"Talisman arts…"
"When taken to the extreme, one talisman can reach heaven, defy gods and demons, and suppress all arts…"
"Stronger than magic?"
Filch murmured Theodore's words over and over.
He had never dared to dream of achieving anything great with magic. All he had ever wanted was to cast even the simplest spell like an ordinary wizard.
That alone would have been enough.
At least then, he would no longer be an outsider.
Yet now, he was being told he could learn a path comparable to magic—perhaps even greater than magic.
Joy flickered across Filch's face, but it was quickly swallowed by confusion and old, bone-deep inferiority.
Could he really do it?
He could not even use magic.
Could someone like him truly learn talisman arts?
And if he failed at this too?
The nightmares of the past coiled around his heart again.
"Theodore…"
"Can someone like me really do it?"
Theodore raised an eyebrow.
His gaze swept across Filch's room.
Filch had hidden them well, but they could not escape Theodore's All-Seeing Heavenly Eye.
In the hidden layers of drawers and cabinets were magic books—one after another.
Some had been read so many times their pages were nearly falling apart.
A few were even classic magical texts Hermione had not yet touched.
Apart from lacking the bloodline required to cast magic, Filch's love for magic did not lose to any student in Hogwarts.
In fact, it surpassed almost all of them.
Theodore sighed softly.
"Mr. Filch, even if you don't believe in yourself, you should believe in my judgment."
"If I chose you, then naturally you have something others do not."
Then his expression turned solemn.
"Talisman arts are indeed a path that can reach the heavens. Their power is vast, and their uses are endless."
"But they are also difficult, obscure, and profound. Among countless paths, talisman arts rank among the hardest."
"You are older now, which means you must endure even more hardship than others."
"And talisman arts require absolute sincerity. Exhausting one's heart and blood to complete a single talisman is not uncommon. Sometimes, even one's lifespan can be folded into the talisman."
"Talisman cultivators often live shorter lives than others at the same level."
Theodore looked directly at him.
"So I ask you."
"For a single chance among ten thousand, would you be willing to face a hundred hardships and a thousand dangers?"
Filch took a deep breath.
He did not fully understand every detail Theodore had said.
But he understood the meaning.
Talisman arts could be learned.
As long as he feared neither difficulty nor pain, as long as he was willing to pour his heart and blood into it, there was a path forward.
Even for a Squib like him.
Perhaps others would hesitate.
But to Filch, what was there to hesitate about?
For so many years, how much pain had he endured?
How many humiliations had he swallowed?
How many times had he prayed to gods he did not even believe in?
He had never asked to become great.
He had only wanted a chance.
A chance to try.
Now that chance was right in front of him.
Filch did not hesitate for even a second.
"I'm willing!"
"I can do it!"
Theodore smiled and clapped his hands lightly.
"Good."
With a wave of his hand, sheets of parchment flew through the air and gathered into a booklet before landing in Filch's hands.
On its cover were several bold words—
An Introduction to the Wuzhuang Temple Talisman Arts.
Theodore continued, "From tonight onward, you may come to the Room of Requirement each evening and study the basics with Harry and the others."
"The path of talismans is long and difficult."
"On the road of seeking the Dao, we encourage one another."
"Mr. Filch, from now on, I should call you fellow Daoist."
Filch's eyes reddened at once.
He held An Introduction to the Wuzhuang Temple Talisman Arts as if he were holding his entire life.
At that moment, Theodore's brow twitched.
His gaze fell upon the system screen.
Lines of text appeared.
[The Gatekeeper Boy of Yuxu Palace despaired because his path to the Dao was blocked. He would rather seek death and gamble on a sliver of hope in his next life.]
[You stopped him in time and encouraged him. Even if he has no talent for the orthodox path, who says an unorthodox path cannot lead to immortality?]
[Since ancient times, some have entered the Dao through chess, others through painting. How do you know this path is impossible for you?]
[With your encouragement, the Gatekeeper Boy of Yuxu Palace's nearly shattered Dao heart has stabilized and become even firmer—through a hundred deaths and a thousand trials, he will seek the Dao without regret.]
[Your relationship with the Gatekeeper Boy of Yuxu Palace has surpassed life and death, reaching: My Dao Is Not Lonely.]
[Reward obtained: Nameless Dao-Entry Method.]
[This is a Dao-entry method personally deduced by the gatekeeper boy of Yuxu Palace. Its prototype comes from ancient sacrifices, rituals, and dances.]
[By wearing specific ceremonial clothing, opening an altar, and performing the ritual, even those without immortal cultivation talent can temporarily communicate with heaven and earth and obtain a certain amount of magical power.]
Theodore's eyes lit up when he saw the reward.
This method was useless to him.
But for ordinary people who had just begun cultivating, it was a qualitative leap.
Through ritual, they could temporarily obtain far more power than their cultivation should allow and greatly improve their ability to protect themselves.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Filch himself could all benefit from this method.
Theodore silently said, "System, receive the Nameless Dao-Entry Method."
The next instant, information flooded into his mind.
Compared with the divine abilities and spells he had received before, this method was crude.
Extremely crude.
But after understanding it, Theodore's expression became solemn.
Because what this method revealed was an almost obsessive yearning for the Dao.
With a mortal body, its creator had groped his way across the line between mortal and cultivator and grasped the power of heaven and earth.
Such talent—
Had he possessed the aptitude for immortal cultivation, perhaps he truly could have become one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Enlightenment Sect.
Then another system prompt appeared.
[The host is currently the only person in the Primordial World to obtain this Nameless Dao-Entry Method. You may name it.]
Theodore pondered briefly.
A name came to him.
"Then I'll call it the Heavenly Master Method."
His gaze returned to Filch.
"Fellow Daoist, I have another method to pass on to you."
"This method is called the Heavenly Master Method. It is extremely compatible with you."
Theodore directly transmitted the Heavenly Master Method into Filch's mind.
A figure appeared before Filch's eyes.
That figure stepped on the Seven Stars, walked the Dipper, and performed an ancient, desolate dance.
Watching that back, Filch felt an almost unbearable stubbornness.
Even if immortals and mortals were separated by heaven itself—
then one should build a staircase and climb from mortal to immortal!
Without realizing it, tears flowed from Filch's eyes.
His mind sank completely into the Heavenly Master Method.
When he finally returned to himself, Theodore clapped his hands and smiled.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Filch."
"You are the first person in this world to cultivate this method. Since you cultivate the Heavenly Master Method, you are the first Heavenly Master."
"And since you are a Heavenly Master, how can you not have proper attire?"
With a wave of his hand, Theodore handed over the robe and tools he had refined while Filch was comprehending the method.
A moment later, Filch wore a yellow Daoist robe, his hair bound beneath a Daoist crown. He held a peachwood sword in one hand, and on his back hung a coin sword refined from golden Galleons.
He looked imposing.
Theodore said, "Fellow Daoist Filch, since you have learned the Heavenly Master Method, you can temporarily obtain magical power."
"That means you can use these magical tools and talismans yourself."
"Who under heaven can now say you know no magic?"
"If you wish to remain caretaker of Hogwarts, then unless you give up the position yourself, no one can drive you away."
Slowly, Filch's eyes began to shine.
…
That night, Hogwarts was far livelier than usual.
Normally, students sneaking around after curfew had to hold their breath and move silently.
Tonight, many students had learned Filch was a Squib and no longer cared.
Fireworks burst in the corridors.
Colored ribbons flew everywhere.
Large patches of stubborn stains spread across the walls and floor.
A few students still felt uneasy.
"What if Filch catches us? He'll skin us alive!"
That earned a burst of laughter.
"Filch?"
"Please. He's just a Squib who can't use magic."
"I honestly don't know why Dumbledore keeps him here."
"A Squib has no right to control me. Even if Filch stood right in front of me, what could he do?"
"I'm not afraid of him at all."
At that moment, a figure in a yellow Daoist robe slowly appeared at the end of the corridor.
A voice filled with anger echoed through the hall.
"Is that so?"
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