Don't Mess with that Turtle

"Talisman runes, they are the world!" Yu Lin said with a timid voice, uttering bold words.

He didn't dare look at the crocodiles below, slightly tilting his head and looking up at an angle.

"Everything in the world can be depicted with talisman runes, and theoretically, it's possible to use them to construct... to construct an entirely new world."

His voice was pleasant, and the course arrangement was good, but he was a bit timid. Thankfully, after hesitating for a long time before speaking, he finally found some confidence.

He mustered the courage to look towards the water's surface. The crocodiles were in groups; one-third were bewilderedly looking at him, another third were minding their own business, and the remaining third were sleeping.

This class was disastrously ineffective.

This was probably the worst batch Yu Lin would ever teach in his entire career.

The atmosphere of such a class immediately made him nervous, "I'm not lying to you!"

As if to lend his words credibility, he jumped up: "Talisman runes are everything!"

"Wind, come!" He pointed his finger and drew a spirit talisman in the air. In an instant, a fierce wind blew, whipping up the waves against the shore.

"Rain, come!" Another talisman rune, and out of the clear blue sky came a downpour, drenching him like a drowned rat.

The sudden rain caught the crocodiles off guard, and they began howling one after another, sending Yu Lin into even more of a panic. He waved his hands, not knowing how to maintain discipline.

"Roar~"

Su He let out a timely roar, and the group of crocodiles quieted down.

Yu Lin looked at him with gratitude, and upon seeing Su He's appearance, even showed a bit of surprise: "Did you eat the Demonic Fruit or are you advancing to an exotic beast? Thank you! I'll introduce you to Lu Shidi another day. Lu Shidi loves exotic beasts; you're sure to become good friends with him."

Yu Lin decided, during his time teaching at Crocodile Beach, this turtle would be the chief.

He waved his hand and released a few symbols, his rain-drenched clothes drying in an instant and even turning clean and elegant.

Feeling much better, his confidence grew slightly.

"This is the power of talisman runes!"

If he were demonstrating this in front of new junior brothers and sisters, it would certainly elicit a wave of admiration, wouldn't it? A bit of pride swelled in Yu Lin's heart.

"Each spirit talisman is made up of different functioning symbols: origin symbols, narrative symbols, and set symbols—they are the three key elements of talisman runes."

"The seven hundred and twenty origin symbols are the foundation of talisman law; wind, rain, thunder, lightning; water, fire, wood, earth... Every origin symbol represents an elemental origin of all things."

"Narrative symbols determine the power and nature of the talisman runes you write. The same thunder talisman can differ in whether it invokes the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder or just ordinary thunder."

Immersed in teaching, Yu Lin switched on his focus like flipping a switch within himself; there were no crocodiles in his eyes now, just the desire to teach. He bent his finger and drew talisman runes in mid-air.

A symbol, flashing with electric light, condensed in mid-air, one of the seven hundred and twenty origin symbols: the thunder symbol.

"This is the thunder origin symbol. Add different narrative symbols to it, and you will combine it into various thunder talismans: Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, Palm Thunder, Sun Thunder, Yin Thunder..."

Yu Lin swiftly drew, and one after another thunder talisman took shape, all different and exuding their own distinct aura. Even a layman could tell they were all centered around the thunder origin symbol that Yu Lin first drew.

"Narrative symbols describe the properties of talisman runes, while set symbols are the mechanisms of the talisman runes, determining when and under what circumstances the talisman runes will activate."

He pointed and added detailing to each thunder talisman.

"I want this talisman to activate immediately, striking the rock in front of me." A thunder talisman formed, and a bolt of lightning fell from the sky, smashing a rock into pieces with a snap.

"I want this one to activate upon contact with water." Another talisman took shape. He projected the spirit talisman, which careened wildly but caused nothing to happen until it was deflected into the lake.

Snap!

A bolt of lightning struck the lake, and instantly seven or eight crocodiles were frothing at the mouth, belly-up.

Yu Lin's face turned pale with shock, "I'm... I'm sorry!"

He didn't know what to do, frantically pulling out seven or eight bottles of pill medicine and stuffing them into the crocodiles' mouths. After a lot of fumbling, those few crocodiles gradually came to, rolling their eyes back.

Not daring to demonstrate further, he dispersed the spirit talismans in the sky and shyly looked towards the crocodile crowd, saying awkwardly, "Does anyone... understand?"

There was no response from the crocodiles.

They had been scared by the recent shocking thunder, now just timidly emerging from under the water, looking at him in confusion.

Yu Lin was silent... They're just crocodiles; they can't understand what I'm saying or comprehend my lessons...

He was brooding over this when suddenly he lifted his head: they are crocodiles, they won't hold a grudge even if struck by lightning, so does it matter what I do?

After all, they don't understand...

His face twitched, and he suddenly pointed at an old crocodile, "Eh? Is that junior brother raising his hand? Do you have a question to ask?"

The bewildered crocodile looked at its uncontrolled front paw raised in the air, then its entire body was yanked out of the water by an unseen force, looking like it rose up to sit on its knees like a disciple poised to ask a polite question.

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It tried to struggle, but could not move, its face filled with terror as it looked towards Su He.

"King, save me!"

The king had no time to bother with it, for the king was being a good student, listening with utmost seriousness. Even a turtle claw was moving back and forth on the surface of the water, imitating the Thunder Talisman that Yu Lin had just drawn.

The crocodile was dumbfounded.

"My king, we are being toyed with by this Taoist at will. Yet the king listens so earnestly to the Taoist's teaching—"

"Why has my king betrayed our clan?"

Its massive body with a tiny brain couldn't understand this.

Su He did not notice the crocodile's complex psychological activities. He now understood the function of the dice.

Learning efficiency!

Yu Lin had just drawn a total of eleven Spirit Talismans, and in that moment, Su He had completely memorized them all! He could even use his claws to replicate the process of Drawing Talisman exactly as Yu Lin did, with the appropriate pressure, pauses, and speeds.

The crocodile was silent, so Yu Lin automatically filled in the question, "Eh? You want to ask why the Talisman Rune you imitated with your tail can't summon thunder?" Yu Lin asked the crocodile in astonishment.

The crocodile: "???"

"Of course, it's because you don't have mana!" Yu Lin burst out laughing, as if he had suddenly seen the light, no longer afraid of teaching, or as if he had completely given up on any cure, so to speak.

He tossed the crocodile aside and began teaching with wild gesticulations, starting from Thunder Talisman and going all the way to Refining Device, then from Alchemy to Dual Cultivation, even earnestly discussing the feasibility of cross-species Dual Cultivation with the crocodile.

Su He couldn't even figure out how he had gone on such a big tangent.

It wasn't until the full moon had climbed high, with droplets of autumn dew condensing, that he shivered violently, his spirit returning to his body, his face gradually turning pale.

Who am I? Where am I? What have I done?

"I've been lecturing on Talisman Law here for a day, dancing while teaching, and when excited, even lifted my pants to pee on the stone steps in front of everyone."

I...

His neck turned towards Su He, stiff as an old puppet, one section at a time.

This might be a demon, who could transform into a human form one day and remember the events of today.

Silence him!

Su He shuddered, sensing a malice coming for him, as if his turtle shell was about to sprout hairs.

At the first opportunity, Su He moved his limbs and burrowed into the bottom of the lake, not looking back as he fled.

Watching his retreating figure, Yu Lin turned pale and trembled all over, finally toppling over and almost drowning in the lake. He was gently caught by an Immortal Sword, which emitted a soft Sword Light, carrying him lightly toward Qingyuan Mountain.

With the malice receding, Su He hid under the water, his heart inexplicably excited.

It's fate!

Surely there are people sharpening their heads to squeeze into the capital, while others are born in the city. Even the choice of where one is born as a wild beast is crucial; being born near a Sect always leads to chance encounters with various opportunities.

The sloppy Taoist, the shy Yu Lin. The Taoist, drunk on wine, boasted for three days, sharing with him tales from the Mystery Huang World. Yu Lin, through his teachings, made him experience the glory of cultivation.

There would be many more such opportunities in the long Turtle Life.

Su He's heart thumped uncontrollably with excitement, wanting to share with someone. Unconsciously, his feet directed him to the tunnel of Snake Valley, and he surfaced on the lake by following the tunnel.

A wave of tranquility hit him.

Snake Valley was peaceful, with the full moon hanging low, shrouded in a misty glow. On the willow tree by the lake, a Green Snake coiled, hissing at the moon.

An indescribable charm surrounded the Green Snake, as if veiled in the hazy moonlight.

Su He unconsciously drew closer.

The moonlight envelopingly shrouded him as well.

Boom!

The scenery before him changed drastically, and he saw a snake, a White Snake, occupying the entire world. The vast snake, soaring high into the Nine Heavens, now diving into the water, roamed freely in the boundless waves.

It's a legacy!

The Green Snake was accepting a legacy! The Demonic Fruit it ate contained the legacy of a White Snake!

Su He's mind shook, and amidst the towering waves, he saw the White Snake turn its head slightly to look towards him.

It seemed the White Snake had noticed the uninvited guest.

Just then, a dice as large as a mountain crashed down, landing on the immense snake's head and began to spin.

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