Chapter 280: Chapter 231 Plan Success!
Initially, Jiang Cheng tried to come up with a talisman that could quickly secure an advantage, such as the Muscle Relaxation Talisman.

Using a talisman to control an opponent for a full minute, even a fool could secure victory and win the match within that minute of control.

Then Jiang Cheng discovered that this approach, which worked well in the Qi Cultivation Stage, was hard to pull off during the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The reason being, a cultivator’s overall strength on their panel increased, leading to a decline in the efficacy of a single talisman.

Simply put, in a match during the Qi Cultivation Stage, a single move could determine the outcome. For instance, if you have a powerful spell that the opponent can’t defend against, they naturally have no choice but to surrender.

But in a match during the Foundation Establishment Stage, if a cultivator can’t defend against one spell, they could use two; if spells don’t suffice, they have defensive magical treasures. Some cultivators rely on their agile movements to evade without blocking, avoiding injury just the same.

Some combinations of moves that only exceptional individuals like Liang Lu could use in the Qi Cultivation Stage become standard for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The same is true in the Core Formation Stage. Those outstanding in Foundation Establishment soar across the skies, while Core Formation cultivators gracefully rise through the ranks of the Heavenly Dao.

Therefore, Jiang Cheng’s idea of learning from the Qi Cultivation Stage, hoping that Liang Qing could gain an overwhelming advantage with a single talisman, was wishful thinking.

Whenever Jiang Cheng faced a difficulty in talisman creation, he would always review the client’s needs.

Liang Qing’s need was simple: to win the match against Li Qing.

So, aside from obtaining an overwhelming advantage, was there another way to win the match?

Yes.

Bribing Li Qing before the match to throw the fight.

Just kidding.

Of course, Jiang Cheng wouldn’t engage in anything that disrupted the rules.

However, the idea of throwing a match did give Jiang Cheng a new line of thought.

Was there a talisman that could lead to the opponent’s defeat even while they had the upper hand?

During the freshmen combat assessment, Jiang Cheng had also learned about the general rules of competition.

There were mainly three ways to concede: 1. concede voluntarily, 2. leave the range of the competition stage, 3. be unable to continue fighting.

Naturally, specific competition events had certain rules for disqualification, such as the prohibition of illegal elixirs and forbidden techniques, among others.

Jiang Cheng first considered the “concede voluntarily” aspect.

To make the opponent voluntarily concede when at a disadvantage, apart from throwing the match or the opponent giving away the win, Jiang Cheng couldn’t think of any other method at the moment.

Next was “leaving the range of the competition stage.”

Jiang Cheng pondered whether it was possible to move the competition stage itself, making the opponent lose just by standing still?

Later, he realized this was unfeasible because he didn’t know the exact size of the “competition stage.” If it turned out to be the size of a small hill, a second-rank talisman couldn’t handle it.

Lastly, there was only “being unable to continue fighting.”

This seemed incredibly stringent, but in fact, upon deeper thought, it was indeed quite difficult.

The most common reason for being unable to continue fighting was being knocked out cold, unconscious.

But according to Liang Qing’s description, he was usually the one ending up unconscious when facing Li Qing.

So, were there situations where the dominant party would be “unable to continue fighting”?

Indeed, there were!

That would be—Enlightenment!

“Enlightenment” is a manifestation of one’s affinity with the Heavenly Dao, usually occurring to the prodigies of the Immortal Sect.

The main signs are phenomena between heaven and earth, coupled with one’s sudden enlightenment on the path of cultivating immortality.

Enlightenment is a chance encounter that cannot be sought after.

Even the prodigies of the Immortal Sect knew how rare the opportunity for enlightenment was, and dared not squander it lightly.

Suppose Li Qing suddenly had the chance for enlightenment while fighting against Liang Qing.

Li Qing would then face two choices, one to give up enlightenment and defeat Liang Qing, or two to forsake defeating Liang Qing and achieve enlightenment on the spot.

Jiang Cheng didn’t need to think twice to know Li Qing’s choice—only a fool would give up on enlightenment!

Besides, Li Qing had already “caught Liang Qing seven times,” what difference would winning one more time make?

In comparison, enlightenment could be considered a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” and everyone would know how much to treasure it; no one would give it up easily.

After clarifying the logical sequence, Jiang Cheng grasped the new design concept for the talisman.

The client’s requirement was victory → The method for victory was to make the opponent “unable to continue fighting” → The client uses the “Enlightenment Experience Talisman” → The opponent enters the enlightenment state and automatically forfeits the match → Client wins, the mission is completed, and the talisman is a success.

With a clear design concept, Jiang Cheng’s next task was to “recreate the process of enlightenment.”

After all, enlightenment is a rare phenomenon, which the vast majority of cultivators have only heard of, never seen. Jiang Cheng was an exception; he had seen it, but he wasn’t sure if the game graphics differed from reality.

Since it was the “Enlightenment Experience Talisman,” the conscientious Jiang Cheng did not plan to skimp on the effort.

He was creating a talisman for a “genuine experience,” not one to “make money off a lousy production.”

So he decided to go to Lotus University’s library to look for material on enlightenment, to authentically recreate the scene of enlightenment, allowing the one who activated the talisman to experience the joy of enlightenment as if they were truly there.

“Heading to the Lotus University library, are you?” Jiang Cheng asked his roommate.

Liu Qing glanced at the night sky outside the window, indicating that it was too late.

There was no room inspection in Jade Lake Ming’an, but the Lotus University library closed at nine, and it was already past that time.

The brain suddenly relaxed, and drowsiness immediately came over him.

Jiang Cheng yawned, stood up, and said, “It is indeed too late, let’s go to bed early today and check the library for materials tomorrow.”

Before the words were out of his mouth, Jiang Cheng yawned again as he headed towards the bedroom, but oddly enough, Liu Qing kept following him, seemingly intending to share a room with him for the night.

Realizing the situation, Jiang Cheng’s sleepiness disappeared instantly.

Jiang Cheng carefully assessed the difference in combat power between him and Liu Qing and ultimately concluded— there was no chance of winning.