush when he heard a sudden "poof" sound not far away, followed by the faint sound of the talisman paper being burned to ashes by the flames.

"The detonation tag—someone acted quickly and tried, but failed on the first attempt."

Unaffected, Yu Yan continued writing.

As time went by, the sound of various talismans being destroyed could be heard from time to time in the silent space, and more and more people's breathing gradually became rapid.

There was no time reminder, only boundless darkness. Nothing could be seen except the talisman burning once again.

They were extremely anxious, but the more anxious they were, the faster failure came knocking.

Just as Yu Yan finished drawing the first talisman, someone suddenly shouted from the darkness.

"Does anyone have any leftover cinnabar? I've run out. Once this matter is settled, I will reward you handsomely!"

This assessment is crucial for the promotion of inner disciples, so everyone must have been well-prepared. However, in such an environment, mistakes are more likely to occur, and it's normal that the cinnabar they brought wouldn't be enough.

Yu Yan checked the remaining cinnabar in his hand.

He always prepares for the worst.

Even if you painted here for three days and three nights, you still wouldn't have used it all.

Logically speaking, as a competitor, I shouldn't help him, but I can't help it, it's all for the sake of good deeds, and it won't have any impact anyway.

Yu Yan manipulated the spiritual silk to change its position and silently threw a portion of cinnabar over.

There was no response from the other side, but the merit points in the Heavenly Book increased by four.

Yu Yan nodded in satisfaction, took a short breath, and prepared to draw another one to see how he fared this time.

After studying Tao'an Daoist's talisman book, Yu Yan finally understood why, even with his current level of comprehension, he found it difficult to learn a mid-grade first-level talisman.

That's because he hasn't fully grasped the basic talismans yet. It's like a newborn child trying to run before learning to walk; he's taking too big a step.

At first, all the basic talismans I drew were defective. Later, as the number of finished products increased, I finally realized a few days ago that as long as I drew them, they would be stable finished products, and when I was in a good state, I could even draw exquisite ones.

"The first level of the assessment wasn't difficult for me; trying the premium level would be fine too."

With these thoughts surging within him, Yu Yan began to write again.

……

In another space within the Spirit Talisman Tower, several image-recording talismans floated in the air, displaying the situation of everyone inside the tower.

Seeing Yu Yan's helpful actions, Daoist Qinglu smiled.

"This Yu Yan, a few years ago, gave up joining the immortal sect for the sake of a friend with whom he had a life-or-death bond. Three years have passed, and the child has grown into a teenager, but unexpectedly, his original intention remains unchanged. Not bad."

Wei Jing stood beside him and snorted in dissatisfaction.

"This is an assessment. Everyone else is an enemy. How can you support the enemy?"

"After all, we're from the same sect."

"What fellow disciples? I think he's under too little pressure. This assessment is no challenge for him at all."

Upon hearing Wei Jing's words, Qinglu Daoist revealed a very strange smile.

"Is that so? But the assessment isn't over yet. Judging from the condition of the disciples inside the tower, some of them probably won't be able to hold on much longer."