Splitting the Heave

After the outcome of the battle was announced, Shang Xia sauntered out of the plaza.

Even though the challenge was over, the effects it brought about were far from it.

It didn’t take a genius to realize that trouble would befall him now that he had revealed his martial intent. Because of that, he left the institution as soon as he could.

It was too bad two figures stood in his way, and they seemed to have been waiting for him for quite some time.

“Where’s the leader of the outer division going?” Zhang Haogu stared at Shang Xia with a sly expression on his face, and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Knowing that there was no escaping, Shang Xia forced a smile. “This disciple greets Instructor Zhang and fellow instructor.”

Pointing at the man beside him, Zhang Haogu continued, “This is Jia Yuntian, a deacon from the Scripture Depository.”

A flash of surprise crossed Shang Xia’s face. A deacon in the Scripture Depository enjoyed near supreme status in the institution. He quickly changed his greeting. “Disciple greets Deacon Jia.”

Waving his hand, Jia Yuntian snorted, “Don’t worry about the formalities. I’ll get straight to the point. How did you manage to comprehend your Chaos Essence Lightning Palm? Is there a way for you to record your technique in the Scripture Depository?”

A look of confusion could be seen on Shang Xia’s face as he turned to look at Zhang Haogu.

“It’s not the first time someone comprehended the same martial intent as you. The last time anyone comprehended the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm was more than three hundred years ago. It’s said that it came from a mystical art that originated thousands of years ago, the Lightning Core Palm. The technique was passed down from a Martial Warrior!” Zhang Haogu explained.

That was the first time Shang Xia heard anything about the source of his Chaos Essence Lightning Palm, and he didn’t even know what a Martial Warrior was. Shang Xia could only stare at the two of them in stunned silence.

Was he wrong?! Didn’t he transmigrate into a high level cultivation world?! 

Without giving him any time to think, Jia Yuntian snorted to bring him back to reality. “Humph. The Martial Warriors that existed in the past were nothing but bugs!” 

Zhang Haogu sighed, “No matter what, they paved the way for us.”

Nodding seriously, Jia Yuntian sighed, “That’s right. Everything we know today is because of everyone’s efforts.”

Not wanting to continue on the topic, Zhang Haogu turned to Shang Xia. “Even though the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm was conceived from the Lightning Core Palm, the first person who managed to comprehend it only managed to do so after a hundred years.”

“Is comprehending the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm so difficult?” Shang Xia gasped.

“It’s not easy for anyone to comprehend any martial intent. Without talent, comprehension ability, fate, and determination, one will never be able to do so!” Jia Yuntian sighed.

“Oh.” Shang Xia nodded, but a smug expression soon formed on his face. “This disciple understands what teacher is saying. Even though every martial intent in the world is difficult to comprehend, the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm is much harder than the rest!”

Luckily for Shang Xia, Zhang Haogu’s temper was extremely mild. Even so, the corners of his mouth started to twitch violently. Afraid that he would beat Shang Xia’s face in if he were to continue bragging, Zhang Haogu ignored his comment completely. “There were only seven people who managed to comprehend the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm in the past hundreds of years. More than ten times that number died because of the dangers it posed. As for those who chose to give up on the technique after realizing how dangerous it was, let’s not go into details…”

No one knew if Shang Xia was asking for a beating, but the grin on his face only became wider after hearing what Zhang Haogu said. Waving the fan in his hand, he continued, “Since there are so many deaths, it only proves how difficult it is to comprehend the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm. However, the might of it is clear for all to see. It’s no wonder so many people refuse to give up on it.”

Sucking in a cold breath, Jia Yuntian nearly failed to contain his emotions. He tilted his head upwards to look at the sky, not wanting to stare at Shang Xia’s haughty expression a second longer.

Coughing lightly, Zhang Haogu forced himself to calm down and he explained, “Our Tongyou Institution was created less than 20 years ago, and there were 5 students who tried to comprehend the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm. Out of the first four, one of them died, one of them was seriously injured. Another was slightly injured, and the last gave up. You’re the fifth, and you’re the only one who managed to comprehend the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm.”

Chuckling ‘awkwardly’, Shang Xia responded, “It was all luck…”

Completely done with the little brat’s attitude, Jia Yuntian roared, “If you manage to properly document the entire process of your cultivation of the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm, we’ll report this to the institution and they’ll give you a massive reward! Stop with this shitty act of yours!” 

A frown instantly formed on Shang Xia’s face when he understood Jia Yuntian’s intention. He hesitated, “It’s my honor to contribute to the institution, but I lucked out when cultivating, allowing me to comprehend the Chaos Essence Lightning Palm. I believe you have heard of the incident where I was struck by lightning during my seclusion…”

A disappointed expression flashed across Jia Yuntian’s face.

A soft sigh left Zhang Haogu’s lips. “The lower the cultivation, the more difficult it is to try to comprehend a suitable martial intent. One has to know, if you manage to record your experiences, your contributions will benefit the institution eternally. If Shang Shanchang were to hear of it, he’ll definitely be extremely grateful…”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Shang Xia slapped the fan against his chest and a bitter smile emerged. “I’ll arrange my thoughts and try to come up with something! I’ll give you an answer in three days, but I have no idea if I’ll be able to remember anything substantial!” 

Shang Xia left soon after.

Looking at his leaving figure, a frown could be seen on Jia Yuntian’s face. “What a slick brat! He’s completely different from his ancestor!”

“As long as he helps the institution out by sharing his experiences, it doesn’t matter if we give him some extra benefits…” Zhang Haogu muttered.

Glancing at his old friend, Jia Yuntian thought that he was hearing things. “Aren’t you afraid that rumors will go about saying that you’re trying to suck up to Shang Bo?”

“What a joke. When have I, Zhang Haogu, ever been one to care about rumors?” A chuckle left his lips.

However, his tone changed immediately after. “I’m afraid this brat doesn’t realize how important it is to comprehend a martial intent. He’ll be running into a lot of trouble soon… It won’t be easy for him to leave the institution anymore.”

“This…”

…

When Shang Xia ran into yet another person standing in his way, he discovered that things weren’t as they seemed. His expression changed slightly. 

Yuan Zilu looked at the kid standing before him, and the indifferent expression on his face in the plaza had long since been replaced by a more friendly one. Waving to him, Yuan Zilu spoke, “Little brat, you’re pretty good!”

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Not used to Yuan Zilu’s sudden change in attitude, Shang Xia asked, “Instructor Yuan, have you been waiting for me?” 

“Nonsense! I’m from the Protection Division and there’s no need for you to address me so formally. You can call me Old Yuan.”

Clicking his tongue, a short chuckle left Shang Xia’s lips. “Instructor Yuan, you’re kidding.”

Ignoring the way Shang Xia addressed him, Yuan Zilu went straight to the point. “Brat, have you thought of joining our Protection Division?” Without waiting for Shang Xia’s reply, he continued, “As long as you come under our wing, we won’t mistreat you! In the future, no one will dare to force you to do anything you’re unwilling to do once you’re part of us!” 

Shang Xia sucked in a cold breath. Even without the care of the Protection Division, there weren’t many people who had the ability to force him to do things he didn’t want to do. However, a smile remained on his face as he thanked Yuan Zilu. “Many thanks to Instructor Yuan’s offer. However, the Protection Division only recruited from the ranks of inner disciples. I’m still an outer disciple, and…”

Snorting in amusement, Yuan Zilu explained, “Brat, have you forgotten your current position? Your first year is up. There’s no way you’ll remain an outer disciple. You’ll enter the Inner Division soon, and you’re more than qualified to enter our Protection Division!”

“This disciple still needs to discuss the matter with the seniors of my family…”

Glaring at Shang Xia, Yuan Zilu grunted, “What’s there for you to discuss? Fuck! Stop being such a wuss! You’re a grown man! Make your own decisions!” 

Before he could continue, he was interrupted by a roar coming from the side. “Old Monkey Yuan, you have to be really daring to steal someone from my Shang Clan…”

Yuan Zilu’s expression darkened instantly, and he snapped, “What the f…” When he finally turned his head to look at the person who spoke, his attitude turned 180 degrees. “Senior Sister Shang, it’s an honor to see you here! Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming to the institution?” 

Yuan Zilu, who was about to explode in anger a moment ago, turned into an obedient child all of a sudden. Even though Shang Xia had experienced a lot of things, he was struck silly by the abrupt change.

The person who came was a young lady whose facial features slightly resembled Shang Xia. The smile on her face gave him a sense of security, and when she finally glanced at Yuan Zilu, she snapped, “I don’t care if you’re from the Protection Division! You won’t be able to stop me from bringing my nephew home today! Stop me if you dare!” 

“Why would I stop you? I was merely making him an offer! Our Protective Division hasn’t fallen so far as to start kidnapping experts…” An awkward laughter left Yuan Zilu’s lips.

As the pretty young lady approached Yuan Zilu, she looked at him from head to toe before revealing a wide smile. “Xia’er, you did well!”

Receiving her praise, Shang Xia lowered his head slightly and snickered, “Aunt, when did you get here?” 

Indeed, the lady who arrived was his biological aunt, Shang Xi.

There were many people in the Shang Clan who took care of him from a young age, but Shang Xi was the one who doted on him the most. She was the closest relative he had in the Shang Clan. 

Instead of continuing her praise, she snapped at him all of a sudden. “You caused such a huge ruckus here. If I don't come, who knows when you’ll be able to leave the institution?”

An awkward smile hung on Yuan Zilu’s face and he quickly piped in to save his ass. “Nonsense! We won’t do such a thing!” 

Completely ignoring him, Shang Xi brought Shang Xia towards the entrance of the institution. Yuan Zilu’s voice echoed softly behind them, “Be careful on your way back!” 

With Shang Xi present, no one dared to stop Shang Xia any longer.

Seeing as there wasn’t anyone else around, Shang Xia could no longer contain the curiosity in his heart. “Aunt, about Yuan Zilu…”

“He’s just a junior disciple I had when studying here.” 

“Wow…” Shang Xia secretly gave his aunt a thumbs up. 

However, it didn’t take long for Shang Xi to douse his excitement. “Brat, you better be ready to answer some questions. There are many people in the family interested in your martial intent… However, you can rest assured that even without your grandpa, no one will dare to force you to do anything. With your potential, I’ll be able to fight for tons of benefits from the family on your behalf!”