Chapter 185: The Sleeper

In the Talisman Arts classroom, Chen Mobai sat in a window-side corner, a little distracted. After the class bell rang, the teacher on the podium put down a stack of graded talismans and began calling out scores.

"First place in this Qi Guiding Talisman exam, Zhuang Jialan." Wearing glasses, the girl sitting in the front row stood up when she heard her name called, walked forward, and received the talisman she had submitted. As she turned back, Chen Mobai glanced at her. She was quite pretty. With a delicate nose, dimples when she faintly smiled, and fair, translucent skin, combined with her glasses and deliberately lengthened, curved eyebrows, she exuded an indescribable elegance mixed with an innocent yet alluring charm.

"Second place, Si Guanyu." Next up was another top student in their year, also majoring in Talisman Arts. There's always a trade-off. Thanks to Chai Lun's personal guidance, Chen Mobai had consistently ranked among the top three in the Puppet Arts department. He had even secured first place seven times consecutively in the practical assembly classes, earning him the unofficial title of "puppet prodigy." However, conversely, in his other major, Talisman Arts, he hadn't put in much effort, and his talent for drawing talismans was indeed mediocre. Since the start of the semester, his scores had consistently been among the lowest. If it weren't for three students who had entered through the back door and always remained at the very bottom, Chen Mobai would have been the last in his cohort.

"Twenty-third place, Chen Mobai." Hearing his name, he immediately went up and took the "Qi Guiding Talisman" he had drawn from the teacher's hand. This was a high-grade, first-tier talisman, designed to guide spiritual energy to a specific location. It was typically affixed to a meditation mat during cultivation sessions to assist practice. At lower cultivation stages, it could slightly boost one's spiritual energy level. Since Chen Mobai had received foundational training at Danzhu Academy, he was able to keep up with the Talisman Arts curriculum at Wuqi Daoist Academy. His Qi Guiding Talisman was drawn competently, earning a passing grade of 60 points from the instructor.

He took his work and was about to leave when the teacher called out to him. The teacher, Gao Yu, though only at the Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation, was a third-tier talisman master. His expertise in talisman arts was considered expert level within the immortal sect. He looked at Chen Mobai and spoke with a tone of disappointment, "I know you're engrossed in puppet arts, but you must understand that Talisman Arts are the true Grand Dao. You're a bright child. To be able to officially enroll in the Daoist Academy and achieve such proficiency in the niche field of puppet arts, your talent is undeniable. However, as your teacher, I still hope you'll devote more time to Talisman Arts. The peak of puppet arts in the immortal sect is only the third-tier pinnacle, whereas the talismans passed down in our sect can reach the fifth tier, with enough power to pluck stars and seize the moon—something mere puppets cannot achieve." Chen Mobai could only lower his head and agree. He couldn't very well say that it wasn't for lack of effort, but simply a limitation of his talent. He had chosen this Qi Guiding Talisman as his best work only after drawing a hundred others. In the Tianhe Realm, it would have been considered a masterpiece. Yet, in a first-year class at Wuqi Daoist Academy, it was only deemed a pass.

Because of his rising reputation in the Puppet Arts department, his less-than-ideal scores in Talisman Arts were not attributed to a lack of talent, but rather to his perceived lack of dedication. Everyone assumed he was so engrossed in puppet arts that he only took Talisman Arts superficially, merely learning the relevant knowledge during class and never practicing afterward. Yet, even under these circumstances, his grades still kept pace with the majority of students, indicating he had a grasp of the basic concepts. Everyone, including Teacher Gao Yu and his classmates, believed that if Chen Mobai simply shifted his focus to Talisman Arts, his scores would improve dramatically, potentially even surpassing the two geniuses, Si Guanyu and Zhuang Jialan.

For this very reason, although Chen Mobai's Talisman Arts scores were consistently at the bottom, no one dared to look down on him. Some even gave him a nickname: "The Sleeper."

After receiving his reprimand, Chen Mobai absentmindedly returned to his seat, completely unaware of the serious gazes from the two top students in the class. Zhuang Jialan and Si Guanyu had long held the first and second ranks in Talisman Arts. While competing with each other, they also kept a constant eye on Chen Mobai. They even believed that the pressure of "The Sleeper" potentially awakening at any moment was what spurred their rapid progress. They intended to use this time to elevate themselves to a level that Chen Mobai couldn't possibly catch up to, even if he were to turn his full attention to Talisman Arts.

However, Chen Mobai's entire focus was currently on the soon-to-be-completed Practice Automaton. After twenty-five days of hard work, with Chen Mobai's assistance, Chai Lun had finally finished all the parts. All that remained was assembly, uploading Chen Mobai's data model, and debugging the functions.

Finally, that day had arrived. Chen Mobai had truly had enough of the slow progress of his *Longevity Scripture*. After class, though still somewhat dazed, he immediately packed his textbooks, slung on his backpack, and darted out of the classroom. This left the two top students, who had wanted to speak with him, looking at each other in surprise.

"Seriously," Zhuang Jialan said, stamping her foot slightly in annoyance as she watched Chen Mobai leave, "I was going to ask him for this month's class fees." "Let's cover it for him for now," suggested Si Guanyu, a youth who appeared as gentle as jade. He and Zhuang Jialan, as class monitor and committee member respectively, were considered the representatives for the current year's Talisman Arts freshmen.

Completely unaware of these matters, Chen Mobai arrived at Chai Lun's workshop, deftly picked up a wrench, and helped Chai Lun begin assembling the automaton's final limbs and head. Fully immersed, time flew by quickly. Before they knew it, darkness had fallen outside, and the Practice Automaton was at its final stage.

"I'll demonstrate once, and you can make adjustments yourself if issues arise later," Chai Lun said. He placed the assembled, faceless automaton on a cleared shelf, then took out a USB drive containing Chen Mobai's physical data and inserted it into a reserved slot. The automaton's head had not yet been sealed, and wires extending from the main controller were connected to a twenty-centimeter square screen. Chai Lun's fingers moved in a blur as he swiftly completed the data transfer. Then, he guided Chen Mobai to import the Qi Cultivation chapter of the *Pure Yang Scroll* cultivation method and began the first debugging session.

The results were perfect. The half-hour simulation displayed all sorts of potential issues Chen Mobai might encounter during cultivation. For instance, at the sixth Qi Cultivation layer, the two meridians in his left hand were not resilient enough, requiring nurturing and expansion before he could break through to the seventh Qi Cultivation layer in one go. Another example was the shortest and longest time frames for completing the Tri-Yang Physique, which could vary within a set range based on self-defined conditions. With Chai Lun present, Chen Mobai found it awkward to set the condition for cultivating entirely with spirit stones, which would drastically shorten the time.

"Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother," Chen Mobai said. After the *Pure Yang Scroll* cultivation simulation ran successfully and was confirmed problem-free, Chen Mobai was thrilled. He thanked Chai Lun and then paid the remaining balance. As Chai Lun watched Chen Mobai carry the Practice Automaton away, a flicker of reluctance crossed his eyes.