The talisman Shang Xia created could barely be considered a rank two talisman, and it cost him 10 silver essence at best.
However, he merely valued it at 300 silver essence when asked by Yu Changjin. Even though he had already multiplied the value of the talisman by tens of times, he was still doing Yu Changjin a great favor.
After Yu Changjin had left, Shang Ke finally couldn’t hold himself back. “Is that really a new type of talisman?!”
“I heard from Shang Quan that you managed to create rank two talismans. How did you manage to create a new type of talisman so quickly? How are their effects anyway?” Shang Ke continued to ask.
A bitter smile formed on Shang Xia’s face as he explained, “Well, the new talisman isn’t easily refined. If I stick to my original training schedule, I can make one in about ten days. Anyway, the most important thing right now is not about how fast I can make it. I can increase the speed slightly, but I’m lacking the resources required to make them.”
A sigh escaped Shang Ke’s lips when he heard what the kid said. “Indeed. The Yun Clan is the main distributor of ingredients used to craft talismans in our Tongyou City. It’s especially so for talisman paper. Even the institution has to request a portion of talisman paper from the Yun Clan each year. Even though it’s possible for us to make our own talisman paper, the process is slow and our craftsmen can only make those up to the second rank. We can’t match the Yun Clan in either quantity or quality…”
That was the difference between a clan with solid foundations and an upstart great clan like the Shang Clan. The Shang Clan’s ascension might look mighty in the eyes of the commoners, but their accumulations and foundations were pretty tragic. Even though they obtained a huge amount of resources based on their contributions in the battlefield between the two worlds, they wouldn’t be able to fully make use of them to create high leveled items.
After all, the craftsmen of the Shang Clan were much less accomplished than those in the other great clans or the institution. Taking Duan Hong for example… At that moment, he could only repair graded weapons. He wasn’t good enough to create them yet, but the entire clan was betting on him to achieve a breakthrough the moment he crafted Shang Xia’s spear. As for their chemist, they could only create medicine lower than the second rank. Their in-house talisman master was barely as accomplished as Shang Xia!
The major barrier in terms of weapons refinement was to create graded weapons, while the rank three level proved to be a huge bottleneck for the other arts.
If they overlooked the fact that they had two Martial Extermination Realm experts, the Shang Clan was basically a castle of sand.
Shang Xia hesitated for a moment before avoiding any more questions on the topic of talismans. “Fifth Grandpa, did you guys manage to uncover the mastermind behind the raid on our convoy?”
“Everything is confusing. Every great clan and power seems to be suspicious, but all of them could provide an alibi. It’s going to be difficult to make any real progress in our investigation.” Shang Ke shook his head in defeat.
“Right. What are the members of the other institutions doing in our Tongyou City anyway?” Shang Xia finally broached the topic.
“Hmph. They’re just here to fish for benefits.” Shang Ke chuckled before continuing, “The most important thing you need to do is to focus on breaking through to the Martial Intent Realm. Let us worry about the rest.”
Even after so much time in seclusion, Shang Xia could tell that the situation among the institutions wasn’t as calm as it seemed. Shang Ke could hide all he wanted, but Shang Xia knew that the undercurrents were brewing.
In order to arrive back at his courtyard, he had to cross a training plaza that was surrounded by lush greenery.
It was where disciples of the Shang Clan who hadn’t stepped into the Martial Realm would train.
The moment one was ready to step on the path of cultivation at the tenth year of age, they would train tirelessly in the training plaza, accumulating fighting experience while improving their cultivation. That was also where Shang Xia trained in the past.
“Sixth Young Master!”
Many disciples of the Shang Clan greeted him the moment he appeared.
Ordinarily, he would return their greetings with a smile on his face. However, he had a lot on his mind at the moment and he merely nodded before quickening his steps.
Among the direct disciples of the Shang Clan, Shang Xia was the sixth to be born, and thus his title.
He hardly saw his cousins, and there were even some he hadn’t seen before in his life.
Just as he was about to leave, a frosty light flashed in the corner of his eye and he raised his guard instantly.
He heard a panicky voice ringing through the skies, “Third Sister, wait!”
A snort left Shang Xia’s lips as he flicked his wrists to toss out a talisman.
As soon as it appeared, it burned with a bright yellow flame before turning into a golden screen that hovered in the air beside him.
It was one of the rank two talismans he learned in the Zhu Family Talisman Scripture, and it was the only proper defensive talisman he managed to craft! It was called the Golden Lantern!
The moment it appeared, a frosty beam smashed heavily into it. A dent several inches deep formed on the surface of the golden screen, but it was unable to penetrate any further.
As the light dissipated, the figure of a short sword was revealed.
Shang Xia’s gaze followed the trajectory the sword came from and his gaze rested on a lady who looked around twenty years old.
She gnashed her teeth as she tried to push the sword in further to destroy the golden screen.
No matter how hard she tried, the golden screen around Shang Xia remained firm. It didn’t tremble in the slightest.
Beside her stood a young man who possessed strikingly similar facial features. Unlike her, he had an awkward expression plastered on his face.
Clearly, he was the one who yelled earlier as he tried to stop her.
Shang Xia’s gaze shifted yet again and he looked at a youngster who just arrived at the training plaza. The kid looked extremely anxious.
The two of them hadn’t met in a long time but Shang Xia recognized him instantly. He was Shang Fu, Shang Ke’s grandson! Well, Shang Ke was Shang Yang’s father, and Shang Fu was Shang Yang’s descendant! He was born later than Shang Xia, and everyone called him the seventh young master of the Shang Clan!
After glancing at Shang Fu, his gaze was drawn away by a mature-looking woman who exuded a dignified aura. She was standing behind the young lady who attacked him and the young man When their gazes met, Shang Xia felt a trace of danger.
“Martial Intent Realm!”
Shang Xia’s pupils constricted and his gaze landed on the long sword in the mature-looking woman’s hand. It looked slightly familiar, but he had no idea where he had seen it before.
From the time Shang Xia was sneak attacked to the time he noticed the mature-looking lady, not much time had passed. The disciples in the plaza finally reacted.
“Hey! What are you doing?!”
“Assassin! There’s an assassin in our Shang Clan Manor!”
“Sixth Young Master, be careful!”
There were many courageous young kids who rushed towards the young lady in a fit of anger. However, Shang Xia stopped them with a simple wave of his hand.
Shang Xia knew that intruders were unlikely to appear in the training plaza in the heart of the Shang Clan Manor. He had an idea of who they were, but he needed to hear it from them.
Naturally, his expression wasn’t friendly when he spoke to them. After all, they just sneak attacked him. They should be thanking the gods that he hadn’t counterattacked.
“Sixth… Sixth brother, let me do the introductions…” Shang Fu approached and stuttered.