Shangguan Yu nodded and continued:
"Yes, not only that, but her cultivation has also reached the early Nascent Soul stage. Even the Emperor must show her some respect when meeting her."
"Moreover, the head of the headquarters has a close relationship with the national master. It is said they were once fellow disciples, but those are just rumors, and I am not sure of the specifics."
Lu An's eyes showed a trace of confusion. Fellow disciples? How come his master never mentioned it?
Suddenly, an audacious thought crossed his mind.
But the arrival of a group of people interrupted his thoughts. Lu An looked them over and smiled slightly, recognizing some familiar faces.
These people were from prominent local families who had recently joined the Three Talismans Sect and had come to visit him, so he had some impression of them.
The group was chatting cheerfully when they noticed Lu An's presence and were startled.
"Senior Lu, what are you doing here?"
"Greetings, Senior Lu."
They all stepped forward to pay their respects. According to their ranks, they had now joined the Three Talismans Sect and were official disciples. Lu An's master was a Nascent Soul Elder, a true direct disciple, and also held a position as an elder in the sect, making his status much higher than theirs.
Lu An was not pretentious. Since they were fellow sect members, it was all good.
"I'm here to participate in the hall master's assessment for the Water and Sky Conference."
Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances, and one person, with a clever idea, said loudly:
"Since Senior is also participating in the assessment, why don't we forgo our chances and let Senior take the spot?"
The others hesitated for a moment but soon agreed, nodding in support.
The Talisman Hall had invited only a limited number of people, most of whom were from the major families in Yongning County, with only a few from the county towns.
Nowadays, all these families have joined the Three Talismans Sect, and Lu An is considered the young master of the Three Talismans Sect. How could they dare to compete with him? It's better to offer him a favor here, as it would make things easier for them in the sect in the future.
Lu An did not expect things to develop this way. He chuckled silently and was about to refuse when a voice came from inside the hall.
"Hmph, do you think the Talisman Hall is just any place? The quota for the Shui Tian Law Conference is not something you can simply give away."
"If someone just takes it casually, will it not be a disgrace to my Yong Ning County in the Great Qi capital?"
Then, a graceful figure walked out of the hall and cast a cold glance at everyone.
The others all felt a chill in their hearts and bowed in respect, even Shangguan Yu was no exception.
"Greetings, Hall Master."
The woman nodded and looked at Shangguan Yu with an unpleasant expression.
"Shangguan Yu, is this the person you recommended?"
"To have other candidates give up their quotas for him, what a huge show of power."
Shangguan Yu was internally lamenting and was just about to explain for Lu An when the woman waved her hand and said coldly:
"Lu An, is it? Your Three Talismans Sect is currently flourishing, with a Nascent Soul ancestor overseeing it. Your strength is indeed second to none in Yong Ning County."
"But my Talisman Hall does not fall under Yong Ning County's jurisdiction. Therefore, if you want to secure a quota, you must demonstrate true skill and knowledge. There is no room for trickery in my Talisman Hall."
Everyone present was stunned and kept their heads down, not daring to speak.
Lu An frowned slightly. It was quite perplexing to be criticized by this woman without any clear reason. He glanced at her and said calmly:
"You need not worry about it."
The woman's forehead immediately showed three black lines. Being addressed as "old" by Lu An, who was clearly a country bumpkin, showed a lack of manners. No wonder the Grand Hall Master had sent her a message to test Lu An thoroughly; she probably didn't want someone so rude participating in the Shui Tian Law Conference.
Thinking of that esteemed person, she showed a look of admiration. Although that person had only guided her once, it was unforgettable, and she had always considered herself a disciple. Now that the esteemed person had given orders, she naturally had to execute them properly.
She intended to make things difficult but suddenly felt something was wrong. What kind of person was Lu An to attract the Grand Hall Master's personal attention?
"Wait, a disciple from an ordinary county sect shouldn't be noticed by the Grand Hall Master. This matter requires further consideration."
Her expression changed several times before she finally gave Lu An a slight smile and nodded.
Lu An felt even more confused, remaining silent and ignoring her.
Before long, a voice rang out in the Talisman Hall.
"The time is up, the assessment begins!"
Several disciples carried a large circular plate to the center of the venue. The plate was engraved with numerous scratches, chaotic and disordered, with scattered spiritual energy.
The crowd was puzzled and began discussing among themselves.
When Lu An saw the plate, his mind moved, and he appeared contemplative.
The Hall Master approached the plate, pointed at the central scratches, and said aloud:
"This plate contains several talismanic symbols. You only need to identify each symbol contained within. The person who identifies the most symbols will be considered the winner."
The rules of the assessment were quite simple, and everyone understood immediately. However, the content was extremely difficult. The plate was so disordered that it was impossible to distinguish the number of symbols, let alone identify each talisman.
Lu An realized that this question, at first glance, tested the familiarity with talismans. However, the strokes were so mixed together that no matter how familiar you were, you could not distinguish each talisman.
So, if you solved the problem this way, it would be a big mistake. The question didn't test familiarity with talismans but rather the understanding of the talismanic aura.
Each talisman had its unique aura, forming a distinct spiritual energy field. The strokes might be intertwined, but the aura was not. As long as you could find these auras, you could solve the problem.
If it were the old Lu An, he might have been as clueless as everyone else. But now, having been taught by Old Beggar and with the five-colored circular plate from the Dao Monument, he was very familiar with these talismanic auras after experiencing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth daily.
So, he smiled slightly and began to write swiftly.
The Hall Master surveyed the crowd, seeing their confused expressions, and couldn't help but smile.
"It's no wonder it's a question set by that esteemed person. Even I, a third-rank talisman master, find it somewhat tricky, let alone these young ones."
However, she was puzzled why the Grand Hall Master had changed the question on the spot. She still couldn't figure it out. But it didn't affect her mood. With such a question, even Lu An, who was particularly noted by the Grand Hall Master, probably wouldn't be able to solve it.
She shifted her gaze to Lu An, but her smile suddenly froze.
Lu An was rapidly writing, and the names of the talismans appeared on the paper. In such a short time, he had already written three or four pages.
"How is this possible? Could he be writing randomly?"
She frowned slightly and reminded the others:
"If you recognize any talismanic symbols, write them down. If you write anything incorrectly, each mistake will cost you a point."
The others, who were about to write down all the talismans they recognized, were now deterred. They had to carefully decipher the strokes.
But Lu An appeared to be unaware, continuing to write vigorously.
After a short while, he exhaled softly and finally stopped.
The Hall Master's expression darkened. She had clearly warned him, yet Lu An dared to act so boldly. If his results were unsatisfactory, even if the esteemed person paid special attention to him, she might still have to stop him here.
She stepped forward and asked:
"Lu An, are you finished?"
Lu An nodded and replied slowly:
"Sort of."
"Sort of?"
Lu An glanced at her and said calmly:
"I have written out all the talismanic symbols contained in this plate."
"However, there are a few symbols I have not seen before. I only know their attributes but not their names, so I could only answer to this extent."