Shang Xia was no longer the ignorant young master he once was. He learned about the true worth of all the cultivation resources he took for granted in the past.
The stack of twenty sheets of rank two talisman paper Shang Quan passed him cost two hundred silver essence in total, and it might not be worth anything to a superpower like the Shang Clan. However, the amount was astronomical for a single cultivator!
Even if Shang Quan was the manager of the Shang Clan’s businesses on the Tongyou Peak, he couldn’t use the clan’s resources as he pleased. Shang Xia was a third generation member of the Shang Clan, and he might be able to obtain several hundred silver essence worth of cultivation resources, but any more and tongues might start to wag.
Shang Quan couldn’t possibly allocate Shang Xia more resources just because of his identity! Not even Shang Bo who was the patriarch of the Shang Clan could do as he pleased!
Shang Xia knew how important it was, and he wasn’t willing to accept so many resources from his uncle! He wanted to use his achievements and resources to exchange for the materials he required.
“I can’t accept this! Uncle Quan, these cost a considerable amount of money!” Shang Xia tried to reject Shang Quan’s goodwill.
He received a nonchalant response from Shang Quan. “Haha, I’m not giving these to you for free. Don’t forget, we still have an agreement between us. All the talismans you have over to the clan will be sold and we’ll split the profits 80-20. You can consider this an early investment.”
Even so, Shang Xia continued to refuse them. “I will definitely take them if they’re rank one material. After all, I would be able to create rank one talismans with no problem. However, I barely started to create rank two talismans and I managed to complete most of them by luck. Uncle Quan, you should wait for a little more for me to consolidate my foundations. We’ll still split the profits 80-20 as per our original agreement!”
“Even so, you’ll still have to keep these.” Shang Quan chuckled.
Before Shang Xia could say anything, he continued, “Did you forget about the treasures you gave me previously?”
“You managed to sell them away?” Shang Xia was pleasantly surprised.
A grin appeared on Shang Quan’s face and he explained, “Yeah. We got lucky. The protection formation of the Tongyou Peak was damaged and we required a huge amount of resources to fix it. The Blue Clay you handed over was one of the ingredients required, and I sold it to the institution for seventy silver essence. The gloves might not be a graded weapon, but they’re extremely powerful. I bought it on behalf of our Shang Clan for seventy silver essence.”
Shang Xia took out two of the three Golden Sword Talismans he created and handed them over to his uncle, “The talisman paper costs sixty silver essence more than what they sold for… Here. Two of these talismans should be able to sell for that price to make up for the difference.”
Receiving the Golden Sword Talisman, Shang Quan shook his head slightly and sighed, “Alright, alright!”
After keeping the twenty sheets of talisman paper, Shang Xia finally changed the topic. “Uncle Quan, our Tongyou Peak seems a lot quieter these days.”
“Yes, it is. After the beast tide retreated, the Contribution Division created a lot of tasks. Many cultivators have already left the mountain to complete their missions. There were also several scattered cultivators who left the Tongyou Peak after the battle ended.” Shang Quan explained.
Shang Xia raised an eyebrow and continued, “Even if the beast tide retreated, the surrounding area might not be safe! Are the missions related to the Four Spiritual Peak? Also, Deputy Patriarch Liu and the disciples of our Tongyou Peak are trapped somewhere by the members of the Rose Party. Shouldn’t we be focusing our resources on rescuing them?”
Shang Quan nearly burst out laughing after hearing what he said. “Brat, do you think it’s easy to carry out a rescue mission?! Do you know where the inheritance of the Zhu Family is?!”
“Isn’t it in the Coral Forest?” Shang Xia heard about it from Shang Xi in the past.
A snort left Shang Quan’s lips suddenly. “Yeah. But you don’t seem to know what the Coral Forest actually is… It’s a natural maze formed in the battlefield between two worlds!”
“Maze?” Confusion filled Shang Xia’s mind.
“Not only is the Coral Forest massive, but there are also countless natural formations guarding the area! It’s an extremely bizarre region and it’s said that the Zhu Family’s inheritance might have something to do with the strange happenings going on there. We’re not sure that it’s true, but what we do know is that even Martial Extermination Realm cultivators won’t be able to fly in there. Many people got lost in the Coral Forest and failed to return!” Shang Quan introduced the strange region to Shang Xia.
“This… Looks like it’s not a problem we can solve by sending more men over…” Shang Xia sighed.
Nodding, Shang Quan continued, “Yeah. Even if we choose to rescue Liu Jitang and the rest, only the Martial Extermination Realm experts and several stronger Martial Intent Realm experts of our Tongyou Peak would be involved. We won’t be dragged into it.”
“However, Deputy Patriarch Liu brought a huge group of disciples to look for the inheritance! Aren’t there a ton of disciples at the Martial Realm and the Martial Extremity Realm?” Shang Xia frowned.
“Haha… No matter how many people he brings, he won’t be able to enter the inheritance lands of the Zhu Family easily. Even if they had members with the Zhu Family bloodline, it won’t change a thing!”
Shang Xia understood what his uncle was saying instantly. He snorted in amusement before changing the topic yet again. “What are the missions issued by the institution anyway? I’ve been on the Tongyou Peak for so long, but other than cultivating in seclusion, practicing the sword, and creating talismans, I have not done anything else. I wish to take a look around…”
“The changes in the battlefield between the two worlds take place extremely quickly. There might be places that contain resources and previous herbs. The missions should include mining for precious minerals, collecting herbs, looking for spiritual springs, or other resources. There are all sorts of missions!” Shang Quan introduced. “If you bring back intelligence on places that can be used in the long run, the institution will probably send people out to protect those regions!”
“Of course, the situation changed due to the beast tide that passed. We need to look for everything all over again. Otherwise, we’ll lose a lot in the long run!” Shang Quan sighed.
Seeing as Shang Xia understood what he said, Shang Quan continued, “That’s not all. We’re extremely lucky to receive an early warning from your flock of Mutated Rain Swallows that the beast tide has arrived. The Four Spiritual Peak isn’t so lucky!”
A light flashed in Shang Xia’s eyes and he completed what his uncle was trying to say. “Since the Four Spiritual Peak will also be protecting some regions of precious resources, the beast tide destroyed everything they worked hard for! Now that all of their Martial Extermination Realm experts are injured, it’s a great chance for us to take over those regions!”
“A huge portion of the missions issued by the Contribution Division involves protection. We need to guard the regions that produce precious resources, and you didn’t manage to see the usual distribution of missions due to the sudden war that broke out.” Shang Quan chuckled.
Turning to head for the Contribution Division, Shang Xia asked one last question. “Uncle Quan, do our Shang Clan possess any special regions in the battlefield between two worlds?”
“Of course we do. The experts of our clan have already been sent out. Your Grandpa Ke took care of everything as soon as the beast tide subsided.”
“What about me?” Shang Xia frowned.
Shaking his head, Shang Quan already knew what Shang Xia wanted to say. “You’re different. You’re still a disciple of the institution and you should focus on the missions issued by the Tongyou Peak. You can worry about matters regarding the clan later. Remember, the institution should come first.”
A sudden realization hit Shang Xia. It seemed as though that was the real reason why his uncle came looking for him. Despite the understanding, he found it a little weird.
He was just an outer disciple of the institution. No matter how talented he was, he was merely a disciple at the Martial Extremity Realm. Moreover, he had been staying quietly in the Shang Pavilion throughout his time there! How could he have offended an old monster of the institution causing his uncle to remind him about his identity? Did someone high up there find him an eyesore?
Anything that warranted Shang Quan giving him an explicit warning like that definitely had something to do with the higher-ups of the institution. The Shang Clan was powerful enough to shield him against any ill intent or annoyance of Martial Intent Realm cultivators… Even if a few of them joined hands to cause trouble for the Shang Clan…
There was only one reason… A Martial Extermination Realm expert was acting behind the scenes!