Splitting the Heave

The Zhu Family Talisman Scripture recorded 3 rank four talismans and the Golden Sun Inferno Talisman Shang Xia crafted previously was part of them.

As for the Spiritual Protection Substitution Talisman he crafted back in the Cloud Water Gorge, that came from the Talisman Hall’s collection.

With the Purple Bamboo Brush from the institution, Shang Xia decided to practice a little before testing it out on high-level talismans. Who would have thought that the brush would feel amazingly smooth in his hands? 

After crafting 6 different rank three talismans in a row without making a single mistake, Shang Xia realized that only 3 short days had passed.

Taking advantage of the fact that his condition was at its peak, Shang Xia sealed the courtyard he was in and started crafting rank four talismans. He wasn’t too surprised when he quickly succeeded in crafting a Golden Sun Inferno Talisman.

Of the many rank four talisman inheritance and records Shang Xia learned, the Golden Sun Inferno Talisman was the one he was the most familiar with. He ran through it countless times in his mind when he made it previously and he succeeded in crafting it in the past. He didn’t take long to finish it!

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After he was done, Shang Xia could still feel that his condition hadn’t deteriorated. He quickly threw himself into another round of rank four talisman crafting.

It didn’t come as a surprise that he failed on his second attempt. 

After taking a break of 2 days, Shang Xia reentered his peak state and managed to craft another Golden Sun Inferno Talisman 

Taking another short break, Shang Xia threw himself into another round of talisman crafting. This time, he started on another type of rank four talisman, the Spiritual Protection Substitution Talisman. He succeeded in crafting it back in the Cloud Water Gorge and he was confident he could do it again.

By the time he started, Shang Xia had already used the Purple Bamboo Brush for more than 20 days. The initial rush he had of obtaining a new artifact had disappeared, and the Spiritual Protection Substitution Talisman was more difficult to craft than the Golden Sun Inferno Talisman, his success rate quickly regressed to his ordinary state.

After experiencing two successive failures, Shang Xia finally completed a Spiritual Protection Substitution Talisman with his final piece of rank four talisman paper.

That was right… After returning to the Shang Clan, Shang Xia discovered that Shang Xi and Shang Quan had prepared 6 pieces of rank four talisman paper for him. They used a ton of resources to purchase those talisman papers some time ago, but they only managed to obtain 6 of them.

When Shang Xi received the Golden Sun Inferno Talismans and Spiritual Protection Substitution Talisman from Shang Xia along with a batch of rank two and three talismans, she revealed an expression of pure joy.

“You managed to craft 3 rank four talismans with 6 pieces of talisman paper… That’s a success rate of 50 percent! You’re really amazing!” Shang Xi couldn’t help but praise. The smile on her face didn’t fade in the slightest.

“I was merely lucky this time round. The excitement from using a new high-grade brush and my optimal condition allowed me to hit such a high success rate. If I had to do it again, I might not be able to replicate this feat…” Shang Xia admitted.

Shang Xi’s elation faded a little after hearing what he said. “Hehe, I even thought that our clan would have struck it big if you managed to craft more than 2 rank four talismans this time. Looks like I will have to tone down my expectations a little…” 

No one could blame Shang Xi for how she was acting as though she had never seen rank four talismans before. Every single rank four talisman was a trump card that could change the tides of battle when used correctly.

For a power like the current Shang Clan, rank three talismans were basically the highest grade talismans they could bring out. They represented the foundations of the clan, and with rank four talismans, they could finally stand their ground and threaten other factions!

Those rank four talismans Shang Xia made currently didn’t seem like much, but one had to understand that every time he used one in the past, it directly changed the outcome of the exchange.

Bringing over several spirit suppression cases, Shang Xi placed the rank four talismans into them before keeping them carefully.

Treasures like that could only be used by Martial Intent Realm experts of the clan, and only then, they were barely qualified to do it.

“How many years can these talismans last?” Shang Xi asked after keeping them.

Thinking for a second, Shang Xia explained, “If you keep them as they were, they wouldn’t last for more than ten years. The divine intent and extermination qi on the talisman would dissipate eventually. In fact, they should start deteriorating in 3 to 5 years. They would lose their effects completely if kept for longer. Even if you use methods like spirit suppression cases to keep them, they should last for 15 years at most.” 

A sigh escaped Shang Xi’s lips. “The time they can be kept is really too short. Do you have any way of extending their lifespan?” 

Shang Xia thought for some time before giving his reply. “I’ll try to look for a way if I have time. However, it won’t be something I can solve easily. I might think of something…” 

After staying in the Shang Clan for close to a month, Shang Xia decided not to drag things out any longer and returned to the institution.

As soon as he got back, he discovered that the entire palace was much more bustling than before. However, there was a foreign element to it.

Strolling about the area, he discovered that there were a lot more students than before, but there weren’t many whom he knew.

“Shang Xia!” 

Turning around when he heard his name, Shang Xia saw a young man who was similar to him in age and was surrounded by a group of 14 to 15 year olds. The young man was waving enthusiastically at him.

Taking several steps in his direction, Shang Xia chuckled softly, “Zhang Jianfei? You… Have you become a Custodian?” 

Zhang Jianfei laughed in response. “I became a Custodian of the Fifth Outer Division. These are my students when I took over the duties of the previous custodian in the latter half of last year. Right now, we have too many students, and our original 6 Outer Teaching Divisions have expanded to 12.

After speaking to Shang Xia, Zhang Jianfei turned to those around him and introduced, “Take a good look! He was the Chief Disciple when I was still a student in the institution. From the Outer Division to the Upper Division, he was the strongest disciple. Today, he has already become a Martial Extermination Realm expert! He is the true role model you should have in the institution.”

A portion of the kids around him widened their eyes in shock. Most of them had a look of curiosity, worship, and adoration. However, there was also a portion who found themselves unwilling to compare themselves to him and a trace of indignance flashed through their eyes.

Shang Xia couldn’t help but roar with laughter.

Thinking back, Zhang Jianfei was also a genius that used to be compared to Shang Xia. He even fought Shang Xia for the position of the Leader of the Outer Divisions previously. Their relationship wasn’t too great back then. However, 2 to 3 years had passed since then and all the animosity they had for each other remained nothing more than a pleasant memory. 

Shang Xia felt a sense of familiarity after seeing Zhang Jianfei who was from the same batch of students as him. 

Calling for the students around him to cultivate on their own, Zhang Jianfei finally found some time to speak to Shang Xia alone. “We haven’t been able to catch you for the past 2 years. However, we have been hearing a lot of legends you created.” 

“Haha, were there many students from our batch who managed to remain in the institution?” Shang Xia asked.

“Yeah!” Zhang Jianfei continued, “In the past years, the Tongyou Institution had been expanding rapidly. Many students chose to stay on as custodians or deacons in the institution. Even I managed to fluke my way to become a Custodian of the Outer Division with more than 20 new students in my charge!” 

“Hahaha, you’re being too humble. You’re a Martial Intent Realm cultivator and you should be able to get a job as a deacon in the institution. Moreover, you were from the Protection Division. Why did you transfer to the Teaching Division?” In Shang Xia’s memories, the Custodians of the Outer Division were made up of outstanding members in the Upper Division. Most of them were in the Martial Extremity Realm back then. Only Custodians in the Inner and Upper Divisions would be in the Martial Intent Realm.

Waving his hand casually, Zhang Jianfei explained, “That’s in the past. The institution expanded rapidly and everyone improved quickly. The requirements for each post increased accordingly. In order to be a Custodian in the Outer Divisions, one has to be in the Martial Intent Realm.” 

“I see!” Shang Xia was surprised to hear that. 

Zhang Jianfei quickly added, “You might be in the Talisman Hall now, but have you thought of becoming an Instructor?” 

“It shouldn’t be easy to become an instructor, right?” Shang Xia raised an eyebrow as he replied.

Not anyone could become an instructor in the Tongyou Institution. Other than one’s cultivation, one needed to be extremely knowledgeable and accomplished in their field. After all, every Instructor would be allocated resources by the institution for their service. That was why Instructors held more authority than the Deacons of the various divisions.

Staring at Shang Xia with a strange look on his face, he muttered, “Brother Shang, you’re the youngest and only Talisman Grandmaster in the institution. If you’re not qualified to become an instructor, no one else is!” 

Shang Xia still shook his head in response, “What students learn are merely the most elementary theories of talismans. Instructor Fan Yuanhui is able to teach them everything they need to know. Moreover, he has vast teaching experience and it’s not something I can replicate even with my mastery in the way of Talismans.” 

“That’s true…” Zhang Jianfei nodded his head in response. He didn’t seem like he was planning to give up easily though. “Brother Shang, I know that you’re a busy man and you shouldn’t have the time to become an Instructor of the institution. Why don’t you come over and teach a couple of lessons when you have the time? Feel free to teach those kids anything you know. After all, any one of your experiences is more than enough to widen their horizons.” 

No matter what, Shang Xia was a Martial Extermination Realm expert. Anything he taught the students of the Outer Division would be a valuable lesson.

Moreover, with his status, Shang Xia couldn’t possibly come empty-handed. He would have to give out some resources in order to keep the institution’s image in place.

Zhang Jianfei might have said it really nicely, but Shang Xia saw through his plan with a single glance. However, he could also tell that Zhang Jianfei really had his students’ interests at heart. 

Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to decline and that helping the institution was his goal anyway, Shang Xia accepted Zhang Jianfei’s offer with a smile.

He seemed to have thought of something and asked suddenly, “Oh right, who’s in charge of the institution right now anyway?” 

Staring at Shang Xia in surprise, Zhang Jianfei quickly gathered his composure again after recalling that Shang Xia hadn’t been back for some time. “Patriarch Kou is the same as before. It’s hard to catch a glimpse of him. Deputy Patriarch Ji has also hidden himself away. Deputy Patriarchs Yun and Shang are said to be in closed door cultivation in order to raise their strength and none of us had been able to get a hold of either of them. Only Deputy Patriarch Liu is managing the institution at the moment. As Custodians, we wouldn’t bother him anyway.” 

Shang Xia understood the outline of the situation after the short introduction. 

Obviously, Deputy Patriarch Liu referred to Liu Zhiyuan who inherited the position after Liu Jitang was slain back in the Coral Forest several years ago.

Because of his junior status, he has been cultivating painstakingly in order to live up to his role. After all, his position seemed pretty worthless with his current abilities. Even the Warehouse Division that had been governed by his Liu Clan in the past had given up some responsibilities to Zhang Haogu of the Scripture Depository. 

Now that Kou Chongxue and the others had placed their attention on the Foreign Continent Beyond the Heavens, Liu Zhiyuan finally found a chance to strengthen his influence in the institution.

The only thing that was starting to cause Shang Xia a headache was what Liu Zhiyuan was going to do now that he had regained some power. He would definitely solidify the position of the Warehouse Division, and Shang Xia’s Talisman Hall was precisely governed by them.