Chapter 745: Completely Sealed Off
The Azure Worlds never produced an expert in the grand completion stage of the Martial Dipper Realm!
Shang Xia’s heart trembled slightly and he couldn’t help but ask, “This... Patriarch, didn’t you just refine your fourth fate dipper back in the Starry Marsh Elysium? How did you already refine another?”
“Quiet! Is that something you should be asking about?” Shang Bo snapped.
In contrast to his strong reaction, Kou Chongxue didn’t seem bothered. He waved his hand and chuckled casually, “It’s alright. This little brat already saw the Stellar Cauldron back in the Stellar Marsh Elysium anyway.”
Shang Xia thought back to the cauldron that created his rank five advancement medicine and a look of appreciation appeared on his face. However, his tone changed slightly as he asked, “Did your fifth fate dipper come from the Origin Holy Artifact?”
Kou Chongxue nodded slightly but he didn’t say more.
Once again, Shang Xia confirmed his guess that Kou Chongxue was truly the son of luck. He didn’t give up and continued to question, “Patriarch Kou, do you have an idea on how to enter the grand completion stage of the Martial Dipper Realm?”
“Hehe...” Kou Chongxue chuckled softly and continued, “I knew you would ask something like that. Right now, I’m pretty confident that I can reach the large completion stage of the Martial Dipper Realm. I haven’t thought of a way to enter the grand completion stage for now...”
Shang Xia couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed at his answer.
However, Kou Chongxue’s tone changed the next moment as he laughed, “But the method you brought up in the past about the 5 elements seems pretty interesting. The endless cycle of mutual restraint and propagation might be something we can work on in the future.”
Shang Xia felt a trace of embarrassment and he quickly responded, “Disciple doesn’t have the qualifications to work on it with you... I’ll just listen to your teachings...”
Waving his hands impatiently, Kou Chongxue stopped their conversation. “Alright, we shouldn’t waste any more time talking here. We shouldn’t remain here for long either. We’ll talk about this after we get back.”
During their conversation, the region of space around them crumbled even further, making things even more dangerous. The experts of the various factions started to take their leave and they couldn’t be bothered with many stray strands of fate dipper essences. They could only watch on as those treasures were destroyed in regions where space collapsed on itself.
The 3 of them were actually 10000 miles away from the main battlefield, but the destruction was rapidly spreading over. It wouldn’t take long before the area they were in would be caught up in it.
“Hey, how much did the 2 of you gain anyway?” Kou Chongxue asked. Even though it was a question directed at them, there was an unmistakable sign of him getting ready to gloat instead. After all, even though he arrived the latest, the number of experts he killed was the most. There were at least 7 of them who fell in his hands. The only downside of his extremely powerful attack was that he destroyed a lot of treasures they held. He wasn’t able to gather too many spoils of war back then because of the desperate situation they were in, but he still grabbed a few on his way. The amount he gained was still pretty impressive.
Shang Bo was obviously in a mood to humor him. He chuckled bitterly in response, “I didn’t do too well. I only managed to grab 5 strands of fate dipper essences. I also obtained an artifact from one of those who had fallen. The artifact is barely passable, but because it comes from another world, it should be slightly valuable.”
In contrast, Shang Xia seemed extremely pleased with himself as he reported his gains. “Disciple managed to obtain a treasure resembling a piece of skin that has been transformed by dipper qi. We should be able to get 9 strands of fate dipper essence out of it after refinement. Also, I grabbed 3 strands of fate dipper essence during the battle along with several artifacts from those who had fallen. With my grandfather’s help, I managed to retrieve another crystal-like treasure that contained at least 7 strands of fate dipper essence. Oh right. I also collected another 4 strands of fate dipper essence after the battle ended...”
“Huh?! That’s a lot of fate dipper essences...” Kou Chongxue stared at him in disbelief. “Kid, didn’t you just enter the Martial Dipper Realm? How many experts of the Spirit Abundance World did you kill?!”
Shang Xia maintained the annoying smile on his face as he chuckled under his breath.
Shang Bo, who was standing beside him, snorted helplessly. “The kid’s fate dippers seem to be very effective when it comes to spatial manipulation. When he releases his dipper qi, he can stabilize the space around him temporarily. Because of that, he managed to gain a lot in those regions of collapsed space. However, he almost got swept into a spot of collapsing space too. Just like that, he wasted a rank five Substitution Talisman.”
“Damn kid, are you tired of living?” Kou Chongxue snorted. “Oh yeah. Doesn’t that mean that you managed to successfully create your second type of rank five talisman?”
“Yup.” Shang Xia replied before explaining the process behind creating the talisman.
Kou Chongxue nodded and chuckled softly after hearing what Shang Xia had to say. “Without a doubt, the Substitution Talisman is extremely useful. From what you said, the crafting process is a lot more complicated than the Abyssal Emptiness Talisman. Your progress in the art of talismans is extremely obvious and you can be considered a true rank five Talisman Grandmaster. Heheh... Once news of this gets out, I’ll be able to bask in your glory as the patriarch of the Tongyou Institution.”
“If not for your assistance back then, I wouldn’t have been able to craft a second type of rank five talisman so quickly!” Shang Xia added.
In response, Kou Chongxue sighed. “It’s a pity our foundations are shallow. We only possess the inheritance for these 2 rank five talismans. Moreover, you were the one who brought them back...”
Shang Xia chortled softly, “I only managed to get my hands on them because of the help I received from various seniors of the institution. I wouldn’t have been able to do so alone.”
A smile appeared on Kou Chongxue’s face as he continued, “There’s no need to act so humbly. Well, we might not have other rank five talisman inheritances, but I can give you something special. It’s a type of talisman, but to be more accurate, it’s half a talisman.”
Nearing the end of his sentence, Kou Chongxue started to feel slightly embarrassed.
“Half? How did you even obtain half a talisman?” Shang Xia wondered out loud.
Shang Xia knew that it had to be something impressive since Kou Chongxue called it special. Even if it was half a talisman, Shang Xia knew that he couldn’t look down on it.
With a laugh, Kou Chongxue retrieved the gray Spatial Pouch from his sleeves once again. He reached in there and looked about for a bit before taking out a talisman that was one-third destroyed before handing it to Shang Xia.
Glancing at the talisman, Shang Xia felt a sharp pain in his eyes and he quickly shifted his gaze away.
Even though he barely saw the talisman, he noticed many things. He asked immediately, “That is definitely not a rank five talisman. Moreover, it has been used before. Because of some unknown reason, the activation was forcefully interrupted at the last second but it managed to remain intact for some reason...”
“That’s right. The talisman was initially activated, but a portion of it was destroyed the next instant. That is why only a portion of it is left. This used to be a complete rank six talisman!” Kou Chongxue nodded.
“What?! Rank six...” Shang Xia’s hand trembled slightly and he nearly dropped the talisman in fright.
The smile on Kou Chongxue’s face didn’t fade as he continued, “The talisman is the reason those 8 experts held you guys back without regard for their life. Those 2 who were fighting me had it too. After activation, a strange energy would surround them and it would pull them back to the Spirit Abundance World.”
Shang Xia was tongue tied after hearing the explanation. He stared at Kou Chongxue with a suspicious gaze. “How do you know the talisman can bring them directly back to the Spirit Abundance World?”
One had to know that the existence of the glass barrier wasn’t for show. Moving someone out of the barrier was extremely difficult, much less bringing them back to the Spirit Abundance World that was countless miles away.
However, just from that point alone, one could determine that the talisman had to be of the sixth rank...
“I wasn’t the one who said it. Liu Jingsheng mentioned it when he summoned one of the 4 pillars of light. When the light fell, the activation of the talisman was interrupted and the process of pulling the cultivator back to the Spirit Abundance World stopped. That was how the portion of rank six talisman was preserved.” Kou Chongxue chuckled.
So did Shang Xia. “How did they willingly give it up to you then?”
With mockery laced in his voice, Kou Chongxue snorted out loud, “Do you think that there are many rank five Talisman Grandmasters in our Azure Worlds? Heh, even the Yuanchen Sect who has their own Elysium doesn’t have one!”
Shang Xia mumbled in response, “However, with my current abilities, it would be impossible for me to craft a rank six talisman. What’s more, I only have a portion of it left to study...”
“I’m not forcing you to learn the way to craft it from the portion left. Even if you did manage to earn it, where are we supposed to find rank six talisman paper anyway?” Kou Chongxue sneered.
As they conversed, they left the region of sealed space behind and closed in on the Beyond Heavens Pavilion.
Only then did Shang Xia recall something. “Oh right. Patriarch Kou, we’ve been talking for a long time but you haven’t told us how much you gained from the battle earlier. How many strands of fate dipper essence did you get?”
A crafty smile appeared on Kou Chongxue’s face. “With the exception of the Origin Dipper the Yuanchen Sect promised me, I obtained 2 complete Origin Dippers. I also grabbed more than 20 fate dipper essences...”
Shang Xia exclaimed in excitement immediately. “That’s impressive indeed... Patriarch Kou, that’s truly amazing!”
“Heh, they left behind quite a few valuables but all you care about are the fate dipper essences. Don’t tell me you already created a suitable rank five martial art?” Kou Chongxue joked.
Sniggering softly, Shang Xia explained, “Well, I learned some stuff from the battle earlier.”
A light flashed in Kou Chongxue’s eyes and he yelled out with no regard for his image, “Hey! How long does it take for you to complete a full cycle of inner qi circulation? Hurry up and speak. You better not beat about the bush.”
“After returning to the institution, I plan to enter seclusion. By the time I emerge, I should be able to complete a full cycle in 6 hours or less!” Shang Xia replied honestly.
“That’s good, that’s good! That would mean that our institution gained another rank five inheritance! Our foundations would be much stronger than before. No wonder you were aiming for fate dipper essences... Hehe, looks like you can’t wait to improve your cultivation.” Kou Chongxue revealed a joyous expression.
In response, a helpless and bitter chuckle left Shang Xia’s lips. “Well, I have no choice but to look for fate dipper essences... You know how I entered the Martial Dipper Realm. I used 10 different fate dipper essences and if I had to look for them myself, I would use an ungodly amount of time!”
Actually, completing a cycle of his inner qi in less than 6 hours was enough to establish his own rank five inheritance. Of course, the most outstanding rank five arts would allow one to complete a cycle of inner qi circulation in 4 hours or so...
Shang Xia had faith that he would be able to further improve and refine his rank five arts to that point, and he wasn’t in a rush to prove himself.
“Hey, take a look at that!” Shang Bo interrupted their conversation suddenly and pointed to their back.
Turning around, they saw the region of sealed space slowly collapsing on itself before being sealed off by the glass barrier.
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