Out of fear of Grandmaster Zuo De, those Origin Grade Alchemists didn’t dare to talk to Yang Kai anymore. Zong Ao, on the other hand, didn’t care about it at all. He walked to Yang Kai and started chatting in a low voice.
Yang Kai, taking advantage of this, also inquired about Gu Bi Hu’s condition. Zong Ao had been staying in here all these days, paying complete attention to Gu Bi Hu’s injuries. So, he knew about her situation pretty well.
Yang Kai also got a lot of useful information.
“Who is that guy by the way? Why did he jump out first to accuse me before I said anything?” Yang Kai gestured at the hook-nosed man and asked.
Zong Ao answered in a low voice, “He is Zhan Yuan. He didn’t have an aptitude for Alchemy and also hadn’t received guidance from a good teacher. As such, he hadn’t achieved much in Alchemy. He was originally unknown, but later received Grandmaster Zuo De’s guidance by some chance and coincidence and was enlightened, becoming a Mid-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist at a very fast rate. For this reason, he had always regarded himself as a Grandmaster’s student. And due to this relationship, he naturally couldn’t stand your remark.”
“So that’s how it is.” Yang Kai understood everything immediately.
Apparently, Zhan Yuan not only respected Zuo Debut also regarded Zuo De as his Honored Teacher. Zuo De naturally held a very high position in his heart. Yang Kai might not have spoken ill of Zuo Debut when he said that Grandmaster was putting on airs, he could hardly take it.
“However, about Grandmaster Zuo De… well, it’s hard to say,” Zuo Do had something to say but he didn’t say everything.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, knew what he meant to say.
As Alchemists, Zuo De had walked farther in Alchemic Dao than Zong Ao. Zong Ao could not show any disrespect in any way. Disrespecting Zuo De was tantamount to disrespecting Alchemic Dao. Thus, there were some things Zong Ao couldn’t say.
“In any case, be careful! Kid, you might be a Second-Order Origin King Master now, you should never underestimate the power of an Origin King Grade Alchemist. Let’s say, if President Ai Ou had to choose between Grandmaster Zuo De and you, he would choose the former in eighty percent likelihood!”
“I understand!” Yang Kai smiled.
Just as the two were chatting in low voices, a cultivator donning a golden armor suddenly barged in and cupped his fists before reporting to Ai Ou with a serious look on his face, “President, Grandmaster Zuo De has arrived!”
“He is here!?” Ai Ou’s eyes lit up immediately. He waved his hand and shouted, “Invite him quickly!”
But just as he said this, he hurriedly said again, “No, this King will go and personally welcome him!”
He had been on edge while waiting for half a year, for the fear that Gu Bi Hu would not be able to hold on before Grandmaster arrived. And now, Grandmaster has finally arrived in Water Sky City. A heavy weight had been lifted off Ai Ou’s heart.
All that was left was to wait for Grandmaster to refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill. Gu Bi Hu could be rescued from the coma by then.
While speaking, he tidied up his clothes before rushing to the outside.
Naturally, the others in the hall didn’t dare to be inattentive, almost everyone in the hall was an Alchemist. When they heard that Zuo De was already here, they couldn’t hold themselves. They rushed after Ai Ou, one after another, hoping to catch a glance of the revered Grandmaster.
The hook-nosed man named Zhan Yuan gave Yang Kai a vicious glare as he passed by Yang Kai. There was a sinister smile hanging on his lips as if he was saying that since Grandmaster is here, you are so dead.
Yang Kai curled his lips, ignoring him altogether.
“Let’s go welcome him. If Grandmaster saw us standing here still, I’m afraid it would upset him again. It will be very troublesome.” Zong Ao shook his head and smiled wryly before rushing outside in neither fast nor slow manner.
Yang Kai gave it a thought before following him out.
Outside the hall, a dozen or so Origin Grade Alchemists stood behind Ai Ou in a file, looking up at the sky.
Somewhere in the sky, a streaking rainbow was shooting straight over at an astonishing speed; obviously, it was some kind of flight type artifact.
Not many people dared to use flight type artifacts in places like Water Sky City. And very few dared to use it in such a high-profile manner. But clearly, Grandmaster Zuo De was qualified for this. Furthermore, no one dared to object to this.
At first, Yang Kai thought that the other party was riding a Star Shuttle.
But on a closer look, he noticed that it wasn’t the case.
The streaking rainbow might be far away from the hall, but Yang Kai could see it clearly, owing to his high cultivation. It was a peculiar sedan chair lifted by eight people, four in the front and four in the back. Wind was being continuously created under their feet, carrying the sedan chair swiftly and leaving a trail of rainbow behind.
All eight carrying the sedan chair were young and beautiful with great figures.
The sedan chair itself was very luxuriously decorated. The seats were spacious and two figures were sitting on it, one young and one old. The old man’s hair and beard were all white and had his eyes closed, he happened to be resting and relaxing. The young figure was a girl who happened to be standing on the sedan chair and looking about as if she was curious about everything.
“This Moon Chaser Sedan Chair was specially built by Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce for Grandmaster. It’s 10% faster than the best Star Shuttle. Those girls were gifted to the Grandmaster by the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. It has already become Grandmaster’s symbol.” Zong Ao explained to Yang Kai in a low voice.
Yang Kai immediately chuckled. “Grandmaster Zong Ao is just a step away from becoming an Origin King Grade Alchemist. You will definitely enjoy the same treatment in the future.”
Zong Ao shook his head in disdain. “This old man only wants to pursue the Alchemic Dao to the end. I don’t care about these material objects.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and no longer said anything.
After a short while, the Moon Chaser Sedan Chair arrived and landed steadily before the main hall. Ai Ou tidied up his clothes and just as he was about to speak, a figure shot out from the sedan chair.
That graceful and charming figure, accompanied by giggles that were as melodious as chimes of silver bells, rushed to Yang Kai’s side and hugged someone next to him, burying her head into that person’s arm before taking long and deep breaths greedily.
Everyone was shocked! They could not help but wonder who it was, so ignorant of etiquette and doing such a shameless thing in public. Everyone turned their gazes at that lithe and graceful figure.
After having taken a clear look at the scene before them, everyone showed a smile of understanding. Yang Kai, on the other hand, was dumbstruck.
Because he found that the graceful figure from the sedan chair was hugging none other than Xue Yue beside him!
Xue Yue looked extremely embarrassed at this moment. Obviously, she hadn’t expected such a thing to happen in public. She didn’t push, nor could she. For a moment, she was at a loss and froze in place.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, blew his top! Instinctively, he wanted to rush up and beat the other party to let her know that his woman could not be harassed.
But on second thought, he gave up this notion as the other party was a woman herself.
That figure rubbed her head on Xue Yue a few times like a cat before raising her head, revealing her face that was as beautiful that the moon would hide itself in the clouds and flowers would close in shame. She then greeted in a charming and melodious voice, “Brother Xue Yue, long time no see. Did you miss me?”
The corners of Xue Yue’s lips twitched a few times. She forced a smile and said, “So it’s Sister Zuo Ling. I was wondering who was being so bold. Well, Sister Zuo Ling, can you let me go first?”
“Hei hei!” The girl named Zuo Ling obediently let go of Xue Yue and backed away, standing before Xue Yue. She then narrowed her eyes and sized up Xue Yue from top to bottom before nodding and praising, “Brother Xue Yue, you have grown more handsome and manly from the last time we met. No wonder the girls in the Star Field are crazy about you.”
There was a hint of jealousy in her words, but she praised Xue Yue in an outspoken manner. Anyone with a bit of brains would understand what it was all about.
Presumably, the girl named Zuo Ling had been in love with Xue Yue for a long time.
It wasn’t that surprising. Xue Yue was the man of every girl’s dreams in the Star Field. She was a lady killer. Naturally, a little girl would fall in love with her.
And judging by Zuo Ling’s words, the two seemed to have known each other for a long time.
“Sister Zuo Ling is too polite!” Xue Yue forced a smile.
It would have been okay had Yang Kai was not here, but Yang Kai was standing by her side, watching the play. Feeling his gaze, Xue Yue felt jittery all over her body. She was extremely embarrassed.
“Ling’er, don’t be rude!” Right then, a majestic voice sounded from behind; Zuo De slowly got up from the sedan chair and shouted in a deep voice.
Zuo Ling stuck her tender tongue at Xue Yue before whispering, “I’ll come and find Brother Xue later. Grandpa is calling me.”
As she spoke, her lithe figure jumped to the sedan chair’s side in a flash like a nimble cat before she respectfully helped Zuo De get down.
Yang Kai looked at Xue Yue with a strange smile hanging on his lips.
Xue Yue became angry out of shame, shooting glares at Yang Kai.
“Welcome Grandmaster, thank you for taking the trouble of coming here!” Only now did President Ai Ou find the opportunity to speak. He cupped his fists and greeted him.
“Greetings, Grandmaster! Grandmaster must be tired from the long and tiresome journey!” All the Origin Grade Alchemist bowed and greeted respectfully.
“Haha, I’m too old for this. The road was indeed a little bumpy. Sorry for making you all wait!” Zuo Du cupped his fists perfunctorily in response.
Yang Kai sized up the nearby Grandmaster and found that he looked extremely ordinary, just like an ordinary old man. He was only in the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm, that’s all, but his every gesture carried a faint medicinal fragrance; obviously due to dealing with pills all year round.
Judging by his outer appearance, Grandmaster Zuo De looked rather approachable.
[Maybe something might have really happened to him for him to be delayed by half a year.] Yang Kai thought to himself. [Otherwise, he should not have dragged until now after having been invited by President Ai Ou.]
“Grandmaster must be tired from the journey. Do you want this King to arrange a place to take a break?” Ai Ou asked with concern.
“Mhmm, that sounds nice. This old man is indeed a little tired.” Zuo De nodded lightly. Much to Ai Ou’s surprise and dismay, he really agreed.
Ai Ou was stunned. He kept staring at Zuo De in a daze, thinking, [I was just being polite, why are you taking it seriously? Can’t you see the worry written on my face? Or have your eyes gone so old that you can’t notice?]
Other Origin Grade Alchemists also furrowed their brow slightly.
Everyone felt that Grandmaster Zuo De was wrong here.
[It’s okay to make us wait for half a year. You are an Origin King Grade Alchemist, you have all the right to put on airs like this. But now that you are already here, it’s right and proper to start refining and save the patient as soon as possible.]
[Moreover, a Starship was sent to pick you up. You even rode the Moon Chaser Sedan Chair. The journey might be long but you didn’t use a bit of your strength. How can you be tired?]
Ai Ou was starting to scowl.
“Haha, this old man was kidding, President Ai Ou. You don’t have to take it seriously!” All of a sudden, Zuo De broke into a big laugh as he spoke.
God knows if he was really joking or really had planned to take a rest but changed his words after noticing that Ai Ou looked unhappy.
Zue De might have a noble standing, but Ai Ou’s status wasn’t low either. Naturally, he couldn’t ignore Ai Ou’s feelings.
“Hehe, Grandmaster, if you are really tired, you can take a rest for a few days. I’m not in a hurry. In any case, I have already waited for so long, it won’t hurt to wait for a few days more.” Ai Ou’s reaction wasn’t slow either. He had no choice but to give the opposite party a chance to get out of this embarrassing situation. Furthermore, he had given an obvious message, [You have already kept this old man waiting for so long!]
“Saving the patient comes first!” Zuo De waved off and said decisively.
“Thank you very much, Grandmaster.” Ai You heaved a sigh of relief. His scowl eased down immediately.
“Zhan Yuan greets the Honored Teacher. Honoured Teacher is really kind and benevolent. You are putting people first even though you are tired from the journey. You are a model for everyone. You are really great. You have this left Zhan Yuan in admiration!” The hook-nosed man stepped out of the crowd and made his way to Zuo De, ass-kissing Zuo De.
Zuo De glanced at him, looking a bit confused. But soon, he burst into laughter. “So it’s you! Hmm, you are already a Mid-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist, you have made progress. Good job!”
Zhan Yuan was highly delighted upon receiving this compliment. He looked as if he had eaten an entire pot of honey. He immediately flattered Zuo De, “Had I not been lucky enough to receive guidance from the Honoured Teacher back then, this Zhan Yuan would not have achieved what he has today. Honoured Teacher, please receive this Zhan Yuan’s worship!”
As he spoke, he started kowtowing on the ground with an earnest look on his face, devoutly.
Zuo De nodded and praised, “You are quite good. This old man just gave you a few pointers because you looked depressed. Who would have thought that you will remember it till today? If you want, you can stay by this old man’s side from now on. This old man just happened to be lacking an assistant.”
“Absolutely! Absolutely! Thank you very much, Honoured Teacher. Disciple will follow the Honoured Teacher wherever you go!” Zhan Yuan beamed with joy. He kept thanking, again and again.
Although he was a Mid-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist, it was not shameful to act as Zuo De’s assistant. It was a once in a lifetime chance; others could not get it even after begging for it. Zhan Yuan could have never thought that he could get such an awesome job just by stepping forward and speaking a few words with Zuo De.
Furthermore, Zuo De had practically agreed to Zhan Yuan being his disciple with his words, which was more beneficial than anything.
He was just ranked in the middle among the Origin Grade Alchemists, but with the identity of Grandmaster Zuo De’s disciple, his status would be completely different in the future. Everyone below Origin King Grade Alchemist would have to be polite to him.
For a moment, Zhan Yuan was so happy that he was practically ready to dance in joy.
Some Origin Grade Alchemists glanced at Zhan Yuan with envy.
By following Zuo De, even if it was just an assistant, they felt that one would learn a lot of good stuff. And if by some fluke of luck, one’s comprehension reached an appropriate level, he might just become the next Zuo De!
Who would not be envious of such a good opportunity?
After beaming in joy for a while, Zhan Yuan suddenly approached Zuo De and whispered to him something, acting mysterious and all.
He had lowered his voice pretty much to nothing; it was almost impossible to discern what he was saying. Before Grandmaster Zuo De, no one dared to use their Divine Sense to eavesdrop, so no one really knew what he was talking about.
Immediately, everyone glanced at Yang Kai sympathetically, one after another!
Everyone knew that Yang Kai’s life would turn miserable from now on. He had offended an Origin King Grade Alchemist. No one in this world would refine pills for him. It was extremely difficult for an Origin King Realm master to advance even an inch in cultivation. Without the assistance of pills, he might only make a little progress. Perhaps he might remain stuck in the Second-Order Origin King Realm for his entire life.
[What a pity! Such an outstanding genius, who might have had a chance to become a Third-Order Origin King in the future, stand at the peak of the Star Field, will have his future cut-short.]
A look of regret appeared on the faces of many Alchemists.
Meanwhile, Zuo De narrowed his eyes, glancing in Yang Kai’s direction a few times before withdrawing his gaze, as if he didn’t care about him at all.
Zhan Yuan kept babbling as if he wasn’t finished. Ai Ou, on the other hand, looked unhappy at the sight of this, but he didn’t urge. Rather he kept waiting patiently.
As he had said before, he had been waiting for a long time, he wasn’t in a rush.
Not to mention, Zhan Yuan could barely be considered as Grandmaster Zuo De’s half disciple. He had gained a noble status in a flash. Ai Ou would have to be considerate to him a bit.
After a long time, Zhan Yuan finally stopped talking with a flattering smile hanging on his lips.
Zuo De nodded slightly, looking kind and amiable.
Ai Ou timely interrupted, “Grandmaster, please come in!”
“Mhmm.” Zuo De agreed. Supported by Zuo Ling, he made his way into the main hall, step by step. When he walked by Ai Ou’s side, he gestured to him. Ai Ou immediately understood, he promptly started walking shoulder to shoulder with Zuo De.
Others followed behind them in small scattered groups.
“President Ai Ou, this old man came to Water Sky City for two things, one to refined Soul Source Restoration Pill for Mrs. Gu, and as for the second, I would like to get your consent for one other thing.” Zuo De talked to Ai Ou while walking.
“Grandmaster, whatever you need, you just have to mention it. My Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce will never refuse you as long as we can do it.” Ai Ou replied earnestly.
“Hehe, don’t be so quick to agree because I’m afraid you won’t agree.” Zuo De calmly smiled.
Ai Ou proudly assured, “My Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s business is spread all over the world. Although I dare not say how rich I am. If we can’t even fulfil Grandmaster’s request, how can we have any qualifications to invite you.”
“If President Ai Ou says so, then this old man would not beat around the bush.” Zuo De paused and straightened out his thoughts. Only then did he continue, “This old man came this time to talk about my granddaughter’s marriage.”
He pointed at Zuo Ling, who was supporting him.
“Talk about marriage!?” Ai Ou’s heart skipped a beat. He was a little displeased. Intentionally or unintentionally, he glanced at Xue Yue before he forced a smile and replied, “Miss Zuo Ling is Grandmaster’s granddaughter. She is a girl of noble status and also extremely beautiful. I wonder which punk in my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce got lucky to be fancied by Miss Zuo Ling?”
“President Ai Ou, please don’t play dumb.” Zuo De smiled and proudly said, “There aren’t many people in this world who are worthy for my Ling’er, and the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce just happened to have one. Furthermore, Ling’er has known him since childhood and fell in love with him. When Ling’er heard that this old man was coming to Water Sky City, she brazenly followed this old man and forced this old man to propose marriage. If I didn’t agree, she said that she would burn this old man’s beard… sigh, I have really spoiled this girl.”
Zuo De looked distressed.
“Grandpa!” Zuo Ling flushed red all over. She fiercely tugged Zuo De’s arm, but her pretty eyes were furtively looking at Xue Yue’s reaction. She believed that even a fool would understand what Zuo De meant. She very much wanted to know Xue Yue’s reaction.
But in one glance, Zuo Ling’s heart immediately sank because she found that Xue Yue’s face had gone pale and appeared to be at a loss.
[Does Brother Xue Yue not like me?] Zuo Ling’s heart was filled with unease.
“Is Grandmaster talking about… Xue Yue?” Ai Ou couldn’t pretend to be a fool anymore. He was left with no choice but to continue.
“That’s right,” Zuo De smiled and continued, looking at Xue Yue with satisfaction. “Third Young Lord is extraordinarily talented; he is a dragon among men. He is young, handsome, and is also the successor of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. If President Ai Ou can agree to this marriage, hehe, this old man would also get a son who will tend to him and lay him to rest after his death. Perhaps I will remain in Water Sky City in the foreseeable future.”
His words gave a very important message, that if Xue Yue and Zuo Ling became husband and wife, the Zuo De will really become a member of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce in the future. He would live in Water Sky City and refine pills for Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
If Ai Ou was in any urgent need, he wouldn’t have to go all the way to invite him over.
This was a huge temptation for any great force or any cultivator for that matter. If Xue Yue was really a man, Ai Ou would not be mulling over it, he would have promptly agreed.
Compared to the happiness of his son, an Origin King Grade Alchemist was undoubtedly more important.
But Xue Yu was a girl!
This was simply impossible!
Even if Ai Ou agreed now, everything would be exposed on their first night. Zuo De would be completely offended then.
So, Ai Ou was in a pretty big dilemma. He felt powerless for the first time in his life.
“What’s wrong!? Does President Ai Ou have some concerns?”
Originally, Zuo De thought that if he personally proposed a marriage, Ai Ou would give him a face no matter what. Not to mention, Ai Ou was requesting Zuo De’s help. But when he proposed, Zuo De didn’t get the eager response that he had imagined. Rather, Ai Ou looked extremely embarrassed.
This made Zuo De very unhappy. His tone grew colder and colder.
“That’s not the case, that’s really not the case. Grandmaster misunderstood.” Ai Ou waved his hand quickly. He immediately realized that if he didn’t handle today’s matter properly, it would lead to a great deal of trouble.
But he couldn’t think of a proper excuse for a short while. He stood in a daze.
Zuo De let out a cold snort and said, “This old man is here to propose marriage, and the Soul Source Restoration Pill is this old man’s show of good faith. If President Ai Ou agrees to this marriage, this old man will refine ten bottles of Origin King Grade pills for the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce every year!”
Everyone’s gasps could be heard in the hall, staring Zuo De in shock.
Ten bottles meant a hundred pills.
It would have been nothing if it was a normal pill. But it was a hundred Origin King Grade pills! Each pill was priceless. Even for an Alchemist such as Zuo De, it was easier said than done.
Everyone immediately understood that Zuo Ling held an extremely high position in Zuo De’s mind. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to offer such generous conditions.
Ai Ou’s heart started pounding. Deep in his heart, he was exhilarated but was extremely annoyed as well.
In the past, when Zuo De was asked to refine Origin King Grade pills, not only would Ai Ou have to provide a large number of ingredients as remuneration but would also have to depend on whether Zuo De was in a good mood or not. Even so, he got only twenty or so Origin King Grade pills from Zuo De.
And last year, he only got five pills!
And now, this old man was offering a hundred pills every year. Obviously, he could do it with ease. Ai Ou had no idea how Zuo De had been hiding all this.
This made him very annoyed. He felt that all the expensive gifts his Chamber of Commerce had offered to Zuo De had been fed to the dogs.
A hundred Origin King Grade pills a year left everyone in a complete shock.
No one could reject such a generous condition. Many Alchemists belonging to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce furtively winked at Ai Ou, signalling him to agree quickly without hesitation.
They urged Ai Ou like this because of two reasons: On the one hand, they were considering the Chamber of Commerce, on the other hand, they were urging Ai Ou for their own sake.
As long as this marriage went through, Grandmaster Zuo De would definitely remain in Water Sky City. They would then have the chance to communicate with Grandmaster Zuo De and ask for advice.
But Ai Ou didn’t go along with their wishes.
“Does President Ai Ou think that this old man’s sincerity is lacking?” Zuo De immediately looked sullen. He had already given such generous conditions but he still didn’t get a positive response from Ai Ou. He was surprised by this but even more so he was angered. “Or does President Ai Ou feel like that this old man’s granddaughter isn’t worthy of Third Young Master?”
Ai Ou’s forehead couldn’t help but be drenched in a cold sweat. He hurriedly waved his hands and justified himself, “It’s not like that. Xue Yue would really be blessed to have someone like Ling’er as his wife. How could she not be worthy?”
“If that’s the case, then why is Sir President hesitating?” Zhang Yuan asked, gazing straight at Ai Ou. “Third Young Master is talented and Miss Ling’er is drop-dead gorgeous. The two are a perfect match. They are a match made in heaven!”
Ai Ou glanced calmly at Zhan Yuan. He could not wait to slap him to death.
[Why didn’t I find this guy so annoying before? Why is he looking so displeasing today?]
“Grandmaster Zhan is right…” Ai Ou might find Zhan Yuan repulsive but for the fear of offending Zuo De, he had no choice but to address Zhan Yuan as Grandmaster unlike before when he used to call him by his name directly. “But…”
“But what?” Zuo De’s voice turned extremely cold. There was a sense of aggression in his voice. Obviously, he was in a very bad mood.
“But…”
“Grandmaster, please forgive me! Actually, the problem lies in with Xue Yue.” Xue Yue, seeing his father in a predicament, took the initiative and stepped up, cupped her fists, and explained, “Xue Yue’s heart already belongs to someone. I have long agreed to stay with the other party together forever, never to part with each other. Please forgive me, Grandmaster!”
Zuo Ling shook, as if she was about to fall upon hearing this. Looking at Xue Yue, her pretty face turned pale and her eyes turned red; she was about to break into tears.
Xue Yue turned and looked straight at Zuo Ling before trying to explain herself, “Sister Ling’er, we have known each other since we were young. We might not have spent a lot of time with each other but I have always regarded you as my younger sister. I never had any other thoughts about you. I only liked you as a sister… please forgive Xue Yue, I can’t accept your feelings!”
Zuo Ling was already feeling extremely aggrieved. And now, she immediately broke into tears. The sight of her crying was like a pear flower in a storm. Everyone’s heart cried out for her!
Many people couldn’t beat the sight of her crying.
Zuo De’s face had turned so cold that one could shave off a layer of frost off from his face.
“I don’t care, I don’t care!” Zuo Ling suddenly grabbed Zuo De’s arm and started shaking and shouting, “I just want to be with Brother Xue Yue. Grandpa, you have to think of something. Grandpa, aren’t you omnipotent, quickly think of some way. If I can’t marry Brother Xue Yue, Ling’er… Ling’er will die!”
Everyone’s face immediately turned black.
Having seen Zuo Ling raising such a fuss, everyone immediately understood that it was because she was totally spoiled by Zuo De. Otherwise, how could a girl act so wildly in public?
Zuo De appeared distressed and helpless. He patted the back of Zuo Ling’s hand and consoled her, “Stop crying first. Isn’t Grandpa still discussing with President Ai Ou? If you cry again, Grandpa will leave immediately. I will never come to Water Sky City in the future, and you can forget meeting the Third Young Master for your entire life!”
This trick worked immediately; Zuo Ling immediately stopped crying, but this couldn’t stop her from sobbing and choking. Her delicate shoulders kept trembling. She looked at Xue Yue with a grieving look on her face.
Xue Yue was feeling completely helpless. She put Zuo Ling’s glance aside. She knew that her hesitation and indecision would invariably lead to trouble. It wasn’t the time to act soft!
Meanwhile, Ai Ou was also disheartened. With his shrewdness, how could he not notice what Zuo De meant to say? It might look like Zue De was comforting Zuo Lin, but he was actually threatening Ai Ou.
His intent was very obvious. If Ai Ou couldn’t satisfy his granddaughter, he will immediately leave Water Sky City and will never set foot here in his life!
In other words, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce would lose their only Origin king Grade Alchemist! Not only would it be a big blow to the actual interest of the entire Chamber of Commerce but also a big blow to their reputation.
If it really happened, would their Chamber of Commerce still be able to hire another Origin King Grade Alchemist or an Artifact Refiner in the future?
The answer was obviously no, unless they could train their very own Origin King Grade Alchemist and Artifact Refiner. But how could it be that easy? The birth of Origin King Grade Alchemist and Artifact Refiner was even harder than raising a cultivator to the Third-Order Origin King Realm.
Otherwise, peak-level Alchemists and Artifact Refiners would not be so rare in this world. And Ai Ou would not have to swallow all the insult and still accompany Zuo De with a smile even after having been embarrassed by Zuo De to this extent.
Suddenly, Ai Ou felt that this day was the most vexing day of his life.
“President Ai Ou.” Zuo De calmed his tone and said, “As you can see, this girl is hell-bent on having her own way, this old man really has no choice. And since the Third Young Master’s heart already belongs to someone, this old man cannot force him against his will and separate the lovers. Otherwise, if the word got out, everyone would point their fingers at this old man. How about this old man give the Third Young Master and you a few days to think about it and give this old man a reply? This old man will be staying in Water Sky City for a few days. When you have thought it over, you can come and find this old man.”
He was sure that Ai Ou was desperate to have him refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill. That’s why he said this.
Sure enough, Ai Ou appeared to be in a big predicament. He wanted to ask Zuo De to refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill first, but he couldn’t open his mouth to ask. Because he knew that even if he brazenly asked Zuo De, Zuo De would surely come up with an excuse to decline.
Like he was in a bad mood or Zuo Ling would interfere…
He felt that it was better to keep quiet than to ask for nothing.
His gaze fell on Xue Yue. He could not help but consider whether to agree to Zuo De’s request first and deal with the aftermath once Gu Bi Hu is cured.
But when all was said and done, Xue Yue was a girl. If he really agreed, he would end up offending Zue De completely.
Ai Ou was having a huge headache. Nothing had put him in such a difficult position. He was in charge of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and had been leading it vigorously and effectively. The entire Chamber of Commerce had been growing steadily under his command, but up against Zuo De’s proposal, he was at a loss.
“I have long heard of Grandmaster Zuo De’s reputation and come to admire you. But after seeing what transpired today, tch tch…”
Just when Ai Ou was cursing in his heart, a voice suddenly echoed in the hall.
Ai Ou couldn’t help but be shocked. He immediately turned and looked for the source of the voice. And after he saw who just spoke, he stood in a daze, dumbstruck and frowning.
Because he discovered that the speaker was none other than Yang Kai!
[Yang Kai and Xue Yue have a good relationship. Obviously, he spoke up just now because Xue Yue had stepped forward. But he had gone a bit overboard. This would definitely offend Zuo De.]
[However, he’s not a member of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. He doesn’t represent the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, so no matter how he offended Zuo De, it had nothing to do with the Chamber of Commerce.]
Having thought about it this way, Ai Ou suddenly realized that Yang Kai was the most appropriate person to talk about these things now. His eyes involuntarily lit up as he cast an emotional glance at Yang Kai.
Other people’s expressions immediately changed after hearing this. Yang Kai might not have finished his sentence, but the disdain in his words was pretty obvious to everyone.
[Isn’t he simply giving a tight slap right on his face by saying this in the face of an Origin King Grade Alchemist?] The expression in many Origin Grade Alchemist’s eyes changed when they looked at Yang Kai.
Zuo De still maintained some subtlety. He didn’t get angry immediately. Rather he narrowed his eyes when he looked at Yang Kai before asking calmly, “President Ai Ou, he is…”
“Reporting to Grandmaster, Yang Kai is my friend.” Before Ai Ou could reply, Xue Yue seized the initiative to answer.
“Is he a member of your Chamber of Commerce?” Zuo De started to furrow his brow.
“No! He happened to be passing by and came to visit me, that’s all,” Xue Yue explained.
Zuo De nodded his understanding and said with a smile hanging on his lips, “Your Excellency, this old man simply can’t ignore what you just said. Your Excellency seemed to be dissatisfied with this old man? Has this old man offended you before?”
From Zhan Yuan, Zuo De knew that Yang Kai had spoken ill of him behind his back. Actually, Yang Kai hadn’t badmouthed him but just had said that he was putting on airs a little. Zuo De had secretly put down Yang Kai’s name in his heart. He had secretly decided that he would not refine any Origin King Grade pill for Yang Kai in the future. But he couldn’t make trouble for Yang Kai just because of this. He could only give it up on that matter. But Yang Kai stood up and badmouthed him again. And naturally, he couldn’t laugh it off now.
[So what if you are a Second-Order Origin King cultivator? You will have no choice but to beg this old man when you are in a need!] Zuo De felt proud when he thought of this.
“Grandmaster must be joking, this is the first time this Yang has met Grandmaster, so how could you have offended me?” Yang Kai calmly said.
“In that case, why are you…”
“To be honest, what’s the problem?” Yang Kai smiled comfortably.
Zuo De’s face immediately sank. Just as he was about to say something, Yang Kai continued, “Alchemists are like doctors and healers. It’s a noble profession that attaches equal attention to both skill and humanity, both of which are indispensable. Mrs. Gu’s soul has been injured for a year already, her life has been hanging by a thread. But Grandmaster didn’t even immediately refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill to save the patient as soon as possible after arriving here! Instead, you are using her condition to force President Ai Ou and Third Young Master to marry your granddaughter. It’s rather apparent that Grandmaster is skilled but you are lacking humanity… is Grandmaster really worthy of the word ‘Grandmaster’? Don’t you find this word a little heavy to bear? Grandmaster is old, I hope you don’t get crushed by its weight.”
As soon as Yang Kai said this, not only did the expressions of many Origin grade Alchemists worsen but even the expression on President Ai Ou’s face grew even more complicated.
He had never even expected Yang Kai’s words to be so sharp and direct, they almost tore the skin off Zuo De’s face.
Yang Kai might have spoken what was going in Ai Ou’s mind but speaking so directly in front of Zuo De was equal to completely offending him. Even though it was the truth and everyone knew it, he should not have said it so directly.
There were some things that everyone could only keep in their hearts.
“You…” Zuo De’s face turned blue and red. He was unable to find a way to get out of this embarrassing situation. No one had dared to say this in front of him. Even an Origin King Realm cultivator would act respectfully in front of him. When had anyone made such sharp accusations?
When Yang Kai said so, he indeed felt something weighing down on his shoulders.
“Who are you? How dare you speak ill of Grandpa?” Zuo Ling immediately lashed out in anger. She promptly raised her hand as a Fire Dragon flew out from her palm, flying straight at Yang Kai.
She was already sad and heartbroken, so when she heard Yang Kai accuse Zuo De in such a blatant manner, she couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to beat Yang Kai up to vent her anger.
Thus, she attacked without a moment of hesitation.
As Zuo De’s granddaughter, Zuo Ling had a good aptitude, and coupled with massive amounts of pills provided by Zuo De, she had reached the Second-Order Origin Returning Realm despite her young age.
Although she attacked casually, the attack itself was quite powerful. The surrounding temperature shot through the roof Just as the Fire Dragon shot through the air, bearing its jaws at Yang Kai.
“Ling’er, stop!” Zuo De was struck with panic. Zuo Ling was young and impulsive. He might not have a proper idea where Yang Kai’s limits lay, but he had heard from Zhan Yuan that Yang Kai was a Second-Order Origin King Master. Zuo Ling wasn’t his opponent, no matter what.
And in case Yang Kai got angry and hurt Zuo Ling, it would be a big loss.
However, he was a bit late. When he shouted, the Fire Dragon was already before Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression remained the same, nonetheless. He remained still in his place. All he did was stretched his hand out, opened his palm and grabbed at the Fire Dragon at his own pace. Immediately, flames and sparks scattered around in the air as the surrounding temperature returned to normal.
Zuo Ling was dumbstruck. Obviously, she hadn’t expected her attack to be so easily dealt with by the opponent. She also came to realize that Yang Kai was far stronger than her.
Nevertheless, she wasn’t afraid. On the contrary, she nibbled her lips and screamed, “Grandpa, he is bullying me. Help me teach him a lesson!”
While speaking, she shook Zuo De’s arm to and fro constantly. Zuo De’s old body immediately shook left and right like a ship in a storm.
Zuo Ling always believed Zuo De to be omnipotent because all those Origin King Realm masters acted all respectful before him. So after she had suffered a little, she immediately counted on Zuo De to stand up for her.
But how could Zuo De do anything? He was respected by the Origin King Realm masters because of his Alchemy skills and not because of his cultivation. He was just a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator. If he tried to teach Yang Kai a lesson with his own cultivation, it would be tantamount to courting death!
Yang Kai could not help but sneer.
Anyhow, he was a Second-Order Origin King master now, he could teach Zuo Ling a lesson for attacking him. But if he really acted all serious because of the misdemeanours of a little girl, he felt that he would be making a fuss over a small issue. But who would have thought that Zuo Ling would shout at Ai Ou when she saw Zuo De not respond after so long, “Uncle Ai Ou, kill him! If you kill him, I’ll ask Grandpa to refine that whatever Source Pill!”
Yang Kai’s face immediately darkened just as he heard this.
A strange look also appeared on Ai Ou’s face. [Is it my turn to give in if anyone annoys this pampered girl?!]
It was understandable for a pampered girl like her to be a bit willful but it was really too much to take someone’s life just because she was pissed. Not to mention, she started it; Yang Kai wasn’t responsible for this. As long as anyone had a little brain, he would not agree with Zuo Ling. More importantly, one would be offending a Second-Order Origin King master.
“Uncle Ai Ou, didn’t you invite Grandpa to refine that pill? You are so powerful, he is definitely not your opponent. Just kill him already.” Zuo Ling, pointing at Yang Kai, exhorted Ai Ou in an arrogant and overbearing manner like she was ordering a subordinate.
“Er…” Ai Ou forced a smile and said, “Miss Ling, Uncle is not necessarily his opponent.”
“How is that possible? Aren’t you the President of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, one of the most powerful people in the world? How could you not be his opponent? Oh, I get it, you don’t want that pill.”
“Ling’er, stop fooling around!” Zuo De couldn’t take it anymore and shouted.
Zuo Ling’s face crumpled when she noticed that her Grandpa was really, really angry. She no longer pestered endlessly. But when she saw Yang Kai’s expression, she became extremely irritated. She grit her teeth so hard that they were rattling. She looked as if she would rush and bite Yang Kai hard.
“Xue Yue, you made the right choice by not agreeing to this marriage,” Yang Kai said with a smile. “If you married someone like her, your life would be miserable.”
Xue Yue glared at Yang Kai but didn’t retort.
“Your Excellency, you have been provoking this old man time and time again. What on earth do you want?” Zuo De glared at Yang Kai gloomily. He looked displeased and angry.
“Hehe, again with that! I am just stating the truth.” Yang Kai gave an indifferent smile.
“Ling’er had indeed been pampered by this old man, but her nature is still good. So, you can’t make such a comment!”
“She is willing to take someone’s life at her will and you say her nature is good!? If I was a Saint King rather than a Second-Order Origin King, I’m afraid my corpse would be lying where I stand!” Yang Kai ceaselessly sneered.
“If you were a Saint King, you would not have been qualified to talk to this old man!”
“Unfortunately for you, I’m not!”
“That’s enough!” Zhan Yuan immediately stepped out; he couldn’t take the sight of Yang Kai giving tit for tat to Zuo De anymore, “Your Excellency, you are really being disrespectful to the Honored Teacher. Have you forgotten who refined the pills you have used to cultivate all these years? Every cultivator, who knows a little bit of gratitude, would not treat a highly respected Grandmaster Alchemist like you did!”
“When one drinks water, he must not forget where the water comes from!” Yang Kai nodded. “You want to say this, right? Sorry, but as I’ve told you before, I’m an Alchemist. All the pills I have taken were refined by me. As the adage goes, two of a trade seldom agree. So I don’t have to be grateful to any Alchemist.”
“Your Excellency is also an Alchemist?” Zuo De’s eyes glistened with a sharp gleam. He didn’t seem to believe it.
“That’s right!”
“Oh!?” A sneer appeared on Zuo De’s lips. “Dare I ask what level of Alchemist are you? Where is your Alchemist’s badge!?”
“I don’t have it. And as for what’s my level, I can’t say.”
The nearby Zhan Yuan sneered. “Honored Teacher, why take this guy seriously? His Martial Dao cultivation might be deep but he isn’t that old. Even if he is an Alchemist, he isn’t worth your notice. You are standing at the peak of the entire Star Field.”
Zuo De smiled proudly, looking at Yang Kai with a sliver of contempt.
“Peak!? Not necessarily!?” Yang Kai chuckled and said, “Although there aren’t many Origin King Grade Alchemists, I know one who is younger than Grandmaster. She will certainly go farther than Grandmaster in the future!”
Naturally, he was talking about Xia Ning Chang.
“Bullshit!” Zuo De shouted. He appeared to be angry. “This old man has already reached the peak of Low-Rank Origin King Grade and could break through to Mid-Rank Origin King Grade anytime. Who can surpass this old man in the entire Star Field!”
When the field he was proficient was mentioned, Zuo De became aggressive and didn’t show the slightest bit of sign of backing down.
“Grandmaster doesn’t believe it!?” Yang Kai looked at him with a smile.
“Bring that person here, this old man will compete with him and make him accept defeat!” Zuo De let out a cold snort.
“That person is billions of miles away, I can’t bring her on such short notice. However, if Grandmaster really wants to compete… How about this Yang competes with Grandmaster? This Yang believes that his Alchemy skills aren’t worse than hers. If you can defeat this Yang, this Yang will admit what you just said, but if you can’t even beat this Yang then, he he…”
Everyone on the stairs of the main hall looked at Yang Kai with a slack jaw as if they had seen something unbelievable.
Zong Ao’s jaw slackened so wide that one could stuff their fist in it.
Ai Ou’s expression changed as many thoughts flashed in his mind. Suddenly, he seemed to have realized Yang Kai’s intention as a sharp gleam flickered in his eyes involuntarily. He was filled with extreme gratitude.
[Anyhow, this Yang Kai is indeed a good guy and is worth making friends with.]
“What!? What did you just say?” Zuo De stared at Yang Kai in surprise. He suspected that there was something wrong with his ears.
“Grandmaster’s age is catching up with him.” Yang Kai heaved a sigh. “This one just said that Grandmaster might as well compete with this Yang in Alchemy.”
“You want to compete with this old man in Alchemy?” Zuo De broke into laughter before speaking disdainfully, “This old man really can’t see what’s making you so confident.”
“Grandmaster doesn’t need to worry about this. All Grandmaster needs to do is tell me whether you are going to do it or not!”
“Hmph, do you think this old man can’t guess what your intentions are? Do you think you can provoke this old man to do your bidding? If this old man does compete with you, do you want to compete with this old man in refining the Soul Source Restoration Pill!?” Zuo De sneered at Yang Kai.
“Well, Grandmaster is indeed wise, this Yang was indeed going to propose this,” Yang Kai said in surprise.
In a flash, everyone immediately realized what Yang Kai was doing.
If Zuo De really competed with Yang Kai in Alchemy out of anger, then Yang Kai had intended to set the goal of the competition to refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill.
And in order to win, Zuo De would go all out to make it successful.
This way, Gu Bi Hu’s crisis and President Ai Ou’s pressing matter would be resolved.
As for whether Yang Kai could refine it or not… who cared about him?
It wasn’t a shame to lose to an Origin King Grade Alchemist in Alchemy.
But if he lost to an Alchemist in a fight, then it would be really shameful!
“What a joke!? This old man won’t be fooled by your paltry tricks!” Zuo De let out a cold snort as he looked at Yang Kai with disdain. His expression gave the impression that he had seen through everything of Yang Kai.
“Grandmaster is treating me unjustly by saying that.” Yang Kai smiled slightly. “Let’s do it this way, how about this Yang up the stakes to make this competition fair?”
“What are the stakes!?” Zuo De asked in a cold tone.
“If I lose, I will be your bodyguard for a thousand years!” Yang Kai quickly added with an honest look on his face.
“What!?” Everyone was greatly shocked upon hearing this. They looked at Yang Kai as if they were looking at a fool. Even Zuo De seemed to be tempted.
He might be an Origin King Grade Alchemist and he might have many masters among his subordinates, but none of them was an Origin King Realm master!
All the Origin King Realm masters were proud and arrogant. They might act all polite when they asked him to refine pills but how could they let themselves be ordered and enslaved by him?
Not to mention, Yang Kai wasn’t an ordinary Origin King, he was a Second-Order Origin King!
There weren’t that many Second-Order Origin Kings in the entire Star Field!
[If I could have a Second-Order Origin King as a subordinate, then along with my identity as the Origin King Grade Alchemist, I would rule the entire Star Field!]
Zuo De was inevitably moved. Even though he felt that it was a set-up, he couldn’t help but agree out of confidence in his own Alchemy skills.
“Yang Kai!” Xue Yue screamed in surprise. She seemed to be about to persuade Yang Kai but Yang Kai raised his hand to stop her.
Then he turned to Zuo De and spoke indifferently, “This Yang has no talent, this one is only a Second-Order Origin King now. But this one happens to have a strong and robust body. It won’t be a problem to live for a couple of millennia. I should have more than enough time to be Grandmaster’s bodyguard for a thousand years, but I don’t know if Grandmaster dares to take this bet?”
The expression of Ai Ou and many Alchemists immediately changed. Everyone was shocked by Yang Kai’s shocking behaviour.
Zuo De’s expression also changed. He nodded and said, “You are indeed right. Your proposal sure is tempting but just being a bodyguard is far from enough, this old man wants you to be at my beck and call!”
Just as Zuo De said this, Ai Ou’s face blackened with rage. He looked clearly unhappy.
Every Origin King Realm master was a high and mighty figure. Even if they acted modestly before Zuo De, that was out of respect for him. When Yang Kai said that he would act as Zuo De’s bodyguard for a thousand years, it was already an extremely unbelievable and unbearable proposition from Ai Ou’s point of view. If it was him in place of Yang Kai, he couldn’t agree, no matter what.
But not only was Zuo De not satisfied with this, but he also wanted Yang Kai to be at his beck and call.
He wasn’t asking for a bodyguard but a servant!
A bodyguard was only responsible for Zuo De’s safety but a servant was different. The servant would need to complete all kinds of Zuo De’s orders, giving up his dignity completely.
It was an insult to the Origin King Realm masters! It was a blatant show of disrespect!
Ai Ou too was an Origin King Realm master, and a Second-Order Origin King at that, just like Yang Kai. He was deeply affected by this situation as if he himself was experiencing it, which inevitably made him furious.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, agreed without a moment of hesitation.
Zuo De hadn’t expected Yang Kai to agree so readily. He thought that Yang Kai would bargain with him back and forth. He proposed it to get as much benefit as possible. He even had several backup plans in his mind. For instance, how many times Yang Kai would have to follow his orders unconditionally.
But it never ever crossed his mind that he might not even get to use them. He was stunned for a moment. However, he soon opened his mouth and proposed again, “A thousand years aren’t enough: two thousand years!”
“Okay!” Yang Kai agreed again without thinking.
“Grandmaster Zuo De!” Ai Ou suddenly shouted in a deep and reverberating voice. “Aren’t you going a bit overboard with this proposal?”
He finally couldn’t hold the anger in his heart. Even when Zuo De arrived late to Water Sky City, Ai Ou had not taken it to his heart. Even when he threatened Ai Ou to agree to Xue Yue’s marriage, Ai Ou had still put up with it. But now, Zuo De was practically trying to take the lion’s share. He had directly increased a thousand years to two thousand years.
Who could bear the fetters for two millennia?
Ai Ou couldn’t put up with it anymore.
In any case, Yang Kai proposed to compete with Zuo De in Alchemy for Gu Bi Hu. Although Ai Ou had no idea why Yang Kai wanted to do this, he was still very grateful to him. Regardless of whether it could be done or not, he owed Yang Kai a favour, a very big favour.
Was there another Second-Order Origin King in the world who was willing to use his freedom to do someone’s bidding for two thousand years?
He was the only one in the world!
Therefore, Ai Ou stepped up without a moment of hesitation, changing his previous attitude and accusing Zuo De.
If he didn’t even have such courage and determination, then he didn’t deserve to be the President of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
Zuo De sneered. “He agreed to it himself, President Ai Ou. Why are you worried?”
Yang Kai looked at Ai Ou and gave him a calm smile. “President Ai Ou, please wait a moment. Although I agreed for two thousand years, whether Grandmaster could live for so long still remains unknown.”
He was indirectly cursing Zuo De’s early death. Zuo De was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator, moreover, he had already lived for a long time. Otherwise, he won’t have been an Origin King Grade Alchemist. The next two thousand years were indeed a long way for him.
Zuo De couldn’t help but scowl. He let out a cold snort and retort, “Rest assured, this old man will try his best to survive for another two thousand years for today’s bet.”
“I hope so.” Yang Kai smiled.
Ai Ou sighed. Surprisingly, he raised his hand and patted Yang Kai. “Brother Yang, you and I are brothers from now on. This Ai has etched today’s events in his mind!”
“Hehe…” The corner of Yang Kai’s lips couldn’t help but twitch. Yang Kai’s current feeling was too hard to describe. He was feeling extremely conflicted; his emotions were in turmoil. He didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry.
He immediately diverted the topic and said, “Now that this Yang’s ante is set, what about Grandmaster’s?”
Zuo De’s expression immediately turned cold. He promptly asked, “What ante do you think is suitable for this old man?”
Yang Kai smiled. “Since this Yang has used his own personal freedom, Grandmaster should do the same for the sake of fairness!”
Zuo De furrowed his brow, but he didn’t agree right away.
“What’s wrong? Does Grandmaster dare not fulfil it? Does Grandmaster have no confidence in his Alchemy and thinks that he will lose to this Yang?” Yang Kai fanned the flames.
“Bullshit!” Zuo De immediately blew his top. “When it comes to Alchemy, this old man will not lose to anyone. But if you think you can make this old man agree using provocation, it’s useless!”
“Tsk tsk…” Yang Kai clucked his tongue, deliberately acting ambiguously. “Ah, Grandmaster can’t afford to lose, is that it!? Forget it then, there is no need to be so angry. I also don’t want you to bet your freedom for the little years you have. In that case… how about you refine a hundred Origin King Grade pills every year for the rest of Grandmaster’s life.”
“A hundred pills a year!?” Zuo De’s face reddened in anger. “Don’t you think you are trying to take the lion’s share!?”
Before Yang Kai could say anything, Zong Ao, who had been standing on the sidelines till now, sneered and said, “Grandmaster, how can you say this? Yang Kai has bet his two thousand years of freedom. He is a Second-Origin King master. Grandmaster, don’t you think you should come up with equal stakes? A hundred Origin King Grade pills a year is nothing for Grandmaster, but two thousand years of freedom is very significant for Yang Kai. Grandmaster, you can be considered to be a man of noble character and high prestige, yet you have been doing not this, not that. Are you trying to take advantage of your old age?”
Zong Ao had been watching the show from the sidelines for a long time. He already couldn’t take it long ago.
At first, he still respected Zuo De as an Alchemist even though he despised Zuo De’s character. But now it had become apparent to him that this old guy’s character was worse than he had thought. In contrast, Yang Kai’s charm was simply boundless.
The sliver of respect he had for Zuo De had vanished in a puff of smoke.
Zuo De wasn’t affected by Zong Ao’s words at all. He sneered and said, “In this old man’s opinion, his freedom is not worth a penny. But this old man has to refine a hundred Origin King Grade pills every year, that’s nerve-racking. God knows how many people would die for just one pill!”
“Hmm… you are right.” Much to everyone’s surprise, Yang Kai nodded in agreement. “Well then, I don’t want you to refine a hundred pills a year, how about eighty?”
“Fifty, not a pill more!” Zuo De waved his hand.
“Sevent…”
“Fifty-five!”
“Seventy!”
“Sixty!”
“Deal!”
Under everyone’s dumbstruck gazes, the two bickered and haggled back and forth before finally agreeing on sixty Origin King Grade pills a year!
Although it was less than half of what Yang Kai proposed, sixty Origin King Grade pills was also a huge fortune. In the entire Star Field, just an Origin King Grade pill was enough to make people fight and kill for it.
Only a Grandmaster like Zuo De could talk about a hundred or sixty of them so easily.
“Kid!” After the stakes were agreed, a grim look seemed to have appeared on Zuo De’s face. He looked at Yang Kai with a hideous smile. “Today, the gamble between you and I is decided in front of President Ai Ou and many Origin Grade Alchemists. If you dare not admit it after losing, then…”
“Rest assured, President Ai Ou has a big reputation in Star Field. He always acts impartially unlike someone who deceives the public with false reputation. I want to ask him to be the arbiter. If you or I don’t fulfil the stakes after losing, I ask President Ai Ou to kill him on the spot!” Yang Kai suggested with a smile hanging on his lips.
Zuo De’s face immediately darkened. A sliver of fear could be seen in the depths of his eyes.
He was a Third-Order Origin Returning Realm cultivator. If Ai Ou really decided to kill him, he would not see the light of the next day no matter what.
After giving it a second thought, he said in a grave voice, “It’s not that this old man suspects President Ai Ou’s character, it’s just that… Your Excellency is a Second-Order Origin King master, just like President Ai Ou. If you tried to escape, President Ai Ou might not be able to stop you.”
Ai Ou’s face grew cold. Just when he was about to say something, subtle energy fluctuations appeared in the void as a figure emerged out of nowhere.
A smile was hanging on that figure’s face that made everyone bask in warmth. His hair and beard was all white but his complexion was extremely ruddy, giving everyone the impression that he was a young man. And standing straight with the sheathed sword hanging on his back, his entire figure gave everyone the impression of a peerless blade with a hidden edge; it was exceptionally daunting.
The figure, carrying its hands behind the back, walked down the air step by step and said with a smile, “If Ai Ou can’t stop him, I will intercept him myself. Is that okay with you, Grandmaster Zuo De?”
The crowd only reacted after hearing this man’s voice. They immediately looked for the source. And when they saw his face, Ai Ou couldn’t help but be shocked. He hurriedly cupped his fists and bowed. “Martial Uncle Long, how come you are here?”
[Martial Uncle Long…]
Ai Ou’s address made everyone immediately realize the identity of this man.
The only Third-Order Origin King master of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce; one of the prominent figures standing at the peak of the Star Field, Long Tian Shang!
Just how Purple Star had Master Lunatic, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce had Long Tian Shang. These two were fearsome figures that could shake the entire universe.
However, Long Tian Shang’s fame was far greater than Master Lunatic because, when Long Tian Shang had just advanced to the Third-Order Origin King Realm a thousand years ago, he went to a Cultivation Star for some reason and slaughtered dozens of small and large sects there, creating rivers of blood and mountains of corpses in a radius of thousands of miles on that Cultivation Star. It was just like a hell on earth.
Long Tian Shang’s notoriety had spread far and wide after that battle! Everyone in the Star Field would turn pale whenever they talked about him.
No one had any idea what conflicts or grievances Long Tian Shang had with the sects he wiped out. The only thing that got around was that it was related to a woman.
Since then, Ling Tian Shang had gone into hiding and no one had seen him in the last thousand years, but everyone knew that he was guarding Water Moon Star and was in a retreat somewhere on it.
No one had ever thought that he would show up today.
No one dared to be inattentive to a Third-Order Origin King expert. Everyone cupped their fists and bowed to him. Even someone as arrogant as Zuo De was not exempted from the conventions.
Long Tian Shang chuckled and cupped his fists back to Zuo De before speaking in a calm manner, “Grandmaster still hasn’t changed even after all these years. This Tian Shang is very glad.”
“Elder Long is too kind.” Zuo De nodded.
“Martial Uncle Long, what made you come out today?” Ai Ou asked in surprise. Others might not have an idea about Long Tian Shang’s temper but he had a pretty good idea. In the entire Star Field, he was the only one who had the most contacts with Long Tian Shang.
Generally, even he would have a hard time meeting Long Tian Shang. More often than not he would have the door slammed on his face even when he went to greet him, leaving him no choice but to leave dejected. How could he have known that Long Tian Shang would show up today? Long Tian Shang’s appearance caught even him by surprise.
“I came to join in the fun.” Long Tian Shang chuckled. His temperament was quite extraordinary, giving everyone the feeling of showering in a spring breeze. Anyone who saw him would involuntarily develop a sense of intimacy. While speaking, he turned his head and looked at Yang Kai. “You must be Yang Kai. I can call you by your name, that’s not a problem, is it?”
“Not at all.” Yang Kai smiled and nodded his acknowledgement.
“Mhmm, you are very good. My Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce will be your ally from now on. You can come whenever you want, we are all family from now on,” Long Tian Shang said with a smile.
“Thank you very much, Senior. This junior will definitely treat this as half my home.” Yang Kai immediately made the most of it.
How could the nearby Xue Yue not know what Yang Kai meant? Her pretty eyes immediately flickered with shyness and happiness.
On the other hand, Zuo De’s face couldn’t help but turn ugly when he saw Long Tian Shan say so. Long Tian Shang might not have said much, but judging by these words alone, it was quite evident that he was pretty dissatisfied with Zuo De’s conduct. Otherwise, why would he be so close to Yang Kai?
[But… so what!? In theory, a Third-Order Origin King and I have the same status.] Thus, Zuo De didn’t care too much about it.
“That’s better.” Long Tian Shang nodded his acknowledgement. He seemed pretty satisfied with Yang Kai’s performance. He then chuckled and immediately switched the topic, “That being said, you have made a bet with Grandmaster Zuo De today. Since this King has come to join in the excitement, if you don’t admit it after you lose, this King won’t sit by. This King will truly kill you if you try to escape.”
He said it with a smile. There wasn’t the slightest bit of murderous intent in his tone, yet despite that, the listeners couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.
With a Third-Order Origin King master presiding over this, who would dare to repudiate the bet? It was tantamount to courting death.
“Senior, don’t worry. This junior is an honest boy, I will never go back on my word.”
“I hope so,” Long Tian Shang then turned to Zuo De again. “Grandmaster, what about you? Do you still worry even after this Long is presiding over this?”
“It’s more than enough.” Zuo De nodded.
“Since that’s the case, you guys can start. It’s been a long time since I saw such an interesting thing. This Long also wants to watch a good show.” Long Tian Shang smiled before he vanished like a puff of smoke.
He disappeared just like that.
But everyone knew that he didn’t go far. Because his words had put too much pressure on others, he had taken the initiative to leave.
“Brother Yang, do you really want to do this?” Ai Ou gazed at Yang Kai with a serious look on his face. In his heart, he didn’t want Yang Kai to compete with Zuo De in Alchemy.
He was grateful for Yang Kai’s proposal but was also feeling helpless.
In his opinion, it was no different than a three-year-old child comparing strength against an adult, the former had no chance of winning.
On the other hand, Brother Yang sounded pretty jarring to Yang Kai.
But he couldn’t bluntly point it out, so he was left with no choice but to pretend to be indifferent. So he nodded and said, “Since Senior Long is already here, does this junior still have any chance to regret?”
“Hehe, no, you don’t.” Long Tiang Shang’s loud laughter immediately echoed from the void. His laughter seemed to be filled with schadenfreude, making Xue Yue grind her teeth in anger.
“Sigh!” Ai Ou heaved a heavy sigh. “Since that’s the case, you guys should begin. Ai Ou, Martial Uncle Long, and the Grandmasters, we all will be the witnesses!”
He knew that since things had reached this point, he was completely powerless to turn them back.
However, he also secretly made up his mind that if Yang Kai really lost, he would help Yang Kai escape even if it cost him his reputation.
In any case, Yang Kai had jumped into this muddy water because of Gu Bi Hu.
However, he still couldn’t figure out why Yang Kai did this.
“Haha, you are so dead now,” Zhan Yuan, who was standing by Zuo De’s side, started laughing like a villain. “Honored Teacher, you don’t need to hold back. You should let him know that you, Sir are the best Alchemist in the world.”
“Hmph, you didn’t have to say it.” Zuo De let out a cold snort. He squinted his eyes half and said, gazing at Yang Kai, “How do you want to compete with this old man? Don’t think that this old man is bullying you, the content of the competition will be up to you. No matter what kind of pill you decide, this old man will take it.”
He looked at Yang Kai in disdain, assuming the appearance that the victory was already within his grasp.
[How ridiculous! There is actually such an idiot who wants to compete with me in Alchemy!? I will let you know how to write the word ‘serve’ later.]
“This Yang had declared the content of the competition already, we will refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill!” Yang Kai smiled.
“Impossible!” Before Zuo De could speak anything, Ai Ou suddenly interrupted with a shout, looking at Yang Kai with a solemn look. “Brother Yang, choose another pill. Soul Source Restoration Pill is really…”
[It’s really a very high-level pill. It’s a Mid-Rank Origin King Grade Pill, and you need to be an Origin King Grade Alchemist to refine it. A High-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist is completely ill-equipped to refine it. He would only be wasting the herbs.]
[Yang Kai’s Martial Dao cultivation is very high despite his young age. He must have devoted all his time to the Martial Dao, so how could he have reached high-level in Alchemy? Even if he is an Alchemy prodigy, it’s still impossible to be an Origin King Grade Alchemist!]
[If he chose the Soul Source Restoration Pill for the competition, he has already lost before competing.]
Ai Ou was grateful to Yang Kai for considering Gu Bi Hu but he couldn’t let him jump into the fiery pit, no matter what. If he really let Yang Kai do so, then he would become someone else. Therefore, he rejected it and said, eagerly looking at Yang Kai, “How about you choose the Yuan Restoring Pill. Everyone has used this pill a lot and they can tell the difference between good and bad.”
Yuan Restoring Pill was a pill used by low-level cultivators to restore their Saint Qi. It was only a Low-Rank Saint Grade pill.
Ai Ou believed that Yang Kai should be able to refine it. And as long as he could refine it, he still had a chance. And if by some fluke of luck he refined it with Pill Veins, he just might win.
Zong Ao also nodded in agreement. He too felt that Yuan Restoring Pill was more appropriate. He knew that Yang Kai had some Alchemy skill and that Yang Kai had even refined a pill with Pill Clouds. It would certainly not be difficult for him to refine Yuan Restoring Pill with Pill Veins.
Since Zuo De let Yang Kai decide the content of the competition, then such an excellent chance could not be wasted in vain.
Zhan Yuan immediately stepped up and said, “Since someone wants to choose the Soul Source Restoration Pill, he must be pretty confident in refining it. This Zhan isn’t talented and hopes to have the chance to observe and emulate Your Excellency’s Alchemy Skill. Tch tch, it’s really rare to see someone refine an Origin King Grade pill. What does everyone think?”
Just as he said this, every Alchemist present here looked excited.
They too wanted to observe and emulate the refining of an Origin King Grade pill.
Between Yuan Restoring Pill and Soul Source Restoration Pill, they were more inclined toward the latter. So after hearing Zhan Yuan, they all agreed immediately.
Ai Ou flew into a rage. His majestic eyes focused on Zhan Yuan as the latter couldn’t help but shrink his neck. Perplexed, Zhan Yuan forced a smile and said, “I’m sorry, President Ai Ou but as an Alchemist, this Zhan only considered it as my own perspective. It was indeed my oversight. But most of us here want this. If Sir President likes, you can ask them.”
“No need, I choose the Soul Source Restoration Pill!” Yang Kai waved his hand.
“Have you thought it through?” Zuo Do asked in a cold voice.
“Grandmaster doesn’t look confident?” Yang Kai smiled.
“This old man is afraid that you won’t be able to smile in the future!” Zuo De coldly snorted and said, “Don’t think for a moment that I don’t know what you are doing. Forget it, this old man will refine a Soul Source Restoration Pill as per your wish.”
Even to this point, he still believed that Yang Kai was using his freedom in exchange for the chance to cure Gu Bi Hu. He thought that everything Yang Kai did was only for the Soul Source Restoration Pill.
It never ever crossed his mind that Yang Kai could refine the Origin King Grade pills.
“President Ai Ou, please take out the materials,” Zuo De said to Ai Ou.
Ai Ou furrowed his brow and said, “I only have one set for materials! I can provide the other ingredients but I only have one Seven Colored Elk’s Monster Core. I’m afraid you two can’t compete to refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill.”
“This old man doesn’t care.” Zuo De shook his head. “From the start, these ingredients were prepared for this old man. As for where he will get his ingredients, that’s his business. If he can’t even gather the materials, then it will be considered as his defeat!”
“Grandmaster, if that’s the case, wouldn’t you be winning without competing?” Ai Ou looked extremely dissatisfied.
“He’s going to get his lesson!” Zuo De remained unmoved. He even sneered and added, “Youngsters are always arrogant. They don’t know how high the heavens are and how deep the earth goes. Only after the hammer of experience hammered this into them do they become mature and stable. Let it be a lesson for him. Elder Long, what do you think?”
Zuo De looked towards the void and asked.
After a long silence, Long Tiang’s nonchalant voice echoed from the void, “Grandmaster is right. Ai Ou, give the ingredients you have prepared to Grandmaster.”
“Martial Uncle!” Ai Ou was quite shocked when he heard this. If so, then Yang Kai would have no hope of winning at all. The ingredients for the Soul Source Restoration Pill were incomplete. How was he going to complete then? Ai Ou knew how difficult it was to find that Seven Colored Elk’s Monster Core. Even after mobilizing the entire Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, he could only find one with most of its energy depleted. There was absolutely no second one in the world.
“Since Yang Kai insists, he must have something to rely upon. Maybe he has another set of ingredients. You can hand over the ones you have prepared to Grandmaster Zuo De,” Long Tian Shang’s voice echoed from the void.
Ai Ou was taken aback when he heard this. He immediately turned to Yang Kai, looking at him with an inquiring look on his face.
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile as a glittering seven-coloured Monster Core appeared in his palm with a flip of his hand. Its seven-coloured glow was a lot brighter than Ai Ou’s Monster Core.
“He does have it!” Everyone exclaimed in surprise. Many alchemists were staring greedily at the Monster Core in Yang Kai’s hands.
If the two Monster Cores were put together, they were almost identical, except…
“Why do I think that this one is a bit different than the one taken out by President Ai Ou!?” Someone mumbled to himself, confused.
“It’s indeed a bit different. It looks the same but there are some subtle differences. Is this really a Seven-Coloured Elk’s Monster Core?”
“This is the Monster Core of a mutated Seven-Coloured Elk. It is not a primordial Monster per se but that Monster Beast also had a sliver of Seven-Coloured Elk’s bloodline,” Yang Kai explained with a smile.
It had been in his Space Ring for many years. It belonged to a mutated Seven-Coloured Elk that he had hunted on the prairie just outside the Emperor Garden when he went there back in the past. It had never come in handy. He had never thought that it would be used for competition today.
“So that’s how it is! What a shame!?” Zong Ao heaved a sigh.
“Why?” Ai Ou had already regarded Yang Kai as one of his own. When he heard Zong Ao say so, he couldn’t help but ask, nervous.
“Seven-Coloured Elk’s Monster Core is one of the main ingredients for refining the Soul Source Restoration Pill. Although the one in Yang Kai’s hand does meet the requirements, it does so barely, it’s impure. It would be much more difficult to refine. And even though most of the energy of the one gathered by the President is depleted, it’s the real deal. If that one is used, it would undoubtedly provide an edge,” explained Zong Ao.
He was a High-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist. He might not be able to refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill, but as the one who suggested this pill recipe, he naturally had done quite some research. Everything he said was definitive.
Ai Ou’s face couldn’t help but turn ugly when he heard him say so.
“Haha, you want to use a defective Monster Core to compete with this old man?” Zuo De broke into laughter. “Kid, this old man advises you to give it up before you embarrass yourself.”
“If the defective one isn’t enough, what if I add this?” Yang Kai smiled as another thing appeared in his hand. Just as it appeared, an odd fragrance permeated into the surroundings. Everyone who smelled it felt their head cleared up. Many of the negative emotions in their hearts were driven away.
“A matching heart!” Zong Ao’s eyes lit up. He immediately smacked his thigh and said, smiling, “That’s better! Now you both are on the same starting line.”
Ai Ou was pleasantly surprised. He knew full well that with the assistance of the matching heart, Yang Kai’s disadvantage would be wiped out instantly.
Zuo De’s expression couldn’t help but darken. He immediately insulted, “You hunted a mutated Seven-Coloured Elk, how surprising! Be that as it may, do you really think that you can defeat this old man with your Alchemy Skills? This old man will give you one last chance to throw in the towel and save yourself the embarrassment. You won’t get another chance!”
“This Yang also gives Grandmaster one last chance. Otherwise, this competition will leave a life-long stain on Grandmaster. It will damage your reputation,” Yang Kai retorted.
“Hmph, there is no point in talking with you. Since you have the ingredients, let’s start. This old man will make you accept defeat!”
Yang Kai turned to Ai Ou and said, cupping his fists, “May I request President Ai Ou to pick a suitable location.”
“The Alchemist Pavilion is not far from here. The Alchemist Pavilion has genuine Earth-Fire, as well as Origin King Grade Alchemy furnaces,” Ai Ou immediately led the way while speaking.
Everyone else closely followed him after. All the Origin Grade Alchemists had their blood pumping at the moment. Their faces were flushed all over. They were unable to hold their excitement. They immediately gathered around Grandmaster Zuo De, taking advantage of this opportunity to ask him some questions.
It wasn’t easy to meet an Origin King Grade Alchemist just because they saw him. Today was their lucky day and how could they not take advantage of this?
Despite Zuo De’s characters, his Alchemy Skill spoke for itself. Just a few pointers from him had helped Zhan Yuan advance to Mid-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist. There were many self-proclaimed genius Alchemists here who believed themselves to be much more talented than Zhan Yuan. If they could get a few advice from Zuo De, they would definitely make the most of it.
Perhaps Zuo De wanted to maintain his own image, he answered all the questions and problems raised by the Alchemists without withholding anything. He didn’t reject anyone.
Many people had benefited a lot from this and felt extremely grateful.
Only Zong Ao followed Yang Kai’s side, regardless of the hustle and bustle on that side.
The villainous Zhan Yuan kept glancing at Yang Kai from time to time with a schadenfreude smile hanging on his face.
“Honoured Teacher, your student encountered a problem a few days ago. I don’t know how to solve it. Can the Honored Teacher clear my doubt?” Zhan Yuan asked in a loud voice all of a sudden.
Many Alchemists perked their ears, wondering what exactly Zhan Yuan wanted to ask.
“Oh? What’s the problem? Let’s hear it.” Zuo De calmly asked.
“There is an ignorant boy who has just stumbled onto the Alchemic Way and wants to compete with your student in Alchemy, hoping to win. Your student is wondering whether I should compete with that guy or not. After all, your student doesn’t want to bully him. But if I don’t agree, he will think that your student’s skills aren’t that good. This really has put me in a jam.”
“What’s to think about it? An Alchemist’s honour cannot be desecrated. He must be taught a hard lesson. He must be taught that the Alchemic Way is not something a ‘nobody’ can dabble in.”
Zhan Yuan looked as if he was stuck with a sudden realization. He cupped his fists and said, “So that’s how it is. Thank you very much for your valuable lesson. Your student understands now.”
Xue Yue, who was walking by Yang Kai’s side, flew into a rage just as she heard this. She ground her teeth in anger so hard that they were creaking.
Yang Kai held a very high position in her heart, and even Ai Ou didn’t hold such a high position. And when Zuo De called Yang Kai a ‘nobody’, she immediately blew her top. If it not for Zuo De’s identity, Xue Yue would have immediately cut him down.
Some Origin Grade Alchemists furrowed their brow. They didn’t like Zuo De’s remark. It didn’t suit someone of Zuo De’s status to speak like this. But no matter how much they didn’t like it, all they could do was ignore it.
There were even some Origin Grade Alchemists who started laughing to flatter Zuo De.
Everyone was extremely fast. In just fifteen minutes, they had arrived before a palace that was surrounded by Spirit Array. Ai Ou immediately opened the way through the barriers with a wave of his hand before leading everyone inside.
“What an intense fire,” Yang Kai exclaimed in a low voice as a look of surprise appeared on his face. He could feel the pure and intense fire element floating in the air, it wasn’t any worse than the High Heaven Sect’s Earth Lung Fire Pond.
“This is my Water Sky City’s Alchemist Pavilion.” Ai Ou explained with a smile, “There is a top-class Earth-Fire Vein below the Alchemist Pavilion. All the Alchemists of my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce refine their pills here.”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement. He immediately knew why the Alchemists accompanying them didn’t look surprised at all. All of them were Alchemists of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. Obviously, they came here often and were long used to it.
“Country boy,” Zhan Yuan didn’t give up the chance to mock Yang Kai at all. Yang Kai couldn’t help but snort upon hearing this.
“Sir President, what are you doing here?” As soon as the group walked into the Alchemist Pavilion, an old man wearing Alchemist’s robes came over and asked doubtfully.
Ai Ou bitterly smiled as he gave a brief rundown.
“What!? Someone actually wants to compete with Grandmaster Zuo De in Alchemy?” The old man cried out loud.
In a flash, countless doors in the Alchemist Pavilion flew open as dishevelled and shrivelled Alchemists rushed out of their respective Alchemy rooms, one after another. All of them looked like starving beggars.
Someone rushed out from the crowd and shouted in a high-pitched voice, “Where is the Grandmaster? Where is the Grandmaster?”
And just as they saw Zuo De, they huddled around and bowed in unison, greeting Zuo De.
Zuo De too put on an approachable appearance as he greeted in return.
Yang Kai was secretly shocked at the sight of this. He counted no fewer than seventy Alchemists, who had rushed out of the Alchemist Pavilion. Every Alchemist was of Saint King Grade level or above. Their level might not be that high but their numbers could not be underestimated.
Furthermore, this was just from the ground level of the Alchemist Pavilion, that’s all.
As he spread his Divine Sense, Yang Kai sensed that the Alchemist Pavilion still had eight underground levels!
So to say, this Alchemist Pavilion had nine levels. And different levels of Alchemists were refining pills on every level.
There might be four to five hundred Alchemists in the Alchemist Pavilion alone.
This was one of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s heritage!
These four to five hundred Alchemists refined countless pills for the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce every year.
In a flash, Zuo De’s surroundings were bustling with noise and excitement, forming a very sharp contrast to Yang Kai who was in the front.
And after they came to learn that Yang Kai was actually going to compete with Zuo De in Alchemy, those Alchemists, who were ignorant of the truth, glared at Yang Kai with gazes filled with righteous indignation as if Yang Kai had desecrated something.
Ai Ou waved his hand to avoid embarrassing Yang Kai, leading everyone down.
Just as Yang Kai had sensed, the Alchemist Pavilion was divided into nine levels. The lower the level was, the more intense the power of Earth Fire was, and the higher the level of Alchemists could refine pills in there.
Every time they went down a level, the number of Alchemists following behind them increased.
Over five hundred Alchemists were following Ai Ou by the time they reached the ninth level.
This was giving Ai Ou a pretty big headache. He wanted to send them back to refine their own pills but he just couldn’t open his mouth. He knew very well how high was Zuo De’s position in their hearts and how tempting the chance to see an Origin King Grade Alchemist refine the pill was.
These stubborn Alchemists might not obey his orders even if he tried to use force.
All he could do was leave it alone. He then whispered to Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, there is no pressure. I too hadn’t expected things to become so big. You can treat these guys as roadside pebbles.”
Yang Kai smiled. “President Ai Ou, don’t worry. These guys are nothing to me.”
“That’s better.” Ai Ou couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.
“Since we are here, let’s start,” Zuo De shouted aloud. He then turned to look at the hundreds of Alchemists and said with a smile, “Fellow Alchemists, I will be competing with this kid in Alchemy today. There might be a reason for it but it’s also true that this old man is bullying here. This old man is ashamed of this!”
Zuo De’s words gained the favour of the Alchemists who were unaware of the truth. Some of them immediately shouted aloud, “Since someone is so full of himself, Grandmaster doesn’t need to blame himself. It’s okay to teach him a lesson.”
“That’s right. Grandmaster is a noble character of high prestige. It’s really outrageous that someone would actually dare to compete with you in Alchemy.”
“How about Grandmaster take a break and let me compete on your behalf? I won’t let Grandmaster down!” Someone even volunteered for it.
These Alchemists, who came to join in the fun, were completely unaware of the truth. They didn’t even know what pill they were going to be refining. They just came here because of Zuo De’s fame. So naturally, they didn’t have a good impression of Yang Kai.
In their opinion, competing with Zuo De in Alchemy in itself was completely intolerable.
Most of the five hundred or so Alchemists glared at Yang Kai in anger and disdain. They could not wait to swallow him whole in one go.
Yang Kai smiled at the sight of this.
Zuo De smiled and said, “Everyone, this old man appreciates your kindness. However, this old man really has to personally make a move for this because this kid is competing with this old man to refine the Soul Source Restoration pill!”
“What!? Soul Source Restoration Pill!?”
“Isn’t that an Origin King Grade pill?”
“Grandmaster is actually going to refine a pill of this level? How lucky!”
“Is this guy also an Origin King Grade Alchemist? He doesn’t look like it.”
The crowd of Alchemist broke into a lively discussion. It immediately became quite noisy.
“Okay, okay, break it up, will you!” Ai Ou shouted aloud as his face turned ugly. “Grandmaster Zuo De and Yang Kai are about to start refining. All of you are Alchemists, don’t you know that one should not be disturbed during Alchemy? Please don’t make any more noise. Otherwise, don’t blame this Ai for not showing leniency!”
As soon as Ai Ou said this, the noisy hall immediately turned silent.
Zuo De smiled and said, “Everyone, just don’t make any noise. It’s not a problem if you want to observe and emulate.”
Many Alchemists beamed with joy and looked at Zuo De with gratitude as soon as Zuo De said this.
“President Ai Ou, please hand this old man the ingredients for refining the Soul Source Restoration Pill and also prepare a copy of the same for the kid,” Zuo De said aloud.
“But of course.” Ai Ou immediately nodded upon hearing this. He then took out many ingredients from his Space Ring, divided them into two, and gave them to Yang Kai and Zuo De.
The two sets of ingredients were basically the same. The only difference was that the one given to Zuo De had a Seven Colored Elk’s Monster Core.
After the ingredients were finalized, Ai Ou said, “This is the ninth level of the Alchemist Pavilion. The Earth Fire is the most intense here. Refining pills here can help Alchemist’s save a lot of time and energy. You can choose the best suitable location for you.”
Dragon head-like things could be seen here and there on the ninth level. The dragon heads weren’t that big but their jaws happened to be open and they could be controlled by a nearby Spirit Array. Once the Spirit Array was turned on, the power of Earth Fire could be drawn from the ground and out of the dragon head. It could also control the fire’s power, which was extremely convenient.
Obviously, Zuo De was familiar with this place. After hearing Ai Ou, he made his way straight to a dragon head and started making preparations.
Over five hundred Alchemists also rushed over and stood twenty feet away from him, forming a circle around him. Their eyes were completely glued on Zuo De.
Ai Ou came to Yang Kai’s side and asked in a low voice, “Brother Yang, do you want to use a room? Although this place is pretty wide, there are many people here. I’m afraid you will inevitably be disturbed.”
“No need.” Yang Kai shook his head and said, smiling, “If I took the room, these people will not be able to see how I refined the pill. I’m afraid they will suspect me of doing something.”
“Hmm, you have a point,” Ai Ou furrowed his brow tightly. “But can you really refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill?”
He didn’t believe it from the beginning to the end. But Yang Kai clearly looked calm and unperturbed, which naturally made him a little suspicious.
[Could he be an Origin King Grade Alchemist and had also made great progress in Martial Dao?] Just as this idea popped in Ai Ou’s mind, Ai Ou denied this notion because it was too unrealistic.
“President Ai Ou, just wait and watch.” Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile.
Ai Ou said nothing more.
On the other side, Zhan Yuan’s voice suddenly came with a sense of schadenfreude, “Friend, Honoured Teacher asked me to ask you, do you want to borrow an Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace? You need to know that a good Alchemy furnace can also increase the success rate in Alchemy. Although you might be unable to start up the Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace with your ability, the Honoured Teacher is compassionate, it’s okay for you to use it.”
“This Yang appreciates Grandmaster’s kind intention. As for Origin King Grade Alchemy Furnace… hehe, I too have one!” Yang Kai said with a laugh and took out his Purple Origin Furnace from his Space Ring.
He brought this thing from the Emperor Garden as well. It was something that was tens of thousands of years old. At that time, a pill with Pill Clouds was lying in this Purple Origin Furnace.
When Yang Kai took out the Purple Origin Furnace, all the Alchemists gathered on Zuo De’s side could not help but cry in surprise.
But soon, everyone suppressed their cry of surprise as they looked at Yang Kai’s Purple Origin Furnace with a greedy and covetous gaze. They could not keep their eyes away from it.
All of them were Alchemists. Naturally, they could tell that the Purple Origin Furnace was extraordinary. Purple clouds were lingering around the furnace. And the moment the furnace was taken out, all the Alchemists on the ninth floor could smell the pill fragrance permeating in the air. In just one glance, they could tell that many top-class pills had been refined in this furnace.
“Is he really an Alchemist?” Zhan Yuan was also dumbstruck.
[If he is not an Alchemist, how did he come to own an Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace?] But soon, he concluded that Yang Kai might have gotten it accidentally as a war trophy. After all, Yang Kai was strong. He faced many crises and went through many adventures every year. As a Second-Order Origin King master, there might be all kinds of things lying in his Space Ring.
[Damn it! He is just a cultivator and actually has an Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace, while a promising and rising Alchemist like me is only using a Mid-Rank Origin Grade Alchemy furnace!?] Zhan Yuan ground his teeth in hatred. He believed that the Purple Origin Furnace in Yang Kai’s hand was like casting pearls before swine. He could not help but rush to snatch it from Yang Kai’s hand.
Having considered all of this, Zhan Yuan started making plans on how to take Yang Kai’s Purple Origin Furnace. [Would it be too much to add another bet at this moment?]
He was lost in various fancies and conjectures. He couldn’t help it.
“Your pill furnace is pretty good,” Zong Ao raised his brow. “Judging by its primitive aura, I’m afraid it’s quite old, am I right?”
From several hundred Alchemists, only Zong Ao was standing by Yang Kai’s side. He didn’t go to watch Zuo De.
“It’s indeed very old. I only got it by accident. But… Grandmaster Zong Ao, I hope you are not eying my Alchemy Furnace. I only have this one.” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
Zong Ao immediately pursed his lips upon hearing this.
Ai Ou broke into laughter and said, “Let it be. I remember that there is an ownerless Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace lying in Water Sky City’s Treasury. I will send it to Grandmaster Zong Ao tomorrow.”
Because of today’s incident, Ai Ou had become very friendly to Zong Ao because he firmly stood by Yang Kai’s side from the beginning to the end.
Zong Ao immediately smiled and cupped his fists as he thanked, “Thank you very much, President Ai Ou.”
“A hero deserves a good sword.”
Just as several people were talking, Zhan Yaun’s voice echoed from that side as he yelled, “Friend, Honoured Teacher said that there is too big of a gap between him and you. And since there is no time limit for this competition, as long as you refined the Soul Source Restoration Pill, the Honoured Teacher will admit defeat.”
“This junior thanks Grandmaster for his kind intentions. This junior will try his very best!” Yang Kai cupped his fists and thanked loudly.
Zhan Yuan responded with a sneer.
Ai Ou’s face turned serious as he shouted in a low voice, “Since both of you are ready, let the competition begin!”
Just as he said, a scorching heatwave suddenly spread from Zuo De’s side. Obviously, the Spirit Array was started up, drawing the power of Earth Fire.
“Yang Kai, don’t be nervous. It’s no big deal to lose,” Xue Yue said with concern.
There was one thing she didn’t say. If Yang Kai really lost, she would do anything to take Yang Kai out of Water Sky City even if she had to risk her life. In any case, she couldn’t let him be a slave for two millennia. She believed that her father would not ignore it.
“I’m not nervous.” Yang Kai nodded. “However… Can you stand a bit back? I can’t work if you keep standing here.”
“Hm, I’m sorry! I forgot!” Ai Ou and the others were rendered speechless. They hurriedly retreated.
In a flash, the ninth level of the Alchemist Pavilion was divided into two, one was centred around Zuo De. Over five hundred Alchemists of Saint King Grade or above had formed a large circle around Zuo De, staring their eyes out at Zuo De, lest they missed any details.
And the other was around Yang Kai. But compared to all the hub-bub around Zuo De, it looked extremely desolate here. There were only Ai Ou, Xue Yue, and Zong Ao around Yang Kai, that’s all. The trio looked extremely nervous, worrying about gains and losses.
Ai Ou and Xue Yue exchanged glances with each other from time to time as if they were exchanging something ulterior.
Suddenly, some unsuppressed exclaims rose from Zuo De’s side. Zuo De opened the Alchemy furnace in front of him before throwing the already prepared herbs skillfully into the pill furnace by Zuo De. With one hand, he was throwing the herbs inside, with the other, he was controlling the heat. His every action was extremely fluid, simple, and eye-catching, fascinating the five hundred or so Alchemists so much that they forgot Ai Ou’s previous warning for the moment.
“As expected of the Grandmaster. He actually put the Eternal Water Orchid and Blue Heart Fruit together. I can’t even think of doing it even in my dreams.”
“Strange, the Sea Grass and Red Flame Flower have opposite attributes. Putting them one after another will ruin their efficacy. Shouldn’t he refine one first before putting the other one?”
“What do you know? Grandmaster has his own reasons for doing this. Didn’t you notice that when Grandmaster placed the Sea Grass into the furnace, he activated the Spirit Array inside the pill furnace with his Saint Qi? I’m afraid the two herbs had already merged perfectly.”
“So that’s how it is! Grandmaster seems to be too fast, my eyes can’t keep up with him. I’m so ashamed!”
“Hehe, what’s there to be ashamed of before the Grandmaster!? You better keep watching! Today’s gain will surely be the blessing of my life.”
Zuo De was a veteran Origin King Grade Alchemist. Zuo De might have agreed to compete with Yang Kai in anger but once he entered the Alchemy zone, he became as calm as an ancient dried-up well. All the sound around him disappeared. All in his eyes was the heat, timing, pill furnace, and ingredients. Everything else was already thrown aside.
Just like this, Zuo De had the demeanour of an expert. And coupled with the fluent movements and the grasp of the timing of the fire, as well as his knowledge of Alchemy, he had instantly conquered all the Alchemists present, dazzling everyone. They all hoped to have these images and scenes last forever, never to end.
Even though it was very loud and noisy around him, these noises failed to enter Zuo De’s ears.
He had entered a state of selflessness. Just by this point alone, it was quite evident that he had not become Origin King Grade Alchemist by a fluke. He indeed had what it takes.
Even the nearby Yang Kai could not help but marvel at the sight of this scene.
Martial Dao was just the same as Alchemic Dao. Only when one put all their energy into it could they achieve something. A person who tried to pursue two things and aimed high could never go too far.
Yang Kai didn’t waste any more time, seeing that Zuo De had already started. He took a deep breath and adjusted his state of mind. In an instant, Yang Kai’s face turned serious as his pupils constricted.
It seemed that there was only the pill furnace and the herbs in his eyes, and nothing else.
Yang Kai had also entered the selflessness state in an instant.
The opponent was a veteran Origin King Grade Alchemist. Naturally, he couldn’t be half-assed about it.
Ai Ou’s immediately lit up at the sight of this. He asked Zong Ao in a low voice, pleasantly surprised, “Grandmaster Zong, I think the air around Brother Yang is not worse than Zuo De’s. He wouldn’t happen to really be an Alchemist?”
Zong Ao smiled and whispered back, “Yang Kai is an Alchemist. This old man can guarantee this. Well, this old man has seen him refine the pills with his own eyes, and not just once. He had also refined a pill with Pill Clouds!”
“What!?” Ai Ou was taken aback. “He is so good? Grandmaster Zong, you aren’t lying to me, are you?”
“How can this Zong do that? Are you kidding me?” Zong Ao’s eyes turned dull as if he was recalling something. “When that pill was being refined, this Zong had been watching from the sidelines and had gained a lot. But…”
“But what!?”
“But the level of that pill wasn’t that high. It gave birth to Pill Clouds by some fluke of chance and coincidence.” Zong Ao said, going straight to the point, “The pill he is going to be refining today is the Soul Source Restoration Pill. It’s an Origin King Grade pill. As for whether he can refine it or not, this Zong can’t say with certainty. But his Alchemy technique and talent in Alchemic Dao is absolutely second to none. President, look… uh…”
As Zong Ao was speaking, he saw Yang Kai throw the material given to Yang Kai by Ai Ou continuously into the Purple Origin Furnace.
Unlike Grandmaster Zuo De’s fluent and skilful movements, Yang Kai was throwing herbs in a rather fast manner. He had thrown all of them almost in one go and closed the Purple Origin Furnace’s lid right away, without any fancy movements.
Even people who didn’t understand Alchemy would find it disturbing.
Xue Yue immediately grew worried.
Ai Ou was jaw-slacked as well. He looked completely speechless but he still asked Zong Ao, just in case, “Grandmaster Zong… is there a point why Yang Kai is doing like this?”
“I don’t know either.” Zong Ao looked a little puzzled.
No Alchemist threw all the herbs into the pill furnace at once. Every pill needed its ingredients to be put in a specific order to refine. And then there was the timing to put it in. Whenever a herb was put into the pill furnace, the Alchemist had to expend his mind and energy to control the heat in the pill furnace and merge the medicinal liquid with appropriate methods.
This was a gradual process and the process had to be slow and meticulous.
Only by doing this, could the Alchemist refine a good pill.
“He would ruin the herbs by doing this.” Zong Ao was growing anxious. “Every herb responds to different temperatures differently. When he is going to draw the power of Earth Fire, he will be in a difficult situation.”
[Even though the power of Earth Fire can be controlled, it definitely isn’t as easy and flexible as the Saint Qi controlled by the cultivator himself. Didn’t you see Grandmaster Zuo De constantly control the Spirit Array, change the size of the Earth Fire? Because of this, herbs are needed to be put in, one by one. It isn’t a hotpot. How can you throw it all at once?]
“Did he give up because he knows he couldn’t beat Zuo De?” Ai Ou thought of a possibility.
Yang Kai proposed to compete with Zuo De to refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill in order to save Gu Bi Hu. As long as Zuo De agreed to this competition, Gu Bi Hu had hopes of waking up. Yang Kai’s victory or defeat was another matter.
“He isn’t this reckless! Just keep watching!” Xue Yue bit her thin lips gently, her pretty eyes glued at Yang Kai. Her palms had become all sweaty.
To everyone’s dismay, Yang Kai still didn’t turn on the Spirit Array to draw the power of Earth Fire after putting all the herbs. Instead, he closed his eyes and sat still in a cross-legged position, forming mysterious seals with his hands.
This wasn’t hidden from Zhan Yuan, who had been observing Yang Kai’s movements. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of this. “I thought that he still had an inch of skill, but it turns out that he doesn’t even know the most basic common sense of Alchemy. He actually threw all the herbs into the pill furnace, hahaha!”
When the Alchemists by his side heard this, they looked at Yang Kai and shook their heads. Someone immediately said, “What a waste of so many good herbs! It’s really hateful!”
In the eyes of Alchemists, every good herb must be put to good use.
Naturally, Yang Kai’s wastefulness drew their ire and dissatisfaction.
Alchemists, who were originally sympathizing with Yang Kai, were filled with resentment when this scene fell into their eyes.
But right then, a scorching heatwave surged from Yang Kai’s side. This scorching heatwave gave everyone a strange feeling. It seemed to be ever-changing, gentle yet violent. It was hard to see through it clearly.
This feeling gave the impression that flames of different temperatures were gathered at one place but they didn’t conflict nor did they merge with each other. It was very weird.
“Where is this scorching heat coming from?”
“That’s weird! He is neither drawing the Earth Fire nor is he circulating Saint Qi. Where is this power coming from?”
Many Alchemists looked at Yang Kai suspiciously. They were a little puzzled.
“Conflagrated Knowledge Sea!” Zhan Yuan was puzzled at first but suddenly, he seemed to have realized something. He couldn’t help but blurt in surprise, staring at Yang Kai with a fanatical and covetous gaze.
“What!? So it is the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea!?”
“He has a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea!?”
Each Alchemist’s mouth was agape; their mouth was open so wide that an egg could be stuffed into their mouths. They all fixed their gazes at Yang Kai, one after another. Every Alchemist looked extremely excited.
The Conflagrated Knowledge Sea provided the most unique advantage to Alchemists and Artifact Refiners. Alchemists and Artifact Refiners with Conflagrated Knowledge Sea could achieve twice the result with half the effort when refining pills or artifacts.
This was common sense that everyone agreed with.
But how many people in this world had Conflagrated Knowledge Sea? And how many of these people had the aptitude for Alchemy and Artifact Refining? In those five hundred or so Alchemists, none of them possessed a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, including Zuo De.
But Yang Kai had it!
Even the extremely calm Zuo De, who had entered a complete selfless state, couldn’t help but raise his head and glanced at Yang Kai, looking at him with surprise.
But soon, he withdrew his gazes and stopped paying attention to Yang Kai.
Because he knew that one had to focus on Alchemy with undivided attention. Observing others would only mess with one’s mind. [So what if he has a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea? This old man has over a thousand years of experience in Alchemic Dao! Not many people have a Conflagrated Knowledge Sea in the entire Star Field, and none of those that have it is an Origin King Grade Alchemist.]
[And this old man is!] Zuo De was filled with disdain.
“Damn it!” Zhan Yuan ground his teeth and cursed. He looked pretty annoyed, thinking that an excellent Alchemist like him didn’t have Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, but Yang Kai had it.
And coupled with the Origin King Grade Alchemy furnace before, Zhan Yuan suddenly felt that the Heavens must be jealous of his talents, and they were too unjust!
[If an Origin Grade Alchemist like me had the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, I would definitely be able to reach the height of Honoured Teacher in the future. No, no, no… I would definitely surpass the Honoured Teacher and have unprecedented success.]
Only now did Zhan Yuan understand why Yang Kai had acted so bizarrely before.
[He actually has the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, and it seems that his control over the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea has reached a high degree of proficiency. With this advantage, he can throw all the herbs into the pill furnace without any major problems. As long as he could divide his own Conflagrated Knowledge Sea well, he can control the heat of the melting point of each herb!]
[Would this be difficult for a Second-Order Origin King master?] Zhan Yuan gave it a thought and realized that it would be a piece of cake for Yang Kai.
Sure enough, after Yang Kai stimulated his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, Ai Ou seemed to have realized something. The worry on his face was immediately gone and a smile appeared on his face instead.
With the assistance of his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, Yang Kai didn’t need to draw the power of Earth Fire.
He could feel that Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was divided into countless strands. The intensity of every strand was different. The divided Conflagrated Knowledge Sea poured into the pill furnace and wrapped the herbs he had put in before starting to refine them into medicinal liquid.
The medicinal liquid refined by Conflagrated Knowledge Sea was more pure and thorough than the one refined by Earth-Fire!
Ai Ou even felt that Yang Kai’s Divine Sense in the Purple Origin Furnace was constantly changing as all kinds of complex Spirit Arrays appeared and disappeared inside the pill furnace. The speed was insanely fast. And during this, Yang Kai’s hand seals were also constantly changing.
His movements weren’t that fast, and nor were they eye-catching but those hand seals were extremely mysterious as if they didn’t belong to this world.
Meanwhile, Zong Ao’s mind was completely immersed in Yang Kai’s world.
He was different from Ai Ou.
Ai Ou was a layman who was simply enjoying the show. He could only see the general picture but Zong Ao was an Origin Grade High-Rank Alchemist. He could spy upon the profundity of the Alchemic Way from the changes in Yang Kai’s Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, the rise and fall of the Spirit Arrays in the pill furnace, and Yang Kai’s various hand seals.
He was immersed in his thoughts. The glow in his eyes started to change. He seemed to be swimming in the endless ocean of the Alchemic Dao, ignoring everything else.
The more he pondered, the more he gained. Yang Kai’s mastery of timing and heat, or even the single change in Yang Kai’s hand seal, would often touch the doubts in his heart, prompting him to find answers.
On the ninth level of the Alchemist Pavilion, with the purple mist circling around the Purple Origin Furnace and its lid shut tight, no one could see the changes happening inside, nor could they hear a single sound.
As such, the five hundred or so Alchemists withdrew their gazes.
Since they couldn’t see anything on Yang Kai’s side, all they could do was turn their attention back to Zuo De.
There weren’t that many chances to observe and emulate an Origin King Grade Alchemy Grandmaster refine pills so closely. If they didn’t cherish this opportunity, they would regret it for life.
Furthermore, rumour had that Grandmaster Zuo De was quite a pretentious man. Usually, even if these Alchemists visited him in person, they might not even see a glance of Zuo De, but thanks to Yang Kai, they had the chance to observe and emulate his Alchemy skills.
As this thought crossed everyone’s mind, many people actually thanked Yang Kai in their hearts, though only slightly. At the same time, they sympathized with him as well.
Even if he had the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, he couldn’t win against a veteran Origin King Grade Alchemist.
Time slowly went by as the entire ninth floor of the Alchemist Pavilion became shrouded in a heavy atmosphere.
At first, the Alchemists were often exclaiming and discussing a lot, admiring Zuo De’s amazing skills. But as time passed, everyone stopped talking. Everyone’s attention was completely focused on the Zuo De and the pill furnace before him.
Many Alchemists were absorbed in their enlightenment. Obviously, they had quite a bit of harvest but they didn’t have the time to understand it in depth. All they could do was suppress all of their ideas and thoughts for now and recall them later slowly.
Gradually, medicinal fragrance started to permeate into the surroundings, rising from Zuo De’s pill furnace.
The fragrance was light and refreshing. It seemed as if an invisible hand was caressing every Alchemist; they appeared to be enjoying it.
Zhan Yuan, watching the movements in Zuo De’s pill furnace, looked most excited. From time to time, he would glance at Yang Kai with a mocking smile on his lips, like the victory was already in their grasp.
He found that ever since Yang Kai brought out the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, there was no other unusual movement thereafter, as if no pill was being refined on that side.
This made him even more proud.
He could not help but think how Yang Kai would become Zuo De’s servant once he lost. And as Zuo De’s disciple, his status would be naturally higher than a servant. If Yang Kai lived with them together, he could order Yang Kai to do things as he liked!
[Hmm, well, he is still a Second-Order Origin King. I still have to give him a little face otherwise he might become angry out of shame. I guess I can’t really beat him.]
[I guess I can only ask him to clean my room every day. Also, he seems to know the basics of Alchemy. I can also ask him to be my assistant.]
[It’s decided then!] Thinking of better days ahead, Zhan Yuan felt even happier than marrying a bewitching beauty. He couldn’t wait to dance around to show his excitement.
Just like that, two days had gone by in a flash.
At present, Zuo De cut an extremely sorry figure; his entire body was sweating buckets, which was then evaporated by the high temperature around him, making him look extremely dishevelled.
But no one scorned him.
Because Zuo De was an Origin Returning Realm cultivator. And he was getting older to boot. He had been refining the pill for two days straight; no one could bear this.
Zuo De might not be looking good but he was filled with excitement. His eyes were glowing.
Whereas on Yang Kai’s side, it had been calm and uneventful all the while. Nothing noticeable happened over these two days. Only the purple mist kept dancing around the Purple Origin Furnace.
At some point, Zuo De’s figure jolted as his hands suddenly formed some mysterious seals.
Everyone immediately cried in excitement.
“Grandmaster’s very own Pill Condensing Technique!”
“Is this the rumoured Red Lotus Divine Hands Method? It’s indeed true to its reputation! It isn’t worse than any ancient Pill Condensing Techniques. It might even be better.”
“I have devised this type of technique once, but compared to Grandmaster’s, it’s nothing!”
“This Pill Condensing Technique was created by Grandmaster himself. How can you compare yourself with Grandmaster?”
The crowd of Alchemists immediately became spirited. Everyone’s eyes were glued on Zuo De’s movements; they weren’t willing to miss any details. They would have hit it big if they could see through the mysteries of this set of Pill Condensing Technique.
Zuo De’s hands danced in the air like butterflies, slapping the pill furnace before him, again and again. Every time he smacked the pill furnace, a red lotus would appear, which would then crumble into pieces before flying into the pill furnace, creating a magic effect on the pill that was about to be formed in the pill furnace.
This was the very Red Lotus Divine Hands Method created by Zuo De!
Zuo De smacked eighty-one palms on the pill furnace, one after another, as eighty-one lotus seals made their way into the pill furnace.
After he hit the pill furnace for the last time, a reverberating crisp sound suddenly rang from the pill furnace. At the same time, the medicinal fragrance wafting out of the furnace suddenly grew richer.
“He has finished refining!” Someone exclaimed in surprise as a frantic look appeared in his eyes.
All the Alchemists present here were very familiar with this scene. Obviously, it was the sign of successful refinement of the pill. Furthermore, judging by the sound from the pill furnace and the medicinal fragrance lingering in the air, Grandmaster Zuo De’s Alchemy this time ended in absolute perfection!
[Grandmaster’s reputation is indeed well-deserved. He only took two days to refine a Mid-Rank Origin King Grade pill. Grandmaster Zuo De is second to none among all the Origin King Grade Alchemists in the entire Star Field!]
Suddenly, Zuo De turned serious and slapped the pill furnace hard before its lid flew up. At the same time, a light blue thing shot out of the pill furnace at an extremely fast speed.
But Zuo De was already prepared. He reached out and immediately froze that light blue mass in its place. Taking and throwing it into the already prepared jade bottle in his other hand with a flick of his hand.
CLANG…
The crisp sound from the bottle made everyone focus their straight at the source.
Zuo De stood and broke into laughter. Although he appeared to be in a mess, his face was extremely ruddy.
“Congratulations, Grandmaster! After refining such a perfect pill today, Grandmaster is just a step away from advancing to the Mid-Rank Origin King Grade.”
“That’s right! The Soul Source Restoration pill is a Mid-Rank Origin King Grade pill. I’m afraid even another Alchemist of the same level would not find it as easy to refine as Grandmaster. Grandmaster seems to have already reached the Mid-Rank Origin King Grade.”
“Grandmaster is indeed a role model for our generations. My skills are nothing before you!”
The crowd of Alchemists broke into a lively discussion. Some took the opportunity to flatter, some congratulated Zuo De sincerely, one after another. All kinds of comments could be heard coming from the crowd.
A smile appeared on Zuo De’s face as he cupped his fists and said, holding the jade bottle in his hand, “Thank you, everyone. This old man is just a step ahead in exploring the Alchemic Way, that’s all. Everyone here is an elite Alchemist. Your future achievements may not be worse than this old man’s.”
Apparently, Zuo De seemed to be in a good mood because everything went so smoothly. He was extremely friendly to everyone.
“Honoured Teacher, may this disciple have the honour to take a look at this pill?” Zhan Yuan, who was well versed in the ways of ass-kissing, naturally knew what to say at this moment.
“Take it!” Zuo De carelessly threw the jade bottle in his hand to Zhan Yuan. Zhan Yuan, pretending to be horrified, carefully took it and studied the Soul Source Restoration Pill through the bottle. He suddenly exclaimed in the next moment, “Honoured Teacher is indeed awesome. This pill is round and transparent, and its medicinal properties are quite concentrated to boot. I’m afraid it has reached High-Rank in quality alone. If it could go one step further, I’m afraid it would have given birth to Pill Veins.”
The expression on some of the Alchemists’ faces grew a bit unnatural, thinking that Zhan Yuan had gone a bit over with his ass-kissing.
[It’s already impressive that he was able to refine an Origin King Grade Pill. And now, you are even craving for Pill Veins.]
[In the entire Star Field, no one in tens of thousands of years seemed to have refined an Origin King Grade pill with Pill Veins.
Although such thoughts were circling in everyone’s mind, no one pointed it out.
One by one, everyone turned their gazes at the jade bottle in Zhan Yuan’s hand. How could Zhan Yuan not know what was going in everyone’s mind? After confirming with Zuo De, he passed the jade bottle to another Alchemist to study.
As the jade bottle went around the Alchemists’ hands, every Alchemist poured out their praises and marvels.
Zuo De felt extremely proud of his success. He seemed to have become a few hundred years younger.
“Grandpa, you are done but what about that guy?” Zuo Ling suddenly asked.
“Let’s just go and see.” Zuo De smiled.
Zhan Yuan smiled and said, rubbing his palms, “Teacher, you don’t understand, this disciple has kept an eye on that guy for the past two days. At first, your disciple thought that with his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, his Alchemy skills must be superb. But unfortunately…”
“Unfortunately what!?”
“Unfortunately, he only has Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, and nothing else!” Zhan Yuan broke into laughter.
Zuo De reprimanded but a slight smile could be seen hanging on his lips, “You should not underestimate anyone. The Conflagrated Knowledge Sea provides an unimaginable edge to us Alchemists. He doesn’t seem to absolutely ignorant of this, perhaps he really is an Alchemist.”
“Teacher, you are right. However, even if he is an Alchemist, he is far behind you, Teacher,” said Zhan Yuan.
Zuo De proudly smiled and waved his hand, “As you can see, the youngsters these days…”
At this point, the crowd led by Zuo De arrived before Yang Kai.
“Congratulations, Grandmaster.” As the host, President Ai Ou might be standing on Yang Kai’s side but he couldn’t help but bow and congratulate Zuo De since Zuo De was here. And judging by everyone’s discussion, he knew that Zuo De had already finished refining the Soul Source Restoration pill.
His feelings were complicated.
On one hand, the successful refinement of the Soul Source Restoration pill made him very happy as Gu Bi Hu could be saved now.
But on the other hand, Yang Kai’s freedom for two thousand years was put at stake for this pill. If Yang Kai lost, he would no longer be able to rest easy.
So, Ai Ou didn’t know whether he should be happy or worried. Deep down, all he could do was pray for a miracle that Yang Kai could successfully refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill.
“I should be the one congratulating President Ai Ou.” Zuo De smiled as he stretched his hand out. Zhan Yuan hurriedly offered the jade bottle with both hands before Zuo De took it and gifted it to Ai Ou. “Since the Soul Source Restoration Pill is refined, Mrs. Gu will be all right now!”
Ai Ou forced a smile. “Thank you very much for your help, Grandmaster!”
“It’s my duty! After all, this old man is the Foreign Elder of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, and Mrs. Gu is President Ai Ou’s wife. Since Mrs. Gu is in trouble, this old man can’t sit idly!” Zuo De replied, earnestly.
Ai Ou almost couldn’t help but curse his mother.
[This old bastard is saying this now! Where did your conscience go before? Weren’t you forcing this King to agree to Xue Yue’s marriage?]
[You are really shameless!]
Ai Ou might have been criticizing in his heart but none of that could be seen on his face. With his current strength and status, Ai Ou could keep a straight face even if a mountain collapsed before him.
“Haha, Sir President, Honoured Teacher has finished refining already. What about this friend?” Zhan Yuan walked out from the crowd and asked, pointing at Yang Kai.
In the past, he wouldn’t dare to address Yang Kai as ‘friend,’ no matter what. Although he was an Origin Grade Alchemist, Yang Kai was an out and out Second-Order Origin King master.
He wasn’t qualified at all.
But now that the die had been cast, Zhan Yuan didn’t need to be polite to someone who would be his teacher’s slave for the next two thousand years.
Addressing Yang Kai as a friend was a matter of course.
“It doesn’t seem to be finished yet,” Ai Ou’s expression remained dull even when he laid the truth.
Zhan Yuan smiled, “Sir President, you are mistaken. I think he has failed, he won’t be finished ever. It has been two days already, there should be some pill fragrance coming out of the furnace.”
Just as he said this, the few hundred Alchemists present were momentarily taken aback. They realized that Zhan Yuan was indeed right.
No matter how slow Yang Kai’s progress was, it’d been two days. Grandmaster Zuo De had already finished refining his Soul Source Restoration Pill. Even if Yang Kai was a little slower, there should be some fragrance wafting out of his furnace.
But they couldn’t smell even a whiff. Obviously, there was something wrong here.
“He is right!” The nearby Zong Ao, who had been absorbed in his enlightenment, nodded lightly.
Ai Ou couldn’t help but glance at Zong Ao. [Which side are you on exactly?]
“I’m just stating the fact.” Zong Ao added again.
Ai Ou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He knew that these Alchemists had one-track minds. They were extremely conscientious towards the Alchemic Way and would not desecrate the Alchemic Dao just because of some close relationships.
“Indeed…” Ai Ou didn’t know how he should respond. He didn’t know anything about Alchemy; he dared not make any comments.
“Even if there is no pill fragrance, there is no burnt smell either. Which means that the herbs in Yang Kai’s pill furnace are still alright.” Suddenly, Xue Yue took the stand. “This means that he hasn’t failed in refining, right!?”
Zhan Yuan was dumbstruck, mouth agape. He was rendered speechless.
Indeed, although no pill fragrance was coming from Yang Kai’s furnace, the smell of burning wasn’t coming either. Everyone was a little confused. They couldn’t tell what exactly was going on.
“Furthermore, Grandmaster has already agreed that there was no time limit for Yang Kai. It has only been two days. Everyone might as well wait a little while,” clarified Xue Yue.
“Honoured Teacher has indeed said that there was no time limit.” Zhan Yuan furrowed his brow before quickly adding, “But if this guy keeps refining like this, then wouldn’t be waiting here for like forever? We would never be able to tell who is the winner!”
As he said this, he suddenly appeared to have been struck with a realization. He clapped and said, “I understand! Now I understand what he is up to! He must have thrown all the herbs into the pill furnace and stopped paying attention thereafter just to waste time. He is waiting for us to grow impatient. At that time, no one will pursue this matter.”
Although Zhan Yuan was just making conjectures, it made sense to everyone when everyone gave it a thought.
[Grandmaster Zuo De has indeed given Yang Kai no time limit because of his identity. If Yang Kai proceeded with this in mind, it would definitely resolve the impending crisis.]
[After all, it’s impossible to wait for him for one or two years, or even five or ten years…]
[He’s a Second-Order Origin King master. It’s normal for him to enter a retreat for a few decades. And in case he’s trying to comprehend some profound Secret Technique…]
[He isn’t wasting time but that‘s not the case for others.]
Zhan Yuan’s words immediately made all the Alchemists understand Yang Kai’s intention. They started looking at Yang Kai with a displeased and disgusted look in their eyes.
[He has already committed blasphemy by competing with Grandmaster Zuo De in Alchemy. And now, he is trying to delay using this. This is simply outrageous!]
Immediately, a High-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist stepped out. He cupped his fist to Ai Ou and said, keeping a straight face, “Sir President, please give us an explanation. If this guy is really as contemptible as Grandmaster Zhan says, Sir President must uphold justice for Grandmaster Zuo De.”
“Yeah! Alchemic Dao is sacred. It can’t be desecrated. What this guy is doing is an insult to Alchemic Dao we pursue. It’s an insult to all the Alchemists of the Star Field. We can’t tolerate this!”
“We beg Sir President to uphold justice!”
“If you don’t give us a satisfactory answer, we will immediately leave the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce!”
“Count me in. This man is utterly disgusting!”
Most of the Alchemists spoke up, asking Ai Ou for an explanation. These Alchemists weren’t afraid even if they were facing the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce President. They were looking straight into Ai Ou’s eyes.
Ai Ou was in a predicament.
He never expected things to turn out like this. Just because of a competition, two to three hundred Alchemists had become furious!
He knew that if he didn’t handle this properly, then the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s foundation would be severely damaged.
He had paid a great deal of money to hire all these Alchemists; none of them were trained by the Chamber of Commerce itself. They were free to leave the Chamber of Commerce for other forces. And presumably, other forces would more than welcome them.
An anxious Ai Ou was secretly vexed by the ignorance of these people; they had no appreciation for the things and were making a fuss blindly.
On the other hand, Zhan Yuan could not help but grin. He himself hadn’t expected that just a casual comment from his would cause the things to take such a turn.
Both Zuo De and he were delighted by this. He furtively glanced at Zuo De and found that the other party was looking at him approvingly, like he was praising his boundless prospects.
Zhan Yuan hurriedly straightened his waist!
He stood straight like a javelin.
“Sir President, it’s already obvious. Please give us an explanation!”
Getting no reaction from Ai Ou even after so long, those Alchemists couldn’t help but urge.
Ai Ou immediately furrowed his brow. He pondered for a moment before speaking in a deep voice, “Does everyone believe that Yang Kai is deliberately trying to delay time? Isn’t everyone quick to jump to conclusions? This King thinks that we should observe for a while longer.”
“What’s there to watch?” Someone voiced their dissatisfaction.
Right then, Zuo De interceded, “Everyone, please stay calm. President Ai Ou is right. Furthermore, this old man has indeed not given him a time limit. Let’s wait, it was negligence on this old man’s part!”
Those Alchemists couldn’t take it even more so after Zuo De said this. In their opinion, Yang Kai was a rascal who had forced the honourable Grandmaster to compete in Alchemy. And he deserved to die!
“Grandmaster, you are just too kind!” An Alchemist shook his head and sighed. “Grandmaster, if you say so, others will only treat your tolerance as weakness. This matter cannot be tolerated and delayed anymore.”
“Indeed!” The Alchemist, who spoke at the very beginning, let out a cold snort. He was an old man. His face was filled with wrinkles; he appeared to have one foot in his grave already. But at this moment, he looked straight at Ai Ou and said aggressively, “President, just look at him. Have you seen any Alchemist so relaxed and at ease when refining pills? Even someone like Grandmaster Zuo De seemed to be on the verge of collapsing after refining for two days straight. But just look at this guy. He looks so calm and relaxed. His eyes are closed like he is meditating. You can’t sense a bit of Saint Qi fluctuation from him. And neither is he drawing the Earth Fire. He might have the Conflagrated Knowledge Sea, but I can’t sense any signs of him stimulating his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea! If he isn’t delaying time then what is he doing? President, if you happened to be taking his side, then that would be too disappointing!”
A gloomy look appeared on Ai Ou’s face. This had given him a big headache!
He raised his eyes, glancing at the void. He was hoping for an answer on how to deal with this from Long Tian Shang, who was hiding in the void.
But Long Tian Shang had no intentions of interfering.
Just as Ai Ou was in a dilemma, wondering how to calm the furious crowd, a sneer suddenly rang in everyone’s ears.
Everyone was taken aback by this sneer. They immediately turned their heads to find its source.
Everyone was immediately surprised to find Yang Kai, who had been sitting with his eyes closed all the while, watching with his head leaning on one side, listening to everyone with interest.
He gave the impression that he had nothing to do with this.
“Friend, it seems you are done with your cheap tricks!?” Zhan Yuan sneered without reservation. He believed that there were just herbs lying in Yang Kai’s Alchemy furnace. He might not have even refined them into medicinal liquid. Thus, his words were filled with provocation.
“Do I even need to play any tricks?” Yang Kai glanced at him.
“Hmph, you yourself are clear about it,” Zhan Yuan sneered.
“Kid, what are you laughing at?” Zuo De narrowed his eyes as he asked indifferently, flaunting his old age.
“Naturally, I’m laughing at your own ignorance!”
“What did you say?” Everyone flew into a rage, immediately glaring at Yang Kai. Everyone was an Alchemist. They had never been despised like this.
“Aren’t you guys ignorant?” A sardonic smile slowly appeared on Yang Kai’s lips. “Who told you that an Alchemist needs to be tired and exhausted while refining pills? Who told you that an Alchemist can’t close his eyes and meditate while refining pills? Who told you that there should be pill fragrance while a pill is being refined?”
“What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything.” Yang Kai curled his lips as asked, looking at Zuo De, “Grandmaster, will you break a sweat and gasp for breaths if you are asked to refine a Yuan Restoring Pill?”
“Hmph, of course not!” Zuo De snorted coldly.
“That’s right! The reason why you won’t is because the Yuan Restoring Pill is too low for you. You can refine it with your eyes closed. You don’t need to go all out. Your Saint Qi could easily meet the demand for refining the pill. So naturally, you won’t be exhausted.”
“You mean to say that the Soul Source Restoration Pill to you is like the Yuan Restoring Pill is to this old man!?” Zuo De’s eyelids twitched.
“Of course!” Yang Kai nodded with a smile.
“Outrageous!”
“Shut up!” Yang Kai turned his head and shouted at the speaker, “This King is a Second-Order Origin King. I’m not exhausted while refining the pill because I don’t need to expend all my Saint Qi. I can close my eyes and meditate because I don’t need to worry about it too much. You can’t sense me stimulating my Conflagrated Knowledge Sea because you are not strong enough! You don’t know anything but started making a fuss. Don’t you think that you guys are too ridiculous?”
The crowd of Alchemists were rendered speechless by Yang Kai.
[Damn it, this guy makes sense!]
All of them were Alchemists. They had never tackled the problems as cultivators. But now, when it was pointed out by Yang Kai, they didn’t know what to say.
“You are distorting the truth!” Zhan Yuan shouted in anger, “How can the Yuan Restoring Pill be compared with the Soul Source Restoration Pill!”
“Exactly! One is a Saint Grade pill and the other is an Origin King Grade pill. There is no comparison between the two,” an Alchemist stated.
“Just as you said, Grandmaster Zuo De is an Origin Returning Realm master, while this King is in Origin King Realm. We are worlds apart,” Yang Kai responded with a smile hanging on his lips.
“Smarty-pants!” Some Alchemists sighed, shaking their head as if it was an insult to argue with someone like Yang Kai. Alchemists relied on their abilities to feed themselves, not their mouths.
Zuo De said with a smile, “Words alone are no proof. Seeing is believing. No matter what you say, it’s useless. If you want to win people’s trust, it’s better to show all your means. I think everyone will believe it after they see it.”
“You want to see?” Yang Kai tilted his head as a scheming smile appeared on his lips.
“You are just afraid of being found out!” Zhan Yun sneered.
Yang Kai ignored him altogether and said, looking at President Ai Ou, “President, do you remember everyone who wanted to leave the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce just now? When they leave, do give them their severance pay, lest they criticized you in the future, saying that your Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is stingy!”
Ai Ou’s face turned as black as pot. [Can’t you take the cue!?]
Yang Kai broke into laughter as he stood up and shouted, “Since you question the Alchemy level of this King, then this King will let you see what is called Alchemy!”
As he spoke, he turned serious all of a sudden. He formed a mysterious seal with his hand before stretching out that hand a bit. Immediately, an image of a complex Spirit Array appeared in the air before flying into the Purple Origin Furnace.
In the next moment, another image of Spirit Array appeared and flew toward the Purple Origin Furnace again.
A third, a forth…
More and more images of Spirit Arrays appeared in the air as Yang Kai’s movements changed, dancing like butterflies as they flew into the pill furnace.
“This…”
“Pill Condensing Technique!”
“Impossible!? I didn’t see him refine. Then why can he use the Pill Condensing Technique!? Has he already finished refining!?”
“Impossible! Even if his pill furnace is completely sealed, medicinal fragrance should be wafting out of his pill furnace. If there is no pill fragrance, it means that the medicinal liquid has not fused. How can he condense the pill then!?”
“But this is obviously a Pill Condensing Technique.”
“Has anyone seen this technique before?”
Everyone was dazzled by the sight before them. At first, they kept discussing with each other, trying to figure out the origins of this set of Pill Condensing Technique. But finally, they concluded that no one had seen this set of Pill Condensing Technique. This technique was completely different from the several sets of techniques circulating in the entire Star Field.
Including the Red Lotus Divine Hands Methods created by Zuo De!
Be that as it may, all the Alchemists present here were individuals with insight. Naturally, they could tell that this set of techniques were extremely mysterious. Each and every seal and the image of Spirit Array gave off an ancient and desolate aura. It seemed as if this technique didn’t belong to this era but should have existed in the ancient era.
All Alchemists seemed to be immersed in their thoughts, staring at the scene before their eyes. They no longer said anything.
Even Zhan Yuan, who had been opposing Yang Kai at every step and corner, was fascinated by it. After having observed and emulated it for a while, he was actually struck with enlightenment.
He couldn’t help but be shocked. After all, he hadn’t had this effect when he was observing the Red Lotus Divine Hands used by Zuo De. A sliver of shame appeared on his face when he returned to his senses.
[This bastard’s technique actually gave me enlightenment. If I let anyone know this, it would be a disgrace.]
He might be thinking as such, but he couldn’t move his eyes away from Yang Kai, lest he miss some seal or didn’t see the image of Spirit Array clearly. He was feeling extremely conflicted.
But there were just too many images of the Spirit Arrays. At first, they were flying one after another but in the end, Yang Kai’s hands started dancing like butterflies, leaving after images. Everyone couldn’t see them clearly. The flying Spirit Arrays were also connected to each other, filling the air.
Zong Ao was shocked, Zuo De too was shocked, and so were the many Alchemists!
Even the laymen Xue Yue and Ai Ou were bedazzled by this sight. They didn’t wish to close their eyes.
But strangely, there was still not any pill fragrance.
In the huge open space, Yang Kai stood with a serious look on his face. He might seem calm and relaxed but he was already pouring out all his skills.
Everything he had learned from the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture had been brought into full play at this moment.
In his eyes, there was only the Alchemy furnace and everything inside it. Everything else had been cast aside, nothing occupied his vision or thoughts.
“Ang…” Suddenly, a strange ring reverberated from the Purple Origin Furnace. At the same time, the Purple Origin Furnace started glowing with purple radiance.
This ring wasn’t that loud but it rang in everyone’s ears like the resonating chimes of a clock tower, shocking the hell out of everyone. Someone seemed to be whispering in the depths of their ears, sharing the mystery and the wisdom of the Alchemic Dao of this world. Everyone tried to listen carefully but they couldn’t hear it properly. Only one or two people had a sudden change in their expression. A tight-knit frown appeared on the brow as they sat cross-legged in their place right away.
All the Alchemists were shocked.
“This is…”
“The Grand Alchemic Dao Tone!”
“It’s actually the legendary Grand Alchemic Dao Tone!”
All those Alchemists who failed to grasp the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone looked at their counterparts sitting cross-legged with envy and jealousy because they had caught a glimpse of the mystery of the Alchemic Dao from the ring just now.
“Ang…”
Another ring reverberated in everyone’s ears.
The expression of the shocked Alchemists became even more complicated. Because after this Grand Alchemic Dao Tone, several other Alchemists had sat down cross-legged and closed their eyes.
The entire ninth floor of the Alchemist Pavilion was seething with excitement. Every Alchemist’s blood was boiling and everyone was extremely excited. Their eyes were filled with desire and eagerness, staring at Yang Kai’s movements.
They all hoped to hear the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone again, hoping to get a glimpse of the secrets of Alchemic Dao just like a few of their colleagues.
No one wanted to miss this heaven-sent opportunity.
Zuo De, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded by this.
When he heard the bizarre ring echoing in his ears, he was still a little sceptical about it, but after seeing Alchemists sit cross-legged, one after another, he was indeed sure that it was the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone!
[The Alchemic Dao Tone is the dream of every Alchemist.]
[How is this possible!? How can it appear here!? I am an Origin King Grade Alchemist! I have been studying the Alchemic Dao for my entire life. I have devoted my everything to Alchemy!]
[So far, I have rarely refined pills with Pill Veins, not to mention give rise to the legendary Grand Alchemic Dao Tone.]
[Yet this young man, a Second-Order Origin King cultivator, has caused such an event even when he is refining in such a lackadaisical manner.]
These melodious chimes ringing in his ears sounded even more unbearable to Zuo De. His face distorted and he could not wait to drive these rings out of his ears.
“Father, what’s going on?” Xue Yue was completely confused by this scene.
She too was hearing the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone, but she found it a little weird because someone seemed to be whispering in her ears. And when she tried to listen to it closely, she couldn’t hear anything.
Yet when she saw the fanatical look on those Alchemists’ faces and heard their cries of surprise, she knew that something big must have happened.
“Grand Alchemic Dao Tone!” Ai Ou looked shocked as well, “It’s actually the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone.”
“What is Grand Alchemic Dao Tone?” asked Xue Yue.
“It’s one of the many voices of the Heavenly Ways!” Ai Ou took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before explaining in a low voice, “Martial Dao, Alchemic Dao, Dao of Artifact Refining, Dao of Array… there are many branches of Heavenly way. A cultivator uses the martial arts to enter the Dao, similarly, an Alchemist enters the Dao using pills, an Artifact Refiner enters the Dao using artifacts, and so on. Everyone is pursuing the supreme Heavenly Way but the path they choose is different. Grand Alchemic Dao Tone is the voice of Heavenly Way. Rumour had it that an Alchemist with some luck and sufficient comprehension could trigger this kind of Heavenly Manifestation in Alchemy. This voice is useless to you and me, but if they could just hear even a little, they would reap endless benefits.”
While speaking, Ai Ou lowered his head and glanced at Zong Ao who was sitting next to him.
Zong Ao was the first one to sit. In other words, he had the highest understanding of the Alchemic Dao among all the people here, except Yang Kai.
“No one has triggered the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone in tens of thousands of years. It has nothing to do with the level of the Alchemist. It’s imperceptible and preordained. This Heavenly Way voice contains the mystery of the Alchemic Dao. The end of Alchemic Dao is the mysteries bred by Heaven and Earth itself!”
Xue Yue paled ever so slightly. She immediately realized how important was this Grand Alchemic Dao Tone for the Alchemists
Ai Ou suddenly pursed his lips into a grin. “The Heavens have blessed my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. God knows how many Alchemy apprentices will be born in my Water Sky City after today!”
“Father, you mean…” Xue Yue seemed to be absorbed in her thoughts.
“You still don’t understand!? This Grand Alchemic Dao Tone is not only useful to the Alchemists here but also to the people with some aptitude in Alchemy. It could provide rudimentary knowledge to beginners. This ring is spreading throughout Water Sky City. It would make our Water Sky City give birth to tens of thousands of Alchemists. Moreover, their future prospects would be absolutely limitless. A few dozen Origin King Grade Alchemists might even appear!”
Xue Yue looked overjoyed when she heard this.
There were only three to four Origin King Grade Alchemists in the entire Star Field, and Heng Luo Chamber of Chamber only had Zuo De, as a Foreign Elder at that.
If a few or several dozen Origin King Grade Alchemists really appeared in the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce someday, no one could stop the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce from rising. No one dared to underestimate the power and means of an Origin King Grade Alchemist.
“Xue Yue, go out and pass my order. Ask everyone in the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce to start looking for people with aptitude for Alchemy. Offer them generous terms to make them join the Chamber of Commerce, especially the children under ten. We must draw them to our Chamber of Commerce at all costs!” Ai Ou suddenly shouted in a deep voice.
“But what about here…” Xue Yue looked at Yang Kai. She was a bit reluctant to leave.
“Don’t worry, aren’t I here?” Ai Ou waved his hand.
“Yes!” Xue Yue had no choice but to leave quickly to relay Ai Ou’s orders.
After Xue Yue left, Ai Ou couldn’t help but murmur in dissatisfaction, “Sigh, why isn’t it the Martial Dao Heavenly Tone!”
If it was the Martial Dao Heavenly Tone, he might have gotten a chance to break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm.
He couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated.
Today, the entire Water Sky City was seething. The Grand Alchemic Dao Tone was ringing throughout the city. After hearing this sound, countless playing children stood still in their place. A thoughtful look appeared on their immature faces. They perked their ears, trying to listen to the whispers clearly. Even when their parents were dragging them, they remained still as if a powerful spell had been cast on them.
Many were confused. They couldn’t understand why there was a voice ringing in their ears. They thought that there was something wrong with their ears. Even when they covered their ears, it didn’t help.
Only when many cultivators of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and the guards of Water Sky City were dispatched together, the residents of Water Sky City finally realized that something big must have happened.
Third Young Master Xue Yue had announced that all those who had listened to the Heavenly Tone could join the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce regardless of age or sex, enjoying extremely generous treatment, especially the children under ten years. Many Origin Returning Realm masters grew envious when they heard the terms.
Five hundred thousand Saint Crystals every year. An entire palace for themselves. Twenty servants to serve them. And most important of all, they would have the same status as the Chamber of Commerce’s Deacon…
By now, everyone knew that the mysterious voice whispering in their ears was a heaven-sent opportunity.
These sudden benefits immediately made those childrens’ parents dizzy. With Third Young Master Xue Yue’s character and Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s credibility, countless men and women could be seen dragging their children to the centre of Water Sky City.
No one wanted to give up the benefits sent right to their doorsteps.
The Grand Alchemic Dao Tone rang again and again, ringing a total of nine times!
This lasted for an entire day.
After a day, over a hundred Alchemists could be found sitting cross-legged on the ninth-level of the Alchemist Pavilion with Yang Kai at the centre, like the stars surrounding the moon.
Many of the standing Alchemists also had a pondering look on their faces. Their expressions kept on changing, sometimes they seemed to be worrying about gains and losses, sometimes they seemed anxious, and sometimes they started laughing ecstatically.
Obviously, all of them had reaped some benefits!
After nine rings, there were no more movements inside the Purple Origin Furnace. The wandering purple mist had also dissipated.
Yang Kai had stopped condensing the pill. About half a day ago, he sat back in a cross-legged position and closed his eyes, letting the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone spread out from the Purple Origin Furnace.
He had gained more than any Alchemist present here. After all, the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone was triggered by him. The sound that was vague and ethereal to others sounded very clear to Yang Kai.
Some ancient and desolate voice was whispering in his ears, telling him the profundities of Alchemic Dao. The voice wasn’t that loud but its words were very clear.
Every sentence and word was etched in Yang Kai’s mind like a brand, so that he could master it without thinking.
He had gained more than he would have even after studying the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture tens of thousands of times.
The Alchemy knowledge poured into his mind was the ultimate mystery bred by Heaven and Earth itself. One could only glimpse at it when the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone was triggered.
Of the five hundred or so Alchemists, over a hundred were sitting cross-legged, while another half was immersed in thoughts. The rest could only sigh indignantly. They weren’t lucky enough and their aptitude was insufficient. As such, they couldn’t hear anything from these nine Alchemic rings.
Be that as it may, their expression and attitude towards Yang Kai had changed. They were no longer looking at him with dissatisfaction and disdain as before, but with dignity and respect instead.
How could someone who could trigger the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone nine consecutive times not be an Alchemist? No one would believe that!
Yang Kai might not have opened the furnace and taken out the pill yet, but they were sure that a Soul Source Restoration pill was lying in the pill furnace.
[This guy is not just a Second-Order Origin King cultivator but a veritable Alchemy Grandmaster as well!] When everyone recalled how short-sighted they were before, many Alchemists felt extremely ashamed.
“Why not me!?” An untimely voice suddenly reverberated on the ninth floor. All those Alchemists who were still awake couldn’t help but frown as they looked at the source. They found that the speaker was none other than Zhan Yuan, who had been opposing Yang Kai at every step.
At this moment, Zhan Yuan appeared to have lost his wits. He kept muttering, constantly looking at the Alchemists sitting cross-legged, “Why not me? I heard it too but why can’t I hear it clearly!? I, Zhan Yuan, am an Alchemy prodigy born once in ten thousand years. No one taught me since I was a child. Everything I’ve learned, I learned it myself. Where is my share of Alchemic Dao mystery?”
Many Alchemists looked disgusted when they heard him boast so shamelessly.
Whether one could hear the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone depended on one’s luck and aptitude. It could not be forced at all. This was the choice of Heavenly Way. Men had no say in it. Naturally, Zhan Yuan’s crazy rants displeased everyone.
“I should have heard it!” Suddenly, Zhan Yuan’s face turned hideous as he shouted. He then turned to Yang Kai and said, grinding his teeth, “I understand, you must have done something. The Grand Alchemic Dao Tone was triggered by you, you must have blocked the Alchemic Tone. It must be your work!”
While speaking, he charged straight at Yang Kai.
There were over five hundred Alchemists here, of which over a hundred were sitting cross-legged and over a hundred seemed to be comprehending something. It was almost a fifty percent split, but Zhan Yuan wasn’t in it. He had fallen apart.
[Why can others have such a great opportunity, but not me?]
If he had gotten this opportunity, he might have become an Origin King Grade Alchemist someday.
So he couldn’t restrain his anger at all.
“Impudent!” A loud shout exploded in Zhan Yuan’s ears directly. Ai Ou stretched his hand at Zhan Yuan and waved his hand as Zhan Yuan flew out like a rag sack.
Because there were so many Alchemists immersed in their enlightenment, Ai Ou didn’t want to go overboard. He tried his best to suppress himself. Even when he shouted at Zhan Yuan, his shout was transmitted straight into Zhan Yuan’s ears.
Zhan Yuan flew a long way before he fell to the ground.
“If you dare to cause any more commotion and be rude again, I will take your life right then and there!” Ai Ou coldly glared at Zhan Yuan. He had no scruples for his identity as Grandmaster Zuo De’s disciple.
In his opinion, the Alchemists of the Alchemist Pavilion were all precious treasures. How could they be disturbed by Zhan Yuan?
More importantly, he wanted to disturb Yang Kai, the person who had triggered the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone. If it wasn’t the wrong place and wrong time, Ai Ou would have killed him; he was already brimming with murderous intent.
After this, Zhan Yuan had finally returned to his senses and a cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He couldn’t believe that he had done something like this. When he noticed the cold look in Ai Ou’s eyes, a chill ran down his spine. He knew that President Ai Ou no longer valued him due to his recent performance.
[But I’m now Honoured Teacher’s disciple, I don’t need to worry about President Ai Ou.]
Having thought of this, Zhan Yuan had calmed down a little. He then turned to look at Zuo De.
But the next moment, he was taken aback. He asked in a low voice, “Teacher, what happened to you?”
He noticed that Zuo De was unsteady and pale. He looked even more exhausted than when he had finished refining the Soul Source Restoration Pill as if all his energy was exhausted.
“Father, are you okay?” Zuo Ling finally noticed that something was wrong with Zuo De. She couldn’t help but be panic-stricken.
“Grandmaster…” Ai Ou came forward, looking at Zuo De in surprise. He had no idea what was wrong with Zuo De. After all, he was an Origin King Grade Alchemist and should have benefited from the nine Alchemic rings. Even if he didn’t, he wouldn’t look as if he had suffered an attack, but not only was he grimacing in pain, blood was also flowing out of his ears.
Zuo De didn’t move, nor did he say anything. Only the sound of his breathing proved that he was still alive.
“Grandmaster, I advise you not to question the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone. If you question it, you are questioning the Heavenly Way and the road you have travelled so far. By doing this, you are rejecting the Alchemic Dao. Its consequences will be very serious.” Yang Kai’s voice suddenly rang.
Just as Yang Kai finished speaking, Zuo De suddenly spat on the ground, spitting a mouthful of black blood. His face suddenly lost all colour. He looked at Yang Kai with an unwilling look.
“What’s wrong with Grandmaster?” Ai Ou asked, furrowing his brow.
“Still not convinced, are you?” Yang Kai smiled. “Grandmaster probably thinks that I’m not qualified to trigger the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone. He was a little unconvinced, but was taught a lesson by Grand Alchemic Dao Tone.”
“Taught a lesson…” Ai Ou was jaw slacked and his face turned pale. “Don’t tell me that the Alchemic Tone is alive.”
“The Heavenly Way is ever-changing. I can never say for sure.” Yang Kai grinned.
Ai Ou looked depressed.
“You dare to harm my Grandpa!?” Zuo Ling suddenly glared at Yang Kai. She appeared to be secretly circulating her Saint Qi.
Yang Kai’s face turned cold. “Little Girl, you can eat indiscriminately but you cannot stick labels indiscriminately on others. Grandmaster Zuo De wasn’t hurt by me.”
“Then why did Grandpa… spit blood!” Zuo Ling pestered Yang Kai for an answer.
“Hmph!” Yang Kai sneered. “You have to ask him. Grand Alchemic Dao Tone was ringing in your ears, and it didn’t matter if you didn’t try to comprehend it, but you still dare to question its authenticity. You are lucky to be alive. Do you still think I am responsible?”
Zuo Ling looked as if she had something to say but Zuo De stopped her, raising his hand. He looked at Yang Kai with a dim look in his eyes and said, “You are good!”
“Grandmaster, you flatter me!” Yang Kai smiled.
“But… you haven’t forgotten that there is still a bet between you and me? You might have inspired the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone but so what? Have you refined the Soul Source Restoration Pill?”
“Grandmaster, you still want to check?” Yang Kai looked at Zuo De, narrowing his eyes.
“Open the furnace!” Zuo De took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, “The fact that you can trigger the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone only means that your aptitude for Alchemy is heaven-defying, it doesn’t mean that you can refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill, an Origin King Grade pill! There are countless geniuses in the world but how many can really grow up?”
“Grandmaster, so you won’t shed tears unless you see your coffin.” Yang Kai sneered.
“Grandmaster, how about we call it a day?” Some Alchemists tried to persuade.
Yang Kai was the one behind the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone. All of them owed him a favour, while Zuo De was a noble character with high prestige. He was a role model in the Alchemy world, so no matter who won or lost this bet, it was something they didn’t want to see. The best choice would be to stop here and try to make big things small and small things nothing.
Since one of them tried to persuade Zuo De, another one tried as well. After a while, many Alchemists joined the persuasion team.
Yang Kai looked indifferently and said, “I don’t have any problem. It depends on Grandmaster.”
“There is no need to say anything anymore! Just open the furnace!” Zuo De, ignoring everyone’s advice, stared straight at Yang Kai with determination.
Ai Ou opened his mouth. He looked like he had something to say but when he saw the look in Zuo De’s eyes, he could only sigh in resignation.
Yang Kai gently nodded and said indifferently, “As you wish then!”
While speaking, he reached out and smacked on the Purple Origin Furnace. In a flash, the furnace lid flew up as a streak of light shot out of the furnace. At the same time, a rich pill fragrance permeated into the surroundings.
“This…” Someone cried in surprise, eyes glued on the thing that flew out of the furnace. He had no inkling of an idea that Yang Kai had already finished refining.
And the reason why there was no pill fragrance from the start was entirely because the medicinal efficacy was concentrated beyond everyone’s imagination. Only when the furnace lid was opened that the pill fragrance spread out.
Lost!
Zuo De lost!
Regardless of whether the grade of the Soul Source Restoration Pill refined by Yang Kai was good or bad, Zuo De had lost already. After all, he himself had said that as long as Yang Kai could refine it, he would have lost.
Just the fact that Yang Kai could refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill was evident that Yang Kai was really an Origin King Grade Alchemist!
Everyone’s breath couldn’t help but quicken. Their eyes were filled with enthusiasm and respect, looking at Yang Kai.
This kind of gaze should have only been enjoyed by Zuo De or any other Origin King Grade Alchemist.
The moment the pill flew out of the pill furnace, Zuo De couldn’t help but stagger, looking at the glowing thing that flew out in disbelief. He suddenly seemed to have grown a lot older.
But soon, he bit the bullet and shouted, “It’s not over yet. Whether it’s the Soul Source Restoration Pill or not has yet not been verified!”
“Yes, it’s not over yet!” Yang Kai burst into laughter as he flicked his finger at the Purple Origin Furnace for the second time.
Everyone was confused why he wanted to do this but the next moment, something unbelievable happened. Right after the first streak of light flew out of the furnace, another streak of light flew out of the Purple Origin Furnace. And the pill fragrance was even richer than before, filling everyone’s nose.
“Two…”
“How is this possible?”
“Can two Soul Source Restoration Pills be refined at once?”
“Am I dreaming?”
“Did President Ai Ou give him two sets of ingredients? No, that’s not right! Even if he had two sets of ingredients, it’s impossible to refine both sets at once. What’s going on!?”
All the Alchemists felt the common sense that had been etched in their minds for many years subverted. Every pair of eyes was staring at the two glowing pills that flew out of the furnace, dumbstruck.
Yang Kai took out the jade bottle that he had prepared long ago. Then he stretched his hand out before the two flying pills fell into the jade bottle as if they were bound by some power. Clear and crisp rings rang from the jade bottle as the two pills fell inside.
“Am I seeing this correctly? Did two pills just fly out of the furnace?”
“I also thought I was seeing things. What does this mean?”
For a long while, many Alchemists could be seen whispering to one another. But no one dared to step up and ask to check the pill for the fear that what they see next would subvert their own cognition.
“Grandmaster, do you want to check the pill?” Yang Kai asked Zuo De, holding the jade bottle.
Zuo De’s expression withered immediately. He didn’t say anything but looked at Yang Kai with a complicated look in his eyes.
The other Alchemists didn’t speak either.
“Let me,” Ai Ou said in a heavy voice as he stepped forward and took the jade bottle from Yang Kai’s hand.
“Then I shall trouble you, President Ai Ou.” Yang Kai smiled indifferently.
Ai Ou nodded and opened the jade bottle, taking a pill out in front of everyone’s eyes.
The pill was perfectly round and transparent. The fragrance wafting from the pill cleared everyone’s minds of all stray thoughts; they felt refreshed. If it wasn’t the Soul Source Restoration Pill, then what was it?
However, the Soul Source Restoration Pill refined by Yang Kai was slightly different from the one refined by Zuo De. It was even different from the one recorded in the pill recipe. The pill had a faint golden glow. The Soul Source Restoration Pill looked expensive and strong under this glow. Furthermore, everyone could feel the surging vitality from it.
Even someone who had no idea about Alchemic Dao could clearly tell that it definitely was a pill to save lives and heal wounds!
All the Alchemists were dumbfounded. They really couldn’t understand why the pill refined by Yang Kai using the same material was different from the one recorded in the pill recipe.
None of them had noticed that Yang Kai had dropped a drop of his pure Golden Blood into the pill furnace during the refining!
It was only when a pill had a spirit that it could be called a Spirit Pill. This was the last sentence recorded in the True Alchemy Enlightenment Scripture.
From it, Yang Kai came to realize that if he wanted to refine Spirit Pill, Pill Spirit was necessary!
Monster Beast’s Monster Core could be used as Pill Spirit. But his pure Golden Blood could also be used as Pill Spirit. And it was even better than Monster Beast’s Monster Core. After all, his pure Golden Blood contained unimaginable power and vitality.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai would not waste his own Golden Blood to refine a Spirit Pill. The Golden Blood was extremely precious. It was more valuable than a Spirit Pill.
But since he was treating Xue Yue’s mother this time, Yang Kai could not act stingy.
It was precisely because of the Golden Blood acting as the Pill Spirit that a faint golden glow had appeared on this Spirit Pill.
“Everyone can check if this is a Soul Source Restoration Pill or not!” Ai Ou passed the pill to the Alchemists as he spoke.
The Alchemists didn’t reject either. One of the Alchemists took it as the others gathered around to analyze it. Finally, they came to a unanimous conclusion that this was indeed the Soul Source Restoration Pill, and the medicinal efficacies seemed to be two parts stronger than recorded.
After this, everyone’s gaze towards Yang Kai became more solemn and respectful.
Subconsciously, they felt that Yang Kai had changed the Soul Source Restoration Pill’s recipe. In their opinion, that could be the only reason it could reach such a level!
One needed to be an Origin King Grade Alchemist to refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill, but if one wanted to modify the pill recipe of this level of pill, he or she needed to be a Mid-Rank or High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist!
Every pill recipe had been handed down through tens of thousands of years. It had been perfected by countless geniuses over countless epochs. Just by this fact, it could be reckoned how difficult it was to modify a pill recipe.
But today, they saw it.
They immediately understood that Yang Kai should be a Mid-Rank or a High-Rank Origin King Grade Alchemist!
All the Alchemists were shocked by this fact because they came to realize that not only he was a powerful Second-Order Origin King but also had unimaginable attainments in Alchemic Dao.
[Is he some old monster, who had been living for tens of thousands of years, in disguise? Otherwise, how could he do this at his young age?]
“Grandmaster, do you want to check it?” Ai Ou asked, looking at the pale and despondent Zuo De.
Zuo De’s previous approach and attitude had displeased Ai Ou very much, but seeing the Alchemy Grandmaster revered by the entire Star Field acting like this, Ai Ou couldn’t take it. After all, no matter what, Zuo De was still an Origin King Grade Alchemist. If he didn’t recover from this, it would be a loss to the entire Star Field.
Zuo De shook his head.
“Since that’s the case, then the winner of this competition…” Ai Ou was just about to announce the result of this competition, the Alchemists suddenly grew anxious.
Someone immediately shouted, “President, there is another pill. Can you take it out? Let’s have a look.”
“Yes! What about the second pill? Let’s take a look!”
Everyone had seen two pills fly out of the pill furnace and was confused by this. Alchemists had a strong thirst for knowledge, so how could they let Ai Ou ignore its existence?
Ai Ou couldn’t help but sigh. He glanced at Yang Kai with a complicated look in his eyes.
When he had opened the jade bottle, he had secretly taken a look at the second pill. When he saw it, he almost threw the jade bottle in fright. Thus, the requests of these many Alchemists had put him in a difficult position.
“Are you sure… you want to look?” Ai Ou asked after seeing Yang Kai show no objection.
“But of course. President, don’t hide it.”
“Sigh! Forget it, you can look at it yourself.” Ai Ou threw the jade bottle in his hand as he said this.
A middle-aged Alchemist in Alchemist’s robes with sharp eyes and quick hands immediately caught the jade bottle. As he focused his gaze inside, he stood stiff in his place as if he was struck by lightning. His eyes looked like they were ready to pop out, as if he had seen something incredible.
“Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao, what’s wrong? Say something quickly!” Seeing that he looked like he had seen a ghost, someone couldn’t help but urge the middle-aged man.
Nonetheless, the middle-aged man didn’t respond.
“Damn it, let me see!” A nearby Alchemist cursed out loud as he snatched the jade bottle from his hand. Then, his throat made some intangible noises. Just like the middle-aged man before, he stood in a daze with bulging eyes.
The jade bottle was snatched around by the Alchemists, one after another, but every Alchemist who saw the pill lying in the jade bottle was shocked.
If somebody who was not aware of the facts saw this, he might think that the jade bottle was filled with a poisonous pill, and a strong poison was leaking from the bottle, poisoning all these Alchemists.
Zuo De’s expression immediately changed. At the sight of this, he had guessed something. But when the thought crossed his mind, he found it unbelievable.
He staggeringly made his way without the slightest demeanour of a powerful master before snatching the jade bottle from a dazed Alchemist’s hands. Next, he poured out the pill straight on his palm.
The pill was surrounded by the very same pale golden glow and was still very round and transparent, but this pill had one big difference from the previous pill: Clear and distinct lines. They were distributed over the surface of the pill just like the meridians in a cultivator.
If these veins were spread on a sheet of paper, they would form a complex pattern that carried the truth of heaven and earth.
“Pill Veins!” Zuo De cried in shock. His old body started shaking like a willow swaying in the wind.
It wasn’t that he had not refined a pill with Pill Veins. Good or bad, he was still an Origin King Grade Alchemist and had been refining pills for a few thousand years. Countless pills had been refined in his hand, so he was lucky enough to refine pills with Pill Veins.
Some of the low-level pills even gave birth to Pill Clouds.
The pills with Pill Veins and Pill Clouds were the pride of Zuo De’s life, his honour as an Alchemist.
But it was his first time seeing an Origin King Grade pill with Pill Veins.
Lost, Zuo De was utterly defeated.
The moment the Pill Veins appeared before his eyes, Zuo De knew that he didn’t lose due to bad luck.
Not only could Yang Kai refine two pills at once but one of the pills even gave birth to Pill Veins. It was just impossible for him to compete with that.
Only now did the headstrong look on Zuo De’s face slowly vanish, replaced with a bit of frustration. He then took a deep breath and put the pill with the Pill Veins back in the jade bottle before cupping his fist at Yang Kai, conceding in a heavy voice, “Grandmaster Yang is indeed legendary, please accept this Zuo De’s bow!”
Yang Kai looked at Zuo De with surprise. He hadn’t expected these kinds of words to come out of his mouth at all. Judging by his unwilling look and character, Yang Kai believed that this old guy would not accept his defeat that easily. How could he have known for the things to end up like this?
Nodding gently, Yang Kai calmly said, “You flatter me.”
Watching Zuo De bowing to Yang Kai in respect, how could the other Alchemists be neglectful. They immediately cupped their fists and apologized, “Greetings Grandmaster Yang, we had eyes but failed to see. If we had offended Grandmaster Yang somehow, we ask Grandmaster to be magnanimous to forgive us.”
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Ignorance can be forgiven.”
Yang Kai’s generous bearing immediately attracted everyone’s heart.
Either way, Yang Kai himself was a Second-Order Origin King master. Just by his strength alone, he stood at the top of the entire Star Field. Coupled with his identity as the Origin King Grade Alchemist, it could even be said that he was the most valuable and noble person in the entire Star Field; a fact no one could refute.
What was rare was that he was broad-minded and paid no heed to everyone’s past rudeness. This was definitely in-line with how a Grandmaster would act.
Compared to Zuo De’s way of seeking publicity, it was a whole lot better.
“Ling’er, apologize to Grandmaster.” After having accepted his defeat, Grandmaster seemed to have turned over a new leaf. Not only did he correct his attitude, he even asked his granddaughter to apologize to Yang Kai.
A reluctant look instantly appeared on Zuo Ling’s face. She immediately slipped behind Zuo De to hide.
Just as Zuo De was about to reprimand her, Yang Kai smiled and said, “Kids are innocent about things. Grandmaster doesn’t need to make things difficult for her. I didn’t take it seriously either.”
A complicated look flashed in Zuo De’s eyes. He nodded and continued, “After seeing Grandmaster Yang today, this Zuo De has come to know many of my shortcomings. I have learned from my mistakes.”
After pausing, he turned to Ai Ou and continued, “President Ai Ou, this old man wants to retreat for a year and a half. After my retreat is over, this old man will abide by the bet with Grandmaster Yang every year. This old man will take his leave first!”
While speaking, he handed over the pills refined by Yang Kai and started leaving with Zuo Ling without receiving Ai Ou’s consent.
Ai Ou didn’t stop him either. He only said, “Goodbye, Grandmaster.”
He knew that Zuo De had no face to stay here. It was already hard for him to sincerely apologize to Yang Kai in such a calm and upright manner, to remain would be incredibly uncomfortable. Long-time famous people like Zuo De would always try to save their faces.
“Honoured Teacher, wait for me,” After watching Zuo De leave, how could Zhan Yuan continue to stay here? He shouted and hurriedly chased after Zuo De with intestines blue with regret for opposing Yang Kai at every step and corner, mocking him again and again.
(Ash: Intestines turned blue with regret means regretting his ass off.)
Had he known that Yang Kai was this capable, how could he have been so ignorant? And it was not too late to please Yang Kai.
Yang Kai, watching Zuo De’s depressed and old back, heaved a slight sigh.
Ai Ou’s brow twitched, noticing Yang Kai’s sigh. He promptly walked over and asked, “Grandmaster Yang, why are you sighing?”
After seeing Yang Kai’s Alchemy skills, Ai Ou immediately changed how he addressed Yang Kai. Brother was intimate while addressing Yang Kai as Grandmaster was respectful. It showed that Yang Kai’s status in Ai Ou’s mind had undergone a huge change.
[In the entire Star Field, Yang Kai is the only one who can refine a Mid-Rank Origin King Grade pill with Pill Veins, and I heard that he has a pretty good relationship with Xue Yue. He has even come to Water Moon Star for Xue Yue.] Ai Ou was already thinking of ways to keep Yang Kai in the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
[He is absolutely far more valuable than a Foreign Elder like Zuo De.]
“I’m feeling sorry for Grandmaster Zuo De,” Yang Kai calmly said.
“Hmm!?” Ai Ou was perplexed. “What do you mean?”
“Grandmaster Zuo De’s Alchemic Dao will not progress even an inch further in the future.” Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
Ai Ou’s face changed slightly. After he gave it a thought, he suddenly seemed to have realized something. He promptly asked, “Is it because of Grand Alchemic Dao Tone?”
“Mhmm, Grandmaster has questioned the voice of the Heavenly Way and is lucky to have woken up in time. Otherwise, I’m afraid he would not have been able to keep his Alchemy skills. He would have been excluded from the Alchemic Dao and would have never been able to refine pills again.”
Ai Ou was taken aback. “The Grand Alchemic Dao Tone actually has such an effect!?”
Yang Kai looked at Ai Ou with a smile. “President Ai Ou, if you were rejected by Martial Dao, your foundation would be ruined as well.”
Ai Ou turned earnest and said, “If the Martial Dao Heavenly Tone was the one ringing today, this King would not have missed the opportunity. I sure would have done my best to comprehend it.”
“Martial Dao Heavenly Tone… it’s too far away.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Even he was caught by surprise when he had triggered the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone. He really hadn’t expected this to happen. Because Yang Kai was competing with an Origin King Grade Alchemist and also refining a Mid-Rank Origin Grade Spirit Pill, Yang Kai was just thinking of going all out. He had no other thoughts in his mind.
When he made use of all his knowledge in the True Alchemic Way, he had triggered that Heavenly Manifestation, unearthing the ultimate mystery bred by Heaven and Earth itself.
Now that he gave it a thought, Yang Kai found it to be incredible. If he was asked to do it again, he would not be able to trigger the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone.
“Sir President, aren’t you busy?” An Alchemist suddenly glared at Ai Ou.
He was a Mid-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist, just like Zhan Yuan. Generally, he would be extremely respectful to Ai Ou, but seeing this man take such a rude stance today, like he wasn’t afraid of him, had caught Ai Ou by surprise.
“Not that much.” Ai Ou had no idea when he had offended the other party, and why the other party was asking as such.
“Sir President deals with all the affairs of the entire Chamber of Commerce. How can you not be busy? President, you are needed upstairs.”
“That’s right, indeed! President, many things are waiting for you to deal with. What are you still doing here?”
“We respectfully send off Sir President!” All Alchemists said in unison.
Ai Ou looked at the hundreds of Alchemists with mouth agape. Suddenly, he was struck with a realization. Surprised, he burst into laughter before speaking, “So that’s what you mean… why didn’t you say so earlier?”
He kept shaking his head while speaking. He then scolded everyone with a smile hung on his lips, “I guess this King is unwelcome here.”
“President, you are really so wordy.” Some Alchemists were dissatisfied. They had been waiting to ask Yang Kai, Grandmaster Yang, about Alchemy, but President Ai Ou had been going on and on here, occupying Grandmaster’s time. They found it really loathsome, and if they could beat him up, they would have already started beating him to the point that even his mother couldn’t recognize him.
Ai Ou turned serious, letting out a cold snort. “This King just remembered. Who was it that said they wanted to leave my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce? Come on up and let this King take a look.”
As soon as Ai Ou’s said this, many Alchemists couldn’t help but shrink their necks, hurriedly hiding in the crowd, lest Ai Ou targeted them.
Everyone had said that out of their respect for Grandmaster Zuo De, but Ai Ou had brought it up now to take revenge.
No one dared to meet Ai Ou’s gaze, wherever it went past.
Suddenly, Ai Ou looked proud like a cock that had won the battle!
When had he ever had the chance to be so domineering before so many Alchemists and yet no one dared to look straight at him? Alchemists had very strange temperaments, whether one was an Origin King Realm master or not, one couldn’t delay them in Alchemy or hinder their study of Alchemy.
Therefore, Ai Ou had to speak every word carefully when he was before these Alchemists.
Today, he finally tasted a sense of superiority.
He couldn’t help but break into laughter. He felt extremely proud. “Good! Great! Excellent! It seems that my Chamber of Commerce hasn’t raised you in vain. You all know how to solve this King’s worries. You are all very good.”
“President… is everything okay with Mrs. Gu? Isn’t she waiting for the Soul Source Restoration Pill…”
Just as someone mentioned Mrs. Gu, Ai Ou left in a hurry, like he was injected with adrenaline. He disappeared in the blink of an eye.
[Damn it! I actually forgot that my wife is still suffering and unconscious in my pride!] Ai Ou was feeling extremely guilty at this moment.
“That pain in the neck has finally left,” The crowd of Alchemists couldn’t help but heaved a sigh in relief. In the next moment, everyone surrounded Yang Kai, staring at him with bright eyes as if they would eat him. All of them were extremely excited.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel jittery. Before anyone could say anything, he raised his hand and said, “Everyone, I know what you want to do. Hmm, this King has some time now, let’s find a place to talk. I’m afraid this place won’t work as it’s best not to disturb everyone’s enlightenment.”
There were about two hundred or so Alchemists who still had their eyes closed, immersed in their enlightenment because of the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone. Obviously, they had reaped a lot of benefits.
The rest had failed to reap any benefit from the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone, so they had put all their attention on Yang Kai. Consulting him once would be more beneficial to them than refining pills for ten years straight. How could they miss this opportunity?
It was just that they didn’t know how to bring it up. But no one had expected Yang Kai to be so amiable. Yang Kai brought it up himself first.
Many Alchemists were wild with joy. They immediately knew that Yang Kai and Zuo De were two different people.
They had asked Zuo De for advice before, but Grandmaster Zuo De’s temper was really bad. He would either reprimand them or talk about other matters, which rendered their request mute.
But judging by Yang Kai’s demeanour, Yang Kai was obviously going to be talking about Alchemic Dao. This made everyone happy.
Someone immediately suggested the next moment, “Let’s head to the eighth floor, it should be empty now.”
“That’s right!”
“Alright,” Yang Kai nodded his agreement.
“Grandmaster Yang, please!” The crowd of Alchemists stretched out their hands and gestured in unison and in an extremely respectful manner. If anyone saw their current demeanour, no one would think that these people were the very same Alchemists with eyes high up their heads.
Yang Kai was also not overly modest. He was a master of both Martial Dao and Alchemic Dao. He might not be that old, but he held seniority over almost everyone. Whether it was Martial Dao or Alchemic Dao, he was far ahead of everyone.
Too much humility was just hypocrisy.
Therefore, he assumed the deserved authority and took the lead, heading to the eighth floor, whereas the crowd of Alchemists followed Yang Kai in an orderly manner.
The environment of the eighth floor of the Alchemist Pavilion was similar to that of the ninth floor, but the Earth Fire wasn’t as strong as it was on the ninth floor. Be that as it may, no one paid that much attention to it. They just sat cross-legged in the hall, facing Yang Kai, listening to him explain the mystery of the Alchemic Dao.
If Yang Kai was asked to explain the Alchemic Dao to so many Alchemists before this, he might not have been up to it, even if his Alchemy skills were better than the others.
It was one thing to know Alchemy and another thing to explain it to others. One needed to have a very high level of understanding to do the latter.
Fortunately, it was different now. The Grand Alchemic Dao Tone had rung in Yang Kai’s ears for an entire day, and the mystery of the Alchemic Dao was etched into his mind like a brand. His understanding of Alchemic Dao had reached a whole new level, an unprecedented level.
Explaining Alchemy to these Saint King Grade and Origin Grade Alchemists was a piece of cake for him.
Yang Kai preached about Alchemic Dao for three days, covering all kinds of topics; from how to choose the herbs, distinguish between good and bad pill recipes, refine the medicinal liquid, controlling heat, engraving the Spirit Arrays, and then finally Pill Condensing Technique.
All the Alchemists were so into it that they didn’t even notice the passage of time.
From time to time, someone would look pleasantly surprised. Clearly, he had suddenly understood the problem that had been plaguing them for many years under Yang Kai’s guidance.
Yang Kai benefited a lot from this himself. By teaching these Alchemists about the Alchemic Dao, he had a better understanding of everything that had been etched into his mind by the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone.
At first, he would sometimes stop, immersed in his own thoughts, pondering. But by the time he reached the end, he never stopped in-between; he kept going. Everything he mentioned was an Alchemy secret that average Alchemists would be unable to glimpse even if he spent his entire life.
Sometime in between, an Alchemist on the ninth floor would wake up and make his way to the eighth floor and sit down cross-legged quietly, listening to Yang Kai with rapt attention.
After having experienced the lucky chance of the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone, they had gotten huge benefits from Yang Kai again.
After three days, all the five or so hundred Alchemists were sitting on the eighth floor, not one less. Everyone was sitting before Yang Kai, looking at him with solemn and earnest looks on their faces. Even Zong Ao was no exception.
Yang Kai had noticed him walk in long ago, he just nodded to him slightly but didn’t stop teaching the Alchemic Dao.
Suddenly, Yang Kai stopped speaking.
The eighth floor of the Alchemist Pavilion was so silent that even the drop of a pin could be heard. Everyone had even suppressed the sound of their breathing to the bare minimum. When Yang Kai stopped speaking, everyone knew that the sharing was over.
Everyone looked eager for more.
But Yang Kai smiled and stood up. He cupped his fists to everyone and said, “That’s all for today. Thank you, everyone.”
All five hundred or so Alchemists stood up together and thanked Yang Kai with an earnest look on their faces and cupping their fists in return, “Disciples thank Grandmaster Yang for going through the trouble of teaching us!”
Yang Kai was stunned. However, he was back at ease very soon.
Zhan Yuan had always referred to himself as a disciple just because of a few unintentional pointers from Zuo De many years ago. He also addressed Zuo De as Honoured Teacher.
This time, Yang Kai had preached Alchemic Dao for three days to over five hundred Alchemists and could be regarded as their Honored Teacher. Unfortunately, they couldn’t address Yang Kai as teacher because he hadn’t given his consent, but they sure could call themselves disciples.
Alchemists paid great importance to heritage.
Yang Kai had imparted Alchemy experience and understanding to others generously. Although it could not help them achieve success overnight, it was a great kindness nonetheless.
Especially the magical Pill Condensing Technique. If these Alchemists could completely comprehend the technique, it would definitely bring a huge change to the Alchemy world of the entire Star Field.
After all, in every Alchemist’s mind, they could only refine one pill from one set of ingredients, but by resorting to that special Pill Condensing Technique, one could refine two, three, even four or five pills from one set of ingredients. This was tantamount to greatly reducing the cost of refining pills and increasing the output of the pills.
If this technique became known to all the Alchemists, the cultivators of the Star Field would no longer have to be afraid of the lack of pills.
In any case, these five hundred or so Saint King and above Grade Alchemists could be considered as Yang Kai’s disciples from today, including Zong Ao.
This was definitely a force that shook the entire Star Field.
No one could say how many of these five hundred or so Alchemists would advance to Origin King Grade in the future.
Yang Kai didn’t assume airs either. He cupped his fists in return and said, “You are welcome.”
“Grandmaster Yang, this disciple can’t get something you said before out of his mind and is confused about it. I wonder if I can ask it or not?” a middle-aged beautiful female Alchemist asked Yang Kai, giggling.
“If you have any questions, just ask. If this King can answer it, this King will not hide it,” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
“I believe everyone here believes and knows Grandmaster Yang’s character. However… Grandmaster, didn’t you say that there was an Alchemist better than Grandmaster Zuo De, and even you, before you started competing with Grandmaster Zuo De? It’s not true… is it?”
Just as she mentioned this, someone immediately agreed, “That’s right! I heard this too! But how is this possible? Grandmaster Yang’s Alchemy skills have already reached perfection. How can anyone surpass him in Alchemy?”
“Grandmaster said it just for the sake of it. You believed it?”
“I wasn’t speaking just for the sake of it.” Yang Kai smiled and shook his head. “There is indeed one person in this world who is far better than me in Alchemy!”
“Impossible!?”
“There is actually such a person!?”
“Grandmaster Yang, you are being too humble.”
The other Alchemists raised a clamour. They didn’t want to believe Yang Kai. They all thought that Yang Kai was just being humble. After all, everyone had a great understanding of Yang Kai’s temperament by now, he was friendly and unpretentious.
“I’m not being humble, I am just stating the fact,” Yang Kai turned serious and said. “It’s hard to say now, I might be a bit better than that person, but she was definitely better than me before. And in the future… she will be better than me.”
“Who is this person?” All the Alchemists were taken aback. Judging by Yang Kai’s expression, everyone knew that he wasn’t exaggerating. They all wanted to know what made that person so different.
“As far as I know, Grandmaster Zuo De’s Alchemy skills are the best in the entire Star Field. Even if someone could stand shoulders to shoulder with him, he or she could not surpass Grandmaster Zuo De for sure. So, the person mentioned by Grandmaster Yang must be…”
“You don’t need to guess. You don’t know her name. She is my Senior Sister. She is just like me, unknown to everyone!” Yang Kai explained.
“Grandmaster Yang’s Senior Sister!?
“No wonder!”
“Is Grandmaster Yang from the Alchemy Sect? Both Senior Sister and Junior Brother have already reached the level of the Origin King Grade…”
“Grandmaster Yang, where is your Sect? Can this disciple go and join your sect?”
Just as someone asked this, many Alchemists looked eagerly at Yang Kai. If a Sect could foster two Origin King Grade Alchemists, it was absolutely a Holy Land in the eyes of many Alchemists. If they could join that Sect, their future might be absolutely wonderful!
There was only one thought lingering in everyone’s mind: They wanted to ask where Yang Kai’s sect was. Even if they couldn’t join the Sect, they could still go to observe and emulate; they might gain something.
Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter. “If you let President Ai Ou know of this, would he let this matter rest at that!?”
If Ai Ou came to know that all these five hundred or so Alchemists were thinking of joining the High Heaven Sect, he would surely fight it out with Yang Kai.
All these Alchemists were the elite force of the entire Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. All the pills produced by the Chamber of Commerce depended on these people. If they left, the Chamber of Commerce’s business would collapse.
“Don’t mention this anymore. If there is a chance, this King might welcome you to visit. But today, it is better for you to enter a retreat and finish your enlightenment.” Yang Kai was afraid that he really would not be able to escape if continued speaking.
Having heard this, nobody made things difficult for Yang Kai. Besides, they did have to enter a retreat to finish their enlightenment and digest everything they had gained over these days. The next moment, the crowd of Alchemists scattered as everyone hurriedly returned to their respective residences for retreating.
Zong Ao, on the other hand, didn’t leave. Only when Yang Kai and he were left in the entire Alchemist Pavilion did he ask Yang Kai with a strange look on his face, “Should I also address you as Honored Teacher or as Grandmaster Yang?”
“I will be embarrassed if you address me like this.” Yang Kai forced a wry smile.
“Come on, I will have to find myself a hole to crawl into if you address me as Grandmaster.” Zong Ao rolled his eyes at Yang Kai. “Who would dare to call himself Grandmaster before you?”
“Then how about we let things remain the same as before? No one would feel embarrassed then,” Yang Kai patted Zong Ao’s shoulder with a smile. He then quickly changed the topic, asking in a low voice with a solemn look on his face, “It seems that you are now an Origin King Grade Alchemist.”
A fierce gleam flashed past Zong Ao’s eyes. He glanced at Yang Kai in surprise. “It seems I can’t hide it from you…”
“When the Grand Alchemist Dao Tone rang, you were the first one to sit down. And when I was sharing about Alchemic Dao, you seemed to have gained a lot. Obviously, you have made progress.”
“Yes, I have comprehended a lot. Although the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone was elusive, I had the chance to hear many of the mysteries, and with your explanation, I have mastered most of it. However… an Alchemist’s promotion isn’t the same as a cultivator’s. It’s not a matter of accumulating enough foundation; I need to enter a retreat for a while. If I could refine an Origin King Grade pill after exiting, I would be an Origin King Grade Alchemist!”
“Then, I await the good news.” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
“Thank you, Yang Kai,” Zong Ao said with an earnest look on his face.
Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment but quickly replied, “This was your own chance, you don’t need to thank me. You should probably enter the retreat as soon as possible. I hope that when you come out, another Origin King Grade Alchemist is born in this Star Field.”
“I sure hope so!” Zong Ao nodded. “I will take my leave then.”
Yang Kai nodded, sending Zong Ao off.
After Zong Ao’s figure disappeared from Yang Kai’s sight, Yang Kai immediately spread his Divine Sense out to probe around a bit. He immediately noticed that Long Tian Shang’s aura had already disappeared from the void.
Yang Kai didn’t pay that much attention to it. Next, Yang Kai’s figure flickered before he disappeared from this place.
By the time he reappeared, he was already outside the Alchemist Pavilion.
A familiar figure happened to be waiting for him outside. The figure could not help but jump back in fright at the sight of Yang Kai’s sudden appearance, but he looked relieved the next moment. After all, it was a matter of course for Yang Kai to do this with his strength.
He hurriedly cupped his fists and greeted Yang Kai. “Brother Yang.”
“Why are you here?” Yang Kai gazed at Shen Tu in amazement.
The person waiting for Yang Kai outside the Alchemist Pavilion was none other than Shen Tu.
Shen Tu hurriedly replied to Yang Kai’s question, “My father asked me to wait for you here.”
“What does President Ai Ou want to ask me?” Yang Kai asked.
“Nothing. It’s just that… Little Mother is awake. I just came to thank you personally after finding out that you refined the pill for her. Brother Yang, if you are free, can you come with me?” Shen Tu asked earnestly.
“Sure.” Yang Kai nodded his agreement.
The duo started walking side by side the next moment.
Gu Bi Hu’s awakening didn’t come as a surprise to Yang Kai. After all, Ai Ou had given a drop of Immortal Source Liquid to Gu Bi Hu before, healing all her physical wounds. The reason why she was in a coma was that her Soul was injured.
And a Soul Source Restoration Pill was the perfect remedy for this.
What’s more, the Soul Source Restoration Pill refined by Yang Kai had Pill Veins. Its medicinal efficacy was several times stronger than a normal Soul Source Restoration Pill. After having her Soul nourished by this pill, it would be strange if Gu Bi Hu didn’t wake up. Her Soul might even gain some extra benefits with the help of that pill.
All along the way, Shen Tu kept peeking glances at Yang Kai from time to time. There was a strange look on his face, like he had something to say.
Yang Kai smiled and asked, “Brother Shen Tu, is something the matter? If you want to ask something, just ask. You and I aren’t outsiders.”
The corners of Shen Tu’s mouth twitched. He immediately asked, looking serious, “I just want to know, are you really an Origin King Grade Alchemist? Did you really refine that pill?”
He had known Yang Kai for a long time. They might not have had much interaction with each other, but he had never thought that Yang Kai would make great progress in Martial Dao while also taking such incredible strides in Alchemic Dao.
[Compared to him, my Origin Returning Realm cultivation is simply nothing!]
He used to boast about his talents, but now, Shen Tu was completely ripped to pieces.
“I am indeed an Origin King Grade Alchemist and that pill was also refined by me.” Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement.
Shen Tu slapped his thigh in annoyance and said, “So it’s true that you competed with Grandmaster Zuo De in Alchemy?”
“Well, has word already gotten around?” Yang Kai asked in surprise.
“It has already become the talk of the entire city. There is no one in Water Sky City who doesn’t know about this, everyone has heard of it.” Shen Tu continued with a saddened look, “Had I known, I would have come to Water Sky City with you. I really missed a good show. This Young Master has been unhappy with Zuo De for a long time. His face when he was beaten would have been an incredible sight. I would have surely enjoyed it.”
Yang Kai smiled but didn’t say anything.
“But Brother Yang, do you know my Little Mother?”
“No. Why?”
“If you hadn’t met her, why were you willing to use two thousand years of your freedom to compete with Zuo De in Alchemy? When my Little Mother came to know of this, she scolded my father for not stopping you.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Because I knew that I wouldn’t lose. So it didn’t matter how big the ante was.”
Shen Tu couldn’t help but raise his thumb up to Yang Kai when he heard this. He immediately said, “Anyway, you have left a good impression on my Little Mother. You will know when you meet her.”
While talking, the two soon arrived before a manor.
They were still inside Water Sky City but the surrounding environment here was extremely beautiful and quiet. Obviously, this was the place where Gu Bi Hu was recuperating. The entire manor was surrounded by all sorts of powerful Spirit Arrays, and when Yang Kai scanned with his Divine Sense, he was secretly shocked by how strong these barriers were.
When they entered the manor, a small bridge over a stream entered their sights while melodious chimes of musical instruments rang in their ears, which made them feel relaxed and happy.
Shen Tu brought Yang Kai all the way inside and no one stopped them.
A short while later, they arrived at the deepest part of the manor, a simple-looking house within a purple bamboo forest.
Yang Kai could sense three people inside the bamboo house. One was President Ai Ou, another was Xue Yue, and the last was unfamiliar to him. Obviously, it was Gu Bi Hu.
Shen Tu stood still outside the bamboo house and reported aloud, “Father, I have brought Brother Yang.”
“Come in!” Ai Ou’s voice immediately came from inside the house.
Shen Tu smiled at Yang Kai, inviting him in. “Brother Yang, please.”
Yang Kai nodded and walked straight in.
Just as he entered the bamboo house, Yang Kai immediately felt three pairs of eyes gazing at him.
Before Yang Kai could look around the room, President Ai Ou rushed over and patted Yang Kai’s shoulder hard, laughing. “Brother Yang, this Ai can’t thank you enough. If it weren’t for you, it would be impossible for my wife to wake up this easily.”
He patted very hard, maybe even using Saint Qi as when the thick and robust palm fell on his shoulders, a resounding clap was heard inside the house.
Xue Yue stood gawking with a strange look on her face.
The corners of Yang Kai’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch. He immediately cupped his fest and said, “President Ai Ou, you are too polite. Xue Yue and I are friends. It’s nothing worth mentioning.”
“It might be nothing to you, but it was a life-saving grace for my wife and me. This Ai can never forget it.” Ai Ou’s face turned solemn.
Yang Kai smiled but didn’t say anything, rather, he gazed to the other side.
Ever since he had entered the room, a pair of bright eyes had been constantly looking at him with scrutiny.
The owner of these eyes was naturally Gu Bi Hu.
When Yang Kai looked back at her, Gu Bi Hu just smiled at Yang Kai.
She didn’t seem to be very old, appearing to be in her twenties or thirties while her Martial Dao cultivation had reached the peak of the Origin Returning Realm. Perhaps because she had just woken up, her face was a little pale, but this gave her the appearance of a sick beauty.
Sure enough, she was a woman that could topple a nation with her beauty. Yang Kai had guessed it already, otherwise, Ai Ou would not have attached such great importance to her.
“Are you Grandmaster Yang? You are truly a dragon among men, really extraordinary,” Gu Bi Hu’s gentle voice resounded in the house as her lips parted. Her voice might be very light but it sounded very clear.
Yang Kai’s expression changed. He subconsciously felt that there was something wrong when he heard Gu Bi Hu praised him like this, because she was just an Origin Returning Realm master and he was a Second-Order Origin King. She was speaking to him like an elder treating her junior, which was a bit rude, emotionally and reasonably.
However, Yang Kai didn’t give it that much thought. He cupped his fists and greeted, “Greetings, Mrs. Gu!”
Gu Bi Hu coughed a few times before replying with a smile, “Grandmaster Yang, you are too polite. You have saved my life, and I should have been the one to come to you and thank you personally. It’s just that I’m not in a state to walk around, so I can only ask Shen Tu to invite you over. I hope Grandmaster Yang won’t blame me?”
“How could I dare! Mrs. Gu is Xue Yue’s elder, and Xue Yue and I are friends. I should be the one to come and visit.”
Gu Bi Hu nodded gently as if she was satisfied with Yang Kai’s attitude, which confused the nearby Ai Ou.
He hurriedly said, “My wife and I were still discussing how to thank you. But I still can’t think of a good way to thank you. Let’s do it like this: Brother Yang, how about you tell us what you want? As long as this Ai can do it, I’ll definitely fulfil it.”
Yang Kai’s eyes immediately lit up. He couldn’t help but look at Xue Yue.
Xue Yue immediately averted her eye feeling his gaze. She was pretending to be calm.
A smile suddenly bloomed over Gu Bi Hu’s face, who was silently watching all this. She then said in a gentle voice, “I have an idea.”
“Oh? Dear, if you have thought of something, you might as well tell them.” Ai Ou was overjoyed, hurriedly looking at her.
Gu Bi Hu smiled but didn’t say anything. She just beckoned Xue Yue and Yang Kai to come over.
The couple glanced at each other. They had no idea what Gu Bi Hu wanted to do. But they had no choice but to approach her bedside.
Gu Bi Hu reached out and grabbed Xue Yue and Yang Kai’s hands with each hand before joining them in the middle. She then looked at Yang Kai with a smile before asking, “Grandmaster Yang, what do you think? Are you satisfied with this gift?”
Yang Kai was in a daze momentarily. But very soon, he broke into laughter and replied with admiration, “Mrs. Gu sure is beautiful and intelligent. This Yang is very satisfied with this gift.”
Xue Yue too was dumbstruck for a while. After she came to understand what Gu Bi Hu actually meant, her pretty face flushed red all over. She stomped her feet in shame and said, “Little Mother…”
Ai Ou’s eyes widened as he kept watching from the sidelines for a while. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong. He asked in astonishment, “Dear, what’s the meaning of this?”
“Don’t you understand?” Gu Bi Hu shot a glance at Ai Ou as she explained in a leisure manner, “Grandmaster Yang has been aware of Xue Yue’s secret all the while. The two might even be in love too!”
“What!?” Ai Ou was quite taken aback by this revelation and his previous amiable attitude could not be found anywhere. Rather, he was glaring at Yang Kai with hostility.
Yang Kai paid no heed to his hostility and smiled slightly. “Mrs. Gu is indeed right. I already knew that Xue Yue was a woman a long time ago. But… How did Mrs. Gu know? I don’t think I have revealed anything to make it that obvious! And I believe Xue Yue won’t have told you about it.”
Gu Bi Hu smiled gently as she explained, “It’s very simple. You and I don’t know each other, but you still staked two thousand years of your freedom to bet with Grandmaster Zuo De for me. Why? Since I don’t have anything to make you do that, and neither does my husband, there can only be one reason, and that’s Xue Yue. A man will only pay such a price for his woman.”
Yang Kai looked stunned. “So to say, Mrs. Gu guessed it after waking up?”
“Mhmm, but it was just a guess, I wasn’t sure. That’s why I asked you to come over. And through my observations… I was sure.”
“Mrs. Gu is truly brilliant!” Yang Kai exclaimed in wonder. If she could conclude that Xue Yue and he are deeply in love with such little information, she was not an ordinary woman by any means.
Apparently, Gu Bi Hu was a beauty with brains.
“Xue Yue, is this true?” Ai Ou’s old face was almost covered in a layer of frost as he asked this.
Xue Yue nibbled her red lips before nodding her head slightly.
“You… you are really driving me mad!” Ai Ou looked angered and disappointed as if Xue Yue hadn’t lived up to his expectation. He had been training Xue Yue as the successor of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, but how could he have expected that Xue Yue would be in love with someone.
And when he recalled how he addressed Yang Kai as Brother Yang many times, Ai Ou couldn’t wait to look for a hole to crawl into. [No wonder this kid had such a strange expression at that time. So this was the reason!]
Considering all this, Ai Ou suddenly felt that he had suffered a big loss.
“Xue Yue is no longer young and you have raised her as a boy since her birth. Are you going to make her pretend to be a man forever?” Gu Bi Hu glared at Ai Ou and asked seriously, “Every woman has the right to pursue her own happiness, and Grandmaster Yang is the best choice. Be it by his character or appearance, he is worthy of Xue Yue. What’s more, both have feelings for each other, so just leave them alone.”
“No!” Ai Ou denied flatly with a sullen face. “I can agree to everything else but not this!”
Xue Yue’s face immediately darkened.
“Dear, you should also think about Xue Yue. She has such high standards. How many people do you think can make her fancy them? Would you like to see her live alone for the rest of her life?” Gu Bi Hu persuaded with a gentle tone.
“In the heart of a cultivator, the Martial Dao takes precedence over everything. When she has reached the grand accomplishment stage in Martial Dao, it won’t be too late for her to focus on love!” Ai Ou kept a straight face; he didn’t budge the slightest.
But suddenly, a smile appeared on Gu Bi Hu’s face as she said, “It looks like… I won’t get through you with words alone.”
Hearing this, Ai Ou’s face changed. He cried in shock, “Hey, Dear, what do you want to do!”
“Nothing.” Gu Bi Hu coldly smiled, “President Ai Ou is an outstanding hero, he only has the Chamber of Commerce power and Martial Dao in his heart. I’m afraid there is no place for this little girl… you are now just a step away from the grand accomplishment stage of Martial Dao. Since you said that it won’t be too late to focus on love after reaching the grand accomplishment stage, this little girl can only leave you. I don’t want to hinder your Martial Dao…”
While speaking, Gu Bi Hu looked like she would break into tears at any moment. She looked frustrated and wanted to leave. Coupled with her sickly pale face, it really made everyone feel sorry for her.
Ai Ou really panicked. He hurriedly approached, pushing Yang Kai and Xue Yue away, and grabbed Gu Bi Hu’s hands as he justified himself anxiously, “Dear, I didn’t mean that. I was just teaching Xue Yue. I didn’t mean…”
“I understand what you mean,” Gu Bi Hu wiped the crystal-clear tear from the corner of her eyes. “Sir President, don’t worry, this little girl will only stay here for a few days. I will leave when I can get out of bed and definitely will not hinder your Martial Dao. When you have reached the peak of the Martial Dao, this little girl will come back and accompany you again. I will then remain by your side forever.”
She bit her thin lips, tilted her head as if she was heartbroken. Tears kept rolling down as she spoke.
“Dear…” Ai Ou was completely confused. He didn’t know what to say. He was so anxious that he felt like a cat was scratching his heart. He couldn’t wait to kowtow to apologize to Gu Bi Hu, but when he thought of Yang Kai and Xue Yue still watching from the sidelines, how could he throw his face?
He immediately looked back, shooting a glare at Yang Kai and Xue Yue.
“Um, Father, your daughter will take her leave then.” Xue Yue understood that the next scene was not suitable for children and quickly dragged Yang Kai away.
Yang Kai hurriedly cupped his fist before following Xue Yue out.
Before leaving, Yang Kai noticed Gu Bi Hu wink, assuring him.
A grin immediately appeared on Yang Kai’s face. He realized that Ai Ou might look big and tall but he was a big softy; he paid great importance to love and justice. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have regarded Gu Bi Hu with so much importance.
[But then again, if Su Yan, or Xia Ning Chang, or Shan Qing Luo used the same trick on me, I’m afraid even I couldn’t resist.]
The warmth of a beauty is the downfall of a hero. It’s the eternal truth.
When the couple came outside the bamboo house, Shen Tu was nowhere to be found, God knows where he went. The barriers of the bamboo house were instantly activated; no sound could be heard coming from the inside. Even when Yang Kai released his Divine Sense to check it out, he was unable to probe.
He could only give up in the light of this.
“Mrs. Gu…” Yang Kai thought for a while; he had no idea what would be the appropriate way to address her. After all, Gu Bi Hu was now his elder. Eventually, he gave up and could only continue, “Seems to value you very much.”
“Mhmm, Little Mother is very nice and friendly to us. That’s why all of us respect her,” Xue Yue smiled. “Only she can control Father. Don’t just judge my father by his obedience before Little Mother, he is different in front of others.”
“I can imagine,” Yang Kai nodded. After all, he had been managing the Chamber of Commerce for so long. How could he do so without a bit of majesty and prestige?
Xue Yue suddenly poked Yang Kai and bluntly asked, “When are you going to marry me?”
“Hmm!?” Yang Kai looked at Xue Yue in amazement. He asked with a shadow of a smile lingering on his face, “Are you so sure that Mrs. Gu will handle President Ai Ou?”
“Since Little Mother has taken the matter herself, how can my father not compromise? Besides, even without Little Mother, my father will have to give it thought due to your identity and cultivation, so there is no other possibility.”
“I guess you can’t wait to marry me?” Yang Kai stared into Xue Yue’s beautiful eyes.
Xue Yue’s face immediately flushed red. She stamped her foot and rebuked, “So what!? If I don’t take the initiative, how can I establish my position in the heart of someone as good as you?”
Yang Kai was stunned speechless.
Xue Yue let out a cold snort before approaching Yang Kai. She reached out and poked Yang Kai’s heart as she asked, grinding her teeth, “So, how many girls do you have apart from the enchantress Shan Qing Luo I saw in the Emperor Garden? What are their names?”
When poking Yang Kai, Xue Yue secretly fired a burst of Saint Qi with her slender jade fingers.
After Xue Yue had poked a few dozen times, Yang Kai couldn’t help but cough a few times. He replied with some guilt, “Just a few.”
“A few, how many exactly?” Xue Yue squinted her eyes.
Yang Kai raised his two fingers.
“Who are they? Are they worthy of you?”
“They are my two Senior Sisters,” Yang Kai forced a chuckle.
“Childhood sweethearts,” Xue Yue was surprised. She immediately asked, a little annoyed, “I have no hope in this big house. The second and third bedroom are already occupied. I can only take the fourth bedroom!”
She suddenly became unhappy. She nibbled her lips and asked, “How many more are you going to find in the future?”
“There won’t be any!” Yang Kai replied, looking earnest.
Xue Yue broke into giggling. She said with a foxy smile, “Is it really okay to say this? Be careful not to be caught by me in the future. At that time, I will inform the three Elder Sisters. Will you be able to take it?”
“There really won’t be any!” Yang Kai pledged in all sincerity and seriousness, like taking an oath. He then sincerely looked at Xue Yue with clear and frank eyes and took Xue Yue’s soft hand as he said in a warm voice, “All of you are enough for me.”
Xue Yue’s face flushed red all over, feeling butterflies in her stomach. She lowered her head and said, “How corny!”
Badump!
Yang Kai couldn’t help but wipe the cold sweat off his forehead!
While the two were talking to each other, the door of the bamboo house suddenly opened as the big and tall Ai Ou walked out.
Xue Yue suddenly pulled her hand out of Yang Kai’s grasp and stepped back like a frightened rabbit.
Ai Ou immediately shot a glare at their location; obviously, nothing was hidden from him. However, he didn’t say anything. He just let out a cold snort and beckoned to Yang Kai, maintaining a straight face. At the same time, he ordered Yang Kai with no trace of politeness, “Kid, follow this King.”
After having said this, he just started walking in a certain direction slowly.
From Brother Yang, to Grandmaster Yang, and then to kid… It was quite evident that President Ai Ou’s impression of Yang Kai had already changed.
Yang Kai slightly smiled. He then turned to Xue Yue and said, “I will go and have a talk with Senior. You go back, I will come and find you later.”
Xue Yue opened her mouth, wanting to join them. However, she also knew that it would be really inappropriate if she disturbs the talk between men. All she could say was, “Be careful! If my father makes things difficult for you, please bear with it. When you return, I… will make up for it.”
Having said this, she quickly fled with a flushed face like there was wind blowing under her feet.
A dreamy look immediately appeared on Yang Kai’s face.
“Kid, are you still not coming!?” A dissatisfied Ai Ou, who was standing not too far away, urged Yang Kai.
“I’m coming! I’m coming!” Yang Kai knew that he had fallen into an absolute disadvantage in the confrontation with Ai Ou, who just so happened to be in a bad mood. Therefore, Yang Kai didn’t care at all.
Yang Kai trotted his way to Ai Ou, smiled and greeted, cupping his fists, “Yang Kai greets future… Father-in-law!”
“Kid, what did you call me?” Ai Ou jumped back in fright like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
“Haha,” Yang Kai forced a laugh.
“You can eat rice indiscriminately but you can’t wag your tongue indiscriminately. Let me tell you, Kid. You can forget about marrying my daughter, Xue Yue. That’s not up for discussion!” Ai Ou glared at Yang Kai. He looked quite unhappy.
“No discussion!?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“No means no!” Au Ou squinted his eyes. He looked as if he would rather be struck by lightning than agree.
“In that case…” Yang Kai pondered a little. “I guess, there is nothing left to discuss between Senior and this junior. Let’s do it like this, I will leave Water Sky City tomorrow.”
“Hmm!?” Now, it was Ai Ou’s turn to be terrified. He hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would be so easy to talk to. He thought that Yang Kai would hang on without any sense of shame, but he really hadn’t expected Yang Kai to retreat in the face of difficulties.
He was immediately wild with joy. In this case, he now had an explanation that he could give to Gu Bi Hu. [Anyway, I’m not forcing him to leave, he is leaving on his own. It has nothing to do with this King.]
Just as he was about to say something, he heard Yang Kai heave a heavy sigh. “Sigh, but if I leave. I’m afraid those five hundred or so Alchemists will also leave with me.”
“What do you mean?” Ai Ou suddenly became nervous.
“Hehe, I forgot to tell President Ai Ou. After you left, I preached Alchemy for a few days. I can now be considered as a half-teacher to those Alchemists. Originally, they wanted to stay by my side to learn Alchemy. But I thought that since we’re all one family, there wasn’t any difference between staying by my side and staying in the Alchemist Pavilion, so I didn’t agree. Since I don’t have any fate with Xue Yue, then I won’t force it, but if I leave, I’m afraid they would want to follow me.”
“Half-teacher!?” Ai Ou was shocked. He immediately lashed at Yang Kai, “Kid, are you threatening me!?”
He knew that Yang Kai was definitely not kidding. Alchemists attached great importance to heritage. It was quite clear from how Zhan Yuan left with Zuo De. And now, Yang Kai was a half-teacher to five hundred or so Alchemists. He had the grace of enlightening them, so as long as he raised his arm and called for action, nothing would be left in the Alchemist Pavilion. Not the grass, or the tile, or anyone for him.
That was the elite force of the entire Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce!
Ai Ou’s heart was gripped with a chill. He realized that he had underestimated Yang Kai’s ability.
“How could I dare?” Yang Kai looked at Ai Ou, smiling.
“You sure have guts!” Ai Ou said, grinding his teeth.
Yang Kai, ignoring him, suddenly took a stone tablet-like thing from the Space Ring. He then heaved a sigh and said, “Originally, this junior was planning on gifting this to Senior. Alas… forget it! I can keep it for myself!”
“What’s that!” Ai Ou asked curiously.
“A Secret Art!” Yang Kai smiled brightly.
Originally, Ai Ou was very curious about what Yang Kai had taken out. After all, with Yang Kai’s extraordinary strength and high status, anything taken out by him should be extraordinary.
But when he heard Yang Kai say a Secret Art, Ai Ou immediately lost interest. He curled his lips and said, “I was wondering what it was, so it was a Secret Art. Although my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is focused on business, we do regard Martial Dao as important. Whatever that Secret Art is… Kid, you can keep it to yourself. My Chamber of Commerce doesn’t lack these kinds of things.”
Yang Kai smiled slightly as he threw out a few words in an extremely calm manner, “This Secret Art is known as… The Star Refining Art!”
Just as he said this, Ai Ou’s eyes bloomed with white brilliance. He snatched the stone tablet from Yang Kai’s hands as swiftly as a lightning bolt, reading it carefully with widened eyes.
Three ancient words were engraved on the stone tablet. They looked extremely mysterious and were completely different from the existing characters.
But if one looked at them closely, he or she would find that they were somewhat similar to today’s three words of Star Refining Art.
Ai Ou’s hands couldn’t help but shake.
“Senior, isn’t this a bit out of character for someone with your status?” Yang Kai teased Ai Ou.
“Shut your trap!” Ai Ou shouted angrily. Without any vigilance against Yang Kai, he immersed his consciousness straight into the stone tablet, trying to figure it out.
This stone tablet was something Yang Kai had obtained from the deepest part of the Emperor Garden. It was due to this Star Refining Art that Xia Ning Chang could refine the Star Source of Tong Xuan Realm. It might be useless to him, who had refined the Source of Shadowed Star, but this was absolutely the ultimate art to refine the Star Source.
Later, when the Avatar refined the Source of the Floating Continent had also confirmed this point.
Today, Ai Ou was a peak Second-Order Origin King. If he could get the Star Refining Art and refine the Source of a Cultivation Star, not only would it provide him limitless future prospects, but his advance to the Third-Order Origin King Realm was a done deal. That’s why he had forgotten his manners.
Last time, Ai Ou had asked Xue Yue to take a large number of masters to the Emperor Garden for this Star Refining Art, but unfortunately, it ended up in Yang Kai’s hands.
Xue Yue hadn’t told the truth to Ai Ou after she came back, so Ai Ou had no idea that the Star Refining Art was actually in Yang Kai’s hands.
When it was suddenly presented before him, he was naturally ecstatic.
Yang Kai smiled and stood on one side, waiting for Ai Ou.
With time, Ai Ou’s expression changed in a flash. Excited, nervous, eager, happy… all kinds of expressions had appeared on his face.
After a long time, he suddenly broke into hearty laughter.
“Senior, did you get some gains?” Yang Kai asked with a smile.
Ai Ou looked at Yang Kai. His face finally softened as he nodded and said, “Kid, you are really good, you sure know how to please others. What is rare is that your status is not the slightest bit inferior to this King with your strength, but you still know how to respect elders. This King is very satisfied with this!”
“If Senior is satisfied, then nothing could be better.”
“I have accepted this thing. I will give the matter between Xue Yue and you a careful thought!”
Yang Kai smiled. He didn’t coerce him at all. Because since Ai Ou had said this, it meant that he had agreed to it. However, he was just trying to maintain a bit of face, that’s all.
“Come, walk with me. I want to ask you something.” Ai Ou’s past domineering attitude was nowhere to be seen. He had become a lot kinder.
Yang Kai nodded and said, “How can I disobey from Senior’s orders!”
Ai Ou looked extremely satisfied with Yang Kai’s attitude. He then started walking forward carrying his hands behind his back as he asked, “This King wants to know: How old are you this year?”
“This… I’m not too clear about this.” Yang Kai smiled with embarrassment. Since he left Tong Xuan Realm and entered the Star Field, he had been wandering from place to place. How could he have the time to calculate his own age. “I’m almost fifty to sixty years old.”
“Fifty to sixty years old?” Ai Ou’s face changed slightly. “Are you sure you are only this old?”
To an ordinary mortal, fifty to sixty years of age was old, but to cultivators, it was just the beginning.
Most of the Saint Grade cultivators and Saint King Grade cultivators had almost the same age.
Even some Transcendent Realm and Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivators with poor aptitude were much older than this.
And Yang Kai was the Second-Order Origin King!
In the entire Star Field, every Origin King Realm cultivator was an old monster who had lived for hundreds or thousands of years. Without a solid foundation and accumulation over these many years, it was impossible to advance to the Origin King Realm!
Thus, after Ai Ou came to know that Yang Kai was just fifty-sixty years old, Ai Ou was shocked.
“I want to check your bone age. You won’t mind, right?” Ai Ou suspiciously looked at Yang Kai.
“Of course not!” Yang Kai smiled and proactively stretched his hand out.
Ai Ou reached out and put his fingers on his wrist, pouring his Divine Sense into Yang Kai’s hand. After having probed for a while, he let go of Yang Kai’s hand in shock.
Under his investigation, he discovered that Yang Kai was only a few decades old, there was no doubt about it. After all, even though a cultivator’s appearance will change because of an increase in strength, only the bones reflected the true age of the cultivator.
[How did this guy even cultivate?] Suddenly, Ai Ou felt that he had lived all these years in vain. What shocked him even more was the fact that, when he checked Yang Kai’s bone age, he discovered that Yang Kai’s vitality was simply shocking.
But right then, he was struck with the realization that it should be because Yang Kai had refined the Immortal Divine Tree!
President Ai Ou really believed that Yang Kai had refined the Immortal Divine Tree, and due to this very reason, Yang Kai had become a Second-Order Origin King in such a short period of time.
He took a deep breath and said sincerely, “With your talent, I believe that no girl is worthy of you in this Star Field. It’s Xue Yue’s blessing that you have taken a liking to her. This King can rest assured now.”
He finally agreed to the relationship between Yang Kai and Xue Yue.
After all, a genius like Yang Kai was born once a blue moon. And he was more than worthy of Xue Yue.
“However, this King needs to remind you of one thing,” Ai Ou suddenly said as if he had thought of something.
“Senior, please say.”
“Do you know about Xue Yue’s physique?” asked Ai Ou.
“Dragon Marrow Phoenix Body.” Yang Kai smiled. “If not for this Special Constitution, Xue Yue might not have been able to hoodwink the eyes of the entire Star Field. Her disguise would have been already seen through.”
“That’s right! Since you know about the Dragon Marrow Phoenix Body, you must be aware of the greatest effect of this physique.”
Yang Kai nodded with a weird look on his face.
Ai Ou forced a cough and said, looking a little embarrassed, “As an elder, it might not be appropriate for me to talk about this but I have to remind you, for your own good and Xue Yue, don’t do it too early… Hmm, you understand what I mean, right!? It won’t be too late when Xue Yue had made success in Martial Dao. I believe that a man of your temperament would show enough patience.”
“I understand.” Yang Kai couldn’t help but wipe the cold sweat off his forehead. It was embarrassing to talk about this matter with his future father-in-law.
“Hehe, as long as you understand it,” Ai Ou affectionately patted Yang Kai’s shoulder before sighing. “Don’t blame this King for being cold and unreasonable. You will understand why I did everything when you become a father.”
Yang Kai earnestly assured, “This Junior understands that Senior does everything out of his love for your daughter.”
“Great!” Ai Ou nodded, “Hmm, I was thinking of inviting you to join the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce as a Foreign Elder. What do you think?”
“There’s no harm in it. I understand that Senior just wants to use my fame. I’m okay with that.”
“I knew it! I knew that you would notice this. Furthermore, you have just won an Alchemy competition with Zuo De. More importantly, I’ve already spread the word about you triggering the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone. I believe that this news will spread to the vast Star Field very soon. And with you as my Chamber of Commerce Foreign Elder, the Alchemists in the Star Field will come swarming! This time, I will make them beg to join the Chamber of Commerce, I don’t need to give them a face anymore. Hahaha!” Ai Ou broke into a hearty laugh as if he was finally going to have his revenge.
Yang Kai forced a smile. He realized that Ai Ou was quite angry with those temperamental Alchemists.
“Also, what about your bet with Zuo De? What should I do with the several dozen Origin King Grade pills each year? Where do you live? Where do you need this King to send them to you?” Ai Ou asked.
“No need. You can think of those pills as this junior’s betrothal gift!” Yang Kai said with a smile.
Ai Ou’s pupils immediately shrank. “Don’t you want them? It’s several dozen pills every year, a couple hundred pills every decade, a couple thousand pills every millennium. Those are Origin King Grade pills, not some ordinary pills!”
“Senior, you are forgetting something. I too am an Alchemist! I can refine those pills myself.”
Ai Ou couldn’t suppress his laughter. “So, you don’t think that this betrothal gift is enough, right!?”
Yang Kai pursued his lips into a smile. “Plus the Star Refining Art, and my Alchemist disciples…”
“Mhmm, it’s almost there!” Ai Ou cheerfully said.
“What if I add dozens of Inter-Star Space Arrays?” Yang Kai smiled slightly.
Ai Ou was dumbstruck for a second. He immediately asked in a low voice, “I just wanted to ask you about this. Can you really lay out this kind of Space Array, an Array that could transmit from one star to another?”
“Senior, since you know about this, then you should have come to know about it from Shen Tu. Didn’t Shen Tu tell you that he had tested it himself!?”
“Shen Tu informed me, but… this King found it hard to believe,” Ai Ou’s face turned serious. “My Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce is in control of Cultivation Stars, Ore Stars, and Medicine Stars, a total of eighteen stars! It costs me a fortune to transport material to and from these stars, so if you can really have a Space Array to connect them with each other, then you will be the benefactor of my entire Chamber of Commerce. Let alone marrying Xue Yue, this King can let you marry all of my daughters if you want!”
“Senior, you must be joking! Xue Yue is enough for me! And it has nothing to do with it.”
“Excellent! Sure enough, Xue Yue didn’t find the wrong person. Her vision is pretty good!” Having said this, Ai Ou suddenly added, “Come with me!”
Just as he said this, he started rushing ahead.
Yang Kai had no idea what Ai Ou wanted to do, but he still followed after him without asking any question.
Not long after, the two arrived before a heavily guarded palace. The palace front was guarded by cultivators in golden armour. What’s more, all these cultivators were surprisingly Second-Order Origin Returning Realm masters.
The palace was also surrounded by dense barriers.
It was quite evident that this place was the most important part of Water Sky City.
“Greetings, President,” many guards hastily greeted after noticing Ai Ou’s arrival.
Ai Ou nodded his acknowledgement as he led Yang Kai inside.
Just after entering the palace, Yang Kai felt a faint Space Force blowing on his face.
He immediately focused his eyes, and sure enough, there was a Space Array at the centre of the main hall, which happened to be glowing slightly. This place was guarded by many cultivators, overtly and covertly.
[This should be the Space Array hub of Water Moon Star.] Yang Kai realized it immediately. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so heavily guarded.
Sure enough, Ai Ou then introduced, “This is a Space Array, connecting my Water Moon Star cities and many important strongholds. It’s an extremely important part of Water Moon Star.”
Yang Kai nodded. As he swept through it with his Divine Sense, he immediately knew the internal structure of the Array. He didn’t care about it too much. After all, it wasn’t that hard for him to arrange this kind of Space Array.
“Senior, why do you want to show me this?” Yang Kai asked.
“This is not the thing I want to show you.” Ai Ou smiled mysteriously as he beckoned Yang Kai to follow him. Then, he walked to the side and entered through a side door. There happened to be a staircase spiralling down the palace.
Fist-sized night pearls dotted the walls around the stairs, emitting a soft and warm light, lightening the staircase a little.
Ai Ou led the way for about fifteen minutes before the two came to some place underground.
As they were walking, the front became wider all of a sudden. To Yang Kai’s surprise, there wasn’t an underground cave here but an extremely spacious secret room. There was nothing in this secret room other than something at the very centre of the room that was exuding an ancient desolate aura.
“This…” Yang Kai raised his eyes as he hurried forward. With the help of the light of the night pearls embedded in the walls all around, he circled around an area of about five feet as if he was wandering around an Array.
“This is a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array?” Yang Kai looked at Ai Ou in amazement.
“Indeed!” Ai Ou earnestly nodded. “As you can see, this is indeed a Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array. It can transmit anyone or anything from Water Moon Star to another star!”
“You can’t use it?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Mhmm! I don’t know what went wrong, but according to records in ancient books, no one has been able to activate it for over ten thousand years already. Over the years, every Chamber of Commerce President had asked someone to repair it. Unfortunately, no one could. Yang Kai, it’s not that this King doesn’t trust you, but this is a very important matter. This King can only believe what he sees. If you can repair this Array, this King will believe you!” Ai Ou said with a solemn look on his face.
“What’s so difficult about it!?” Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile. He looked extremely relaxed.
“Can you really fix it!?” Ai Ou cheered up right away.
“I can,” Yang Kai nodded his affirmation. “But Senior, where is this Array connected to?”
Ai Ou furrowed his brow slightly as if it was hard to disclose. However, he pondered for a moment before answering, “Since you didn’t hide anything from me, treating me with sincerity, and Xue Yue is deeply in love with you, you aren’t an outsider. There is no harm in telling you. Have you heard of the existences of the Dark Stars in the Star Field?”
“Dark Stars!?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He asked in surprise, “Are they the stars that can’t be reached by conventional means and are hiding in the depths of the Star Field? The ones that could not be found with naked eyes?”
“So you do know about them!” Ai Ou nodded. “Yep, those are Dark Stars. The vast Star Field is hiding many secrets. It might seem that there aren’t many Dark Stars in the entire Star Field but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are many Dark Stars, it’s just that they couldn’t be found with conventional methods. All the stars with some or a little value had been divvied up by various great forces already. Take my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, for example, we have as many as eighteen stars in our control. If any force wants to grow stronger, they could either resort to invasion and aggression or start searching for a Dark Star. There are many unknown factors to invasion and aggression, so the safest and the most convenient way was to find a Dark Star. Unfortunately, the Dark Stars were very hard to find. Even if someone brushed past it, he or she might fail to notice it.”
Yang Kai nodded and agreed, “I’ve heard about them. It’s said that there are many Natural Arrays in the Star Field hiding some stars. The mystery of these Natural Arrays can even hoodwink the eyes of a Third-Order Origin King master.”
While speaking, Yang Kai brow twitched as he cried in surprise, “Senior, you mean to say that this Space Array is connected to a Dark Star?”
Ai Ou looked a little excited as he nodded and replied, “Yeah, it’s connected to a Dark Star. You may not know, but my Chamber of Commerce’s ancestor used to have some friendship with the Starry Sky Great Emperor. That Dark Star was discovered by the Great Emperor. Finally, he told the Chamber of Commerce’s ancestors. This Array was laid by the Great Emperor himself.”
[It’s actually Yang Yan!?]
Yang Kai was a little surprised. He finally realized why the Array before him was almost the same as the Array arranged by him.
It came from Yang Yan, and his Space Array layouts were all taught by her as well. It would be a wonder instead if they were different.
Originally, Ai Ou thought that Yang Kai would look shocked after hearing about the friendship between the Great Emperor and Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, but he noticed that Yang Kai remained indifferent. Ai Ou was surprised and raised his evaluation of Yang Kai in his heart.
Only someone with a calm temperament could be so indifferent. How could he have known that Yang Kai and Yang Yan had spent a lot of time together? No one in the entire Star Field had a better understanding of the Great Emperors than him.
Ai Ou continued, “That Dark Star is an Ore Star of great value. But unfortunately, my Chamber of Commerce has been sitting on this treasure for over ten thousand years but could never get their hands on it. We really aren’t befitting of the Great Emperor’s trust. Yang Kai, if you can restore this Array, you will be the true benefactor of my Chamber of Commerce. This King…”
After having spoken to this point, Ai Ou discovered that he couldn’t go on.
He originally wanted to thank Yang Kai, but just as he was about to speak, he discovered that he couldn’t thank Yang Kai enough. Yang Kai’s appearance had provided benefits to the Chamber of Commerce beyond his estimate. [What should I use to thank him for all this!]
[Even if I sold the entire Chamber of Commerce to thank him, it would still be lacking.]
“Senior can rest assured, leave it to me.” Yang Kai nodded like it was his responsibility, and he couldn’t shrink from it.
“Alright! Then this King will be waiting. How long will it take?” Ai Ou asked excitedly.
“It will just take a minute!” As Yang Kai spoke, he had already arrived at the foundation of the Space Array that had not been repaired for ten thousand years. Next, he released his Divine Sense to investigate for a moment before an expression that says that he already has a plan appeared on his face.
Then, he took out various materials from the Space Ring, including the pure Space Spirit Crystal he had obtained from the Severed World.
Immediately after, scorching-hot heat broke out from Yang Kai, changing the shapes of all those materials as they were merged into the Array Foundation. At the same time, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense shuttled through the Array Foundation back and forth, repairing and perfecting the interior structure of the Spirit Array with his Conflagrated Knowledge Sea.
From the beginning to the end, it just took a stick of incense worth of time. Finally, Yang Kai raised his hand as the pure Space Spirit Crystals were inlaid in their position in the Array.
The entire Array suddenly hummed, emitting distinct Space Force fluctuations. The dismal, grey Array started glowing faintly at this moment.
“This…” Ai Ou was simply dumbstruck, his jaw slacked so far that one could almost squeeze a fist into it.
As Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce President and a Second-Order Origin King master who had lived most of his life, he had seen almost all kinds of strange things. He would remain unfazed even if a mountain collapsed before his eyes.
But at this moment, he was shocked.
He thought that it wouldn’t be an easy thing for Yang Kai to repair the Space Array.
He thought that it would take him a month or two, or even a year or two.
He thought that it would take a huge toll on Yang Kai, both physically and mentally.
He thought…
But he only took the time it takes to burn an incense! Much to his surprise, Yang Kai had solved the problem that had been plaguing the entire Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce for tens of thousands of years and untold elites just like that.
[Is this kid Human?]
Ai Ou felt something in his mind break as he looked at the sight before him in disbelief. But the humming of the Array, fluctuating Space Force, and the faint glow were proof in itself that this Space Array had been repaired.
While he was still reeling from the shock, Yang Kai took out some more material and refined them in his hands. After a short while, a token-like thing took shape in his hands.
Immediately after, Yang Kai beckoned Ai Ou and proposed, smiling, “Senior, do you want to take a look at what’s on the other side?”
“Is… is this possible?” Ai Ou sceptically asked. It wasn’t that he was questioning Yang Kai’s ability but everything that he saw had exceeded his scope of understanding.
“Mhmm, this array is the same as what I have learned. The problem was that there was something wrong with the internal structure of the Spirit Array. It was nothing big, I have fixed it already. I have also strengthened the Array Foundation and added some Space Spirit Crystals. It would be enough for this Array to operate for ten thousand years without any problem!”
Ai Ou gulped a mouthful of saliva, but when he remembered that there was a rich Ore Star on the other side of this Array that none of the Chamber of Commerce Presidents had been able to get their hands on, he couldn’t help restrain his excitement. He jumped straight into the Array.
“Senior, take this and stabilize your Soul.” Yang Kai handed Ai Ou the token refined by him and exhorted.
“Is this your especially refined Transmission Token, without which the Space Array can’t be used?” Ai Ou asked, pondering. Obviously, Shen Tu had reported everything to him. So, he knew about the Transmission Token.
“Yeah! However, it’s not that you can’t use it, if you use it rashly, you will be exiled into the endless void.” Yang Kai pursed his lips.
“Great! Since it’s your handiwork, this King doesn’t have to be worried.” Ai Ou broke into laughter. He then raised his hand and proposed, “Let’s head off! This King wants to see how rich that Ore Star is.”
Without further ado, Yang Kai placed many Saint Crystals into the Array and formed a few hand seals, activating the Spirit Array.
A dazzling light suddenly swallowed Yang Kai and Ai Ou before the two disappeared.
Somewhere tens of thousands of kilometres away, on a lonely and desolate star, a light started flickering in a quaint palace. It lasted for ten or so breaths before it slowly dimmed out.
After the light disappeared, Yang Kai and Ai Ou’s figures appeared in the palace.
Unlike Shen Tu, who was dizzy for a long time, Ai Ou quickly came to his senses even after experiencing an inter-star transmission. As expected of Second-Order Origin King, a master with endless Spiritual Energy.
He hurriedly looked around and rapidly spread his Divine Sense. Apparently, he was checking the surrounding environment for danger.
The two of them were now inside a hall that gave off an ancient aura. Obviously, no one had trespassed this place all these years, and since no one had attended to it there were signs of damage all around the hall.
What’s more, over a hundred skeletons were sitting cross-legged inside the hall.
These withered skeletons had long lost their lives and flesh. Even the clothes on their bodies had been eroded by time, leaving white and withered bones behind. Some of them still maintained a human form, but some of them were just lying on the ground. It was really a ghastly sight.
After confirming that it was safe, Ai Ou finally focused his gaze on the withered bones in the surroundings. His eyes couldn’t help but become a little dull as he said, heaving a sigh, “These should be our Chamber of Commerce disciples who couldn’t evacuate in time back then.”
In the past, the Space Array stopped functioning all of a sudden and some of the cultivators that were still mining on this Ore Star didn’t have the time to return to Water Moon Star. Now, over ten millenniums had passed. Since an Ore Star was unsuitable for cultivation, they couldn’t make any advancements in cultivation, so all they could do was wait for their deaths.
Hundreds of people had died in the main hall alone. One could only imagine how many died outside.
At that time, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce had suffered heavy losses. According to the ancient records, they had lost contact with more than 5,000 disciples!
In other words, about 5,000 Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce disciples had died on this Ore Star.
“Senior, restrain your grief,” Seeing the dismal look on Ai Ou’s face, Yang Kai was at a loss on how to comfort Ai Ou. All he could do was say this.
Ai Ou forced a smile, “This King knows that it happened tens of thousands of years ago. I just feel that the Chamber of Commerce has not done justice to them. They spilt their blood over here, but hardly anyone can remember them after ten millennia.”
“People will remember them in the future. I think that they are dead here mainly because they were protecting the array here, preventing the invasion of any outside force. This feat is a meritorious deed in and of itself.”
“Why do you say so?” Ai Ou asked, confused.
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a slight smile, “Let me put it this way, if one wants to teleport across stars, we must have two stars connected with Space Arrays. If any one of them was damaged, you cannot teleport. The one in Water Moon City was already damaged. But after I repaired it, we could teleport here. In other words, the Array here is completely intact. Previously, I was still a little worried. If the Array here was damaged, I would have to enter the Void Corridor alone to repair the transmission node. It’s a dangerous task for me, but I didn’t have to do that, which means that they had protected the Array here till their deaths. Haven’t they done a meritorious deed for the Chamber of Commerce? Senior, you should remember this. You should commemorate them for the future generations to worship.”
Ai Ou looked to be in a daze. He nodded again and again and said, “You are right. This King might have no idea about their names but they are indeed the heroes of the Chamber of Commerce. Our future generations should remember their merits.”
People in desperation, in the time of their deaths, become mad and irrational. They could do just about anything. Thankfully, the hundreds of people who died here didn’t go mad and damage the Space Array here. They probably hoped that someone from Water Moon Star would come and rescue them.
Unfortunately, this wait had lasted over ten millennia! They were already reduced to withered bones.
Ai Ou’s face suddenly became solemn. He got off the Array, made his way to those hundreds of skeletons, and said solemnly, “This one is the current Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce President, Ai Ou. This Ai Ou has etched everyone’s effort into my mind, so you can rest in peace. Although this Ai is late, I will take you home today. I have to lay everyone to rest. If I somehow desecrate you while trying, I hope that your dearly departed spirit can forgive me!”
While speaking, he took out an empty Space Ring and waved his hand and carefully circulated his Saint Qi, putting the withered bones in front of him into the ring.
Then the second, the third…
It took him half a stick of incense time before Ai Ou had collected all the bones.
He then turned his head to look at Yang Kai and said, “I’m going to see if there are other disciples out there. You can look around in the meantime. This is an Ore Star. If you will gain something, you are more than welcome to take it. If you discover anything, it will be your lucky encounter.”
“Alright, then we will meet here one month later. I still have something to discuss with Senior.”
Ai Ou nodded and disappeared from his place in a flash.
Yang Kai also followed him out of the hall.
[This Ore Star is very similar to the one I had accidentally discovered. It’s dark, damp, and cold with weak World Energy. It’s not suitable for cultivation, but it contains extremely rich minerals.]
[The High Heaven Sect has become extremely rich by relying on the deposits of that Ore Star. I believe that if the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce can develop this Ore Star, their financial resources will go up by another level.]
Thinking of that Ore Star, Yang Kai brow twitched. He immediately let Xiao Xiao and Firebird out with the wave of his hand.
“Master, what can I do for you?” Liu Yan was still in her fire form. Her white-as-lotus arms laid bare for everyone to enjoy. Her fiery red top, coupled with her exposed lower abdomen and belly button, looked quite tempting.
Yang Kai glanced at her and shook his head. He then turned his gaze to the Stone Puppet and asked, “Xiao Xiao, is there anything you like here?”
In fact, Yang Kai didn’t need to ask this question. As soon as he took out Xiao Xiao, his round black bean-like eyes started looking around. He looked extremely dumb but Yang Kai knew that this expression meant that he was extremely excited.
To the Stone Puppet Family, who were born to refine the essence of ores for themselves, this Ore Star was simply a paradise. As long as they were given time, they could devour the entire Ore Star.
Just as Yang Kai asked, Xiao Xiao’s head moved up and down like a chicken pecking rice.
Yang Kai curled his lips into a smile as he asked in a low voice, “Does this star have a residual Source?”
Last time, when they were in that Ore Star, Xiao Xiao entered into a deep sleep after having swallowed the residual Star Source. He might not have become stronger after he woke up but its Origin King Realm’s demon could not be underestimated.
This was another way of growing stronger.
If he could swallow some of the residual Source here, Xiao Xiao would surely grow stronger.
An Ore Star’s Source was different from a Cultivation Star’s Source. Because the Ore Star’s Source was severely damaged, the World Energy was sparse and the star was unsuitable for cultivation, so it didn’t matter if it had the Source or not.
As long the mineral deposits were still there, the value of the Ore Star would not be reduced.
But the same couldn’t be said for a Cultivation Star. Each Cultivation Star was inhabited by hundreds of millions of souls. Without its Source, it would soon be reduced into a Dead Star. At that time, all its residents would suffer.
The same was true for a Medicine Star.
A Medicine Star’s World Energy was quite rich, even far denser than an ordinary Cultivation Star’s. And because of its rich World Energy that the spirit medicines could mature so quickly.
Having heard Yang Kai’s question, Xiao Xiao seemed to be a little confused. It scratched its head while looking at Yang Kai, confused. He looked as if he had no idea what Yang Kai was asking.
“Stupid, it’s the thing you ate last time and fell asleep,” the nearby Liu Yuan knocked Xiao Xiao’s head hard.
Xiao Xiao seemed to have understood now and his eyes couldn’t help but light up. He hurriedly nodded.
“Go ahead and swallow it. If we come across a treasure along the way, we can’t let it go, can we!? When you are done, you can wait for me here,” Yang Kai waved his hand and said, smiling.
Having gotten the permission, Xiao Xiao flipped in the air before his short figure dived straight into the ground, disappearing in a flash.
Under Yang Kai’s Divine Sense, he had actually dived a hundred miles underground in this short span and was still diving into the earth at an astonishing speed. Obviously, it was looking for the residual Source.
“Master, what do I do?” asked Liu Yan.
“You can also look around and see if you have a lucky encounter of your own. No one has entered this star for over ten millennia, so there should be some good stuff lying here. Maybe it’s been waiting just for you to collect it.”
“You don’t need me by your side!?”
“No.” Yang Kai shook his head. Suddenly, he seemed to have realized something, staring Liu Yan in surprise. “Your sentience…”
In the past, Liu Yan didn’t appear to be self-assertive. She didn’t ask these kinds of questions. But today, Liu Yan was behaving a little differently.
Liu Yan herself was dumbstruck. She furrowed her pretty eyebrows and appeared to be at a loss.
Yang Kai smiled. “I guess refining the Sun’s True Fire has been really helpful to your growth. Unfortunately… Xiao Xiao’s natural sentience is too low, otherwise, he would have become smarter. Keep working hard! If I get the chance someday, I will think of a way to shape your physical body. You don’t have to live in this energy body.”
Liu Yan’s pretty eyes immediately glowed with a dazzling light as she said, bowing elegantly, “Then, this Liu Yan would like to thank Master in advance.”
Yang Kai waved her off. Liu Yan immediately let out a cry as she transformed into a Firebird, shooting towards the horizon and leaving a tail of scorching fire behind.
After his two helpers had left, Yang Kai released his Divine Sense and checked the situation of the Avatar inside the Sealed World Bead.
However, the Avatar was still digesting the floating continent. Its body was as huge as a mountain and was particularly daunting.
Seeing its current situation, Yang Kai knew that this wasn’t a suitable time to let it out.
The next moment, his figure jolted before flying straight into the sky.
This was a Dark Star, a star hidden by a natural Array. The ores here were worth nothing to Yang Kai, but the natural Array hiding the Dark Star was another thing. He wanted to have a glimpse of its mysteries.
If he could get some inkling from that strange Array, it would be extremely beneficial to Yang Kai.
The sky was dim and dark, unlike any Cultivation Star he had seen so far. There was no sun or moon, and not even the twinkling of stars could be seen, only a dim light cascading through the sky. God knows where it was coming from, but the entire Ore Star was barely visible because of this weak light.
The entire sky and earth seemed to be shrouded by an invisible lid, forming a world of its own.
After flying to a height of over a hundred thousand kilometres, Yang Kai didn’t go up anymore because he felt that the natural Array had some kind of effect here. If he went up again, he might trigger some kind of lethal trap.
Even he might not be able to escape from this kind of lethal track. It was the wrath of Heaven and Earth itself, the might of the Principles.
Yang Kai, sitting cross-legged in the air, let loose his Divine Sense and merged it into the surroundings. Then, he started sensing the Principles here.
Yang Kai came to know the importance of the power of Principles from Yang Yan.
A cultivator could only exceed the Origin King Realm by comprehending the power of the Principles, and only then could they get a chance to glimpse at the mystery of the higher realm.
That was also why Yang Yan said it was easier for the Star Master-level characters to grow up.
Because Star Masters were the masters of Cultivation Stars and fused with the Star Sources, they could easily comprehend the World Principles of the Cultivation Star, becoming proficient over time.
Yang Kai let Xiao Xiao devour the residual Source for this very reason.
He never gave up on helping his two helpers as he grew stronger. If Xiao Xiao could comprehend the Principles one day, his combat power would surely rise. At that time, he could not only ignore the power of an Origin King Realm’s Domain but could easily suppress it.
Very soon, Yang Kai entered a selfless state. All his thoughts were focused on his senses, what he was feeling.
He could clearly feel that there was a mysterious and obscure power flowing around him. Even he could not sense the depth of this power.
It was the Principles!
He wasn’t expecting to comprehend much from them, he just wanted to come in contact with them as much as possible, making preparations for the future.
Just like this, one month had gone by in a flash.
Today, Yang Kai finally opened his eyes. A faint, intelligent gleam could be found in his eyes. As he looked around, everything that was originally obscure seemed a lot clearer.
He had a slight glimpse of the power of Principles.
“As I expected, it’s stronger than Domain. If I can really comprehend the World Principles, everything I Will shall be strictly enforced.” Yang Kai sunk into his thoughts. “What could be the next realm? It can actually let one control such a strong power.”
Whether it was the Shi of the Origin Returning Realm masters or the Domain of the Origin King Realm masters, they were all exerted outwards with one’s own power as the core. They influenced the surroundings with their own ability.
But the power of Principles was different. It controlled the power of Heaven and Earth at the fundamental level. In just one glance, it was clear which was stronger and which was weaker.
Yang Kai stood in his place quietly, pondering for three whole days, but he was still a little confused.
He knew that it might be too early for him to consider all these.
[It can’t be forced.]
Yang Kai then flew down.
Yang Kai immediately sensed Ai Ou’s aura inside just as he returned to the palace. Obviously, he had already returned from outside. Along with him, there were Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan.
However, Xiao Xiao seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, again. His aura was steady. There weren’t any fluctuations.
When Yang Kai walked into the hall, he was surprised to find Ai Ou looking at Liu Yang suspiciously. He had no idea where she came from, but with Ai Ou’s insight, he could easily tell that Liu Yan was an intangible existence. She was an energy body.
At this moment, Liu Yan was hugging the Stone Puppet, sitting calmly on one side, waiting for Yang Kai.
“Senior.” Yang Kai stepped up and cupped his fists to greet Ai Ou.
“You are back.” Ai Ou nodded his acknowledgement.
“How did it go?” asked Yang Kai.
“I have collected more than two thousand skeletons. As for the rest… I couldn’t find them. But I found a few Starships that are still usable, mostly filled with mined out ores. After we go back, I will send people to continue mining.”
“That’s great! Since there is nothing else, let’s go back.”
“Alright!” Ai Ou didn’t make mindless talk and stepped into the Space Array first as he agreed.
Yang Kai waved his hand and put Liu Yan and Xiao Xiao away together.
He might not have asked Liu Yan about her gains, but judging by her expression, she had a bountiful harvest. After all, there was still unrefined and unstable scorching-hot energy in Liu Yang’s body, just happening to disturb her aura.
Presumably, Liu Yan must have found some Heaven and Earth Fire on this Ore Star.
Ai Ou parted his lips. He wanted to ask about Xiao Xiao and Liu Yan, but gave up this notion after a thought.
He had felt the power hidden in their bodies and both of them gave him jitters. In other words, if he fought them alone, he wasn’t sure that he could take down either of them.
Owing to this, he found Yang Kai more and more mysterious.
[He is not even sixty but he is already a Second-Order Origin King and an Origin King Grade Alchemist. He can also arrange Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays and even has such fearsome subordinates. All this at such a young age…]
[Can there be a human of such calibre? Can a human have all these powers alone?]
[Aren’t the Heavens being too partial?]
But when he thought of how Xue Yue had captured the heart of such a man, he was overjoyed!
[If someone like him became an enemy of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, it would be a disaster for the Chamber of Commerce. No wonder Kuang Shi Zhong crumbled under Yang Kai’s hands and Purple Star suffered such a heavy loss.]
After a blinding flash, the two returned to the underground secret room of Water Sky City.
After regaining his senses, Ai Ou immediately said, “Yang Kai, I have personally verified your abilities. I will leave the Space Arrays between the eighteen stars to you. Whatever you need, you can ask Xue Yue. She will do her best to assist you. I will need to deal with the matter of Ore Star, so I won’t be available for a while.”
“It’s alright.” Yang Kai smiled. “However, this junior has a presumptuous request, I wonder if Senior can agree to it.”
“Why are you still being polite?” After everything, Ai Ou regarded Yang Kai as a member of his family. Would he still refuse Yang Kai’s request?
“I need your Chamber of Commerce’s Star Emperor Token!” Yang Kai said in a low voice.
Ai Ou’s face turned cold. “How do you know that my Chamber of Commerce has Star Emperor Token?”
Immediately, he seemed to be in a daze. “Xue Yue told you about it, am I right?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me what you need that Star Emperor Token for? Although it was something left by the Great Emperor, the Divine Ability sealed inside had already been activated, so it’s of no great use. It’s now just a heritage, that’s all. If you can tell me the truth, I will give it to you.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before taking out a jade slip and pouring his Divine Sense into it. He then handed it to Ai Ou and said, “Senior, just look at this.”
Ai Ou took it sceptically and carefully started reading.
The information in the jade slip was exactly the same as the one Yang Kai had given to Red Moon Tribal Lord. It contained the secret of gathering nine Star Emperor Tokens to open the way to the Star Boundary.
Sure enough, Ai Ou looked shocked after reading it. He asked in surprise, “Is this true?”
“How can this junior dare make any jokes regarding this?” Yang Kai earnestly replied.
“No wonder you want that Star Emperor Token. If so, it doesn’t matter if I give it to you, but about those six Third-Order Origin King…”
“Senior, counting you, this junior already has four candidates.”
Ai Ou looked at him in amazement and said, smiling, “It seems you are already prepared.”
“Then, I wonder if Senior has any thoughts of going to the Star Boundary?” Yang Kai asked, grinning.
Ai Ou fell into his thoughts. He wasn’t as fanatical as the Red Moon Tribal Lord, and after having pondered for a while, he said, “I can’t give an answer at the moment, but even if I don’t go, I think Martial Uncle Long will be very excited about this.”
“Senior Long!?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. He nodded and said, “He is a very suitable candidate.
Long Tian Shang was a peak Third-Order Origin King and fully met the requirement for opening the Star Boundary channel. For Yang Kai, it was like adding wings to a tiger.
“Martial Uncle Long has been studying the deeper secrets of Martial Dao over the years. If he is told about this, he would be overjoyed and would definitely not refuse.” Ai Ou smiled slightly.
No one had an idea about the persistent pursuit of Martial Dao by a Third-Order Origin King. Only when the cultivator reached this state himself did he come to understand it.
Therefore, Yang Kai had long reckoned that it was a piece of cake gathering the number of people. He only had to spread the news in his hand, then hidden old monsters would come looking for him themselves.
It was just that he didn’t want to work with unfamiliar people. So, he gave priority to familiar cultivators.
“You can rest assured. Either Martial Uncle Long or I from the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce will certainly join you.” Ai Ou asked with a serious look on his face, “But kid, how many Star Emperors Tokens have you collected?”
“Counting the one at the Chamber of Commerce, I have already gathered eight.”
Ai Ou’s pupils couldn’t help but constrict. “Where is the last piece?”
“Sword Union!”
“Sword Union!?” Ai Ou raised his brow as he suddenly started grinning. Patting Yang Kai’s shoulder, he said, “That’s easy. Leave this to me. I will do it for you, take it as my repayment. Just wait for the good news.”
Watching him take on everything, Yang Kai was extremely pleased. Originally, he was planning on going to the Sword Union after dealing with things at the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and have a good talk with the Sword Union President. But now, with Ai Ou taking the matters in his hand, it had saved him time and effort. He believed Ai Ou could do it.
“Then, thank you very much, Senior.”
“Why are you being polite and all. We’re all one family.” Ai Ou broke into laughter, hugging Yang Kai’s shoulder affectionately.
The more he looked at Yang Kai, the more satisfied he was. He felt that such a son-in-law would be extremely hard to find.
Over the next few days, Yang Kai rarely had free time.
Since President Ai Ou was busy taking people to the Ore Star to mine ores and Xue Yue was busy collecting materials for arranging the Space Arrays…
Yang Kai had no one to accompany him.
So, the extremely enthusiastic Alchemists of the Alchemist Pavilion visited Yang Kai from time to time, calling themselves disciples. They would cause a big commotion in the name of paying a visit, but it was rather clear what they really wanted.
Yang Kai was helpless. He had no choice but to take a trip to the Alchemist Pavilion and preach Alchemy again. After preaching for five days, he finally satisfied these shameless Alchemists.
And after five days, Xue Yue had also prepared everything. All the materials for arranging the Space Arrays had been collected, so the only thing left was for Yang Kai to arrange it.
Naturally, Yang Kai didn’t waste time. He immediately started assembling the first Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array hub at the most hidden location of Water Sky City.
The Array was finished in just ten days.
Next, Yang Kai and Xue Yue, together with a large team of cultivators, took an Origin King Grade Starship to the nearest Cultivation Star.
Time flew, and two years went by in a flash.
Over these two years, Yang Kai had been always on the go, arranging the Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array on the eighteen stars of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce.
The stars owned by the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce were far away from each other. Yang Kai had really spent a great deal of time just travelling between stars. Otherwise, based on his skills, it would have taken him less than three months to arrange the Space Arrays alone.
Most of his time was wasted on Starships.
After two years, Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s eighteen stars were completely connected. And with the hub in Water Sky City, the transmission between the stars was made easy.
Xue Yue had always been by Yang Kai’s side these two years.
Being accompanied by a beauty naturally made the travels far from boring.
Today, the team finally returned to Water Moon Star.
Ni Guang was responsible for Yang Kai’s grand reception. He kept thanking Yang Kai for his efforts over these two years on the behalf of the Chamber of Commerce. Because of these Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array, the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce would save a lot of time and money in transportation.
Ai Ou hadn’t appeared. When Xue Yue asked, only then she came to know that Ai Ou had already gone to a certain Cultivation Star to refine the Star Source.
This was a matter of great importance. In the entire Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce, only Long Tian Shang and Ni Guang knew about it. The others only thought that Ai Ou had entered a retreat, that’s all.
When Xue Yue came to learn about it, she couldn’t help but look worried.
After all, refining the Star Source was dangerous. Generally speaking, only when the cultivators had reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm could they successfully refine the Star Source. A Second-Order Origin King would basically be unsuccessful.
Luo Hai, the Star Master of Green Mountains Star, was really an exception.
At present, Ai Ou only had the cultivation of Second-Order Origin King Realm. As a girl, Xue Yue couldn’t help but worry.
Yang Kai persuaded her and informed her of the power of the Star Refining Art, which finally put Xue Yue much at ease.
“Yang Kai, someone is here to see you,” suddenly, Ni Guang walked to Yang Kai’s side and whispered to him, acting all mysterious.
“Who!?” Yang Kai looked at him curiously.
Ni Guang smiled. “You will know if you follow me.”
Yang Kai didn’t ask any more questions and followed Ni Guang into a secret room.
There were only three people in the secret room; a man and two women. The man was young. He had sword-like straight eyebrows and stars-like bright and shining eyes. He was quite handsome. And the two sisters were like flowers, serving him from left and right.
Seeing Yang Kai arrive, the man in the room broke into laughter and greeted, cupping his fists, “Brother Yang, we meet again.”
Yang Kai stood in a daze. He immediately asked in surprise, “Brother Gu, how come you’re here?”
He hadn’t expected to meet the Young Union Master of the Sword Union, Gu Jian Xin, at Water Moon Star.
He and Gu Jian Xin had met once, and they had lived together for a while. Although it couldn’t be said that they had a deep friendship, they still found each other pleasing to the eye. In the time they had not seen each other, Gu Jian Xin’s cultivation seemed to have improved a lot. He wasn’t that far from the Origin King Realm. Presumably, he got his lucky break and just needed some time to stabilize his cultivation before he could try to break through.
And the girls by Gu Jian Xin’s side were naturally his left and right sword servants, Ling Yue and An Xing!
The two girls grew up with Gu Jian Xin and the master-servants trio had developed a set of Secret Techniques. When they fought against an enemy together, their power was simply extraordinary. Furthermore, the trio had a very good relationship. Gu Jian Xin had never regarded the two sword servants as his subordinates. When he was attacked by Origin King Realm master, Li Ming Hai, Gu Jian Xin was even willing to sacrifice himself to save Ling Yue and An Xing.
This had left a good impression on Yang Kai.
Only people who valued love and brotherhood were worth making friends.
“Greetings, Young Master Yang!” Ling Yue and An Xing weren’t strangers to Yang Kai either. After seeing Yang Kai, they hurriedly bowed and greeted him in a crisp voice.
“Ladies, greetings to you too!” Yang Kai smiled and returned the greetings.
“Brother Yang, did this Gu catch you by surprise by waiting for you here?” Gu Jian Xin looked at Yang Kai, smiling.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment as various thoughts flashed in his mind. But then he said, “I was surprised but… it was within my calculations.”
“It seems Brother Yang knows why this Gu is here.”
“I can guess a little but I ask Brother Gu to make it clear,” Yang Kai said earnestly.
Gu Jian Xin nodded. “Talking with Brother Yang is really fun. If that’s the case, this Gu will shed some light.”
While speaking, he took out something from his Space Ring and said, handing it to Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, look at this.”
“Star Emperor Token!” Yang Kai’s eyes immediately lit up. He hurriedly took it from Gu Jian Xin’s hand.
This was the last Star Emperor Token. It looked exactly the same as those he had collected before. With this piece of the Star Emperor Token, he had gathered all nine Star Emperor Token crafted by that Great Emperor back then!
Gu Jian Xin smiled. “My father asked me to give this to you. He said that you need it.”
“Union Master Gu?” Yang Kai was taken aback for a moment. He then carefully put the Star Emperor Token away before speaking, “I wonder what are Union Master Gu’s conditions?”
He didn’t have much contact with the Sword Union. He had just a little friendship with Gu Jian Xin. Yang Kai didn’t believe that Union Master of Sword Union, Gu Cang Yun would hand over the Star Emperor Token just because of this. Obviously, there were other conditions.
Gu Jian Xin broke into laughter. He looked to Ni Guang and said, “Conditions, of course there are conditions. I beg Senior Ni to elaborate.”
Yang Kai turned to look at Ni Guang.
Ni Guang lightly coughed and said, “Yang Kai, it’s like this: President had already negotiated this matter for you before entering the retreat. Union Master Gu is willing to give you this Star Emperor Token for use and is also willing to become one of the six people. But… the condition is that you have to go to Sword Union and arrange the Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Arrays for them!”
“As I thought!” Yang Kai forced a wry smile.
He had already guessed it, but when he heard the request made by the Sword Union, he felt a little tired.
After all, helping the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce set up the Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array wasn’t a matter of a day or two and the Sword Union had its own intelligence network. They would definitely get the news.
How could a great force not be greedy of the Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array!
Yang Kai looked at Gu Jian and asked, frustrated, “How many Cultivation Stars does the Sword Union have?”
Gu Jian Xin replied with a grin, “It’s not that many, we have a little less than the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. It’s just seventeen stars!”
Yang Kai stretched his hand out and rubbed his forehead.
It took him two years to set up Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array for the eighteen stars of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. Presumably, it would take him no less than two years to set up another seventeen for the Sword Union.
“Brother Yang, an able man is always busy. My Sword Union is counting on you,” Gu Jian Xin persuaded.
“Are there any other conditions apart from this?” asked Yang Kai.
Gu Jian Xin forced a smile. “There is one, a unanimous request by my Sword Union Alchemists. I hope Grandmaster Yang can come to the Sword Union’s Home Star to teach Alchemy at least once!”
“Is this matter out too?” Yang Kai was having a big headache.
“Brother Yang, I’m afraid you don’t know how big your reputation in the Star Field is now!” Gu Jian Xin looked at Yang Kai with a strange look in his eyes. His eyes were filled with endless envy. “Brother Yang’s name is on everyone’s tongue in the Star Field today! You are a Second-Order Origin King and an Origin King Grade Alchemist as well! Who can compare with you? You have also triggered the Grand Alchemist Dao Tone, a matter that will be known for ages to come!”
Ni Guang added, nodding sincerely, “Yang Kai, since you have been moving around over these two years, maybe you haven’t heard much about it, but everyone in the Star Field has indeed heard of you.”
Gu Jian Xin added again, “Of course, my Sword Union won’t ask Brother Yang to work in vain. Every time you arrange a Cross- Cultivation Star Space Array, we will give you satisfactory compensation. Brother Yang, please don’t refuse. This Gu is begging you.”
While speaking, he bowed to Yang Kai in a serious manner.
Before coming here, Gu Cang Yun had said that if he couldn’t invite Yang Kai to the Sword Union, he could forget coming back. His father’s words were still ringing in his ears. How dare Gu Jian Xin dismiss them?
Yang Kai thought for a moment and agreed, nodding, “Brother Gu, don’t do this. I agree.”
“Really!?” Gu Jian Xin was overjoyed. “Excellent. I wonder when Brother Yang is planning to set off? The Sword Union isn’t very far from here!”
“Tomorrow, we will head straight to Azure Tree Star.”
“Azure Tree Star!?” Gu Jian Xin was a little confused. But very soon, he seemed to have thought of something. He asked in surprise, “Brother Yang, have you set up a Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array on Azure Tree Star!?”
“Mhmm.” Yang Kai smiled and acknowledged it, nodding.
“That saves us a lot of time. Since that’s the case, this Gu will be waiting for Brother Yang’s good news.”
After coming out of the room, Yang Kai went straight to Xue Yue and told her about the next trip. Xue Yue was a little reluctant, but she couldn’t ask him to stay.
Furthermore, she knew that Yang Kai would be going to someplace called Star Boundary in the foreseeable future. If she wanted to remain by his side, she could only improve her cultivation. Otherwise, she would only become a burden.
“You don’t have to worry. I will enter a retreat after you leave, trying to break through to the Origin King Realm!” Xue Yue angrily said, “All your women are so great. I don’t want to be at the bottom.”
Yang Kai chuckled. “You don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself. You are also outstanding.”
Xue Yue immediately smiled sweetly.
“By the way, when Senior Ai Ou returns, be sure to hand this thing to him.” Yang Kai suddenly took out something from his Storage Ring and handed it to Xue Yue.
“What’s this!?”
“Star Chart, it will tell him where I am so he can look for me,” explained Yang Kai.
“I understand.”
“And one more thing, there is one last candidate left. Ask your father or Senior Long to be on a lookout. If they find anyone reliable, please invite him or her.”
“Alright, I will remember it.”
Staying up all night, Yang Kai explained the mystery of the Origin King Realm to Xue Yue, telling her how to form a Domain. Finally, he bid her goodbye in the morning.
Gu Jian Xin and his two sword servants, Ling Yue and An Xing had already finished their preparations. They were only waiting for Yang Kai to set off.
Yang Kai and his team went straight to the Cross-Cultivation-Star Space Array Hub at Water Sky City. Yang Kai tinkered with it a bit, connecting it to the Array on the Twin Shark Island of Azure Tree Star. Soon, their figures slowly disappeared under everyone’s gaze.
When their vision finally restored, Yang Kai, Gu Jian Xin, and the others were already in Yang Kai’s palace on the Twin Shark Island of Azure Tree Star.
Yue Xi and her disciples, He Zao and He Mao, who had been stationed at the palace, immediately greeted them. Over these few years they had not seen each other, Yue Xi and her disciples’ cultivation had also greatly improved with He Zao and He Miao entering the ranks of Origin Returning Realm masters.
The days spent in the Sword Union were almost the same as in the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. He was running around here and there, taking Starships to Cultivation Stars, Medicine Stars, Ore Stars, and setting up the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Arrays.
Fortunately, as Azure Tree Star served as a transit, not much time was consumed.
In just a year and a half, the seventeen stars of the Sword Union had all been linked together.
Yang Kai preached the Alchemy Way to the Alchemists for the Sword Union before extricating himself.
At this time, there were only six years left before the ten-year agreement with Gui Zu.
Finally, Yang Kai returned to Shadowed Star!
When Yang Kai returned to the Sect, everyone in the High Heaven Sect was overjoyed. Tens of thousands of disciples lined up to welcome.
Yang Kai was stunned when he noticed that the level of the cultivators in the Sect was a level or more higher than before he left. Especially Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang. Much to his surprise, they had broken through to the Origin King Realm together!
After breaking through, Su Yan’s aura had grown purer and more flawless. She might have cultivated the Ice Crystal Jade Body postnatally, not being born with it, but this set of Secret Techniques from Scarlet Wave Star was still quite powerful. It was able to optimise her powers thanks to her physique.
Ice Crystal Jade Body, coupled with the Ice Phoenix Source Power in her body and the Profound Frost Divine Sword in her hand, made the current Su Yan far from an ordinary First-Order Origin King.
She would not fall leeward against an ordinary Second-Order Origin King, and if she were to join Yang Kai, it would not be difficult to kill a Third-Order Origin King.
Meanwhile, Xin Ning Chang’s aura had grown more and more natural after the breakthrough, as if her entire body was integrated with the world. Yang Kai studied her for a long time but couldn’t find any clues. He believed that this should be because of the Sacred Spirit Medicine Body returning to its original nature.
Combat was not Xian Ning Chang’s strongest aspect, but when it came to Alchemy, she was a peerless genius.
After having advanced to the Origin King Realm, her Alchemy Technique advanced by miles overnight. She had already surpassed the current Yang Kai in Alchemy.
She had gone back to Tong Xuan Realm several times over, and after witnessing the vigorous World Energy and the growth of the land, she knew that only by improving her strength could she bring a better and brighter future to Tong Xuan Realm. So, she spared no effort to cultivate.
What she cultivated was Alchemy!
That led to a huge stock of pills for the High Heaven Sect. No matter how many herbs flowed into the High Heaven Sect, they would all be refined into pills by Xia Ning Chang, which would immediately be sent to Shadowed Star for sales, changing back to even more herbs.
Except for these two, the others had also made considerable progress in cultivation.
However, Ye Xi Yun had just broken through to the Origin King Realm and couldn’t go any further anytime soon, while Gui Zu had been in a retreat all the while. He too had failed to take that crucial step and had been stuck in the Second-Order Origin King Realm.
Yang Kai took a one month break in the High Heaven Sect. During this one month, he accompanied his parents, Grand Master, Ancestor Founder, and other friends and family. Also, he was almost inseparable from Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang.
After one month, he disappeared from everyone’s sight all of a sudden.
Except for a few, no one knew where he went.
At night, the sky was dotted with stars.
At the top of the Medicine Peak of the High Heaven Sect, Xia Ning Chang was sitting on the stone steps outside the main hall, looking up at the sky with her cheek resting on her palm. Through the starry sky, she seemed to be able to see a familiar figure.
Sha sha…
Slight rustles of footsteps suddenly made Xia Ning Chang turn around. When she saw who it was, she couldn’t help but smile. “Senior Sister Su!”
Su Yan gently nodded as she made her way to Xin Ning Chang’s side and stood, looking somewhere in the sky.
With two peerless beauties sitting and standing side by side, it became the most beautiful scenery in the world.
Their hair danced along with the breeze like a waterfall.
Su Yan narrowed her beautiful eyes and asked, “Junior Sister, are you worried for him?”
Xia Ning Chang slowly shook her head. “I’m not worried. He returns safely every time.”
“Then, is it that you couldn’t bear to part with him!?” Su Yan asked again.
Xia Ning Chang couldn’t help but flush. She bit her cherry red lips and said, “Senior Sister, you don’t?”
Su Yan’s white as jade cheeks flushed red slightly. She shook her head and replied, “I hate to part with him, too. But… it doesn’t matter. It’s like this every time.”
“Yes, it’s like this every time.” Xia Ning Chang smiled. “I have already gotten used to it.”
Su Yan said, “Men! Sigh, they really make others worry! Back then, we were just insignificant cogs in the world, that’s all. Then, we went to Tong Xuan Realm, and then to the Star Field. Every time we changed places, our vision grew a lot higher, and every time, he would act as the vanguard. It’s the same this time around. Although we don’t know anything about the Star Boundary, how dangerous it is, we can do nothing apart from not fall too much behind him in cultivation and wait.”
“Senior Sister, aren’t you unwilling!?”
“I do want to experience the winds and storms with him!” Su Yan’s beautiful eyes flickered with sadness.
[Thinking about it, I was never with him when he was in danger. But every time I had a crisis, he would appear before me like a god, stopping all the violent storms by his brave and heroic body.]
While enjoying the feeling of being protected, Su Yan was a bit reluctant.
[Even if it’s a sea of swords or a Hell, I want to walk with you all the way, even if it’s just once. Even if I am bruised and bleeding, even if I have to sacrifice myself, even if my Soul is destroyed, I will not regret it.]
Silent, two pairs of beautiful eyes peered through the void, staring somewhere into the distance.
The area within a range of ten thousand kilometres of Shadowed Star was a Dead Zone with a tremendous amount of horrible energy remaining. It was the aura of destruction leftover from the battle between the Starry Sky Great Emperor and the Insect Emperor, as well as the oppressive Emperor Pressure and the chaotic principles. An Origin King Realm master dared not trespass here.
It was because of being wrapped in such a Dead Zone that Shadowed Star wasn’t discovered by the outside world for many years and remained in a semi-isolated state.
At this moment, Yang Kai was right in the centre of the Dead Zone, naked.
He was drenched in blood and was exuding a golden light. the outstanding healing ability of his own Golden Blood was constantly repairing his injuries, but the terrifying Emperor Pressure around him was constantly destroying it.
His body was going through destruction and reconstruction, again and again.
Yang Kai was under unimaginable pain and torture.
This was Yang Kai. He wasn’t using any power to resist the surrounding Emperor Pressure. He was only feeling the mystery of the Emperor Pressure and profoundness of the principles with his very own body.
Having cultivated the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art, he had a strong physical body and had also taken countless Shadowed Heaven Pills, not to mention his pure Golden Blood. All these factors allowed him to survive in this terrible place.
Any other Origin King would have to circulate his energy to block the terrifying power of this Dead Zone.
But that extremely oppressive Emperor Pressure was something he still couldn’t block, so he had no choice but to burn through the accumulated Golden Blood to maintain his life.
With time, a layer of golden blood cocoon had formed around Yang Kai. He seemed to have turned into a silkworm. Only the resounding and powerful heartbeats coming from the cocoon showed his surging vitality.
Although it was unbearable torture, Yang Kai felt that it was also a rare experience and opportunity for him. It was an excellent opportunity to cultivate the Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art.
Wrapped in the blood cocoon, he took out the five elements’ treasures and started madly devouring the five elements Yuan Qi from them, storing it in his body.
Not only that, but he also took out the Origin Essence Crystal he got from the Clear Sky Auction House of Purple Star, prying into the mysteries of the Third-Origin King Realm!
In the quiet Starry Sky, no one would have thought that someone would be breaking through their limits in this daunting Dead Zone, using its tremendous pressure to stimulate their own potential.
Yang Kai knew that he didn’t have much time left. He had already wasted a lot of time arranging the Space Arrays for the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and the Sword Union, so he could only make up for the lost time using this method.
Time went by, days, months, one year, two years, three years…
Today, the weather was bright and clear. The sky was blue and clear as a mirror.
But suddenly, a dazzling golden light flashed somewhere in the void before disappearing in the next moment.
At the same time, a terrifying pressure could be felt from a very far distance.
The World Energy of the entire Shadowed Star started growing denser all of a sudden. Countless beautiful rays of light shot towards Shadowed Star from the Star Field, each like a rainbow. They left a long tail behind them as they fell into the nooks and crannies of the Shadowed Star, leaving Shadowed Star cultivators shocked. They had no idea what was going on.
Soon, they discovered that wherever those colourful rays fell would turn into paradise on earth. The World Energy was dozens of times or even hundreds of times greater than usual.
The barren mountain that no one used to care about was filled with World Energy at the moment. Presumably, it would turn lush and green very soon, becoming beautiful and refreshing, like a spring.
The ordinary cultivation paradise with decent World Energy grew even better suited for a cultivator’s retreat.
Every cultivator felt their blood boiling. The comfortable environment around them made them ecstatic.
They thought that it was a gift from Heaven itself!
High Heaven Sect, Hundred Flowers Peak…
Ye Xi Xun saw through it clearly the moment the golden light flashed. She raised her head and looked up.
The next moment, a ghostly figure suddenly appeared beside her. The figure was surrounded by an unfathomable aura. It was Gui Zu, who had successfully advanced to the Third-Order Origin King Realm not long ago.
Seeing Gui Zu arrive, Ye Xi Xun nodded her acknowledgement.
Gui Zu pursed his lips into a smile and said, “That kid has exited his retreat!”
“Is all of this due to Sect Master?” Ye Xi Xun asked.
Gui Zu replied, “Beside the Lord of Shadowed Star, who can arouse this kind of fortune for the entire star? He has refined the Source of Shadowed Star, so his strength and Shadowed Star are closely related. You have lived on this star for a long time. Haven’t you noticed that every time his strength improves, it will bring huge benefits to Shadowed Star?”
Hearing what Gui Zu said, Ye Xi Yun also gently nodded, “The current Shadowed Star is indeed a little different from several dozen years ago, but that change happened quite subtly and very few people could detect it. This time, the change is obvious.”
“That only shows that this time, that boy has made great progress, perhaps he’s even reached the Third-Order Origin King Realm,” Gui Zu grinned as black Qi wrapped around him, making him look a little eerie.
The farther a Star Master’s strength increased, the greater the benefits the corresponding Cultivation Star would receive. It was a symbiotic relationship after all.
“Third-Order Origin King…” Ye Xi Yun muttered to herself, wondering when she would be able to reach such a height.
She was more eager to go to the Star Boundary than anyone because the Star Boundary was the Starry Sky Great Emperor’s home!
The last time the Great Emperor left, she had been unable to follow her, a reality that filled Ye Xi Yun with regret.
The movement in the distant void was not only noticed by Ye Xi Yun and Gui Zu, but also by countless people across Shadowed Star.
Needless to say, Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, and Qian Tong, the other three Origin Kings on the star who had far sharper senses than other cultivators, noticed, together with many Origin Returning Realm masters who turned their eyes towards the sky at that moment.
However, none of them was able to see much, only faint streaks of multi-coloured energy penetrating from the depths of the Star Field and falling onto Shadowed Star, causing the World Energy aura to seemingly become richer.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai stood stark naked in the distant Dead Zone, frowning slightly as he remained motionless.
For a moment, even he could not properly evaluate his situation.
Over the past few years, he had been cultivating in the Dead Zone to feel the ambient Emperor Pressure, the strength of Principles, and also refine the Origin Essence Crystal.
He thought he could break through to the Third-Order Origin King Realm with ease!
But for some unknown reason, there was a thin line he had been unable to cross no matter how he tried, leaving him at the peak of the Second-Order Origin King Realm.
The most obvious clue was that he had still not been able to condense his own Origin Essence Crystal!
The Origin Essence Crystal was the crystalized essence and the perceptions of an Origin King’s lifetime of cultivation. Without an Origin Essence Crystal, one could not be a Third-Order Origin King.
Although he had failed to make a breakthrough in his cultivation, his Five Elements Indestructible Sword Tempering Art broke through under the strong pressure of the Dead Zone, and among the Five Elements supreme treasures, all except for the Sun’s True Essence had been completely used up.
In addition, his Domain was on the verge of reaching the grand accomplishment stage!
So even though he failed to break through, Yang Kai felt that he was much stronger than before his retreat.
“Has the opportunity not arrived yet? Or is there something I’m missing?” Yang Kai could not understand.
A cultivator was destined to go through all kinds of hardships and some things simply could not be forced, so Yang Kai was not discouraged despite failing to break through this time. He was confident that his aptitude was no worse than anyone else’s, and since others could reach the Third-Order, he could too. All he needed was time.
“Forget it, let’s not worry about that for the time being. Anyway, my current strength is not much worse than any of the others and should be more than enough to open the road to the Star Boundary,” Yang Kai quickly relaxed and took out a brand-new set of clothes from his Space Ring. After dressing himself, his figure flickered, and he directly crossed the million-kilometre distance to Shadowed Star.
As a Star Master, this kind of thing was easy for him.
After returning to the Sect, Yang Kai did not disturb too many people, choosing to only meet with his relatives.
A few days later, he took Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang through the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array and left Shadowed Star.
For the next year, no one knew his whereabouts.
A year was not long, but also not short.
One day, the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array in High Heaven Sect’s main square suddenly lit up, and two human figures appeared from the bright white light.
Ye Xi Yun and Gui Zu were already waiting here and after seeing the visitors, Ye Xi Yun cupped her fists towards one of the majestic men and asked, “Would Your Excellency happen to be Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s President Ai Ou?”
The man nodded slightly, smiled, and responded, “It is this Ai.”
“High Heaven Sect’s Ye Xi Yun, greets President Ai Ou!”
“So, it is Elder Ye, I’ve heard much about you!” Ai Ou cupped his fists quickly. He also learned about the situation in High Heaven Sect from Yang Kai.
Ye Xi Yun then turned to the next man and said with a smile, “Then this must be Senior Long Tian Shang.”
“Indeed, pleasure to meet you,” Long Tian Shang’s attitude was calm and gentle as he returned the greeting.
“The two of you came a little early,” Gui Zu laughed wickedly to the side.
Ai Ou and Long Tian Shang’s gazes landed on Gui Zu simultaneously, and although they felt his aura was a bit uncomfortable, they both knew he was a master who could stand on equal footing with them, a genuine Third-Order Origin King.
Not daring to show any neglect at the moment, both of them exchanged greetings one after another.
“What about that boy Yang Kai? Why is he not here to greet us?” Ai Ou grumbled a little unhappily; after all, he was still Yang Kai’s nominal father-in-law. How could a son-in-law not come to greet his father-in-law?
“Sect Master hasn’t returned to the Sect yet and I don’t know where he went, but Sect Master will definitely not miss the appointed time,” Ye Xi Yun explained.
“That damn brat!” Ai Ou spat disdainfully, “He is definitely out there gallivanting about and completely lost track of time.”
Long Tian Shang could not help laughing loudly, “A year ago, he came to Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and took Xue Yue away. Didn’t he tell you where he was going?”
Ai Ou just grumbled with a sullen face, “That boy mysteriously appears and disappears as he pleases. Before I even agreed, he snatched up Xue Yue and left. En, he was accompanied by three women at the time, all of them Origin Kings. I really don’t know where he found all of them.”
“Three women?” Ye Xi Yun raised her brow slightly, “President Ai Ou must be referring to Sect Master’s Senior Sisters who are Origin Kings, but there are only two of them. Who is the third?”
As soon as Ye Xi Yun’s voice fell, she heard someone say, “She should be this Queen’s adopted daughter!”
As this voice sounded, the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array’s light faded once more and an elegant, mature woman appeared, accompanied by a burly man who looked as gruff as a bear.
Ai Ou and Long Tian Shang were shocked when they heard this voice and quickly looked back. After seeing the face of the person who came, Ai Ou’s eyes almost popped out as he exclaimed, “Chi Yue! How could it be you, you old ghost!”
The person who had come was none other than Red Moon Tribal Lord Chi Yue: The only Monster King of Monster Emperor Star!
And listening to Ai Ou’s tone, these two obviously knew each other.
But that was not too surprising, as there were only so many Origin Kings in the Star Field, and even fewer above the First-Order, so even if they had never met face to face, they would have at least heard of one another.
Chi Yue simply sneered, “What? If you two old farts can come here, why can’t this Queen?”
Ai Ou snorted, “I haven’t seen you for many years, but your tongue is still as sharp as ever. I didn’t expect that brat, Yang Kai, to actually have connections to your Monster Race, and what’s more unexpected is that you actually reached Third-Order.”
“Didn’t you as well?” Chi Yue looked at Ai Ou with a light smile.
Ai Ou squinted his eyes, “So, you are one of the six?”
“Aren’t you?” Chi Yue asked back.
“Naturally. Yang Kai is this King’s son-in-law, so how could this King not agree to his invitation?” Ai Ou smiled triumphantly.
“Sorry, Yang Kai is also the son-in-law of this Queen,” Chi Yue sneered.
The two masters glanced at each other before suddenly grinding their teeth and cursing in synch, “Just how many women does that smelly brat have!?”
A year ago, Yang Kai went to the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce and took Xue Yue away. Similarly, he had gone to Monster Emperor Star and snatched up Shan Qing Luo. Together with Su Yan and Xia Ning Chang, who were following him from the start, he now had four stunning beauties gathered around him.
Moreover, all four of them were masters at the First-Order Origin King Realm!
During the few years Yang Kai had been in retreat, Xue Yue had also broken through to the Origin King Realm, not disappointing her natural talent.
“Who was not once young and loose!?” Long Tian Shang laughed aloud to the side, “You two shouldn’t be dissatisfied, having a character like Yang Kai as a son-in-law is like picking up a big bargain.”
Ai Ou still frowned and muttered, “Nevertheless, I am a bit unwilling.”
Chi Yue added coldly, “When he comes back, we need to teach him a severe lesson first!”
Ai Ou nodded sharply, expressing his agreement, the two of them suddenly standing united because of this.
“Everyone is an honoured guest of my High Heaven Sect, and since Sect Master has not returned yet, everything in the Sect has been left to this Mistress’s management. Please allow me to show you your accommodations, where you can rest and refresh yourselves. The scenery of my High Heaven Sect is quite picturesque!” Ye Xi Yun saw that the greetings were finished and spoke before motioning to everyone.
No one raised any objections and immediately followed Ye Xi Yun into High Heaven Sect, towards the main peak.
More honoured guests arrived one after another.
Sword Union’s Union Master Gu Cang Yun travelled through the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array together with Gu Jian Xin a few days later.
The hidden dragon who showed his tail but never his face, Wu Dao, also arrived in High Heaven Sect through the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array.
Ye Xi Yun had made proper arrangements before to ensure a respectful welcome was extended to all involved parties.
Today’s High Heaven Sect had six Third-Order Origin Kings gathered inside it.
This was a sight fundamentally impossible to witness in the past. Third-Order Origin Kings were rare existences, and most of them were constantly in secluded retreat to contemplate and study the Heavenly Way and Martial Dao, but now, so many of them had arrived in one place.
After everyone got together, they began discussing the Martial Dao atop High Heaven Sect’s main peak, exchanging their cultivation experiences. The sound of their discussion inspired the surrounding World Energy, and a mysterious sound spread out in all directions, causing many High Heaven Sect disciples to benefit greatly.
The concept of time had already become extremely weak in the hearts of Origin Kings, and once these six Third-Order Origin King masters sat down, they did not move for an entire month. Within this one month, the voices of these six people atop the main peak constantly sparred with one another, their sound shaping the very world around them in a profound manner.
Even ten years later, this main peak would still retain traces of these Third-Order Origin King’s discussion about the Martial Dao and Heavenly Way. Many High Heaven Sect disciples would visit the main peak to enter retreat in order to gain insights from this residual aura.
One month later, the Cross-Cultivation Star Space Array, which had been silent for a long time, flickered again.
This time, five figures appeared.
One male and four females.
The one in the centre was Yang Kai, and the other four were naturally Su Yan, Xia Ning Chang, Shan Qing Luo, and Xue Yue.