Splitting the Heavens

After returning to the Essence Luxuriant World, Shang Xia experienced a dramatic surge in his cultivation due to the retrieval of his soul from the World Origin Source, which in turn caused some instability in his control over his aura.

But what Shang Xia considered a mere flaw wasn't exactly easy to deal with by Ren Huan. he felt as though a massive tsunami had crashed into him. If Shang Xia hadn't sealed off his aura in time, Ren Huan might have actually taken his last breath.

"You haven't made much progress in your cultivation lately. Are you getting lazy or is crafting talisman papers taking up most of your time?" Shang Xia asked Ren Huan arrived at the highest floor of the Talisman Pagoda.

"You can't compare everyone to you! My cultivation is pretty impressive at the level of Inner Fusion!" Ren Huan snapped. Though the man before him was already the strongest expert in the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, Ren Huan still treated him as an old friend. Shang Xia also enjoyed casual interactions when no one else was around.

In truth, at the Martial Void Realm, even a small step forward in cultivation often took years, sometimes over a decade.

By that measure, Ren Huan couldn't be considered slow.

After trading a few sarcastic jabs, Shang Xia noticed the two bolts of cloth tucked under Ren Huan's arm and asked, "Is that rank seven Star Devouring Silk?"

Ren Huan placed the cloth before him and said, "These two bolts are all the institution's current output. The patriarch specifically requested we use them to remake an Origin Star Robe!"

"That's not necessary." Shang Xia waved his hand.

Although he knew the Patriarch's intention was to bolster his combat power and means of self-defense by remaking the robe, Shang Xia also understood how widely applicable Star Devouring Silk was. Many high-level cultivators in the Institution required it, and some of it would even be used in external trade to acquire urgently needed resources.

Giving both bolts to Shang Xia meant the Institution would face a prolonged shortage, which could hinder progress in many areas.

But Ren Huan didn't take them back. Instead, he pulled out several spirit sealing cases and said, "These are the rank seven talisman papers produced since your last departure. All of them used Star Devouring Silk as the base, which greatly reduces the difficulty of crafting. Honestly, if I really am shameless... I can call myself a rank seven talisman paper craftsman!"

Shang Xia laughed and opened the boxes. Each contained a single scroll-like rank seven talisman paper. There were six in total.

Shang Xia's eyes widened in shock. "That many?"

Ren Huan smiled slightly. "There's more. There are three more right here."

He then took out three more cases from his sleeve and opened them. The talisman papers inside were clearly different from the others. They shone with varying hues suggesting they had been stored for different lengths of time.

"What are these?" Though Shang Xia was pleased with the extra talisman paper, he was also curious.

Ren Huan pointed at them as though he was presenting priceless treasures to Shang Xia. "This was acquired by True Immortal Song at a high price in the Starsea Market. The other was smuggled in from the Essence Du Heavenly Field True Immortal Huang Yu. And the last was obtained from a high-level cultivator of the Jianmen Gate."

Shang Xia was somewhat surprised. "Are you referring to the Jianmen Gate of the Shu Continent?"

Ren Huan nodded. "Exactly. In recent years, many of our experts have begun traveling across the Chaotic Sea of Stars via newly opened trade routes, and some have encountered rare opportunities. This particular talisman paper was obtained by an expert of the Jianmen Gate while exploring a ruined world. He later exchanged it at the Talisman Hall for several high-level talismans."

Ren Huan spent more than half a day chatting with Shang Xia at the top of the Talisman Pagoda. During that time, he also took the opportunity to consult him on various aspects of cultivation.

Within the Tongyou Institution, aside from Hai Yuanyuan, only Ren Huan had the privilege of asking Shang Xia for such guidance.

In truth, Shang Xia was not particularly qualified as either a teacher, an instructor, or even the head of the Talisman Hall.

The main reason was that he was often away on long expeditions that could last months or even years. And upon returning, he frequently entered seclusion for long periods, leaving him with little time or energy to devote to teaching or managing the Talisman Hall.

Thus, although Shang Xia was one of only two Sages in the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly FIeld, while also being the undisputed strongest, his influence remained limited to high-level cultivator circles. Among lower-leveled cultivators... Even to students of the institution, he was often more of an idol than anything else. His reputation was growing ever more distant.

In that regard, Shang Xia was far from being comparable to Kou Chongxue.

Kou Chongxue had always enjoyed mentoring others though he preferred to live in seclusion. Even though he no longer personally gave guidance in the institution, he still placed a clone in the Tongyou Institution to deal with matters. From time to time, his clone would run into some lucky soul through a series of coincidences, surprising lucky students with fortuitous encounters.

His method of helping others wasn't limited to students. Occasionally, even the higher-leveled experts of the institution would benefit from his guidance. He maintained a tradition of private audiences and teachings for those who made significant contributions to the Tongyou Institution.

Shang Xia himself had once benefited from the tradition.

After Ren Huan departed from the Talisman Pagoda, he left behind not just the nine rank seven talisman paper, but also dozens of rank five and rank six talisman papers for Shang Xia to practice.

No matter what, Shang Xia still had responsibilities as the head of the Talisman Hall.

Though their hall master was often unreliable, it was undeniable that each time he began crafting talismans, the inventory of high-level talismans in the hall would increase dramatically.

Over the years, this pattern had become so well established that not only did the members of the Talisman Hall catch on, but the other divisions and departments within the institution. They learned how to take advantage of their elusive Talisman Hall Master's presence.

Whenever word spread that Shang Xia had returned to the Talisman Pagoda, high-level cultivators from various departments would swarm over, eager to build relationships with the deputy hall masters, or any other Talisman Grandmaster, all in hopes of obtaining one of Shang Xia's personally crafted talismans. Or at the very least, a priority spot in the distribution list.

As Shang Xia's mastery of the dao of talismans deepened, he rarely practiced crafting rank five talismans. He usually began with rank six talismans. His success rate was insanely high, and he could craft a lot of different types.

Though rank six talismans posed no challenge or significant use to Shang Xia himself, for most members of the institution, each rank six talisman was a life-saving trump card.

During Shang Xia's return, the Talisman Hall was awash in a mix of pain and joy. Even lower ranked disciples or craftsmen would find themselves surrounded by many people hoping to gain their favor. In fact, even high-level experts from other factions outside the Tongyou Institution would be present.