Chapter 302: Wonder of the Providence Series

“It might be difficult to leave, but there seems to be a way. Do you think the White Deer Paradise will send a Martial Dipper Realm ancestor over to our You Continent?”

Even though he asked the question, he already had an answer in his heart. In fact, he was practically sure they would send a Martial Dipper Realm ancestor over. After all, that was what he heard from Wei Zhongwen and Gao Yun the day before.

Back then, he didn’t know that the members of the White Deer Paradise called their Martial Dipper Realm experts ‘Ancestor’. Now that he did, he knew that things were about to get ugly.

Mister Bu was extremely experienced. With a small reminder from Shang Xia, he understood many things.

“Are you saying that Gao Yun came to the Changfeng City because…”

Shang Xia nodded solemnly. “Actually, I wonder where the underground water-attributed spiritual vein leads? Does it go through the Thousand Leaf Mountain Range and lead towards the Ji Continent? If that’s the case…”

Mister Bu’s expression twisted immediately. Only after some time did he reply. “Even if it’s not connected, they can always do it manually…”

Mister Bu growled, ”No. This is bad. The arrival of a Martial Dipper Realm expert will bring about too many uncertainties. I have to report this immediately. We need to make preparations now! You…”

Shang Xia interrupted him before he could complete his sentence. “Mister Bu, how is Patriarch Kou right now?”

It was a question he had been dying to ask. Even though Shang Xia didn’t know if Mister Bu knew anything about Kou Chongxue when they first met, he had a suspicion that Mister Bu definitely received some news recently.

It was especially so after he worked together with Youshang and the black robed expert to kill Liang Shuangren. He definitely knew a lot more than before. Even the aura he exuded changed. He felt a lot more unflustered than when Shang Xia first met him.

Most importantly, Mister Bu’s expression might have changed earlier, but he didn’t panic in the slightest. He only thought of making a report back to the institution so that they could ‘make their preparations’. It was as though they already had a plan to deal with the descent of a Martial Dipper Realm expert.

Clearly, Mister Bu didn’t expect the question from Shang Xia so suddenly. He didn’t react immediately, and he only spoke after a slight hesitation. “How should I know anything about him? However, the Tongyou Institution has been operating for more than twenty years. Even if he isn't around, they might possess some form of assurance. Moreover, the Martial Dipper Realm expert’s strength would be greatly affected if he travels so far away from his territory. If the Tongyou Institution has enough time to prepare, they might be able to overcome this ordeal.”

Shang Xia couldn’t be bothered with Mister Bu’s forced explanation at all. Instead, he only cared about Mister Bu’s initial reaction when he asked the question.

The short hesitation allowed Shang Xia to form his own guesses about the situation.

Of course, he knew that there was no point in digging deeper into the matter either. It wasn’t as though Mister Bu would reveal any more…

No matter what, Shang Xia was still a mere student of the institution. He might be considered an extremely powerful individual in the Martial Intent Realm, but he was still too weak to be factored into the Tongyou Institution’s plan.

Shang Xia no longer continued to ask about Kou Chongxue. Instead, he continued down the line Mister Bu was driving at. “Mister Bu, do you have any way of contacting the institution? From what I heard, even birds are unable to enter the Tongyou City at this moment.”

Shang Xia tried sending Yan Ni’er back a long time ago. However, she returned the next day and brought back some horrifying news. There was something outside the city that was ready to ambush her, and she was too afraid to return.

Yan Ni’er might be a lot more domesticated than before, but her instincts of locating danger didn’t dull. Shang Xia didn’t doubt her evaluation of the situation when she returned.

Mister Bu replied, “There’s no need for you to ask too many questions about this. Even if I wish to send some information back to the city, I’ll have to pay a huge price. Time is tight. All you need to do now is to raise your cultivation level. Didn’t I tell you to practice your spear art the other day? Wait… Your cultivation… Are you about to experience your third divine sense transformation?!”

Muster Bu didn’t observe too closely earlier, and Shang Xia was used to hiding his aura. As such, he failed to detect Shang Xia’s increased cultivation level the moment he stepped in.

Only then did he discover that Shang Xia’s divine sense was about to reach a whole new level.

A smile appeared on Shang Xia’s face and he chuckled in response, “I have to thank senior for the reminder the other day. I might not know which senior sealed their knowledge into my spear, but I offer my sincere thanks.”

Mister Bu sighed. “Your Shang Clan’s ‘Providence Inheritance’ is really marvelous. It combines the insights of a secret art with your martial arts. The other day, I noticed that you hadn’t reached the requirements to experience your third divine sense transformation. Did you manage to comprehend your sixth move of your Providence Spear Art?”

Indeed, comprehending a new move in the series would allow his cultivation to take a huge leap forward. When Shang Xia came up with three moves of his Providence Spear Art in the past, his divine sense experienced a second transformation.

Now that he completed the next set of three moves, his divine sense was ready to transform the third time!

What made the increase in cultivation so special was that such rapid advancement wouldn’t affect his foundations! The Triple Providence Chapter and the Providence Spear were the reason Shang Xia’s cultivation shot up so quickly in the Martial Intent Realm!

Of course, him being able to come up with his moves due to his insight into the Providence Spear Art was an important factor. If he was unable to comprehend the secrets behind the spear art, his cultivation would never be able to increase no matter how hard he tried!

Shang Xia felt that after his divine sense transformed a third time, he couldn’t rely on coming up with new moves for his Providence Spear Art to raise his cultivation. He would have to start training in the Triple Providence Chapter in order to push his cultivation up.

Speaking of which, Shang Ke was a good example to talk about. During his cultivation, Shang Ke created four moves in total before his divine sense transformed for the third time. He wasn’t like Shang Xia who increased his cultivation solely based off the creation of new moves. Shang Ke had to cultivate painstakingly between each transformation. When his divine sense finally completed the third transformation, he came up with his fifth move, but that wasn’t enough for him to comprehend his martial intent to enter the grand completion stage of the Martial Intent Realm. Eventually, his cultivation level was stuck at the large completion stage of the Martial Intent Realm and he forcefully broke through by refining the extermination origin in the Fantasy Spiritual Pearl. Due to his weak foundations, he would never be able to match up to Shang Bo despite their cultivation levels both being in the Martial Extermination Realm.

A weird smile formed on Shang Xia’s face. “Senior, you seem to know a lot about my Shang Clan’s inheritance…”

“Of course not! I only heard stories about it. Your grandfather, Shang Bo, created seven moves in total and Shang Ke created five. Now, you’ve created six moves before experiencing your third divine sense transformation. I hope that you can surpass your Grandfather Shang Bo in the future.” Mister Bu replied.

Even though he was already a Martial Extermination Realm expert, a trace of envy could be seen on Mister Bu’s face.

Shang Xia cupped his fists together and laughed, “Many thanks for senior’s kind words. I’ll work hard.” When he was done, he turned around to leave. However, he was called back by Mister Bu.

Shang Xia turned around, baffled, while Mister Bu added, “We might have to carry out our plans in the next two or three days. The Changfeng City will probably also fall into chaos. When that happens, your chance to complete your third divine sense transformation will come.”

Shang Xia stared deeply at Mister Bu as the corners of his lips slowly curled upwards. “Many thanks for senior’s reminder. I know what to do.”

“Just do your best. Don’t push yourself past your limits. Remember, staying safe is of utmost priority.” Mister Bu nodded.

…

After emerging from the forge with two quivers of arrows, Shang Xia returned to his courtyard.

When he entered the street leading to his courtyard, he saw Hai Min laying out some needlework on the rocks beside the entrance of their courtyard. Uncle Cen was beside her and seemed to be telling her something. Yuanyuan was playing with some other kids not too far away.

Hai Min replied Uncle Cen half-heartedly as her gaze constantly flickered to the other end of the street. When she saw Shang Xia’s familiar figure, the tension in her heart disappeared and she seemed to feel a lot more relaxed.

Straightening her back, she looked at Shang Xia who was walking towards the courtyard and a smile appeared on her face.

A soft breeze brushed against her hair, messing it up slightly. She used her slender fingers to tuck them behind her ears, causing her to give off the air of a demure young lady waiting for her husband to return home.

The smile on Shang Xia’s face was wide as he waved to her.

At that moment, Uncle Cen also turned to stare at Shang Xia. Nodding slightly, he released a soft sigh. The only person who had a different reaction was Yuanyuan. Instead of standing there quietly, she leaped into the air with joy as she ran towards him in excitement.

Shang Xia held her by her shoulders and tossed her into the air only to hear her cute little giggles ringing in his ears.

Placing her down slowly, he brought out a packet of sweets he bought along the way.

“You don’t have to buy them every day! Look at her, she became a little chubbier from eating so many sweets…” Hai Min pouted but it did nothing to hide the joy she felt.

“Hahaha, is there a kid out there who doesn’t like candy? It would be a pity if she doesn’t get to eat them!” Shang Xia replied before turning to Uncle Cen. “Fifth Uncle, when did you come?”

Uncle Cen smiled in response. “I’ve been here for a while now. Little Min said that you didn’t return the entire night and she was worried about you. She has been waiting for you outside the whole time.”

The other day, the Eighteen Horsemen disbanded and Shang Xia saved Uncle Cen with Mister Bu. He was unwilling to reveal his appearance and Uncle Cen had no idea his savior was standing right in front of him.

Shang Xia chuckled softly and looked at Hai Min. He saw her face turning slightly red and he couldn’t help but laugh, “There is really little prey in the nearby mountain ranges. I had to venture further out and missed the timing to return to the city. I could only stay out there last night.”

It was a great explanation he had already made up while he was returning.

“Have you eaten lunch?”

“Nope!”

“I left some in the kitchen… I’ll heat them up for you now.” Hai Min said and she turned to enter the courtyard.

Uncle Cen coughed once and spoke, “Since there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. I have to travel a fair distance after leaving the city.”

“Fifth Uncle, please take care.” Hai Min bowed slightly. After watching Uncle Cen leave, Hai Min and Shang Xia returned to the courtyard.

Placing his bow to the side, Shang Xia asked, “Oh yeah, why did Uncle Cen enter the city?”

“Someone fell sick and he came in to buy some medicine. He came over as it was along the way…” Hai Min explained.