After a few more questions, Yang Kai was preparing to leave when he suddenly remembered something and turned around to ask, “By the way, Honoured Master, did Roaring Tiger Sect send anything over?”
Su Chang Fa shook his head, “No.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “This Disciple will take his leave!”
Outside the Main Hall, Yang Kai asked his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters who were standing guard to stand down and return to their cultivation. Only Wan Ying Ying remained, and Shi Ming Hui quickly stepped forward to greet him, “Sir!”
Yang Kai walked ahead while asking Wan Ying Ying a question, “I asked two Junior Brothers to go down the mountain and buy some herbs a few days ago. Have they returned?”
Wan Ying Ying replied, “Yes, but we didn’t know what to do with the herbs they purchased, so we placed them all in your home, Eldest Senior Brother.”
“Good,” Yang Kai responded and led the two of them in the direction of his secluded home.
A short while later, they arrived outside his house and Yang Kai asked Shi Ming Hui to wait for him before he entered with Wan Ying Ying.
The main reason Yang Kai sent his two Junior Brothers down the mountain to buy some herbs was so that he could use them to produce some medicine for Body Tempering purposes. Void Spirit Sword Sect was not only few in numbers, but the disciples also had very low cultivations. Even though he had taught them the modified version of the Void Spirit Art, there would not be obvious results in a short time.
In any case, cultivation was something that had to be done slowly and steadily. Using this Body Tempering Medicine to aid his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters in their cultivation would also help to build a strong foundation for them.
It was impossible for Yang Kai to continue doing something like this for the long term; fortunately, Wan Ying Ying was a good candidate. He could teach her about the methods to prepare the medicine.
Inside the secluded home, Yang Kai skillfully separated and categorised various herbs. At the same time, he patiently explained the process to Wan Ying Ying. It was a stroke of good fortune that she seemed talented in this regard. Although she had never been exposed to Alchemy before, she quickly learned the skills under his patient explanation and tutelage.
He taught her to prepare several medicines, and her performance was remarkable.
Something like this could not be considered complicated, not even qualifying as true Alchemy. It was simply mixing different herbs together in the correct proportions. When needed, they simply had to boil the herbs in water so that the medicinal efficacies would seep into the water. The disciples could then absorb the medicinal efficacies in the water while cultivating to strengthen their bodies.
“You can observe those within the Sect to see if there are any Junior Brothers or Junior Sisters who are interested in Alchemy. I will find an opportunity in the future to teach you all,” Yang Kai casually said while instructing Wan Ying Ying.
The Divine Armament World also had Alchemists; moreover, they held great status. It was just that a small Sect like Void Spirit Sword Sect had been too poor to raise an Alchemist. The several dozen bottles of pills that he found in the storehouse previously were bought at a high cost from other places.
“Eldest Senior Brother, you also know Alchemy!?” Wan Ying Ying shouted in disbelief.
To which Yang Kai just chuckled, “As you know, the Ancestor’s Legacy Inheritance is in my possession. The Ancestor knows many things. I’m just scratching the surface.”
“Oh!” She did not doubt his words at all.
After confirming that Wan Ying Ying had no issues with the proportions and methods of preparing the Body Tempering medicine, Yang Kai immediately left the rest to her and walked out of his secluded home alone.
Shi Ming Hui was still waiting outside and quickly approached Yang Kai when the latter appeared.
Yang Kai swept a glance at Shi Ming Hui and asked nonchalantly, “How does Roaring Tiger Sect compare with Tian Luo Hall in terms of strength?”
“The difference is not much,” Shi Ming Hui replied respectfully, “The Sect Master of Roaring Tiger Sect, Zhuang Ju He, is also in the Ninth-Step Earth Realm while their Left and Right Protectors are in the Eighth-Step Earth Realm. There are also several Elders in the Fourth-Step Earth Realm and above! But, this meagre amount of power is nothing in front of you, Sir. Are you planning to attack Roaring Tiger Sect, Sir?”
He had personally witnessed the Ninth-Step Earth Realm Master, Shu Wan Cheng, being killed in an instant by Yang Kai. Zhuang Ju He was not much different from Shu Wan Cheng in terms of strength, so how could he be Yang Kai’s opponent?
“They owe me something,” Yang Kai snorted lightly. Wan Tian He had boldly claimed that he would return with a gift of apology that would satisfy Yang Kai the other day. So many days have passed since then, but there has been no sight of him. Did he think that he was easy to bully just because he was young?
“It’s only right and proper to pay back one’s debts!” Shi Ming Hui’s expression was righteous, “I’ll be honest with you, Sir. Wan Tian He of Roaring Tiger Sect once contacted us. He was the one who told us about the Third Elder Zhan Bo Xiong’s death and the appearance of the True Void Sword. This man is despicable and cunning. He clearly wanted to instigate a fight between Tian Luo Hall and you so that Roaring Tiger Sect could swoop in at the last moment to enjoy all the benefits.”
“Is that so…” The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth lifted.
“It’s the truth,” Shi Ming Hui vowed.
Yang Kai pondered something for a moment before looking at Shi Ming Hui, “If I send you to deal with Roaring Tiger Sect…”
Shi Ming Hui’s expression stiffened, and he gave a dry laugh, “Sir, please understand. Roaring Tiger Sect has been operating for hundreds of years, so its foundation is very solid. Even if Tian Luo Hall dispatched all our elites, it is unlikely that we will come out on top in their territory.”
“Waste!” Yang Kai looked livid, “If I have to do everything myself, then what’s the point of having you!?”
Shi Ming Hui did not dare to make a single sound in response.
“Where is Roaring Tiger Sect Headquarters? Lead the way. We’ll set off right now,” Yang Kai instructed.
[It just so happens that I’ve run out of cultivation resources, and the mining of the Black Jade mine will still need some time. It’s not a bad idea to plunder Roaring Tiger Sect for resources. Besides, Roaring Tiger Sect will surely have many people. If I can rope them into mining for me, it will help to increase the efficiency.]
Two men on horseback departed from Void Spirit Sword Sect soon after.
Three days later, Shi Ming Hui led hundreds of people to Void Spirit Sword Sect. The Sect Master of Roaring Tiger Sect, Zhuang Ju He, also met with Su Chang Fa under Shi Ming Hui’s leadership to announce that these people were here to help with the mining; moreover, Roaring Tiger Sect had surrendered to Void Spirit Sword Sect and would be known as Void Spirit Sword Sect’s Roaring Tiger Sect Branch in the future.
After the previous experience, Su Chang Fa easily accepted this turn of events. Be that as it may, he still felt like he was experiencing a strange dream.
[How did the two largest great forces within the surrounding thousand kilometres suddenly become Void Spirit Sword Sect’s subordinates? Not to mention how hesitant and cautious Zhuang Ju He had been when he met me… I wonder why his face was bruised and swollen.]
Over a thousand people had now poured into Ash Mountain, and a constant stream of Black Jades were being mined. It had to be said that these 1,000 people were not ordinary commoners either as they were all cultivators whose strength ranged from the Mortal Realm to the Earth Realm. Their efficiency was naturally much higher than ordinary people.
A few days later, Yang Kai returned from Roaring Tiger Sect.
After devouring the abundant resources inside Roaring Tiger Sect’s storehouse, his cultivation had now reached the Fifth-Step Earth Realm! It had to be said that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was simply Heaven-defying. If not for this Secret Art, Yang Kai could not have had such a speedy cultivation rate. This Heaven-defying Evil Art that he obtained from Wu Kuang had greatly accelerated his growth in this world.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was now the veritable overlord within a radius of 1,000 kilometres. The two strongest Sects, namely Tian Luo Hall and Roaring Tiger Sect, had already submitted to Void Spirit Sword Sect, so it was only natural that the remaining small fries could not do anything to change the situation.
In any case, Yang Kai had no plans to cause trouble for those small great forces. On the contrary, these small great forces themselves could not hold back any more. They did not know why Void Spirit Sword Sect rose up so suddenly or what attitude Void Spirit Sword Sect had towards others; therefore, they quickly sent representatives to give their greetings and express their willingness to submit to Void Spirit Sword Sect in the future.
Yang Kai was open to all those who came. These small great forces had no grudges against him and they might not have many resources themselves, but each Sect could always send some manpower over to help with the mining.
In less than a month, there were more than 2,000 people working day and night on Ash Mountain.
The number of Black Jades that were mined every single day ranged from 300 to over 1,000 pieces. Moreover, as the mine deepened, the number of Black Jades that could be mined in a day increased steadily.
80% of the mined Black Jades were delivered to Yang Kai’s secluded home, leaving only 20% for the development of the Sect. Even so, this amount was not enough to keep up with his consumption. The Black Jades were quickly swallowed up almost as soon as they entered his hands.
Two months later, Yang Kai’s cultivation reached the Ninth-Step Earth Realm! That was not all though as the cultivation of the Void Spirit Sword Sect disciples also began to show progress. Although the increase in their strength was not that great, their physical strength had been enhanced to a remarkable degree.
Aside from cultivating, Yang Kai spent his remaining time teaching Wan Ying Ying and two other Junior Brothers Alchemy.
Void Spirit Sword Sect would surely have a high demand for pills in the future; thus, it was necessary to train their own Alchemists.
Aside from Wan Ying Ying, the other two Junior Brothers were disciples with some talent in Alchemy whom Yang Kai recruited from the Sect. It was just that Void Spirit Sword Sect was too few in number. He could not ask for too much and could only make the best of what he had.
Even though the aptitudes of the other two might not be as great as Wan Ying Ying, they were not bad. Unfortunately, as their cultivation was still low, they were unable to use their Spirit Qi for Alchemy.
Moreover, Void Spirit Sword Sect had no Earth-Fire for them to use. Every time they performed Alchemy, they had to use something called a Radiant Flame Stone as their Alchemy Flame.
This was the path that many new Alchemists in the Divine Armament World had to take.
It was fortunate that Void Spirit Sword Sect had the Black Jade mine; otherwise, it would have been impossible to support Yang Kai’s consumption.
In addition, Roaring Tiger Sect and Tian Luo Hall operated many businesses. The profits from the various businesses were delivered directly to Yang Kai to satisfy his insatiable cultivation needs. Life might be a little difficult these days, but they managed to persevere.
Yang Kai was teaching Wan Ying Ying and the two Junior Brothers when a set of footsteps came from behind him. He remained seated and didn’t bother to turn around. It wasn’t until he finished what he needed to say that he finally addressed the person behind him, “What is it?”
Shi Ming Hui stood behind Yang Kai and cupped his fist, “Sir, I’ve gotten news.”
“Oh? So quickly?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrow in surprise.
“It was by luck!” Shi Ming Hui replied, “In half a month, the Heaven Grade Alchemist Gao Xin Peng will be staying in Heavenly Martial City for three days. Before Gao Xin Peng became famous, he became indebted to Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord. Not only is Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord old and frail, but he is also reaching the end of his life expectancy. Gao Xin Peng will personally come and help him refine some Life Extension Pills.”
“Heavenly Martial City!” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “How far is that?”
“It will take three days to arrive by horse!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly at those words and instructed, “Make preparations. We will set off for Heavenly Martial City in three days to meet Gao Xin Peng!”
“Yes!” Shi Ming Hui quickly replied and turned around to leave.
Yang Kai issued a few more instructions to Wan Ying Ying and the others before he entered the secluded room next door. The Black Jades that were mined today had been delivered. Aside from the 20% left behind, all the rest were here. There were as many as 700 pieces.
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law to swallow them! However, even though he devoured all the Black Jades cleanly, he continued to show no signs of advancing into the Heaven Realm.
“It looks like this is the World Principles Restriction of the Divine Armament World. If I want to advance into the Heaven Realm, I will really need the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!”
With a Secret Art as Heaven-defying as the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, Yang Kai had already advanced into the Ninth-Step Earth Realm a month ago. He was only one step away from advancing into the Heaven Realm; however, he remained stagnant at this Realm even though one month had passed since then.
It was not that his cultivation resources weren’t sufficient. He refined and devoured hundreds of Black Jades every day. After accumulating bit by bit for a whole month, this amount was extremely terrifying. It should have been enough to meet the advancement requirements a long time ago.
It was not that his aptitude was lacking either. The identity given to him by the Divine Armament World might only have average abilities, but Yang Kai himself was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Something like aptitude would not limit his progress in any way.
When it came down to it, it seemed he was simply lacking a certain pill.
In the Divine Armament World, it was not difficult to advance from the Mortal Realm to the Earth Realm. Anybody with adequate aptitude and sufficient cultivation resources could advance from the Mortal Realm to the Earth Realm as long as they put in enough effort.
However, it was not as easy when it came to advancing from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm. One required the help of a pill known as the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in order to succeed. Without that pill, one’s efforts would be futile no matter how great their aptitude or cultivation resources were.
Yang Kai originally wanted to borrow his many years of cultivation experience to force his way through this shackle, but to his dismay, he discovered that all his efforts were in vain after working hard for one month!
His cultivation seemed to be bound firmly by shackles. Furthermore, the invisible chains vaguely felt like the Principles of the Heavenly Way. It could be said that the Divine Armament World itself was preventing him from advancing into the Heaven Realm!
Unless he had the strength to go against the entire Divine Armament World, there was no way he could break these shackles.
Advancing from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm required the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. On the other hand, advancing from the Heaven Realm to the Spirit Realm required the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. The former could only be refined by a Heaven Grade Alchemist while the latter needed a Spirit Grade Alchemist. The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was a Heaven Grade pill while the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was a Spirit Grade Pill!
Thanks to the memories from his Divine Armament World self, Yang Kai had long known that the status of Alchemists was extremely high in this damned place. In fact, it was even higher than in any other world that he had ever known in the past. That was because Alchemists were needed to refine both the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. It could be said the advancement of a cultivator often depended on a tiny little pill!
It was somewhat incomprehensible.
In the outside world, many pills had the effects of aiding advancement and improving the success rate of breakthroughs. Be that as it may, it was never a necessary component. Even without those pills, there was hope for a cultivator to achieve a breakthrough by relying on their own efforts.
However, that was impossible in the Divine Armament World! The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill and the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill were requirements for those standing at the peak of the Earth Realm and the Heaven Realm respectively.
Consequently, the status of Alchemists became absolutely unrivalled in this World. Not only were many Masters willing to act as bodyguards for Alchemists in the same Realm as themselves, but they were also very proud of such deeds.
While this was something that was inconceivable in the outside world, it was something very normal in the Divine Armament World.
Yang Kai had very profound accomplishments in the Alchemic Dao. All the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills that were currently being consumed by Void Land’s disciples when advancing into the Open Heaven Realm came from his hands. Needless to say, he had handed this matter over to Little Senior Sister Xia Ning Chang and Wondrous Pill Great Emperor now.
With his attainments in the Alchemic Dao, refining a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was not difficult. If not for the limitations of his cultivation, even refining the Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pills would not be a problem. The main issue was that… he did not have the pill recipe!
This was an extremely awkward problem.
Void Spirit Sword Sect was a run-down Sect in the Divine Armament World. It might have been glorious 1,000 years ago, but that glory was long since faded. They no longer had any Alchemists in their Sect, much less various rare pill recipes.
Regardless of whether it was Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill or Hundred Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, both were extremely valuable and they would never be sold to the general public.
More importantly, the pill recipes of each Alchemist were different, each one having slight variations and arrangements. However, all the results were ultimately the same. The Clear Heart Pills refined by any Alchemist would have the effect of helping cultivators break through to the next Great Realm. It was just that the subtle differences in their refining methods and materials would also result in slightly different effects.
If Yang Kai wanted a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, then aside from refining one himself, he could only spend copious amounts of money to purchase it.
Unfortunately, there were many cultivators in this world who were stuck at the peak of the Earth Realm and wanted to advance into the Heaven Realm. If nothing else, Roaring Tiger Sect’s Sect Master Zhuang Ju He, Tian Luo Hall’s former Palace Master Shu Wan Cheng and Great Elder Li Zheng Qing had been stuck at the peak of the Earth Realm because they had no Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
Both parties had once paid exorbitant prices for a Heaven Grade Alchemist to help them refine a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill; however, that Heaven Grade Alchemist’s schedule was fully booked for years to come. Even though the Heaven Grade Alchemist accepted their luxurious gifts with no trace of politeness, there was a long waiting list before they could obtain their Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!
Zhuang Ju He had a four-year wait before his turn for the Heaven Grade Alchemist to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill for him. On the other hand, Shu Wan Cheng was worse. He had to wait for ten years!
How could Yang Kai afford to wait for such a long time? Besides, a conservative estimate indicated that he would have to spend 100 years in the Divine Armament World. Running around on his own for such a long time would be too tiring. He would have to recruit some trustworthy people. Those in the Earth Realm were too weak while those in the Heaven Realm were just barely acceptable. Be that as it may, who would be willing to slave away for him without the temptation of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill?
After thinking about it, Yang Kai felt that it was more secure to obtain this pill recipe for himself. As long as he could refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, he could easily obtain both cultivation resources and subordinates in the Heaven Realm.
Unfortunately, the Alchemists in the Divine Armament World were extremely respected. Each Alchemist had a large group of guards around them, so he could not conspire against them; thus, he had no choice but to think of a different method.
Gao Xin Peng was the Heaven Grade Alchemist who accepted Zhuang Ju He’s large payment but could only perform Alchemy four years later. According to Zhuang Ju He, Gao Xin Peng belonged to a great force known as the Profound Pill Sect. This Sect was built on the Alchemic Dao and their inheritance had been passed down for countless years. There were as many Masters in the Sect as there were clouds, which not only included a large number of Heaven Realm Masters, but also Spirit Realm Masters.
At present, the Profound Pill Sect was one of the top ten Sects in the Divine Armament World. The main reason was that the Sect Master of the Profound Pill Sect had won one of the Ten Great Divine Armaments during the last Divine Armament Tournament, the Medicine King Furnace!
Originally, there were several Sects in the Divine Armament World which dealt with Alchemy. They used to compete with the Profound Pill Sect on equal ground, but ever since the Medicine King Furnace came to the Profound Pill Sect, the Profound Pill Sect established its position as the top Alchemy Sect in one fell swoop.
For the next 100 years, the Medicine King Furnace would bring overwhelming prosperity to Profound Pill Sect, and it could be said to be at the peak of its power!
Gao Xin Peng was not only backed by a behemoth like Profound Pill Sect, but he was also a Heaven Grade Alchemist himself. It could be said that his status was extremely noble.
The truth was that Shi Ming Hui felt extremely uneasy about Yang Kai’s intention to meet Gao Xin Peng; even so, Yang Kai had already made up his mind. There was nothing Shi Ming Hui could do to stop Yang Kai.
Three days later, three people set off from Void Spirit Sword Sect on horseback and headed straight for Heavenly Martial City.
Aside from Shi Ming Hui, there was also a female Elder from Roaring Tiger Sect who was travelling with Yang Kai. She was known as Du Yu Yu. There was no saying what Zhuang Ju He’s intentions were, but Du Yu Yu was as beautiful as a cherry blossom; moreover, she had two majestic peaks, a soft and slender waist, and enchanting eyes. Even the way she spoke was very sweet and charming.
Yang Kai was not bothered by this as he only asked Zhuang Ju He to send somebody to accompany him to Heavenly Martial City. Zhuang Ju He probably sent Du Yu Yu here because he felt that a woman was easier to talk to.
Heavenly Martial City was not located near Void Spirit Sword Sect, but it was not far either.
After travelling for just over three days, a majestic city suddenly appeared in front of them.
Shi Ming Hui called out, “Sir, Heavenly Martial City is just ahead.”
Yang Kai lifted his head and looked at the sky; then, he nodded, “Let’s find a place to stay.”
Shi Ming Hui quickly said, “Rest assured, Sir. This one has made arrangements in advance. Tian Luo Hall has property here.”
“Very good.” Although Yang Kai was surprised that Tian Luo Hall had property here, he did not inquire any further.
It didn’t take long for the three of them to enter the city. Under Shi Ming Hui’s guidance, they soon arrived in front of a shop. The shopkeeper immediately greeted them and arranged living quarters for them in the inner courtyard as soon as they stepped inside.
There was another ten days before Gao Xin Peng was scheduled to arrive at Heavenly Martial City, so Yang Kai was not anxious. What he needed to figure out right now was how to meet Gao Xin Peng and obtain the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill from him.
According to the information Yang Kai obtained, Gao Xin Peng came here to refine Life Extension Pills for Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord to whom he was indebted.
When he arrived, Gao Xin Peng would surely be welcomed into the City Lord’s Mansion. The City Lord himself was at the peak of the Heaven Realm and in addition, commanded a large number of Masters.
[I will lose all chance of contact if he enters the City Lord’s Mansion. Perhaps… I can approach Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord and enter the City Lord’s Mansion in advance to wait for his arrival?]
Yang Kai pondered for some time and a plan gradually forming in his mind. All of a sudden, a knock came from outside the door and he looked up reflexively, “Enter!”
The door opened and Du Yu Yu walked in with a tray. She was dressed very lightly; furthermore, there were several plates of exquisite dishes and a bottle of alcohol on the tray.
Yang Kai couldn’t help taking a second glance at the woman. The main reason was that she was very scantily dressed. Her clothes were as thin as gossamer and her chest and thighs exposed large patches of her snow-white skin. What’s more, she seemed to have just gotten out of the bath. As soon as she walked into the room, a faint fragrance filled the air. Her hair that was not fully dry also gave her a stunning appearance.
Seeming to notice Yang Kai’s gaze, Du Yu Yu lowered her head slightly and a red blush crept across her face as she sweetly announced, “Sir, it’s time to eat!”
“En!” He nodded lightly, “Put it down over there.”
Du Yu Yu placed the dishes on the table and personally poured him a glass of wine before she stood nearby with her hands hanging by her sides.
“I don’t need you to serve me here. Help me buy something instead,” Yang Kai instructed.
“What do you want this Mistress to buy?”
“First, bring me a brush and some paper!”
She made a sound in response and turned around to walk out again.
Not long afterwards, she brought the brush and paper. Yang Kai wrote something down before he handed it back to her.
Du Yu Yu glanced at the paper and saw a list of herbs. Unable to recognize the names but still understanding what she had to do, she bowed elegantly, “This Mistress will go and buy them now.”
Yang Kai had decided to bring 20% of the mining proceeds accumulated by Void Spirit Sword Sect over the past two months on this trip in case he needed to purchase something. As a result, there were close to 10,000 pieces of Black Jade in his wallet. Judging from the current situation, his decision had been a wise one.
The City Lord of Heavenly Martial City was getting old and frail and would not live for much longer; therefore, the reason for Gao Xin Peng’s visit was to refine some Life Extension Pills for him to extend his lifespan.
Yang Kai had many pill recipes for longevity, and their effects were extraordinary. If he could refine just one of them, he could guarantee that Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord would regain his vitality in an instant and his lifespan would increase significantly as a result.
The problem was that his pill recipes required extremely rare and valuable herbs. Leaving aside whether he could find them in the Divine Armament World, the chances of finding them in a small Heavenly Martial City were slim to none.
Besides, Yang Kai did not know anything about the Life Extension Pills that Gao Xin Peng planned to refine or what kind of effects they had.
But, if he could gain the trust of Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord, then he could enter the City Lord’s Mansion in advance. Under those circumstances, he was bound to run into Gao Xin Peng once the latter arrived.
That was why Yang Kai planned to prepare some pills that would strengthen and regulate one’s vitality. These pills were relatively easy to refine, and more importantly, the required herbs were not that rare. He should be able to find them in Heavenly Martial City.
If Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord consumed the pills that Yang Kai refined over the long term, living for a few additional years would not be an issue.
The night passed peacefully and when dawn broke the next day, Du Yu Yu returned with a large bundle of herbs.
“Good work,” Yang Kai nodded.
She smiled, “It’s an honour for this Mistress to share your worries, Sir. Do you need anything else?”
“No, you can leave.”
“Yes!”
Du Yu Yu retreated respectfully. Only then did Yang Kai take out a rudimentary and simple-looking Alchemy Furnace and several fiery-red stones. This Alchemy Furnace was something he found in Void Spirit Sword Sect’s storehouse. He did not know how many years it had been left there but it was probably a relic left behind by one of the Alchemists in the Sect from several generations ago.
There were quite a few of these Alchemy Furnaces in Void Spirit Sword Sect’s storehouse in fact. Wan Ying Ying and the two other disciples learning Alchemy had also obtained one each.
The fiery-red stones were the Radiant Flame Stones. Yang Kai had no Alchemy Flame of his own, and there was no Earth-Fire to borrow here either; hence, he could only use the Radiant Flame Stones for Alchemy.
The Vitality Pill that he planned to refine was not complicated. He would have easily succeeded in refining these pills in the outside world, but unfortunately, it would take some effort for him to refine them in this place.
Two days later, Yang Kai finished refining a bottle of Vitality Pills. These dark-red pills were around the size of soybeans, and one small bottle contained 100 pills in total.
Yang Kai summoned Shi Ming Hui and sent the latter to offer up two of the Vitality Pills to the City Lord’s Mansion. As long as the City Lord’s Mansion could verify the efficacy of the Vitality Pills, they would surely invite him over for a discussion. At that time, he could openly stay in the City Lord’s Mansion and wait for Gao Xin Peng to arrive.
Contrary to his expectations, however, Shi Ming Hui vanished without a trace. Despite waiting for an entire day, Shi Ming Hui did not return, and no one appeared from the City Lord’s Mansion. Thus, Yang Kai faintly realised that something had gone wrong and instructed Du Yu Yu to ask around for information.
The outcome left him stunned.
It would seem that women were indeed much easier to talk to, more so if the woman was as beautiful and well-endowed as Du Yu Yu. She easily managed to obtain some clues even though the information from the City Lord’s Mansion was tightly guarded.
According to what she learned, Shi Ming Hui had indeed offered up the Vitality Pills to the City Lord’s Mansion, but apparently, a problem arose during the testing of the pills. One of the Earth Grade Alchemists in the City Lord’s Mansion declared that the Vitality Pills Shi Ming Hui brought with him were poison and accused Shi Ming Hui of trying to assassinate the City Lord. Therefore, Shi Ming Hui was captured on the spot and thrown into Heavenly Martial City’s dungeons. It was currently unknown whether he was dead or alive.
Yang Kai was so furious that he burst out laughing!
[An Emperor Grade Alchemist like myself deigned to take the time and effort to refine those Vitality Pills! How dare they claim that they are poisonous!?]
Yang Kai immediately felt the urge to storm straight into the City Lord’s Mansion with his sword drawn.
Shi Ming Hui might have been subdued using rather unscrupulous means by him, but he had been a good subordinate for Yang Kai during this time.
Yang Kai could not ignore the situation now that something had gone wrong; moreover, seeing as nobody from the City Lord’s Mansion came searching for him, it was obvious that Shi Ming Hui had not revealed any information about them. Otherwise, the people from the City Lord’s Mansion would have come for him a long time ago.
However, Yang Kai quickly suppressed the impulse to act. He had the nagging feeling that this matter was more complicated than it seemed on the surface. He seemed to have gotten involved in some sort of power struggle, which meant that Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord was likely not just on the verge of dying from old age.
Hence, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling doubtful about the current situation.
With his current abilities, charging straight into the City Lord’s Mansion was actually not difficult. The difficult part would be rescuing Shi Ming Hui. Yang Kai was confident that he could move about undetected if he infiltrated the City Lord’s Mansion, but it was different if Shi Ming Hui was added into the equation.
There were many Heaven Realm Masters in Heavenly Martial City after all. Not to mention, Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord himself was at the peak of the Heaven Realm. He also had the backing of Gao Xin Peng of Profound Pill Sect.
It would not be beneficial for Yang Kai or Void Spirit Sword Sect if things got out of hand here.
After pondering for some time, Yang Kai asked Du Yu Yu to find a way to inquire about Shi Ming Hui’s current condition. His main concern was to determine whether Shi Ming Hui was alive or dead; meanwhile, he decided to wait until nightfall to infiltrate the City Lord’s Mansion.
Du Yu Yu accepted the orders and left.
On the other hand, Yang Kai began making meticulous preparations. It was not until night fell that he changed into a set of black clothes, snuck out of his room, and headed straight for the City Lord’s Mansion.
As he ran forward, Yang Kai felt exasperated in his heart. A noble Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him was acting like a thief in the Divine Armament World. It was nothing less than a disgrace!
The perimeter of the City Lord’s Mansion was heavily guarded, to the point that even Heaven Realm Masters could only dream of sneaking into the building without anybody knowing. Nevertheless, these defences were useless against Yang Kai.
He concealed his aura and infiltrated the City Lord’s Mansion under the cover of the night, and it didn’t take long for him to slip through the outer perimeter and reach the inner courtyard.
The surroundings were quiet. From time to time, Yang Kai would pass by some patrolling cultivators or come across people talking in hushed voices. Unfortunately, their conversations held nothing of value.
At first, he wandered around aimlessly. As he did not know where Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord was located, he could only search slowly.
A short while later, Yang Kai quickly hid in the shadows of a rockery as he heard the pitter-pattering of light footsteps came from not far away. He snuck a glance in that direction and saw a luxuriously dressed woman walking along the corridor with several maidservants in tow.
The woman had a gorgeous appearance, an ample bosom, and a slim figure; however, she had a cold and indifferent temperament. She walked straight into one of the palaces. Meanwhile, the maidservants accompanying her stopped outside and quietly stood there waiting.
Yang Kai did not know the identity of the woman, but judging from the scene in front of him, her status in the City Lord’s Mansion was not low.
Just as he was preparing to leave, he suddenly heard another set of heavy footsteps accompanied by an extremely ferocious aura.
[A Heaven Realm Master!] Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed. Even though there was no Spirit Qi fluctuation around the other party, he could clearly sense that this person was in the Heaven Realm!
This was his first time meeting a Heaven Realm Master since entering the Divine Armament World; thus, he couldn’t help glancing in that direction curiously.
The approaching person was a strong and burly man. He was short and stocky, and his muscles were quite bulky.
Although Yang Kai was confident in the Secret Technique he was using to conceal his aura, he did not dare to act recklessly at such close distance. The other party had a much higher cultivation than him, so he only glanced briefly in that direction before he withdrew his gaze, lest the other party noticed him.
The burly man walked straight to the door of the palace that the woman had entered earlier. The two maidservants by the door bowed elegantly in greeting. On the other hand, he simply pushed the door open and entered the room without saying a word.
A short while later, some strange sounds came from within the room. It was a mixture of grunts and muffled moans…
Yang Kai’s expression turned black, and he took this opportunity to leave.
An incense stick later, Yang Kai hid in the shadows and studied the majestic palace in front of him. There were guards stationed outside the palace and pained groans sounded faintly from within, giving off a sense of breathlessness similar to when a lamp was running out of oil.
[If my guess is correct, then this place is the residence of Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord!]
After searching for so long, he finally came across the right place. Before coming here, Yang Kai had been thinking about how to approach Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord and explain his intentions, as well as how to convince the City Lord about the efficacy of the Vitality Pills he refined.
However, when he heard the sounds coming from within the palace, he realised that Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord was dying. The situation seemed to be more serious than what he had heard as he could even detect a weak Death Qi coming from within!
All the plans Yang Kai made earlier were now useless. He did not know when Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord would die, so he could not afford to hesitate any longer.
Yang Kai found an opportunity and tossed a stone to distract the guards outside the door. With that, he successfully infiltrated the palace from a skylight on the roof.
Inside a private room with a spacious area, Yang Kai unexpectedly found not a single person standing guard. There was only one person lying on top of a large bed, covered by a blanket. Moreover, this man was breathing weakly and would cough with great difficulty from time to time.
The dim candlelight inside the room only illuminated a small portion of the room. Yang Kai looked down from above and saw that the man lying on the bed did not look very old.
That man had the appearance of someone in his early forties, but his sickly complexion made him seem deathly pale. Be that as it may, it could be seen that this man had good facial features and could be considered quite handsome.
As Yang Kai was observing the situation, the man on the bed suddenly opened his eyes and stared straight at where he was hiding on the roof beam. The gaze might be a little turbid, but a piercing light flashed through those eyes at this moment.
Yang Kai was shocked as he did not expect to be discovered so quickly when he had taken such pains to hide himself.
Soon though, Yang Kai figured it was related to how he had been staring at the other party for such a long time. At the same time, it also went to show just how powerful the man on the bed was.
It was rumoured that Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord was at the peak of the Heaven Realm, only one step away from advancing into the Spirit Realm. It could be seen that he really lived up to his reputation! Even though his physical condition had deteriorated so badly, his perception was still extremely sharp.
“Who are you?” The man on the bed spoke calmly, showing no intention of calling for help and simply asking this question quietly.
Since Yang Kai had already been discovered, he couldn’t be bothered to hide any longer. He landed lightly on the ground without making the slightest noise and walked over to the bed. Then, he tentatively asked, “City Lord Miao?”
Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord had the surname Miao and the given name Hong. It was only natural that Yang Kai knew about such information.
“It is this Miao. Who are you, Little Brother?” Miao Hong glanced at Yang Kai calmly, “Why did you come to visit the City Lord’s Mansion so late at night?”
After confirming that this person was Miao Hong, Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Void Spirit Sword Sect, Yang Kai!”
“Void Spirit Sword Sect…” Miao Hong frowned, as though recalling the information he received about Void Spirit Sword Sect. Void Spirit Sword Sect was just one of the small great forces nearby, so he never really paid much attention to such things. For that reason, he could not recall much information at such short notice; thus, he frowned and asked, “Void Spirit Sword Sect is far from Heavenly Martial City. Why did you come here? Are you here to kill me?”
Yang Kai laughed and said, “There is no enmity between Void Spirit Sword Sect and Heavenly Martial City. You worry too much, City Lord Miao.” [Looks like this guy has many enemies; otherwise, he would not have asked me if I was here to kill him as soon as he saw me.]
After pausing for a moment, Yang Kai eventually continued, “I’ll be honest with you. I am an Alchemist. When I heard that you were ill, City Lord, I decided to try refining some pills for you. I sent my subordinate to offer the pills to you as a sign of my sincerity, but to my dismay, the City Lord’s Mansion claimed that the pills I refined contained poison and captured my subordinate on the spot.”
“You are an Alchemist?” Miao Hong glanced at Yang Kai in surprise.
Yang Kai didn’t just look young, he was young, probably no more than 17 or 18 years old. Having his cultivation at that age was surprising enough, so it was hard to believe that he was also an Alchemist!
It had to be said that Alchemists were highly revered in the Divine Armament World; moreover, their inheritance was very strictly guarded. Not just anybody could become an Alchemist.
“What Grade of an Alchemist are you?” Miao Hong asked curiously.
“Earth Grade!” Yang Kai did not dare to say too much. In truth, his Alchemy Grade could not be categorised according to the standards of the Divine Armament World. If he had enough materials and adequate strength to persevere, even refining a Spirit Grade Pill would be a simple task for him.
Miao Hong originally showed some interest, but his expression immediately turned cold and a trace of displeasure entered his eyes when he heard what Yang Kai said.
It was one thing to have such outstanding cultivation at such a young age. Somebody like that could be considered a talented individual, but an Earth-Grade Alchemist… How could a young brat achieve something like that?
It had to be said that Heavenly Martial City was a notable great force in its own right. Even so, they paid a huge fortune and spent hundreds of years just to nurture two Earth-Grade Alchemists.
It would take at least several dozen years of hard work to become an Earth Grade Alchemist.
“Little Brother, this City Lord has no idea why you came here. I don’t have the mood to ask, let alone be bothered to care. Just go back to where you came from,” After saying that, Miao Hong closed his eyes a little disinterested.
Yang Kai was astonished and asked, “You don’t believe me, City Lord?”
Miao Hong replied coolly, “There’s nothing interesting about mocking a dying man!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and took a good look at Hong Miao before he started speaking, “If my guess is correct, your condition is not caused by old age but the relapse of an old injury. Isn’t that right, City Lord?”
Miao Hong’s tightly closed eyes opened slightly again, and he murmured approvingly, “You have a good eye, Little Brother. How could you tell?”
The public only knew that he was dying of old age. They did not know that he was actually suffering from the relapse of an old injury.
Yang Kai explained, “You don’t seem that old from your appearance, City Lord. Of course; when it comes to a Master like you, your cultivation makes it hard to tell your actual age from your appearance alone. However, the vitality in your body has clearly not been exhausted, yet is still strangely weak. Moreover, you seem to have a different force surging inside your body…”
Miao Hong finally revealed a surprised look at those words, “You can even tell that much!?”
Yang Kai asked, “City Lord Miao, if you can trust me, can you let me perform an examination on you?”
Miao Hong studied Yang Kai solemnly for a moment before he lightly said, “There’s nothing for a dying man to fear. You can take a look if you want, Little Brother.”
Yang Kai apologised for any offending actions and took Hong Miao’s hand. Placing two fingers on Hong Miao’s wrist, he probed Hong Miao’s condition with his Spirit Qi.
Hong Miao immediately noticed Yang Kai’s true cultivation as soon as his Spirit Qi flowed into his body. This boy was actually at the peak of the Earth Realm!
Although Hong Miao had been fairly certain that Yang Kai was at least in the Earth Realm after seeing him silently sneaking into this place, it wasn’t until this moment that his speculations were confirmed. Not only was Yang Kai in the Earth Realm, but he was at the peak of the Earth Realm! He was only one step away from advancing into the Heaven Realm!
“Little Brother, how old are you?” Miao Hong asked curiously.
“18… I think,” Yang Kai answered casually. In his memories, that was indeed the approximate age of this body in the Divine Armament World.
Miao Hong smacked his lips in wonder, “A true genius!”
It was unprecedented for anybody in the Divine Armament World to achieve such outstanding cultivation at such a young age. If there was a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill on hand right now, Miao Hong was certain that Yang Kai could break through into the Heaven Realm in one go.
[An 18-year-old Heaven Realm Master! Just how sensational is that!?]
Although he never had much expectations for Void Spirit Sword Sect in the past, Miao Hong now had a vague feeling that the rise of Void Spirit Sword Sect was just around the corner.
A short while later, Yang Kai retracted his hand, “There is indeed a strange force in your body, City Lord. It is devouring your vitality.”
Miao Hong replied, “I was injured in battle many years ago, and that energy has always been lurking inside my body. I can’t get rid of this energy no matter how hard I try to dispel it. Since you are aware of this, do you have any good solutions to the problem, Little Brother?”
Yang Kai mulled over the question for a moment, “I have both good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first, City Lord?”
“Tell me the bad news first!” Miao Hong decided.
“City Lord, you have very little vitality remaining, and what little is left is rapidly fading away. If left untreated, you will die within three days!”
Miao Hong couldn’t help snorting, “That sounds like pretty good news.”
Yang Kai replied, “I’m actually amazed you can still maintain consciousness, City Lord!”
Logically speaking, most people in Miao Hong’s condition would have lost consciousness or become confused and disoriented; however, Miao Hong was still capable of speaking coherently. It could be seen that his willpower was extremely strong.
“What’s the good news?” Miao Hong asked.
“The good news is that I can help you extend your lifespan, City Lord Miao. You won’t die so quickly, but to remove this energy from your body…” Yang Kai shook his head slightly, “I don’t have enough strength. I’m afraid I can’t help you with that.”
Miao Hong’s eyes lit up, “It’s fine. You only need to help this City Lord stay alive for another 7 or 8 days!”
[7 or 8 days…] Yang Kai calculated the time. That was probably when Gao Xin Peng would arrive at Heavenly Martial City. [It looks like Miao Hong is staking his hopes on Gao Xin Peng.]
That was not surprising. Gao Xin Peng not only had a long history with Miao Hong, but he was also a Heaven Grade Alchemist. Compared to a person of unknown origins like Yang Kai, it was only natural for Miao Hong to trust Gao Xin Peng more.
Going by this logic, it would seem that Gao Xin Peng was not coming here to refine Life Extension Pills. He was probably coming here to help suppress the strange energy in Miao Hong’s body.
“That’s not a problem.” Yang Kai nodded. Taking out the Vitality Pills he refined, he tipped two pills out of the bottle, “These are the pills I refined personally. They can enhance and stimulate the vitality in your body, City Lord. They should help improve your condition.”
Miao Hong glanced at the soybean-sized pills in Yang Kai’s hand, feeling uncertain whether he could trust Yang Kai.
While Miao Hong was hesitating, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed, “Somebody’s coming.”
Miao Hong had also detected the approaching presence. He might be terminally ill, but his powerful cultivation was not just a decoration. Besides, the visitor had no intention of hiding their movements. There was no way he could not hear them coming.
Hardening his resolve, Miao Hong sucked in a breath of air that drew up the two pills in Yang Kai’s hand into his mouth.
Yang Kai had no time to escape, so he could only leap back onto the roof beam where he had been hiding before.
A short while later, the sound of light footsteps approached from a distance and soon arrived in front of the door.
“Greetings, Madam!” The voice of the guard at the door rang out.
“How is the City Lord?” A cold voice sounded. It obviously belonged to this ‘Madam’.
The guard replied, “Same as usual.”
“Open the door. I’m going to take a look.”
Immediately after that, there were some sounds and the door was opened. Moonlight spilled into the room and a slender figure stepped inside.
Yang Kai looked down and couldn’t help feeling startled. That was because the Madam was somebody he had seen before. It was the woman he encountered while he was wandering around earlier.
[Their tryst ended so quickly?] Yang Kai couldn’t help muttering to himself in his heart; however, his expression soon became strange. [The guard at the door called her ‘Madam’… What kind of relationship does this woman have with Miao Hong? The only person in the City Lord’s Mansion with the right to be called ‘Madam’ is… the City Lord’s Wife.]
[This…] Yang Kai suddenly felt as though he had discovered a huge secret.
Nevertheless, he was not sure whether his speculations were correct. [It’s possible that this woman is not Miao Hong’s Wife. But, if they are not Husband-and-Wife, then why is she here in the middle of the night?]
When Miao Hong spoke to Yang Kai earlier, his voice had been weak but he still had some energy. At this moment, however, he just lay motionless on the bed. His aura was faint and gloomy, almost as though he might die at any time.
“Husband…” The woman came over to Miao Hong’s side and sat down by the side of the bed, calling out to him softly.
Yang Kai immediately knew this woman was really the City Lord’s Wife.
Lying on the bed, Miao Hong twisted with difficulty and tried his best to open his eyes to look at her. A low groan involuntarily came out of his mouth.
“Husband, your condition has gotten worse.” The woman’s beautiful brow was slightly wrinkled. Combined with her cold temperament, she seemed very pitiable, “Looking at you in this condition breaks this Mistress’ heart…”
Yang Kai sighed in his heart when he heard those words. [A married couple is devoted to each other for life after all, even if this woman betrayed Miao Hong with her actions, it must be hard for her to see him in this condition.]
Before he could finish his thought though, he heard the woman’s voice continue, “Why do you bother to struggle so hard? Why don’t you just die here? Death ends all troubles. How much longer can you live in this condition anyway? Two days? Three days?”
A gurgling noise came out of Miao Hong’s throat. There was no telling what he wanted to say.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was completely flabbergasted.
The woman smiled, and the dimly lit room suddenly became dazzling for a moment. Then, she leaned down and pushed her ample bosom into Miao Hong’s face. She gently said, “Smell this. This Mistress still has his scent on me. It’s very fresh!”
Miao Hong probably could not breathe properly with her twin peaks in his face. His hands tried to push her away weakly, but his efforts were to no avail.
Her laughter gradually became more sinister, “When you used such despicable means to snatch me from his arms back then, did you ever think that such a day would befall you? At this point, I’m not afraid to tell you this anymore. Our daughter is not yours. She is the product of Kou Yong and I.”
Those extremely vicious words came out of the mouth of this seemingly cold-tempered woman. If Yang Kai had not heard them with his own ears, he would never have believed it! He couldn’t help thinking of the saying, A wasp’s stinger and the fangs of a poisonous snake’s mouth were both venomous, but there was nothing more poisonous than a woman’s heart!
When Miao Hong spurted out a mouthful of blood, the City Lord’s Wife deftly got up and stepped to the side to avoid being splattered by the filth.
“B-Bitch!” His entire body shuddered, and he coughed up blood again.
She stood by the side of the bed and looked at him coldly. It was not until his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he lost consciousness completely that she turned around and walked out. A short while later, her commanding voice came from outside the door, “The City Lord coughed up blood again. Go in and clean it up.”
“Yes!”
Half an hour later, Yang Kai leapt down from the roof beam once more and nimbly came to stand beside Miao Hong’s bed.
A faint stench of blood remained in the air, but the blood Miao Hong coughed up earlier had already been cleaned up by the guards.
“I apologise for letting you see that, Little Brother,” Miao Hong abruptly opened his eyes.
Yang Kai jumped in fright. He thought that Miao Hong had fainted earlier, but it would now seem that Miao Hong was only pretending to be unconscious. Moreover, his tone of voice was so indifferent at this moment that Yang Kai couldn’t help wondering whether he had always known that his Wife was having an affair with another man.
In any case, the City Lord’s Wife was ruthless indeed. Miao Hong was already in this condition, but she still came over to specifically anger him. If it were anybody else, they might have died from rage just then. The fact that Miao Hong managed to survive showed that he was definitely a person who could endure pain, both physical and mental.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling amazed. Despite travelling across many worlds for so many years, he had never encountered something like this before. Be that as it may, this incident confirmed his previous conjecture. He had definitely gotten involved in a troublesome matter on this trip to Heavenly Martial City.
“Little Brother, your pill is very effective!” Miao Hong exclaimed approvingly. He could clearly feel his vitality recovering slowly. If he previously had the mentality that it couldn’t hurt to give a dead horse medicine, he now had much more trust in Yang Kai, “At this point, I’m sure you’ve guessed the truth. This City Lord did not capture your subordinate who came here to offer medicine. Rather, it was the doing of others. They… want this City Lord dead!”
Yang Kai frowned, “If that’s the case, why don’t they make a move against you directly?”
Given Miao Hong’s current condition, he would probably be helpless to fight back if they attacked him.
Miao Hong coldly snorted, “If they make a move, they will leave behind too many traces. I have a friend who is coming to Heavenly Martial City in a few days. Those people would not survive if he noticed any issues.”
Realisation struck Yang Kai. He immediately understood why the City Lord’s Wife ran here specially and used such vicious words to anger Miao Hong. It was all to aggravate his injuries and hasten his death.
The friend that Miao Hong mentioned earlier was probably Gao Xin Peng. With the perception and experience of a Heaven Grade Alchemist, Gao Xin Peng would definitely notice if Miao Hong was murdered by somebody. On the other hand, there was nothing he could do if Miao Hong died of natural causes.
“Fortunately, the Heavens never close off all paths. This City Lord is thankful to have met you, Little Brother. Do you have more of the pills you gave me earlier, Little Brother?”
“I do.” Yang Kai nodded, “But, there’s another problem.”
“What problem?”
Yang Kai wrinkled his brow, “I did not know about your current condition when I refined these pills, so I didn’t consider something like this. These Vitality Pills will stimulate the vitality in your body after being consumed, but you also need to be supplemented with rich nutrients after taking them; otherwise, you will overdraw your remaining strength. Even if you can get through your current hardships, you will face endless troubles in the future.”
Miao Hong understood, “So, that’s how it is!”
He could tell that Yang Kai was not lying. Having consumed the Vitality Pills himself, he was the most aware of their effects on his body. After some consideration, he looked at Yang Kai earnestly, “Little Brother, I am afraid I must ask for your assistance. Can you help this City Lord bring in some supplements for the next few days. With your skills, you won’t have any trouble coming and going from this place as long as you’re careful. If this City Lord can survive this crisis, I will definitely reward you handsomely in the future.”
Yang Kai helplessly said, “That seems to be the only way.”
He only wanted to come and investigate the situation in the City Lord’s Mansion, but how could he have known that things would turn out like this? Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling speechless.
“City Lord Miao, my subordinate is still locked up in your dungeon currently. I don’t even know whether he is dead or alive!” Yang Kai said after a pause.
Miao Hong pondered in silence for a moment, “I’ll give you my Faith Token. Go and find a man named Huang Da. He is the Deacon of the City Lord’s Mansion. With his help, your subordinate will not be in danger.”
Although he was basically placed under house arrest by his own Wife, Miao Hong still had some loyal subordinates under him. This Deacon named Huang Da was probably one of them.
While speaking, Miao Hong took out a jade token the size of his palm from under his pillow.
Yang Kai took the jade token, which felt cool to the touch, and asked, “City Lord Miao, if Huang Da asks about your condition…”
Miao Hong’s eyes flashed, “You can tell him the truth!”
“Good!”
Afterwards, Miao Hong told Yang Kai how to find Huang Da’s residence. Only then did Yang Kai take his leave.
The City Lord’s Mansion was not small. Fortunately, Yang Kai still had a faint recollection of the layout after his earlier exploration. With the help of Miao Hong’s directions, he quickly found Huang Da’s residence.
It was only natural that their first meeting was laced with some misunderstanding.
After Yang Kai revealed the Faith Token though, Huang Da became very emotional and asked about Miao Hong’s condition. As such, Yang Kai explained everything to him. Huang Da was both pleased and surprised by the news. It was not until Yang Kai mentioned Shi Ming Hui that he finally realised that the latter was Yang Kai’s subordinate.
“Don’t worry. Your subordinate is only being locked up in the dungeons for the time being and is in no real danger. The City Lord’s Mansion is currently facing troubled times with many people plotting in secret who do not want to raise any further fuss, so he won’t be in danger until the dust of this huge incident settles. If anything unexpected happens, this Old Master will help to watch out for him,” Huang Da promised.
“Many thanks, Deacon Huang.” Yang Kai responded politely.
After a busy night, it was almost morning by the time Yang Kai returned to his living quarters.
A short while later, Du Yu Yu came to greet him. Yang Kai handed her the note he prepared in advance and sent her to purchase some items.
Miao Hong needed a large amount of nutrients to support his waning vitality; however, his body could not currently withstand the burden of strong supplements. Even his cultivation, which was at the peak of the Heaven Realm, could not help in this particular case; therefore, Yang Kai needed to think of a gentler method. After some consideration, Yang Kai determined that preparing a medicinal soup was the safest option.
Du Yu Yu did not know what Yang Kai wanted these ingredients for, but her biggest merit was her obedience. It didn’t take long before she returned after buying the listed items.
In the meantime, Yang Kai casually asked about Kou Yong.
Kou Yong was the man who had an affair with the City Lord’s Wife. According to the City Lord’s Wife, her Daughter was the result of her affair with him.
“Kou Yong?” Du Yu Yu pondered for a moment, “Is Sir referring to Heavenly Martial City’s Vice City Lord? I think he is in the Seventh-Step or Eighth-Step Heaven Realm!”
Yang Kai raised a brow at those words. It was not judgemental… He just felt that Miao Hong’s life was quite pitiful.
Yang Kai was busy all day, and when night fell, he secretly snuck into the City Lord’s Mansion again, this time to deliver food to Miao Hong…
The effects of the Vitality Pill were evident, and after finishing off a huge pot of medicinal soup, Miao Hong’s complexion became noticeably rosier. He was full of praise for Yang Kai, complementing him on being a promising young man. It was clear that he was trying to win Yang Kai over; after all, it was impossible to find another person in the Divine Armament World who not only stood at the peak of the Earth Realm but was also an Earth-Grade Alchemist at such a young age. It would surely be helpful if he could win Yang Kai over.
In the following days, Yang Kai would head to the City Lord’s Mansion at night to deliver nutrient-rich tonics to Miao Hong in order to supplement the Vitality Pills he had provided.
Miao Hong’s condition improved by the day, but his underlying injuries did not heal. There was no saying exactly how much strength he could exert, so he continued to endure under these circumstances and he would deliberately pretend to be dying whenever his Wife came to visit him.
The City Lord’s Wife would visit every few nights, and each time she came, she would viciously provoke him until he coughed up blood before she left in satisfaction.
On one occasion, Yang Kai was hiding on the roof beam when he saw the City Lord’s Wife and Kou Yong visiting together. They kissed and flirted openly right in front of Miao Hong…
This time around, Miao Hong was probably so angry that he passed out for real as it took Yang Kai a lot of effort to wake him up again.
On a certain day, Yang Kai was here to deliver the medicinal soup and Vitality Pills. After Miao Hong finished consuming both, he lay back on the bed and said, “Little Brother, I need to ask you for a favour.”
Yang Kai put away the items he brought and said, “Please speak freely, City Lord Miao.”
“I want you to go and welcome the Heaven Grade Alchemist of Profound Pill Sect, Gao Xin Peng!” Miao Hong panted for breath, “According to the plan, Alchemist Gao will arrive at Heavenly Martial City in three days’ time, but that cheating couple will not wait that long. You’ve seen the current situation over the past few days. They can’t wait for me to die. If I’m still alive when Gao Xin Peng arrives, they will probably risk making a move directly. That’s why I want you to meet Alchemist Gao and ask him to hasten his arrival, preferably without allowing anyone to find out.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Don’t worry, City Lord Miao. I’ve already taken care of this matter. There’s no need to disturb Alchemist Gao.”
Yang Kai had anticipated the situation that Miao Hong mentioned. Knowing that the City Lord’s Wife and Kou Yong would become desperate, he had made preparations in advance.
“Oh?” Miao Hong was surprised, “What have you arranged, Little Brother?”
Yang Kai reached into his pocket, took out a small jade bottle, and tipped out a longan-sized black pill from the bottle, “This is a Turtle Breath Pill. City Lord Miao, you will fall into a kind of false-death state after consuming this pill. Both your vitality and aura will be suppressed to the point that even those two will not be able to detect it.”
Miao Hong was extremely astonished. Taking the Turtle Breath Pill from Yang Kai’s hand, he asked a little hesitantly, “Is this pill really that effective?”
“City Lord Miao, do you not trust me?”
Miao Hong shook his head, “I might not have known you for long, but I can tell that you’re a brave and righteous young man. If you really wanted to harm this City Lord, you could have made your move a long time ago. Besides, you saved this City Lord’s life, so how can I not trust you?”
“It’s best if you can trust me, City Lord Miao. You don’t need to worry either as this Turtle Breath Pill does not have any negative side-effects. You just need to consume the antidote later and you will wake up within a quarter hour.” Yang Kai paused for a moment, “Besides, meeting Alchemist Gao now will only tip them off. They also know that Alchemist Gao is your only hope, City Lord Miao, so I’m sure they’re already monitoring his approach. There’s no saying what consequences we might face if we rashly contact him at this time.”
Miao Hong pondered for a moment and nodded, “Your words make sense, Little Brother. Let’s follow your plan.”
Yang Kai did not know how much Miao Hong trusted him, but it was clear that someone as stubborn and forbearing as Miao Hong would not be a kind man at heart. The betrayal of his closest confidante would surely have caused him to lose his trust in others. Nevertheless, he could probably sense that Yang Kai had no ill will towards him. Coupled with the fact that he had experienced Yang Kai’s abilities over the past few days, it was reason enough to accept Yang Kai’s suggestion.
Two nights later, Yang Kai hid on the roof beam and personally witnessed as the City Lord’s Wife, Qin You Shuang, and Kou Yong angered Miao Hong so much that he spat up three litres of blood and ‘died’ on the spot!
The sudden death of Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord caused the entire city to mourn!
Everybody knew that the City Lord was old and frail. It was public knowledge that he was reaching the end of his life expectancy; even so, many people had trouble accepting the truth when this news was announced.
Many shops and houses voluntarily hung white silk cloth above their doors to express their condolences to City Lord Miao Hong.
Yang Kai stood beside the window on the second floor of Tian Luo Hall’s shop.
Du Yu Yu stood beside him. Following his gaze, she looked out the window but did not see anything unusual, so she asked curiously, “Sir, what are you looking at?”
“A storm is coming!” He said.
Du Yu Yu looked up at the sky where the scorching sun was obviously shining brightly and thought, [Is there something wrong with his eyes?]
“Somebody might come looking for me later. Just let me know at the time.” After saying that, Yang Kai returned to his room. He had handed the antidote for the Turtle Breath Pill to Huang Da in advance. It was foreseeable that there would be a bloody battle at the City Lord’s Mansion, but Yang Kai had no plans to participate in something like that. It was enough for him to quietly wait here.
The only thing that interested him was the Heaven Grade Alchemist, Gao Xin Peng, who was coming soon. The pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was in that person’s hands after all.
Less than a day after Miao Hong’s death, Gao Xin Peng arrived. A Heaven Grade Alchemist held an extremely high status in the Divine Armament World, so his arrival created a great sensation in the city and many people went to look at the excitement from afar.
As a Heaven-Grade Alchemist of Profound Pill Sect, Gao Xin Peng was quickly welcomed into the City Lord’s Mansion.
It was not until late at night that Du Yu Yu suddenly knocked on Yang Kai’s door, “Sir, a Deacon from the City Lord’s Mansion named Huang Da is here to see you. Also, Shi Ming Hui is back.”
“Good,” Yang Kai responded as he stood up and walked out.
Huang Da stood waiting outside the shop, and Shi Ming Hui stood next to him, looking ashamed. When he saw Yang Kai, he quickly spoke with chagrin, “This subordinate was incompetent. Please punish me, Sir.”
He was only supposed to offer up two pills, but he was captured and detained for eight days instead. Even he felt that he was very incompetent.
Nevertheless, it was exactly as Huang Da had mentioned before. The City Lord’s Mansion was facing troubled times, so the City Lord’s Wife, Qin You Shuang, and the Vice City Lord, Kou Yong, had no intention of causing further trouble. As a result, Shi Ming Hui was only captured and fortunately, was not subjected to torture.
“It’s not your fault. Go and have a good rest,” Yang Kai waved Shi Ming Hui away and cupped his fist at Huang Da, “Deacon Huang!”
Huang Da returned the greeting, “You are too polite, Little Brother Yang. The City Lord sent this humble one here to invite you to the City Lord’s Mansion.”
Yang Kai had already expected this outcome so he simply nodded, “Lead the way.” Turning back, he called out to Du Yu Yu, “Come with me.”
Du Yu Yu quickly responded with a confused look. She clearly heard Huang Da saying that the City Lord had extended his invitation, but… wasn’t the City Lord dead? Did Heavenly Martial City obtain a new City Lord so quickly?
Even though Yang Kai had gone in and out of the City Lord’s Mansion on numerous occasions, this was actually his first time walking in openly.
Upon entering the premises, Du Yu Yu was horrified. The guards around them were busy cleaning up the place as there were bloodstains that had not dried up all over the ground and traces of battle in many areas. It was obvious that a huge struggle had occurred in this place; however, she could not understand why people were killing each other in the City Lord’s Mansion.
Soon, the two of them arrived at a Grand Hall under Huang Da’s leadership. This hall was brightly lit, but a bloody aura permeated the air. Heavenly Martial City’s City Lord, Miao Hong, sat majestically on the main seat. As soon as he saw Yang Kai, he laughed loudly and stood up in greeting, “Little Brother, I was waiting for you.”
“This Yang is reassured to see that you are safe, City Lord Miao.” Yang Kai greeted warmly.
“It’s all thanks to you that this City Lord can stand here today! Come, come, come! Let me introduce you to an honoured guest!”
While saying so, Miao Hong enthusiastically grabbed Yang Kai by the arm and led him into the hall.
Yang Kai immediately saw the man sitting at the first seat on the left at a glance. There was nothing special about this man’s appearance. Rather, he seemed extremely ordinary. He was dressed in pale blue robes and at this moment, he was looking over with an inquisitive gaze.
Behind him stood a man and a woman. Their auras were concealed, but Yang Kai could clearly sense that they possessed horrifying strength. Similar to Miao Hong, these two were most likely Masters at the peak of the Heaven Realm!
At this moment, they were standing behind the seated man like bodyguards. Thus, Yang Kai immediately knew that this man was the target of his visit, Heaven Grade Alchemist, Gao Xin Peng.
Sure enough, Miao Hong pointed at Gao Xin Peng and introduced them, “Little Brother, this is Alchemist Gao of Profound Pill Sect!”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “This Junior has long admired Senior Gao!”
Gao Xin Peng looked at Yang Kai with interest. On the other hand, the expressions of the two guards behind Gao Xin Peng turned cold and a chilly pressure loomed down on Yang Kai. The status of a Heaven Grade Alchemist was highly revered so most people would bring large gifts and act worshipful; nobody would ever act as open and aloof as Yang Kai. It was only natural that these two were unhappy with his conduct.
Even Miao Hong was slightly surprised. It was just that he was not in the position to say anything, considering all the help that Yang Kai had given him; thus, he simply chuckled and continued with the introductions, “Brother Gao, this is the one I mentioned to you before, Little Junior Brother Yang. It’s all thanks to Little Junior Brother Yang’s help that this Miao turned misfortune into great fortune in this situation. Like you, he is this Miao’s saviour.”
Gao Xin Peng nodded lightly and smiled, “I didn’t quite dare to believe it when I first heard about you from the City Lord, but now that I see you, you are indeed a brave and talented young man. I’ve taken a look at both the Vitality Pills and the Turtle Breath Pill you refined. Your methods are quite unusual but profound. Even the way you proportioned the herbs is very innovative. I gained a lot from studying those pills. Are you an Earth-Grade Alchemist?”
“Probably!” Yang Kai smiled.
Gao Xin Peng was stunned, “If you are, then you are. If you’re not, then you’re not. What do you mean by probably? Forget it; seeing as you can refine those two pills, you definitely have the foundation of an Earth-Grade Alchemist. It looks like your Master is not an ordinary person.”
As a Heaven Grade Alchemist, Gao Xin Peng was qualified enough to take no notice of Earth Grade Alchemists, but Yang Kai was a little different. He was so young that his future was unlimited; otherwise, Gao Xin Peng would not have been this polite.
Yang Kai casually replied, “Perhaps. It’s just that the Master who taught me Alchemy has no origins, so I’m not too certain either.”
Gao Xin Peng nodded lightly, “There are many such hidden Masters in the world. If possible, can you introduce us, Little Brother? I would like to meet your Master!”
To teach a Disciple like Yang Kai, this hidden Alchemist was bound to be a Heaven Grade Alchemist or higher; thus, he was qualified to discuss Alchemy with Gao Xin Peng.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, Alchemist Gao. I won’t hide the truth. My Master only taught me for a few years when I was younger before he left. I’ve not heard from him since.”
As expected, Gao Xin Peng revealed a disappointed expression and sighed, “Is that so? What a pity!”
Miao Hong smiled by the side and said, “Let us sit and talk.” After Yang Kai sat down, he finally continued, “Both of you are my saviours. If not for your help, this Miao Hong would have died a tragic death.”
Yang Kai had helped him to prolong his life buying him time until Gao Xin Peng arrived. On the other hand, Gao Xin Peng brought two Masters at the peak of the Heaven Realm with him to help clean out the traitors in the City Lord’s Mansion and regain authority over Heavenly Martial City!
As for what happened to Kou Yong and the others, Yang Kai could not be bothered to ask. They most likely were met with a tragic end. In fact, Kou Yong might have contributed to the smell of blood in this very hall.
“Brother Gao and I have known each other for several dozen years and have a deep and inseparable friendship, so this City Lord won’t bother offering his thanks.”
Gao Xin Peng chuckled, “If not for your help back then, City Lord Miao, this Gao would not be standing here today. If you need help, this Gao will naturally come to your aid!”
Miao Hong nodded lightly and turned to look at Yang Kai, “Little Brother, we had not met until a few days ago, but you’ve already done a great kindness for me. This City Lord is extremely grateful. Besides, this City Lord promised to reward you handsomely! Little Brother, do you have any wishes? If you do, please do not hold back. This City Lord will not refuse as long as it is within my means!”
It could be seen that he was in a jubilant mood; moreover, it was a gesture of sincerity to speak of such matters in front of Gao Xin Peng.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before nodding, “There is indeed something I’d like you to do for me, City Lord.”
“Go ahead and speak freely!” Miao Hong looked at Yang Kai with a smile.
Yang Kai turned to look at Gao Xin Peng “I wish to compete with Alchemist Gao in Alchemy!”
The smile on Miao Hong’s face stiffened while Gao Xin Peng looked surprised. As for the two bodyguards behind Gao Xin Peng, they shouted in unison, “How dare you!”
Gao Xin Peng raised his hand slightly and looked at Yang Kai curiously, “You want to compete with me in Alchemy?”
“Yes! I hope you will fulfil my wish, Alchemist Gao!” Yang Kai said seriously.
Gao Xin Peng burst out laughing, “You are an Earth Grade Alchemist while I am a Heaven Grade Alchemist. We are in different Grades altogether. How can we compete?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve never competed with other Alchemists before, so I’m curious about the difference between myself and the others. It is a rare opportunity to encounter Alchemist Gao, so… I have a bit of an itch!”
Miao Hong spoke up from the side with a strange expression, “Little Brother, didn’t your Master tell you that a competition between Alchemists is a very serious matter? Unless they have grievances against each other, they would never make such requests easily.”
Yang Kai was extremely astonished, “Is there such an etiquette?”
He turned to look at Du Yu Yu. Her complexion was ashen, but she nodded, “Yes!”
When she heard that Yang Kai wanted to compete against Gao Xin Peng in Alchemy, she had been so frightened that she nearly fell to the ground weakly.
Miao Hong burst into laughter and shook his head, “Little Brother, your actions are equivalent to pointing a sword at this Miao and declaring a battle to the death!”
Yang Kai was stunned, [No wonder the two bodyguards behind Gao Xin Peng reacted so strongly. It seems that my request is no different from challenging Gao Xin Peng. Thank goodness Gao Xin Peng is not such a petty man; otherwise, we could have fallen out with each other right here and now.]
Yang Kai was ashamed and cupped his fist apologetically, “It appears this Yang is truly ignorant and uninformed. Please forgive me, Alchemist Gao!”
Gao Xin Peng laughed, “It looks like your Master did not tell you much about the taboos among Alchemists.”
Yang Kai did not know what to say to that as he did not have a Master to speak of. The only Master he had in the Divine Armament World was the Sect Master of Void Spirit Sword Sect. His random excuse was only to deal with Gao Xin Peng’s questions. [But, if I can’t compete with Gao Xin Peng, then how am I going to get my hands on the pill recipe of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill?]
Just as Yang Kai was feeling extremely conflicted, Gao Xin Peng suddenly spoke up, “It’s been a while since I’ve encountered something so interesting. Let’s do this instead; we can exchange some pointers with each other.”
“Really?” Yang Kai raised his brow at those words. He thought that he would need to change his plans, but who could have known that Gao Xin Peng would agree to his request? It was an unexpected surprise.
Gao Xin Peng smiled, “It’s just a friendly match. Since it’s not a competition, it’s not a big deal. Besides, this Gao is interested in your Alchemy Techniques.”
He was certainly an honest person who said what he was thinking. If he was not interested in Yang Kai’s Alchemy Techniques, he would never have agreed to this request; after all, he was a Heaven Grade Alchemist. It was impossible for an Earth-Grade Alchemist to surpass him in Alchemy Techniques.
Miao Hong hesitated, “Brother Gao, is this really alright?”
Gao Xin Peng smiled slightly, “Why? Are you afraid that this Gao will bully the weak, City Lord?”
Miao Hong quickly waved his hands in denial, “Brother Gao, you know that’s not what I meant. It’s just… Forget it. Since you’ve already agreed to this request, Brother Gao, this Miao won’t say any more. I just hope that you know when to stop. Don’t harm the peace!”
“Of course,” Gao Xin Peng turned to look at Yang Kai, “Little Brother, since you wanted to learn from me, I’ll let you decide on the topic. What pill do you think we should refine?”
“The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!” Yang Kai immediately replied.
Gao Xin Peng was slightly stunned, “The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill? Little Brother, are you sure you want to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill?”
Yang Kai said, “I’m already at the peak of the Earth Realm and I currently need a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance into the Heaven Realm. After I complete this pill, I can also make the best use of the pill.”
Gao Xin Peng asked, “Little Brother, could it be that you’re not aware? The Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill cannot be refined by those who are not in the Heaven Realm.”
“Why is that?” Yang Kai furrowed his eyebrows.
Gao Xin Peng explained, “The Spirit Qi in Earth Realm Masters is not sufficient to support the refining of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. Only those in the Heaven Realm can refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.”
Seeing Yang Kai’s ignorance, he couldn’t help doubting whether the Vitality Pills and the Turtle Breath Pill were refined by Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had never heard of such things before. Although the Divine Armament World had given him some memories along with an identity to move around in the world, he didn’t know much of the common knowledge about the Alchemic Dao here.
Upon further consideration though, Yang Kai realised something. Cultivators needed the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm, but the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill could only be refined by those in the Heaven Realm. If that was the case, then how did the first Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill come about?
This question was similar to the question of ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ There was no answer.
“You won’t have any advantages if we refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill. Why don’t you change it to something else instead?” Gao Xin Peng suggested.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “I am confident that I can refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.”
Leaving aside the fact that the Spirit Qi in his body was much stronger than general Earth Realm Masters, his own accomplishments in the Alchemic Dao were enough to allow him to figure out a solution when faced with various problems. His top priority was to obtain the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill!
Seeing Yang Kai’s persistence, Gao Xin Peng became slightly annoyed. He felt as though Yang Kai was deliberately trying to show off in front of him. No matter how good-tempered he was, he was still a highly revered Heaven Grade Alchemist. Nobody had ever been so presumptuous in front of him before.
As a result, Gao Xin Peng’s voice turned frosty and he declared, “If you’re so insistent, then we’ll refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.”
There was no denying that Yang Kai was extremely talented. He had heard from Miao Hong that Yang Kai was only 18 years old. Be that as it may, Yang Kai not only stood at the peak of the Earth Realm but was also an Earth Grade Alchemist. Such a person was incredibly outstanding in the Divine Armament World.
[His extraordinary talent must have made him arrogant. It might not be a bad thing for somebody like him to face some hardships in life.] Gao Xin Peng quietly vowed to himself. [I’m going to put him in his place during our Alchemy exchange. I have to show him that there’s always somebody better than him out there.]
Seeing that the two had come to an agreement, Miao Hong laughed, “This Miao is very fortunate to be able to witness two Alchemists competing with each other. What herbs do you need to prepare? This Miao will send somebody to purchase them immediately!”
Yang Kai immediately perked up his ears. How could he know what herbs he needed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill? All his hopes were pinned on Gao Xin Peng right now. All his efforts in Heavenly Martial City were only for this moment.
A complete pill recipe not only included the list of herbs though, the refining steps, techniques, as well as the strength of the fire required was also needed. Nevertheless, it would be easier for him to deduce the pill recipe if he knew what kinds of herbs were needed.
Gao Xin Peng smiled, “There’s no need to trouble you, City Lord Miao. This Gao will send his subordinate to purchase the necessary herbs.”
After saying that, he turned around to the two Heaven Realm bodyguards behind him and issued some instructions. The female Heaven Realm Master immediately walked out.
Yang Kai nearly spat out a mouthful of blood at the sight! Despite knowing that it would not be easy to get his hands on the pill recipe of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, the scene in front of him still made him exceptionally gloomy.
[No wonder they say that the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill is an Alchemist’s greatest secret.] Gao Xin Peng’s actions were naturally to prevent others from learning what kind of herbs he used in this refinement process. But, if he was acting so secretive, then how was Yang Kai going to know what kinds of herbs were needed in the pill recipe?
Miao Hong turned to look at Yang Kai, who forced out a smile, “Many thanks for your concern, City Lord. I will also prepare my own herbs.”
“Good!” Miao Hong stopped insisting, “It’s getting late today and I’m sure the two of you have many preparations to make. In that case, let’s do this tomorrow. When the two of you are ready, this Miao will open up the Pill Room so that you may compete to your hearts’ content.”
The City Lord’s Mansion was in turmoil today and many people had been killed and injured. Miao Hong himself had barely escaped from the jaws of death earlier; thus, he was dead tired after forcefully pushing his energy to the limits and talking so much. Even so, he made sure to personally arrange for Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai’s living quarters before he left to get some rest.
That night, Yang Kai sighed and put on his familiar black robes. Instructing Du Yu Yu to keep watch, he silently left on his own.
In order to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, he had to know what kind of herbs Gao Xin Peng had purchased; therefore, he could only go out and investigate by himself.
It was fortunate that he had been wandering around the City Lord’s Mansion recently and he had perfected his stealth techniques over the past few days. After a short search, he quickly found the place where Gao Xin Peng was staying. Concealing his aura, Yang Kai silently crouched beside the skylight and looked down into the room.
There was a single flickering candle inside the room. Gao Xin Peng sat on the bed, seeming to be resting in meditation. There was no sight of the male bodyguard, so he was probably outside the door.
Thus, Yang Kai breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Both of Gao Xin Peng’s bodyguards were at the peak of the Heaven Realm and not people he could oppose right now.
There was already a precedent of being discovered by Miao Hong previously, so Yang Kai did not know whether his presence would be discovered if he kept spying into the room; therefore, the fact that the bodyguard was not inside the room was something to be celebrated.
Although Gao Xin Peng was also in the Heaven Realm, his cultivation was not at the peak of the Heaven Realm. Besides, an Alchemist like him would spend most of his energy on Alchemy. Despite being a Heaven Realm Master, he probably could not exert the strength corresponding to his cultivation.
As long as Yang Kai was careful, he would not be discovered.
After waiting for about an hour, Yang Kai suddenly heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. His spirits lifted, knowing that the female bodyguard had returned from buying the herbs.
Sure enough, the female bodyguard knocked on the door and entered the room. She placed the bag in her hands on the table and cupped her fist, “Sir, I’ve bought the herbs.”
Gao Xin Peng didn’t even bother to open his eyes, “Good. You may leave.”
“Yes!” The female bodyguard responded and respectfully took her leave.
Yang Kai’s gaze latched firmly upon that bag like a leech. He knew that all the herbs needed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill were inside. As long as Gao Xin Peng opened the bag to check the contents, he could get a glimpse of what he needed.
And so he waited quietly…
What made Yang Kai so depressed that he wanted to spit blood though, was that Gao Xin Peng continued to meditate without moving. Dawn was about to arrive, but Gao Xin Peng remained calm and peaceful. It was obvious that he was extremely confident in his subordinate’s ability to carry out her duties.
However, Yang Kai was waiting for Gao Xin Peng to open the bag. [What am I supposed to do in this situation!?]
Yang Kai was beginning to contemplate luring the two bodyguards and Gao Xin Peng away with some sort of trick in order to investigate the contents of the bag himself, but just as he was preparing to move, Gao Xin Peng, who had been sitting cross-legged all this while, finally roused from his meditation.
Under Yang Kai’s scrutinising gaze, Gao Xin Peng got out of bed and boiled a pot of tea. While sipping slowly on his tea, he seemed to recall something and opened the bag, taking out all the herbs and checking them one by one.
Seeing this, Yang Kai was tempted to summon the Azure Dragon Spear and stab Gao Xin Peng to death! Unfortunately, he knew that the idea was unrealistic, so instead, he quickly memorised all the quantities and the types of herbs.
A short while later, Yang Kai quietly slipped away. He led Du Yu Yu out of the City Lord’s Mansion and returned to Tian Luo Hall’s shop. Taking all the Black Jades that he previously brought with him, he hurriedly rushed to the various medicine shops.
When the sun was high up in the sky, everyone gathered at the Pill Room in the City Lord’s Mansion. Miao Hong personally opened the Pill Room, then he led Yang Kai and Gao Xin Peng inside, smilingly reporting, “This is the Pill Room of the City Lord’s Mansion. You can access the Earth Fire here. Of course, it cannot compare with your Alchemy Flame, Brother Gao, but it is enough for the lowly Alchemists in Heavenly Martial City.”
Gao Xin Peng nodded reservedly, “Since this is a learning exchange with Little Junior Brother Yang, it’s only right for everybody to use the same Alchemy Tools. This is fine!”
He obviously did not wish to seem as though he was bullying the weak; otherwise, it would not be an honest victory even if he won. It was a symbol of fairness for both of them to use the same Earth Fire and Alchemy Furnaces in this place.
Miao Hong personally explained to Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai about how to use their Spirit Qi to draw upon the Earth-Fire; then, he asked the two of them to each find an Alchemy Furnace of similar standards. Only then did he stand to the side with a proud expression. As the witness of this competition, he was full of smiles.
Although he was a Master at the peak of the Heaven Realm, he rarely had the chance to observe Heaven Grade Alchemists like Gao Xin Peng personally performing Alchemy.
Under normal circumstances, the Alchemy Techniques of Heaven Grade Alchemists were absolutely confidential. Except for a few assistants, it was impossible for others to observe and emulate their actions from up close.
Miao Hong had known Gao Xin Peng for decades, but he had never seen Gao Xin Peng refining pills. It was only natural that he was extremely interested in this matter.
“If the two of you are ready, then this exchange competition can begin now.” Miao Hong gestured.
Gao Xin Peng nodded lightly. He opened his bag, took out the herbs, and arranged them by the side.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai continued to activate his Spirit Qi and familiarize himself with the Earth Fire. The strength of the fire was extremely important in Alchemy, so it was very important to familiarise himself with his new tools.
Needless to say, Yang Kai’s main reason was to buy more time so that he could observe and emulate Gao Xin Peng’s refining process.
Under normal circumstances, it was impossible to obtain the secrets of the pill recipe just by observing an Alchemist during the process of refining a pill; however, Yang Kai was not comparable with ordinary Alchemists. His profound attainments in the Alchemic Dao were his greatest capital.
Besides, he had partially deduced the pill recipe in his mind while buying the herbs. At this point, he already had several ideas in mind.
If there was a complete Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in front of him right now to further supplement the information he received already, he was 60% confident that he could fully deduce the pill recipe. Naturally, this process would take a long time, possibly taking several months to several years to complete.
On the other side, Gao Xin Peng finished arranging and preparing his herbs. He activated his Spirit Qi and stimulated the Earth-Fire; then, he skillfully placed herb after herb into the Alchemy Furnace to condense the medicinal liquid.
In the meantime, he also glanced over to see what Yang Kai was doing. When he saw that Yang Kai was still getting familiarised with the Earth Fire, he couldn’t help shaking his head slowly. He wondered whether he had been a little too hasty when he agreed to this competition as Yang Kai’s current performance was very disappointing.
It was not until Gao Xin Peng had tempered most of his medicinal liquid that Yang Kai finally made a move. Under Yang Kai’s instructions, Du Yu Yu opened the bag they brought and took out the herbs one by one.
Gao Xin Peng glanced over and couldn’t help being startled. Even the Earth Fire below his Alchemy Furnace flickered for a moment. It was obvious that his mental state had been affected quite badly. He panicked for a moment and quickly controlled the Alchemy Flame again.
The reason for his reaction was that he noticed the herbs Yang Kai brought were practically identical to what he took out earlier; moreover, even the quantities were similar.
This was very strange. Although the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill could be refined as long as one was a Heaven Grade Alchemist in the Divine Armament World, the pill recipe owned by each Sect was bound to have subtle differences. The most obvious manifestation of these differences was the difference in the type of herbs. Naturally, the medicinal efficacies of different Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill also varied in strength.
As one of the current top ten Sects in the Divine Armament World today, Profound Pill Sect boasted an impressive heritage and long-standing inheritance. The pill recipe for their Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill had thus undergone countless generations of improvements and modifications. Even if they dared not claim to be the best in the world, they would still rank among the top three.
Hence, it was impossible for the pill recipe mastered by other people or other Alchemy Sects to be identical to that of Profound Pill Sect! That was why Gao Xin Peng was so shocked to see that the herbs Yang Kai brought out were almost identical to his own.
On the other hand, Yang Kai looked up and nodded lightly at Gao Xin Peng. He knew that Gao Xin Peng was feeling suspicious.
He had previously considered buying several extra portions of herbs to disguise his intentions. His main purpose in performing Alchemy today was to imitate Gao Xin Peng; by doing so, he could then deduce and perfect the pill recipe during the process. Those additional herbs would not only prove to be useless at the end of the refinement process, but they would also serve to highlight his guilty conscience instead. So, he decided against that method.
Fortunately, Gao Xin Peng said nothing even though he did not understand why the herbs that Yang Kai brought were so similar to his own. The only difference was in their quantities. He simply suppressed his doubts and decided to inquire about this matter after he finished the refinement process.
As time passed, Yang Kai formed various hand seals that changed constantly. His Spirit Qi fluctuated wildly, and the Earth Fire he controlled also became stronger and weaker accordingly.
Yang Kai looked like he had fully immersed himself in condensing his medicinal liquid, but in reality, he had separated a thread of his consciousness to observe Gao Xin Peng’s movements. He then mimicked all of Gao Xin Peng’s methods, though he did not copy everything exactly.
His own attainments in the Alchemic Dao were extremely deep, so even though he was imitating Gao Xin Peng’s refining process, the truth was that many different concepts would instantaneously appear in his head. This allowed Yang Kai to use his own special means to replace Gao Xin Peng’s secret Alchemy Techniques. Be that as it may, their Alchemy refining process looked extremely similar.
There was too little time and he needed to keep up with Gao Xin Peng’s various Alchemy processes, so Yang Kai could not afford the time to conceal his actions too much.
Even Miao Hong, who didn’t know anything about Alchemy, could tell that something was wrong from where he stood watching by the side. His gaze would flicker between Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai from time to time with a puzzled expression.
With Miao Hong noticing something was off, there was obviously no fooling Gao Xin Peng. Even though Yang Kai had tried to change things up as much as possible, Gao Xin Peng could tell that Yang Kai’s movements when refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill were performed at practically the same rhythm as himself, only slightly slower.
This realization made his expression change subtly.
At this point, Yang Kai could not be bothered to care so much anymore. Things had already progressed to this point, so he could only continue until the end. As long as he could completely observe and emulate Gao Xin Peng’s refining process, it would be a success!
As more and more medicinal liquid was condensed at a steady rate, the temperature in the Pill Room increased accordingly. Gao Xin Peng’s expression remained unchanged. For a Heaven Grade Alchemist like him, refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill was not a difficult matter. All he needed to worry about was whether or not he could succeed in producing a pill at the end.
In contrast, Yang Kai was drenched in sweat and his complexion was pale. It looked like the process was consuming a lot of his energy.
He was not faking it either. Refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill required a considerable amount of Spirit Qi and it was only now that he finally understood why Gao Xin Peng had said that it was impossible to refine this pill unless one was in the Heaven Realm. The Spirit Qi in the body of an Earth Realm cultivator could not satisfy this level of consumption.
Yang Kai was the only exception as his heritage was incomparable to ordinary Earth Realm cultivators. That was why he managed to persevere until now. If it had been any other Earth Realm cultivator, their Spirit Qi would have been exhausted long ago.
That was not all though as he also needed to keep an eye on Gao Xin Peng’s situation at all times and prevent the other party from finding any flaws in his performance. The mental consumption was not small.
Yang Kai was indeed rather tired, but his fatigue was not as severe as it seemed on the surface.
Half a day later, both of their refining processes reached the final stages.
Miao Hong’s expression was filled with shock and amazement. At this stage of the refining process, the pill was almost formed. He never imagined that Yang Kai might actually be a Heaven-Grade Alchemist.
Even so, Yang Kai remained steady and did not make any mistakes. The only difference between him and Gao Xin Peng was that his complexion was so pale that it was frightening. It would seem that refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill with a cultivation in the Earth Realm was still a little too much. Nevertheless, this was enough to showcase his attainments in Alchemy. All that was lacking was his cultivation.
An 18-year-old young man who not only stood at the peak of the Earth Realm but was also very likely to be promoted to the Heaven Realm soon. Not to mention, he had the heritage of a Heaven-Grade Alchemist, such a person was… absolutely terrifying!
Miao Hong felt that he needed to reassess his opinion of Yang Kai. The status of a Heaven Grade Alchemist was enough to leave even him behind in the dust, not to mention that Yang Kai’s cultivation was superb for his age as well.
At this moment, Gao Xin Peng suddenly reached his hand into his pocket and took out a clear bottle. The bottle contained an unknown substance that looked like some sort of viscous liquid. Opening the Alchemy Furnace, he uncorked the bottle and tipped the bottle slightly. A drop of amber liquid dripped into the Alchemy Furnace.
Yang Kai’s expression instantly became gloomy…
After all the effort he went through to reach this point, he never imagined that Gao Xin Peng would have a hidden ingredient! He had already figured out the necessary herbs and basic processes to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
[But, what is inside that bottle!?] It was fortunate that his mental strength was still strong; otherwise, his Alchemy Furnace could have exploded on the spot if he was not careful.
All he could do at this point was pray that the ingredient inside that bottle was not a necessary ingredient in the refining process; otherwise, his attempt to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill would end in a failure.
After Gao Xin Peng dripped a drop of the unknown medicinal liquid into the Alchemy Furnace, he quickly began condensing his pill. It didn’t take long before an unusual medicinal fragrance spilled out from within.
Miao Hong became excited. He knew that Gao Xin Peng was about to condense the pills. Success or failure would depend on this moment.
Gao Xin Peng was indeed worthy of being a veteran Heaven Grade Alchemist. Under the everchanging hand seals he used, he executed a Pill Condensing Technique and a soft sound immediately came from inside the Alchemy Furnace.
Taking a small breath, he was in no rush to open the furnace; instead, he looked up at Yang Kai and stared fixedly.
Similarly, Yang Kai was about to condense his pills. His tense nerves slowly relaxed. He discovered that even without the unknown medicinal liquid, the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill he refined were not affected. It would seem that the medicinal liquid Gao Xin Peng added at the end was not a necessary one.
When he reached the final stage to condense his pills, Yang Kai did not use his Nine Heavens Profound Pill Method as this Pill Condensing Technique was far too powerful for the Divine Armament World. Hence, he only used another Pill Condensing Technique that was neither too good nor too bad.
A series of clanging sounds rang out soon after and the medicinal fragrance in the Pill Room became denser than ever.
Yang Kai’s complexion was so pale that it was frightening. Pretending as though he was about to die, he stumbled and collapsed face-first towards the ground. Fortunately, Du Yu Yu moved quickly and caught him before he fell, calling out anxiously, “Sir!”
Gao Xin Peng hurried over and stated, “He is suffering from overconsumption. It should have been impossible for an Earth Realm Master to refine a Heaven Grade pill in the first place. I can’t believe he actually did it. Hurry up and let him lie down!”
Du Yu Yu laid Yang Kai down as she was told. Then, Gao Xin Peng took out a pill and handed it to her and ordered, “Give this to him.”
She took the pill but hesitated slightly; on the other hand, Yang Kai just weakly said, “Many thanks, Alchemist Gao.”
Gao Xin Peng waved his hand dismissively, “Don’t talk. Just focus on recovering. There’s something I want to ask you after.”
Yang Kai sighed in his heart. He knew that Gao Xin Peng was very concerned about his performance earlier. Whether it was in terms of Alchemy ingredients or the refinement process, he was being suspected of imitating Gao Xin Peng. Anybody who encountered something like this would probably be unable to get over it so easily.
He secretly felt thankful that Gao Xin Peng was good-natured and did not kick up a fuss on the spot, but how was he supposed to explain this situation now?
The current Void Spirit Sword Sect could not afford to upset a Heaven-Grade Alchemist. If he offended Gao Xin Peng here, he would probably suffer greatly in the future.
After being fed the pill by Du Yu Yu, Yang Kai’s Spirit Qi quickly recovered.
On the other side, Miao Hong walked over with two jade bottles in his hand and smilingly said, “This Miao has taken the initiative to collect the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that you two refined. This is what Brother Gao refined. There are four pills. Three of them are Mid-Rank pills and one of them is a Low-Rank pill.”
He handed one of the jade bottles to Gao Xin Peng. Gao Xin Peng accepted the bottle without reservation.
“This is what you refined, Little Brother.” Miao Hong’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Yang Kai, “You produced one Low-Rank pill!”
“Alchemist Gao, your skills are truly superb. This Yang is very lacking in comparison. I’ve learned a lot!” Yang Kai cupped his fist slightly.
Regardless of everything else, he had succeeded in secretly learning the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, so it made no difference to him even if he admitted his loss in this competition.
Besides, he deliberately made it so that he produced only one Low-Rank pill at the end. If he really put his mind to the task, it would have been impossible for him to produce such poor results even if it was his first time refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
Gao Xin Peng shook his head, “This Gao was unable to refine a Heaven Grade pill with the strength of an Earth Realm Master. It is this Gao who is lacking.” He turned to look at Miao Hong, “Brother Miao, please prepare a secret room. I need to have a good chat with Little Junior Brother Yang.”
“No problem.” Miao Hong immediately agreed.
Yang Kai sighed in his heart. He knew that it might be a blessing and not a curse, but even if it was a curse, it couldn’t be avoided.
The traces of how Yang Kai had imitated Gao Xin Peng were far too obvious. Gao Xin Peng probably suspected something a long time ago. He probably did not ask anything earlier because he did not want to be distracted during the competition. Now that the competition was over though, it was only natural to get to the bottom of the matter.
[How should I explain this situation?] Yang Kai was a little perplexed. [I can’t say that the pill recipe I obtained is identical to his. How can something so coincidental happen? But, there is no other reasonable explanation otherwise.]
At this point, he could only take one step at a time. Gao Xin Peng did not look like a pedantic person; furthermore, he was a Heaven-Grade Alchemist. Yang Kai did not wish to have a falling out with him if possible.
Miao Hong quickly prepared a quiet room and Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai entered it with their entourages. Then, Gao Xin Peng turned to the two Heaven Realm bodyguards who had been following behind him all this while and said, “Leave us.”
“Sir…” The female Heaven Realm Master hesitated slightly.
“Leave us!” He instructed once more, in a firmer tone.
Only then did the two bodyguards take their leave. Before they left, they shot a deep glare at Yang Kai, as if to say that they would immediately rush in and chop him into pieces if he dared to harm Gao Xin Peng.
“You stand down too,” Yang Kai ordered Du Yu Yu.
Du Yu Yu said nothing in particular and respectfully left the room.
As soon as the door closed, Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai were the only ones left in the room. Gao Xin Peng stared fixedly at Yang Kai with a measuring look. The way he observed Yang Kai up and down was as though it was his first time getting to know him.
Yang Kai was watched so keenly that he felt uncomfortable all over; thus, he began mulling over how to end things later once the truth was exposed.
There were two more Sword Qi attacks that he could activate in the True Void Sword, but those attacks were ridiculously overpowered. If he used the True Void Sword here, forget Gao Xin Peng, the entire City Lord’s Mansion would be razed to the ground.
He neither wished to be pursued by Profound Pill Sect as a wanted man nor drag Void Spirit Sword Sect into his mess; therefore, he could not use the True Void Sword Qi unless it was absolutely necessary.
“Little Brother, do you know the identity of the Master who taught you Alchemy? What was his name?” Just as Yang Kai’s thoughts were bouncing around in his head, Gao Xin Peng suddenly popped out this question.
Yang Kai shook his head solemnly, “Unfortunately, I don’t. I’m sure you know that I’m a Void Spirit Sword Sect disciple, Alchemist Gao. Master came to Void Spirit Sword Sect, taught me Alchemy for a few years, and then left to travel around the world again. From the start to the end, he never revealed his name.”
He casually responded to the question while thinking to himself, [How would I know what my non-existent Master is called? It’s unrealistic to make up a name now. If Gao Xin Peng decides to investigate, my secrets will quickly be discovered. I can only be as ambiguous as possible.]
Gao Xin Peng raised his eyebrows, “That Senior… Why did he teach you Alchemy?”
Yang Kai shook his head again, “I was only six or seven years old when my Master taught me Alchemy. I was too young at the time, so I don’t remember much from back then.”
“Six or seven years old…” Gao Xin Peng quietly made some calculations, “So, this happened approximately ten years ago?”
“En!”
“Do you remember how he looked?” Gao Xin Peng continued asking.
Yang Kai was helpless and could only continue talking nonsense, “I don’t quite remember. I think he is quite old as his hair was greying. He also always wore a set of dirty clothes…”
Gao Xin Peng’s eyes immediately lit up at those words, frightening Yang Kai so much that he quickly said, “As you know, I was very young back then. I don’t remember much.”
“I understand! I understand!” Gao Xin Peng nodded repeatedly, “Think about it carefully. What other more specific special characteristics did your Master have?”
“More specific? Which aspect?” Yang Kai was honestly at his wits end by now. He no longer knew how to continue with his story.
“His hand!” Gao Xin Peng raised his left hand and waved his hand around in front of Yang Kai’s face.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment before the realization struck him, “Yes, there was something. I think he either had an extra finger or was missing a finger!”
“An extra finger!” Gao Xin Peng’s expression was serious.
Yang Kai slapped his thigh, “Yes, that’s right! He had an extra finger!”
He didn’t dare to say more. If he said anything else, he might end up exposing his own secrets. At this point, he had the vague feeling that this nonsensical Master he created on the fly was an actual person. It was just that Gao Xin Peng seemed to have misunderstood something; therefore, he quickly tried to take control of the conversation by asking, “Alchemist Gao, do you know my Master?”
Gao Xin Peng breathed out lightly. Yang Kai could sense that the way Gao Xin Peng looked at him had become much more cordial. Nodding lightly, Gao Xin Peng replied, “Of course! How can I not know him? If that’s the case, everything makes sense now.”
Yang Kai sat up straight, “Please enlighten me, Alchemist Gao!”
Gao Xin Peng smilingly said, “Didn’t you realise that the herbs you and I both needed to refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill, as well as the refining process and the steps are basically the same?”
Yang Kai was astonished, “Is that so?”
Gao Xin Peng nodded and explained, “You were very focused on performing Alchemy earlier, so you probably didn’t have the time to observe your surroundings; however, I saw everything clearly. The pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that you and I have is almost identical! This should have been impossible as there are countless pill recipes for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in the Divine Armament World. Moreover, each pill recipe will have subtle differences unless they come from the same Sect. I was puzzled earlier and wondered why you had the pill recipe belonging to Profound Pill Sect, but everything makes sense now.”
Yang Kai pretended to humbly ask for advice.
Gao Xin Peng smiled, “Do you still not understand? The one who taught you Alchemy belongs to Profound Pill Sect!”
“Huh!?” Yang Kai was genuinely shocked. [I can’t believe that the non-existent Master I randomly created became related to Profound Pill Sect! This is quite a pleasant surprise.]
“Alchemist Gao, this…” Yang Kai didn’t know what to say. After careful consideration, he realised that the main reason for Gao Xin Peng’s speculation lay in the fact that their pill recipes were identical. As for the special characteristics of his fabricated Master, half came from his imagination and the other half was guesswork thanks to Gao Xin Peng’s guidance.
“Why are you still calling me Alchemist Gao?” Gao Xin Peng looked at Yang Kai with a smile.
It was said that great fortune brought wisdom, and Yang Kai’s wits were keen thanks to the good luck that came to him. He stood up and cupped his fist, “Greetings, Senior Brother Gao!”
“Sit down and talk!” Gao Xin Peng seemed even more amicable now.
Yang Kai sat down as he was told, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. He had been worried about what Gao Xin Peng would do to him, but things had taken such a sudden turn instead. By some unfathomable circumstances, he was now Gao Xin Peng’s Junior Brother.
“Of course, it’s hard to talk about the specifics since I have not met your Master in person. It’s only my speculation that you are the Disciple of that person, but I’m quite certain that is the case. Only that person will… uh, well, act in such a manner. The pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill that you obtained is the best proof.”
In this world, there was nobody who could deduce a complete pill recipe just by observing and imitating another person performing Alchemy once. That was why Gao Xin Peng never suspected Yang Kai of imitating his refinement process on the spot. From the beginning, he suspected that Yang Kai was a Disciple taught by one of the wandering Senior Experts of Profound Pill Sect. His subsequent inquiry was only to confirm his speculation.
“Senior Brother Gao, what kind of person is my Master?” Yang Kai took the opportunity to inquire more about his fabricated Master; otherwise, he might accidentally expose his own lies in the future.
Gao Xin Peng pondered the question for a while before he gave a short and helpless laugh, “That person… How do I put it? His manner of conduct is very eccentric. It’s not something you can guess by using common sense. In any case, you only need to remember this, that man is one of the oldest and most authoritative Seniors in the Sect. Even I have to call him Martial Uncle if I run into him! It’s just that it has been many years since I last saw him. He doesn’t really like to stay in Profound Pill Sect. He prefers to travel all over the world. Only the Heavens know what he does out there.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “It turns out that Master comes from such a prominent background…”
“But, I’m surprised that person actually took in a Disciple,” Gao Xin Peng turned to look at Yang Kai with a pensive look. All of a sudden, the realization struck him. [Martial Uncle has such discerning eyes! No Earth Realm Master in Profound Pill Sect could have refined a Heaven Grade pill. Could Martial Uncle have noticed that Junior Brother Yang is incredibly talented? Is that why he made an exception and took in a Disciple?]
Yang Kai shook his head, “Master only taught me Alchemy for a few years. Moreover, he never allowed me to call him Master. He claimed that it was a disgrace to him.”
Gao Xin Peng failed to stifle his laughter, “That’s definitely how he does things! Don’t worry about it, Junior Brother Yang. Seeing as you were taught by that man, that makes you part of Profound Pill Sect. You should pack up your things later and follow me back to Profound Pill Sect to greet your Seniors!”
“But, Void Spirit Sword Sect…” Yang Kai hesitantly said, “I’ll be honest with you, Senior Brother Gao. This Junior Brother is the Eldest Disciple of Void Spirit Sword Sect. Furthermore, I grew up in Void Spirit Sword Sect and am deeply indebted to the Master Sect for raising me. This Junior Brother cannot be ungrateful.”
Gao Xin Peng was slightly taken aback, “I forgot about that.”
He pondered in silence for a moment before he continued, “In that case, I’ll return to Profound Pill Sect and ask for instructions first. We’ll see what the Sect Master decides. Your situation is rather special after all. Profound Pill Sect has never had such a precedent before. I’ll visit Void Spirit Sword Sect to inform you once I have further information.”
“Then I shall have to trouble you, Senior Brother Gao,” Yang Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He definitely had no intention of going to Profound Pill Sect. The Master he casually created on the spot had accidentally gotten him involved with Profound Pill Sect. Although he managed to fool Gao Xin Peng, he was bound to face more inconveniences if he went to Profound Pill Sect. It would be bad if his lies were exposed in some way.
“Why are you being so polite with me, Junior Brother?” Gao Xin Peng was clearly in a good mood. Reaching his hand into his pocket, he took out a jade bottle, “Since you are already at the peak of the Earth Realm, you will need a Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to advance into the Heaven Realm. Don’t use that Low-Rank pill of yours as its effects won’t be good. Your aptitude might be extraordinary, but it’s better to be careful. I have a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill here. It’s just right as a welcome gift from me as your Senior Brother.”
This High-Rank pill was clearly not the one he refined earlier. Nevertheless, Gao Xin Peng was a veteran Heaven Grade Alchemist. It was not strange for him to have such a pill on him.
Yang Kai did not refuse and accepted the pill gratefully.
Man… it’s another thing to get justice from trashes but Gao Xin Peng is so nice…
With a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in hand, Yang Kai’s advancement into the Heaven Realm was as good as an accomplished fact.
Afterwards, Yang Kai asked about the amber liquid that Gao Xin Peng added at the end of the refining process.
Gao Xin Peng only said that it was a secret recipe he developed himself, which could increase the success rate of pill condensation by a slight margin. Its presence or absence had nothing to do with refining the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
Something like this was very common. Even if everybody had mastered the same pill recipe, each person would have a different understanding of it. That was why many Alchemists had their own special tricks. It was just that Yang Kai was meeting another Alchemist for the first time in the Divine Armament World, so such practices were very curious and strange to him.
“With your talent, Junior Brother, you might even be able to modify the pill recipe for the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill if you work hard in the future. By doing that, you will leave your name in history. You will be famous for countless generations to come!”
Yang Kai was embarrassed, “You’re praising me too much, Senior Brother.”
Gao Xin Peng shook his head, “I have high hopes for you. To successfully refine a Heaven Grade pill as an Earth Realm Master, as far as I know, you’re the first person to ever succeed. Good, let’s end our idle chat here. Let’s go out now. I need to return to Profound Pill Sect as soon as possible and report about today’s matters.”
It would have been different if Yang Kai was an Alchemist with mediocre aptitude, but the key point was that his aptitude was extremely outstanding, so much so that he might even become the next Master of the Medicine King Furnace in 100 years. This matter was related to the glory of the Profound Pill Sect, so it could not be handled sloppily.
The two of them pushed open the door and walked out, smiling and chatting with each other.
Miao Hong, who had been standing outside the door, hurried over to greet them only to be stunned by the sight.
Gao Xin Peng then briefly explained the situation.
Miao Hong was shocked by the turn of events. Even his gaze became solemn when he looked at Yang Kai. He initially planned to recruit Yang Kai into Heavenly Martial City, but it would now seem that his plan was hopeless.
Yang Kai had not only gotten a connection with Profound Pill Sect, but he also considered Gao Xin Peng as his fellow brother. How could he take interest in Heavenly Martial City?
In addition, Miao Hong had also planned to prepare a banquet. There were two reasons for his actions. The first reason was to welcome Gao Xin Peng. The other reason was to thank both Gao Xin Peng and Yang Kai for helping him.
Unfortunately, Gao Xin Peng was in a hurry to return to Profound Pill Sect to report about Yang Kai’s matters and politely declined the invitation.
Miao Hong did not insist.
Afterwards, Miao Hong and Yang Kai saw Gao Xin Peng out of Heavenly Martial City.
It wasn’t until the luxuriously decorated carriage disappeared from view that Yang Kai turned around and cupped his fist, “City Lord Miao, I must take my leave too. I apologise for all the trouble I caused over the past few days.”
“Alchemist Yang, you are too polite. This Miao has received your life-saving grace. If there is anything this Miao Hong can help with in the future, please don’t hesitate to let me know! This Miao and Heavenly Martial City will never refuse!”
Ever since he learned about Yang Kai’s connection with Profound Pill Sect, he recognised Yang Kai’s terrifying potential; therefore, these words came out decisively. Next, Miao Hong abruptly changed the subject, “Alchemist Yang, are you really not going to stay a few more days?”
Yang Kai shook his head with a smile, “No. I need to return to the Master Sect, but we might meet again very soon.”
Miao Hong was overjoyed to hear those words, “In that case, this Miao will quietly wait to hear from you.”
While he was speaking, he clapped his hands smartly. Two carriages immediately drove out from behind him. The furnishings might not be as luxurious as the carriage Gao Xin Peng took, but they were not bad either. Not to mention, the carriages seemed to be filled with something very heavy. The body of the carriages was clearly weighted down by something.
“This is…” Yang Kai looked at the carriages questioningly.
“100,000 pieces of Red Jades to show you my sincerity. Alchemist Yang, please don’t refuse!”
Despite listening to those words, Yang Kai did not react. On the other hand, the eyes of Du Yu Yu and Shi Ming Hui standing behind him immediately gleamed brightly!
100,000 pieces of Red Jade was equivalent to 1 million pieces of Black Jade or 10 million pieces of White Jade! This was a great display of sincerity indeed!
Void Spirit Sword Sect might own a Black Jade mine, but they could only mine 10 to 20 thousand pieces of Black Jade a month at most. It would take them at least 7 to 10 years just to accumulate an amount that was equivalent to 100,000 pieces of Red Jade.
Therefore, Du Yu Yu and Shi Ming Hui were blown away by Miao Hong’s generosity.
Miao Hong laughed, “Alchemist Yang, you will advance into the Heaven Realm soon. When your cultivation reaches this level, it’s best to cultivate using Red Jades. The efficiency is far too low if you use Black Jades.”
Yang Kai cupped his fists, “Your kindness is appreciated, City Lord. It would be impolite for this Yang to refuse.”
Yang Kai currently required a large amounts of resources for his cultivation. Besides, Miao Hong was showing his favour in advance. There was no reason to refuse.
The value of two carriages worth of Red Jades was not small. For that reason, Miao Hong further arranged for people from Heavenly Martial City to escort them back. It took several days, but Yang Kai and his companions finally returned to Void Spirit Sword Sect.
The escorts left immediately after delivering the items; even so, the appearance of such a large force frightened Su Chang Fa and the others badly. They thought that somebody else was here to pick a quarrel with them again.
After receiving an explanation from Du Yu Yu and Shi Ming Hui, Su Chang Fa’s mouth fell wide open. It was not until a long while later that he shook his head in amazement and disappointment, “I’ve gotten old…”
Upon returning to Void Spirit Sword Sect, Yang Kai recounted the events at Heavenly Martial City to Su Chang Fa and the others. During the conversation, he secretly revealed that he was taught Alchemy by a strange man when he was younger.
There was no choice. Gao Xin Peng would surely come to Void Spirit Sword Sect in the future. At that time, Su Chang Fa and the others would learn about this matter. Rather than letting them hear about this from somebody else, it would be better for him to disclose this information in advance to give them some buffer time.
Sure enough, Su Chang Fa and the others were completely stunned by the news.
Gu Kang Ning frowned, “When you were 6 or 7 years old? Weren’t you spending all day long thinking about how to peek on your Martial Aunt Hong Xiu while she was bathing? Where would you find the time to learn Alchemy from others?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Hong Xiu immediately shot a sharp glare at him.
Yang Kai was shocked, “Did I do that when I was younger?”
Cold sweat dripped down the back of his head in waves. Hong Xiu’s sharp knife-like gaze immediately swept over him and his cold sweat oozed out even harder.
Su Chang Fa lightly coughed, “If it was a Senior Expert from Profound Pill Sect, we would not have been able to detect anything. That’s a good thing. I just never imagined that a brat like you would have such amazing talent in Alchemy. You even managed to refine a Heaven Grade pill.”
However, when he recalled that even the Ancestor had handed his Legacy Inheritance to Yang Kai, Su Chang Fa found that it was not that surprising after all.
Gu Kang Ning and Su Chang Fa exchanged a glance with each other before they nodded lightly in unison and said happily, “It is a joyous occasion for Void Spirit Sword Sect!”
The True Void Sword replica that had been missing for so many years finally reappeared. The three True Void Sword Qi fortified the fate of the Sect. Now that Yang Kai was a Heaven Grade Alchemist who had connections with Profound Pill Sect, it was easy to see that Void Spirit Sword Sect would soon rise to glory.
“Honoured Master, I’m afraid I have to enter retreat immediately even though I just returned to the Sect. Senior Brother Gao gave me a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill before he left. By the time this Disciple exits retreat, I will probably be able to advance into the Heaven Realm!”
Hong Xiu couldn’t be bothered to be annoyed by what happened in the past upon hearing that; instead, she exclaimed in astonishment when she heard those words, “What is your current cultivation!?”
“The peak of the Earth Realm!” Yang Kai surged his Spirit Qi while speaking. The aura belonging to a Master at the peak of the Earth Realm immediately permeated the air.
Su Chang Fa and the others instantly became dumbstruck! The three Elders of Void Spirit Sword Sect were astonished by how fast Yang Kai’s cultivation speed was. They could not wrap their heads around how a cultivator in the Fourth-Step Mortal Realm could reach the peak of the Earth Realm in a short span of three months.
Ignoring their reactions, Yang Kai went off to cultivate in retreat on his own.
He had tried to break through before, but there was a layer of shackles formed by the World Principles of this world. The help of an external source was required to advance from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm; otherwise, it was impossible to break through to the next Realm just by relying on his strength alone.
He did not know the reason behind this phenomenon and could only assume that it was a special characteristic of the Divine Armament World.
Yang Kai sat beside a pile of Red Jades inside his secluded home and took out the High-Rank pill that Gao Xin Peng gave to him. After a quick check, he confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the pill and swallowed it.
The process of advancing from the Earth Realm to the Heaven Realm was a process of transformation for any cultivator. It was their first baptism in life; it was a sublimation of their power; it was a test of life and death. If they crossed this threshold, they would step into a wider world and see greater sights. If they failed to cross this threshold, they would suffer endless troubles in the future.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai’s heritage as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was not just for show. Not to mention that he had a High-Rank Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill to support him, so there was no need to worry that he might fail.
He activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and the medicinal efficacies in his abdomen quickly dissolved. In addition, the pure Spirit Qi contained within the Red Jades around him seemed to be pulled by a strong guiding force and transformed into a wave of Spirit Qi that poured into his body through his pores.
His aura was released without any reservations; then, it began to climb with a steady momentum and soon reached a peak.
During his past attempts, Yang Kai would feel an invisible layer of shackles restricting his body whenever he reached this point. As a result, he became powerless to proceed any further.
However, things were different this time. When he felt the invisible shackles wrapping around his body, he also felt the medicinal efficacies of the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill in his body simultaneously flowing throughout his body and quickly shattering the shackles around him.
He immediately felt lighter, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
His aura that had reached the peak earlier continued to climb once more; moreover, it grew in leaps and bounds. An overwhelming force burst out with him as the centre, along with a ripple of air waves visible to the naked eye. The loose rock around his secluded home cracked and heaved noisily.
All the cultivators in Void Spirit Sword Sect sensed something at that moment and quickly stopped what they were doing to look in the direction of Yang Kai’s secluded home.
Su Chang Fa, Gu Kang Ning, and Hong Xiu had been standing guard not far away from Yang Kai’s home all this while.
At this moment, the old man’s aged face became emotional, “A Heaven Realm Master! There is finally a Heaven Realm Master in Void Spirit Sword Sect! Our Ancestors have finally taken pity on us and have given us their blessings!”
While speaking, tears flowed down his cheeks freely.
Gu Kang Ning and Hong Xiu were similarly moved.
Su Chang Fa was getting older and his vitality was beginning to decline. His Martial Dao would forever stay in the Third-Step Earth Realm.
But, that was not the case for Gu Kang Ning and Hong Xiu. They still had the potential to move forward.
The main reason for the slow growth of their cultivation was the lack of resources that could not keep up with their demands; fortunately, the situation was getting better by the day. There were Black Jades being mined from the Black Jade mine every single day, and Yang Kai was a Heaven Grade Alchemist who could refine the Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pill.
As long as they worked hard in their cultivation, they would eventually reach the Heaven Realm in their lifetime. For a moment, their eyes were filled with great hope!
On the other side, Du Yu Yu and Shi Ming Hui stood together. Having followed Yang Kai out on his trip this time, it could be said that they experienced many new things.
Besides, their cultivation was not low. One was in the Seventh-Step Earth Realm while the other was in the Eighth-Step Earth Realm. It would not take more than a few years for them to reach the peak of the Earth Realm.
At that time, Yang Kai would be their biggest hope of advancing into the Heaven Realm! After all, it was not difficult for a Heaven Grade Alchemist like him to refine some Ten Revolutions Clear Heart Pills for his own subordinates.
After considering all this, the two of them exchanged a glance with each other and understood what the other was thinking. Even if Yang Kai were to remove the poison from their bodies now, they would not leave. They had made up their minds to follow him to the end.