Splitting the Heavens - Chapter 1066: Entering the Starry Pavilion Again

In the Starry Pavilion that was on the busy Starry Avenue…

The second Shang Xia stepped into the Starry Pavilion, Zhou Mingdao who received the news ran down from the higher floors in haste.

“True Immortal Little Shang, we are honored by your presence! Your arrival truly brings light to our humble dwelling!” Zhou Mingdao greeted while cupping his fists in greeting. He was extremely respectful.

Thinking back to the time when Shang Xia first came to the Starry Pavilion, even though Zhou Mingdao also brought him around, but they used to be cultivators of the same level. Shang Xia was also basking in the reputation of the Spirit Luxuriant World because of their recent ascension back then. When Zhou Mingdao was introducing treasures in the Starry Pavilion, there was a trace of arrogance hidden in his voice and there was a slight trace of disdain for Shang Xia.

Even if Zhou Mingdao wasn’t fawning over Shang Xia like a god at the moment, his attitude was clearly much better than before.

Shang Xia wasn’t someone who would start acting all high and mighty just because of an increase in cultivation. He chuckled politely, “Deputy Pavilion Master Zhou, looks like I have to intrude on you guys this time…”

“Nonsense! I can’t wait to welcome you. It’s no trouble at all!” Zhou Mingdao quickly welcomed Shang Xia to the sixth floor of the Starry Pavilion and personally brought over a cup of good tea “True Immortal Little Shang, please wait a moment. I’ll inform the Pavilion Master of your arrival right away! I believe he will be extremely excited now that you have come.”

Shang Xia took a sip of tea and savored it. “Deputy Pavilion Master Zhou, please do what you must.”

Zhou Mingdao cupped his fists before taking his leave.

Not too long later, a light flashed in Shang Xia’s eyes as he heard a candid voice coming from outside the hall. “True Immortal Little Shang, I’ve been waiting for a long time now! Why have you only come now?”

The doors opened and a figure with a wide smile on his face entered. However, he still maintained a dignified expression while strolling into the hall. He was a second tier True Immortal and his gaze landed on Shang Xia the moment he arrived. The next second, he broke into laughter, “I have long since heard of True Immortal Little Shang! We finally meet today!”

Shang Xia got to his feet and returned the greeting. “Pavilion Master Tong, you’re too polite! It’s my pleasure too!”

Both of them chatted casually and eventually took their seats.

Tong Yutang, the Starry Pavilion Master, got straight to the point now that they were done with the formalities. “True Immortal Little Shang, now that you’re here, I believe that my request to craft talismans will be accomplished. We will have to rely on you from now on.”

Seeing how direct the other party was, Shang Xia didn’t beat about the bush either. He simply asked what he had been curious about the entire time. “I have a question. The Star Origin City is powerful and has wide connections. You’re friendly with the other worlds too. I’m afraid the number of rank six Talisman Grandmasters you know aren’t few at all. Why are you especially looking for me? Moreover, when Deputy Pavilion Master Zhou looked for me back then, I was still a rank five Talisman Grandmaster. I had no experience crafting rank six talismans.”

Tong Yutang broke out laughing the next moment. “I believe this question has been bothering you for a long time, right?”

Shang Xia nodded. “Exactly. I asked Deputy Pavilion Master Zhou in the past, but all I got was a vague reply. He said that I would be able to understand everything after meeting you.”

Tong Yutang grunted once. “Deputy Pavilion Master Zhou didn’t answer you because he probably didn’t know much himself! The reason I invited you over was to craft a secret rank six formation talisman.”

“Formation talisman?” Shang Xia frowned. He muttered with some confusion, “Is it really just a Formation Talisman?”

One had to know that a Formation Talisman was the easiest talisman to craft among those of the same rank.

If it truly was a rank six Formation Talisman, why was there a need to act so secretive?!

However, Tong Yutang nodded solemnly. “It really is a Formation Talisman. However, this talisman is different from ordinary Formation Talismans. It’s a secret inheritance of our Star Origin City and it’s said to be left behind by the Star Origin City Lord when he established the city back then. It’s something unique to our city.”

If that truly was a Formation Talisman, that would explain why they were willing to look for Shang Xia when he was still a rank five Formation Grandmaster.

After all, according to how the dao of talismans worked, a Formation Talisman was the easiest to craft among the same ranks and it wouldn’t be a stretch for Shang Xia to craft one since he had already become a True Immortal.

However… That didn’t fully explain his doubts.

Shang Xia continued to ask, “If it’s a secret inheritance unique to your Star Origin City… Why would you get others to craft it for you?”

Tong Yutang chuckled before staring at Shang Xia, “True Immortal Little Shang, how would you know that the Formation Talisman you’re crafting is the full inheritance?”

Slightly taken aback, Shang Xia wondered out loud, “Pavilion Master Tong, do you mean that I am only crafting a portion of the rank six Formation Talisman?”

Shang Xia’s heart ran cold as he asked.

If that was true, he had to suspect that Tong Yutang had absolutely no knowledge of how to craft talismans.

After all, crafting portions of the talisman might ensure that their secret doesn’t leak, but when put into practice, it would be a complete mess.

Every Talisman Grandmaster had their own way of crafting talismans. Their methods weren’t the same either. The higher their level, the more unique their way of crafting talismans. It would be completely impossible to replicate what another Talisman Grandmaster did.

If a Talisman Grandmaster made a portion of the talisman before handing it to another Talisman Grandmaster, the success rate would be far lower than either grandmaster’s success rate.

Moreover, the quality of the talisman would be greatly lowered.

That was also only taking into account 2 people crafting the same talisman. If there were 3, 4, or even more people… Their success rate would be abysmal!

Tong Yutang knew that Shang Xia had misunderstood his meaning, but he seemed to have his own reservations and he fell silent for some time.

Seeing Tong Yutang’s reaction, Shang Xia muttered, “If Pavilion Master Tong has any difficulties…”

“Huh?” Tong Yutang snapped back to reality. “No, no. True Immortal Little Shang, please don’t misunderstand.”

He quickly continued, “Actually, the secret inheritance of our Star Origin City is different from other rank six inheritances. It’s split into many different branches and every one of them can be used to produce a rank six talisman. However, there is something different about all of them and after we combine them all, they will interact in a unique way!”

After speaking, Tong Yutang looked at Shang Xia and explained in a low voice, “True Immortal Little Shang, you’re just going to be crafting 1 of those talismans. Of course, before you craft them, you need to swear an oath that you won’t leak the inheritance or teach it to anyone else.”

“Of course.” Shang Xia was enlightened after hearing the explanation. He wasn’t surprised by the fact he needed to take an oath either. He knew that there was no point in asking how many other talismans there were in the series and he wouldn’t ask which of them were made by which Talisman Grandmasters…

He simply cupped his fists in response. “Since that’s the case, I’ll do my best! It’s just that…”

Seeing as Shang Xia had made up his mind to help, Tong Yutang smiled, “Yes? True Immortal Little Shang, feel free to mention any concerns you have.”

“It’s about the promises Deputy Pavilion Master Zhou made. Especially the matter about trading a divine brush…” Shang Xia chuckled in embarrassment. “I’m not afraid that Pavilion Master Tong will laugh at me, but our foundations are just too shallow. My Tongyou Institution doesn’t have many resources either. As a rank six Talisman Grandmaster, I don’t even have a proper talisman brush. In order to craft a rank six talisman, I destroyed 3 brushes before succeeding…”

“Oh?” A light lit up in Tong Yutang’s eyes. “True Immortal Little Shang, you actually managed to craft a rank six talisman?”

Shang Xia forced a chuckle. “I believe Pavilion Master Tong heard about the time the Tongyou Elysium was infiltrated…”

That matter had long since turned into a joke between the worlds. How could the master of the Starry Pavilion be in the dark?

“Haha…” Tong Yutang chuckled. “It should be Wen Juxiang, a fourth tier True Immortal from the Essence Hong World who did it. I heard that ever since he reached the level of Dao Harmony, he was able to conceal himself in the void and pass through the heavenly curtain of various worlds without being detected. However, he wouldn’t be able to resist the rejection of the World’s Will… Oh… How is that related to your successful creation of a rank six talisman anyway?”

Shang Xia carefully remembered the name Tong Yutang revealed. He maintained a casual expression and chuckled, “Actually, it happened when I was testing the effects of my talisman. I only discovered his presence when using it.”

“So that’s what happened…” Tong Yutang laughed, “Looks like I need to congratulate True Immortal Little Shang for becoming a rank six Talisman Grandmaster! I was impolite to you before!”

A True Immortal who was a rank five Talisman Grandmaster was of a completely different status than a True Immortal who was a rank six Talisman Grandmaster.

Like Shang Xia, Tong Yutang was also a second tier True Immortal. That was why they could speak casually as they were of the same status. In fact, Shang Xia would be a little more respectful because of Tong Yutang’s seniority. However, with Shang Xia’s revelation that he was a rank six Talisman Grandmaster, it seemed as though Tong Yutang was the one who needed to be more respectful.

Shang Xia laughed, “I was merely lucky and created it by a fluke! I’m still far from being a proper rank six Talisman Grandmaster!”

After exchanging another round of pleasantries, Tong Yutang spoke candidly, “Even though a divine brush is precious, our Starry Pavilion still has them. We have 1 or 2 divine brushes… Alright, let’s do this. After you craft the talismans, you can get someone to make the deal with Deputy Pavilion Master Zhou.”

Shang Xia cupped his fists and showed how grateful he was with an exaggerated sigh, “Many thanks, Pavilion Master Tong!”

When they were done, they spoke about some random matters again before Shang Xia asked again, “I wonder how many talismans you need?”

“7… I need at least 7 of them!” Tong Yutang muttered.

“If that’s the case…” Shang Xia fell silent for some time and didn’t agree immediately.

Seeing Shang Xia’s reaction, Tong Yutang quickly asked, “What’s the matter? True Immortal Little Shang, do you have some concerns?”

“Ah…” Shang Xia chuckled apologetically, “I won’t hide anything from Pavilion Master Tong at this point. My skills are barely satisfactory. Even if I obtain your talisman inheritance, I will need several months to come up with a way to craft them. Moreover, I might waste a lot of resources during the process and I will also need time to recover while improving my skills. Even if everything goes smoothly, I will need anywhere from 1.5 to 2 years to complete the talismans. I believe I can’t stay in the Starry Pavilion for such a long time!”

After he spoke, Shang Xia thought that Tong Yutang would use some other reason or perhaps some additional benefits to persuade him to remain in the Starry Pavilion.

However, Tong Yutang simply burst out laughing. “True Immortal Little Shang, I feel a lot more assured after hearing what you said. It seems like you have some skills when it comes to crafting rank six talismans.”

Looking at the look of confusion on Shang Xia’s face, Tong Yutang continued to chuckle, “You can rest assured. Even if you wish to stay here the entire time to craft talismans, I will still persuade you to return to your world from time to time!”

Shang Xia eventually understood what Tong Yutang meant. “Pavilion Master Tong, do you not wish to let anyone know that I am here crafting talismans?”

Tong Yutang nodded with a smile on his face. A profound light flashed in his eyes. “This is something you will have to add to your oath when we hand you the inheritance…”