Chapter 8: The Wager

"An augmentation talisman that doubles strength, such audacious and exaggerated claims. Even if your spirit talisman is genuine, this is extreme fraud. Such deceit, the Spirit Talisman Pavilion will not tolerate!"

Before Liang Jiushan could speak, a cold voice came from the side.

Liu Gaoyang, seeing the newcomer, immediately called out joyfully, "Master!"

The newcomer was none other than Liu Gaoyang's master, Chang Gaochen. Upon hearing the report from his subordinate about the situation here, he feared that the old Liang would not distinguish right from wrong and cripple his precious disciple, so he hurried over.

Seeing Liu Gaoyang's pitiful state, Chang Gaochen's anger flared up, and he glared at Chu Jianqiu with a cold expression. "Boy, you are truly audacious. Not only do you sell fake talismans in the Spirit Talisman Pavilion, but you also dare to harm others. Do you really think the Spirit Talisman Pavilion has no one to deal with you?"

"Chang Elder, you keep calling it a fake talisman. Are you so certain that my spirit talisman cannot achieve a doubling effect?" Chu Jianqiu did not back down, meeting Chang Gaochen's cold gaze with a calm demeanor.

"A doubling effect? You should know your own weight!" Chang Gaochen sneered, not believing for a moment that Chu Jianqiu could achieve this.

This Chu fellow had never been known to study the art of talisman arrays. Whether this boy could even create talismans was questionable, let alone one with such an effect.

Drawing a strength augmentation talisman that doubles the effect, no one in the entire Tianshui Prefecture could do it.

"Since that's the case, does Chang Elder dare to wager with me?" Chu Jianqiu smiled faintly.

"How do we wager?" Chang Gaochen, seeing Chu Jianqiu's confident demeanor, became somewhat interested. He wanted to see what this boy could come up with.

Selling fake talismans and using violence in the Spirit Talisman Pavilion—these two charges had already sealed Chu Jianqiu's fate. If the head of the Chu family, Chu Xiangtian, were still in Tianshui City, he might have been more cautious.

Now that Chu Xiangtian had left Tianshui City and had not been heard from for three years, his fate unknown, the internal conflicts within the Chu family were rife. Who would still fear this nominal young master of the Chu family?

Moreover, the news of Chu Jianqiu becoming a waste had been widely spread in recent days. Although the rumors were somewhat exaggerated, it was true that his cultivation had drastically declined. Otherwise, Liu Gaoyang would not have been reduced to just losing an arm.

"If my strength augmentation talisman does not achieve a doubling effect, I, Chu Jianqiu, will submit to any punishment from Chang Elder. But if it does, Chang Elder will compensate me with three hundred Body Tempering Pills, how about that?" Although his first attempt at making a talisman was not great, achieving a doubling effect was more than enough.

Three hundred Body Tempering Pills!

The onlookers couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath. This guy had quite the appetite.

Three hundred Body Tempering Pills! Even a True Qi Realm expert would feel the pain of parting with them.

"If your strength augmentation talisman can indeed double the strength, I will give you five hundred Body Tempering Pills!" Chang Gaochen said indifferently.

For a dead man, how many promises could be made? The key was whether he had the life to claim them.

"Fine, it's a deal!" Chu Jianqiu smiled, feeling elated. It was like he was getting a pillow when he was about to fall asleep. He was in dire need of a large number of Body Tempering Pills, and now they were being offered to him.

Liang Jiushan did not stop the two from wagering. Seeing Chu Jianqiu's confidence, he wanted to see if this boy was truly as capable as he seemed.

If Chu Jianqiu could indeed create a strength augmentation talisman that doubles the effect, it would be a significant shock to the talisman array community in Tianshui Prefecture.

Although Liang Jiushan also did not believe that Chu Jianqiu could create such a high-level spirit talisman, even the head of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion, Yang Zhenhai, could not achieve it.

The power of a spirit talisman is mainly influenced by two factors: the rank of the talisman and the quality of the talisman core.

The rank of a spirit talisman generally determines the level of power. For example, a first-rank strength augmentation talisman only enhances the strength of a Body Tempering Realm martial artist, but has little effect on those above the True Qi Realm. Only a second-rank strength augmentation talisman can affect True Qi Realm martial artists.

The quality of the talisman core determines the effect of the spirit talisman. Two first-rank strength augmentation talismans with different core qualities will have different enhancement effects. A high-quality core will have a greater effect, while a low-quality core will have a smaller effect.

The quality of the talisman core is divided into four grades: Inferior, Average, Superior, and Supreme.

The quality of the talisman core is influenced by two factors: the talisman script and the talisman-making technique.

The same strength augmentation talisman, when inscribed with different scripts, will have different core qualities.

A crude script will result in a low-quality core, while a high-quality script, even if the technique is not very advanced, will still result in a high-quality core.

The talisman-making technique reflects the skill level of the talisman master.

The same script, with different levels of proficiency and understanding, will affect the quality of the talisman core.

Therefore, a high-rank talisman master is not necessarily able to create a high-quality core talisman. A talisman master's rank only proves that they can create talismans of that rank.

A second-rank talisman master, even if they can create second-rank talismans, cannot create a high-quality core first-rank talisman without a good low-rank script.

Therefore, talisman scripts are generally closely guarded secrets of talisman masters.

Chu Jianqiu picked up the spirit talisman and followed Chang Gaochen to the Spirit Talisman Pavilion's talisman testing device.

The talisman testing device was placed in the center of the first-floor hall of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion, allowing anyone buying or selling spirit talismans to test their effects at any time.

By now, the news of Chu Jianqiu's wager with Chang Gaochen had spread throughout the Spirit Talisman Pavilion, and people gathered around, making the area around the testing device crowded.

Chang Gaochen watched Chu Jianqiu with a cold smile, eager to see how he would handle the situation.

Chu Jianqiu smiled faintly, took out a strength augmentation talisman, and threw it into the testing device amidst the mocking gazes of the crowd.

Spirit Talisman Name: Strength Augmentation Talisman

Spirit Talisman Rank: First Rank

Talisman Core Quality: Superior

Spirit Talisman Effect: Doubles Strength

Seeing the words flashing on the testing device, the crowd fell into a dead silence.

It was actually true. This guy's strength augmentation talisman really did double the strength. The crowd was stunned by the scene before them, their mouths agape.

Chang Gaochen, seeing the lines of golden text on the testing device, had never felt these words to be so piercing.

Liu Gaoyang, in a state of madness, kept muttering, "Impossible, this can't be true."

Originally, he thought this was a waste he could manipulate at will, but now this waste not only overwhelmed him in strength but also displayed a talent in the art of talismans that made the entire Tianshui Prefecture pale in comparison. The genius who stood atop the masses three years ago seemed to have returned, as radiant as ever.