Splitting the Heavens

Shang Xia rarely crafted any talisman beneath the fifth rank. To someone at his level, producing talismans beneath the fifth rank held little meaning. Only during the process of crafting rank six talismans or higher would he be able to push the limit to further comprehend the dao of talismans.

Fortunately, with the ascension to the Essence Luxuriant World and the formation of the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, the Tongyou Institution could allocate a much broader variety and greater quantity of high-grade spiritual materials. Coupled with increasingly frequent exchanges with major Heavenly Fields and the Starsea Markets, the production and acquisition of rank six talisman paper had become far easier than before. Even rare rank seven talisman papers could occasionally be obtained.

Although his talisman crafting skill reached a state of mastery, it had been a long time since Shang Xia had last created a talisman since leaving the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field. To avoid becoming rusty, it was certainly necessary to prepare again with rank six talismans.

Retrieving the Holy Artifact brush he had been nurturing in one of the stars surrounding his Big Dipper Star Origin. After dipping it in rank six talisman ink, he started to craft every rank six talisman he knew. For a few talismans that he felt were slightly off during the crafting process, he crafted more than one of them.

Even with his current formidable foundation close to the fifth star of the Seven Star Realm, the entire cycle still took several months. By the time he was done, the 13th year of the Essence Luxuriant Calendar had arrived.

Before reaching the Seven Star Realm, Shang Xia had only mastered around a dozen rank six talismans. As he improved and grew increasingly adept at handling lower ranked talismans, along with the Essence Luxuriant World's expanding interactions with other Heavenly Fields, the total number of rank six talismans he knew how to craft surpassed 20.

From the round of crafting alone, over 30 rank six talismans replenished more than half the inventory of the Talisman Hall's dwindling high-level talisman stockpile.

Strictly speaking, the Talisman Hall had never truly had a sufficient reserve of rank six talismans.

Furthermore, talismans inherently had a limited shelf life. Over time, the energy contained in them would gradually fade until they became completely ineffective.

Even though Spirit Sealing Cases and similar tools could significantly slow the dissipation of a talisman's essence and prolong its usable period, the issue could not be fundamentally resolved.

Naturally, the lifespan of a talisman also depended on the quality of the talisman paper, ink, and brush that were used. More importantly... It was based on the skill of the Talisman Master who crafted it.

As someone who had reached the pinnacle of the dao of talismans, Shang Xia's creations were among those with the longest effective lifespan.

After several months of adjustment and practice, Shang Xia felt he had returned to his peak state. The first rank seven talisman he would start crafting was the talisman he was the most confident at, the rank seven Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman!

That was right. Even though he restored the Origin Star Talisman and it was the first rank seven talisman he created, the talisman he had truly mastered was the Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman.

The reason was simple. He had been crafting it since it was still a rank six talisman. He studied it inside and out, spending the most time on it when he raised its rank from the sixth to the seventh.

However, compared to the over 60% success rate he had with rank six talismans, his first attempt to craft a rank seven Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman ended when he reached the halfway point due to a single error he made when drawing a rune.

While Star Devouring Silk greatly enhanced the success rate of crafting the Origin Star Talisman, it offered little help... Even slight disharmony when crafting Myriad Tinted Cloud Talismans.

Of course, Shang Xia could overcome the issues, but they still negatively impacted the success rate of the talisman's completion.

He did have three rank seven talisman papers made from different materials, but after some thought, he chose not to use them to craft Myriad Tinted Cloud Talismans.

It was because talisman paper made from Star Devouring Silk was at least under the control of the institution. The other talisman papers had been obtained through other means and the method to produce them wasn't under the institution's control.

Fortunately, Shang Xia had adjusted well. His skills had improved and on his second attempt, he completed a rank seven Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman.

Pleased with the result, he decided to continue crafting Myriad Tinted Cloud Talismans.

What made it truly difficult was not the complexity of individual runes required, but the sheer number and precision required. It demanded not only accuracy but also a precise connection between them while ensuring there was no mutual interference.

On his third attempt, another slight mistake was made during the layering of runes. The talisman paper collapsed, and the Talisman Hall was once again engulfed in a cascade of multicolored clouds and brilliant light.

Fortunately, lessons from the first incident had led the Talisman Hall to prepare in advance. Contingency measures were immediately triggered, and Shang Xia responded promptly. He quickly got rid of the residual effects.

With a helpless sigh, Shang Xia adjusted his condition once again and began his fourth attempt.

The Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman had incredibly powerful defensive capabilities. Even for someone of Shang Xia's cultivation and combat prowess, it was useful when fighting against his enemies. Whether for his personal use or to give to Kou Chongxue or other high-level experts of the institution, its value was significant.

At the very least, it was more practical than the Origin Star Talisman or the Reignition Talisman he had yet to create.

Fortunately, the fourth attempt went smoothly. Shang Xia successfully completed a second Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman.

By then, only five sheets of rank seven talisman paper remained in his possession. Only two of which were made from Star Devouring Silk.

Without hesitation, Shang Xia started to craft Origin Star Talismans.

Perhaps because of its natural compatibility with Star Devouring Silk talisman paper, Shang Xia succeeded on his very first try.

He originally intended to ride on his wave of success and use the final sheet to craft a second Origin Star Talisman. However... Even with the high compatibility, the increase in success rate was ultimately limited. As a result, Shang Xia failed his second attempt and all six rank seven talisman papers made from Star Devouring Silk were used up.