Chapter 656: How Much?

Shang Xia and Zheng Chang’s acting were seamless as an award winning performance played out on the Lushan Sect’s platform. With his perfect coordination, he managed to obtain a steady source of rank four talisman paper and talisman ink. He even managed to use 500 essence crystals to obtain a piece of Scarlet Flame Cloud.

Before he left, Shang Xia also mentioned his special code phrase to the members of the Lushan Sect. Like the female cultivator before, he left his title ‘Four Constellation Sage, Talisman Grandmaster’. He then instructed them to look for him by using the secret code phrase the next trade fair in order to carry out their trades.

Naturally, he knew that their initial meeting was merely for them to reach an agreement. They would have to carry out deals in the future in order to build their trust for each other.

With both sides profiting from their deal, the only downside the Lushan Sect would suffer would be the formula for crafting rank four formation talismans.

As Shang Xia’s Talisman Fish returned to the platform and retrieved the Scarlet Flame Cloud, he started to take stock of what he had. Of the 10 fate dipper essence, he managed to gather 7. Only the Yi Wood, Bing Fire, and Gui Water Fate Dipper Essences were left.

He also gathered 4 of the 5 rank five spiritual treasures he required. The only one left was of the Water element.

If the trade fair ended then and there, Shang Xia would be able to say that he gained a lot. At the very least, he benefited a lot more than he expected.

However, he still had a lot of essence crystals left over. The four great clans and the Tongyou Institution sponsored him with 3300 essence crystals before the start of the fair but he still had 3200 of them left!

The only things he traded were the 3 high-grade weapons he obtained in the multiple battles he had been through. He traded them for fate dipper essences and rank five spiritual treasures.

After his experience with multiple deals, he discovered that even though essence crystals were considered the common currency, many cultivators would trade high-level items for treasures of equal value. They would hardly use essence crystals during their transactions.

Leaving behind his request for fate dipper essence and rank five spiritual treasures on his jade coin, Shang Xia placed another 1000 essence crystals into the belly of his Talisman Fish before sending it off. He hoped that he would be able to take a short break to look through what the other members of the Tongyou Institution obtained.

There were 6 members of the institution on the platform and they had 3 fishing poles. Other than Shang Xia who was using one on his own, the others took turns.

Chu Jia and Ji Yu were holding their fishing poles as they focused on their Talisman Fish swimming in the Cloud Sea.

Before Shang Xia could say anything, Liu Qinglan noticed him and she laughed, “You look much more relaxed. Looks like you managed to gain quite a lot.”

“I’m still missing some things, but I gained a lot more than I expected,” Shang Xia laughed.

Liu Qinglan smiled in response. “That’s great. You seemed really anxious since the start of the trade fair. You haven’t taken a break the whole time and only someone like you in the grand completion stage of the Martial Extermination Realm would be able to withstand such a huge consumption of divine perception. All of us swapped places several times over.”

It was only then when Shang Xia noticed that fishing in the Cloud Sea or following their Talisman Fish would actually drain one’s energy.

Of the 6 members of the Tongyou Institution, it could be said that they represented the 5 major factions. They were the four great clans and the Tongyou Institution.

Ordinarily, there should be at least 5 fishing poles. After all, it only cost 2 essence crystals. It wasn’t as though they were lacking 2 essence crystals.

The real reason they didn’t rent more fishing poles was because of the exhaustion it caused. It was perfectly alright for them to take turns so they could recover before their next attempt.

Shang Xia immediately realized why Zheng Chang was in an almost-state of hysterics when he arrived earlier. The Lushan Sect probably only used 2 fishing poles and there was no way a faction like theirs cared about 3 essence crystals.

Zheng Chang was able to fish the entire time because he didn’t bother sending his Talisman Fish out to trade with others! He was waiting for Shang Xia the entire time!

Making a quick calculation, Shang Xia realized that he was able to withstand the consumption due to his mastery of the Man and Heaven Synergy Chapter.

After thinking for some time, Shang Xia asked, “Instructor Liu, how are we doing right now? Do you need me to help?”

Liu Qinglan waved her hand and chuckled, “What we lack are lower-leveled resources. We’re doing fine and you should focus on yourself.”

However, she couldn’t help but sigh the next moment, “Our Continent is just too damn small. We have close to no resources. Without the battlefield between the two worlds, we wouldn’t have been able to make ends meet. Patriarch Kou has been supporting us single handedly by going everywhere to scour for resources. That is the reason why many powers in our Azure Origin World dislike him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be stuck in the third element of the Martial Dipper Realm with his talent…”

“The later generations of the institution only managed to grow in the recent years and obtain enough strength to stand up for themselves. Deputy Patriarch Ji and Deputy Patriarch Shang entered the Martial Dipper Realm in recent years and he finally managed to get some time to catch his breath. Now, he can finally consider cultivating properly once again,” Liu Qinglan continued, “That is also the reason why the institution is sparing no expense to push you into the Martial Dipper Realm. The moment a fourth Martial Dipper Realm expert is born in our institution, it doesn’t matter if we upgrade the Tongyou Mysterious World to a holy land. With so many experts, we’ll be a sacred land of cultivation no matter what. Only when that happens will our You Continent be able to strike fear in the hearts of other factions, putting us in an unassailable position.”

Liu Qinglan’s words definitely moved Shang Xia, but if there was one thing he picked up from whatever she was saying, it was the fact that Kou Chongxue would be able to grow stronger.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Did Patriarch Kou already reach the stage where he could refine his fourth fate dipper?”

Since the gathering in the Beyond Heavens Pavilion where Kou Chongxue asked Shang Xia about what his fourth fate dipper should be, Shang Xia had an inkling that the patriarch was ready to take the next step. Even though it was possible Kou Chongxue had merely asked in the spur of the moment, but Shang Xia didn’t think so.

Maintaining an unwavering expression, Liu Qinglan explained, “The patriarch has always had a clear plan on how to improve his cultivation. He even said that all he was lacking now was a chance.”

Shang Xia lowered his head and fell into thought.

Unexpectedly, Liu Qinglan continued, “With everything that is happening now, Patriarch Kou might have to bring forward his plans…”

“What? Why?” Shang Xia was slightly stunned.

With a frown on her face, Liu Qinglan sighed, “Didn’t you hear what was going to happen from the cultivator from the Lushan Sect you were talking about?”

“Are you talking about the invasion of the Spirit Abundance World?” Shang Xia felt his heart skip a beat.

In a soft voice, Liu Qinglan explained, “Our worlds have to give it our all in order to resist the invasion of a superior world. Under such circumstances, no one can stand alone. If our Tongyou Institution doesn’t wish to be a mere sacrificial piece in the grand scheme of things, we can only grow stronger. I believe that is also one of the reasons the patriarch is pushing for you to enter the Martial Dipper Realm the best he can. I can also guess that he wants to take the risk to push his cultivation to the next level in the near future. When you enter the Martial Dipper Realm, our institution will still have 3 Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors holding the fort in case anything unexpected happens to him.”

Naturally, there was only one thing Liu Qinglan could be referring to when she mentioned that something unexpected could happen to Kou Chongxue. That was the fact that he might perish when his attempt to grow stronger fails..

All of a sudden, Shang Xia felt that the gains he received from the trade fair were far from enough!

“Hey! Oh mighty Talisman Grandmaster, someone’s interested in your rank two Golden Sword Talisman Seal!” Chu Jia interrupted them with a loud yell from the side.