Splitting the Heavens

Chapter 237: Forked Path

Chapter 237: Forked Path

Even though Shang Xia received an inheritance for the Martial Intent Realm, both the Triple Providence Chapter and the Providence Spear were extremely profound. Before he started to cultivate either of them, he would have to analyze them carefully in order not to walk down the wrong path.

Shang Xia recalled the Triple Providence Chapter and when he was confident he didn’t miss anything out, he pulled several sheets of paper over and wrote down everything he remembered.

As he wrote down what he remembered, he also penned down his insights. When he was done, Shang Xia realized that he had filled more than a hundred sheets of paper and it filled the entire room.

As the contents on the paper were not allowed to be leaked to the outside world, Shang Xia flicked his wrist once and all the scattered sheets turned into ash. Even though they were clearly burned, not a trace of smoke could be seen in the room.

Waving again, the ashes flew out the window.

After getting rid of his insights for the Triple Providence Chapter and its contents, he pulled over another stack of paper. He started from scratch and started from the first chapter. Every time he came to a conclusion, he would write it down before striking it through with his brush. After completing his second round, he stood up to stretch his body. Feeling the popping from all his joints, he discovered that three days had passed!

Only then did he finally understand how to start training in the Triple Providence Chapter.

It seemed as though the way of cultivation was filled with solitude. One had to be able to endure loneliness in order to be a good cultivator!

After emerging from his room, Shang Xia went to mess with the little birds in the nest before giving Yan Ni’er another bath of lightning. The little monster bird, Yan Lei, also ran over to leech some benefits.

When Shang Xia was done and he chose to enter seclusion, Yan Ni’er chirped to stop him.

Staring at her in surprise, he asked, “You found it?”

Two short chirps left her lips to show her confirmation.

A trace of hesitation appeared on Shang Xia’s face and he fell silent for a second before muttering, “Alright. Don’t alert them. Just keep a lookout. You definitely cannot be discovered by the other party. We have to think this through before we make any moves.”

Tilting her head to the side, she seemed to understand what he was talking about as two short chirps left her lips.

After she left, Shang Xia took out a voice transmission symbol and spoke several short sentences into it before returning to his secret chamber.

This time, he was planning to truly start training in the Triple Providence Chapter. Previously, all he did was theorize everything about the first chapter of the Triple Providence Chapter. Now, the true test was about to begin.

…

After Shang Ke took over as the patriarch of the Shang Clan, he didn’t take over Shang Bo’s cultivation chamber. Instead, he remained in his own courtyard which slightly resembled Shang Xia’s. Of course, it was slightly bigger than the kid’s courtyard, and there were countless types of plants growing around.

Shang Ke remained in a half-secluded state ever since he returned from the battlefield between the two worlds. He would only appear when there was no other choice, and he left the day-to-day activities to Shang Xi, Shang Jian, and Shang Yang.

At that moment, he was leisurely trimming his plants in his courtyard and he resembled an old farmer who worked in the fields.

Raising his head suddenly, he tossed away the trimmings in his hand and dusted the soil away before grabbing a ray of light that shot his way.

“Oh? It really is him…” Waving his hand to destroy the report he just received, he continued, “Since that’s the case, we might actually be able to set up a proper scheme…”

…

In the training grounds of the Tongyou Institution.

A ray of sword light sliced through a flurry of flashes as a groan filled the air. Ye Yimei, a disciple of the Jianmen Institution, retrieved her sword.

“Your technique is flashy, nothing more! It doesn’t even suit you.” Ye Yimei looked at the lady standing before her who looked younger than she actually was and muttered with the intention of giving her some pointers.

Beads of perspiration dripped down Mu Qingyu’s forehead and her right hand trembled violently. She was unable to keep her grip on her weapon, but she didn’t back down. “Many thanks to Senior Sister Ye for the guidance. I hope to be able to practice my sword techniques with you in the future.”

The corners of Ye Yimei’s lips curled upwards in response, “Anytime.”

As the two ladies left the plaza, the disciples who were gathered around broke into a flurry of discussion.

“Damn, Senior Sister Mu lost!”

“We lost more than we won when up against the disciples of the other institutions…”

“Yeah. I’m afraid the only one who managed to defeat his opponent was Senior Brother Dou Zhong.”

“Hah… Most of our senior brothers and sisters of the Inner and Upper Divisions are stuck in the battlefield between two worlds. Otherwise, we won’t be suppressed by the other four institutions!”

“Hmph, everything happened because of that bastard, Shang Xia. They even gave him the title of ‘Thousand Illusion Sword’. They’re even calling him the ‘Thousand Illusion Young Master’. He doesn’t even dare to show his face around here! He’s leaving us to clear up all his mess.

“I heard that he’s preparing to break through to the Martial Intent Realm and is unable to return to the institution at the moment. Maybe that’s why he didn’t show up?”

“Bah, that’s all bullshit. He’s definitely using it as an excuse. Even if he does break through, it’s not like the other institutions don’t have Martial Intent Realm disciples. He won’t be able to take them on even if he succeeds!”

“Enough. No matter what, he’s a member of the Shang Clan. We’re in no position to spread rumors about him.”

“Hah, what are you afraid of? The rumors of his strength are definitely exaggerated. Every capable disciple of the institution was called over to the battlefield between the two worlds. Why would he return to the city? He might not even be Senior Brother Dou Zhong’s match. At the very least, the other institutions hold high praise for Senior Brother Dou Zhong. Yet none of them said anything about that bastard.”

“...”

…

Shang Xia didn’t know how seriously his reputation had suffered during the time he was away. He also didn’t know that the higher-ups of the other institutions gave a strict command to their disciples to not reveal Shang Xia’s strength ever since the battle that day.

Even if he knew, he might not care. At the very moment, he was focused on his training in the Triple Providence Chapter.

As he trained according to the insights he wrote out on the sheets of paper earlier, a slight transformation happened in his dantian.

The Triple Providence Chapter was clearly different from the other secret arts meant for Martial Intent Realm cultivators.

Shang Xia felt that it was somewhat different from the strongest techniques he had seen. Speaking of the strongest secret arts, Shang Xia had to admit that no one even came close to Ouyang Zhaiyuan. His title as Ouyang’s Third Fist wasn’t wasted on him. The only pity was that fusing his three punches into his ultimate technique, ‘Killing God’ was too damn difficult. Even at the point of his death, he was unable to complete it. In the end, he was killed by Shang Ke and Gu Shou.

The Triple Providence Chapter seemed vastly different from the tyrannical art that was Killing God. It progressed step by step, and the increments in strength were slow but steady. It didn’t seem too difficult to reach the highest level if one took things gradually.