Chapter 2: Mistakes (Part 2)

Hu Chengzhong, a great beast talisman master; Qi Zirong, a great beast spellcaster; Xiong Ba and Xiong Pi, both great beast martial artists; and Bai Zhan, another great beast martial artist. Among them, Xiong Ba and Xiong Pi are brothers and followers of Qi Zirong. The person with the highest prestige in the West Talisman Sect is undoubtedly Qi Zirong, whose formidable strength makes him one of the top fighters in the sect.

There are also the heads of various departments in the West Talisman Sect, most of whom are beast spellcasters or beast talisman masters. Everyone stepped forward to greet one another. Luo Jie knew Hu Chengzhong; the two had interacted before and could be considered friends. Hu Chengzhong held a prominent position in the West Talisman Sect—he was an expert in crafting talismans and the main person in charge of receiving guests from the North Talisman Sect this time.

Seeing him, Luo Jie couldn’t help but smile. The wrinkles on this man’s face were no less than his own. He said with a smile, “Younger brother Hu, do you still remember me?”

“Younger brother Hu?”

Hu Chengzhong looked at Luo Jie in surprise and asked, “Who are you…”

Luo Jie replied cheerfully, “Ah, as one gets older, memory fades. I’m Luo Jie from the North Talisman Sect!” He was quite proud inside.

Hu Chengzhong’s expression changed slightly. “Luo Jie? You’re Luo Jie? Impossible!” Of course, he didn’t believe it. Luo Jie was older than him and looked much older—how could it be him?

Qian Ziwang said, “Elder Hu, this is indeed Brother Luo. Hehe.”

Hu Chengzhong exclaimed in astonishment, “Old Luo, how did you do this? Teach me too… so I can look younger too!”

Luo Jie laughed and said, “It just happened by accident. I don’t know how either.” It was true—he had indeed become like this after just sleeping.

Hu Chengzhong pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “Could it be that I’ve advanced? That’s impossible. I’ve never heard of a master advancing.”

Luo Jie said, “Younger brother Hu, this is my disciple… the talisman spellcaster Guo Shier.”

This shock was even greater. Hu Chengzhong’s eyes widened. As a master-level figure, he knew Luo Jie wasn’t lying. But the talisman spellcaster before him was actually a child. When had children ever been able to advance to the level of talisman spellcasters? He felt his mind struggling to process it. “You… your disciple? A talisman spellcaster? Kid, how old are you?”

His words caught the attention of those around them. Qi Zirong, a great beast spellcaster, asked, “Elder Hu, what’s wrong?” He came over with two of his master-level followers. He brought the Xiong Ba brothers along because he wanted to show off—few people could have two master-level followers.

Hu Chengzhong said, “Zirong, let me introduce you. This is Luo Jie, the great talisman master of the Northern Talisman Sect, Brother Luo. We were talking about his disciple, who turns out to be a talisman master as well.”
Qi Zirong replied in surprise, “What’s so strange about that? It’s normal for a great talisman master’s disciple to be a talisman master.”
Hu Chengzhong continued, “It’s him! Guo Shier, a talisman master, Brother Luo’s disciple! By the way, how old are you?”
Guo Shier’s clear childlike voice answered, “Nine years old. I’ll be ten soon!” He knew his master was showing off, so he played along.
“Nine years old?”
The people from the Western Talisman Sect were in shock. A nine-year-old talisman master—such a rare thing had never been seen before. Qi Zirong exclaimed in astonishment, “That can’t be possible… Uh, he really is a talisman master.” He had his own methods of identification, so this couldn’t be hidden from him. He could even tell that Guo Shier was already at a level close to that of a master, which filled him with even greater shock.
Hu Chengzhong felt dizzy. He forced himself to stay calm and smiled, “The Northern Talisman Sect is indeed remarkable, having such talented successors. Hehe, they must have followers, right?”
Guo Shier nodded and said, “Grandpa Hu, let me introduce them. These are my followers… Great Talisman Warrior Luo Zhan, Great Talisman Warrior Eagle Demon, Talisman Warrior Huo Bao, Talisman Warrior Hong Shi, Talisman Warrior Chen Bing, and Talisman Warrior Chen Hong.”
Everyone was shocked again. A nine-year-old talisman master with two great talisman warriors as followers—this was utterly bizarre. Looking at those four children, who were clearly apprentices of talisman warriors who had grown up together, they had also advanced to the rank of talisman warriors. All common sense was overturned.
Qi Zirong, who had initially intended to show off, was instead defeated by Guo Shier. For years, the Western Talisman Sect and the Northern Talisman Sect had been in constant conflict, never stopping. This time, Guo Shier had silenced them.
Not only were the people from the Western Talisman Sect surprised, but even Qian Ziwang found it unbelievable. He knew Luo Zhan—he was the family’s talisman warrior of the Luo family. In less than a year, he had advanced to a great talisman warrior and miraculously become one of Guo Shier’s followers. His mind was in chaos as well.
No one dared to underestimate Guo Shier anymore. With two great talisman warriors following him, he was already at the top of this world. Even if he hadn’t yet advanced to a master, his status was no less than that of a master.

Then Qi Zirong introduced his followers, two Great Beast Martial Artists. Qian Ziwang and Hu Chengzhong introduced their own followers respectively. Finally, Luo Jie introduced his followers: “Great Talisman Martial Artist Qi Nanshan, Great Talisman Martial Artist Xiaofeng, Great Talisman Martial Artist Luo Jing.” It turned out to be three Great Talisman Martial Artists. The people from the Western Talisman Sect were stunned—was the master of the Northern Talisman Sect not valuable enough?

Xiong Ba saw Qi Zirong looking embarrassed and Qi Nanshan appearing young, with not even a single talisman mark on his face. What kind of Great Talisman Sorcerer was this? He couldn’t help but step forward and say, “Is this Master Qi Nanshan? Hehe, I’m itching to fight—could we have a match?”

Qi Nanshan was overjoyed. He had always wanted to find someone to spar with, but no one wanted to fight him. After all, he was already a high-level Great Talisman Martial Artist, and after further advancement, who knew how strong he had become? Fighting him would just mean serving as a target for free. That’s why even master-level Talisman Martial Artists avoided him.

Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh. He knew Qi Nanshan was dying to fight, and now that someone had challenged him, it was exactly what Qi Nanshan wanted.

“Haha, I’m also itching to fight. I’ve been looking for someone to spar with for ages. Haha, thanks!”

Xiong Ba suddenly felt uneasy. The people from the Northern Talisman Sect seemed to have strange expressions, even a hint of pity. He turned to look at Xiong Bei and gave him a subtle signal. Xiong Bei said, “Hehe, let’s go together with my brother. We’re used to fighting as a pair.”

Luo Jie said, “That doesn’t seem right. There’s no such thing as two fighting one.”

Qi Nanshan was already desperate to know what changes had occurred after his advancement. He said, “Elder, don’t worry about it. Fine! You two come at me together. Is there a bigger area? Hehe, if we fight here, the house might not survive.”

The people from the Western Talisman Sect were shocked. Qi Nanshan was willing to fight two against one—this was too extreme. Even high-level masters shouldn’t be so arrogant.

The people from the Western Talisman Sect grew angry.

Qi Zirong said, “Alright, let’s go to the inner training ground.” He led the two Great Beast Martial Artists out first, with the others following one after another. Guo Shier said excitedly, “Master, Grandpa Nanshan can finally vent his anger now.”

Qi Nanshan gently tapped him and said, “What do you mean ‘vent anger’? This is a spar, a proper spar! Do you understand?”

Guo Shier whispered with a smile, “I understand! It means crushing them.”

Qi Nanshan said, “Forget it, I won’t talk to you anymore. Ah, I’m really looking forward to it.” Guo Shier felt chills down his spine. He noticed that Qi Nanshan’s eyes were emitting green light, and it seemed to him that the Xiong Ba brothers were like two peerless beauties encountering a super pervert.

Luo Jie laughed and said, “Dashan, be careful. Don’t be too harsh.”

Qi Nanshan grinned and said, “Don’t worry, old man. I know when to stop.” That uncontrollable excitement was deeply felt by Guo Shier. He said with a smile, “Master, stop trying to persuade him. Grandpa Nanshan definitely won’t hold back. He’ll give it his all. Hehe, Grandpa Nanshan, am I right?”

“You little brat, thinking you’re so smart! Ah, I can’t wait!”

Luo Jie and Guo Shier exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and stopped talking.

As they walked, they soon arrived at the training ground. The ground was paved with large bluestone slabs, polished to a high shine, with numerous talismans engraved on them. Guo Shier recognized these talismans—they were those used to strengthen objects. The snow on the ground had been swept clean, and the training ground covered over a thousand square meters. Many inner disciples of the West Talisman Sect were training there.

Qi Zirong called the person in charge and asked him to clean the training ground and have all the disciples move aside to clear space.

Hu Chengzhong said, “Brother Luo, please wait a moment. There are still many masters from the inner sect who will be coming to watch.”

Luo Jie laughed and said, “Okay. Everyone wants to see the competition between the West Talisman Sect and the North Talisman Sect. It’s understandable. We’ll wait a while.”

They waited for an entire hour, which froze Guo Shier to the bone. He muttered under his breath, “What the hell? We have to wait so long. I’m already freezing to death even without fighting… Such delays show no sign of a major sect’s dignity.”

Luo Jie laughed and said, “Don’t worry. Everyone is almost here. Look… another group is coming.”

Many people from the West Talisman Sect arrived, including not only inner disciples but also many master-level experts. The West Talisman Sect and the North Talisman Sect often competed with each other, and deaths sometimes occurred as a result. However, battles between master-level fighters were rare, especially those where two masters fought against one master, which attracted everyone’s attention. Anyone who heard about it rushed over as quickly as possible.

Qi Nanshan was also getting impatient. He walked slowly to the center of the training ground and called out, “Xiong Ba, Xiong Bei, come on!”

Xiong Ba said, “Okay!” He and Xiong Bei also walked to the center of the training ground.

Xiong Bei stepped back and said, “Elder brother, let you test his skills first…” In truth, he didn’t want to fight together. Winning wouldn’t be honorable, and losing would be even more embarrassing.

Qi Nanshan laughed and said, “Let’s fight together!”

Someone from the West Symbol Gate shouted, “Kill him!”
“Beat him up!”
“Senior Xiong… go for it! Beat the people from the North Symbol Gate!”
“……”
Guo Shier laughed, “Damn, it’s really intense!”
Luo Jie said with a smile, “It’s always like this.”
Suddenly, Guo Shier yelled, “Grandpa Qinan, beat them so badly they can’t take care of themselves! Go for it! Beat them… until they can’t even recognize their own mothers!”
The clear children’s voices echoed across the training ground, and the people from the West Symbol Gate fell silent instantly. That was too cruel—beating them until they couldn’t even recognize their own mothers.
Luo Jie couldn’t help but laugh, “Shier, what kind of words are those?”
The people from the North Symbol Gate burst into laughter; Guo Shier’s words were truly outrageous.
Qi Nanshan said in a deep voice, “Let’s start!”