Splitting the Heavens

At the edge of the void currents around the spatial vortex.

The Star Ship fleet towing the Spirit Ruling World and Spirit Frost World had already been stationed for several days under the guidance of two Grand Stargazers.

However, the fleet had not yet rushed out of the range of void currents around the spatial vortex. Instead, they used the cover to temporarily rest and reorganize.

In order to prevent any accidents and to lighten any burden on the larger vessels, small Star Ships shuttled between both worlds and the Spirit Ark between them without the movement of any other ships. The small Star Ships were extremely adept and useful at traveling such short distances and were used as transport crafts to shuttle all sorts of resources around.

Both people and treasures were brought from the worlds to the safety of the Spirit Ark.

Meanwhile, Song Zhen personally led a team of elite cultivators from the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, along with several high-level experts from the Spirit Frost World and Spirit Ruling World to scout the road ahead. They brought Zhang Yusheng, the rank five Grand Stargazer, and several medium Star Ships to leave the void currents.

Their task was to head to the Original Stars Corner and rendezvous with the fleet sent from the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field.

After both worlds had been rescued from the brink of falling into the great spatial vortex, Shang Xia and his External Avatar no longer needed to make a move.

The native forces of the two worlds, combined with four large Star Ships from the Essence Luxuriant Heavenly Field, were more than sufficient to pull the worlds through the void current, albeit at a slower pace.

That day, when the flow of supply Star Ships ferrying goods to the Spirit Ark began to dwindle, Shang Xia's External Avatar left the Bing Continent and made his way to the Jiao Continent, heading straight to the cabin where Shang Xia's true body resided.

"Ever since we broke out of the great spatial vortex, you've kept to this cabin almost entirely, only appearing when absolutely necessary. Aside from improving the art to make myself stronger, are you still working on anything else?"

This time, his External Avatar sounded unusually distinct, as if he and his true body were completely separate individuals.

Shang Xia replied calmly, "I wanted a period of peace and quiet. I didn't want to be interrupted."

Shang Xia's External Avatar scoffed, "And you cut off our connection just like that? Do you have any idea how much inspiration you gained from the depths of the spatial vortex and the Origin Pillar? How much origin qi did the Crimson Soul Tablet absorb? I may just be an External Avatar, unable to access everything in your mind, but I can still feel the burst of inspiration you experienced."

He paused briefly, then asked bluntly, "So... Did you break through the bottleneck to become a high-level Sage? Or did you complete the fifth form of the Seven Star Mace Technique? Or maybe... You found a way to elevate another rank six talisman to the seventh rank? Could you have made a new rank seven talisman altogether?"

Shang Xia couldn't help but laugh at the barrage of questions and chuckled in amusement, "I only severed the connection for a few days. I didn't think that you would harbor so many grievances. Seems like your independent personality is nearing completion."

"Hah!" His External Avatar still sounded unimpressed. "So what? It's not like it affects your true body in any real way."

"But don't try to change the subject. Just tell me, what breakthrough did you make?"

Shang Xia chuckled and casually waved his hand. Two jade talismans appeared in front of him. He smiled and said, "Would rank seven Formation Talismans count?"

His External Avatar's eyes lit up. He grabbed the talismans and exclaimed, "You made these using solidified origin qi? You only made two rank seven Formation Talismans?! That's ridiculously extravagant! Why not use them to create a rank seven Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman instead? In fact, an Origin Star Talisman or a Reignition Talisman?!"

Formation Talismans were still a type of rank seven talisman, but they could also be considered a type of talisman paper.

There were two main methods to make talisman paper. One was to combine lower-grade materials. That was the most economical way which could help them solve the shortage of rare materials.

However, the method demanded high levels of craftsmanship and was the truest measure of a talisman paper craftsman's skill.

The second method was to directly use high-grade materials to produce high-level talisman paper. It was a far simpler method, and required far less skill.

Using high-grade materials to make talisman paper of the same level was possible, but making a lower-level talisman paper was also acceptable. For someone like Shang Xia, who had deep knowledge and strong familiarity with talisman making and talisman papers, it wasn't too difficult.

That was how he crafted two jade talismans, which were Formation Talismans.

Those talismans, made from solidified origin qi, contained extremely refined energy. Due to the special nature of the great spatial vortex, they were arguably even higher in grade than the origin qi found in the World Origin Source of most Essence Worlds.

That was also why Shang Xia's External Avatar didn't immediately consider that Shang Xia had crafted a completely new rank seven talisman. He couldn't help but lament how such high-grade treasures were wasted on crafting such basic talismans.

But when he noticed the subtle smile on his true body's face that didn't seem like a smile, he suddenly realized those jade talismans weren't so simple. There had to be more to them. Subconsciously, he examined them more closely, gently running his fingers over the surface.

Moments later, he seemed to catch on to something. Gasping quietly, he looked at Shang Xia and asked, "These jade talismans... Did you really craft them with solidified origin qi?"

A moment later, even Shang Xia's External Avatar seemed to doubt his own guess. He opened his mouth, but he didn't say anything.

Shang Xia burst into a hearty laugh at that moment. His External Avatar revealed a look that contained both his shock and delight. "You... You really succeeded?!"

Shang Xia nodded with a smile. "After numerous attempts, I finally mastered the technique to refine and solidify origin qi. Although I can't conduct large-scale production like what we saw in the great spatial vortex, I can produce small quantities at will. If we can replicate this method through formations once we return, our world's future potential will surely surpass that of most other Essence Worlds!"