I proved immortality with thunder magic.

The Hall of Talismans.

When Zhou Tai and Aaron Kwok returned to the main hall where the Talisman Battle Ceremony was being held, there were already quite a few talisman masters there.

According to Aaron Kwok, this year's talisman-fighting ceremony was held rather hastily and will not be as lively as the last one, with many unrelated people coming to watch the spectacle.

Furthermore, in order to make it easier for Zhou Tai to win the championship, special restrictions were imposed this time. Talisman masters who had won the championship in the previous Talisman Competition were not allowed to participate, and talisman masters over eighty years old were also not allowed to participate.

According to this standard, as long as Zhou Tai can draw two "lightning strike talismans", he can definitely win the championship.

After all, although the "Lightning Strike Talisman" is a mid-grade first-tier magic talisman, its points in the Talisman Battle are equivalent to those of a high-grade first-tier magic talisman.

This wasn't something Aaron Kwok arranged specifically; it's just a long-standing tradition.

After waiting in the hall for about 15 minutes, the talisman-competing ceremony officially began.

As a participant, Zhou Tai immediately went to his examination table after the Hall Master of the Talisman Hall, who was presiding over the Talisman Competition, announced the start of the competition. He then quickly took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, placed them on the table, and began grinding ink.

The exam lasted only one hour, so he had to make the most of every second, as did the other participants.

While Zhou Tai and other contestants were busy grinding ink and drawing talismans, the other talisman masters in the hall were studying the talisman paper and ink of each contestant.

Generally speaking, by observing the talisman paper and ink of the contestants, one can roughly determine what kind of talisman they are preparing to draw.

Some talisman masters watching would even set up betting games, wagering on what kind of talisman a contestant would draw.

Although Zhou Tai was relatively unknown among the contestants, he was still one of the eighteen contestants, which naturally attracted some attention.

It should be noted that this Talisman Battle Ceremony is not something that just anyone can sign up for.

To successfully register, one must present a self-made first-grade mid-level magic talisman as proof of eligibility, and also pay a registration fee of twenty low-grade spirit stones.

Therefore, even though Zhou Tai's cultivation level is only at the fifth level of the Qi Refining stage and no one knows him, no one will easily underestimate him before the results of this Talisman Battle are announced.

But when they saw the Thunder Rhinoceros Ink and Thunder Bamboo Paper he used, many talisman masters who had no knowledge of thunder talismans were completely bewildered and did not recognize them at all.

But among so many talisman masters in the hall, there must be some who know their stuff.

Soon, an old talisman master noticed Zhou Tai because of what others were saying and recognized the origin of the paper and ink on Zhou Tai's table.

"Am I seeing things? Those look like Thunder Bamboo Talisman Paper and Thunder Rhinoceros Ink. These are the paper and ink used for drawing thunder talismans. Is that guy going to draw a thunder talisman?"

The old talisman master was so surprised that he couldn't help but cry out, his voice quite loud.

Fortunately, the area where Zhou Tai and the others were located had been sealed off by the Palace Master of the Talisman Hall, preventing them from being disturbed by outsiders.

But the old talisman master's exclamation instantly drew the attention of all the talisman masters watching the competition.

On the main seat, the Palace Master of the Talisman Hall and a deputy Palace Master both turned their gazes toward Zhou Tai.

"That's impossible. I remember he's only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. Is it really possible for someone with that level of cultivation to draw a lightning talisman?"

A younger talisman master looked Zhou Tai over for a moment, then expressed his disbelief with a questioning expression.

Unfortunately, Zhou Tai's cultivation level of the fifth level of Qi Refining was quite unusual among the participating talisman masters, who were generally at the late stage of Qi Refining, making it difficult to be convincing.

Especially considering that he himself doesn't look young.

Hearing the young talisman master's doubts, many other talisman masters couldn't help but nod in agreement, showing great approval of his statement.

But someone else whispered, "While I don't believe he can draw a thunder talisman either, making this choice at the talisman-drawing competition must mean more than just trying to attract attention!"

As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the two Foundation Establishment cultivators seated at the head of the hall.

The Talisman Battle Assembly is originally a stage for talisman masters to showcase their skills and to gain the attention of Foundation Establishment cultivators such as the Talisman Hall Master.

It is believed that there are indeed talented talisman masters who have gained attention through this stage and were later taken in as students by the hall master or deputy hall master of the Talisman Hall, who carefully taught them the art of talisman making, and their talisman skills have since advanced by leaps and bounds.

Clearly, some talisman masters had already figured it out: Zhou Tai, who dared to choose to draw a thunder talisman, probably wanted to use this talisman battle as a stepping stone to gain the attention of the Talisman Hall Master.

These are things that even ordinary talisman masters can see, so how could the Talisman Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master not see them?

The white-haired temple master, Zeng Qiming, immediately transmitted his voice to Guo Fucheng, who was watching the spectacle, saying, "Little fatso of the Guo family, I knew you were a cunning fellow. Why would you suddenly be so generous as to take out a thunder-hair brush as a prize? So that little guy was your trump card!"

Upon hearing this, Aaron Kwok said with a smug look on his face, "Uncle Zeng, look at what you're saying! The prizes for the Talisman Competition are meant to be won by the most capable. My sponsorship is entirely out of sincerity and support for the development of the sect's talismanic arts!"

Zeng Qiming was somewhat surprised by his confidence and couldn't help but ask again, "Oh, judging from your expression, that little guy can really draw a thunder talisman? You're so confident in him?"

Aaron Kwok thought of the four thunder talismans Zhou Tai had given him outside the palace, and wanted to just say "of course."

But then I thought, if I say it now, the shock that Zhou Tai will bring later will be less.

So he said ambiguously, "If I say it's not true, Uncle Zeng, you probably won't believe me. Let's wait and see!"

"You little fatty..."

Zeng Qiming chuckled, shook his head, and didn't ask any more questions.

As Aaron Kwok said, whether it's just hype or he actually has something to show for it, we'll find out in an hour.

Their private conversation was unknown to the other talisman masters in the hall.

However, because of Zhou Tai's drawing of the thunder talisman, a betting game was quickly set up in the hall, and many talisman masters joined in the fun and placed a bet.

When Aaron Kwok turned around and saw that the majority of people who bet on Zhou Tai had lost, he immediately placed a large bet himself.

He certainly succeeded in betting on Zhou Tai's success.

The outside noise did not disturb Zhou Tai, who had already begun drawing talismans. The moment he picked up the talisman brush, his expression became more focused than ever before.

Based on his previous experience, he could probably draw thirteen "lightning strike talismans" in an hour, assuming he didn't rush the process and compromise the success rate.

In other words, if he wants to draw two "lightning strike talismans" today, he needs to increase his success rate to nearly 20%.

He wasn't entirely confident about it, but it was worth the gamble.

Time passed slowly, and soon half an hour had gone by.

At this point, the other contestants had all drawn their own talismans and placed them aside, but Zhou Tai's table was still empty of any finished products.

Many talisman masters who had been watching him couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

Someone shook their head and sighed, "He's failed five times already. Although he seems to have almost succeeded each time, he still hasn't. I think it's hopeless!"

Those nearby, upon hearing this, immediately nodded in agreement, saying, "Isn't that right? If lightning talismans were so easy to draw, they wouldn't be so rare and valuable. For a mere Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator to think he can draw lightning talismans is utterly presumptuous!"

At this moment, someone seemed to have suddenly discovered a key point and exclaimed, "Everyone, I just thought of something! Since he can draw thunder talismans, he must have a thunder spirit root aptitude, right? So how come he's only at the fifth level of Qi Refining at his age?"

Many talisman masters were stunned by these words.

Yes, they were all only concerned about whether Zhou Tai could draw the Thunder Talisman, and no one thought about this unusual thing.

It was only when someone brought it up that people realized just how abnormal this was.

"Could it be that his true cultivation level isn't at the fifth level of Qi Refining, but rather that he's cultivated some kind of Qi Concealment technique?"

Someone couldn't help but voice their own conjecture, but was quickly met with glares and rebuttals from others.

"This is a Talisman Contest, not a martial arts competition. What's the point of hiding your cultivation level? Besides, Uncle Zeng and Uncle Li are watching from above. Hiding your cultivation level in front of them is just showing off how exquisite your techniques are!"

The topic quickly shifted from whether Zhou Tai could draw a thunder talisman to whether he had a thunder spirit root aptitude and what his background was.

Just as everyone was arguing, someone suddenly exclaimed, "He succeeded! He really did it!"

Upon hearing this, the arguing crowd all turned to look at Zhou Tai's table, where the newly drawn talisman was radiating a pale blue glow, which was quite eye-catching.

As they were all talisman masters, everyone present naturally understood what the shimmering talisman paper represented, and they were all stunned for a moment.

"He actually succeeded! That's unbelievable! Is he really only at the fifth level of Qi Refining?"

After regaining their senses, someone exclaimed in astonishment, almost as if in a trance.

Some people exclaimed with delighted eyes, "I never expected this! I actually witnessed the birth of a thunder talisman! This talisman-competing event today was definitely worth coming to!"

At this moment, all doubts about Zhou Tai have disappeared, replaced only by amazement and praise.

When they saw Zhou Tai rest for only a short while before continuing to lay out paper and pick up his brush, the many talisman masters watching held their breath slightly.

"He still wants to draw another talisman. Is it really possible for him to draw another thunder talisman? Is there still enough time?"

Someone muttered to themselves, their tone full of doubt.

However, no one dared to utter any sarcastic words at this moment. Everyone stared wide-eyed at Zhou Tai, and most people were hoping to see another thunder talisman appear in the world.

Even Zeng Qiming, the Palace Master of the Talisman Hall, and Li Jianping, the Deputy Palace Master, who were sitting at the head of the table, looked at Zhou Tai's table with solemn expressions.

Zhou Tai's ability to draw thunder talismans has successfully drawn their attention.

However, if Zhou Tai can draw two thunder talismans within an hour, then this disciple's talent and ability will be even more worthy of their attention.