Splitting the Heavens

Chapter 1076: Silver Branch Star Splendor Brush

“The Illusion Talisman is a rank five talisman, but it was made by a True Immortal! Or perhaps, it was created with the help of one. As such, the user would be able to disguise themselves as a True Immortal. Even a True Immortal wouldn’t be able to discover their true cultivation level if they didn’t make a move!”

After a series of tests in the Talisman Hall, Shang Xia and the other Talisman Grandmasters finally managed to uncover how Tian Mengzi did it.

However, the disappointment of their Talisman Grandmasters was evident. They thought that the Illusion Talisman could be classified as a rank six talisman because of that, but that was not the case. Their hopes were dashed.

The Illusion Talisman might be able to let one pretend to be a True Immortal, but they were merely borrowing the power left in the talisman to put on a facade.

After getting to the bottom of the matter, Shang Xia looked for Kou Chongxue once again and informed him about his intention to head to the Starry Pavilion.

“How are things over at the Star Beast Nest?” Shang Xia asked casually.

“Both sides have already carried out 2 deals and we gained some understanding of each other. However, the Spirit Faith World seems extremely guarded against us and we haven’t been able to venture too far away from the Star Beast Nest. Naturally, we can’t properly probe them out because of this.” Kou Chongxue replied.

In response, Shang Xia laughed, “If we were in their place, we'd probably take an even more extreme approach. Well... There will be ample time for us to do what we need to in the future. Since we didn’t start fighting at the Star Beast Nest, we’ll eventually be able to dig out all their secrets.”

Kou Chongxue shot a glance at Shang Xia with a raised eyebrow in response. From his expression, it was clear he didn’t expect Shang Xia to say something like that. “Who would have thought that you would be so patient? I even thought that you would be like the rest who feel like the Spirit Faith World’s action of sealing up the space ten thousand miles around the nest would be an act of provocation.”

“Of course we need to be wary of the other side...” Shang Xia chuckled, “However, from what I’ve heard in Star Origin City, the expeditions and devouring of worlds usually take dozens of years to plan and execute. It might even take up to hundreds of years to do so. Attacking a world, splitting it up, and assimilating it... Practically every phase requires a large amount of time! Only then would the world be completely taken over. Taking that into account, the rise of our Spirit Luxuriant World has been too abrupt. That is probably why we’re being too impatient! We can’t even wait for several months...”

Kou Chongxue burst out laughing and felt a lot more reassured that Shang Xia was able to think that way.

Bidding the patriarch farewell, Shang Xia went to the Three Unity Island and initiated a spatial transfer over to Star Origin City. When he stepped out of the Star Plaza, he went straight to the Starry Pavilion.

“Haha! For True Immortal Little Shang to be so calm and composed, I feel a lot more confident in your abilities!” Tong Yutang praised immediately.

Shang Xia revealed a strange expression that was filled with a tinge of regret while also being a little playful, “Pavilion Master Tong is too kind. I have not tried my hand at the Formation Talisman yet. You’re giving me a lot of pressure here and aren’t you afraid that I might not be able to ensure it and end up wasting more rank six talisman paper?”

“Huh?” Tong Yutang gasped softly and waved his hand generously in response, “Since I invited you over to craft talismans, why would I be afraid of wasting some talisman paper? As long as my Starry Pavilion can afford it, you can feel free to use it at will!”

Shang Xia couldn’t jump in joy, but he managed to put on a dignified expression while responding, “I will definitely try my best!”

Tong Yutang also became more serious and he made a simple gesture to Shang Xia. “Please.”

In the quiet chamber, a Talisman Platform, a Spirit Gathering Formation, a Jade Stool, Calming Incense, Inksticks, a crystal inkstone, talisman paper, a copper press, and a basin to wash a brush could be seen. There was also a silver brush that seemed to be glowing with starlight sitting quietly on the table.

One had to say that the chamber Tong Yutang prepared for Shang Xia had far surpassed the Talisman Pagoda that the Tongyou Institution spared no expense to build for Shang Xia.

That was true wealth!

Ignoring the luxurious setup he had been presented with, Shang Xia’s gaze was locked onto the brush.

It was clear he was looking at a divine brush, and it was called the Silver Branch Star Splendor Brush.

“Looks like if I don’t give it my all, it will be a little difficult to explain my actions... I’ll have to try my best this time!” Shang Xia muttered to himself while shaking his head.

He had already grabbed the brush to play around with it and his true thoughts were clear for all to see.

Finally tearing his gaze away from the brush, he looked at the rank six talisman paper before him.

There were 5 sheets in total. Actually, it wasn’t that the Starry Pavilion was stingy enough to only provide him with 5 sheets. It was because Shang Xia requested for them not to give him too many at once.

There were also a bunch of rank four and rank five talisman paper he could use to warm up before the crafting process.

The Silver Branch Star Splendor Brush might be a divine grade brush, but Shang Xia hadn’t used it before! He had to familiarize himself with it before attempting to craft the rank six talisman!

There was also taliman ink that had been prepared for him. Other than an ink stick that shone with a deep vermillion hue, Shang Xia also requested for a batch of rank four and rank five talisman ink.

After using 2 days to calm himself down and adjust his condition, Shang Xia finally picked up his brush.

He decided to craft rank four Extermination Lightning Attracting Talismans, Spiritual Protection Substitution Talismans, Divine Restraint Talismans, and Needle Extermination Light Talismans as they were of higher difficulty in order to test his skills, he discovered that the process went extremely smoothly. He didn’t fail a single time. He crafted 7 rank four talismans in total before he stopped.

Even though it was his first time using the Silver Branch Star Splendor Brush, it wasn’t difficult to use at all! Instead, everything went exceedingly smoothly.

Despite completing the talismans, Shang Xia fell deep into contemplation. Everything might have gone smoothly, but that didn’t mean that he had already grasped the way to perfectly use the brush. The reason he didn’t fail a single time was probably because rank four talismans were no longer challenging to him. As such, crafting them didn’t mean that he could practice the proper way of using the brush.

Ordinarily speaking, the higher the quality of the talisman being crafted, the more intricate the runes required. Their ability to control their inner qi was also extremely important.

Not only did one have to be able to control their inner qi well, they would also need deep reserves. Whatever it was, it wasn’t easy to craft a rank six talisman.

Using the Silver Branch Star Splendor Brush to craft rank five talismans, he chose to craft a Substitution Talisman for a start. Just as he completed the first part of a rune, the talisman paper started twisting on the platform and it seemed to want to cause small-scale fluctuations around him.

With a helpless sigh, Shang Xia waved once and the talisman paper was crushed into a ball and thrown to a corner.

“The brush ensures smooth flow of inner qi, but it’s just too smooth... It might not be a good thing...” Shang Xia chuckled to himself before taking another sheet of rank five talisman paper.

With the experience of the previous time, he quickly completed a rank five Substitution Talisman without making a single mistake.

Soon, he started to craft an Illusion Talisman, a Heavenly Lightning Curtain Talisman, a Dipper Protection Talisman, a Teleportation Talisman, a Space Calming Talisman, and a Mysterious Harmony Talisman. Even though he made mistakes during the process, his success rate was still terrifyingly high. He used 10 sheets of rank five talisman paper to craft 7 rank five talismans. Not only did he manage to achieve a 70 percent success rate, he realized that the Silver Branch Star Splendor Brush became an extension of his hand during his last few attempts. Even though the talismans he was crafting became more complicated, he didn’t fail a single time!

As such, Shang Xia felt that he completely grasped the use of the Silver Branch Star Splendor Brush and the only thing left to do was to fully focus on the rank six Formation Talisman he was commissioned to craft.