Chapter 369: Third Fate Dipper

“This will definitely cause a storm, especially in the Beyond Heavens Pavilion! You need to be careful…” Yun Jing warned.

Shang Bo’s expression changed slightly and he muttered, “Is that the reason why you pushed the opening of the spatial tunnel back? Are you expecting another massive war to break out? As for your strength right now…”

Waving his hands casually to dismiss their concerns, Kou Chongxue sighed, “There’s nothing to worry about. The chances of a huge fight breaking out is small. Of course, they will definitely join forces and attempt to suppress us. However, have we ever backed down from a challenge like that? Do you think this old man here will be threatened by them?”

“But… Now that we are reopening the spatial tunnel to regain some ground in the battlefield between the two worlds, the Azure Spiritual World will definitely send a Martial Dipper Realm expert over. With the added pressure from the Beyond Heavens Pavilion, are you sure you won’t be backstabbed by those from our world? You’ll be under attack on all sides!” Yun Jing frowned.

Snorting with disdain, Kou Chongxue growled, “For the past twenty years, haven’t we been attacked on all sides? Relax. They still treasure their reputation and a replay of what happened during the war for the Tongyou Mysterious World shouldn’t play out again. As for how I restored my strength, let’s just say that it was because of a miraculous encounter. It’s not like they have any incidents like that to compare me to. It’s entirely possible that something like that happened in the past and they can let their imaginations run wild. Whatever the case, we’re not telling them the exact way I recovered.”

Yun Jing and Shang Bo nodded their heads slowly.

However, Yun Jing was clearly still worried. “You refined the Water Origin Fate Dipper and restored the balance of your fate dippers. Now, you’re a third element Martial Dipper Realm Expert. Do you think you experienced an upgrade in strength?”

Kou Chongxue sighed softly in response, “That’s what I wanted to tell you. After entering the Martial Dipper Realm, there is no longer a guide on how to get stronger. We have to pioneer our own path, and we can only rely on ourselves to bash our way forward.”

“It’s alright if one has the backing of a huge superpower or a holy land. No matter what, they somewhat have experiences of other Martial Dipper Realm experts. Even though those who borrow the power of their holy lands to advance will be restricted to staying within their territory, they will definitely be able to progress a little more smoothly than me. With so many experts who have already stepped into the Martial Dipper Realm, they definitely left behind a lot of experience and records. They might have been able to find a better way to progress.”

Shang Bo interrupted, “At the end of the day, our foundations aren’t as strong as them. However, when we upgrade to the Tongyou Paradise in the future, we will definitely be comparable to the White Deer Paradise.”

Kou Chongxue nodded in acknowledgment before he continued, “Even though I managed to refine another fate dipper, my battle capabilities seem to have reduced slightly.”

A look of worry appeared on Yun Jing’s face as she was dumbstruck by his revelation.

Hesitating slightly, Shang Bo broke the silence. “Why don’t we call the brat over and ask him if he knows something about it?”

Waving his hands, Kou Chongxue muttered, “There’s no need to trouble a child for this.”

“Third Brother Shang, do you really think that the kid knows what to do in the Martial Dipper Realm?” Yun Jing chuckled bitterly.

A helpless smile also appeared on Shang Bo’s face.

“If we talk about my entire progress in the Martial Dipper Realm so far, you can think of my combat strength to be at the fifth level when I just stepped into the Martial Dipper Realm and refined the Primal Yang Copper Fate Dipper. After refining my Eternal Spring Fate Dipper, my combat strength dropped to the fourth level. Today, after everything we’ve been through and after I solved the problem of imbalance, my actual battle capabilities seem to have dropped to the third level!” Kou Chongxue explained.

“Are you the only one facing this problem? Or are other Martial Dipper Realm experts experiencing the same thing?” Yun Jing asked a very important question out of the blue.

Shaking his head, Kou Chongxue muttered, “Those undying assholes in the holy lands might have grasped a thing or two, but I don’t know much about the rest. However, I do know that there are not many Martial Dipper Realm experts who can do a thing to me.”

When he was done talking, he finally got to his feet and he stared at the bronze gates not too far away. Turning into a streak of light, he charged through the air and disappeared into the distance. His voice was the only thing he left behind.

“Just follow the plan for the reopening of the spatial tunnel. Leave the Beyond Heavens Pavilion to me!”

…

With Kou Chongxue’s order, the Tongyou Institution quickly gave the notice that the spatial tunnel would reopen on the eighth day of the ninth month.

It would take place in five days and the news quickly spread through the Tongyou City.

Shang Xia looked at his Scarlet Star Spear that he received not too long ago after commissioning Duan Hong to fix it previously.

Even though graded weapons didn’t possess their own spirituality like divine weapons, they were normally bathed in the inner qi of their user. That would allow the user of a graded weapon to feel a lot more familiar with it.

When he was inspecting his weapon, Yan Qi opened the doors to his courtyard and barged in hastily.

Shaking the spear in his hand slightly, the body of the spear started to buzz as it became ready to threaten everyone in its vicinity. Yan Qi, who had just entered the courtyard, felt as though a terrifying beast had set its sights on him.

However, that feeling disappeared as quickly as it came. Yan Qi could feel that his clothes were drenched in perspiration as he thought back to the fear he felt a moment ago. It happened so quickly that he didn’t know if he was hallucinating.

Looks like I can’t enter this courtyard as I wish in the future! What the hell was that?!?Yan Qi thought to himself.

“Seventh Uncle, is something the matter?” Shang Xia kept his spear and asked when he saw the hurry Yan Qi was in.

Sucking in a long breath to stabilize himself, Yan Qi took several steps forward and muttered, “Young Master, the institution sent out news that in five days, the spatial tunnel leading to the battlefield between the two worlds will open!”

Turning serious, Shang Xia asked, “Are you sure? Is the news confirmed?”

“The institution passed down the news personally. There’s no mistake about it. I believe the manor will receive the notice soon enough.” Yan Qi nodded in response.

“Alright! Let’s go, I have to look for Grandpa Ke!” Shang Xia yelled as he headed for the exit.

Seeing how quickly Shang Xia was moving, Yan Qi hastened his steps to keep up before yelling, “Young Master, I am willing to accompany you if you enter the battlefield between the two worlds as part of the vanguard!”

Shang Xia chuckled happily in response. “It’s great that you’re willing to follow me. However, every great clan probably has a plan for their experts to enter the battlefield between the two worlds along with the institution’s vanguards. You should be following the clan instead of me!”

Staring at Shang Xia with his eyes wide with shock, he realized what Shang Xia was saying. “Young Master, aren’t you planning to follow the clan?”

“Did you forget? I’m an Upper Division disciple of the institution now!” Shang Xia replied without even turning his head.

On their way to Shang Ke’s courtyard, the two of them ran into someone Shang Xia hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Oi brat, are you also planning to look for Fifth Uncle?” Shang Xi’s voice rang through the air the moment she caught sight of him.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

From the direction she was walking in, it was clear she had also received the news and was headed for Shang Ke’s courtyard.

A smile appeared on Shang Xia’s face. “Aunt, are you also planning to head into the battlefield between the two worlds?”

Nodding slightly, Shang Xi explained, “I’ve been in seclusion this whole time. I received some insights during my cultivation and I plan to head over to start a massacre against those cultivators of the Azure Spiritual World to hopefully gain an opportunity to undergo my third divine sense transformation!”

Chuckling in response, Shang Xia exchanged a few more words with her as they went to look for Shang Ke.

…

When Yan Qi brought the news back, Shang Jian ran into the eastern courtyard hastily.

Seeing the empty courtyard before him and Xu Huizhu in the distance, his expression sank.

“Hmph, where are the kids? Shouldn’t they be training right now?” Shang Jian’s tone of voice wasn’t exactly pleasant. In fact, he seemed to be blaming Xu Huizhu from the way he spoke.

With a frown forming on her face, She snapped at him. “Your nephew’s sword art is really something else. Even I can’t decipher it after examining it over and over. Do you think Bei’er and Dong’er will be able to understand anything in a short period of time? The more they train, the more confused they get. I told them to head into the cultivation chamber to think over what they learned so far. They can train after clearing their minds.”

Finally regaining his calm demeanor, Shang Jian released a long sigh. “Ai… Looks like I can’t blame them for that either. Looking at Fourth Brother’s child, even I’m left far behind. The kid’s sword art has far surpassed me. I only hope that Dong’er and Bei’er can improve quickly so as not to make us look too bad…”

Rolling her eyes at him, Xu Huizhu sneered, “Your kids are already ahead of their peers in terms of cultivation. Don’t compare them to Shang Xia. He’s an absolute monster. If they can be like him, you’ll probably go crazy.”

“Hehe…” Shang Jian revealed a helpless smile. “That’s true.”

The two of them quickly changed the topic and decided never to compare themselves or their children to Shang Xia again.

Looking at Xu Huizhu again, he discovered that she had been examining something when he entered and he asked, “What are you looking at?”

Raising her eyebrows slightly, she muttered softly, “Come take a look yourself. Yan Qi just delivered it. He said that it’s a rank three talisman Shang Xia created.”

A pout formed on her face and she joked, “At least you didn’t waste those rank three talisman papers…”

Sending an annoyed glance her way, Shang Jian quickly went over to look at the talisman that was emitting a slight stench of blood.

“Huh? This… This talisman isn’t as simple as it looks!” A trace of admiration could be heard in his voice as he praised the talisman sitting before him.

Not realizing the intricacies behind the talisman, Xu Huizhu sighed, “A rank three talisman might not be something you see every day, but as cultivators of the Martial Intent Realm, we don’t really need it. We should leave it for Dong’er and Bei’er.”

It was true that the two of them were Martial Intent Realm experts, but Shang Jian was clearly ahead of Xu Huizhu when it came to experience and cultivation. Holding the talisman in his hand, he ignored whatever she said as he inspected it closely. “You don’t understand. This talisman… Hehe, this talisman is so strong that even you might not be able to withstand its effects.”

Seeing the look of shock on her face, Shang Jian knew that she was reevaluating the worth of the talisman at that moment. He couldn’t help but add, “Alright. I will definitely be sent to the battlefield between the two worlds with the clan. I might as well hold on to it. I’ll head out and look for more rank three talisman paper and ask the kid to prepare some talismans for Dong’er and Bei’er in the future.”

“You’re going to join the expedition?!” Xu Huizhu’s expression changed after hearing what he said.

Nodding slightly, Shang Jian interrupted her before she could say anything else. “There’s no need to dissuade me from doing it. I understand what I have to do. Since I’m a part of the Shang Clan, I can’t expect them to hand me everything on a silver platter. I have to make some contributions too. I have to fight for an opportunity to grow stronger. Things will never get better if I remain here and wait for a pie to drop from the skies.”