[Task Completed]
[Task Reward: Host directly learns "The Complete Record of Character Combinations"]
[Triggered Series Quest]
[Series Quest: Is This Method of Talisman Drawing Reasonable? (Part II)]
[Task Requirement: Establish three reasonable methods of Talisman Drawing and gain approval from the host's Master]
[Task Reward: Soul Refinement]
[Note: This is a Series Quest. Upon completing all Series Quests, the host will receive one Immortal Brush]
Nothing went beyond Ye Ling's expectations. The system task had been completed perfectly.
In the end, the method he proposed was indeed viable, but the requirements were still extremely harsh, so much so that it could only exist on a theoretical level.
First was Mental Force. Ordinary cultivators simply did not possess anything close to his terrifying reserves.
Second was one's understanding of the Dao, as well as mastery over character combinations.
Only by deeply studying the relationship between simplified characters and ancient characters could one achieve Reverse Deduction. This was not something just anyone could accomplish.
Earlier, Ye Ling had seemed to draw countless characters and combine them endlessly, but only he knew the truth. Even if he exhausted all of his Mental Force, successfully reverse-deducing an ancient character would still be nearly impossible, unless a miracle occurred.
But with Ai Yueli's recognition…
He succeeded.
At this very moment, the feat of reverse-deducing ancient characters from simplified ones was completed.
A blazing mass of character-flames, brighter than the full moon, hovered in midair. Bathed in its light, Ye Ling's handsome features stood out sharply. A single bead of sweat slid down his forehead, silently bearing witness to his effort.
"Mm…!"
Ai Yueli instinctively covered her mouth. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this shocked.
Ye Ling's approach was correct, and his theory filled in a gap in her understanding, but she knew all too well how difficult this was.
No, calling it difficult was no longer enough.
Even if it were her, she would not be able to accomplish this in one go.
Even the simplest ancient characters were the result of countless years of accumulation and the combined efforts of innumerable Talisman Practitioners.
Simplifying them alone was already hard enough. Reversing that process was even more absurdly difficult.
That was why Ai Yueli had originally planned to tell Ye Ling to give her some time so she could refine and improve this system herself.
Yet when she looked back at Ye Ling, this newly accepted disciple of hers had already completed it.
Shocking her for thirty years? She wouldn't mind adding another sixty.
But once the shock faded, what followed was an overwhelmingly strong sense of frustration.
As his Master, she hadn't even taught him much, yet her disciple had figured it all out on his own.
Not only had he learned it, he had even surpassed his teacher, grasping things she herself couldn't do.
At this point, calling Ye Ling a genius was no longer sufficient. Only the word "monstrous" fit.
[Ai Yueli generates extremely intense frustration toward the host +3456]
"Fourth Master, did I do well?"
After harvesting a large amount of emotion points from Ai Yueli, Ye Ling still tried to squeeze a bit more out of her, just to see if there was anything left.
Unlike Bai Yiyi, Ai Yueli was someone who had seen the world. Ye Ling already felt it was difficult to extract emotion points from her, so if he got the chance, squeezing her dry seemed like the optimal choice.
"…Good."
Ai Yueli fell silent for a moment before nodding at Ye Ling, her gaze fixed on him as if he were some kind of monster.
Good?
This wasn't just good.
It was far too good.
With talent like this, being your Master brings absolutely no sense of accomplishment at all!
Ai Yueli had finally taken on the role of a Master, yet she never imagined she would be mocked by fate so thoroughly.
Out there, she was someone who walked sideways wherever she went, always addressed respectfully as an immortal fairy.
Yet in front of Ye Ling, she couldn't even maintain the image of a lofty expert.
She felt utterly defeated.
But this really wasn't her fault. It was simply because Ye Ling's talent was too terrifying.
"What if my talent is strong and I just happen to learn it by luck?"
Suddenly, the words Ye Ling had once spoken echoed again in Ai Yueli's ears.
She had originally thought it was nothing more than a joke, never imagining that this brat would actually make it happen.
This isn't just being strong.
You're practically sent down by the heavens to mess with me, aren't you?
Ai Yueli took a deep breath, then slowly let out the pent-up frustration in her chest before finally speaking.
"Disciple, don't overexert yourself. I'll go back and repair your little house."
One second… no, she didn't even want to stay here for half a second longer.
If her talisman path were already perfected, she would genuinely try to reverse time and warn her past self, no matter what, not to come here.
"Don't go! There's an abyss ahead!"
An unfathomable abyss, deep enough to swallow all her pride whole.
But…
I've been slacking off in cultivation lately. Time to get serious!
At the same time, Ai Yueli hardened her resolve. She decided to go into seclusion and focus on cultivation, no more sneaking around and lazing about. Otherwise, it wouldn't be long before Ye Ling caught up to her.
And when that happened, if she had nothing left she could teach him, wouldn't that be unbearably awkward?
This sense of being crushed by talent was something she had only ever felt from the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden. But now, Ye Ling wasn't just surpassing her in aptitude. Even his intellect seemed to be pressing down on her.
Back then, all she knew was to study diligently and train relentlessly. She never once thought about things like Reverse Deduction. Whatever the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden told her to practice, she practiced without question.
If she had maintained independent thinking back then, she wouldn't be suffering this level of embarrassment today.
She had come as his Master, yet not only had she failed to teach him much, she had actually learned something from her own disciple.
If her fellow sisters found out about this, they would laugh themselves to death.
"Fourth Master, please wait."
Just as Ai Yueli turned around, intending to make a quiet escape, Ye Ling called out to her.
"Hm? Is there something else, disciple?"
Ai Yueli did her best to force a smile onto her face. But whether it was because she had kept a stern expression for too long, or because the smile didn't come from the heart, what Ye Ling saw was an exceptionally comical, pretty face.
Even so, with her looks, she was still beautiful. It was just far too amusing, to the point that Ye Ling almost wanted to take a picture and keep it as a souvenir.
Fairy Yueli's dark history could probably sell for quite a lot, right?
Of course, Ye Ling only thought about it. The scene had already been etched deep into his DNA. When he was strong enough to defeat Ai Yueli in the future, he would write it all down and properly tease this rigid Master of his.
"Fourth Master—"
At this moment, Ye Ling was very aware of his position. His expression turned solemn as he bowed deeply to Ai Yueli and said sincerely, "Thank you, Fourth Master, for bestowing this teaching!"
Only he knew that this bow was truly in thanks for Ai Yueli's "approval." Without that acknowledgment, he would never have been able to perform Reverse Deduction. That single step had brought about a qualitative leap in his strength.
And yet, that "approval" had been born from deception. To say he felt no shame would have been a lie.
After all, the one he deceived was a good teacher willing to open her heart and honestly admit her own mistakes. Ai Yueli.
I'll make it up to you someday.
The Heaven and Earth Talisman Codex had already been added to Ye Ling's list of things to collect.