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Under the notice board of Tianheng Sword Cultivation Academy, Jiang Cheng, holding a pen and paper, was intently copying the examination rules and exam hall discipline.
Some common boilerplate, such as "Late arrival will be considered forfeiture of the right to take the test" and "Cheating will result in an automatic zero," didn't concern Jiang Cheng.
The content of the exam was very straightforward, basically an open-book exam: teams of three students would fight against the exam teacher, and withstanding thirty minutes against the teacher would be considered passing.
Jiang Cheng glanced over the exam rules and summarized three points that were worth noting.
The first point was what Huang Wutong had mentioned before: candidates participating in the practical examination could only carry two first-level Taoist talismans. Using a talisman of a higher tier would be considered cheating.
What Huang Wutong didn't mention was that under this rule, there was a line of supplementary explanation in small print: only control, healing, and attack talismans were allowed. Non-standard small categories like sealing and curse talismans could not be used.
Fortunately, Jiang Cheng saw the small print; if he had blindly trusted Huang Wutong, he would have really fallen into a trap.
The second point: during the practical examination, candidates were not allowed to use "traps," "formations," "puppets," "beast pets," or other large mechanisms, nor could they rely on external forces to enhance legal props, such as magical treasures or talismans.
The third point: the duration of the practical exam was thirty minutes, and once it began, it could not be paused unless there was an irresistible external force or the exam ended early.
On a campus bench, Jiang Cheng was lightly tapping the paper with the end of his pen.
Translated into talisman design requirements, these three exam regulations were:
First, the talismans used by students must be selected from control, healing, or attack, one of the three types.
It was known that control talismans could not achieve control for one minute, so they were excluded.
Second, the props used by students to assist in the exam must be both small and low in energy consumption.
It was known that the damage of attack talismans was directly proportional to their energy consumption, so attack talismans could not have both low energy and high damage. Attack talismans were therefore excluded.
Third, the opponents in the practical exam could not rest until the end of the exam unless one party was defeated.
It was known that students were less powerful than teachers, hence, the teacher did not need to rest, so students could not rest.
Of course, there was the final requirement, which was Huang Wutong's own demand: to control the opponent for one minute.
This necessitated a low-energy consumption healing talisman that could control a teacher with a higher cultivation level for a long time.
Jiang Cheng roughly understood why Huang Wutong's task was worth three thousand Spirit Stones.
The stack of contradictory requirements made the problem seem too hard to solve, even for a supercomputer—it would probably say it was an unsolvable problem.
However, by now, Jiang Cheng already had a plan.
The tip of his pen moved slightly, and a project proposal quietly took shape.
...
In the afternoon, in Pan He Garden.
Jiang Cheng sat opposite Huang Wutong.
Huang Wutong held the talisman project proposal that Jiang Cheng had given him, his eyes widened, his mouth slightly open.
Jiang Cheng, meanwhile, picked up the white water on the table, gently blew away the dust on the surface, and drank a mouthful without hurry or panic.
Jiang Cheng was quite gratified.
He originally thought that young people nowadays were very impetuous and would not seriously study things like project proposals, contracts, and instruction manuals, which seemed useless but were important. He had not expected that Huang Wutong was an exception.
Since earlier, Huang Wutong had been staring at his project proposal for a full ten minutes.
During that time, he was focused and silent.
This made Jiang Cheng feel that the effort he put into meticulously drafting the task contract and project document was worthwhile.
Another five minutes passed, and Huang Wutong still did not speak.
Jiang Cheng glanced outside the window at the sky, noticing the yellowing sky; it was already evening.
He had promised his aunt and uncle that he would come home for dinner and it was not convenient to stay out late.
"Daoist Huang, is there anything you don't understand?"
Huang Wutong, holding the project proposal, hemmed and hawed.
"Master Jiang, this talisman you proposed..."
"What about this talisman?"
Seeing Jiang Cheng's confident expression, Huang Wutong thought he had misunderstood the project proposal.
He looked down at it again.
[Name: Muscle Relaxation Talisman
Rank: First-level
Type: Healing
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Effect: Relaxes the target's muscles
Precautions: During the muscle relaxation period, strenuous exercise is not recommended, as it may lead to cramps, causing muscle spasms and inability to move. This effect will last for about a minute.]
He wasn't wrong.
Doubting this talisman, it really wasn't Huang Wutong's problem.
"Uh, I don't know how to describe it. What I need is a control-type talisman, but this one is for healing. And most importantly, it's giving my opponent a boost in healing!"
Jiang Cheng pondered for a moment and said, "Huang, let me repeat your request. You want your opponent to be unable to move for a minute, right?"
"Right, but..."
"As long as your opponent is hit by this talisman, he will be unable to move. That's not an issue, is it?"
"That's not the problem, but..."
Jiang Cheng, though confident in his own talismans, also excelled at listening to his customers' suggestions.
"Huang, please speak frankly."
Huang Wutong's Adam's apple bobbed, "But is it truly a healing-type talisman? Can it really do the job?"
Fearing that Jiang Cheng wouldn't believe him, Huang Wutong opened his storage bag and laid out all his cherished talismans on the table.
Control, healing, attack... He had every type one could think of.
"Master Jiang, look, I've used many different talismans. I can be considered a veteran user in this area. But I've never used, nor even heard of, a talisman like this."
Jiang Cheng heard the worry in Huang Wutong's words.
"Huang, what exactly are you worried about?"
Huang Wutong clutched Jiang Cheng's arm, his expression fervent, "Master Jiang, I'm not going to lie to you, this exam is very important to me. If I fail, my father will surely skin me alive! I'm not joking, what I need is a control-type talisman! I only have one week until the exam, and if before that..."
Jiang Cheng understood.
This Huang was afraid that his talisman wouldn't work.
Jiang Cheng asked Huang Wutong to calm down, then explained in detail the design concept of the "Muscle Relaxation Talisman." He proved to Huang Wutong theoretically that the "Muscle Relaxation Talisman" was feasible.
"Huang, please calm down and listen... In this world, the control mechanism and the healing mechanism are two separate codes..."
"In order to achieve balance among various professions in the world, many mechanisms have targeted restrictions and nerfs..."
"Under the control mechanism, it is impossible to achieve a one-minute control duration with a first-order talisman. Imagine if you were playing a game, and the opponent controls you for a minute and then finishes you off, how bad would the player's gaming experience be? But under the healing mechanism, we can circumvent this restriction..."
"Huang, do you understand what I'm saying?"
Huang Wutong was already bewildered.
Terms like "mechanism," "code," and "gaming experience" were all alien to him.
However, he was very certain of one conclusion.
And that was, this Master Jiang, at the very least, could justify his approach!
Huang Wutong's "Powerful Immobilization Talisman" had been hanging in the Task Hall for over two months.
Although he was someone who liked to bluff his way through, the preparation he made for this "bluff" could be described as meticulous.
The "Powerful Immobilization Talisman" had gone through several price increases over the two months, and, in the end, only Jiang Cheng was willing to take on the task.
With only one week until the exam, Huang Wutong still didn't fully trust Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng's ideas were too advanced.
Using healing to achieve control instead of control?
Could a human even conceive such a method?
Despite this, Huang Wutong had no other choice. If he wanted to pass the exam, he could only put his trust in Jiang Cheng.
A dead horse as a living horse doctor, as the saying goes.
What if it worked?
Huang Wutong took out a pen, signed his name on the contract provided by Jiang Cheng, and pressed his handprint.
The transaction between the two was officially established.
Jiang Cheng kindly reminded, "Huang, you might want to read through those contracts carefully."
Huang Wutong waved his hand dismissively, "Forget it, what's done is done."
"Thank you for your trust. I will keep the contract and the Memory Sphere in the Tongtian Sect Task Hall for notarization. With the backing of Tongtian Sect, you don't have to worry about being cheated. I will complete the testing of the Muscle Relaxation Talisman in five days and deliver it to your home. Here is my contact information; if you have any questions, you can contact me anytime."
Jiang Cheng took out a rectangular, sleek crystal with faintly shimmering patterns inside it—this was the cultivator world's version of a mobile phone—a Reusable Type Communication Talisman.
The two exchanged contact information, then bade each other farewell.