CH 364

Even though Shang Xia being a rank three talisman master wasn’t widely spread through the Tongyou City, it wasn’t exactly a secret.  

Moreover, he just took out the Jade Creek Sword to make a deal with Wu Tingfang just a second ago. The Jade Creek Sword might not be something he used often, but almost every disciple of the Tongyou Institution knew that it belonged to Shang Xia.

After all, it was the weapon he used when facing the genius sword disciples of the other institution when the Shang Clan Convoy was ‘raided’ when they returned to the Tongyou City for the first time. 

As such, Huo Wuji and Wu Tingfang quickly uncovered his identity. Shang Xia didn’t find it surprising they managed to discover who he was either.

What he didn’t expect was that Huo Wuji would bring out five pieces of essence jade to look for rank three talismans. From Huo Wuji’s gaze, Shang Xia could tell that he was expecting Shang Xia to bring out those rank three talismans too!

Unfortunately for Huo Wuji, Shang Xia only managed to scrape together seven pieces of rank three talisman paper with all the help he got. With those seven pieces of talisman paper, he only managed to create 2 rank three talismans which he left for Hai Min to defend herself.

He might be a rank three talisman master, but he didn’t possess a single rank three talisman on him! He didn’t even have rank three talisman papers to craft talismans! 

Feeling Huo Wuji’s gaze on him, Shang Xia could only pretend to be ignorant while remaining silent.

Honestly, Huo Wuji’s trade could be said to be extremely worth it if anyone was able to bring out the talismans he wanted! 

Essence jade was comparable to rank three treasures, and they were much more valuable than Zhao Fengchun’s Hazy Pearls! They could be used even more extensively.

As such, the appearance of those essence jade caught the attention of many cultivators in the hall.

Naturally, most of them present wouldn’t be able to make the trade. However, the appearance of five essence jade allowed those in the hall to quickly understand the deeper meaning behind Huo Wuji’s actions. It was possible for a person to discover a piece of two. However, for five of them to appear at once, there was only one possibility behind it. Huo Wuji was definitely not capable of bringing out so many of them. The Tongyou Institution had to be behind it.

Of course, Huo Wuji couldn’t possibly trade the institution’s items for himself. That would mean that the Tongyou Institution was the one who wanted those rank three talismans!

For a massive existence like the Tongyou Institution, there was no way they would be satisfied with several pieces of rank three talismans. Huo Wuji might only be one of the many experts who were tasked with locating rank three talismans. 

In other words, there should be even more members of the institution who were out there scouring for rank three talismans as they spoke.

That brought them back to another question. Why would the Tongyou Institution be looking for rank three talismans? 

One had to know that the institution had their own rank three talisman masters. 

Well informed experts in the hall felt something click in their minds and one of them asked directly, “Instructor Huo, is the Tongyou Institution looking for rank three talismans? So that would mean that the institution is really planning to reopen the spatial tunnel leading to the battlefield between the two worlds and establish themselves there again, right?” 

Huo Wuji finally realized that his act was off earlier and since someone had already brought up the question, he could only try to explain his actions. “What’s the matter? Is fellow cultivator interested in joining us?” 

The person who spoke earlier burst into laughter. “Of course I'm interested! That’s the battlefield between the two worlds we’re talking about! Your Tongyou Institution will definitely take the lead and start another war the moment you reopen the spatial tunnel to grab as many benefits as possible. It would be great if we’re able to join the second batch of cultivators to enter to fight for a little benefit!” 

One had to know that since the Tongyou Institution closed the spatial tunnel during the war for the Tongyou Mysterious World, they were signaling to the Azure Spiritual World that they had given up on the battlefield between the two worlds.

One could argue that the majority of the benefits of the Origin Tide that erupted in the battlefield benefited the institution, but a lot of energy remained in there. 

The first batch the Tongyou Institution sent would definitely be attacked by the Azure Spiritual World who didn’t stop their advances towards the battlefield between the two worlds. The risks they were taking were the highest, but at the same time, the benefits they would receive if they were successful would be the largest!

As such, the Tongyou Institution would never allow outsiders to be part of the first batch to enter the battlefield between the two worlds even if it meant that they had to take the risk of coming under attack.

Due to the massive victory the Tongyou Institution obtained during the war for the Tongyou Mysterious World, the members of the institution experienced a huge increase in strength. Entering the battlefield between the two worlds would pose some threat to them, but they should be strong enough to deal with whatever came.

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Naturally, the Tongyou Institution wasn’t stupid. After sending in the first batch to grab most of the benefits, they would open up the chance to other cultivators. For those who were interested in entering the battlefield between the two worlds from the second batch onwards, the Tongyou Institution would release a certain number of slots so that they could enter to search for their own fortune. Those from the You Continent, or even cultivators from elsewhere would be allowed to enter!

Other than obtaining rank three talismans, Huo Wuji was also there to spread the news subtly that the institution was about to start their operation!

“I have a piece of rank three talisman here. Can I trade it for a piece of essence jade?” 

After understanding the meaning behind his actions, someone quickly brought up a trade.

Since a rank three talisman could only be created with divine sense, there wouldn’t be too many of them in circulation.

The power contained in a rank three talisman was also really formidable. If a Martial Intent Realm expert used it, the talisman would turn into a very useful tool!

Unless Huo Wuji ran into a supreme talisman master who had deep accumulations, it was nearly impossible to trade all five pieces away at once. He would have to trade them one by one!

The allure of a piece of essence jade was huge. However, Huo Wuji only managed to trade them for three pieces of rank three talismans eventually. He kept the two remaining essence jade before returning to his seat.

He might be done, but the gathering was far from over. Perhaps it was because of his subtle revelation of the Tongyou Institution’s plans, but the atmosphere became even more heated.

Throughout the process, Zhao Fengchun seemed exceptionally happy with all the extra information he gained.

During the rest of the trades, Shang Xia and the rest joined most of the time. Unfortunately for Shang Xia and Tian Mengzi, they didn’t manage to obtain much.

Shang Xia didn’t trade for much as not many things could catch his eye. There wasn’t much he could use either as a cultivator at the grand completion stage of the Martial Intent Realm. It was a different case for Tian Mengzi. As he hadn’t been in the Martial Intent Realm for long, he didn’t have much savings to begin with. Obtaining the Sunset Willow Spirit Awakening Needle used up a huge portion of his wealth earlier. Even if he wanted to trade for anything else, there was nothing he could bring out!

Sun Haiwei wasn’t like the two of them. She managed to obtain a piece of Triple Aperture Heart Ice Jade. It was beneficial to her cultivation and she had been playing with it the whole time since she obtained it.

The trades went by pretty quickly, and everyone felt their horizons expanding every time someone put up a rare item for trade.

Eventually, it was Shang Xia’s turn to propose a trade. As Tian Mengzi and Sun Haiwei rejected the chance to propose a trade earlier, Shang Xia was the only one left.

After thinking about it for a second, Shang Xia decided to walk over to the center table.

He gauged the room earlier and not a trace of panic existed in Shang Xia’s heart when he made his decision. As everyone stared at him in anticipation, he brought out seven small lacquered boxes that had a vivid carving of a white deer on its side.

Those in the hall weren’t amateurs! They immediately recognized the white deer as something that came from the White Deer Paradise!

With the relationship the Tongyou Institution had with the White Deer Paradise, it was clearly impossible for a disciple of the White Deer Paradise to appear in the Tongyou City at that point. For someone to bring out an item like that in a gathering of Martial Intent Realm experts, that could only mean one thing…

The gazes of everyone present became a lot more curious and respectful when they looked at Shang Xia.

The look on Huo Wuji and Wu Tingfang became one of disbelief as they stared at Shang Xia.

Waving his hand, one of the cases slowly opened. A tiny deer that looked a little confused appeared before the eyes of everyone present.

“This is a spiritual deer that was specially nurtured by the White Deer Paradise. I won’t elaborate more on its uses. I believe everyone here knows what this is capable of. It’s not difficult to obtain this either. All I require are rank three talisman papers. There are seven boxes here with a spiritual deer in every one of them. I’ll take two pieces of rank three talisman paper per box.” 

As soon as he spoke, someone got to their feet and yelled, “I have two pieces of rank three talisman paper!” 

Tossing one box through the air, Shang Xia completed his first trade just like that.

He looked at the talisman paper the other party handed over and inspected them well. He discovered that they were rather crudely made, but they were rank three talisman paper nonetheless.

Shang Xia didn’t price it too high, and with the added reassurance that the item came from the White Deer Paradise, it became an extremely desirable item.

Two cultivators who seemed to know each other whispered to each other before taking out a piece of rank three talisman paper each. With that, they traded it with Shang Xia for a case.

However, someone in the crowd was clearly dissatisfied as they didn’t have any rank three talisman paper. “Little brother, unless we’re talisman masters ourselves or have the ability to craft talisman paper, we won’t be able to trade with you. Why don’t you change your request and ask for other things? I'm willing to trade a case for items equivalent in value to two pieces of rank three talisman paper. How’s that?” 

Shang Xia snorted softly in response. “I’m sorry. I only wish to trade for rank three talisman papers today.” 

While he was speaking, a fat cultivator approached the table and after searching high and low, he managed to pull out a dull yellow piece of talisman paper, a greenish-black material made out of beast skin, an empty talisman jade, and a palm-sized metal sheet that didn’t have any markings on it.

Even though all four items were different, they were definitely capable of being transformed into rank three talismans. 

“Two cases, how’s that?” The fatty smiled before raising two pudgy fingers to Shang Xia.

Shang Xia didn’t hesitate. He took out two cases from the remaining five and handed them over to the fatty.

Even though the spiritual deer in each of the seven cases were pretty much similar, there were still very minute differences.

Those Shang Xia chose for him were clearly those of a higher quality.

After receiving the cases, the smile on the fatty’s face grew wider. No one knew if he saw through Shang Xia’s actions earlier, but he returned to his seat and plopped his butt down.

Thinking for a second, Shang Xia couldn’t help but send the fatty a voice transmission. “Honored sir, are you able to produce talisman paper or material?”