Chapter 657: Proof
Her agreement immediately surprised several people. Natasha gestured toward the center of the venue. "Please proceed."
Lana walked forward. A long table was quickly brought over, and the necessary materials were placed before her.
The entire venue fell silent as everyone watched.
Lana picked up the talisman paper and carefully spread it across the table. Her fingers moved with practiced precision as she began drawing the intricate patterns.
The ink glided smoothly across the paper.
Henry, who had been standing beside Natasha, initially wore an indifferent expression. He had expected Lana to fail.
After all, they had assumed that her previous claims about being a talisman practitioner were nothing more than an excuse.
However, as Lana continued drawing, Henry’s expression slowly changed. Natasha’s eyes also narrowed.
’How is this possible?’
Lana’s control was so precise that even several experienced practitioners in the audience began staring at her in amazement.
Finally, Lana placed the final stroke onto the talisman. A faint golden light flashed across the paper. The talisman was complete.
Lana picked it up and calmly turned toward the judges. "This is an exorcism talisman."
Natasha remained silent.
Lana glanced toward the surrounding audience before adding, "If you doubt its effectiveness, we can test it."
At that moment, someone from backstage brought forward a human who was clearly behaving strangely.
The person’s eyes were completely black, and their body trembled violently. A terrifying aura radiated from them, while their fingers clawed at their own arms.
A five-hundred-year-old ghost was possessing the person. Several people instinctively moved backward.
Lana calmly approached. The possessed human suddenly let out a horrifying scream and lunged toward her.
Lana did not retreat. She simply flicked the exorcism talisman. The talisman immediately burst into brilliant light.
The ghost inside the human screamed as dark energy violently erupted from the person’s body. For several seconds, the entire venue seemed to shake.
Then the black aura was forcibly pulled out. The ghost struggled desperately before finally dispersing beneath the power of the talisman.
The possessed person collapsed forward. Lana caught them before they could hit the ground and gently lowered them.
The entire venue fell silent. Natasha and Henry were completely speechless.
They had expected to use the demonstration to embarrass Lana.
Instead, she had created a genuine exorcism talisman in front of everyone and used it to eliminate a five-hundred-year-old ghost.
The reactions from the audience quickly changed.
"That was incredible. She really is a talisman practitioner."
"Her control over mystical energy is amazing."
"I have never seen someone create a talisman so quickly."
"That exorcism talisman was powerful enough to deal with a five-hundred-year-old ghost!"
One person even exclaimed, "She is much more talented than I expected."
Lana calmly returned to her place. However, before the atmosphere could settle, Julia suddenly stood up.
Her expression was serious as she looked toward the judges.
"I request that talismans be banned from the competition."
Lana glanced at Julia but did not speak.
Julia continued,
"I am not saying this because Lana is using them. I believe there is a logical reason for banning them. Talisman practitioners can prepare hundreds of talismans before entering the competition. Unlike cultivation techniques, these items can provide a participant with abilities they would otherwise not possess. That creates an imbalance between the contestants."
Several people immediately began discussing her proposal. Then someone from Country F shouted from the audience.
"Julia is right! Talismans should be banned!"
Another person quickly agreed. "Yes, otherwise this competition will become unfair!"
Soon, more voices joined the discussion. Some contestants became increasingly agitated.
One person even picked up a small stone and threw it toward Lana. Lana’s eyes flashed coldly.
Before the stone could reach her, a translucent mystical shield appeared around her body.
The stone struck the shield and dropped harmlessly to the ground. Lana did not even bother looking at it.
Natasha remained calm amid the chaos.
After allowing the discussion to continue for several moments, she finally raised her hand.
"I agree with Julia’s proposal. From this point onward, talismans will be considered prohibited external equipment."
A few people immediately cheered. Lana looked toward Natasha. She could have argued. She could have demanded that the rule not be applied retroactively.
Instead, she simply smiled. "All right."
Her calm response caused several people to look at her in surprise.
Lana then continued, "If that is the case, then I have one condition."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "What condition?"
Lana’s gaze swept across the entire venue.
"If my talismans are considered invalid because they provide abilities beyond my natural cultivation, then every other participant should also surrender any items, artifacts, treasures, weapons, inheritance objects, or other external resources they have inherited or are part of their cultivation."
The cheering gradually disappeared. Lana’s smile became slightly deeper.
"After all, if an item I personally created is considered an unfair advantage, then why should an inheritance obtained from someone else be treated differently?"
The entire venue fell silent. Lana calmly folded her arms.
"Either we consider all external resources invalid, or we allow all of them. We cannot create a rule that conveniently applies only to me."
For the first time, the confident expressions on several people’s faces disappeared.
Lana’s gaze eventually settled on Natasha.
"So, which one will it be?"
For several seconds, Natasha did not answer.
She had clearly expected Lana to argue emotionally or retreat under the pressure.
Instead, Lana had calmly turned the same logic against her.
Before Natasha could respond, another judge sitting several seats away suddenly let out a dry laugh.
Kenji leaned back in his chair and looked at Natasha with an amused expression. "Natasha, your judgment is becoming worse with every passing year."
The audience immediately turned toward him. Natasha’s expression darkened.
"What do you mean?"
Kenji casually tapped his fingers against the armrest.
His eyes swept across the participants.
"Artifacts, inherited treasures, weapons, cultivation manuals, bloodline techniques, and other resources can all provide advantages that someone else may not possess. If you want to ban everything, then say so. If you do not, then your proposed rule is obviously unreasonable."