Witch, please have some self-respect!

Second-tier rune master Chu Yunwei exclaimed in surprise, "An old man with white hair and a white beard is here to take the entrance exam for rune master? Interesting, very interesting!"

"It seems that my path of talisman stone is more promising. The white-haired old man in the early stage of body cultivation has failed countless times, but he is still not discouraged and is determined to become a talisman stone master."

Li Yunliang's eyes lit up, and he became much more straightforward, thinking of a good inspirational story.

"Brother Li truly lives up to his reputation for exceptional intelligence, never forgetting to promote the fame of my talisman-making skills."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yunwei smiled and clapped his hands.

"Didn't the Alchemy Hall promote a young genius? If our Rune Stone Hall promotes a late bloomer, emphasizing that perseverance and hard work will yield results, it will be more relevant to the vast majority of cultivators at the grassroots level."

Li Yunliang touched his bald head, while the hair on the sides was still quite thick.

After a moment's consideration, he said, "If that old man isn't too far off, we can go easy on him a bit, set an example, and see if we can outdo the Pill Hall."

All kinds of skills are practiced in the Heavenly Crafts Bureau, so the fierce competition among them goes without saying.

A talisman master who combines stone, artifact, and array can overpower an alchemist.

In a one-on-one competition, especially in the early stages, it is indeed incomparable to the Dao of Alchemy.

Therefore, it is important to influence their perceptions through publicity.

The more people learn about runes, the more beneficial it is for the Runestone Hall.

Whether it's selling insightful notes, providing one-on-one guidance, or privately running a talisman shop selling talisman-related items, they are involved in various activities.

These benefits are directly proportional to the number of people who study this path.

If you make the cake bigger, everyone will get more to eat.

Moreover, the power of each hall within the Heavenly Craftsmanship Palace is related to the number of people who have entered each hall.

This is also very important!

Just as the two were getting into their discussion, Ming Qiangu, a third-level master who was recuperating with his eyes closed in the hall, spoke up.

"This is the Hall of Talismans; do not resort to such unfair methods."

Chu Yunwei and Li Yunliang quickly shut up and nodded in agreement.

The first level of the Dao of Talismans is like a mountain, and the third level is much stronger than the second level. They dared not refute it.

"However, since the white-haired old man has come for the assessment, we can extend the time appropriately and give him another chance to fail."

Once Ming Qiangu, who was seated at the head of the table, made the decision, the others looked pleased and had no objections.

"Then I'll go and bring him in."

The apprentice acknowledged and withdrew, leading the others away.

In the waiting room, Shen Yun was still chatting with the beautiful woman about the precautions for the assessment.

Ten talisman stones are a lot, and each engraving consumes a lot of energy and spirit, making it difficult to complete the engraving in one go.

Therefore, it is permissible to conduct the assessment in three separate sessions, with each session spaced within three days of the previous one.

During the assessment period, there will be at least one second-tier rune master and five first-tier rune masters supervising the process.

The young apprentice returned and said, "Master, the assessment can begin now. Are you ready?"

"I'm not hard of hearing!" Shen Yun picked at his ear.

The sound was too loud.

Leaning on his cane, Shen Yun politely bid farewell to the beautiful woman and followed the apprentice deeper into the area.

There are benefits to practicing spirituality at an older age.

In his past life, Shen Yun read a novel where the young protagonist was always arguing with everyone and everything, making enemies everywhere he went.

Even when participating in the assessment, I was looked down upon by everyone.

He's different; you can hear someone calling him "Grandpa" wherever he goes.

Following the wide corridor, we went straight up to the third floor and arrived at a magnificent hall with three ancient characters inscribed on it: "Fushi Hall".

Upon entering the hall, the first person Shen Yun saw was Master Ming Qiangu at the head of the table, dressed in palace attire, unsmiling, and exuding great authority.

Shen Yun had learned his basics from her lectures.

"Greetings to Master Ming Qiangu, and greetings to all the talisman masters."

Shen Yun quickly bowed in greeting.

Ming Qiangu nodded. She taught here year-round, so it wasn't surprising that Shen Yun knew her.

When the talisman masters took a look, they saw that he was indeed an old man with white hair and beard, who looked to be in his seventies or eighties.

Although his body was full of qi and blood, it was somewhat chaotic, indicating that he had taken a lot of drugs.

"How old are you this year, sir?" a Mediterranean-looking talisman master asked.

Shen Yun glanced at the familiar hairstyle and replied, "I'm sixty-three this year."

The examiners exchanged glances, which only increased their confidence in him.

The profession of Rune Master requires a great deal of effort to study runes.

Premature aging indicates that the research has been conducted in sufficient depth.

Even a second-tier talisman master like Li Fushi, with his Blood Sea Realm cultivation, isn't considered exceptionally intelligent.

In fact, many talisman masters stop researching new runes and even carve fewer talisman stones as they get older.

Exhausting too much energy and spirit can shorten one's lifespan!

"You should know the rules. Go to Assessment Room Number Two."

Shen Yun nodded as he watched the Mediterranean talisman master speak, and walked toward a small, transparent hut marked with "two" at the edge of the palace.

The small room, about eight or nine square meters in size, was constructed from a completely transparent material that resembled glass. However, the occasional appearance of runes indicated that it was not so simple.

There is only one fixed table and chair inside.

It's like a prison, where anyone can observe what's inside from the outside.

This is the assessment room. How precious is the time of a talisman master? Six talisman masters do nothing but stare at people and assess them all day long.

Nobody has the time or spare.

After discussion, it was decided that the exam would be held in the Fushi Hall.

It wasn't just the six talisman masters keeping an eye on it; even third-tier talisman masters would keep an eye on it in their spare time.

Eliminate the possibility of cheating.

Upon entering the room, Mediterranean followed: "My name is Li Yunliang, and I am your chief examiner."

The chief examiner is the main person in charge of supervision, and the examination for entering the ranks of talisman masters is conducted by second-level talisman masters.

"Hello, Master Li, this is my inkstone, talisman ink, and twenty source stones."

Shen Yun took out his assessment supplies and his jade token for the second-tier talisman master to inspect.

"I have prepared ten talismans for engraving, protection, lightness, speed, great strength, boiling blood, rejuvenation, detoxification, mental awakening, golden knife, and ice mist."

And then they would specify the talisman they wanted to carve.

"It even contains two elemental runes. It seems you're quite confident."

Li Yunliang looked at the two metal-attribute source stones and the two ice-attribute source stones with slight surprise.

Shen Yun sighed, "This old man has been studying talismans for decades, and he has only achieved this much at this age. I am ashamed."

"Good. Given your age, the Runestone Hall will give you preferential treatment. You can complete the assessment in three to five sessions, and you will be allowed to use thirty Source Stones."

Li Yunliang patted Shen Yun on the shoulder and encouraged him.

He looks young, but he is actually much older than Shen Yun. Once he reaches the Blood Sea Realm, his appearance is basically fixed, only aging rapidly in the years before his death.

Shen Yun was somewhat surprised. Two more attempts doubled the margin for error?

I had never heard of the Talisman Hall offering such preferential treatment to elderly talisman masters before.

He keenly sensed that the second-tier rune master in front of him seemed to have some kind of expectation for him.

An unexpected act of kindness.

"Did they have an internal bet? A bet on whether I could pass the test?"

Having read countless storybooks in his past life, many plots popped into Shen Yun's mind.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Master Li!"

However, on the surface, Shen Yun still appeared grateful and bowed deeply to Li Yunliang.

Studies show that people you've helped may not help you back, but those who have helped you are more likely to help you a second time.

Regardless of the circumstances, he should accept this favor; he won't lose out.

"Not only me, you should also thank Master Ming."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yun immediately bowed in the direction of Master Ming Qiangu.

Li Yunliang nodded in satisfaction, closed the door, and left.

Only Shen Yun remained in the room, along with the faint noise outside the door.

The assessment begins.

Without further hesitation, Shen Yun placed all the checked items on the table and began engraving protective talismans.

For engraving non-elemental runes, Shen Yun chose not to use blessing points. He poured rune ink into the inkstone, picked up an ordinary source stone, and began engraving.

Stone dust fell in a soft, scattered manner.

One hour later, the protective talisman was successfully applied on the first try.

It's still a small, high-quality product that utilizes 70% of its internal energy.

Li Yunliang, who had been watching this place from the Fushi Hall, nodded. This old man's foundation was quite solid.

Shen Yun chose the Lightness Talisman for the second one.

"Buzz!"

An hour later, the room was illuminated by a glow once again.

Another success on the first try.

Shen Yun himself was surprised by his own condition. The inkstone in his hand was particularly easy to handle, and it had the effect of smoothing out the energy fluctuations within the source stone.

"Ice Mist Talisman!"

Riding this wave of momentum, Shen Yun chose the toughest challenge.

More than an hour later, my hand slipped, and I failed.

Adjusting my state, two and a half hours later, I lost...

Add thirty points of blessing.

success!