Chapter 1841: Sage Jin’s Suggestion

"What kind of technique was that?"

Although his form was now fully visible, the aura around him appeared unstable, clearly shaken from that previous strike.

Shang Xia looked at him with a faint expression as if he already expected everything that happened. A smile slowly appeared on his face. "This is called Guidance Dipper, a move I just created. I hope I haven’t embarrassed myself before Sage Jin.”

Sage Jin coughed once and grunted. He forced a smile. “Looks like I had the honor to be the one to test out your newly created move...”

Shang Xia could clearly hear the dissatisfaction in Sage Jin’s tone, but he didn’t care. Instead, he roared with laughter. "Well, since you came here sneakily, you can’t blame me for being tempted to test out my move! Please don’t take offense.”

Though Shang Xia said it casually, he had already confirmed one thing. Sage Jin's strength had begun to decline after losing the original world where his soul had been anchored.

While Guidance Dipper was a new technique, Shang Xia had recognized his opponent a long time ago. He only used 60 to 70 percent of his strength.

Yet even at that level, the blow had nearly shattered Sage Jin’s domain and thrown his aura into disarray. Shang Xia suspected that had he increased the amount of inner qi in that strike, he could have seriously injured Sage Jin.

Even though Shang Xia had become a lot stronger after reaching the fourth star of the Seven Star Realm, he had clashed with Sage Jin multiple times before and was quite familiar with his combat capabilities. Under normal circumstances, Sage Jin wouldn’t have been so weak.

However... He was seeing it for himself. Sage Jin’s decline seemed more severe than he had expected.

Could it be because he was expelled from the Spirit Abundance World by the Star Origin Lord?

Shang Xia wondered to himself.

At that moment, Sage Jin said, "I have yet to congratulate Sage Shang on becoming a mid-level Sage. You now rank among the elite, even within the Chaotic Sea of Stars.”

A grin appeared on Shang Xia’s face. "No matter what, I just reached my current level and am far inferior to the many seniors in the Chaotic Sea of Stars who have deep foundations...”

Sage Jin laughed once and shifted the topic. "So... Sage Shang, did you cultivate here in order to wait for me?”

Shang Xia chuckled softly, "Didn’t you send me a Hollow Heaven Stone that you cut in half?”

As they spoke, they appeared like old friends reunited after years apart. Regardless of how much was genuine, both roared with laughter and joked around.

Eventually... Shang Xia set up a small table with a pot of freshly brewed tea on one of the asteroids. Both sat opposite each other as they shared a peaceful moment.

After a long while of pleasantries, Shang Xia finally asked about the true reason behind Sage Jin’s appearance.

To that, Sage Jin finally set down his teacup and asked, “Sage Shang, what do you think of the Hollow Heaven Stone I gave you?”

Shang Xia raised an eyebrow and replied, "It’s pure and of excellent quality. Though it’s small, it’s enough to craft a Spirit Ark.”

This time, it was Sage Jin’s turn to reveal his surprise. But soon, he laughed and pointed at Shang Xia while speaking again. "Sage Shang, you really don’t beat about the bush. However, from what I know, you already have a Spirit Ark. Now that you have another piece of Hollow Heaven Stone, you can easily build a second. There are 20 to 30 Heavenly Fields in the Chaotic Sea of Stars, and dozens of super Star Pirate groups. However, fewer than 20 of them have two or more Spirit Arks. Your Essence Luxuriant World advanced less than 10 years ago, but already surpasses many Heavenly Fields that have existed for centuries."

Shang Xia didn’t seem too bothered by his comment. "You’re only speaking of Spirit Arks. There are still Essence Arks above them. How much would an Essence Ark be worth compared to a Spirit Ark?”

Jin was briefly stunned, then waved his hand to explain, "You can’t compare them that way. An Essence Ark is just an Ark capable of carrying an Essence World fragment without causing the World Origin Source to leak. It’s not about the size...”

"Some Essence Arks can only carry half a continent of an Essence World. The capacity of an Essence Ark like that isn’t greater than a Spirit Ark. Only other high-level Essence Arks can carry a continent or two.”

It was the first time Shang Xia had heard of it, and he lowered his head slightly in thanks. “So that’s it! I thank Sage Jin for the explanation!”

Sage Jin waved him off. "Think nothing of it. You would’ve learned all this eventually anyway."

Shang Xia returned to the previous subject. "Since you brought up Hollow Heaven Stones, is that the reason you came here today?"

Sage Jin’s expression turned serious. He nodded. "Exactly. However, I also understand that as a newly established Essence World, instead of Spirit Arks, you Sages haven’t even started constructing a Dao Field, right?”

Shang Xia was not surprised by how much Sage Jin knew. Instead, he was more intrigued by his motives. "Are you saying you intend to help us construct our Dao Field? If so, Senior Jin, name your terms. Both Patriarch Kou and I will do everything we can to meet them."

Sage Jin coughed lightly and quickly waved his hand. "You misunderstand. I’m a little more than a wandering dog these days. If I knew how to construct a Dao Field, I wouldn’t have handed over that piece of Hollow Heaven Stone."

"Oh?" Shang Xia sensed the real offer was coming. "What do you mean then?"

Sage Jin slowly set down his teacup and leaned forward slightly. In a low voice, he muttered, "I know of a place that produces Hollow Heaven Stones. If we work together, a single trip might yield enough to build both an Essence Ark and a Dao Field!”

Shang Xia gazed steadily at Sage Jin, a probing light shining in his eyes. However, he didn’t speak.

Under the weight of Shang Xia’s stare, Sage Jin realized he needed to offer more convincing details. With a sigh, he admitted, "I won’t lie to you. That location lies within the territory of a hostile force. It’s where an old enemy of mine resides.”

Shang Xia’s expression didn’t change as he asked, “Oh? Where is this place? Who exactly is this enemy of yours?”