Chapter 78

Book航 found a place where no one was around and opened the courier package.

Inside the small box was a stack of yellowish-brown talisman papers, each one painted with profound runes and array diagrams in gold and red. There was also a note from the Master of Seven Lives Talisman Mansion, introducing the functions of the stack of talisman papers.

There were exactly twenty talisman papers in total.

The top five were 'Jia Talismans'. As the name suggested, they could activate the energy within the talisman treasure to form a layer of close-fitting defensive armor, capable of blocking attacks from cultivators below the Third Stage.

The usage method was also particularly simple; one only needed to press their thumb on the center of the array diagram on the talisman paper, guide the spiritual energy within the talisman with their mental power, and lightly shout 'Jia' to summon the armor.

Each of the five talisman treasures could only be used once. If used properly, they could protect Song Book航 five times.

The middle five were 'Sword Talismans'. These talismans were for offensive purposes, and their usage method was the same as the Jia Talismans. One only needed to lightly shout 'Sword' to activate the talisman treasure.

Once unleashed, they could transform into a sword aura attack of the Third Stage Postnatal Battle King level, capable of splitting mountains and breaking stones. For ordinary Second Stage True Master-level cultivators, if they didn't have any special defensive means, a single strike would leave them half-dead.

The most numerous were the ten Evil-Breaking Talismans.

According to the Master of Seven Lives Talisman Mansion, since the opponent was an evil path ghost cultivator who could manipulate ghostly evil entities for attacks, which were hard to guard against.

Ghostly evil entities were immune to ordinary physical attacks, and some had special abilities to remain invisible and hidden, making them a headache for cultivators with insufficient strength.

The ten Evil-Breaking Talismans could help Book航 break through the opponent's ghostly evil entities!

Song Book航 held the box of talisman treasures. The Master of Seven Lives Talisman Mansion was not just sending charcoal in the snow; this was a full-service package, providing everything from clothing to food, shelter, and transportation!

"This is truly a pleasant surprise," Song Book航 tightened his grip on the talisman treasures.

With these talisman treasures, he even had the confidence to face the 'Patriarch' head-on. Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to rush in and fight to the death with just the talisman papers.

As long as he could eliminate the Patriarch, he would use any means necessary.

He only cared about the result, not the process—just as long as he could kill the opponent!

Carefully storing the talisman treasures, everything was ready, except for the final push...

***

7:30 AM.

The sports meet at Jiangnan University City officially opened.

Before the opening, as usual, there was a speech by the school leadership—leaders' speeches were a magical thing, no matter how advanced technology became, they remained unchanged.

They typically began with "Now, I will briefly say a few words," followed by countless "brief words" that tortured the students to the point of ecstasy and near-death, before finally opening the curtain on the sports meet.

At 8:40, the men's 5000-meter race began.

Song Book航, accompanied by his three roommates and seven or eight male classmates who were close to him, arrived at the track.

His roommates and classmates wore mischievous smiles; they weren't there to cheer for Song Book航 but to watch him struggle on the 5000-meter track, hoping he would collapse and vomit, which would be a delightful sight.

The 5000-meter race was a grueling event.

The track was 400 meters long, and they needed to run twelve and a half laps.

It was a tiring and unrewarding event, lacking the excitement of the 100-meter dash and the camaraderie of the mixed relay. The distance was long, the pace was slow, and there were few spectators, especially female spectators.

Without female spectators, the male students lacked motivation.

The other participants took their positions, and Song Book航 yawned as he stood in his spot.

"Student Book航, good luck!" A clear voice called out, "Try to come in first place!"

The sweet voice was particularly pleasant to the ear.

Song Book航 looked up and saw the girl who had been hanging around him recently waving enthusiastically, her face beaming with a youthful smile.

There were four other girls with her, and it seemed they had just watched other events and happened to pass by.

Wasn't she called Lu Fei?

Song Book航 laughed and gave her a thumbs up.

His roommates and a few male classmates immediately started to tease him.

Tu Bo and Gao Moumou, in unison, pinched their noses and mimicked Lu Fei's voice, "Student Book航, good luck!"

"Try to come in first place!" The others also pinched their noses and screamed.

Song Book航 turned around and gave them the middle finger, "Why don't you all just die!"

At this moment, a dark, muscular classmate next to Song Book航 sneered, "Heh, first place? Pretty boy, do you think the 5000-meter race is won by looks?"

As he spoke, he flexed his muscular legs—these were the legs of someone who had trained for a long time. The pretty boy next to him had thin arms and legs; he wouldn't even be able to run 1000 meters, let alone 5000.

"Pretty boy? Are you talking about me?" Song Book航 asked, touching his face. Due to the effects of the body-tempering liquid, his skin had indeed become somewhat fair and tender.

So, being handsome really does cause trouble?

Song Book航 nodded inwardly and asked, "Are you envious of my skin?"

"Envious of your ass? I would never be envious of a pretty boy like you?!" The dark-skinned male classmate felt the veins on his forehead throb with anger.

"Ha, don't mind this guy, he's just jealous that a girl is cheering for you. By the way, were you also forced to participate in the race by your class?" The classmate with a slightly chubby face, who looked like a long-term homebody, asked with a smile, "I'm Yang Shangfa, from the Computer Science Department."

"Sort of, since no one else was participating in the 5000 meters and I happened to be on leave, the men's 5000-meter race fell to me. I'm Song Book航," Book航 replied with a smile.

"We're in the same boat," Yang Shangfa said, tears welling up in his eyes.

As they spoke, the teacher in charge of the starting pistol said, "On your marks, get set—"

All the participants took their starting positions.

"Damn pretty boy, I'll show you what a 5000-meter race is all about. In this race, I'll at least leave you a street behind!" The dark-skinned classmate gritted his teeth.

"Leave me a street behind? A street is at least 800 meters long, which is more than two laps?" Song Book航 thought for a moment and kindly advised, "No, that's impossible. Give up."

"Ha!" Yang Shangfa couldn't help but laugh.

"..." The dark-skinned classmate almost ground his teeth to pieces.

'Bang!'

The starting pistol sounded.

The dark-skinned classmate shot forward, sprinting at the speed of a 100-meter dash. His endurance was excellent, and his long-distance running ability far exceeded that of ordinary college students! In this school sports meet, his endurance was enough to allow him to sprint ahead of the other participants and maintain that lead all the way to the finish line!

"Hmph, be shocked, pretty boy. Leaving you a street behind was just a polite way of saying it. If I really put in my full effort, I'll leave you at least four laps behind!" The dark-skinned classmate thought smugly.

In a 5000-meter race, everyone needed to maintain a steady pace, and no one would start at the speed of a 100-meter dash. So, the dark-skinned classmate quickly pulled ahead of the ordinary participants.

"How about it, pretty boy. Feeling hopeless?" The dark-skinned classmate confidently turned his head to see where the pretty boy was—given his fair and tender appearance, he probably lagged behind, eating dust at the back of the pack.

However, when he turned his head, he saw the pretty boy just one meter behind him, following closely, not an inch apart!

This pretty boy was actually keeping up with his sprint?

"What? Are you an idiot? Starting at a sprinting speed, you'll be exhausted after one lap," the dark-skinned classmate gritted his teeth.

"Sprint?" Song Book航 was taken aback, then smiled gently, "No, I'm just running at a normal pace. You don't need to worry about me. You look tough, but you're actually quite caring."

Care about your grandpa! The dark-skinned classmate was furious.

"Stubborn duck, let's see how long you can last! I hope you don't collapse after one lap!" The dark-skinned classmate gritted his teeth, estimating his stamina and slightly increasing his speed.

This pretty boy was definitely a complete novice in long-distance running—but even so, he absolutely could not allow the other to surpass him. So, he had to leave him far behind!

The dark-skinned classmate started sprinting again.

He ran nearly 100 meters, feeling that he was approaching his estimated stamina limit, and it was time to slow down a bit.

At such a long distance, he must have left the novice pretty boy far behind, right?

Thinking this, he turned his head to look.

When he turned his head, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets—the pretty boy who should have been left behind, eating dust, was still just one meter behind him, not an inch apart.

This felt like a minor character in a script who should have died but kept coming back to life!

"How is this possible? Am I hallucinating?" The dark-skinned classmate muttered.