Splitting the Heavens

"As far as I know, our sect once possessed three rank seven talisman inheritances. Unfortunately, rank seven Talisman Grandmasters are extremely rare. In nearly 2,000 years of our lineage, we only succeeded once in nurturing a rank seven Talisman Grandmaster. Even then, they could only craft one of the rank seven talismans. All three inheritance were obtained by our elders over the generations and even though I wasn't a Talisman Grandmaster, I managed to escape with some of the teachings of my sect. Among them was one of the rank seven talisman inheritances."

Su Chi explained the origins of the Heart Lamp Sect's rank seven taliman legacy as he handed a jade slip over to Shang Xia. "This is called the Reignition Talisman. Originally, it was a talisman meant to quickly restore combat strength when a cultivator was exhausted. Later, through continuous research and refinement by our elders, an effective secret art was derived from the crafting process of this talisman. That technique eventually became the renowned Heart Lamp Secret Art. It was thanks to it that I managed to survive without my physical body. I nourished my soul with leftover world origin until I encountered Lord Sage..."

Shang Xia couldn't help but gasp in shock, "You actually have such a deep connection with this talisman..."

From Su Chi's account, Shang Xia understood that the Reignition Talisman was essentially a large-scale reserve storage of inner qi. Cultivators could inject part of their origin qi into the talisman to be used in the future.

Once the cultivator faced a life-or-death crisis and reached the brink of collapse, they could activate the talisman to rapidly restore their energy.

It was important to note that the talisman restored origin qi, not ordinary inner qi.

For example, Shang Xia's origin qi was aligned with the Big Dipper Star Origin, and the energy that he circulated and used in combat was regular Seven Star Qi.

Based on Su Chi's explanation, Shang Xia estimated that the Reignition Talisman could restore roughly 30% to 40% of a Sage's origin qi.

That, in itself, was already an extraordinary feat.

For a Sage whose origin qi was nearly depleted, recovering even 30% to 40% in an instant could completely turn a desperate situation around!

Moreover, during the energy accumulation process, the talisman preserved the original nature of the injected origin qi over long periods and greatly delayed the dissipation that usually occurred once it left the cultivator's dantian.

"In other words, this talisman is like giving a Sage a second, miniature dantian?" Shang Xia murmured to himself, "Isn't that basically a super cheat?"

"What did you say?" Su Chi looked puzzled.

"Nothing!" Shang Xia waved his hand and continued, "This talisman is indeed impressive. However, there are still a few aspects I don't understand. I'll probably need to craft it first before I can uncover more."

Su Chi quickly responded, "Yes. I merely relay what our predecessors discovered through generations of research. I only understand what is shown on the surface..."

Shang Xia nodded. "With the Heart Lamp Sect's legacy rekindled, you certainly have the qualifications and strength to rebuild the sect. But as they say, even if you were made of iron, how many nails can you forge alone? If there's anything you need, just let us know."

Su Chi smiled humbly. "Sage Shang, you have already given me immense help. I wouldn't dare trouble you further. Besides, I never expected the restored Heart Lamp Sect to immediately join the upper echelons of your world. As long as it can stand on its own in the Essence Luxuriant World during my lifetime, that will be enough. Future prosperity or decline will rest in the hands of our successors."

Shang Xia laughed. "You really are open-minded. For this reason alone, the Heart Lamp Sect should not be lost! Ah, right, I nearly forgot something else..."

Su Chi reacted quickly. "Sage Shang, please mention anything you need from me."

Shang Xia waved his hand with a smile. "No need to be so formal. It's just a small matter. You've been overseeing the opening of a new continent, and although it's still in its early stages, you can already decide on a name for it."

Su Chi was about to politely decline.

Unexpectedly, Shang Xia's expression grew solemn. "You're the chief pioneer of the continent and laid the foundation for its future. You have to come up with a name for the continent. This may also affect your sect's fortune in the future, and there's no need to be modest now."

Su Chi finally accepted the responsibility and, after a moment of thought, said, "If I truly manage to establish the 27th continent... Let it be called the Su Continent." of this realm, let it be called 'Su continent.'"

As soon as Su Chi spoke the name, he felt an inexplicable sense of intimacy between himself and the world around him. He even sensed a faint feeling of joy from the Essence Luxuriant World's Will.

Startled, Su Chi looked toward Shang Xia. He couldn't believe that merely naming an unestablished continent could earn the favor of the World's Will. However, since it really happened, Su Chu felt that it could only mean one thing. Shang Xia was using his identity as a Sage to influence the World's Will to acknowledge the existence of the Su Continent.

Seeing his reaction, Shang Xia chuckled. "It wasn't me. It was Patriarch Kou who pushed the World's Will to preemptively recognize the Su Continent."

Shang Xia hadn't personally intervened because he was in the process of reclaiming his soul from the You Continent and gradually severing his karmic bonds to the Essence Luxuriant World and even their Heavenly Field.

To avoid triggering chaos in their world or Heavenly Field, and to protect himself from any adverse effects, Shang Xia had to act with extreme caution. Even though his calculation assured him that the process would be smooth, it was better to be careful.

Given those circumstances, how could he actively deepen his bond with the world by influencing the World's Will?

However, during the process, Shang Xia unexpectedly discovered that his cultivation not only didn't weaken after severing the connection... In fact, it showed signs of surging rapidly.

The only conclusion he could draw was that the great boost was due to the reclamation of his soul he left in the World Origin Source.

Previously, by anchoring his soul in the world, he could draw on its strength during his cultivation, an advantage that worked gradually over time.

Now, by withdrawing his soul, although he would lose the ability to tap into the power of the Essence Luxuriant World in future cultivation, he received a significant short-term boost.

Of course, deciding whether or not to anchor one's soul to a world wasn't merely a matter of how long the gains would last.

To other Sages, even if they wanted to reclaim their soul, they wouldn't dare attempt it. Shang Xia was the only anomalous existence who could do so.

Throughout the process, Shang Xia also found out something even more surprising. Even though he severed the connection with his world, losing the ability to command the World's Will, he wasn't rejected by it.

On the contrary, he could still sense the Essence Luxuriant World's Will, and even its fondness toward him.

The affection manifested in a tangible way. Even though he retrieved his soul, he could still cultivate talisman seeds in it! It wasn't just rank six Talisman Seeds... He had a feeling he would also be able to nurture rank seven Talisman Seeds once he managed to craft them!

Shang Xia had begun the process of crafting a rank seven Talisman Seed with the inheritances he knew. Even though the Reignition Talisman was the third rank seven Talisman he knew, he could start to nurture the others first.

To fully cultivate a mature rank seven Talisman Seed capable of manifesting a martial intent, Shang Xia knew he had to craft seven different rank seven Talismans.

Only mastering the Origin Star Talisman and the Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman, he had already thrown them into the World Origin Source to be nurtured by world origin.

In order to craft the third talisman of his rank seven Talisman Seed, he had to fully understand and craft the Reignition Talisman.

As for the Origin Star Talisman, which used to be known as the Heaven Observation Great Constellation Talisman, Shang Xia wasn't worried of any traps that the Star Origin Lord might have hidden. The incident with the Origin Star Robe shouldn't happen again.

That incident was because he used the Star Lord Robe he stole from the Star Origin Guards. With it destroyed, there was no way for the Star Origin Lord to use it against them.

An Origin Star Talisman didn't contain any hidden traps, and even if it did, there was no way Shang Xia wouldn't have detected it during the crafting process. After all, his skills as a rank seven Talisman Grandmaster weren't for show.

When Ren Huan went looking for Shang Xia with two bolts of rank seven Star Devouring Silk, he ran into Shang Xia, who had just completed a round of talisman crafting.

Outside the Talisman Pagoda, all was serene. But as Ren Huan stepped inside, he, a dignified second tier True Immortal, was almost crushed by the pressure from the top floor.

It was worth noting that the Talisman Pagoda had undergone multiple enhancements over the years. Each of its seven floors contained a separate space.

The pressure from Shang Xia's sudden surge in strength, even after being diminished through the layers, remained shockingly strong. It was because he was unable to properly control his aura from the rapid leap in cultivation after reclaiming his soul.

By Shang Xia's estimate, his current cultivation had reached the peak of the fourth star of the Seven Star Realm. He was likely one step away from entering the fifth star.