Why are the Talismans I Drawn Banned Again?!

Chapter 177: Chapter 173: You Can’t Just Say Anything!

The Self-Enhancement Talisman could be quickly certified by the Linlan Sect due to the unspoken rules within the Immortal Sect Talisman Master Association.

As is well-known, within the borders of the Liang Kingdom, it has always been the traditional sphere of influence of the Tongtian Sect.

Having operated in the Liang Kingdom for many years, whether in terms of influence, recognition, or public reputation, the Tongtian Sect far surpasses other Immortal Sects.

Under such circumstances, other Immortal Sects wanting to get a share of the Liang Kingdom market have had to find alternative paths, resorting to various tricks.

The Taixu Sect keeps things relatively simple; they founded Qinghe Xuanran University and rely solely on the appeal of their teaching staff’s looks and the Taixu Sect’s reputation as “the number one fairyland in the world” to attract a large number of enthusiasts.

Of course, the fundamental reason the Taixu Sect could gain a foothold in the Liang Kingdom is that their core competitiveness is strong enough.

After years of operation, the Taixu Sect’s understanding and achievements in female-oriented and Yin-soft cultivation techniques far exceed those of other Immortal Sects. Therefore, as long as Qingxuan University conducts normal teaching, they do not worry about attracting students.

Compared to the Taixu Sect, the Linlan Sect has a harder time.

When compared to the Tongtian Sect, the Linlan Sect does not have an outstanding specialty like the Taixu Sect, so they have to rely on actual strength to snatch up resources right from the jaws of the Tongtian Sect.

Take the Talisman Master Association, for example.

If the Tongtian Sect Talisman Master Association requires a week to pass the certification, then the Linlan Sect Talisman Master Association, in order to snatch practitioners from them, often only takes three days to achieve certification.

Even though the Tongtian Sect Talisman Master Association has greater influence, there will always be some impetuous Talisman Masters who, unable to wait a few days, choose the Linlan Sect Talisman Master Association.

In this way, the Linlan Sect Talisman Master Association can smoothly siphon off quite a number of Talisman Masters from the Tongtian Sect.

Over time, the Linlan Sect has, like the Taixu Sect, established a firm foothold in the Liang Kingdom.

As for the moves by the Taixu Sect and the Linlan Sect, the Tongtian Sect is aware but does not interfere much.

The reason is that if you leave them be, they will continue to nibble away on a small scale, which won’t cause significant damage in the short term. If you intervene, it’s tantamount to bringing the competition between Immortal Sects into the spotlight, likely exacerbating tensions and leading to a situation where both sides suffer losses.

In the end, it would benefit the onlookers who stand by and watch the drama unfold.

The example Master Jiang just gave about the speed of Talisman certification actually brought the covert competition within the Immortal Sects into the glaring light.

And he implied with a hint that the issue with the Self-Enhancement Talisman wasn’t due to anything else but the fact that the Linlan Sect Talisman Master Association, in competition with their counterparts from the Tongtian Sect, intentionally loosened their scrutiny and simplified procedures, which ultimately led to the negligence that caused the incident.

All the fourth-level Talisman Masters present were shrewd individuals; they certainly could read between the lines of Master Jiang’s implication.

Gao Miao and Guo Xiuyuan, the two fourth-level Talisman Masters from the Tongtian Sect, were visibly pleased at the moment.

They thought to themselves: Elder Zeng, do you think the Tongtian Sect Talisman Master Association intentionally delays the certification of the Autonomy Talisman? It’s all because Master Jiang’s blame-shifting skills have reached the Mahayana level. Whoever dares to approve his talismans will end up taking the blame for him.

On one hand, Gao and Guo were relieved that they had been cautious at the start and had not casually approved the Autonomy Talisman. On the other, they reveled in Schadenfreude, seeing that although Master Jiang was associated with the Tongtian Sect’s influence, it did not prevent him from bringing a significant impact with his Jiang-style Talismans on the Linlan Sect’s peers.

Li Qingge from the Taixu Sect looked amused. She had been watching the drama unfold from the start, and regardless of who ended up embarrassed or at a loss, the Taixu Sect would be pleased to see it.

Zeng Shi’an’s expression was solemn. As a Core Formation Cultivator and the President of the Association, he did not falter due to Master Jiang’s provocation.

Directly addressing the opponent’s challenge is often the most foolish choice.

Because no matter how perfect your answers and explanations are, the mere act of responding means handing over the control of the conversation.

Zeng Shi’an countered directly, “Master Jiang, your doubts are irrelevant to the issue we are discussing. What we need to determine now is whether your Autonomy Talisman poses any uncontrollable risks and how much responsibility you should bear for these risks.”

Cui Zhifei, standing next to Master Jiang, was already sweating profusely.

Zeng Shi’an’s question was utterly unreasonable.

Because theoretically, any Talisman can carry the risk of losing control; it’s just a matter of degree.

If Master Jiang stubbornly denies any risk associated with the Autonomy Talisman, he will face an endless stream of hypotheticals from Zeng Shi’an, ultimately being forced to acknowledge the existence of risk.

If Jiang Cheng admitted that the Autonomy Talisman indeed posed risks, he would automatically be implicated in the stage of apportioning blame.

In other words, under the current context set by Zeng Shi’an, Jiang Cheng was sure to take the fall!

Cui Zhifei couldn’t help but look at Guo Xiuyuan and Gao Miao, thinking to himself that the two of you should play some role! Jiang Cheng may be the scapegoat, but as a university student, he alone can’t solve the problem—ultimately the blame would still fall on the Tongtian Sect!

Seeing Jiang Cheng remain silent, Zeng Shi’an revealed a smile as if everything was already decided.

Digging up the imperial mausoleum was indeed a grave matter; if Linlan Sect were to bear it alone, it would inevitably cause serious harm. However, if they could drag the Tongtian Sect into the mess, then even serious harm might be acceptable.

“Jiang Cheng, all you need to do is answer whether your talisman contains risks. Yes or no, it’s that simple.”

Seeing that Jiang Cheng didn’t respond, Zeng Shi’an spoke again, “If you don’t speak up, I will take your silence as an admission that there are risks.”

Pushed into a corner like this, Jiang Cheng finally spoke up.

“Elder Zeng, I’ve carefully recalled just now, and I realized that all talismans do indeed carry varying degrees of risk. There isn’t a single talisman that is completely safe and reliable, which is a consensus in the industry, isn’t it?”

Zeng Shi’an furrowed his brows, “What are you trying to say?”

“Elder Zeng, you are a fourth-level Talisman Master, right?”

The frown on Zeng Shi’an’s face deepened, “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Jiang Cheng let out an enlightened smile, “Since you are so curious, I will speak plainly.”

In front of the four fourth-level Talisman Masters, Jiang Cheng straightened his attire and confidently said, “I suspect that your level as a fourth-level Talisman Master might be somewhat exaggerated.”

As soon as Jiang Cheng said this, everyone in the room instantly widened their eyes.

Cui Zhifei secretly tugged at the corner of Jiang Cheng’s clothes and whispered, “Jiang Cheng, you really shouldn’t be saying this kind of thing willy-nilly!”

Jiang Cheng confidently retorted, “I’m not speaking without basis. I have evidence.”

Cui Zhifei became even more astonished, “Where the hell did you get evidence from?”

“The risk inherent in talismans is industry consensus, but Elder Zeng kept questioning me about the risks. I don’t think Elder Zeng would go so far as to target me, an innocent junior, therefore, it proves that Elder Zeng is really not clear about the consensus. That’s why you keep asking.

“Elder Zeng is a fourth-level Talisman Master who is unclear about the consensus. Therefore, I suspect there might be a mismatch between your level and your status.”

Hearing this, the President of the Tongtian Sect’s Talisman Master Association, Gao Miao, finally showed a look of realization and relief.

Before, when Zeng Shi’an was giving Jiang Cheng a chance to choose risk, it seemed like a choice was offered, but in reality, there was no choice—forcing Jiang Cheng into a trap to admit there were risks and then to take the blame.

But Jiang Cheng was quickly prepared to counter-attack, using a matter of common understanding to question Zeng Shi’an’s level. He also set a trap for Zeng Shi’an to choose between two options.

Either deny knowing the consensus and admit targeting Jiang Cheng, in which case, once you admit the targeting, Jiang Cheng, being targeted, naturally wouldn’t carry the blame.

Or admit ignorance of the consensus and deny targeting Jiang Cheng, in which case, if you’re ignorant of the consensus, then there’s definitely a question of competence, and Jiang Cheng would remain blameless.

Gao Miao thought to himself, Today I really saw why this kid could walk away unscathed from the Fishing Talisman incident.

If anyone wanted to hold him accountable, they needed to be prepared to have the tables turned on them!

This kid is just too ruthless!

Zeng Shi’an initially planned to share the blame with Jiang Cheng, but as it turned out, while trying to pass the blame, he might end up unable to safeguard his own position as a fourth-level Talisman Master and president!

Gao Miao had been ready to step in and smooth things over, as it wasn’t decent to let President Zeng be humiliated, right?

Who knew that Jiang Cheng’s abilities were yet to be fully unleashed!

Jiang Cheng skillfully took out a Memory Sphere.