Chapter 682: Nourishing the Talisman Seal

“Did you really craft a rank five talisman?!” Chu Jia who had been missing for 2 months reappeared in the Beyond Heavens Pavilion. She didn’t return alone as she was accompanied by Shang Bo.

When she heard that he was injured after forcefully attempting to craft a rank five talisman, the great Formation Grandmaster of the institution rushed over as quickly as he could. She was spinning circles around the bed he was resting in while tutting non-stop. She stared at him with a shit-eating grin on her face as though she was relishing the fact that he had exhausted himself after pushing himself too far.

When Shang Xia was starting to feel annoyed, Chu Jia continued to snort in disdain, “You really are too weak. Even with Patriarch Kou’s help, you managed to get yourself into this state. You look completely wrung out! Heh, can you really call yourself a man? Don’t you seem a little too weak? Hmph, your grandaunt here went all the way over to the vicinity of the Celestial Remains to lay down countless formations. You better not screw up here and delay Patriarch Kou’s plans!”

If not for the fact that Kou Chongxue and Shang Bo were right outside discussing some important matters, Shang Xia would have leaped out of bed and showed this little lass the true meaning of being a man…

He was so annoyed by her that the Four Constellation Qi in his dantian started to fluctuate wildly. He had to turn his attention back to his dantian to forcefully suppress it and a wave of discomfort filled his body.

“Huh? Why is your face red? Don’t tell me you’re not going to make it?” Chu Jia asked with a mighty innocent expression on her face.

The Four Constellation Qi in his dantian nearly went out of control at that moment. It turned into a stream of blood that came bursting out from his mouth.

If not for the fact that Shang Xia already knew Chu Jia’s personality, he would have thought that her final sentence truly meant malice. Her image as a teacher of the institution was merely meant for show. That was never her true personality. Also, her mind didn’t work like everyone else as she had been sheltered by the elders of the institution due to her talent in the ways of formation. As such, he knew that she was really concerned about him when she asked her final question.

Even so…

Damn it! This granddaddy here is still going to remember this grudge! Chu Jia, you’re asking for it!

Shang Xia gave her a deep stare as though he wanted to see through her thoughts. However, he closed his eyes the next second and seemed to go on a mental journey.

It seemed unbelievable, but Shang Xia wasn’t thinking of anything of significance. Instead, he decided to ignore her after realizing that he was powerless to do anything.

Seeing as he wasn’t responding, Chu Jia lost interest in taunting him. She didn’t mean any harm in the first place and was merely playing around. Since Shang Xia looked like he was taking a rest, she chose to leave his cultivation chamber.

…

When Chu Jia was messing about and teasing Shang Xia in his cultivation chamber, the 3 Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors of the Tongyou Institution were seated in the pavilion right outside as they stared at the table before them.

Their gaze was locked onto the talisman that was filled with dense runes that were drawn in deep crimson ink.

“Is this the rank five talisman?! Did the kid really succeed?!” Ji Wenlong gasped. He was in a state of disbelief and he reached out for it. However, he realized his action was slightly inappropriate and his hand froze mid way through. He awkwardly retracted it.

With the exception of Kou Chongxue, it was the first time the Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors of the institution were seeing a rank five talisman.

Well, Kou Chongxue wasn’t in a position to brag about why he had seen a rank five talisman before. It was because someone used it on him back then but there wasn’t much to talk about since he was still alive.

A soft sigh escaped Kou Chongxue’s lips, “Fourth Brother, I was too hasty and pushed the kid a little too far. If I was really being honest, I didn’t believe that he would be able to succeed. I was prepared to waste the 3 pieces of rank five talisman papers. Who would have thought that the kid’s ability to craft talismans had already reached such a terrifying level? I was caught unprepared and caused him to suffer a backlash at the end. It nearly affected his source qi in his dantian!”

Shang Bo stared at him and muttered, “There’s no need to blame yourself for this. The kid’s journey went too smoothly and it’s time for him to suffer some setbacks. Moreover, he might not even know how much you have been worrying about him for him to reach his current heights. You did so many things in the dark… If not for your help this time, he wouldn’t be able to craft a rank five talisman no matter how hard he tried!”

Pausing slightly, Shang Bo eventually continued, “I am truly ashamed of myself… These few years, I haven’t been paying too much attention to him even though I’m his grandfather. You definitely did more than me in caring for the kid. The situation is dire and we need him to deal with this. Moreover, his dantian is fine and he should be as good as new after resting for some time.”

Kou Chongxue nodded slightly, but the guilty look in his eyes didn’t lessen.

All of a sudden, their gaze froze. They saw Chu Jia leaving Shang Xia’s cultivation chamber before heading straight to them.

“Teachers, that brat seems completely fine to me. His injuries shouldn’t be too serious and he should be jumping about in no time.” Chu Jia noticed the talisman on the tablet and her eyes lit up. “Is that the rank five talisman he made?! It’s the first time I’ve seen a rank five talisman. Teachers, can I take a closer look at it?”

With a wave of his sleeves, Kou Chongxue made the talisman disappear. He quickly lectured her, “Don’t mess around! This talisman is extremely important and we can’t be playing around with it!”

Ji Wenlong and Shang Bo chuckled softly as though the scene in front of them wasn’t anything strange.

Chu Jia pouted slightly and mumbled, “Isn’t it just a rank five talisman? What’s so great about it? I already have an idea of how to create a rank five formation core. Hmph! I might be able to create it before I enter the Martial Dipper Realm!”

Looks of surprise appeared on the faces of Shang Bo and Ji Wenlong.

However, she was rudely interrupted by Kou Chongxue, “Didn’t your deduction originate from Little Xia’s Five Elements Jade? Your understanding is at the elementary level at best… If you really manage to create your rank five formation disc in the future, you should start by thanking Little Xia for his guidance.”

“Guidance?!” An annoyed look quickly appeared on Chu Jia’s face. “Why am I supposed to thank him?! I’m his teacher!”

…

Shang Xia didn’t remain in his cultivation chamber for long. As soon as his injury didn’t affect his movements, he returned to the Tongyou City.

He went over to the Void Abyss to take a look before he left and discovered that the deep abyss was almost completely filled up.

The moment the abyss disappeared, the Azure Origin World and the Azure Spiritual World would complete their fusion!

…

Back in the Shang Clan, Shang Quan rushed back after receiving Shang Xia’s summons. He raced back from the Changfeng City with his fastest speed.

Because of Yan Ni’er’s little babies, the Shang Clan was able to relay and receive messages from the Thousand Leaf Mountain Range extremely rapidly. There were times when the institution had to borrow their strength to send some information over.

After all, stuff like transmission talismans weren’t the best tools of communication. Lower leveled ones had limited range and higher leveled ones were difficult to make. The institution couldn’t possibly use them all the time and they would only be used in times of emergency.

Perhaps it was because Shang Xia managed to tame some Mutated Rain Swallows back in the battlefield between the two worlds, the institution had never given up trying to tame them. They set their sights on the flock of Mutated Rain Swallows Shang Xia brought back the other time.

According to his various information sources, Shang Xia knew that Yu Duhe, one of the four deacons of the Outreach Division, had given up on the various tasks of the division and chose to remain in the battlefield between the two worlds to nurture the flock of Mutated Wind Swallows. At the same time, he tried to tame them on the institution’s behalf.

It was said that he managed to achieve some sort of success. Moreover, it was also said that after the fusion of the worlds, the world barrier surrounding the battlefield between the two worlds would be broken and the Mutated Wind Swallows would enter the Azure Origin World.

That was in the future and the current goal of the institution seemed to be collecting the swallows’ fur in order to make Spatial Pouches.

Shang Xia also learned something else. Back during the trade fair on the Three Unity Island, Liu Qinglan sold off 2 Spatial Pouches and earned quite a bit.

From that information alone, Shang Xia could determine that the flock of Mutated Rain Swallows became pretty huge. The speed at which the institution was collecting Swallow Fur had also increased.

Naturally, the Shang Clan had a share of the profits whenever the Swallow Fur was produced. The Martial Extermination Realm experts of the Shang Clan would probably be able to use Spatial Pouches in the near future.

“You… You seem injured?” Shang Quan noticed Shang Xia’s poor countenance and asked. With his current cultivation, only extremely heavy injuries would cause him to reveal his expression of weakness.

A strange look appeared on Shang Quan’s face the next moment. “Is there someone who can actually harm you? Did you provoke a Martial Dipper Realm Ancestor or something?”

Shang Quan might not know how strong Shang Xia was exactly, but he knew that the youngster was at the grand completion stage of the Martial Extermination Realm. He was also a Talisman Grandmaster and should have plenty of life saving methods to save himself. Under such circumstances, Shang Quan felt that his nephew was probably able to retreat even if he was attacked by a Martial Dipper Realm Ancestor.

“Nope. I ran into an accident! My injuries have already stabilized and I thank Uncle Quan for your concern.” Shang Xia coughed once before taking out a rank three talisman seal. He handed it to Shang Quan.

After receiving the seal, Shang Quan examined it carefully before wondering, “What is it?”

Shang Xia didn’t answer the question immediately. Instead, he followed up with another question. “Uncle Quan, how has your cultivation progressed after entering the Martial Intent Realm two years ago?”

A bitter smile formed on Shang Quan’s face the next moment. “I seem to be unable to make any progress. However, I seem to have reached an understanding. My talent in cultivation is limited and the Martial Intent Realm should be my limit. I’m focused on contributing to the clan at the moment and I hope that the younger generation can grow up well.”

Shang Xia thought about it for a second and muttered, “Regardless, Uncle Quan, you shouldn’t give up on cultivating completely. As the saying goes, as long as you put your heart to it, you might move the heavens and achieve the impossible…”

Shang Quan waved his hand casually while laughing, “You don’t have to console me. I know myself best. Moreover, I’m not too interested in cultivation. I would rather play around and try to make some talisman ink. Also, you said that you needed me for something when you called me back from the Changfeng City. Is it related to this piece of stone seal?”

Shang Xia nodded slightly. He outlined the matter of talisman seals to Shang Quan and informed him never to reveal the seal to others. He finally concluded, “From my conclusion, the moment I complete the final rune, I will need a Martial Intent Realm cultivator’s divine sense to start nourishing the seal. You will need to refine it day and night until your spirituality manages to fully stick to the seal…”

Before Shang Xia could finish, Shang Quan replied, “Just leave it to me!”

Even though he promised, he didn’t seem too convinced. He continued to ask, “If the talisman seal is complete, will I really be able to create a rank three talisman by stamping it on a rank three talisman paper?”

Shang Xia nodded in response. “I already created rank one and two talisman seals. The process of creating a rank three talisman seal is extremely tough and I thought of using this method to imbue some spirituality in it. I have no idea how long it will take though…”

After he spoke, a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes. He was clearly still not satisfied with the way rank three talisman seals would be produced.

“Say no more! You’ve been a rank four Talisman Grandmaster for too long and seem to have forgotten how important rank three talismans are. There’s no need to mention that every single rank three talisman that manages to make it out of the institution is sold at a horrifying price. Everyone will be more than happy to snatch them up! Back when you were a rank three Talisman Master, you crafted a batch of talismans. All of them were carefully preserved by the various factions that managed to obtain them. If the seal is successful, its worth will be much higher than a high-grade weapon even if it can only be used for a limited number of times. In fact, we might not give it up even in exchange for a divine weapon…” Shang Quan explained. His evaluation was pretty much similar to that of those Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors of the institution and Shang Xia couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for his Uncle Quan.

After talking so much, Shang Quan seemed to have thought of something else and he muttered, “Oh right, what talisman will this seal be able to produce anyway?”

“It’s the Void Breaking Bamboo Talisman Seal. It’s used to break restrictions and formations,” Shang Xia replied.

Shang Quan’s eyes lit up the next moment. “I heard you talk about this before. It’s one of the more complicated rank three talismans out there. After you complete the talisman seal, can you lend it to me for some time? I would like to play around a little, haha.”

“Uncle Quan, you might not know, but if the method works, you will be the only one who can use the talisman seal after it’s stained with your spirituality. Other people might be able to use it, but they will never be able to use it as well as you. Perhaps, they might not be able to use it at all!” Shang Xia chuckled bitterly.

“Huh?!” Shang Quan gasped. He immediately felt the talisman seal in his hands growing heavier. He wanted to return it to Shang Xia, but he felt a little reluctant. He looked at Shang Xia and muttered, “Wouldn’t it be a little inappropriate to give it to me? After all, this talisman seal is extremely important and it’s too valuable…”

Shang Xia laughed and interrupted him, “That’s exactly why I can only entrust this to the most reliable person in our clan.”

Shang Quan was truly touched by Shang Xia’s words and he promised, “You won’t have to worry about anything. I’ll nourish it with my divine sense day and night and I won’t let anyone discover it.”

Shang Quan understood that it was true that his cultivation had reached its limit. He would only be able to deal with ordinary affairs in the clan. However, if Shang Xia’s conjecture was correct and he managed to create the rank three talisman seal, his position in the clan will never fall!

Even if he would only be able to use the talisman seal 100 or even 200 times, it didn’t matter! There were tons of rank three Talisman Masters who would never be able to craft so many rank three talismans in their lifetime!