From the very beginning, martial techniques were forbidden in a talisman duel.

Zhai Yuanzhong had blatantly broken that rule, yet not a single person stepped forward to stop him.

Zhuang Fang drew a circle with his right hand and a square with his left, commanding both talismans at the same time.

The talisman Zhai Yuanzhong had released erupted with blinding golden radiance, descending from the sky like a prison forged of light. In an instant, Zhai Yuanzhong felt his movements locked down, unable to advance another step. That crushing force suppressed even his martial techniques.

However, the matter was far from over, for the other talisman seized the opening and struck.

Under Zhuang Fang's control, Zhai Yuanzhong's own talisman crashed down from the sky. A terrifying ripple exploded outward with Zhai Yuanzhong at the center, sweeping across the arena like a violent gale.

A figure flew out of the arena like a kite with its string cut, smashing heavily onto the ground as blood trickled from his lips. Even his clothes were dyed crimson.

Zhuang Fang merely stood where he was and dusted off his hands, looking as though nothing had happened. With a casual wave, the talisman he had released returned to his palm. Although its light had dimmed slightly, it could still serve its purpose again.

"How did this happen? Zhai Yuanzhong was injured by his own talisman!"

The students who specialized in talisman art were left utterly stunned, unable to comprehend what had just unfolded before their eyes.

They would not have been so shocked if Zhuang Fang had defeated Zhai Yuanzhong with his own talisman. But Zhuang Fang had seized control of Zhai Yuanzhong's talisman and turned it back against him.

A solemn look appeared in Bai Jingye's eyes.

Zhai Yuanzhong coughed as he struggled back to his feet, his face pale and drained of color.

"Zhuang Fang, how dare you injure someone in the assessment!" Most battles ended once the combatants determined the victor. Seeing that Zhuang Fang had heavily injured Zhai Yuanzhong, Bai Jingye's other students immediately surged forward and surrounded him.

Zhuang Fang licked his lips. "Planning to gang up on me? I'll take all of you on!" After winning the first battle, he had no intention of stepping down and clearly wanted to continue challenging them.

The students surrounding him brought out their talismans one after another, ready to attack together.

"That's enough!" Zuo Yang spoke out.

If he allowed this matter to spiral further, what would become of the assessment? The class assessment was originally meant for students to exchange pointers and help one another improve. Yet over time, it had become a stage where classes suppressed their rivals and seized resources.

A reasonable wager could serve as motivation for the mentors, but once the stakes became too high, they inevitably produced the opposite effect. The class assessment had long since lost its original purpose, degenerating into a battleground for fame and profit.

The students withdrew unwillingly, glaring at Zhuang Fang before they left. With that, this battle ended in Zhuang Fang's victory.

Zuo Yang walked over and cast Liu Wuxie a meaningful look before handing the Immortal Marrow to him.

Bai Jingye did not continue challenging Liu Wuxie. If nothing unexpected happened, no other talisman class would dare challenge Liu Wuxie's students after this.

Shi Wa emerged from the crowd and walked toward the arena step by step.

"I want to challenge Che Yangrong's class," he said, instantly stirring an uproar throughout the surroundings.

In the past, it had always been the other classes challenging Ye Linghan's class. But now, the situation had reversed, and Liu Wuxie had taken the initiative to strike.

Shi Wa had witnessed Che Yangrong trying to kill Liu Wuxie with talismans, and now he intended to avenge his master.

Che Yangrong's face darkened immediately, uncertain whether he should accept or refuse the challenge. If he refused, it would be the same as admitting fear before everyone. But if he accepted, whether his student could defeat Shi Wa was still another matter entirely.

"That is the brat that challenged Mentor Bai?"

Hundreds of mentors immediately turned their gazes toward Shi Wa, for news of his upcoming deathmatch with Bai Jingye at the Talisman Tower had already spread.

More than ten days had passed, and the match would begin in just over half a month.

Many mentors shook their heads. "Where did Liu Wuxie get his courage to let this brat fight Mentor Bai to the death? Even if this brat is talented in the talisman art, how could he possibly surpass a mentor?" Whether in cultivation or talisman art, Bai Jingye stood on an entirely different level from Shi Wa.

Various voices erupted from the surroundings. Many students still knew nothing about the matter between Shi Wa and Bai Jingye.

Only after hearing the discussion did they finally understand, and disbelief filled their faces. They could not believe that a student would dare challenge a mentor. In their eyes, that was no different from courting death.

Facing Shi Wa's provocative gaze, Che Yangrong looked behind him, and a young man stepped forward.

"I'll face you," the youth said, stepping into the arena and appearing before Shi Wa in a single stride.

The moment he appeared, the aura of a first-level True Immortal swept outward.

By contrast, after so many days of cultivation and the aid of the Beacon Cloud Pills, Shi Wa had only reached the eighth-level Heavenly Immortal Realm.

"Let's name the stakes," Shi Wa said, getting straight to the point.

Shi Wa, Diao Jiuzhi, and several others could not afford tuition. Naturally, they were eager to help their mentor earn more resources so they could cultivate with a clear conscience.

Che Yangrong took a deep breath, forcing down the rage burning in his chest before slowly turning his gaze toward Liu Wuxie.

He examined Ye Linghan and found that she had become even more beautiful than before. Yet she did not spare him a single glance. She continued looking at Liu Wuxie with concern, causing Che Yangrong's anger to burn even more fiercely.

He had pursued Ye Linghan for so long, only to receive nothing but cold indifference. Yet Liu Wuxie had not been in the Azure Flame Dao Hall for long, and she was already showing him such concern.

"Liu Wuxie, I'll wager three hundred thousand immortal stones!" Che Yangrong said. He had no treasures on him. Even if he did, he had no intention of taking them out, so he only offered three hundred thousand immortal stones as the wager.

Three hundred thousand was no small amount, proving that a talisman mentor was indeed wealthy.

"Let's begin," Liu Wuxie replied with a casual wave of his hand. Without seeing any treasure worth his attention, he couldn't muster the slightest interest.

The moment his voice fell, Shi Wa made his move. He swept his right hand through the air and manifested a triangular rune, not a seal like Zhuang Fang. With his current cultivation, he still could not inscribe a seal unless he reached the ninth-level High Immortal Realm.

Stunned, many mentors rose to their feet. "A triangular rune?" they exclaimed.

"What is this rune? Why haven't I seen it before?" The triangular rune was extremely difficult to draw, and all their attempts to replicate it ended in failure.

Bai Jingye narrowed his eyes as his heart began to pound violently. The more monstrous Shi Wa appeared, the slimmer his chances of victory became.

Shi Wa continued drawing another triangular rune, and the two overlapped to form a hexagon. Then, an even stranger scene unfolded as the hexagonal rune began to rotate, its lines flickering in and out of sight.

"Niu Yun, attack immediately!" Che Yangrong yelled after sensing an intense danger.

Niu Yun roared, and a powerful talisman appeared.

"It's the Vajra Thunder Talisman!" An exclamation erupted from the crowd after seeing the rune. As the name implied, the talisman descended from the sky like thunder, making it impossible for Shi Wa to avoid.

Just as Shi Wa seemed about to be killed by the talisman, he swept his right hand through the air once more, causing the hexagonal rune to spin even faster.

As the hexagonal rune spun with greater speed, a black hole appeared before the talisman. It devoured the power released by the Vajra Thunder Talisman.

Yet the matter was still far from over. After devouring the Vajra Thunder Talisman, the hexagonal rune actually began to expand, gradually developing toward a complete talisman.

"What the hell is this talisman? Why can it devour the power of other talismans?"

Many talisman class students clutched their heads, nearly driven insane by what they were witnessing.

Even the talisman mentors could not help clenching their fists, barely suppressing the urge to rush forward and examine the hexagonal talisman up close.

As the power of the Vajra Thunder Talisman weakened, the hexagonal rune under Shi Wa's control grew increasingly powerful. If this continued, Niu Yun's defeat would only be a matter of time.

No matter how Niu Yun tried, he could not sever the connection between the Vajra Thunder Talisman and the hexagonal rune. He could only watch helplessly as something slowly devoured his talisman.

"Brat, you're courting death!" Niu Yun roared and summoned another talisman, which rapidly expanded in the air.

This time, it was not the Vajra Thunder Talisman, but the Wrath God Talisman. The moment the talisman appeared, it transformed into an enraged deity wielding a hammer, which smashed down toward Shi Wa.

If that strike were to land, Shi Wa would undoubtedly die.

As time passed, the battle grew increasingly brutal. If this continued, someone would certainly lose their life. The situation had become extremely unfavorable for Shi Wa, forcing him to retreat.

When the wrath god's hammer descended from the sky, it blasted a large crater into the ground, but Shi Wa managed to avoid it in time.

Many students felt disappointed. "It's a pity that he actually managed to dodge it!" Even so, Niu Yun's victory already seemed practically certain.

"Mentor Che, why didn't you wager Liu Wuxie's alchemy technique earlier?" Several talisman mentors looked regretful. Che Yangrong had only wagered three hundred thousand immortal stones, which was nothing compared to Liu Wuxie's talisman technique.

One could earn immortal stones again, but one would rarely encounter such a precious alchemy technique.

Che Yangrong regretted it bitterly, but there was nothing he could do now. If necessary, he could always arrange another match later.

Niu Yun controlled the Wrath God Talisman and slowly pressed toward Shi Wa, forcing him to remain constantly on the run.

Shi Wa dodged his attacks repeatedly. Because he cultivated the assassination art, his movement held a clear advantage, allowing him to find ways to evade the Wrath God Talisman's attacks.

The hexagonal rune continued devouring and grew larger, while the Vajra Thunder Talisman gradually dimmed.

Shi Wa continued inscribing with his hand, and another triangular rune appeared. After merging with the hexagonal rune, it formed a nonagonal rune with nine edges.

The rune shifted endlessly, its transformations making it impossible to guard against.

Che Yangrong yelled, "Niu Yun, stop him!"

The moment the nonagonal rune formed, the surrounding world instantly became restless.

This naturally made Niu Yun even more frustrated. He had already done everything he could, yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not kill Shi Wa unless he resorted to martial techniques. But if he used martial techniques, Ye Linghan would naturally be able to intervene.

Left with no choice, Niu Yun took out another talisman and summoned another wrath god.

"How despicable!" Liang Han cursed.

"Shameless!" Xiang Rulong yelled.

In terms of cultivation, Niu Yun had already surpassed Shi Wa. In terms of talisman art, Niu Yun had cultivated it for more than ten years. Yet he had resorted to such a despicable method, and even if he won, there would be no glory in it.

However, Niu Yun could no longer be bothered with any of that. His only aim was to defeat Shi Wa.

"Wuxie, it doesn't look like Shi Wa can hold out any longer," Ye Linghan said worriedly as she turned to Liu Wuxie.

Yet Liu Wuxie looked calm. Instead, a smile lingered there, leaving Ye Linghan confused and unable to understand where his confidence came from.

"The real show is just beginning," Liu Wuxie replied with a devilish smile, signaling Ye Linghan to calm down.

The nonagonal talisman transformed into a massive black hole and devoured the Vajra Thunder Talisman entirely. The moment the talisman disappeared, the nonagonal rune swelled in size and suddenly transformed into a fire phoenix.

"What?!"

Countless people rose to their feet, including Zuo Yang, their eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.

The talisman mentors were the most shocked among the spectators, and they rushed toward the arena as though possessed.

The fire phoenix released a sharp cry before flying toward the two Wrath God Talismans.