Splitting the Heave

Shang Xia’s inner qi was unique and had the ability to transform and separate at will. Even so, it was still considered a single entity.

Compared to other cultivators at the Martial Extremity Realm, Shang Xia was probably the only one who could convert his inner qi freely. It was an obvious advantage he had above the rest.

Realizing that fact allowed him to come to a realization. Not only could he create rank two talismans of other attributes, but he could also create a new type of talisman!

Even though he used up all the talisman paper he exchanged with the Tongyou Peak, he still had 36 rank two talisman jades!

Those talisman jades were of much higher quality than ordinary talisman paper and they were able to boost the success rate of creating a rank two talisman! The energy that could be contained in a talisman jade was much more than a talisman paper, allowing it to release a much stronger effect! Of course, the cost of a single piece of talisman jade was much higher than a piece of talisman paper.

A single piece of talisman jade cost twenty silver essence, double that of a piece of talisman paper!

There was no way he could use them to verify his guesses and use them in his experiment. It would be a godly waste of resources, and not even the Shang Clan would be able to sustain his training if he were to squander away resources like that.

Then again, when Shang Xia first obtained the box of talisman jade pendants, he didn’t expect them to be so expensive. If he traded them for herbs, he might be able to get a complete set to make his advancement medicine!

After leaving his quarters at the Shang Pavilion, he went over to look for Yan Ni’er who was taking care of the four eggs.

Even though so many things went down in recent days, the little Mutated Rain Swallow remained faithfully in its little nest. 

Naturally, it looked a little downcast due to the absence of Shang Xia and the fact that it had to remain obediently in its nest. Luckily, it didn’t seem long before the eggs would hatch. 

When Shang Xia saw the eggs moving about slightly, a trace of anticipation filled his heart. Making his way over to the window after saying hello to Yan Ni’er, Shang Xia opened it and a streak of silver lightning tore through the skies. The Lightning Bird had been waiting for Shang Xia’s permission to enter the Shang Pavilion and it finally got the chance to visit the little rain swallow! In an instant, the room turned extremely lively.

Shang Xia didn’t bother the two birds as he went to the training grounds behind the pavilion. Grabbing a sword as per usual, he started to practice his sword art.

This time, he was training in the Cloud Drizzle Sword Art he obtained not too long ago.

The Cloud Drizzle Sword Art focused on the qi of void and reality, and the technique had the reputation of being extremely annoying to their opponent.

The complete technique had sixteen moves, and the first eight moves were known as the Cloud Sword Manual. They could also be named the Void Sword. The final eight techniques made up the Drizzle Sword Manual, and those were known as the Reality Sword.

Strictly speaking, the sword art was extremely profound and had the effect of assisting the cultivator in gaining a better understanding of void and reality qi. However, the strength displayed by a cultivator who trained in it was pretty ordinary. 

After reading through the sword manual after obtaining it from his aunt, Shang Xia realized that there were many insights written on the various pages of the manual. Other than that, the author of the Cloud Drizzle Manual also left behind a huge chunk of knowledge debating void and reality qi. It was clear that the creator of the manual not only possessed deep knowledge of the two types of qi… The sword technique they practiced was also not limited to the Cloud Drizzle Sword Art!

With the insights and pointers left in the manual, Shang Xia managed to progress at a terrifying pace! His understanding of the void and reality qi also deepened immensely!

His gains were extremely valuable as they allowed him to understand more about the Yin Yang Mysterious Art he was cultivating! His foundations became a lot more solid!

To explain it properly, Shang Xia’s Yin Yang Mysterious Art was a frighteningly high-level technique! However, that didn’t mean that his knowledge of the dao was at the same degree. He had to learn a lot more in order to fully comprehend the Yin Yang Mysterious Art.

To put it into perspective, the Yin Yang Mysterious Art was like a lofty castle. Shang Xia knew what it looked like, but he had no idea how to actually build the castle. All he could do was to experiment with the knowledge he had to obtain some results.

Luckily for him, he had the Triple Mystery Polarity Art as the foundation of his Yin Yang Mysterious Art. He understood the principles behind changing his inner qi at will and with the River Sword Policy to supplement his knowledge, it became a lot more smooth sailing. Now that he had the Cloud Drizzle Sword Art, his technique was slowly taking shape.

Finishing the final move of the Cloud Drizzle Sword Art, Shang Xia leaped tens of feet into the air and stabbed his sword out. Void qi and reality qi fused into a single entity and dozens of sword lights rained down from the skies above. Holes were stabbed deep into the ground.

Even though the final strike was supposed to be part of the Drizzle Sword Manual, Shang Xia combined both types of qi when unleashing it. Some of the sword lights that fell were fake, and some were real. His opponents would be hard-pressed to determine which one of them they had to defend against.

His achievements were terrifying. Not even experts at the grand completion stage of the Martial Extremity Realm would be able to do what he did.

When he finally landed on the ground, he took a deep breath and his attention turned to the blood-red tablet in his sea of consciousness.

As streaks of crimson light flashed across its surface, the words on it started to change.

Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Martial Intent: Yin Yang Sword Formation (Can be advanced)

Prerequisite Cultivation Technique: Yin Yang Mysterious Art (In Progress, Yet To Reach The Large Completion Stage)

Prerequisite Martial Art: Vigorous Sword Art, Formless Sword Art, Flexible Sword Art

Subsequent Martial Art: Cloud Drizzle Sword Art

Requirement: Yin Yang Diagram

Medicine Required: Meridian Tempering Powder, Meridian Replenishing Powder

Required Item: Yin Yang Sword Talisman

Success Rate: 70%-85%

After he deepened his understanding of void and reality qi, it seemed as though his Yin Yang Mysterious Art improved a little. However, according to the tablet, it hadn’t reached the large completion stage. 

Shang Xia guessed that his understanding was too low for the tablet to make proper recommendations and evaluations.

A bold guess also entered his mind. Was it possible that he had to reach the large completion stage of his current cultivation technique before a recommended martial intent would be produced? 

Maybe it was because of the Yin Yang Diagram in Shang Xia’s dantian that allowed him to convert all his inner qi into one of the two attributes to make it seem as though it reached the large completion stage.

Even though it was a mere facade, it seemed as though it was enough to activate the tablet.

After Shang Xia circulated his inner qi normally and transformed it back into a state of balance, it naturally fell back down below the threshold of qi required to reach the large completion stage. 

Other than that, there was a new addition to the tablet, the Cloud Drizzle Sword Art. 

Shang Xia felt that after cultivating the Cloud Drizzle Sword Art, the power of his Yin Yang Sword Formation would be increased.

The slight change in the success rate was in line with Shang Xia’s expectations. After all, he started to learn a new sword art in order to comprehend his martial intent. It certainly added some complications to his understanding.

“Clap, clap, clap…” The applause interrupted his train of thought and caused him to snap awake.

Turning to the entrance of the practice field, Shang Xia saw Shang Quan walking towards him slowly. He exclaimed in admiration, “Is this the sword art that contains the use of void and reality qi? You managed to comprehend so much in such a short amount of time… It’s incredible! No wonder the Murong Family took the Triple Mystery Polarity Art as their inheritance treasure. Changing qi as they please… Impressive!” 

“Murong Family?” Shang Xia was slightly shocked. “Is that the Murong Family that is part of the Evil Remnants? They were the ones who created the Triple Mystery Polarity Art?!” 

Murong Yuntian was the first person he thought of. It was no wonder he was able to use the secret art so smoothly! The technique was produced by his family!

Shang Quan nodded and chuckled, ‘You haven’t told me the name of the sword art you’re practicing!” 

A strange look appeared on Shang Xia’s face and he muttered, “Wait… You don’t know about it either? Isn’t this an inheritance from our Shang Clan?” 

Shang Quan roared with laughter. “Of course not! Our Shang Clan has some sword manuals for cultivators at the Martial Extremity Realm, but they don’t contain the use of void and reality qi.” 

“Something doesn’t seem right! I heard from Instructor Liu that our Shang Clan had a swordmaster and I asked Aunt Shang Xi to look for a suitable sword art for myself. She gave me this Cloud Drizzle Sword Art a while ago! Isn’t it from our Shang Clan? Anyway, who is the swordmaster Instructor Liu told me about?” 

Shang Quan stared at Shang Xia in stunned silence for a moment and a trace of hesitation flashed across his eyes. “I heard that you’ve been in seclusion to practice the art of talisman creation the past few days… Even though you’re already close to becoming a rank two talisman master, it won’t be easy for you to take the final step! You need to practice more in order to advance! Don’t worry about wasting resources, I…” 

Before he could finish, Shang Xia retrieved the Golden Sword Talisman from his sleeve, forcing Shang Quan to swallow his words.

“You… You… Is this a Golden Sword Talisman?!” Shang Quan stuttered. A look of excitement flashed in his eyes. “This is great! No! This is amazing!” 

Shang Xia revealed a bitter smile in response, “What do you mean? I used twenty talisman papers to make three of these. It’s such a waste!” 

“No, it’s not! It’s not a waste!” Shang Quan was jumping in joy. “You became a rank two talisman master at such a young age! Just practice a little more in the future and your success rate will definitely increase!”  After he spoke, he seemed to have thought of something and reached into his sleeves. He brought out a stack of rank two talisman paper and cried, “Here’s twenty sheets of rank two talisman paper! Use it to your heart’s content! Now that you have become a rank two talisman master, you need to practice as much as you can. There’s no need to worry about the cost! I’ll bring you as many resources as you need!”