WBICDPH Chapter 46

Chapter 46 — Caught Between Two Sides

Moyuzi, Liu Xun, and San Zongyu stood in front of the monitoring spirit mirror, all wearing the same stunned expression.

Moyuzi stared at the sixth-rank Wind-Sharing Talisman his disciple had drawn so effortlessly. After a long moment, he slowly closed his gaping mouth and smacked his lips.

“So… talisman cultivators have it this easy?”

That remark hit Liu Xun right in the heart.

“Easy? Easy?! How did that brat do it? How?! I don’t believe it! That was a sixth-rank talisman! He drew it with a split-tip junk brush?!”

“Now, now, Sister Liu Xun—here’s your fan.” Zheyu, enjoying the show, casually used spiritual power to pick up her fallen round fan.

If he hadn’t spoken, Liu Xun might have forgotten he was even there. She snatched the fan and stormed up to him.

“You tell me—what’s that brat’s background?”

“Background? No idea,” Zheyu said innocently, taking another sip from his wine flask. He wiped his lips with his sleeve, hiding a faint smile.

What background? Just the Jade-Heart Saint Body.

Ordinary talisman cultivators had to rely on intense focus, their own spiritual power, and a proper tool to embed spells into every brushstroke. But someone with the Jade-Heart Saint Body could directly draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Even with sloppy strokes and a terrible brush, his success rate would far exceed that of normal cultivators. And since that power wasn’t limited by his own cultivation level, if he truly grasped the essence of talismans someday, even legendary divine-grade talismans might not be beyond his reach.

The kid had both talent and luck. Zheyu had only just revealed the secret of his physique, and the boy had already stumbled into the path best suited for him. Maybe the trouble he’d caused today wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

“No—he just got lucky. I refuse to believe it!” Liu Xun muttered, returning to the mirror.

What she saw next nearly made her cough up blood.

Lin Jin flipped through every talisman manual on the table.

But he wasn’t searching for the easiest ones…

He was looking for the prettiest designs.

Prettiest.

To Liu Xun, that was pure humiliation—an insult to her and to the entire talisman path.

She waited eagerly for him to make a mistake, to see a failed talisman crumble into ash. She had never wanted to see failure so badly. But after watching for ages, she saw no ash at all—only repeated flashes of golden light marking successful talismans.

Every disciple who had ever entered this trial realm had struggled endlessly, sweating and straining until exhaustion forced them to set down their brushes. Yet Lin Jin treated the talisman realm like a vegetable market, casually picking which talisman to “favor.” When he got tired, he simply closed the book and fell asleep on the floor.

Liu Xun’s vision went dark.

Inside the Trial Realm

Lin Jin never expected being a talisman cultivator to be this easy—or this fun.

All he had to do was copy the diagrams line for line. Each one took only minutes, and once finished, he could even sell them at the market for money. It was perfect.

If talisman cultivation was this relaxed, why did everyone fight to become martial cultivators instead? Just because swords looked cool?

Shallow!

Life in the talisman realm was comfortable. He drew talismans, read novels when he got tired, napped, and then continued his “punishment,” which barely felt like punishment at all.

Not every attempt succeeded—sometimes a talisman would mysteriously burn to ash—but it was rare and didn’t bother him much. Probably just a small mistake in a stroke.

He completed nearly all three hundred required talismans in just two days. He didn’t know their exact ranks, but the die kept count, and that had to be accurate.

When he reached the 299th talisman, though, he hesitated.

He had only been in the realm a little over two days. Technically, finishing all three hundred would let him leave—but his punishment was supposed to last three full days. If he left early, wouldn’t Elder Liu Xun think he hadn’t taken it seriously and get angry?

Just imagining her fury made him shudder.

So he decided to stay the full three days.

He set down his brush before drawing the final talisman, pushed the table aside, lay on the floor, and read a storybook while snacking on sunflower seeds and laughing to himself. He had no idea everyone outside was watching. Only when the third day was nearly up did he lazily sketch the last talisman.

The eight-sided die verified his completion and transported him out of the trial realm.

Back at the entrance platform, Hua Nanzhi sat on the steps with her saber, deep in thought. She looked like she’d been through a disaster—smoke rising from her body, hair a mess, red clothes burned and torn.

Lin Jin almost didn’t recognize her.

“Hey!” he called after staring for a while.

She jumped. “What’s wrong with you? Sneaking up without making a sound?!”

Then she looked him up and down, frowning. “Wait… why do you look so relaxed? Is the beast-taming trial really that easy?”

“…Uh…” Lin Jin scratched his head. “I didn’t go to the beast-taming realm.”

“You didn’t choose beast-taming?!” she gasped. “Are you insane? Then where did you go?”

“…Talisman path,” he admitted quietly.

“…Are you sick?” she asked flatly.

Seeing her miserable state made him feel guilty. “I couldn’t finish the beast-taming task, so I visited almost every realm except formations. In the end, the talisman realm felt easiest… so I stayed.”

“No way,” she said, rising with her saber. “What did you even do there?”

“Nothing much. Just drew three hundred talismans.”

“Three… hundred…?” She burst into laughter, then suddenly stared at him with tears in her eyes. “You’re joking, right?”

“No. I really drew three hundred—otherwise, why would I be out here?”

“You think drawing talismans is easy?”

“Yeah,” he said honestly. “You just copy a few lines…”

Hua Nanzhi grabbed his collar and shook him. “Do you know why talismans are so expensive? Because there are so few! And why so few? Because talisman cultivators are rare! And why are they rare? Because it’s hard! And you—a beast tamer who’s never studied talismans—drew three hundred in three days?!”

She looked half-mad. “Lin Jin, you’re a talisman genius?! Why you?! I’m going to tell every talisman cultivator and let them bite you to death!”

Her own failures hurt—but his success hurt more. She’d waited outside to brag about finishing early, only to receive this devastating news.

“I should’ve let lightning strike you instead of helping you!” she wailed.

“Ahem.”

San Zongyu appeared and cleared his throat, interrupting her meltdown. After cleaning her up with a simple spell, he said gently, “You must be tired after three days. Go rest.”

She left without another word—then suddenly broke into a run, sobbing as she disappeared.
“Lin Jin—you jerk—I hate you!!!”

Lin Jin felt even worse.

He had truly believed talismans were as simple as drawing pictures. But if they were so difficult, why had he found them easy?

Only one answer came to mind—the Jade-Heart Saint Body.

He wanted to find Zheyu immediately for answers, but San Zongyu stopped him.

“I’m afraid you can’t leave yet. You need to come with me to the Qingyu Platform.”

Lin Jin already knew why. Last time he’d been taken there, Moyuzi and Liu Xun had fought over taking him as a disciple. After his performance in the trial realm, it was bound to happen again.

Sure enough, when he arrived, the two elders were already arguing.

“He roasted my Flamecloud Sparrow—I can overlook that. But he must become my direct disciple!”

“No! He’s my student!”

“He has undeniable talent in talismans—are you still going to fight me for him?”

“He’s already joined my sect and called me Master for months—why should you take him halfway through?”

“He has zero beast affinity! He can’t even get close to Cotton Beasts—he’ll never be a beast tamer!”

“I don’t care! I’ll still protect him and take care of him!”

Moyuzi’s voice thundered louder than Liu Xun’s. “Even if he can’t inherit my path, he’s still my kid! I’ve never had a disciple before—just this one—and you want to steal him away!”

Lin Jin arrived just in time to hear that. His emotions tangled inside him as he looked at the old man.

Liu Xun, shaking with anger, pointed at Lin Jin. “He’s only eighteen! He has a bright future! Are you going to trap him in your little courtyard, raising chickens and cooking forever just because of your stubborn attachment?”

Moyuzi fell silent. After a long pause, his eyes reddened. He sighed heavily and turned away without another word.

Liu Xun stepped forward and addressed Lin Jin.

“You’ve never studied talismans, yet you produced a sixth-rank talisman on your first try. I’ve never seen talent like yours—not in history. I must take you as my disciple. You can’t be a beast tamer; you know that yourself. Join me, and I will teach you everything I know. Pack your things today and come to Dongli. From now on, you’ll be my only direct disciple.”

Lin Jin didn’t need much thought to know which path suited him best. But choices weren’t made on logic alone.

He looked again at Moyuzi’s hunched back. Though they’d only known each other two months, the old man had treated him like family—protecting him no matter what. That kind of unconditional affection was rare. And he didn’t want to lose it.

Just then, Zheyu’s lazy voice cut in.

“Why so dramatic? Our mountain never said a disciple can only have one master.”

“…What?” Liu Xun frowned.

“Perfect—he’ll be the first example,” Zheyu said with a grin. “He keeps living in Nangan and calling Old Fish ‘Master.’ He studies beast lore there. And he studies talismans under you in Dongli. Everyone wins—you both get a disciple, and the kid gets two masters. Beautiful, right?”