Splitting the Heave

The way the Tongyou Institution passed down inheritance was different from the other factions and the four other border institutions.

The Tongyou Institution didn’t bother keeping their rank one and two inheritances a secret, and even trials that existed before disciples could get their hands on those inheritances were basically simple tests that ensured one was capable of learning them. The institution never planned on making things difficult for disciples to get their hands on those low-leveled inheritances. 

Because of that, the institution was able to supplement the low-leveled cultivators of the You Continent to look for anyone with enough talent and determination to walk down the path of cultivation.

From a certain perspective, the Tongyou Institution was casting a massive net in order to catch a little more fish.

Of course, their approach stopped there. The moment anyone entered the Martial Intent Realm, the Tongyou Institution would greatly tighten the control over their inheritances. Unlike before, the Tongyou Institution’s requirement before handing out resources would increase severalfold!

If anyone wanted to obtain an inheritance from the institution from that point on, they would have to pass through countless tests. They would also need to contribute greatly to the institution in order to pass the Contribution Division’s evaluation.

Even if they were successful, the inheritance they would receive would only be given to them verbally. They weren’t allowed to copy anything down and they had to swear an oath to never pass it to others. That allowed the institution to prevent their secrets from leaking to the outside world. 

Naturally, if that was how the institution passed down their inheritance all the time, the death of the expert would cause the inheritance to die out. That was why the Scripture Depository was established. 

Inheritances of the institution would be marked with a special insignia and no matter what type it was, it would be copied and left behind in the Scripture Depository. Only then would they be able to ensure that those inheritances wouldn’t be lost.

Naturally, the Scripture Depository was well protected to prevent the leakage of any knowledge.

The next problem as the Scripture Depository couldn’t be opened as one pleased. If the person in charge of the Scripture Depository didn’t wish to pass down the inheritance to someone specific, there was nothing anyone could do!

If Shang Xia chose to copy the inheritance of the Abyssal Emptiness Talisman to the Scripture Depository and if he wasn’t willing to hand the inheritance over to anyone else, not a single person would be able to do a thing about it! He could also use his authority to stop anyone from learning about it from the Scripture Depository. If that happens, the inheritance of the Abyssal Emptiness Talisman would disappear completely.

Of course, there was another way around it. That was if Shang Xia were to die and the Tongyou Institution’s patriarch, or several deputy patriarchs, forcefully opened the Scripture Depository to pass down the inheritance.

Because of that, Lou Zizhang wanted to voice his dissatisfaction. In actuality, he was only planning to say that it was unfair for the Scripture Depository to control their talisman inheritance. He completely forgot that as the Talisman Master responsible for bringing it back, Shang Xia also had the authority to pass it down to fellow members. 

Now that Lou Zizhang had yelled about the inheritance being withheld from the members of the Talisman Hall, wasn’t he also implying that Shang Xia was a selfish person who didn’t plan on giving the others a chance to learn? 

One had to know that Shang Xia had given the Talisman Hall a series of talisman inheritances all the way up to the fifth rank the moment he returned. Now, Lou Zizhang was implying that he was a selfish fool who would hide the inheritance he came back with. No one would be able to take the accusation lying down.

Fan Yuanhui saw how Lou Zizhang had dug his own grave and he smartly remained silent. He wouldn’t chuck rocks at Lou Zizhang when he was down as that would only cause Shang Xia to look down on him. 

Lou Zizhang was no fool either. He quickly understood that his words had insulted Shang Xia. With his intention only to go against the Scripture Depository initially, he quickly muttered, “Talisman Master Shang, I…” 

At the end of the day, he had to try to salvage whatever reputation he had left.

“Enough. There’s no need to say anymore. I was only doing things according to the institution’s rules. Deputy Hall Master Lou, if you have any suspicions regarding my actions, please look for the master of the Scripture Depository and the patriarch to raise your grievances!” Shang Xia waves his sleeves impatiently. He wasn’t planning to continue the conversation with any of them there.

Raise their grievances with the patriarch?!

That could only be done if they had the authority to meet Kou Chongxue!

“I… I… I didn’t think my words thought. Talisman Master Shang, please forgive me!” Lou Zizhang sucked in a long breath before apologizing to Shang Xia. 

Shang Xia didn’t expect him to do that, and neither did Fan Yuanhui.

Shang Xia thought that Lou Zizhang was someone Liu Zhiyuan sent over to fight for some power in the institution, but he didn’t expect the man to be willing to admit his mistake so quickly and decisively. Lou Zizhang’s evaluation in Shang Xia’s heart immediately became a little more dangerous.

“If there’s nothing else, I won’t stay here for long.” Shang Xia glanced at the two of them indifferently and continued, “Please arrange for a secret chamber for me to rest.” 

He had already gotten to his feet and was ready to leave as soon as he spoke. As the only Talisman Grandmaster in the Talisman Hall, they would have long since arranged a place for him to rest and craft talismans.

“Talisman Master Shang, please wait a second!” Lou Zizhang’s voice rang from behind him once again.

Stopping suddenly, he turned to look at Lou Zizhang expressionlessly.

The moment Shang Xia’s gaze landed on him, Lou Zizhang felt as though a desolate beast had his eyes on him. His mind went blank and he couldn’t move a single muscle.

“What’s the matter?” Shang Xia growled.

With the shock he experienced, Lou Zizhang snapped back to reality. It was as though a long time had passed since he called out to Shang Xia and his back was drenched in perspiration by the time he regained his spirits. With his voice that hadn’t stopped trembling, he muttered, “This… According to the rules of the institution, Talisman Master Shang has the responsibility to craft every single type of rank four talisman for aspiring talisman masters in the Talisman Hall to study.” 

It was true that the institution had such a rule. In order to ensure that inheritances weren’t lost, it was their duty to leave behind examples and records once they reached a certain level.

Actually, that was also one of the reasons Shang Xia had chosen to return to the institution. 

By this point, Shang Xia couldn’t be bothered with Lou Zizhang any longer and he snapped, “Of course I’ll do it. All you need to do now is to prepare all the resources I need to craft the talismans.” 

Shang Xia no longer hid the annoyance he felt with Lou Zizhang. 

Gulping slightly, Lou Zizhang continued, “But… But… But… We need to record the entire process of how you craft those talismans too…” 

“When did we ever have such a rule?” Shang Xia glared into Lou Zizhang’s eyes as though he wanted to peer into the fellow’s soul after hearing what he said.

Under his suffocating divine perception, Lou Zizhang couldn’t resist in the slightest. “This… This, the Warehouse Division…” 

“Liu Zhiyuan?!” Shang Xia said the name in his place and harrumphed, “Are you trying to spy on my talisman crafting style by coming up with useless rules like these?!” 

Lou Zizhang could only try to explain desperately, “No… It’s just to avoid walking down the wrong path!” 

A look of ridicule appeared on Shang Xia’s face. “Get him to talk to me personally. You’re not qualified!” 

Lou Zizhang’s face flushed red with embarrassment. As the pressure that came from Shang Xia’s divine perception disappeared abruptly. He felt his body crunching up and he looked like a fish that had been out of water for some time as he gasped for breath. Terror filled his eyes.

He wondered what he had said or done under the horrifying pressure earlier, and he realized that he had said everything without much filter. 

His divine sense was completely suppressed… No, it wasn’t suppressed. It seemed to have submitted to the other party without much resistance!

That was why he spoke without reservation when faced with Shang Xia’s questioning. The feeling caused a chill to run down his heart when he thought back to the lingering feeling he had. 

By that time, Shang Xia had long left the hall and so did Fan Yuanhui. Lou Zizhang was the only person left as he stood rooted to his spot as he thought of what he had just done.

…

As night fell, Shang Xia was casually resting in his secret chamber. Something seemed to have caught his attention as he opened his eyes and stared at the entrance. “Brother Ren, since you’re already here, why don’t you enter?” 

The entrance to his secret chamber was slowly pushed apart and Ren Huan’s bright chuckle rang through the air. “I was afraid I would disturb Talisman Grandmaster Shang’s rest! That’s why I didn’t dare to enter!” 

After he spoke, he quickly walked into the room.

Gesturing for the fatty to sit, Shang Xia muttered, “Haha, as long as I am not in the midst of talisman crafting, Brother Ren is welcome anytime.” 

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Unlike before, Ren Huan was a lot more casual when he spoke to Shang Xia. That made Shang Xia feel a lot more refreshed when talking to the fatty.

Sitting down, Ren Huan was quickly served a cup of tea and he chuckled in amusement, “Brother Shang, if you activated the restrictions and started crafting talismans, the entire area of more than 300 feet would be sealed off. I wouldn’t be able to come over even if I wanted to!” 

Shang Xia laughed and indicated for the fatty to drink some tea as he continued, “This place isn’t really quiet. I plan to enter the Tongyou Mysterious World in a day or two to start crafting talismans.”

Staring at Shang Xia in shock, Ren Huan muttered, “Hmm, that’s great too. The Talisman Hall is a little messy at the moment… However, I heard that the restriction to enter the Tongyou Mysterious World is pretty high! Oh wait, it shouldn’t be a problem for you…” 

Shang Xia didn’t plan to interfere with the workings of the Talisman Hall. As long as they didn’t affect him, he was willing to turn a blind eye to it. 

Ren Huan also understood Shang Xia’s intentions from what he said and he knew that Shang Xia wanted to see what Ren Huan’s attitude on the matter was. 

“I guess from today onwards, I’ll be someone from the Talisman Grandmaster’s camp!” Ren Huan cheered in his heart. He felt wild joy filling his heart when he thought about it.

Regardless of Fan Yuanhui, Lou Zizhang, or even Liu Zhiyuan, all of them forgot a fact when they were fighting for power. Strength was the basis of everything!

No matter who controlled the Talisman Hall, no one would dare to mess with Shang Xia! They wouldn’t dare to mess with the resources that belonged to him!

As the only rank four Talisman Grandmaster in the Talisman Hall, Shang Xia’s status was already set in stone. 

Ren Huan believed that he was grabbing onto a huge golden thigh now that Shang Xia had officially recognized him as a follower.