「Huh, another fool rushing to his death.」
「Ragged clothes—definitely not some genius from a noble clan.」
「Looks barely twenty. Probably struggles to even reach the Third Realm: Mystic Connection, tops out at Fourth Realm: Divine Ability.」
「With this many Eerie Aliens swarming around, even a Fifth Realm: Mountains and Rivers powerhouse would have their hands full. Only Transcendent Realm elders stand a chance. Where does this kid get the gall?」
Your sudden appearance triggered a chorus of gasps from the crowd gathered along the harbor shore—but none of them gave you a snowball's chance in hell.
You paid their jeers no mind. With a burst of speed like a unsheathed sword, you shot off the harbor. You gathered spiritual energy in your right hand and traced a talisman in mid-air. In the blink of an eye, a Fourth-Rank Wind Summoning Talisman materialized.
「Wind, arise!」
Boom!
A howling gale erupted, wrapping around you instantly. You soared through the air as if treading on clouds, streaking toward the secret realm at breakneck speed.
Ever since obtaining the purple-tier talent Talisman Dao Seed, you'd discovered that your understanding of talismans had reached a terrifying level. Any talisman you mastered could be conjured out of thin air, no external materials required.
「A Fourth-Rank Wind Summoning Talisman—he's a Talisman Master!」
「When did Magic City spawn such a young Fourth-Rank Talisman Master?!」
「Summoning a talisman with a single thought! Even veteran talisman grandmasters can't pull that off half the time. How is this possible?!」
「...」
The crowd, which had been sneering moments earlier, fell dead silent, staring at you in stunned disbelief. Clearly, they were blown away.
Talisman Masters were infamously versatile—blessing talismans with the healing properties of alchemists, array talismans with the defensive power of array mages, and enhancement talismans with the potency of artificers—but mastery of the craft was notoriously difficult.
Talisman Masters were a rare breed across the entire Qianyuan Empire. A prodigy as young as you who'd already attained Fourth-Rank status should have been famous far and wide.
Yet not a single person in the crowd recognized your true identity.
You ignored the stunned exclamations behind you, channeling the power of the Wind Summoning Talisman to dart higher into the sky, dodging attacks as you closed in on the secret realm.
To cover your tracks and establish a new persona, you'd resolved to rely solely on your talisman techniques for this mission.
Boom!
Gigantic tentacles suddenly erupted from the ocean depths, coiling toward you and blocking every possible escape route.
A wave of terrifying, otherworldly aura surged up from the seabed, sending the surrounding Eerie Aliens trembling in fear.
「It's a Peak Mountains and Rivers Realm Kruul Sea Fiend!」 someone on the harbor shore shouted, recognizing the owner of those tentacles.
Kruul Sea Fiends were colossal octopus-like monstrosities with absurdly resilient lifeforces, infamous for feasting on the brains of cultivators.
Clearly, this Kruul Sea Fiend had set its sights on you.
But instead of fear, a flash of realization crossed your face as you sensed its aura. 「So it's you!」
This was none other than the deep-sea monster that had devoured you during your second Villain Simulation.
You'd never forgotten its aura—you held a hell of a grudge.
「That young Talisman Master is as good as dead!」
「What a shame. Such a prodigious talent, gone before his time.」
「A gap of an entire major realm is impossible to overcome.」
On the Magic City harbor, some sighed in pity, others fell silent, and still others smirked with schadenfreude. No one believed you stood a chance of surviving.
Your expression remained cold and impassive. You came to a sudden halt mid-air, your palms blurring as you traced intricate patterns, spiritual energy roiling wildly within your body.
Bang!
You struck out with a palm.
「ROAR!」
A deafening dragon's roar echoed across the entire Magic City sea, carrying with it an overwhelming pressure.
In the eyes of the shocked crowd, a blazing fire dragon—dozens of feet long, radiating scorching heat—materialized beneath your feet, unleashing a thunderous roar that shook the heavens.
This was none other than the only Fifth-Rank talisman you'd gained from the True Scripture of Talismans: the Fire Dragon Talisman!
「Go!」
The fearsome fire dragon incinerated the coiling sea fiend tentacles in an instant. Then, at your command, it plunged toward the ocean surface, defying the natural counter between fire and water.
Boom!
A sea of flames erupted across the waves. Countless Eerie Aliens were incinerated on the spot, and the hidden Kruul Sea Fiend let out a scream of agony.
With the boost from Talisman Dao Seed, your Fire Dragon Talisman was far more powerful than a standard Fifth-Rank talisman.
「I'll come back and finish you off once I'm done with my business.」 You let out a cold snort. You knew the Kruul Sea Fiend wouldn't be easy to kill, and your priority was your mission. Without hesitation, you darted into the secret realm.
「That fire dragon's power was terrifying! It could probably one-shot a run-of-the-mill Mountains and Rivers Realm powerhouse!」
「Is this the true power of the purple-tier Talisman Dao Seed talent?!」 Sun Qian gaped in astonishment.
His simulator self was still only at the Fourth Realm: Divine Ability in cultivation base.
Yet his combat power far surpassed that of a Fifth Realm: Mountains and Rivers cultivator.
That fire dragon had even injured a Peak Mountains and Rivers Realm Kruul Sea Fiend—its destructive potential was staggering.
He was willing to bet that his simulator self could take down his real-world self with a single strike.
「The boost Talisman Dao Seed gives to talismans is absolutely insane. Fighting above my realm is child's play with this thing.」
「Too bad the True Scripture of Talismans only goes up to Fifth-Rank talismans. Looks like I'll have to hunt down higher-tier talisman manuals.」
「But those high-grade talismans are all in the hands of top-tier Talisman Masters—infamous for their eccentric personalities and lofty statuses. They probably wouldn't even give the Sun Family the time of day.」
「Oh well. I'll do my best.」
You entered the secret realm and found yourself standing in a valley.
The spiritual energy here was incredibly dense. You were shocked to realize that this was the very same place where you'd been killed by the mastermind's forces in your last simulation.
So that's what had happened back then—Liu Yue had brought you into the secret realm off the coast of Magic City. You'd never actually left the city's vicinity at all.
It was a classic case of hiding in plain sight. No wonder the mastermind's forces had struggled to find you during that simulation.
「So this place really is fated to me.」 You murmured with a sigh.
But business came first. You pulled out Ye Fan's severed arm and activated the Soul-Nailing Technique, determined to pinpoint his location.
Whoosh!
Unlike your failed attempt back in Magic City, the severed arm levitated into the air this time. A stream of blood coalesced, pointing steadily northward.
The Soul-Nailing Technique worked!
「Sure enough. He's inside here.」